Moving to a new city is always fun and exciting.  As I sat on the plane that was making it’s final descent into Midway Airport, I was looking forward to the apartment my boyfriend had picked out.  I had never been to Chicago before, and he grew up there, so I thought that it would make it easier for him to find a place for us to live and get it set up before I arrived with all of my things.  I flew in from Los Angeles the day after Christmas, and when Patrick met me at the airport we took the train into the city, and I witnessed what I had been missing of the holiday season for years.

We finally made it to our new, little home in Lincoln Park.  And when I say little, I mean it, for when I walked through the doors, I could not believe that people could actually live in such long and narrow spaces.  There were aspects of the flat that were incredible such as the moldings around the ceilings and the windows, and the beautiful wood floors, and an old fashioned bathtub with clawed feet.  But there were other aspects that definitely needed updating through the help of Next Day Blinds. A review of  our windows in our main living space led the salespeople to suggest shades which were insulated, as the old windows in the building let in quite a bit of the cold winter air.  And what a difference they made.  We literally had a bit of the wind of the Windy City whipping through our place, but the insulated blinds created seals around the frames of the windows and we were toasty warm.  The shades also added a bit of contemporary design, to our charming yet one hundred year old apartment.

We decided to redesign the bathroom and the kitchen as well, and a few weeks later we were back at Next Day Blinds for suggestions.  They suggested vinyl blinds for these rooms, as they would be easy to clean, and they suggested colors based on the photos we brought with us.  The beautiful red blinds for the bathroom set off the great tub and the black and white tiles.  And in the kitchen we went with a wonderful turquoise blue which set off the bright orange walls–bright orange walls were Patrick’s idea, of which I was a bit apprehensive, but once we painted the walls I thought it was the perfect choice for a warm and bright kitchen in a city which is gray most of the year.  With a little creativity and the help of those at Next Day Blinds, my perspective of our tiny place has completely changed and I am so glad to call this new place, my new home.