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00:00Hello, welcome to my New York City apartment.
00:23All right, so some so some quick specs on the place before we get into it.
00:29This is technically a large one bedroom apartment.
00:32However, my roommate and I put in a flex wall to make it a two bedroom apartment.
00:37We'll get into it.
00:38First thing right off of the entryway, we have this very large communal closet.
00:43My roommate is actually out of town, so it's empty right now.
00:46But that's the first closet and it's a big one.
00:48Next little thing that we have here is this table.
00:51So we're all about functionality in this household.
00:53This one actually, I'm not going to do it right now, but it doubles in size, if you will.
00:57We move this into the kitchen if we have extra people over to play drinking games, you know,
01:02things that kids get up to.
01:03So that's what we have here.
01:04But most of the time, we just kind of leave it as an entryway table.
01:07We've put our keys here, old decorations that are definitely always there.
01:13Moving into the living space, we have this futon.
01:17Like I said, we're all about functionality in this house.
01:19So this folds out to be twice the size.
01:21We have had people sleep on it before.
01:23What was it, $120 from Amazon?
01:25I'll link all this stuff down below.
01:27Moving into the kitchen.
01:29I actually really like this kitchen.
01:31We have a ton of storage.
01:32These are all, as you can see, we have pots and pans.
01:35These are all soft closed doors, so you don't hear a thing.
01:40Lots and lots of storage and they go up really high.
01:44Helps that I'm tall.
01:45I can reach the top shelves.
01:46We have gas burning stoves, which I'm personally a fan of.
01:49In college, I did have some electric ones and they were not as good.
01:53Large refrigerator, or I don't know if it's large.
01:56It's a normal size refrigerator.
01:58Normal size refrigerator.
01:59Freezer.
02:01Oven.
02:02And then something that is not in every New York City apartment.
02:05A dishwasher.
02:06Absolutely love it.
02:08What else?
02:08Couple more little things.
02:10We have these ottomans, which actually can hold, I think it was up to 50 pounds.
02:13We got them on Amazon.
02:14So we use them-
02:15120.
02:16120?
02:16Mm-hmm.
02:17120 pounds.
02:18No, 140, because I can stand on them, so.
02:20140 pounds, and we use them as step stools a lot of the time.
02:25They also double as kind of storage bins, so once again, functionality.
02:30And back to the flex wall, this is something that we constructed on our own.
02:34It took some doing, but it is how we're able to make this into a
02:38two bedroom instead of a really large one bedroom.
02:40All right, I get a lot of questions about my flex wall.
02:42Did we put it up ourselves?
02:44Is it legal in New York City?
02:45Et cetera.
02:45So a little word on flex walls.
02:47There are three main types.
02:48The first one is called a pressurized wall,
02:51which are ones that go all the way up to the ceiling,
02:53and it basically looks like the room was meant to be there,
02:55and that it was built into the apartment in the first place.
02:57These are still installed without screws or nails though,
03:00so in theory, it will not leave a mark on the walls when you take it down.
03:03Second, there are partial walls,
03:04which are very similar to pressurized walls in that they're installed without screws and nails,
03:08but they don't go all the way to the ceiling.
03:09They'll come short about a foot or something like that.
03:11So it's not the best option for privacy purposes,
03:14but there are still a ton of use cases for partial walls.
03:16And then the third are bookshelf walls,
03:18which as the name suggests are not really walls at all,
03:20but rather freestanding bookshelves that help create some separation
03:23and sound insulation for a new partitioned off portion of your apartment.
03:27Now what my roommate and I did was sort of a mixture of these,
03:30and it was especially tricky for us because our apartment has 12-foot ceilings.
03:33So we have freestanding bookshelves as a large part of the wall,
03:36but then two by fours going all the way up to the ceiling,
03:38plus some L brackets down on the ground to give the bookshelf some stability.
03:42Additionally, we have some of that pinkish purple foam core material that you guys saw,
03:45which helps add some soundproofing.
03:47And even in between the foam and the walls,
03:49we added this cushiony type material to try to help with the soundproofing as well.
03:52In other words, we MacGyver the shit out of this wall, if you will.
03:55And in hindsight, we would have gladly paid a thousand,
03:57two thousand for someone to come install it instead, but it was an adventure.
04:01So are these flex walls legal in New York City?
04:04A lot of it is actually building specific.
04:05To install a pressurized wall, your landlord will have to obtain the proper permits
04:09and a new certificate of occupancy from the New York City Department of Buildings
04:13for safety reasons.
04:14In any case, I think your best plan of action is to ask your landlord
04:16or be transparent ahead of time if you have plans to do something like this
04:20and confirm that it will be okay.
04:21My roommate and I confirmed with our leasing agent before signing for this apartment
04:25if it was okay to put up this sort of bookshelf flex wall
04:28to make this apartment into a two-bedroom flex.
04:30And we wouldn't have signed the lease otherwise.
04:31In conclusion, even though it can be quite the undertaking to construct a flex wall yourself,
04:36or a fairly hefty upfront fee to have someone come and install it.
04:39Anywhere from $850 to $2,000, depending on the type of wall.
04:42I think flex walls are an amazing way to save a lot of money on rent
04:45living somewhere like New York City.
04:47And back to the paid programming.
04:49So let's go into the first bedroom.
04:51This is not mine, this is my roommate's.
04:52But like I said, she's out of town, so it's a little empty right now.
04:55And by a little empty, I mean completely empty.
04:57And by out of town, I mean that she was in between jobs and traveled for three months
05:01while I lived with an amazing sub letter.
05:02And I filmed this on the very day that the sub letter moved out,
05:05right before my roommate moved back in.
05:06That's why it's completely empty.
05:08I feel like I had to address that.
05:10But it is, as you can see, very sizable.
05:13So obviously we compromised a little bit on having a smaller living area
05:17in order to have this other large bedroom.
05:20So this is what the flex wall looked like beforehand,
05:23before we put that white sheet on out there.
05:25It's kind of this pinky color.
05:27It's foam, so it actually helps with the sound a little bit.
05:29But, you know, torture chamber vibes a little bit.
05:32Some bookshelves to have storage.
05:35Because this was originally the living space,
05:37there's not a built-in closet in this room.
05:39So that's kind of why we wanted to use bookshelves or bookcases as the wall.
05:43Lots of storage there.
05:44And then the view here is amazing as well.
05:46It's actually on the corner, just like my bedroom.
05:49I like the way the building is kind of cut L's.
05:51Do you know what I mean?
05:52So you get more corner bedrooms.
05:54Anyway, that's actually my bedroom right across the way.
05:56And we're going to go to the floor.
05:57Here in the hallway, we have one of New York City's biggest luxury amenities.
06:05Laundry in unit.
06:06Absolutely love having this.
06:08Like I said, that is really not the case for New York City in a lot of apartments.
06:11So it's very nice to have.
06:12Next, we have this other large closet in the hallway.
06:16It's the one that my roommate uses because, like I said,
06:19that second bedroom, which was originally the living space,
06:22does not have a built-in closet.
06:23So she uses this one as her main one.
06:26All of these are so tall.
06:28Like they go all the way up there.
06:29I don't know if you can tell.
06:30Moving along into the bathroom.
06:34This is the bathroom.
06:36As you can see, another lovely view.
06:38For those who are curious, no, we do not shower with an open.
06:41We have a privacy line that we can put down whenever we shower.
06:44But when we're not in there, it's nice to kind of let some of the light into the hallway.
06:49So along with that, we have this vessel sink, additional storage
06:53and nice lights right behind the mirror.
06:55And we actually have some more storage over here as well.
06:57It's pretty shallow, but you know, better than nothing.
07:01And I found out fairly recently that we also have a heater in here.
07:03So I put that on when it gets a little chilly.
07:05And that's nice to have right when you get out of the shower.
07:07And let's do another large reveal.
07:11And now my bedroom.
07:13I felt that warranted another knock.
07:15Come on in.
07:24Welcome to the official Taylor's bedroom tour.
07:28So starting off over here, I decided to go ahead and make it all storage.
07:33I ordered, how many are here?
07:35I ordered a bunch more of the gray boxes to do storage of all kinds.
07:39I have it organized.
07:41Some are closed.
07:42Some down here.
07:43Get a look over here.
07:44I have my technology here.
07:46So my microphone, stuff like that.
07:48And then some miscellaneous.
07:49Some are actually empty.
07:50So I have some additional storage for the future.
07:53So this is actually brand new.
07:54I had the bookshelf like sitting here for a long time,
07:56but then actually constructed it.
07:58So there's a brand new, next new bookshelf.
08:00I put my makeup up here.
08:02My voice cried.
08:03But I didn't want this to be the first thing I saw when I walked in,
08:06because even though it is a little bit more organized,
08:08since I got little cups and things,
08:10it's still not the prettiest thing in the world.
08:12So I have it over here.
08:14Just some things I did to organize this space a little bit better.
08:17Bought some of these tumblers from Target.
08:19And just, you know, kind of organize it.
08:20Like these are the things I use every day.
08:22These are some things I don't use every day.
08:24And then down here, I have my all-time favorite candies.
08:28Fantastic.
08:29My journal, my pepper spray.
08:31It's New York City.
08:32And then a couple extra storage bins where I put like my self-care items.
08:36So nail polish remover, cotton rounds, things like that.
08:41Finally, finishing off with my trash can.
08:45Trash can.
08:46And then, you know, paper towels.
08:48So nothing crazy, but it works.
08:51And moving over here, we have my queen size bed,
08:56which I'm very excited about because my first two years of college,
08:59I had a twin bed.
09:00Then I had a full bed.
09:02This is my first queen bed.
09:03And I like it.
09:03I feel like a king, a queen in it.
09:06And then over here, we have my bedside table.
09:10Nothing fancy.
09:11I will say that, you know, I bought this part on Amazon.
09:14And it was a little smaller than I liked it.
09:16So put this heavy-duty tile on top to just extend it.
09:20And don't worry, it's like very sturdy.
09:22It's not going to push down.
09:23So that just gives me a little bit of extra room.
09:25It's kind of this white marble.
09:26Pro tip, you can get these tiles for like $1.50 at Home Depot.
09:31And just, you know, find a place for them.
09:33And then in here, I just have my necessities.
09:38My necessities, like melatonin and lotion and my sleeping mask and cookies.
09:45And then down here, I have my iPad, my Jimmy Chin coffee table book.
09:49I really felt like the blue vibe I got going down there.
09:52And finally, my happy cup.
09:55I call it that, like a four-year-old bite because it's yellow.
09:59And then of course, Tea for Turtle.
10:01You guys know.
10:01All right, moving over, where shall we go next?
10:06Moving over here, as if it's like a huge room.
10:08And moving over here, we have my workspace, which if you guys have seen my videos,
10:13you've already seen kind of this area.
10:15But here's an official tour.
10:16So I will say this puppy is brand spankin' new.
10:20Put them together last week.
10:22Huge, puffy, white kind of goes along with my minimalistic vibe that I somehow accidentally
10:28constructed in this room.
10:29But very comfortable.
10:30My last one was not comfortable.
10:31I got it for free in the building.
10:34So how comfy can it really be?
10:35Yeah.
10:36I have two kind of sections.
10:38The first one, this is for actual work, my consulting job.
10:41I sit here many hours a day.
10:44And I like it.
10:45I put it this way because that's my favorite view.
10:47The billionaire's row.
10:48Even more so than the water.
10:49But anyway, personal preference.
10:52So this is where I do my actual like consulting job work.
10:55And you might notice I have a little space heater down by my feet.
10:58Can you see it?
11:00Because my little piggies, they get, they get really cold.
11:03I run a window here in the winter.
11:05Moving over to this side, this is for personal use.
11:08So this is where I edit my YouTube videos, anything on my personal computer.
11:13So business, classic.
11:18Business, pleasure.
11:20And then I also like to have a little pop of color here.
11:22These are dying.
11:23They've lasted a really long time, but they're still really beautiful.
11:26And so I like to have flowers there or something.
11:28And then I also have little planties kind of around my bedroom.
11:33And yeah, there's a couple more things I don't want to forget.
11:36I guess right here, I actually made use again of one of these tiles.
11:40Same one is over there.
11:41The kind of $1.50 marble tile.
11:44And then this tissue box should still happen to fit perfectly with the color scheme.
11:48And then my lamp, which used to be turned,
11:51I don't, it turned this way and it took up too much of the views.
11:54So if it's all the way back, what else?
11:57It's not a big room.
11:58There's not like a ton to go over.
12:00I have a bunch of little planties here.
12:02Six foot five history.
12:04They're all fake faux, if you will, which means fake in French.
12:09And then finally some income a little closer for this.
12:12And then also have a saw.
12:15And I also have a horseshoe, which has the dirt from the Kentucky Derby racetrack,
12:21which I thought was pretty cool.
12:22Got it in Kentucky.
12:23Almost forgot my closet space.
12:25So like I've kind of mentioned throughout this apartment,
12:28the closets are actually really, really large.
12:30For New York.
12:31Okay.
12:32Not for whatever, anywhere else.
12:34I have all my things in here.
12:36I have my sweaters.
12:38And then I got this kind of hanging shelf to fit more of my like jeans and t-shirts and such.
12:42Got all my shoes down there, some up here, and then like my huge suitcases up there.
12:48So plenty of room there.
12:49And then let me show you the other side.
12:51And then over here, even more things.
12:55And it goes up, like I said, really high to the point you need to step farther to get up there.
13:00So I like having all that room.
13:02What else?
13:03And then I think they'll just voiceover.
13:05Stop it.
13:06Oh, and then I guess one more thing because we're just all over the place right now.
13:09I have two racks for coats, towels and such.
13:13It looks like a lot right now just because it's winter.
13:15So there's a lot of puffs happening here.
13:17But oh, one more thing.
13:19There's so much in this ginormous room.
13:22There is also, along with all the storage that I already showed you, like all these things,
13:26there is plenty room for traditional storage under the bed.
13:30I have all my tools and stuff in here.
13:33And then there's some other things too.
13:34So that's nice.
13:35Pro tip, I guess, if you live in a small space,
13:37make sure your bed frame is somewhat elevated so you can put things underneath it.
13:41Any other details there?
13:44Maybe that you're amphibian?
13:48Maybe.
13:48Fancy tequila.
13:50And while I'm thinking about it,
13:51a question that I get all the time is,
13:52do you feel no sense of privacy with those windows?
13:55Can people see in?
13:55During the day, there is a pretty much complete reflection on the windows
13:59that no, you can't really see in at all.
14:01At night, of course, if you have your lights on and your blinds are still retracted,
14:04then yes, you can see in.
14:05But of course, I close my blinds when I need to close my blinds.
14:07So I waited a long time to film this apartment tour.
14:10I actually moved in six months ago,
14:12but I took my sweet time getting it furnished,
14:14getting it somewhat decorated,
14:15and I didn't want to just show you my bare bones bedroom.
14:18Still feels pretty bare bones, but you know what I mean.
14:20And truth be told, it is still not done.
14:22I think that some of the main things that will make this place feel a little more
14:25homey and cozy is adding some art pieces to the wall above my bed.
14:29Again, we have 12-foot ceiling, so it's just a lot of white space right now.
14:32And then I'll probably add a rug underneath my bed
14:34just to make it feel more cozy and homey.
14:35So I'll keep you guys updated when I actually do that.
14:37How much does all of this cost? You might wonder.
14:40Well, it was a COVID deal, so we got two months free,
14:43which brought our net effective rate for the whole place to $3,600 per month.
14:47And because I have a roommate and constructed that flex wall that I showed you,
14:50I pay $18.75 per month, net effective, which for this view and everything is very good in New York.
15:00You might not think it is, but it is.
15:01Uh-oh.
15:03Okay.
15:05Well, that's it.
15:06Thank you, Vogue, for coming to look at my bedroom.
15:09And until next time.
15:30So, we're hanging on continuity.
15:32So, the flex wall.
15:34We are going to talk about the flex wall.
15:39Next week we'll be together.
15:43Good work.
15:46Thanks.
15:47Bye.
15:48Bye.
15:51Bye bye.
15:53Bye bye.
15:56Bye bye.
15:59Bye bye bye.
16:06Bye bye.
16:07Bye bye.
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