Our Cobble Hill Brooklyn Home Tour
In our 7 years of living in New York, we resided in 5 different apartments in 5 separate neighborhoods. None were even close to perfect and they all had their share of the usual NYC living problems (from mice to cockroaches to zero storage to no heat, we've dealt with it all). Yet, I realized, out of 5 apartments, I took home tour pictures in zero of them. Zero. I mean....not that you wanted to see photos of me huddling in the corner trying to stay warm in a non-heated, mice-infested home, but still...
So, two days, before we packed up our final Brooklyn home and waved goodbye to life in Cobble Hill, I decided pictures were in order. Because what else do you have to do two days before a cross country move but spend hours styling and shooting your home, right?!
While our Cobble Hill home was the most decorated and put-together of all our NYC apartments, it was still far from finished, so I had perpetually resisted taking photos of it, always saying that I was going to get around to it after I just "hung that picture...and bought that rug....and added those pillows". Obviously, those things never happened and as the day of our move got closer and closer, I quickly realized and accepted that I would either have pictures of our home as-is or I would have no pictures at all. I guess you can tell which I chose...
Funny enough, I'm now writing this post from our very empty, un-decorated, furniture-less new California home, and looking at these photos, I can't help but laugh that I ever thought our Brooklyn home was so un-decorated and un-together. I'd give my right arm and my morning coffee just to have our new place half as together and settled as this place (or, like, let's be real, even just to have something besides the floor to sit on). But, as they say, hindsight is 20/20, so for now, I'll reminisce on our old home, look forward to decorating our new one and finally, officially, share our full Cobble Hill Brooklyn home tour with all of you.
We decorated with a lot of Ikea, a few Craig's List finds, some good ol' DIY projects and whole lot of resourcefulness. While many of the items aren't available on-line I have linked things where I can. To see the links and captions, simply click on and/or hover over an image, and if applicable, it will pop up below the picture.
And since we're about to embark on another home decorating project, I'd love to know how you all like to decorate. Are you Ikea fans, do you enjoying thrifting and antiquing or making old pieces into new pieces via DIY projects? Spill the deets!
The kitchen is small, so we tried to keep decor to a minimal. While it was hard to capture (due to lighting), our counter top usually only holds our white Kitchenaid Mixer, our coffee machine, a vase of (currently dried) flowers and a few minimal marble and wood cutting boards and bowls. Since there isn't room for a table, we opted for bar stools on the opposite side of the counter (they can be seen in the next photo). Our stools are from World Market, but are no longer available. However, these stools are a similar option.
Most of the items in this room are from Ikea. However, the trunk was a Goodwill find, the rug was from Amazon, the desk was pulled from someone's trash (Oops!) and the desk lamp, curtain rod and curtain are all Target. The patterned pillow is from Annie Selke and my pencil holder was once a vase from our wedding table centerpiece's. Our fig leaf tree was from a bodega around the corner, of all places.
A few treasures collected from childhood, family and our travels, along with another favorite candle and a few good books.
Our framed mirror is a Target find (no longer available, although this is a similar option) and the wooden shelf above our bed is a piece of driftwood the Mr. sanded down and hung up. Since our bedroom was so small, we used this shelf to hold a few books and, at night, glasses of water, eyeglasses, etc, since we decided to save space by going sans side tables. Our sheets are another Target find and our duvet cover is H&M.
With limited storage, we opted for a bigger Ikea dresser as well as a bed frame that offered ample storage underneath (it's where we kept suitcases, winter clothes, craft supplies, etc). The gold mirror was a Craig's List score and many of the other dresser knick knacks were either gifts or random items picked up here and there. Our curtain rod and brass floor lamp are both from Target and the velvet curtains are West Elm via Craig's List (similar option currently in stores)