10 Aug
Here! Here! I Want to Live Here!
I’m dying.
I still can’t believe that a place with this much light (and such a fabulous view!) is within our price range. I took lots of pictures and I’ll tell you the whole story soon!
Now I’ll be spending a whole day in Chicago baby-free with nothing to do but eat and explore. And dream about our new apartment with the giant windows. TH is warming up to the idea of doing some painting. You can’t see it in this photo but just to the right of these windows is one long wall that makes up the living room. What color do you think we should paint it?
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
I love it. Looksa million dollars. Can I move in too, please?
1LOVE! I think you should paint it gray
so it will be a good neutral background for pictures (will that be the wall best to do pictures in front of? I LOVE colored walls/accent walls. I’m a hug fan of red, dark brown, yellow, purple, orange, pretty much anything.
Jenna Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Oh yes, gray is the perfect choice. I have all kinds of ideas I can’t wait to brainstorm with you as I kind of want to turn this into a “studio” of sorts and try to shoot through the winter.
Oooohhhh! Gorgeous! I suggest a color to compliment the view out of the windows
What a find!
(And one suggestion - ask if the management of the building pays for the electricity. We have a house with walls of windows, and in the summer our electricity bill - due to air conditioning - is off the charts!)
Jenna Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Heating and cooling is capped (yay!) so we’ll be able to keep it as cool/warm as we want through extreme parts of the year.
I hope yoy=u get at least one grey & rainy day before you decide on the paint. The view will still be gorgeous, even with a completely grey sky, but you will have a different feeling in the room, so the shade you go for, should be something that complements both, sun flooding and a cloudy winter aura.
4I bet T1 will love growing with that view:)
It looks amazing! I’m so happy for you that you’ve found such a great place. When you posted the picture on Twitter, I almost didn’t believe it. Haha. So jealous of the lovely lighting you will have. Can’t wait to see more pictures! Enjoy your day to yourself. Now that you know where you’ll be living, I’m sure you’ll want to check out all the fun things around you.
5Oh wow. That looks gorgeous!!!!
6Beautiful!!!! Have fun exploring Chicago. I’ve never been and it is at the top of my list for cities I want to visit.
I think something light to keep that brightness would be a great color. I’m partial to green shades myself.
7If you’re looking for eating recommendations, go to Hot Chocolate (http://www.hotchocolatechicago.com)! Their hot chocolate is amazing (ask for extra homemade marshmallows) and if you have time for a snack or lunch, their Macaroni and Cheese is to die for!
8That’s an awesome view! I’m so jealous as Chicago is one of my favorite cities. If you’re in Lincoln Park or Bucktown you HAVE to go to Toast (http://www.toast-chicago.com/) for brunch. It’s SO good!
9ohh how i envy that view of the lake!!! What a fantastic place!!! for your kid free day perhaps you should go to navy pier ride on the ferris wheel and take pictures up top! Enjoy the city!!!
10Beautiful. I would say that in Chicago you will get enough grey days, so you should paint it something else. Something that will keep you uplifted through all those winter months.
11Wow! The view is spectacular! I love all of the windows!
12I think I’d be torn between a breath-taking bold red and a sunny yellow for all of those overcast Chicago days.
Wowza! Beautiful! Congrats on finding the perfect place so quickly.
I vote for an olive green or a soft mocha for your wall.
13great apartment! I’m glad you found something. It’s so nice to have a lake view! From the picture, it looks like you will be in hyde park (not to be a creeper). I hope you enjoy the neighborhood! Maybe for your day off you can go to Promontory Point?
Also, I just had to chime in about the color - we have a bold, red accent wall in my place and i just can’t stand it! at first it was nice, but after 3 years I’m getting so tired of it! I’d stick with neutrals and add color with your accessories. That way - when you are tired of the color/feel, you can easily switch them out.
14I love this apartment! Love the light and the views and… Very jealous. In terms of colour I would go warm and bright but slightly muted. Perhaps a raspberry or apricot or ochre or terracotta colour?
Good luck with all the house hunting and looking forward to seeing more of the new house!
15Ohmygosh! That view and those windows- you did good, Jenna
I can’t wait to see how it all comes together. I think a neutral color would look good- like grey or beige- so that it doesn’t take away from the colorful scenery from your windows.
16It looks AMAZING!!! Can’t wait to see more!
17It really is amazing. When my college roommate moved to Chicago, her studio apartment in Lincoln Park had two small windows, and one faced a brick wall.
When I was there, I went on a walking tour of the city. I wouldn’t suggest doing that with baby, so maybe today would be a good day for it?
18A light seafood green!
Em Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 9:38 am
I meant seafoam green. Sheesh, not seafood green, yuck.
Lovely! I’d do a light-ish blue-grey.
20It’s lovely and cheery! Well done
21That is gorgeous! The view, the windows, amazing.
Regarding an accent wall- Chicago’s winters are BRUTAL. Even my friends that love living there said that the winters tested them. Because of that I would say go with a warm color- but not a bright red. A warm color found in nature that’s soft but still a nice accent.
Sophia Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Hmm, that comment on the winters there came off more negative than I meant it in my head
Again, all my friends loved living there despite being daunted by the winters.
Jenna Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 9:32 pm
“brutal” is a word I’ve heard many times so far to describe the Chicago winter experience!
love love love it!!!!!
23Well, what kind of accessories and other colors will be in the room? Because that would affect the color you should pick in my opinion.
For example if you have bright pillows and pictures the wall would be better with a more neutral color.
But if the items going in the room are neutral colors then you can do something a bit more bold.
I probably wouldn’t go with something too bold, because as someone mentioned above you get tired of it after a while. But a color mixed with either white or greys can do wonders. If you find a color that you like but you feel it’s too bright you can ask the store to give you a 75% of the color or 50% blend. We did that with a blue grey and a lavender-grey and I love the results.
Personally I love colors like aqua with some red or coral accessories. Or a very light lime green. But that’s my personal taste.
24WOW! Great view! Totally jealous!!
25I would paint it terracotta. Its so warm and inviting and it goes with so many great colors. Plus imagine how amazing it will look in the fall when the leaves start to change! You can use a creamy beige, browns, a deeper red, and black as accents. ::Sigh:: I love to decorate!
26Congrats!!
Pale yellow, or bright red for sure.
And if you have a chance, check out Sunda for dinner. It’s incredible.
27Grey!
28Wow! That apartment is amazing - I would LOVE to live there. I can’t believe that it’s also affordable! Usually places with amazing views are automatically priced out of reach for people who don’t have piles of money.
29I would definitely pick a color that complements the colors you’re seeing outside - a nice gray or blue would probably look fantastic, and would help to make it feel like your living space was extended outdoors.
Congrats on an amazing find! If this apartment is any indication, you’re going to have a great time in Chicago!
Still can’t believe that you’ll live there! Looks like a super expensive, high living place yet it sounds like it’s a good price for you and you like the location. Awesome! I second the greyish color, keep that place nice and light! Or some kind of beige - not dark like a a taupe, but nice and light. I wouldn’t want anything too dark on the walls.
Can’t wait to see more pictures!
30Good job, Jenna. Hyde Park is incredibly reasonable given the proximity to the lake. One of the beaches over there is waste deep for a mile or two out, too. It will be awesome for you next summer (when it’s not filled with e coli!). I hope that you like here. It’s so wonderful. Granted, I am biased since I grew up here.
Tina Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
I meant that the beach was “waist deep,” not “waste deep.” Freudian slip. It is Lake Michigan after all!
Love the windows! My vote would be red, chocolate brown or a sky blue (of course, those are the colors I want on one wall of my house that I have yet to do because I’m the worst painter EVER).
32blue-gray! loving that color right now. you’re so lucky!!
33Awesome! I’m experiencing apartment jealousy. I’ve been apartment hunting in DC for like… a month (online) and haven’t found anything cool like that.
34Wow, now that is beautiful!!!!
35I think sky blue would look good.
Or a paler sky blue.
36I’m starting a doctoral program in Chicago in September! Can you email me details about your apartment search, and where you finally ended up? I know that apartments in Chicago are much more reasonable than those in NYC!
37That looks like Hyde Park to me, and it looks like a fabulous apartment! Congratulations, and enjoy the city!
38The windows! They make my heart go pitter patter. I’m about to move and I’m painting my living room Peppermint Tea (it’s at Lowe’s, I can’t remember the brand). But since I live in Texas where winter lasts about three weeks, I don’t have the “what will this color look like when everything is gray outside” problem that seems to exist in Chicago.
39Can’t wait to see more pictures as you move and get settled!
What a view! That’s gorgeous.
If TH is up for it, I’m loving a great teal color as an accent wall.
40Wow!! It looks incredible. Happy moving
41wow, that looks great. Looks like it’s in South Chicago though? I hope the neighborhood is safe for you guys. Will you share your housing budget? I’m interested in seeing how much rent is in different cities as my husband and I want to move to a big city when we finish grad school next year.
Jenna Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
I would, but TH pointed out that doing so is really the equivalent of “painting a giant target on my face”, i.e. I’d likely just be setting myself up to have people tear me apart for choosing how to spend my money. It’s definitely more than we are paying in Dallas!
balebusta Reply:
August 12th, 2010 at 9:25 am
I can say that I currently live in New York City in Manhattan and pay $1900 for a large studio in a doorman building with laundry and gym in the building. I’ve been looking around at Chicago rents and for about $1500 month I could get a one bedroom in Chicago in a comparable building to the one I’m in here in NYC. Rents in NYC SUCK….ugh…Chicago rents are higher than national averages but compared to NYC they seem cheap to me!!!
Gorgeous!! I’m super jealous now
We’d love to move to Chicago (it’s both me & D’s favorite city)! My sister lives in Madison, WI and D’s family is in Detroit, so we’d be close to them but OH SO FAR from my family in Texas 
43Really gorgeous. Looks like you guys will be Hyde Parkers! I highly recommend the Mexicana milkshake at Cafe Medici on 57th Street. We also love Piccolo Sogno, which is a local Italian place. Welcome to the Windy City!
Jeannie Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
We love those milkshakes, too! And the regular chocolate. And Medici, in general!
That view is awesome! Are you right in the city? Jealous…
I love blues and greens myself for wall colors. There was a red wall in our kitchen when I moved in and it was pretty much the first thing to go. It’s amazing how wall color can affect your mood so drastically. I like calming colors.
45It looks like your south of the city, but is it Hyde Park? Did you decide not to live in student housing?
Love the windows! And the view!
Jenna Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Yep, it’s Regents Park towers, so the very northeast corner of Hyde Park. We didn’t go with student housing because for awhile I was holding on to the dream that we might be able to swing a washer/dryer in our apartment (ha! I realize now how futile that dream was), and then I went to Regents and found out they are offering a special deal for Booth students with great perks like 1 year of access to the gym and indoor pool, waiving the move-in fee, and a special rate for the two bedroom/two bath apartments. Plus we NEVER would have found a space with views like that in student housing! We think we really lucked out.
Jeannie Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
That’s awesome, but also funny because ALL the business school peeps in our ward lived there! I can see why with deals like that. Regents is a great place to live. And I agree that there are many gray winter days so paint that accent wall something bright, cheery, and fun. FYI, they have a party room at the top of the building that you can reserve (for free, I believe) as a resident. That’s where all the cool baby showers took place.
And you’re right next to the Metra line and the #6 express bus to downtown. So excited for you, Jenna! OK, and maybe just a little jealous that you’ll be there in HP and I won’t!
I love it! There’s nothing better than a home (or apartment) full of windows and light. And that view! Amazing.
47Wow that place looks amazing. What a view!
48Look fabulous! I can’t wait for more pictures. I’ve really been into greys of every shade and then accenting with a bold color like plum or cinnamon… So I would say a shade of grey!
49this is what i found over at Living With Lindsay
I love this color blue!! I think it would look fab. in your new place.
http://livingwithlindsay.com/2009/11/ask-and-you-shall-receive.html
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