appearance by Mayura Shah.
In Refinery29's Sweet Digs, we take a look inside the sometimes small, sometimes spacious homes of millennial women. Today, Mayura's shows off her one-bedroom apartment in Long Island City.
Upon looking at Mayura's spacious apartment, you cant help but notice how clean and tidy it is. It's more than camera-ready, it's pristine. How does she keep it all so tidy? "Do not procrastinate. If you see something, try and clean it...If you do it immediately, it is never going to get that dirty."
As a full-time lifestyle blogger, Mayura's travels inspire every facet of her decor style. She returns from frequent trips to India with textile bedsheets and linens in tow so that her bedroom is never without a pop of colour. There has to be room for spices, Indian wedding clothes, a small temple, and all the gifts she and her husband receive from loved ones in India.
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Apart from a killer view of Midtown Manhattan, Mayura's kitchen has another covetable feature: a built-in pantry. "Coming from India, we have so many dry snacks and we have so many spices, I needed a place to store all of them." To Mayura, discovering this pantry was like hitting the jackpot. Watch the video above for a full tour, then read on to hear more about the the space.
How did you find this apartment?
We used to live in the next building [over] and when our lease was up we were considering to move to a new building because our rent was going up too. We also wanted a better apartment so while walking on the waterfront park we saw this building. We went in to check if they had any availabilities. We applied, got approved by the city, saw the unit, and voilà. We considered Manhattan apartments but this area, this square footage, and the view were better than anything we had seen.
We used to live in the next building [over] and when our lease was up we were considering to move to a new building because our rent was going up too. We also wanted a better apartment so while walking on the waterfront park we saw this building. We went in to check if they had any availabilities. We applied, got approved by the city, saw the unit, and voilà. We considered Manhattan apartments but this area, this square footage, and the view were better than anything we had seen.
What amenities do you have?
Oh there’s a lot. We have two buildings together so we have two gyms, two baby centres and business centres, there is a sky lounge, a look out, there is a laundromat on site, and there’s a 24-hour concierge service.
Oh there’s a lot. We have two buildings together so we have two gyms, two baby centres and business centres, there is a sky lounge, a look out, there is a laundromat on site, and there’s a 24-hour concierge service.
What’s your favourite thing about your apartment?
Definitely the view. We have floor to ceiling windows and because we got lucky, we got this corner unit, we are looking at Manhattan and Brooklyn at the same time. Since I work from home, when I’m sitting at home and writing, the view of New York City definitely inspires me a lot.
Definitely the view. We have floor to ceiling windows and because we got lucky, we got this corner unit, we are looking at Manhattan and Brooklyn at the same time. Since I work from home, when I’m sitting at home and writing, the view of New York City definitely inspires me a lot.
What is your most sentimental item?
Coming from India, where we used to live with our parents, we had a lot of memories with us. One thing which was common between me and my husband’s childhood was this table where we used to sit down and eat. So you actually sit down on the floor and eat, that’s one of the Indian traditions. So we thought, rather than going to Ikea and just buying another dining table, why don’t we make our own dining table. We actually made a replica of that table we had in our childhood. It’s something we made with our own hands. So that’s definitely the most sentimental item for us, the dining table. We went Chip and Joanna on it.
Coming from India, where we used to live with our parents, we had a lot of memories with us. One thing which was common between me and my husband’s childhood was this table where we used to sit down and eat. So you actually sit down on the floor and eat, that’s one of the Indian traditions. So we thought, rather than going to Ikea and just buying another dining table, why don’t we make our own dining table. We actually made a replica of that table we had in our childhood. It’s something we made with our own hands. So that’s definitely the most sentimental item for us, the dining table. We went Chip and Joanna on it.
Tell us about your bathroom.
The good part about our bathroom is that it’s spacious and it has a lot of storage. The bad part is maybe it should have an exhaust fan. In winters, when you take a really hot bath, it steams up over there and there’s no exhaust fan. That’s one thing I would’ve loved to have. Oh and a soaking tub! In a rental, I know I’m never getting a soaking tub — but I wish.
The good part about our bathroom is that it’s spacious and it has a lot of storage. The bad part is maybe it should have an exhaust fan. In winters, when you take a really hot bath, it steams up over there and there’s no exhaust fan. That’s one thing I would’ve loved to have. Oh and a soaking tub! In a rental, I know I’m never getting a soaking tub — but I wish.