A 375 sq ft Manhattan one-bedroom with a brick fireplace
Gail pays $2,700 a month for her one-bedroom near Central Park and fills it with street finds, Marketplace deals and renter-friendly DIY.
Gail went to sign the lease on one apartment and was shown a different unit, on another floor, with a brick fireplace. Same rent. She said nothing and took it. Her 375 sq ft one-bedroom sits near Central Park, and she pays $2,700 a month. Gail says the city is worth it: concerts, the park and no car to keep.
She has lived in New York for eight years and shared her earlier apartments. This is her first place alone and her first with a full-size sofa. Gail works as a photographer and photo editor and shares her decorating on YouTube.
Most of her furniture is secondhand. She carried a cabinet three blocks from the curb until a neighbour helped. She found a mirror frame outside a bar, painted it and hung it as wall art. It turned out to be from Urban Outfitters. Two cane chairs from Facebook Marketplace cost $35 for the pair.
Her renter-friendly changes are small and reversible. She laid checkered peel-and-stick tile in the kitchen, swapped the hardware for brass and added lights under the cabinets. For the dining nook, she built a bench for about $200. She hung curtain rods near the ceiling to make the windows look taller.
