The moment Natasha saw this apartment for the first time, she knew she had to live there. Downtown, exposed brick walls, luxurious tub, amazing rent, beautiful street, and the list goes on. When she told the landlord she needed to live there, he told her that there were tons of people who felt the same way about the place as she did. Before he made his decision, Natasha called him once more to tell him just how much she loved the apartment and how “her” it was. 20 minutes later, the place actually was hers.

Originally from Richmond Hill, Natasha moved to the city when she started studying Architecture at Ryerson. She’s been living in her apartment for 4 years now, and has no plans of moving since she loves her place so much. 

When you walk into Natasha’s space, it’s like all the stress leaves your body. The lighting is perfect for the space; dimly but evenly lit with paper lanterns, Christmas lights and small-scale lamps. Every accessory and piece on display has a story and has meaning to Natasha, which means you get to know what’s important to Natasha very quickly; photography, books, comfort, family and friends. And movies, according to a very extensive VHS collection.

Natasha loves Honest Ed’s (we agree!) because of its great storage solutions. All of her storage bins and closet organizers come straight from Toronto’s best and brightest discount store. Check out her blog post on ThirtyFourSteps (her own blog) where she walks us through her spring cleaning project; there are before/after photos!

Things for free are even better than discount, don’t you think? This lovely table was found on the side of the road close to Natasha’s place. She took it home, cleaned it up, and added two new knobs to the drawers that she found in a great second-hand shop. Check out her grandmother’s amazing phone as well!

Instead of investing money in a couch, Natasha decided to take the legs off an Ikea single bed she already owned and use it as a couch. The bed fits perfectly in the space and looks amazing.

What is so great about Natasha’s apartment is that everything has meaning; from an adorable photo of her nephew (who is turning 1 soon!), to the sparkly origami swans her boss and mentor decorated her cubicle with on her last day of work for the City of Toronto, to the seashells she collected on her first trip to Halifax, everything that’s precious to her has its place and its own story.

The kitchen is compact but updated, and Natasha has made the lack of stove work by having a heavy-duty toaster oven, microwave and a hot plate. She has all of her utensils on display using a compact and efficient shelving system just beside the kitchen. She’s also added some counter space and more storage-display opportunities with an adorable portable island.

 Just down the hall from the main room is a great space dressing area with lots of character. Natasha also just cleaned our her closet; see the before/after!

And that brings us to the bathroom, which is bright and airy, and has a perfect set-up for movie-watching in the soaker tub; a perfect way to end the day and this apartment tour.

Now that you’ve been to Natasha’s, you should put ThirtyFourSteps on your blogroll and follow her on Twitter! Natasha also took all of the photos in this post; thanks Natasha!

How much do you love Natasha’s space? Would you be interested in doing an apartment tour yourself? We’d love to share your space with everyone; just email us!

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