Last Saturday, as the temperature in New York City soared to 95 degrees, I loaded all the belongings in my West Village studio into a U-Haul and drove it 60 blocks uptown to my boyfriend Kevin’s place. We’d been talking about, and planning for, moving in together for the better part of a year—now the day was finally here. Even though I had been spending six out of seven nights a week at his place for months, it still felt like a big step. One week into being roomies, I’ve already got opinions on which design finds have made the adjustment easier, plus what we really need to add to the shopping list.
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In classic NYC style, our leases weren’t aligned, so I’ll be shacking up in my boyfriend’s studio for the next few months until we find a one-bedroom apartment. But we know, no matter where in the city we move next, our quarters will feel tight (the average size of a Manhattan apartment is a mere 760 square feet). To maximize precious space and ultimately just stay sane, we’re investing in pieces big and small that will make our day-to-day as a unit a little more seamless.
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Here’s what we’ve committed to so far: 01. I know there will be mornings when we’re both rushing out the door and don’t have time to tuck in the sheets, so having copper-trimmed linen bedding that looks good rumpled will prevent petty arguments later that night.
02. A couple who shoves stuff under the bed together, stays together, right? We’ll be sharing bedroom closets for the foreseeable future, so to make things as fair as possible, we’ve agreed to both stow out-of-season clothes in bins with label holders so we can easily find stuff when we need it.
03. Finding art we both like can be tricky—I have a thing for hand-drawn portraits, and Kevin likes prints that remind him of his travels—so I’ve been leaning into meaningful photographs. We recently hung two vintage pictures of Celtics players (captured by his grandfather in the ’50s!) in these dark burl-wood frames.
04. A cleaning trick Kevin taught me: Sweep before you vacuum (it speeds up the latter job and gets all the crumbs hiding underneath the kitchen cabinets). I love that the silicone Dotti broom bristles work on wet spills, too. 05. There are no talks of getting a pet just yet. Right now, we’re focused on plant parenting, and seeing our vining philodendron grow makes us really proud.
06. I have a 32-inch Samsung Frame TV on standby for our future one-bedroom. There’s something romantic about cuddling up under the covers and scrolling through HBO on a Friday night, but staring at a black screen on all the other days does not make my heart go pitter-patter.
07. The first good habit we want to form together? Reading every night before bed. I love how the simplicity of the small nightstand tables and book-topped headboard in this Daniel Lonnstrom space inspires going analog.
08. We’re keeping tabs on upcoming weddings, dinner dates, and appointments on this Studio Tigress calendar. I tacked it to the wall outside our kitchen with neon orange tape, and friends love it when they see we’ve got their birthdays on our radar.
09. All the potential one-bedrooms we’re looking at have an open-concept living-dining layout. My idea: divide the two areas with linen curtains on a ceiling-mounted track to encourage catching up on our days over dinner at a real table.
10. Because we share rent and laundry duties now, an XL hamper was a must-buy so we can both chuck dirty clothes into one spot. |
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Kevin and I are in it for the long haul, so our furniture and decor needs to be, too. I’m looking for things that will withstand multiple moves and grow with our style. |
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Something I have to keep reminding myself: Just because I work in the interior design world doesn’t mean what I say goes. The truth is, I want my S.O.’s opinion; I want him to tell me when he doesn’t like something—it’s the only way our home will truly feel like ours. To me, these well-loved homes, full of said compromises, are true #CoupleGoals.
• Designer Shelly Lynch-Sparks loves a bright white room. Her wife, Candice Huffine, appreciates cozy, dark corners. Their Hamptons home is proof that balance can be struck at the paint store.
• I like to think Kevin and I are pretty handy. I can’t wait to build something substantial with him…perhaps a dining nook like the one Mallory Fletchall and her husband, David, constructed? • Charles and Ray Eames had many loungy low seating options in the living room of their iconic Los Angeles home. Looking at the adorable photos of them in their space, the setup seems to naturally bring two people together—no TV necessary.
• Jeremiah Brent admitted to me that his husband, fellow designer Nate Berkus, didn’t initially like the marble he chose for their kitchen counters. But as the cook in their household, Brent made a strong case for it, and the rest is history.
• Writer Suleika Jaouad and musician Jon Batiste melded their unique styles and called it “Tunisiana,” a portmanteau of her Tunisian background and his New Orleans upbringing. If you can come up with a cute way to combine Pennsylvania (me) and Boston (Kevin), let me know. |
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