ideas and floorplans and renos, oh my!

Ok. So after much brainstorming and discussion, this is my preliminary idea for a floor plan:

I am basically selling everything I own in LA over the next few weeks and starting fresh in NYC, and I’ve set a preliminary (and probably unrealistic) goal to furnish my new place almost entirely from Craigslist, or from other pre-owned, reclaimed, etc etc, sources. I plan on staying in this apartment until I am ready to buy my own place and/or move in with a cohabitation-worthy boyfriend, and at this rate, that probably won’t be for a LONG time, haha, so I’m down to take my time and go pretty DIY with things.

The most essential element I think I need to introduce is something to separate out my living and sleeping spaces (#1 in the image). I’m thinking of some sort of open-shelving system, to create some privacy and separation, but to still let some pretty light in from the big windows on the east wall; something like this:

I’m also a little stumped about what to do as far as a dining table goes, because we all know I am borderline obsessed with cooking and sharing food and all forms of food-related parties, but there is technically only really space for a little breakfast nook situation in the kitchen, and I fear anything bigger than a small table in the living area would overwhelm that space as well… maybe I could look into some sort of expandable or leafed table? Thoughts are welcome.

And I believe there is one key element I forgot to mention in my last post - my mother is going to be my landlord (I'll be paying the rather hefty monthly maintenance fee, thankyouverymuch, so no spoiled-brat comments please, although I am fully aware of how freakin' lucky I am), which means that we will actually get to do some (gasp) renovations before I move in! We'll probably be knocking out and replacing the bathroom tile, updating some of the kitchen appliances, and potentially refinishing the wood floors, but my favorite of all is that we are thinking of  converting the third (yes, third) closet into a built-in desk/shelving system. I am SOOO pumped about this. A customized desk! In my apartment! BLISS for a freelancer! This would go where #2 is in the image, and this is kind of what I'm shooting for:

And then one of the other closets is full-on walk-in size (#3 in the image), which is super exciting, so I'm thinking of going all-out boudoir with it, with a crazy bright color or paper on the walls, and some sort of glamorous sitting area... as I explained to my mom, I will probably be living in a relatively gender-neutral space for most of my adult life, so I feel like this is my last chance to really indulge my girly side, so get ready for some uncharacteristically frilly touches :) Here are some of my inspiration points:

Ok but before I even think about buying anything, I first need to focusing on SELLING stuff while I’m still here in LA, so I need to get Craigslist-ing! Talk to you all soon!