Living In Style in My Studio Apartment.
“I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.” Vincent Van Gogh.
I have been dreaming about painting like Van Gogh from way back when. Mom used to say that I would create patterns even with my food as a toddler, much to my dad’s annoyance. For a person who loved creating art more than his life, nothing could more exciting ever than being accepted at the New York Studio School. This was a dream come true for me but a nightmare for my Dad, who had this tendency to look down upon creative people. Though apprehensive, my dad knew there was no stopping me from achieving my goal, so he decided to support me instead, in a way that would keep our relationship cordial but also tempt me to get back to the cozy business nest that he wanted me to manage for him. Also, after my sister Lizzie moved in with her boyfriend, he was finding it difficult to cope. She was always bubbling with life and kept us going smoothly until she fell in love. Now, my moving into New York would only make it worse for dad, and all in a short span of time.
Dad had changed so much from the fiercely independent and career-oriented person he was to a dependent family man after he lost mom five years ago. For a month or so, he did not even allow Lizzie and me out of his sight for more than a few minutes. He had recovered from the shock now, but he was not ready for both of us moving away from home so soon. We each had our own mechanisms of coping with grief. I had drowned myself in my art to cope with our loss, whereas Lizzie had changed overnight into a friendly spirit reaching out and making friends with people she had not looked at twice, earlier in her life.
Having decided to move to New York City, I was that I needed my peace without any interruptions to create my art, and didn’t want to deal with noisy, messy roommates. A Studio apartment would be ideal. After hunting for the perfect place, I finally found the perfect spacious studio apartment that had a gigantic glass window overlooking at a breathtakingly beautiful New York City skyline. The view was astounding during the day, but it was something out of the world during the night. Stepping into the apartment, I was already working on decor ideas and color schemes even before signing the papers. I would make this my nest for at least a few years, since the large window and NYC skyline gave my creative ideas a big boost.
Once I settled down in my apartment, I knew that I had to do something about the window that attracted me to the apartment in the first place. There was a continuous flow of light streaming in from the window into my apartment. During day, it was the sunlight, and even before the sun made up its mind to retire, there were tons of neon signs and many different ALANs (artificial light at night) lighting up my room like a thousand suns. As per my demand, I was given the bare room to decorate it the way I wanted, but I realize now how difficult it is to live in the constant light, which is slowly driving me crazy.
The Apartment Window Treatments.
I logged on to a website to find a window treatment that would fit perfectly in the extra-large window. Though the market is filled with a wide range of window treatments, I had not many options to mount on my large window. Among the choices I had, the best preference was 3½-inch Fabric Vertical Blinds from Graber Blinds, which looked to be the best to mount on large patio doors or extra-large windows like the one I had in my studio apartment. These blinds were unique with their hanging drape like appearance that added a new dimension to my room. I had to admit that these amazing blinds were great style merged with smooth functional features. I could make my choice of light control and privacy, which could be further customized with the fabric louvers that can be either left free hanging or inserted into channel panel for more light control and privacy.
I opted for the Phifer Sheerweave Charcoal Chestnut fabric for my vertical blinds since it gave me privacy with minimum light infiltration. The dark color of the blinds suited my decor, which had dark floor boards, to give it a synchronized, fashionable look.
Further, these blinds are dust resistant, making life easier for a bachelor like me. The durable polyester fabric would make cleaning an easy job. They are moisture resistant, and won’t fray, get brittle, dry out or crack, even with rough use. I had the advantage of G-71 Super-Vue vertical blinds track system with a pantograph for consistent spacing, which ensures a smooth opening and closing of the vertical slats. It comes with an OEK-TEX certification for a high standard of fabric free from halogens, lead, and allergenic dyes, and a GreenGuard certification to ensure a healthy indoor quality by emitting fewer chemical particles. Graber has made the blinds ultra-safe by passing it through NFPA 701 Flame Resistance test to provide complete safety from fire.
My nest is perfect now. I could open the blinds for a view of the skyline, or draw them closed to enjoy the quiet solitude to work or sleep.
