Most exciting news ever? We found a new apartment, we got the keys yesterday, and we slept there last night! I cannot even express to you my utter happiness about this whole situation. New York real estate is complicated, to say the least.

My husband and I lived together in our old apartment from 2009-2014. Five years is a pretty long time to live anywhere in NYC, but that’s nothin’. My husband moved into our building in 1998! Yes, that is sixteen years!

As such, it was a total Dude Palace. Can I give you an example? There was a Bride Of Frankenstein print in the bathroom, and pistons on the walls, displayed like art. The front door was red with pea green trim. Why? I do not know!

When we started dating, I told myself, ‘If you move into that apartment with him, you will never move out.’ And NYC real estate being what it is, that is exactly what happened.

This is not to make my husband sound like a terrible person. He is not, at all. He is my favourite person. But he was a bachelor for a long time. He believes you buy one couch that will last your entire life. He doesn’t believe in owning a laundry hamper. He likes to collect… stuff.

Even so, I carved out my own little space in the second bedroom, and filled it with glitter, pink things, and stacked my shoes on bookcases. So it’s not like we were entirely without hope. But it certainly wasn’t perfect. The apartment had its quirks. For example, the kitchen was in the middle of the living room. The roof in my office leaked. The floors sloped so much I had to get rid of my office chair with wheels, because I would literally roll away from my desk! And when our building started to have problems with the heat and hot water, our apartment went from being a cheap-and-cheerful (rent stabilised!) situation to A Really Bad Deal.

On Monday, which was incidentally also the day that my new site launched, I saw an apartment online that caught my eye. I called the agent, and we went to see it that afternoon.

We went back to see it a second time on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, we put down a deposit to reserve the place, and on Thursday, we signed the lease.

(That’s what we call “a New York City minute”.)

I’m THRILLED but I’m also freaking out. This is really my first “adult” apartment, and we are essentially starting from scratch. It’s the very definition of a blank canvas, with white walls and wooden floors. The potential is huge, but with that comes a heady dose of analysis paralysis!

Thankfully — as always — I have a few tricks up my sleeve! Just you wait!

By the way, if you’re in a similar situation — of having no idea how to style your home –one thing that has given me solace is Skillshare, an (amazing!) website full of FREE classes on everything from business to writing to fashion design. Incredible! I took Justina Blakeney’s Interior Styling: Style Your Space Like A Pro class, and learned so much! (By the way, if you click that link, you’ll get a free monthly membership. Yay!)

Anyway, clearly, we are so excited, and cannot wait to get crackin’ on this new chapter of our lives!

Obsessing about window treatments already,

P.S. I have to send a big love-filled shout-out to the sublime Grace Quantock, who worked a little magic which I am convinced aided us in our quest for a new home… Check her out!

P.P.S. My badass keyring is from (who else?) Kate Spade.