Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Polishing the heirloom silverware

I moved to a new apartment a week ago and opposite the one I had over the summer this one is unfurnished. I am not going into the details of the housing market in Stockholm, other than mention that it is brutal and unlike any other in the world due to very specific Swedish housing rules. When I saw the mini one-bedroom very bright apartment with an elevator to its 5th floor, located 5 minutes from Zoe's daycare I jumped at it. Or that is I wrote a very detailed plea to the subletting guy who then apparently felt I seemed like the best candidate for this expensive 355 square feet (33 m2) apartment and let me rent it. So now I have a place for 6 months. It might not have furniture, it might only have a bedroom big enough for Zoe's bed and toys, a kitchen so small that the freezer door doesn't open entirely, leaving it impossible to use the top drawer but an apartment with a little nook with giant 1920s windows where we can sit and eat our breakfast. Except so far, Zoe has insisted on sitting on the kitchen counter for all her meals, dangling her little feet over the edge and asking for babyccinos because she shares space with the espresso maker.

Breakfast at the kitchen counter
In terms of furniture I have had to be creative. I have taken the furniture I felt that Mark could do without, such as the table we had stored in the basement, extra chairs and kitchen stuff. The whole setup reminds me of our early days in our mutual apartment, before our furniture arrived from the US. In fact, I have taken into use my old heirloom silverware again because that was the only utensils I had. I bought a used bed for Zoe on Blocket and I am sleeping on a borrowed mattress on the floor. I splurged on two things that I am waiting for: A BoConcept convertible sofa bed that looks great and a Bestlite lamp. For all the used and borrowed stuff there is something about choosing a few key pieces for my new life. And as long as I have somewhere to sleep, my espresso machine to make babyccinos and silver forks to eat with, I think Zoe and I will be okay.