#also yes. particularly when that different environment no longer has a messy passive aggressive roommate

[goatsandgangsters]

my brain is still doing the thing where you’re somewhere new and it’s like oH!!! TIME TO NOTICE!!! NOTICE ALL THE THINGS!!!!! so here’s my account of the little details while they’re still fresh and I’m still aware of them 

also I should note, I rented this apartment teeeeechnically sight unseen. I was not expecting to move for a few months, but then coronavirus happened and I needed to get away from my roommate ASAP. but because of everything going on, I couldn’t tour the place in person. the realtor arranged for the tenant to take me on a video tour, so I still got to see something more authentic/trustworthy than just photos, but still. it’s different finally getting to SEE a place 

around here, a majority of the apartment buildings are from the 20s. I’ve gone from a building built in 1920 to one built in 1925 

so I still have a lot of those “old building” details that I love and that I had in the last place—that exact same molding that every 20s building seems to have around doorways, old doorknobs and interesting doorknob plates, tile lobbies with marble stairs (old, worn, and cracking, but definitely original and definitely cool) 

however, the kitchen and bathroom in my last place had DEEEEFNITELY been redone more recently. I’m going to guess the kitchen and bathroom in this place hasn’t seen a significant renovation since the 50s, based on nothing but “it reminds me of my grandma’s house which was built in 1950 and never renovated. and also I googled 50s kitchen/bathroom sink and yep those are my sinks” 

the kitchen cabinets are metal, which is fascinating and also feels very mid-century. the counter beside the kitchen sink has drainboard grooves imbedded in it (I haven’t used the oven yet, but fortunately that’s newer. some vintage things are cool, but you don’t want an oven the same age as your parents) 

the windows are wood. you can see the chain in the window frame for the pulley system. I thought this would be a pain, but honestly they’re way easier to open and close than modern windows

the bathroom floor has that octagonal tile, and the walls are tiled up to the chair rail. the tub is encased in a sort of box, which is also tiled. the faucet is along the side of the tub, not at the front. (I haven’t tried to take a bath yet, but it seems somewhat deeper than a normal tub, and my lanky 5′10″ self is hype) 

the bathroom sink is absolutely the same sink as my grandma’s bathroom. porcelain, jutting out of the wall, no cabinetry beneath it. separate faucets for hot and cold. that’s a little inconvenient for finding a good temperature to wash your hands, but right now the nostalgia factor is winning out over the practicality 

there’s a thingy on the wall by the front door that’s mostly been painted over, but I’m pretty positive it’s the original doorbell mechanism? it’s fascinating. 

THERE’S A WINDOW IN MY CLOSET???? WHICH IS ACTUALLY QUITE LARGE???? (there’s only one closet and I was not shown it on the video tour, so I was assuming I’d have minimal closet space. it’s actually really big and it has?? a window????) 

in the wall by the bathroom, there’s a built-in linen cupboard and built-in drawers, which is adorable and I’m obsessed with it

this has nothing to do with the building being old, but I love the placement of this particular unit. I’m on the top floor (rip me with groceries) but on the plus side, it means I get a ton of light. I face the back of the building, so instead of being along a busy street, I overlook a grassy patch behind the building 

THE AFOREMENTIONED BED NOOK!! WHICH IS A NOOK, FOR MY BED!!!! it’s this little triangular alcove off the main room and my bed fits into it perfectly, and it’s really nice because a) sleeping in a bed nook is SUPER COZY, but b) even though I’m in a studio, it still feels like I have a separate “living space” vs. “sleeping space” 

the radiators are actually hidden by these nice wooden boxes, which is nice and nostalgic for me, because the house I grew up in had encased radiators like that 

I just really love old details on buildings? The house I grew up in was built in 1888 (granted, WAY MORE MODERNIZED than any of the 1920s apartments I’ve lived in) and there’s something about those historical details that just really makes me feel homey 

yes, there’s some drawbacks to living in a place that hasn’t been recently redone. the sinks and tub are far from sparklingly clean because they’re old, I’m going to miss having a dishwasher and a garbage disposal, there’s wear and there’s cracks, radiators clank and bang and are hard to regulate. but god there’s also so much CHARM.