Anyone who does not have a green card that legitimizes staying and working in the USA and is one of the biggest, self-proclaimed New York fans could opt for a double life: short trips to New York are made at regular intervals to shop there and literally soak up the flair of the American metropolis. And back home you can keep that New York feeling for as long as possible by designing your own four walls in the style of New York.
The feeling that spreads when you rush past New York’s Grand Central train station can hardly be imported back home. However, there is a lot in terms of furnishing and decoration that recalls the New York style.
If you stay in hotels on your New York trips, you might find it difficult to imitate the real New York lifestyle in your own four walls. De facto, however, there are only a few basics that have to be observed at home in order to feel in your own walls as on the east coast.
The dining table. Whether in the living and dining area, in the kitchen, or in an extra dining room – the dining table is both focused and highlighted in a typical New York apartment. The chairs don’t have to be neat and homogeneous, by the way. Instead, a motley mix of chairs is welcome around the dining table. The seating just has to be comfortable.
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The kitchen counter. The kitchen counter does not have to have a uniform look either but can become a colorful focal point in the kitchen. This works with a loose arrangement of seating, which meets the most important dishes at the kitchen counter. Anyone who also uses pots, pans, and co. As decorative elements – for example by hanging them from the ceiling – combines functionality and New York living flair.
New York-style bedroom
The sleeping area. The bedroom should be the quiet counterpart to the mix of styles in the rest of the apartment. An oversized king-size bed (that’s one size larger than the queen-size model) is a must in a New York-style bedroom. In addition to calm colors that create a cozy ambiance, the focus here is also on coziness. That means: On top of the box spring bed, which is already very comfortable due to its height, there is a cozy mattress on top, the so-called topper. Toppers for box spring beds are used to lie ergonomically correct and thus to be able to sleep relaxed.
The sleeping area can optically be a little quieter – with a combination of wood and light furniture, a large, comfortable bed, and here and there a New York statement.
The living room. A colorful mix of old, new, traditional, modern, and lots of individuality emphasizes the New York furnishing style. Everyone can translate what that means for themselves. It is allowed to combine the junk from the flea market with discounter furniture and to pimp it with a personal highlight. The grand piano – as a symbol of love for music – can be given a place in the living room, as can the surfboard or the easel.
New York’s classical view
Tip: Even if there are no real regulations as to what a New York dream home should look like, the common thread should not be missing despite all the colorful heterogeneity. This already works with a few small tricks. For example, all pictures could be hung in the same frame on the walls or all pillows in the living area could be kept in the same color. Small details like these help to make the feeling of living as colorful as the city of New York without appearing stylistically.
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According to studies, New Yorkers are said to be true caffeine junkies. Anyone living in New York is said to consume seven times more coffee than other Americans. So in order to bring the New York flair into your own four walls, it is a good idea to place a good coffee machine in the kitchen – or to find a coffee shop that offers coffee to go – in proper style. The New Yorker doesn’t care whether it is the classic dark broth that is supposed to sponsor warmth and alertness. So if you want to feel that New York feeling at home, you can also experiment with coffee.
One of the currently very popular coffee trends is tea, which actually comes from China and is a mix of black tea, filter coffee, and condensed milk. The Egg Coffee – made from espresso, egg yolk, sugar, and condensed milk – is an old classic, which is often referred to as Kaisermelange. Cold-brew, coffee powder infused with cold water, or the healthy coffee variants: Pink Latte (with beetroot) or Mushroom Coffee (with mushrooms) are currently very popular. In summer there is coffee with crushed ice and almond milk or coffee lemonade with a fresh lemon flavor.
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Mushroom Coffee
Expressing your love for New York also works when every New York trip is used to drag in a new part of NYC. These can be little things, such as magnets, keyrings, or signs, which can be used as cool decorations at home. But they can also be real New York originals – like an ice cream scoop from the American cult brand Ben & Jerrys, a coffee cup from Starbucks, a cookie spoon for portioning biscuit dough, and all sorts of “I Love New York” products such as shirts, bags, caps, etc.
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