Why tiny

I live in Astoria, Queens in what is euphemistically referred to as a "2 room studio" - i.e. a tiny one bedroom.  Not to complain - it is a great size for me and I feel quite fortunate to be its occupant.   So fortunate in fact, that after a year here I have resigned the lease for another 12 months – something I have never done before in all my 30 years.

With this foreign prospect of actually staying put for the foreseeable future growing familiar to me, I’ve embarked on a total overhaul of my apartment – hoping to take it from a ragtag collection of items shuffled in some aspect of order to a thoughtful expression of home design.  

I’ve felt like a kid peeking over the fence at DIY Disneyland seeing all the amazing, creative things people are doing out there on Pinterest, Apartment Therapy, Etsy, and all the personal blogs in terms of home design, furniture design, and doing it themselves.

After geeking out over these projects with similarly minded New Yorkers and lamenting our lack of a pickup truck to haul reclaimed wood or a garage in which to spray-paint, I would like to share my experiences about attempting home deco and DIY projects without the workshop space, transport, and cash flow that I see helping many of these endeavors I've read about along.  I'm not saying all the cool projects I see online are not budget conscious - they often are very much so and excel at making a silk purse out of a sow's ear - but its just a different ballgame out here and I know I'm not alone. This is about par for the course.  I once saw two guys hauling a washing machine up the stairs from the L train platform at Union Square.  That is at least six flights of stairs to reach the street!  When I moved from the East Village to Astoria my movers had just left with the van when I realized my wall mirror was still on the wall.  No cabs would pick me up.  I took a framed 63” x 23” mirror onto the bus, through 14 subway stops, and then onto the bus again to get it to my new digs.  I'd love to know what other people do to get around the no car and delivery is going to cost you more than you spent on the item problem because I've yet to find a solid solution beyond blood, sweat and cursing.

I do have a bit of a head start thanks to my Mom and Dad being the unicorn equivalent of parents in their unique and magical nature though –they got me a fully stocked toolbox as a housewarming present when I moved back to New York in 2011.  Cordless drill?  Check.  90-drill bit set?  Check.  Short saw?  You bet.  I’ve moved three times since I came back up to the Empire State – let me tell you, that cordless drill is the gift that keeps on giving.  Many thanks also to my brother who shows up every time and rehangs the tv for me since I just haven't figured out the stud finder - yet.

Tiny is also my nod to two of my favorite websites: Tiny Buddha and Tiny Sepuku.

I'm going to try and add some extra hanging space to my one closet now.  I'm excited to tell you about it when I'm done.