Finally all settled in, I’m sharing my new small space. Located in East Village, my roommate and I are loving our neighborhood – we’re a few blocks down from PDT, Yoga To the People, and Ave A’s thriving restaurant scene. Coming later to Flancake.co will be a guide to my favorite things to do in East Village, but for now it’s all about the new digs. This is the first of two postings, so stay with me.

East Village is one of the most eclectic scenes in Manhattan, and when decorating I kept that in mind. The entire time, ‘Urban Outfitters becomes an adult’ was the theme, and I think I nailed it. What I love most about decorating is incorporating small trinkets or items you treasure into your space. I’ve collected many small [some strange] things over the years. My most treasured items are things I’ve been given, and also happened across.

Top left, my statement bracelets are displayed on an old piece. I love displaying books I’ve read, since most of the time their covers are beautiful [sorry I judge my books by their cover]. Bottom left is another shelf from my book shelf/ladder from The Container Store. I also love showing my jewelry, so I used another old display piece, paired with glass lightbulbs from Hobby Lobby. I then added a personal touch with memories from Governors Ball last year, encased in a frame from Urban Outfitters. I’m all about good scents, so on a run to Trader Joe’s I grabbed some eucalyptus and hung it to dry [I also hung a bit in my shower, so when it gets steamy it smells fresh].

My trusty record player had to make the voyage up with me, although getting all of my records here was a trip [note–they are uber heavy and I recommend putting your back into it]. Another item from Urban Outfitters, this record player has lasted me for years now.

When I got to the city, I knew I had to get some plants to fill up my space so I went down the street and picked up some cacti, succulents, and this amazing hanging plant. It’s been fun to watch them grow as I’ve been in the city for two months now, and also watch one of them die [oops! there weren’t any care instructions…].

Funny thing about most New York apartments, most rooms don’t have overhead lighting. Getting a little creative, I strung up some bulb lights around my window and got a sconce for next to my bed–because my room is all white, the light bounces off quite nicely.

Hats are an obsession of mine, however it’s always been hard thinking of a way to display them. At my last apartment, the idea to hang them with command hooks came to me–you can’t see the tacky hooks, so the hats float perfectly. If you use heavy duty hooks, you can even hang your scarfs and bags on them as well.

As mentioned above, there’s something thrilling about finding unique, even strange treasures. While walking around East Village, Obscura Antiques & Oddities came across my path, the most interesting yet equally freaky place–the perfect spot in my eyes. The place is stocked with old medical supplies, animal heads [even a stuffed snake with two heads], history books from the 1800’s, clowns, miniature hands, everything. My favorite find was a constellation torn out of a 1950’s educational book. It’s beautiful, no pictures can ever do it justice. In my room it’s paired next to another great find, from 410 Vintage Market in Fayetteville, AR. This lullaby was kept in it’s original frame, with it’s original glass too. Above all these, from Target is a super cool [also super cheap] tapestry found a while back.

Part two will be coming shortly! Stay tuned.

Xx, Flancake