Sophia’s House

Is it too corny to name my first apartment post after Harry Styles’ new album? Maybe so, but I’m gonna do it anyway. It’s been far too long since I’ve written here, but let’s just jump in with a life update. Why not? 🙂

I took a leap I’ve been talking about for a really long time: I moved out and started renting my very first apartment in my college town. I have always dreamt of having my own little place, and circumstances seemed to line up just right for me this time. I’m so happy it worked out how it did, and I hope to fill this old house with so much laughter and joy and late nights and good music and great food.

A happy day, signing my first lease and getting the keys to my own place

I’ve been moved in for about 2 months now, which I honestly can’t believe. I’m still adjusting, and I’ll admit to being homesick sometimes, but I’ve really grown to love where I am. My apartment is the front unit in a 100-year-old house split into a triplex, and it’s got it’s fair share of quirks and old-school charm, of course. It’s small, only one bedroom and maybe 500 square feet, but it suits me just fine.

Although it’s only been 2 months, it’s already crazy to look back at the pictures from my first look at the place compared to what surrounds me now. I’m really beginning to see this place as my own little home as it fills with memories and trinkets.

it was so empty!

I had so much help getting this place ready for move in. My family and friends were, and are, here in any way I could possibly need them. I couldn’t have asked for a better support system for such a monumental life-moment.

My Aunt Gloria sent me the most beautiful care package all the way from Louisiana

On April 2nd, a chilly Saturday, it was move-in day. My family helped with the big stuff, since I took most of my furniture from my old bedroom to save on money and time. As soon as the first of my things were moved in, it felt instantly home-y. We cleaned and arranged and re-arranged, trying to get a solid layout established so I could do more of the finicky decorating parts later on.

I’ve never moved before, so it was funny to see all of my things boxed up like this.
moving in is a messy task for sure

My friends Brooke and Haley came later, to spend the night and christen the house with love and laughter and the joy of Dominoes’ pizza delivery. They helped me with more moving in tasks: hanging wall art, laying the ever-irritating shelf paper, and organizing dishes. We played board games and laughed at our favorite YouTubers and made the place feel like a home.

Literally can’t imagine life without them :,)
(not to be sentimental or anything)
Dominoe’s pizza is really exciting when you’ve never lived in an area with delivery before
Haley washed every single dish I own
And Brooke had a really safe, OSHA-approved method for applying shelf paper
Gathering around a laptop to watch videos seems like a very first-college-apartment thing to do
the official documentation of the very first night spend in my very first apartment

I think the most exciting part of all of this has to be getting to decorate my own place. I’ve always loved to daydream about it, and the reality has been just as fun (albeit maybe a little more expensive). I have a collection of hand-me-downs, thrifted pieces, and some really lucky dollar store finds that I’m pretty proud of. Nothing is by any means finished, but its amazing to have a space filled with things that bring me joy.

One of the first things I did was hang these, because obviously nothing makes a home more welcoming than band posters
Every day this vintage Strawberry Shortcake hanger makes me smile. I love her
Not all of my books have made the move yet, but a few of my favorites are here to keep me company
this corner is a favorite of mine
Just a peek into my kitchen
Weirdly, I’m really excited to have my own fridge to put magnets on. I also plan to cover it in Polaroids of my friends.
I am also a reformed plant killer. I’ve never been skilled at keeping houseplants alive, but I’m really trying this time.
Somehow, this Pothos has survived a few of my murder attempts thus far.
It’s my goal to always have some kind of fresh flowers in my house. These hydrangeas are from my mom’s garden, making them all the more special.

One of my favorite things in my own place has been the mornings I spend here. I get a lot of natural light in the whole apartment, which is very good for the soul. I love to get up slowly and take my time making my coffee at my coffee bar and making myself breakfast. I usually either sit on my couch, or on my front porch, and just take some time to wake up and enjoy the quiet. Morning rituals having always been near and dear to me, and I love seeing them take on a new shape in this new place.

not a bad place to wake up every day.
I feel like my grandma when I take my cup of coffee out onto my porch in the early morning.
my coffee bar, complete with my favorite Dazed and Confused quote from the one and only Matthew McConaughey, and the cutest strawberry coffee set given to me by my brother.

Another very important piece of home to me is having my own front porch and yard. Occasionally, it can feel a little lonely and cooped up inside my house. Whenever I happen to feel that way, I can just spend a little time out on the porch and I immediately feel healed. I love to read and write outside with the sound of birds and the neighborhood and the smell of rain and grass. And the stray cats are welcome visitors as well 🙂

it’s a perfect reading spot.
Not a bad view.
Someone help me give this cat a proper name! I can’t just keep calling it Front Porch Cat.

I’ve also absolutely loved getting to host friends, something I looked forward to most about moving out. I love to cook for people, and I think there’s nothing better than a night spent eating with friends and listening to old records. I hope my house can always be a place to gather.

I made these earl grey lavender scones, and then promptly ran out of them. They were a big hit, and one of the first things baked in my own kitchen
a charcuterie night on the front porch is my idea of heaven
this record was borrowed from a friend, and serves as a great soundtrack to dinner, just fyi

Well there we have it, my little piece of the world. This has been such a wonderful experience so far, and I’m always looking forward to the next adventure in this place and what the next year here will bring me. I’m so happy to finally share this space and how much it means to me. Welcome to my home, come back any time 🙂

Until next time,

Sophia ❤

2 Comments

  1. I enjoyed reading this! You are so very talented and I can tell you are going to do great things. I am so excited for you on this first big step to adulthood!

    Like

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s