Minimalist Manhattan Apartment Tour

Building

In October 2016, we moved from our 3-bedroom apartment in Bayside, Queens, into a studio apartment in Manhattan. The building complex is called "London Terrace Towers," located in Chelsea (West of Manhattan and only one block from the High Line) and takes up a whole street block and has one tower in each corner. LTT is a co-op which means there is a board that decided who is allowed to move in. It was a long and complex process, but with the help of our real estate agent, we've made it. 

Our apartment was in the tower on the corner of 23rd street and 9th Avenue (which we also faced). We lived on the 12th floor and had a lovely view (which I will show you below). The apartment had two big windows, which brought a lot of light into the room.

One of the other towers had an indoor pool included in our rent and a gym for additional costs. And again, another tower had a rooftop terrace. We had to leave the building and walk around the block to get to these things (sadly, no underground tunnels), but it was worth the walk.  

I loved the building design - all the character it portrays. Our apartment was old but had lots of charm. When you entered the lobby, there was an elegant lobby with a doorman. Guests had to give their names, and then he would inform me before they came up. The doorman also accepts packages, and when you come home after work, they are ready for you—no fear of someone stealing them. During the almost two years that we lived there, I've met many building staff and had little chats with them every day. It was a very friendly environment, and I felt safe (no aggressive dogs near me like in Queens). The basement had a big laundry room which was clean and tidy. 

For around 1/3 of the size, we paid the same price as in Queens, but we had a shorter commute. For example, it took 30 minutes for Daniel to go to work in one subway (compared to the 1 1/2 hours before). And it took seven minutes by food for me to walk to the church where I worked. Because we lived so central, it was easy to meet with friends - even within walking distance.

Kitchen

Entering the apartment, you were standing in the kitchen. A few steps straight, and you were in the living/dining/bedroom/office. Across the kitchen was the bathroom, and that was the whole apartment. It had 30 square meters (300 square feet), including the closets and the bathtub.

The kitchen was tiny compared to our kitchen in the former apartment. It had hardly any storage, but we made it work for us because we had downsized significantly. Our backing things didn't fit into the cabinets, but we could store them in the other closet. To my surprise, it was more challenging to learn only to have a tiny fridge. The convenience of just grocery shopping once a week and storing it all in one of the usual big American fridges didn't work anymore. But even this was doable, and we only had to adjust.

We put one of our former shelves across the kitchenette (besides the bathroom door), and I added drawers, which gave us more storage. And our former nightstands gave us more storage for shopping bags, small umbrellas, keys, etc.

Room

Our one-room served as many rooms together: Living room, dining room, bedroom, and office. This room and the closets had a total of 20 square meters (200 square feet). We didn't mind that it was small because everything we owned by then fit. We had let go of the "in case we might need it later"-things and only had what we truly loved and used. Some corners felt a little packed initially, but when I closed my stationery business, I sold all my tools and gained more space in the closets, and because of it, some other furniture pieces could leave. 

The apartment had two closets: One walk-in closet with a clothes rod that fit Daniel's work suits, my few dresses, and our jackets. It also had shelving up to the ceiling (see pictures), and that was enough space for our belongings. And the other closet with sliding doors that was approx. 30 cm (12 inches) deep and perfect for our boxes and some additional kitchen items. For the rest of our clothes, sheets, and towels, we kept the two big dressers.

During our time living in a studio apartment, we recognized that we have to be much more considerate to give each other space and alone time. If you only have one room and can't close a door, then you can't just have a call when the other person needs to rest and wants quiet. Of course, headphones and earplugs were helpful, but they can't be a complete alternative to a bigger apartment with doors.

Bathroom

This bathroom had lots of character! So many details I loved: The original subway tiles on the walls, the black and white pattern on the floor, and the pedestal sink. Storage-wise the bathroom had two mirror cabinets: A small one above the sink and a large one behind the door. To be honest ab it weird to sit on the toilet and then see yourself in the big mirror, but great to have the extra storage space. 😉🚽 Although there was no bathroom window, I didn't mind because of all the interesting features. It felt like time travel into the past for me.

View from the Apartment

The direct-view outside the windows was at another building complex across the street. Mainly a lot of red bricks. However, there was no high building too close to the left and right, and we could see the sky and even the top part of the Empire State Building. To have this view excited me enormously. Each night I was curious which colors of lighting the Empire State Building would have. Form our bed I could see it too and often I just sat in bed in the evening and started at the colors. I loved this ritual.

After living there for a bit, we found out how much noise there was—lots of traffic on 9th Avenue and also on 23rd Street. During the day, I didn't mind because I was distracted with work or not home. However, it was astonishingly loud to hear firefighters, medics, and police sirens during the night. And somehow, the firefighters are honking their horns when they come close to an intersection, and each time I woke up. I got myself silicon earplugs, which helped a bit - but not so much for the loud honking. Sadly that's the downside of an old building with old windows. You hear everything.

View from the Rooftop Terrace

London Terrace has four towers, and on one of them (10th Avenue and 23rd Street) is a rooftop terrace for the residents (minus the ones in the penthouse apartments who had their private terraces 😉🍸). It was a five-minute walk to the end of the block, and then we had to sign in to a list and could go up to the terrace. I think each one of us was allowed to bring four guests - a total of eight. The terrace just had a beautiful view! We could see the One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the High Line. To name a few. 

As our apartment was too small to entertain guests, we've met on the rooftop terrace in spring, summer, and fall. Everybody brought their food and beverages of choice, and we talked and saw the sunset or played board games. It was such a blessing to have this shared outdoor space. There we could feel like being part of the city, but more private as in the public parks. The rooftop terrace was closed in the winter, and then we usually met our friends directly in cafés or restaurants. It wasn't fun to cook bigger meals in our tiny kitchen, and it was also exciting to try out new restaurants.

Move

And then, almost two years later, we moved again. Why, if this apartment sounded so marvelous? Certainly not because moving is so much fun and easy. I know for sure that it isn't!

The two big reasons (you might guess them already) were the loud noise at night. It wasn't the traffic in general but the sirens and honking. The second reason was that there was no space to be alone if you needed and wanted. Of course, the bathroom had a door, but I mean an area that's comfortable and has a sofa or a bed.

2018 Daniel went through a severe depression. It had started way before, but back then, we didn't know what it was. In the studio apartment, we realized how easily we trigger each other through mood swings and how this affects our communication and relationship. "We need another room with a door" became our slogan - a second room for us to be both at home but have our own space not to affect each other and cause unnecessary fights. So we prioritized Daniel's health and the health of our marriage and decided to move again.

You see the rest of all our belongings (minus the baggage cart that we borrowed from the building). I had sold and donated all our furniture. To give you a glimpse of what all this stuff was: The plastic containers held our kitchen stuff, the blue bags held all our textiles like clothes, bedding, and towels. Practical things like the ironing board and the vacuum cleaner we kept.

We had the ambition to fit all our things into a car and then have an easy/ easier move for the first time. We borrowed a car from our friends, and it was big enough - even to fit us both. 😉🚗

We moved in with our friends and were able to store our things in their basement (they have a house and are empty nesters and had a lot of space and many doors).

Daniel was on sick leave due to the intensity of his depression. We planned to visit our families in Europe and then stay with our friends until we found a furnished apartment. We thought that this would make it easier for us. Gee, if we would have known that this wouldn't work out as easy as planned. But before talking about our new apartment in Brooklyn, here is a summary about living in a studio apartment in Manhattan.

Advantages

• Way shorter commute: 30 minutes with one subway for Daniel and seven minutes by foot to the church where I worked in the first year.

• Lots of light in the room.

• A rooftop terrace and indoor swimming pool.

• Sufficient and friendly staff to keep the building and amenities clean and tidy.

• A doorman who accepted packages.

• Lots of grocery shopping, cafés, and restaurants within walking distance.

Disadvantages

• Lots of traffic noise - above all at night.

• No possibility to "close a door" and have some alone time.

• High rent and additional tip for the building staff at the end of the year.

• Small kitchen with no daylight.

• Long and complicated application process.

Conclusion

Like with the Queen's apartment, I have no regrets about letting go of 80ish % of our belongings and moving into a tiny apartment in the middle of Manhattan. It was a great and exciting time to live in Chelsea! It's true that we hardly saved any money during that time because we often ate out. Maybe it was a bit like in the movies when people don't even know how to cook and live on brunch, Cosmopolitans 🍸, and Manolo Blahnik's. 👠 Well, not entirely! 😉 It wasn't that extreme but a mixture between this and our type of frugality. 

The energy in Chelsea was so different from Bayside. It felt like living within a small city inside the big city. And all that was necessary was within walking distance or just a few subway stops away. 

The loud noises during the night were draining. And to only have one room when your partner goes through depression was tough. We tried to react as well as it was possible for us back then with changing our environment. 

In case you wonder, Daniel was able to overcome this dark time in his/our life. With the proper medications and therapy. The medications helped him to lose the dark glasses that made everything sad and hopeless. Because of them, we had fewer misunderstandings, and our communication improved. Through individual and group therapy, he worked on his boundaries, which made an enormous difference. And another game-changer was a different job with better work-life balance (no more working until 4 in the morning!).

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