Coffee & Honeycomb: living

Thursday, August 29, 2013

(image : pinterest)

It's been exactly ONE WEEK since I moved into my apartment!!! Woohoo. And no, that image above looks nothing like what my real apartment looks like, but isn't it so cute? I really like how the windows let enough light seep throughout the entire living area.

Things I love about my apartment:

I'm a 10-minute walking distance from all my classes so I don't need to rely on a bus schedule to get to where I need to be. The weather has also been extremely nice lately, so the morning walk just puts my day to a great start. :) I think over the past year I grew really accustomed to walking everywhere because of Europe and my Chicago commutes.
There is a Starbucks conveniently located three blocks away. (which is where I am right now typing awaaaay)
My parking spot is LITERALLY as close as it gets to my apartment complex. (PTL for that because I definitely waited to the last minute to buy a parking pass.)
The huge amount of space. There is so much room my roommate and I plan on having many spontaneous dance parties... And one of my roommates plan on doing many spontaneous cartwheels... Which is kind of weird... But she can! Because there is THAT much space.
The hardwood floors. Lurv it.
The kitchen bar. It's spacious enough for all three of us to sit and do work at the same time. There's also a nice light fixture right above it which makes the area feel brighter than it really is. The best part? It's an arms reach to all the food. #winner

^ Maybe I should have made this a 10 things I love about my apartment... Whateva.

The whole place isn't quite fully furnished yet, and we don't have an entertainment center or a kitchen table. I think that's what makes the apartment still feel so new each time I walk in. It doesn't look lived in. It doesn't feel really cozy either. Maybe I should I throw in a welcome mat...

My room isn't fully furnished yet either, but I'm really enjoying having a room to myself. :) This is the first time in four years I'm not sharing a room with someone, and while I LOVE having a roommate, it's nice to have absolute control over every inch and corner of your space. (i'm a wittle bit of a control freak.)

Anyway, the room didn't come with a desk, so I'm planning on picking one up from Ikea when I go home this weekend. I really appreciate a solid work space because I tend to do a good amount in my room. I need a lot of desk space for books, the laptop, writing utensils, and a big mug of coffee (of course.) I also like to have different bits of inspiration around me to keep me motivated and productive. I try to throw up different bible verses, encouraging quotes, colors combos, photos, etc. Once the desk comes in, I want to make a montage of different wall art to keep that area inspiring.

Here are some things on Pinterest I found that I want to replicate...

^ Aren't these spaces just INVITING you to create something?

What does your workspace area look like? I'd love to see more inspiration.

XO.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

When I first came to Europe, I asked others for recommendations on the best traveling accommodations. The answer was unanimous: hostels. A hostel is an establishment that offers cheap lodging — depending on how much you pay, you usually are just renting a bed and sharing a public bathroom and kitchen. Hostels are cheap, which is why they're the popular choice.

We stayed in a hostel during Florence and Brussels and each night varied from 13 euros to 30 euros per person. For those two trips in particular, a hostel was convenient because we only stayed for two nights in each city, and only needed a bed to lay our heads at night. We wanted to spend majority of our day out sightseeing, so we weren't looking for a romantic jacuzzi or mints on our pillows. Since we traveled in larger groups, we lucked out with our own private room (so no creepy creeps digging through our suitcases at night) and in Brussels, they even served free breakfast! Disclaimer: depending on the arrangement, you might end up in a room with a dozen bunk beds filled with strangers, no lockers to hold your luggage, or no free wifi and sheets.

This is a great site to find a hostel organized by preferences: price, privacy, popularity, etc.

For Paris and London, we were staying for a longer period of time. We didn't think eating out for each meal was the smartest decision so we wanted more amenities without emptying our wallets. (#CollegeStudentProblems) A friend had suggested looking into renting apartments, (which is apparently very popular in Europe). An apartment meant privacy, a clean bathroom, AND a kitchen to cook/eat in to save some pennies. (:

This past trip to Paris was my first time renting an apartment and it ended up being the most wonderful experience. We found the apartment through this site, (but we also liked this), and between the three of us for four nights, our grand total was ~300 euros. AKA ~25 euros a night per person for a WHOLE apartment. The landlord was also super welcoming making our travels much more comfortable — he filled our apartment with coffee, tea, extra towels and sheets, as well as gave us thorough directions to/from apartment to airport, and even recommended his favorite scenes in Paris.

We stayed in the second district and our apartment was only a twenty minute walk from the Lourve, and a one-minute walk to the nearest metro stop.

Final verdict? Apartment > Hostel

Here a few photos from the apartment we stayed at in Paris:

If you're planning a trip to Paris and overwhelmed by all the different districts, I found this website to be a really helpful resource. It breaks down each district, going over its charms, best tourist spots, shopping, food, etc.

XO.

Coffee & Honeycomb

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INSPIRED : APARTMENT

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Paris : Where to Stay (On a Budget)

Wednesday, February 27, 2013