NYC Apartment Diaries, Vol. 1

When your bedroom is more of a "situation."

I’m running a sale on paid subscriptions — 25% off for one year. Just consider it? If you like Schmatta?

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So, I’m living in NYC for a while. And just to get the embarrassing bit out the way: My husband, 4-year-old daughter, and 16-year-old cat and I moved in with my parents. I grew up in this apartment. And now, despite all of my accomplishments, I live in the same room I last lived in when I was 17.

Since then, it’s been transformed into my mom’s office which is stuffed to the brim with paperwork and books (Joys of Yiddish, Kosher Sex, Genocide, Klezmer!) from her former career as a cantor (Jewish clergy). An entire wall is filled with an IKEA Pax wardrobe and there are somehow also two bookshelves and an upright piano in this room.

Which is to say: I don’t have a bedroom so much as a situation. A corner. Still, it’s been an interesting lesson in cultivating character and function in a small space. The TL;DR of it all? Go all in on a distinctive color combination.

This room has never had a bed, so first priority was getting a mattress and bed frame in place. Luckily, I was assigned a review of an Ostermoor mattress for Domino mag, so the company sent over a sample. Holy shit, you guys. I feel like a billionaire sleeping on this thing. We got the most plush version, The Bedford, and it’s almost comically comfortable.

Cute ticking stripes on the Ostermoor mattress.

I chose a Thuma bed frame (the Classic in the natural finish), which famously boasts a no-hardware construction. I am so fucking proud to say that my daughter watched me assemble that bed all by myself (and yes, the pieces were heavy). The moment I finished I was like, “RAAAWWHHHRRR!! DID YOU SEE MUMMY DO THAT WITH NO HELP?!” She was unimpressed. I explained to her that this was a moment designed to teach her about female strength. She stared blankly at me and then asked if she could watch Frozen on her iPad.

I opted not to get a headboard, thinking it might make the space look more cluttered, but I did add two under-bed drawers, which are pretty cool because you can move them to any position under the bed.

The walls in this room are a really pale blue so I leaned into that with the sheets and curtains, then went to the opposite of the color wheel to create some character. Or something.

The sheets are from my absolutely favorite, Morrow Soft Goods. We have the organic matte sateen duvet cover in a sky blue, and the heirloom linen sheet set in apricot. We are not top sheet people, so the flat sheet acts as more of a blanket and pop of color.

The art — which I lifted from another room in the house — is by a late family friend, Friedrich Danielis. And we found that brass (? who knows what it is) lamp on the street on 81st between Amsterdam and Columbus.

On days when we actually make the bed, there’s this ugly-but-fun cat pillow I got for $10 at a school fundraising sale thrown by

Christene Barberich

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And while there’s almost no space for a side table, this one from Hetta (a new brand from the people behind Sundays) ended up being a perfect fit. I think it’s some sort of design “rule” that you’re not supposed to mix wood finishes but I hate rules.

Other bedroom & bathroom additions:

• Quince European Linen Curtains

• Morrow Soft Goods Carmen Bathmat

• Morrow Soft Goods Amos Throw Blanket

• Brooklinen Linen Shower Curtain (Honestly, a great deal. For $109 you get a linen curtain, a plastic liner, and shower curtain hooks.)

• Quiet Town Tam Bath Sheet

So that’s where we’re at. If we end up staying in New York for a more extended amount of time, there may be more projects. But for now we’re living our best orange-and-blue-life in the back bedroom.

(Full disclosure in case it’s not already obvious: Almost everything was gifted apart from the shower curtain, bedroom curtains, cat pillow, and lamp.)