A sneak peek of my new Flagstaff apartment

Well, we made it! After a hectic cross-country move where everything that could go wrong did go wrong, I’m here in my new apartment in Flagstaff.

It’s been a few months now so I’m mostly settled, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek of my unit.

You guys know I love decor. (I’m a Libra.) And — since I haven’t really had a stable living situation in a while and am spending all my time in my apartment due to COVID — I knew that I really wanted to go all-out to make my rental truly feel like my home.

Compared to my Chicago apartment, my Flagstaff apartment is MASSIVE. It’s also EXPENSIVE. Flagstaff doesn’t have the expansive housing market that Chicago has, so I couldn’t really scout different unit types in different neighborhoods with different amenities at different price points here.

Flagstaff is more like Mount Pleasant… where there’s either student housing for less (still expensive) or family housing for more (even more expensive).

I didn’t want to live in a $900-per-month apartment in a noisy part of town with four 20-year-old roommates, so I went with the “family” housing. Flagstaff is actually currently in the middle of a housing crisis because so many people keep moving here for the “lifestyle,” so affordable housing does not exist here.

There is at least a little bit more of an apartment complex market for young professionals here than there is in Mount Pleasant. I’ll give Flagstaff that.

I guess the good thing, though, is that even though my one-bedroom apartment is incredibly expensive, it is at least somewhat nice. It’s a newer build, so I have paneled flooring, in-unit laundry, large windows, a walk-in closet, covered parking, a dishwasher, a balcony, an external storage unit and a gated entrance. Because I’m in a complex, I also have access to guest parking, a heated swimming pool, a hot tub, fire pits and grills, a gym (with free fitness classes), a clubhouse, a dog park, a playground and Amazon Hub lockers.

I’ve also got a pretty dope view of Mount Elden, which I can see from my living room, bedroom and balcony.

In the past, I’ve typically picked location over amenities, but I didn’t really have that luxury here. Firstly, I was moving from Michigan in a pandemic, so I had to remotely sign a lease from the other side of the country since I couldn’t search for apartment in a traditional manner. Secondly, I spent this past summer of unemployment staying with my sister in her apartment complex. I’ve typically been opposed to complexes and I’ve always preferred standalone apartment buildings or lofted apartments in multi-use downtown buildings, but I really enjoyed my time at my sister’s. It was nice to sit on her balcony and read, do yoga on the grass outside her unit, go for a run on the lake-adjacent trails in her complex and enjoy the amenities that her complex offered. And, thirdly… we’re in a pandemic. What’s the point of living in a loft on top of a bar when all the nightlife is on hiatus? Also, keep me away from people, please and thanks.

So, I’m excited to keep making this apartment mine! I didn’t move here with much, so I’ve pretty much had to start from scratch. I bought pretty much ALL my furniture — a couch, a coffee table, an arm chair, a dining table, dining chairs, a bed, a dresser, a bar console, a full-sized mirror, a rug, etc. I only brought a few things with me from Michigan, because it was cheaper to buy new furniture here rather than rent a full-sized UHaul truck to move my couches here with me.

My apartments are always a work-in-progress to me, so I likely won’t give you a full apartment tour until the day I move out. I feel pretty comfortable sharing my living room because it’s pretty much finished (short of more plants and more books… I could always use more plants and more books…) but my bedroom, bathroom, balcony, kitchen and dining areas are still a work-in-progress.

In terms of decor… I just went with what I like! My style tends to lean toward rustic, industrial, mid-century modern, Scandinavian and boho. With a touch of angry feminist.

I’m not a big fan of color (in my decor OR in my wardrobe) so I mostly went with neutrals. The exceptions being, of course, my plants and my prints. I’m not a minimalist by any means, so if I have wall space, I’m going to use EVERY inch of it. I took advantage of my nine-foot ceilings by installing a floor-to-ceiling vertical wall-mounted bookshelf (easier to move than a traditional bookshelf, btw) and a full gallery wall above my TV.

I’m kind of obsessed with my gallery wall. It took a while for it to come together because I ordered the prints and frames from a variety of places, but it was worth it. It pays homage to my liberal hippie bullshit, my love of travel and a few niche references to other things I love. There’s a mini Ukrainian producty print, a print of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dissent collar, an octopus print (subtle Detroit Red Wings reference), a yellow umbrella (How I Met Your Mother), a Banksy print and an “Ew, David!” Schitt’s Creek reference. (David also happens to be my brother’s name.)

A closer look at the prints. Including subtle references to RBG, the Detroit Red Wings, Ukraine, traveling, Schitt’s Creek, Banksy, my liberal hippie bullshit and How I Met Your Mother. pic.twitter.com/ZZdGn06vQD

— Randi (@RandiMShaffer) December 22, 2020

The rest of my apartment will probably have a similar vibe. I have tons of things that I love decorating my apartment. There’s an old wooden type tray hanging in my entryway and a framed Cubs World Series press plate in my hallway. I’ve hung my fedora, necklace and nail polish collections up in my bedroom, and I have a framed Chicago Tribune Guild sign over my home bar. There’s a wooden cutting board shaped like the state of Michigan hanging in my kitchen, and I have a “Hate Has No Home Here” poster hanging in my window. My degrees are hanging above my desk next to a shelf displaying my Yoga Teacher Training certificate and some awards I’ve won. There’s a Ukrainian flag in my apartment entryway, and a giant framed map of Chicago’s neighborhoods in my bar/dining area.

I’m in the process of stocking and decorating the home bar I put in my dining area, and I want to install a small coffee bar next to my desk. I have yet to decorate my bedroom, but it is at least furnished with a queen-sized bed, a massive mirror and a large dresser. I’ve given up all hope for my bathroom, though, since it’s dark with no natural lighting and awkwardly-shaped, so there’s not too much I can do with it.

Anyway. After the last year of instability — My Chicago apartment to couchsurfing at a friend’s for several weeks to staying in a guest room at my dad’s house to staying in various hotels to one host family to another hotel to another host family to my Ukrainian apartment to another hotel to my sister’s apartment’s couch to my dad’s house to more hotels to here — it’s so nice to finally have a place to call my own and some semblance of stability.

I’ll share a full apartment tour once I consider this space to be “done…” so, uh, more plants.