The Checklist: Apartment Essentials
Everything I foraged for our new life in Munich
Today we’re officially two months into our Munich residency, and it really has been incredible. If you have an inkling to move abroad—do it!! When if not now?
We rented our apartment “furnished” which basically means it had the bare minimum needed to survive, plus a few eclectic art pieces from our landlord, who owns a gallery downstairs.
The space is old and gorgeous, a historic building right down town. The tall ceilings, abundant windows, and hard wood floors are the stuff of my dreams. The tiny kitchen, less so, but you can’t win ‘em all.
We knew that we’d eventually be renting an unfurnished apartment, so didn’t want to blow all of our money replacing items that could work for now. We also have our wedding coming up with a hefty registry that I’m hoping will help supplement what we already have. So, the actual furniture we bought was limited and not the fanciest, but I did get plenty of fun smaller furnishings (which is where I’ll begin).
Styling Accoutrements
Because our place came furnished, I leaned heavily into the little things that would make it feel like home. Good soap, fresh flowers, delicious candles etc. Here’s an exhaustive list of everything I gathered (a term I’m stealing from Lizzy Benz, ‘shopping’ is such a tired term) put the cherry on top of my very cute apartment:
FRAMA towels. Erik promptly bleached one of the sage ones with his pimple cream, but oh well. They really are so good, the nap is perfect, and I’m a sucker for an oversized label. I got the cream and green.
I also got this yellow hand towel from them and this hand cream when I was at their shop in Copenhagen.
I am now the very proud Head of Strategic Growth at Devon Liedtke, and she so kindly send me some of her gorgeous pieces (so I officially get the hype). Turkish linen napkins, napkin rings, yellow travertine bowl, onyx marble votive.
I’m a Sabre whore, so I got lots of little cheese knives, and my cousin gifted me these serving utensils for my wedding. I love them all, such a playful and classic look.
From Zara Home I got this tray (sold out, similar here), these forks, and these coupes (that I use for olives or chips). Like I said, metal is having a moment.
I spoke about scents before, but they really make me feel like home. This FRAMA candle, this Aesop incense, this Aesop room spray, and this FRAMA lotion are my go-tos, plus a Sangre candle in every room. Head of Roses is my fave.
We were in desperate need for bowls, so I got these from FRAMA, but I am planning on shopping the Studio Velv drop on Sunday.
The Dining Room
If you couldn’t already tell, our “dining room” is actually a corner of our oversized living room, so we wanted it to feel like an extension of the same style. My personal style ranges from the clean lines of Danish/Scandinavian/Japanese genre to something a little old-world Italian, but I decided to lean clean, given the size and budget we were working with. (But mark my words, one day I will get my Italian farmhouse with marble sculptures and a big stone bath tub).
I got this IKEA table. It’s big, but so easy to put together and I love the color and style more than I thought I would.
I discovered this Spanish brand SKLUM which is shockingly affordable. It took a while to ship, but I got these chairs from them.
The Living Room
The living room is comprised primarily of furniture from our landlord, including this gorgeous set of Wassily chairs designed by Marcel Breuer (here is a good deal on a set if you have a hankering). The leather sofa and glass table are hers as well, and while they’re a little cold for my taste, they aren’t bad. We replaced her lavender rug with something easier to clean from Zara Home, an end table, some books, pillows, and voila!
This is the rug I got. It hurts your feet a little (lol), but I’m normally in slippers and it’s very easy to clean. Almost an indoor outdoor vibe?
I got some pillow cases from H&M home since they have a storefront in Munich. They are incredibly affordable (even the feather inserts) and the linen is so much nicer than anything I’ve gotten cheap on Amazon.
I got a bouclé pillow from Arket. Here is something similar that ships to the US.
The Bedroom
Our bedroom is one of my favorite parts of the house for the incredible light and airflow it gets. We’re on the fifth floor, so both are extra important. I didn’t do much here, besides a tiny bit of styling.
I got this lantern cover from IKEA. Erik thinks it’s too big but the ceilings are super tall so I think it works.
I also got this bedside table and I love it. Walnut is IN!!
I got this lamp from Zara Home which I’m obsessed with.
My scents are the usual, Sangre candle, Aesop spray, Vitruvi diffuser with Sangre essential oils.
I’m using a MATCH cup in this picture as a vase.
The bedding is a combo of IKEA, Brooklinen, and BedThreads, but I have lots of Tekla on my registry.
The Kitchen
Typically my favorite part of the house, this kitchen tragically sucks, largely because of the nonexistent oven, the terrible electric stove, and the minuscule sink. Sigh. Thanks to our air-fryer and dish washer, we’re making things work.
We added this kitchen cart from IKEA which was a godsend for storage.
Our wedding/moving/thank-god-we-sold-our-house present was our Rocket espresso machine and Eureka grinder. We have a google plug so it heats up before we’re awake, and our lattes take about 30 seconds to make. Worth every single penny.
Sangre hand soap, obviously. I keep a refill on hand at all times.
This hand towel is FRAMA but I also have this IKEA set.
That’s it! All in all, we’re loving our little spot, and getting to decorate it just so is of course so fun and rewarding. Now to find some art!
Xx,
Serena
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