A Case for Accordion Doors
And cute kitchen island skirts.
When you move to a new apartment, one of the questions you get is How’s the apartment coming along? and the answer is almost always It’s getting there! I’ve been both the asker and the receiver of this question.
It always gets me thinking about what “getting there” means. I think the only time I’ve felt like an apartment was kinda “done” was when I lived in Williamsburg at an apartment for 3 years. Over the course of those three years, the kitchen was painted pink, the office was painted yellow, art was actually hung on the walls, and there were rugs. So maybe those things signify getting there?
Since then, I have moved a couple of times. I’ve been at my new apartment for a couple of months and plan to stay here for a few years, but I’ve found myself getting frustrated about my apartment not yet looking like what I envision. I have all the furniture from my previous apartment that I’m using, but I think some things always need to be adjusted when you’re in a new space. I’m currently searching for a new dining table and maybe a cute little cupboard for the empty corner of my kitchen.
I don’t believe in quickly buying things just to check things off your list, so I have to be patient for the right things to come along. I love secondhand furniture anyway, and there are so many gems on Facebook Marketplace, independent vintage furniture sellers on Instagram, and, of course, sidewalks.
There were a few things that I needed to solve ASAP at my apartment, though. My first challenge was that the half-bedroom (which we are using as our bedroom) did not have a door.
A cloth curtain? Not soundproof enough. A whole new door? I don’t know. I eventually came across accordion doors after looking for inspiration and also found these fun ads from the 1950s:
How attractively they close off kitchen, bedroom and closet areas. How dramatically they transform open space into private space…How quickly and quietly they glide.
Adding the accordion door changed everything. It created the separation I wanted between the bedroom and our creative office. And it’s just nice to look at! Functional, affordable, and easy to install, too. I got the brand “LTL Home Products” and they sell it on Wayfair and Home Depot. This is the one I got.
The second thing I needed to tackle was my kitchen island. I wasn’t going to be adding barstools, but there was all that space under there. I needed a place to hide the miscellaneous stuff I was still cleaning out and it’d be great to have more storage.
I was coming across lots of cute sink curtains on Pinterest and decided I could have one curtain for the kitchen island. I’d need to use velcro since adding a curtain rod would be tricky. I messaged my talented friend Carlie to make me a custom curtain for my kitchen island and I am in love with how it came out!
I love that these two things made the apartment feel a little more put together. Of course, there are so many more things I need to do, but I’m just going to take my time. Except for the dining table — I need to get on that. And also getting rid of the boob light fixture above the sink.
Latest Loves
The new Khruangbin album
Laurel Bakery in Columbia Waterfront District (I went 2 times this past week)
The Meat Hook on Court Street
This striped shirt from Sézane
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didn't know I loved accordion doors until this moment! thanks for the inspiration :)
obsessed