Remember when we moved into our new apartment and I mentioned I would share photos of our place?
Well, here we are, 1.5 years later and I’m finally making good on my promise.
What we love about this apartment
Easily our favorite thing about the apartment is how much light flows in, especially during spring and summer. Some mornings we are downright blinded by sunlight!
Another HUGE perk with this apartment compared to the last one is that it’s on the top floor. This is a big deal for Will because he works from home and it’s incredibly hard to work with the noise of people walking above you (old buildings, I tell ya).
We have a great view of the Fremont Bridge and in the winter months when the trees are bare, we can see Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams clearly from our balcony.
Oh yeah – balcony! Need I say more?
We have a view of a stunning brick church and are serenaded by bells every day at noon and 6pm. Heck, I’d probably miss dinner it weren’t for those bells!
How long will we stay?
Our lease ends March 2021, so we plan to stay until then. And since we have big plans for our future (living abroad and living in NYC), we are not sure if we will renew.
An expired lease may be just the push I need. ????
Needless to say, this really feels like home to us. Much like our last apartment, it’s in a charming historic building in the NW neighborhood of Portland. We’re a stone’s throw from three major grocery stores and the walk to work is only one mile.
We both feel so lucky to live here and I apologize that these photos took so long to put together! But better late than never, I guess.
So without further ado, allow me to share our home.
Living Room
This is my favorite room in the house because of the french doors that lead to the balcony. It was the biggest selling point for me because it feels so European!
The balcony overlooks the brick church I mentioned earlier and we watch church goers come and go Sunday mornings. It’s a great place to people watch with a cup of home-brewed coffee in hand. It’s also a great place to catch summer sunsets (proof below).
On weekends, we walk down to a nearby cafe with our mugs and stroll through various parts of the neighborhood. I usually gravitate toward Powell’s Books (6 blocks away!) but Will is on to me now so I have to ease up for a few weeks. ????
Will’s Office
This is my second favorite room in our apartment because it houses all the knick-knacks we’ve collected throughout the years. Plus, there’s two massive windows in this room so it floods with light every morning.
The leather chair in the photo is my favorite piece of furniture. We purchased it after seeing one at our friend’s apartment (in New York City). Isn’t imitation the greatest form of flattery. 😉
We also purchased a bookshelf when moving into this apartment and I really like it too. We’ve been investing in furniture rather than buying cheaper pieces we wouldn’t care to move into our next apartment/home.
The Entrance
Our entrance is pretty simple – the key player here is the key bowl because we are notorious for misplacing house keys. Will already lost two sets!
When we first moved into this apartment, the hardest adjustment was getting used to the light from the shared hallway. The front door has frosted glass that lets light into the bedroom (directly to the right of the entrance).
It took a while to get adjusted to it but now it doesn’t bother us. Plus, waking up to summer sunshine streaming through the door is heavenly!
And there you have it, my friends. This is our cozy little Portland home. We’re definitely enjoying our time here!
I have to give tons of props to Will, he’s the reason our walls are so decorated. His adventurous spirit makes coming home a ton of fun.
Until next time,
Antonina
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Love this blog Antonina! I stumbled across it while reading about the pros and cons of Portland (so helpful.) Do you have any advice on how to find a nice apartment or house to rent? I’ll be moving there in January-February 2021 🙂
Hi Jocelyn!
Thanks for the kind words!! I don’t have many tips in this department, we found both of our apartments using Zillow, hardly much technique there lol. As far as neighborhoods go – try to land in NW, Goose Hollow, Alberta or Mississippi – all GREAT options!!
This was a fabulous read — thank you for sharing your knowledge and living space!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Debbie!
Ever since I was 18 NW was my favorite part of Portland! It was the most urbanized area in the city. Still my favorite even though I grew up in Irvington.
Hi Antonina:
Okay, this might seem a strange question, but here goes: I moved to Portland last year from Vermont, a year to date a week ago, and I am now looking to buy a place. I also currently live in NW Portland, up on Northrup Street near 23rd, and absolutely love this neighborhood and this city. I am also a traveler and lived in London for 9 years, so the Portland rain was actually an appeal and not nearly as inundating as I had anticipated when researching my move. So, here’s the serendipity and my strange question, I stumbled across your blog researching possible neighborhoods to move to, and then looked at the pictures of home sweet home, and I recognize the apartment. It just so happens that the exact apartment, I am guessing two floors down, is for sale, and so I was wondering if you knew what the noise level was like for the people who live below you. You mentioned the benefit of living on the top floor to avoid the noise above and was wondering if you have ever had a chance to ask your neighbors below if this is true of your current place, too?
I know, a seemingly strange question, but it is so hard to tell these things when looking at a place, and it would be awesome to get some firsthand knowledge. I have to say, the balcony caught my eye, too, but I’ve held off considering the place for precisely the reason you cite, noise from the neighbors above. Any insights you could give would be immensely helpful.
Oh, and I am also a former freelance journalist, and I really appreciate your partners telling of events here. I have fielded many of the same questions from friends and family back east and have marveled at how distorted the media portrayed things. It was my first real, first-hand account of seeing the distortion, while knowing what was actually going on.
Anyway, I would appreciate anything you might share. Thanks ever so much in advance,
James Askew
Thank you for this, James. 🙂 Just sent you an email, apologies for the delay!
Hi Antonia! Love this post. I know this might be a bit forward (apologies if so!) but my partner and I are planning a move up to Portland around March/April of 2021 – any chance we could connect if you end up not renewing your lease? We are looking in the NW neighborhood and your place seems like a real gem! Thank you!
Hello! my name is lacey. My fiance and I are relocating to portland from south florida. we are 30 and 37 year old teachers with no kids:) any reccomendations on which areas to live in? we are looing to be close and in walking distance of fun things to do. I am an artist and would love to be centered in that vibe:)
Hi Lacey,
Sounds like a fun transition!! I suggest Alberta for an artsy environment. I currently live in NW Portland and love it, another place I’d consider is the Pearl. Hope this helps!
Antonina
Hi, Antonina, I was just reading your PDX pros and cons article and clicked your link, which brought me here. I Loved the photos of your place and its charming character and have a bold 2-pt question.I currently live in east portland, but long for the charm and character of close-in living. I wonder how many rooms/sq ft you have and what you are paying a month? If you arent renewing, It’s now April and spring has sprung making this the perfect time for me to make a move and your apartmenr looks like one I keep dreaming about. Thanks for sharing. Going back now to finish that pros and cons article. 🙂 feel free to reply privately. Thanks.
ET
Hi Evangeline!
We recently moved out of this condo because our landlord wanted to sell it. It was 800 square feet and 2 bedrooms, we were paying $1,650 per month. There’s currently a sale pending on the apartment but I think rentals come up frequently in the building!! Keep your eyes peeled, you’re bound to come across something — there’s a lot of charm in NW Portland. 😉
Hi Antonina,
I was wondering if you were willing to disclose what building this was in (now that you no longer live there)? I’m about to move to Portland from Vancouver, Canada, and like many others, am in love with this apartment and building. Thank you so much for your posts, they’ve helped me a lot!
Hi Sarah,
Congratulations on the big move!! How exciting. The building is the Tudor Arms building located in NW Portland 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Cheers,
A
I’m relocating for work from Dallas to Portland in the spring and came across your page when googling places to live in Portland. I have a few questions:
1. You mentioned you enjoyed being on the top floor because you didn’t have to worry about being able to hear people walk in old buildings. Obviously, you never had that problem since you were on the top floor but did your neighbors below ever complain about hearing you walk? I ask because I see there are units available for sale but it looks like they’re on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor.
2. Your previous place also looks nice and I was wondering if you could provide the name of it? I’m visiting in August to begin the apartment/house-hunting process and NW Portland seems like the place I’ll most likely end up in.
3. What is parking like? Is there a parking garage or is it street parking only?
4. Like any place, there will be some negatives about it -whether it be the actual property or surrounding area. What would you say are some negatives about this place/area?
Hi Johnny,
Our neighbors never complained about hearing us walking above them, but we often heard music from their unit so I’m guessing they heard us walking.
The last place was located on Flanders and 21st (it was a great condo too).
Parking was on-street, I believe the parking permit was $195 for the year (not too bad) but parking was sometimes hard to find.
Honestly, we LOVED living in NW Portland. And if we move back to the city, we’ll probably try to find a place in NW again. Least favorite aspect was the increase in houselessness on the neighborhood streets but that seems to be a city-wide problem right now, so it’s not unique to NW.
Let me know if you have any other questions — happy to help!