Home Sweet Home

Jay just returned from a business trip to Georgia where he took a little extra time to visit friends and family. Meow and I missed him a great deal, and were so happy to have him back home with us! Our little apartment seemed very big and empty without him here.

When we first moved into our apartment, I had promised a post showing it off. Well, we've been here almost two years, so we'll call this better late than never! We live in UCLA housing in a neighborhood called Westdale. It's about 5 miles from UCLA, and is on 3 public bus lines. A very pricey neighborhood, and we probably couldn't live here if we didn't have the university to subsidize this complex. I'll have to ask you all to excuse the clutter and any messiness - I didn't clean up, I just snapped some shots while I was making dinner tonight!

Our apartment is a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom just around 900 square feet. Since it is just Jay and I, it's actually a good size for us. A little tight perhaps since we were downsizing from a house in Massachusetts and a much roomier apartment in Athens, but still cozy rather than just too small! We live on the second floor. The kitchen, dining room, computer nook, and living room are just one large area with the two bedrooms and bathroom towards the back of the apartment off of a short hallway. Many people live in this complex upwards of 5 years, and they take the time to paint. We just left the walls the white they were painted when we moved - we'd had quite enough of home renovations by then, and needed the break! Below is our kitchen and dining areas:
The computer nook is tucked neatly on the other side of the sink in the above photo; the living room is where I took the picture of the dining room. A couch and chair separate the dining room and living room from one another, but I left them out of my shots. Below is the computer nook and living room:



That leaves the bathroom and two bedrooms. Well, I won't show the bathroom. It's pretty standard stuff :). One bedroom we use mainly for storage, and it has a desk though we never work there. Jay camps out in his recliner with his laptop, and I work at the computer nook or the dining room table. The other bedroom, of course, we use for sleeping. To the left is one view of our "office." We use it mostly as storage. The wall to the left of the desk is covered in shelves. In front of this I hung a closet rod (12 feet) and hung 4 curtains from IKEA to hide them.



Almost all the furniture is from IKEA. Since we lost most of our furniture when I overturned the truck, it was the most affordable option we had for a mass purchase. The shelving there is fantastic, we had tons of options that fit our spaces and budget.

Well, there you have it! Our little pad. Which, by the by, is always open to friends who wander out here to the west coast. We only have an inflatable bed, but the company is pretty good! And we have an excellent wine selection :)!