LAST DAYS

We have one week left in our apartment. ONE WEEK. After 5 years and 7 months of living here.

So: we are 7 days away from moving and Justin and I have finally faced the facts - we have to start packing. I have always been a super sentimental person...and no matter how excited I am to move on to bigger and better things...I do have a special place in my heart for this apartment. So packing seems kind of bittersweet. Not to mention intimidating. We have collected an UNBELIEVABLE amount of books and art and knick-knacks and bric-a-brac.

Before we started boxing everything up I decided to treat our apartment to a proper photo session. Here are pictures of each and every room. And a couple of Steven Kit Kitterson.

See what I mean? Books....and knick-knacks.....and bric-a-brac.

And the kichen? BRIC-A-BRAC GALORE. Hmm...I think we need more boxes.

This was always Steve's favorite springtime spot. Perfect for terrorizing the neighborhood birds.

SOMEBODY PLEASE MOVE HERE

This is one of THE most darling houses I have ever seen. It is a circa 1890 Gingerbread Victorian with 4 outbuildings - a guest cabin, a small barn, a large barn, and a chicken coop. It is located in St.Remy, a sweet, quiet area just outside Kingston. Justin and I went to see it a few months ago when we were still looking at houses. It has all the old details - wood floors, original woodwork, beautiful fireplaces, stained glass windows...etc. But here's the kicker -- The keys? Like, to the front door and the guest cabin? Are skeleton keys. I'm talking real deal original skeleton keys. I almost died.

It is currently listed at $289,900. And that's just the ASKING price. I'm sure someone will get it for less. The full listing details are here.

And fair warning: I still get daily real estate listing updates in my email. I know I don't need to anymore, but I love to look at what's out there. And I plan on posting any that I think are extra special in an attempt to lure my Brooklynite/Manhattanite friends up to greener pastures.

Anyone who knew me as a kid (or was in my photo class at RISD) knows I have a penchant for miniatures. So it will be no surprise that I freaked out when I stumbled across this article in the New York Times. It's about "mini-modernists." What are mini-modernists, you ask? Well...you know the living room in the photo above? The one that looks like it was pulled from the pages of apartment therapy? It's miniature. As in 1:12 scale. And it is just one of the amazing rooms in Annina Günter's dollhouse. Here are a few more of my faves.

How hysterically accurate is this? I knew several people in high school who had bedrooms just like this. (Blake Westdyke, anyone?) And the christmas lights around the mirror are SO good.

Seriously? Recycling? This lady is a genius.

Here you can get a better idea of the scale. And yes, that is the Ikea Expedit bookcase.

More photos of Annina's interiors are available on her flickr page.

all photos by annina günter except #2 and #8 which are by david azia for the new york times.

I recently took a day trip to see the laboratory and home of Thomas Edison in West Orange, NJ. I'm always on the lookout for decorating inspiration...and let me tell you...this place was full of it. Glenmont, his estate, was lovely...but his laboratory was to die for. Picture 20,000 square feet of Factory 20 style amazingness - work-worn tabletops, antique industrial fixtures, wooden flat files, old drawing tables, apothecary bottles galore. This is the stuff that dreams are made of! Well...at least MY dreams.

DETAILS

There are a lot of things that I love about our new house, but it's the period details that really get me. Pine floors, stained glass windows, tin ceilings, pocket doors, original hardware...i swear...even the radiators are exceptionally charming!

It's official. Justin and I are trading in our railroad apartment in Brooklyn for a three story Victorian in Kingston, NY. Our loan is approved, the contracts are signed, and our lawyer will be calling us this week to set a closing date. After years of fantasizing about moving upstate, we are about to actually do it. So crazy.

A BIT ABOUT ME

Hello!

I'm Darbie.

My husband and I recently took the plunge and left Brooklyn for upstate NY. We traded in our rented railroad apartment in Greenpoint for a three-story Victorian in Kingston. We live here with our two cats, Steve and Julian, and our bird, Little Admiral.

I'm a nester and a collector and I love nothing more than hunting for treasures at yard sales and antique stores. I'm happiest when rummaging through piles of dusty old stuff.

Some stuff I collect: vintage glasses, suitcases, antique photos, old cards, books, records, antique bottles, anything cat related, old magazines, frames, tea towels, polaroids, paper ephemera, sewing supplies, ornaments, weird needlepoint pillows, paper lanterns, obsolete office supplies, hat boxes, fashion illustrations, children's drawings, pine cones, acorns, feathers, and stray animals.

Hmm...what else? I do art restoration, dabble in graphic design, make things, and play music in Bishop Allen and The Last Names.

And I'm a Sagittarius.