It’s All Happening!

Ah! Sitting down to write this blog post is getting me so excited for all that’s in store this fall. I haven’t been able to keep quiet about this so many of you know that my boyfriend and I are moving to NYC together this fall. Last weekend we toured about 25 apartments in 10 different buildings (omg), and I’m so thankful to share that we found and signed a lease on our dream unit. 😊

With the help of our friends at Loftey (ask for Clarence, he was amazing!), we were able to get some more space by leasing an apartment on the Upper East Side, and negotiate a lower rent price since sadly so many NYC apartments are vacant right now. I’m planning on sharing a blog post full of all of my apartment hunting tips soon, but that’s the gist of it! 

That brings me to the fun part… making the plans for how we’re going to make it our own. 😊 This past spring when I shared that I was going to be taking on some consulting clients, I was connected with Adnan Anwar, who actually went to the same high school as Johnny and his siblings in Winnetka, IL! Now he lives in the West Village in NYC, works for Schumacher, and also does interior design consulting for a number of clients. 

We basically hit it off as soon as we started chatting on the phone in May and have been talking non-stop since! 😊 I honestly never even considered working with a designer for this apartment (I honestly didn’t think I needed it, but omg was I wrong…). Adnan has proven to be unbelievably insightful and helpful the past few months, from weighing in on our apartment search to sharing recommendations for just about every detail of our décor. 

I was immediately drawn to his love of color, print, and whimsical personalized touches. I knew that his background and experience in designing spaces (particularly apartments!) and working for Schumacher (a NYC-founded and world-renowned premier fabric company) would really help elevate my usual *all white with a pop of pink* style (lol), and also help bring some masculinity to it, since I will now be sharing my space with a male. I cannot even tell you how many times Adnan has talked me out of unintentionally choosing something that may have been too girly for our apartment (I just can’t help it!). Johnny owes him a drink when we’re all in NYC next… 😊

So for the past few months we’ve been scheming up just how we want to decorate the apartment. Here are just a few of the (many!) photos we’ve texted to each other…

Adnan’s Design Services

We’ve been working with Adnan for every part of our future apartment, but his design consulting structure is unique in that he can offer his services by the square foot. I think that this is particularly advantageous to people who are redecorating apartments.

As a designer, he can really help you define your personal style and translate that into your home in a way that’s personal to you. Better yet, you usually end up saving time and money by working with him because he has access to so many discounts/resources and is able to provide the following– 

• Wholesale pricing on a variety of websites and brands
• A network of vendors where he can easily pull fabrics, vintage pieces, etc. 
• Expertise on where to allocate your budget and how to make it go the furthest 
• Knowledge of how to source vintage furniture and art! 

Are you sold yet?! For the pricing details, there are two ways of working with Adnan, depending on what fits your design needs best– 

1. Complete Design- This option is for when you want help with it ALL– i.e. the layout, furniture, décor, window treatments, etc. His rate for this service is $34 a square foot (see– this is super advantageous when you’re decorating an apartment!).
2. Consultation– This option is for when you want general consultation or help with a specific task, i.e. custom window treatments. His rate for this service is $100 an hour. 

If you’re interested in learning more or hiring Adnan for either service, send him a direct message on his Instagram (@adnananwardesigns) or email him at adnananwardesign@gmail.com to chat about your project and how he can help you bring it to life! 

So What’s Next?

I cannot tell you how helpful it’s been to have Adnan to bounce ideas off of and see his recommendations, not to mention being on the receiving end of his fun texts that always include links to new items or inspiration images. 😊

Honestly, if I’ve found so much use in working with him (and I think I know what I’m doing 😊) than anyone would find it helpful. I have pretty strong ideas about what I want in an apartment, so I cannot even imagine how helpful he would be to someone who either has no interest in decorating or who just feels lost and wants a professional opinion! I also should note that he’s been certifiably approved by my mom, who has agreed with everything Adnan has recommended so far. Now she just says to me, “go with what Adnan suggests!” LOL.

Next week I’ll be sharing a look at the inspiration for the apartment, and then after that I’ll be sharing my tips for searching for an apartment in NYC. Then, it will be time for our move and we will be sharing that whole process and the reveal after that. Stay tuned for more! xx