Yes, you read that correctly – I’m moving! No, I’m not leaving London. I couldn’t imagine it! After 3.5 years in my current flat, it was time for a change – and more space. Read on – we have so much to catch up on :).
Why am I moving?
Two words: space and noise! Unfortunately, one is hard to come by in my current neighborhood for my budget (space) and the other is overly generous (noise). As a result, I did the grownup thing and faced reality. I got to experience living in my favorite neighborhood for a few years, but it is time to get a little more space and experience life in a new neighborhood.
Where am I moving to?
For the sake of safety, I won’t name the neighborhood that I am moving to. But, let’s just say that it’s super charming and my new place is 560+ square feet to my current 400, has a very small second bedroom and tons of wardrobe storage (two double wardrobes in the master, floor to 15-foot ceiling length – heaven!).
The challenge?
When I signed for my flat, I was hopeful that I could purchase a lot of the furniture off of the previous tenant. Unfortunately, that ended up not being the case. All my new flat has is one bed, bedframe, and mattress. As my previous flat came furnished, I have things like art, cushions, bedding, kitchen items, etc., but no furniture.
While I negotiated a budget from the landlord to fund some of the basics, I have a lot to buy and my overall budget is not big (think: IKEA). Luckily, I have an ace up my sleeve – an interior designer Mom. How lucky am I to have a Mom who is an interior designer!?. Here’s our game plan for furniture and the overall style of the new place!
Decorating The New Flat – Color Palette & Style
I’m big on looking at the “bones” of the place and shaping the interior style of it from there. While my current flat is more modern, this one is more feminine. With tons of natural light, 15-foot ceilings and much of it is painted in either a very pale pink or white, it is very light and airy, which I love. Space is not huge overall, so I want to maximize storage potential while keeping it very simple, cozy and uncluttered.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that the current tenant has a great style. She decorated it with a lot of white and gray furniture – very Scandinavian – and I think she was spot on in her approach. My interior designer Mom agrees, so we’re going to put our own stamp on a Scandi-ish yet feminine style.
As such, colors I am looking at across the flat are:
• Shades of gray: Couch, dining chairs, bedding (probably a white/light gray pattern)
• White: Bedframe, dining table, chest of drawers, wardrobe
• Pale pink: Pillows for couch, walls
• Beige: Carpet
• Silver: Accents – legs on dining chairs, handles on wardrobes/drawers, mercury glass votives, etc.
• Black: Frames for artwork, black & white art
• Green: Plants, a greenish/blue in some of the artwork
Not every color will be used in every room, but I like the idea of keeping the flat pretty neutral throughout with white, gray and a few little pops of color.
Here’s a rundown of what I have earmarked for purchase so far. As always, any suggestions or tips on other companies to look at for cute home accessories would be appreciated! I also want new bedding but haven’t had time to shortlist options yet.
Living Room
This sofa bed from IKEA doesn’t look like much on the website, but I went to the store and it’s really nice in person! Even though I’ll have a second bedroom, having a sleeper sofa is always a good idea. This one has a storage ottoman for spare bedding which is great.
I currently have this simple IKEA coffee table and it’s great. It’s sturdy enough to sit or stand on it as needed.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/tables/coffee-side-tables/lack-coffee-table-white-art-10065958/
My living room is not huge and there’s no space in the kitchen for a proper dining table, so my game plan is to buy an extendable table. For most days, I’ll keep it with two chairs, but I’ll have two other chairs in the flat to bring in as needed.
For chairs, I do like the ones featured with the dining table, but my Mom suggested mixing in more grey with these cute chairs.
Bedroom
I really like this bed from Wayfair, but it’s out of stock until late February. The current tenant had this bed from IKEA and I am inclined to just re-order it. My Mom thought it was great, I’m just not entirely sold on having a footboard. However, as I haven’t found anything else that I love that’s affordable, so I guess IKEA wins!
I’m also going to get a small desk for each bedroom to use as a vanity area. This one from IKEA is great for smaller spaces and I’ll pair the other two grey chairs with them!
Artwork & Home Accents
I already have throw pillows and blankets. Here’s an assortment of artwork and other bits that I am looking at.
This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve been obsessed with this Chanel-inspired pineapple print from I Am Fy ever since I saw it. Apparently, the pineapple is a Southern USA welcome sign and I do have family lineage from the South. I have a lovely fireplace in the living room and this seems like the perfect piece to adorn it!
https://www.iamfy.co/product/chanel-inspired-pineapple
The other living room wall will adorn my Boston and London map prints (I currently own these).
https://www.iamfy.co/product/london-map-vintage-in-blue
https://www.iamfy.co/product/boston-map-vintage-in-blue
For my bedroom, I love these feminine illustrations in black and white.
https://www.iamfy.co/product/portofino-art-print?source=related
https://www.iamfy.co/product/figuratone-art-print?source=related
I also need to purchase a welcome mat, as for the first time ever, I plan to make my house shoe-free. Beige carpeting will do that to you! I want something with a bit of personality and thought these might be cute?
https://www.wayfair.co.uk/rugs/pdp/bombay-duck-let-the-adventure-begin-door-mat-bomd1915.html
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/569563096/welcome-doormat-handpainted-door-mat
Final Thoughts
This is just a fraction of what I plan to buy. I’ll definitely share updates on how my process of decorating the new flat goes with honest feedback on what I do purchase. Most of the items I have featured here are available in the U.S. as well, but you may need to do a little searching on the U.S. site if you’re also funiture hunting.
Lastly, if you have any tips, suggestions on great shops or brands that I should consider, please send them my way!
Stay tuned….there’s so much to come :).
For more of my ‘Moving in London’ series:
How To Find A Flat In London: https://thesavvybostonian.com/2019/03/how-to-find-a-new-flat-in-london/