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You know what they say about New York City "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere".   It is a place of opportunity.  Just ask the heaps of people who are tempted to move here and the millions who are already here despite the crowd and the cost which are most often overlooked because the pros are too hard to resist. 

 

No matter which neighborhood or borough you live in, #NYC always has something to offer no matter what time it is, all year round - day in, day out. You can go on for months not going to the same restaurant twice.  You can walk to Times Square every single day and you would never have the same experience.  The art and culture scene are just unmatched.  From the museums, to the gorgeous libraries, to the broadway theaters, to the night life,  there is no reason to stay home and do nothing in the city that never sleeps.  

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Then the pandemic hit.  New York City became the epicenter of the #Covid-19 virus.  In one instant,  the city that never sleeps took a pause, a long pause...  People who are transplants cried their way back home and us real New Yorkers resiliently stayed and hoped for the best.

 

Months went by and all I can do was stare at the walls of my place.  I'm lucky enough that I live in a spacious 3 bedroom & 2 bath near Central Park.  A walk in the park kept me sane.  But being at home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week I couldn't help but notice every uneven wall, all the chipped paint, the unmatched pillow cases,  the rusty nails on the chair.   I had the urge to fix everything, to paint all the walls, to change my whole interior. 

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And then just like that, REIMAGINING SPACES was born.  

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Oct 14, 20213 min read

Dressing up your fire escape

Updated: Nov 4, 2021

In a city where you can feel so alone and crowded at the same time, a quick escape to your own little space can make a huge difference.


During lockdown when there was literally no place to go, looking out the window was the best we, New Yorkers could do. I started thinking about how amazing would it be to have my own outdoor space as one of my building amenities. That really didn't bother me too much before, since I am a very short walk from Central Park. Two very short blocks to be exact. But lockdown + social distancing = stay far away from everyone and be creative with what you got.....

Then there it was, right in front of me - my often overlooked little fire escape.



As soon as I realized I can have a little time on my own and breathe fresh air I started sneaking out to my fire escape on a regular basis.

I would come out in the morning after doing some light stretching & just sit there. I found myself looking forward to that time of the day when nobody is awake yet - just me, my thoughts & my own little space. It was where I learned how to meditate. It was where I would recharge when I'm running low, calm down when stressed, my go-to place when I would take a break from being on my laptop all day or just pause from being a mom.

My fire escape has now become my safe space.

And after weeks of continuously doing this, I started thinking how can I turn this to my own little sanctuary.


So REIMAGINING SPACES went to work.


I was always scared to bring my phone out there fearing that I would drop it. But I didn't want to put down any kind of wood since I know I would want to sit there all the time and feel comfortable.

So I researched for astroturf (artificial grass) from Amazon that isn't too thin but could withstand even the harshest cold of winter.


So first, I measured the length of the landing of my fire escape.

I measured and cut it to the exact size to make sure I cover all the landing of the fire escape. Then I laid it down and flattened it from being rolled up. I used wires & attached it to the railing to make sure it doesn't fly away when it gets windy.


Below is the link of the astroturf that I used.


Now comes the best part, decorating!!! Some people would probably opt for real plants and flowers and convert their fire escape to a cute mini garden by growing vegetables or fruits. For the little sanctuary I was building, I used artificial ones to keep them looking alive even when summer is completely over, which is exactly right now.


I figured I can still meditate out there even in the dead of winter. For me, seeing the different colors of the flowers and leaves would make me feel warm and tingly inside.


I even added some cute colorful butterflies.

For the artificial flowers, I mostly bought them from the Dollar Tree. They are the exact same kind that you will find at Michael's for $7-$10.


They will just get beat up by the sun, rain and snow so spending a lot of money on some fake flowers and plants didn't quite sound so smart to me but of course, totally up to you. But the garland that goes on the top part of the railing (which came with the artificial butterflies) all came from Amazon. See below for the link.


All in all, I spent about $100! SCORE!!!




I don't have a fire escape....


I have a chic outdoor space at-home getaway


I will for sure add some string lights later on. And that little thing I am sitting on is an upcycled broken down tire... I sit on it to meditate or I use it to put my laptop on when I work out there...


Please see below link on how I made that upcycled tire include in my photo...




**** The FDNY’s residential safety guide says you should keep your fire escape clear of obstructions at all times *****

Aug 22, 20213 min read

Take your boring white wall to the next level

Updated: Aug 26, 2021

THIS IS CALLED A BOARD AND BATTEN WALL




NOW THAT I GOT YOUR FULL ATTENTION!


Let's get to the not so fashionable part of this whole thing. If you want to add an architectural interest to a rather boring wall, here's a really great way!


Board and Batten is a super easy and inexpensive way to achieve that goal.


This Covid-19 virus had me staring at my white wall for a while. I tried to dress it up with a frame here, a mirror there, even added a console table, but ultimately the wall is just white and boring. But I didn't want to make my place look smaller if I paint it darker so I decided to research on what I can do to spruce it up. I saw a lot of DIY board and batten walls and thought it was easy enough for me to do. .


So mine is a basic white wall. It's really a longer wall than what I'm showing you but I forgot to take a real 'before' photo but here's the wall I'm speaking about.


You get the idea!!!


So I did what every bored & crazy New Yorker in the middle of a pandemic would do, emphasizing on the 'crazy' - I put on my mask (doubled), brought my backpack with hand sanitizer, clorox wipes, hand wipes and gloves and go to the hardware store.


But here are a few things to know before you jump to doing this whole thing.


Make sure that you measure your wall both vertically and horizontally.


Here are the things that I needed to make this a #boardandbatten success.


MATERIALS NEEDED:

Level

Tape measure

Painter's tape

1/2 thick MDF cut down into 4 x 8

Nail Gun & Brad Nails

Liquid nail & caulking gun

Saw for additional cuts

Wood filler & caulk or spackle (I only had spackle but both work well)

Sand paper (120-150 grit)

Electric Sander (if you have one)

Paint & roller brush

Step ladder for the hard to reach area



I bought primed MDF boards which are so much cheaper than moulds. Try to lightly sand all cut edges of MDF boards. If you skip this step, you will notice the tough edges after you're done painting!!




I mapped out the wall with a pencil so I can get a really good visual of how it would look like. Nope I didn't get a photo of that either. I know I know, leave me alone it's my first post! After I finished my map, I started installing the vertical boards first because less cutting was involved. I used liquid nail to help secure the boards to the wall together with my nail gun that way it's more secure.



Then I moved on with the horizontal boards. I had to cut each of this horizontal boards with my circular saw - yes I own one :) and that was quite tedious.



Then I finished up by filling in any gaps and nail holes with spackle. Caulking or spackling really makes a huge difference so make sure you don't skip this step.


After I finished caulking all the holes from the nail gun and all uneven areas I spotted, I taped the floor and ceiling using a painter's tape then started painting. Since the wall is already white I only had to do two coats of paint. THANK GOD!



It took me around 3 days to finish this!I could have finished this project in one day but I mean what else would I be doing after this since we are all WFH. But I’m really excited about that way it all turned out. If you’ve never taken on a DIY project, this Board & Batten Wall is an easy one to start with...


And here's the finish project!



Okay now we can go back to the fashion part of this blog.

DIY but make it fashion!





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