Wednesday, April 17, 2013

From the Land of Ma'am: My Apartment

Greetings and happy Wednesday.  Luckily I am feeling much better than I did when I wrote Monday's post.  I have a permanent desk now at work.  Just having that stability is really helping.  I'm feeling more settled, and in general am in a better place mentally than I was on Monday.  Onwards and upwards.

While I may not have really  chosen this move to Charlotte, the reality of the situation is that I am here.  The days are long, but the years are short so I figure I might as well make the most of my time here.  In an effort to motivate myself to see the good, I decided to start a post series that I will call "From the Land of Ma'am."  Since I'll be exploring more areas than Charlotte, I thought a "Southern-influenced" post series theme was appropriate.  And, after all, I am living in an area of the country where they say ma'am A LOT!

To kick off my post series, I thought I'd share some pictures of my new home with you.  I've been in my new apartment for a little over a week now and am mostly settled in.  I still have some organizational projects to do, but for the most part I am pretty much settled.  All in all, I like my apartment.  My main complaint is the lack of storage.  I have 1 closet total - no entry closet, no coat closet, nothing.  Just one smallish walk-in closet.  I had 3 closets, a linen closet, a kitchen pantry, and a storage unit in my last place so it's a drastic change for me to have such little storage.  I tried to fit as much into my closet as possible but admitted defeat last week and ended up renting an onsite storage unit.  I just couldn't handle throwing more out or donating more (I did a lot of that before my move and have sort of had it with purging).

I am fairly happy with how it is arranged, with the exception of the placement of my dining room table (I want to pull it away from the wall), but that is not a piece of furniture I can move on my own, so that will have to wait.  Here are some pictures of my new space.

Living Room
The living room from a different perspective (the door on the left leads to my balcony)
My beautiful kitchen
My bedroom (I have a sliding glass door that leads to the balcony which overlooks a courtyard)
My building has a lot of great features such as a concierge who signs for packages and notifies you of their arrival via email, a small gym, outdoor pool area, yoga studio where you can do workout/yoga DVDs, a small movie room, and a business center.  It's quiet and it's just over a 1/2 mile walk to work.  On days when I don't want to walk to work, there is a free trolley-style bus that picks up in front of my apartment building and drops me off right in front of my office building.

So all in all, it is a good place to live.  It's small, but besides the lack of storage, I think I will be pretty happy here.

What do you like best about your home?  Do you like your floor plan?  I picked this apartment primarily because of the cost and proximity to work, but also because of the open floor plan, which is the kind of floor plan I had in my last place and the kind I prefer.

25 comments:

abbi said...

Being that close to work would be great! Lack of storage would be an issue for me too but it looks great, love the kitchen!

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Wow I love your apartment! The balcony looks really nice and the kitchen is beautiful. I also love the bookshelves :) it's great to have someone who can sign for packages too, I need that feature for my house haha. I'm glad you are settling in and finally got a desk!

Gracie said...

What a nice kitchen! And the proximity to work must be great.

Becky said...

I am jealous of your balcony! We've always lived on the first floor so we have patios and because it's so easy for someone to walk by we don't use it very much because it's not really private.

I think what I love most about our apartment is the light we get. We were in a basement type apartment for so long it's nice to be able to get some sunshine in our home!

Jeanie said...

Lisa, it looks gorgeous. You've been masterful in settling so quickly and the balconies are great. Looked like there was a nice view, though hard to tell. And lots of good services. I suspect the club will be a nice way to meet neighbors. And the kitchen is to die for!

More to the point, three cheers for the desk!

My favorite feature of my house is the knotty pine paneling and plate rail in the family room -- and the neighborhood. A big basement can be a mixed blessing for a pack rat, but I'll take it!

missris said...

Lisa your apartment is gorgeous! And you're more settled in one week than we are in eight months!

Marlys said...

It looks great, Lisa, and I'm glad things are falling into place, especially that you now have a desk! I sent you a text this morning asking that very question, and then I opened your blog and got the answer! That kitchen is really beautiful, but I empathize with you on the lack of storage! I like the title of your new experience!

Leigh said...

Your apartment looks wonderful! Love the look of the kitchen too :) Glad that you are slowly settling into it

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Aside from the lack of closet space (good move on renting an onsite storage unit!), I think you have really lovely space. Plus, it seems to offer some really nice extras with all that is onsite, proximity to work, etc. Up until moving into our current place, I always loved open concept living, too (and still do). But, our current place has a big eat-in kitchen (well, big for condos) in the back of our unit and a living room in the front of our unit. We probably spend more time in our kitchen than I ever imagined, so I'm thankful for its size. And I'm also thankful that there is a clear distinction for Gavin about where he can eat food and where food is not allowed. =)

Stephany said...

Yay! Your apartment looks great. So cozy and lots of great features to take advantage of. I can see why you chose this apartment complex! I *LOVE* the kitchen. It's gorgeous!

I really love the floor plan in my current apartment. I feel like my mom and I really have our own space and we're not so on top of each other like we were at the old place. And we have the BEST view out our balcony so that's nice. We just need some furniture to make it even better!

Glad you're settling in & have a desk now! I'm excited about this series. :)

Amber said...

I agree your apartment looks really nice and cozy! I think that's nice you have a patio area off of your bedroom and the kitchen is gorgeous! I'm glad you're getting settled in!

Melissa said...

Looks like you're settling in well to the apartment, you unpacked so quickly! I really like the layout though. Good choice!

Elizabeth said...

Wowza--that all sounds A-MA-ZING! A balcony off your bedroom that you could sleep with the screen open?! Walking distance to work?! Onsite gym?! And look at that kitchen! Gorgeous gal--absolutely GREAT things. I'm pretty excited about your Southern posts---I've been missing the south like crazy the last week or so--the tempo, the sunshine--I never thought I'd feel that way, but it gets to you :) Keep giving it time, the South might worm it's way into your heart too :) Sure been thinking of you btw!

J and A said...

Looks lovely! I love the kitchen and your patio on your room!! Glad you are settling in, hope it feels a little more like home soon!!

Nora said...

Awesome that you can walk to work! I would love to be able to do that. LOVE your kitchen. That's the kind of kitchen I hope to have some day =)

My favorite thing about where I live is that it has multiple levels; for whatever reason it makes such a difference for me, especially after living up north in the smaller home with 2 kids, a dog and a man. I enjoy having space!

San said...

It's a lovely apartment, Lisa! It looks really cozy and a 1/2 mile walk to work? That's pretty awesome! :)

You sound so much more positive! I love it!

Shoshanah said...

I love the title of this series! I really did believe people said ma'am in real life until I moved to Louisiana. I still don't really say it, but the boy has definitely made it know, he wants to raise out future children saying it.

As for the apartment itself, I really like it. Yes, it might be small, but I really like the feel of it all. Plus the kitchen is so pretty with the dark wood and the counter tops!

Linda said...

It looks so cozy! I love it. I love our floor plan. Unsure if we're renewing our lease but I'm savoring my time there for now!

Abby said...

I love your apartment! Excited to see you getting all settled in! It looks like your bedroom is a good size. I am a little envious of your balcony off the bedroom - neat to walk out to In the mornings !

Also love your kitchen!

I love my house - my favorite part is the views.

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I love that you can walk to work or get a free trolley! That is a plus, plus, plus in my book! Your place seems nice and bright, which is good too.

I know what you mean about the purging; there is only so many things you can give/throw away sometimes before you have to stop. Especially since I can't really justify having to buy something again later because I threw it away now!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Love that kitchen!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Nice place! That's a great island! I love the layout of my house because there is no wasted space. I love my kitchen best.

Cherry Blossoms said...

So beautiful and do I spy photos on the wall?! It all looks great.
I am really looking forward to my visit/girls weekend!

Lisa-Marie said...

Lisa, it's lovely! And it's SO TIDY.

I am very jealous of your bed.

On a more serious note, it's nice to see you settling, and planning to enjoy life there. :)

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

Not sure how I missed this post before, but your apartment looks great!! I love the extra amenities it has. The gym and yoga room sound awesome. And the half mile walk to work isn't bad at all!