Share My Space: A 2-bedder right in the city for $860 a week.

Mamamia's Share Your Space series asks everyday women to share all the juicy, specific details about their home. How much do you pay in rent? Who do you live with? Where did you get your furniture? It's pulling back the curtain on real estate in Australia, and allowing us to really see how the people around us live. This week, a 25-year-old living in Potts Point, Sydney, shows us around her home.

Age: 25.

Job: Content Producer at good ol' Mamamia.

Rent: $860 per week. I know. It's a lot. I split the price down the middle with my best friend and housemate Yahn, who I have lived with for almost five years now. 

In my defence, we were looking throughout the inner-west too - not just the city! But we kept getting rejected (you can read all about that here). With just a few days left before we had to be out of our old place (which I also wrote about in another Share My Space... jeez that rent sure was nice), we were on the verge of a menty b that could only be avoided with a rental contract in our inboxes. We fell in love with this place and got lucky. Voila. 

Location: Potts Point, or Elizabeth Bay depending on who you ask. Sometimes I just say 'Kings Cross' or 'a 45-second walk from that restaurant we went to for your 21st birthday', so they can put it into perspective - and they usually do! 

Seriously though, the best restaurants are in Potts Point - such a good suburb for foodies. 

Lifestyle: Living right next to the city has been the greatest thing ever for my mental health and the worst decision for my wallet. Getting to work is easier (it's an eight-minute-long bus ride), being so close to the most delicious restaurants is wonderful and getting to everything I need and everyone I love within just 10-15 minutes (sans traffic-congested areas) is THE. BEST. 

The street I live on is stunning. It feels like I am in a rom-com every morning when I'm on my way to work. Dogs want me to pat them. Neighbours smile at me. Everyone is eating breakfast and sipping coffee at 10:30 am (I don't know why... I think they're unemployed by choice.) and the street feels alive... even into the early hours of the morning. Which is a bit of a sticky situation sometimes, TBH. 

But alas, I love Potts Point and I don't regret moving here for a second, although my bank account probably does. 

So takes us inside... 

Living Room

Our apartment is cosy and the perfect size for us. I must preface by saying that our living room doesn't get A LOT of natural sunlight, but we make up for it by keeping a lot of lamps on at night and when needed.

The living room is spacious (although, there isn't enough room for a dining table, which wasn't a necessity for us anyway) and fits in our leather sofa (yep, that was a choice... and a donation from family), wicker chair from Bunnings, a coffee table from Fantastic Furniture (we've had it for three years now!), our mini-bar, a large mirror my housemate Yahn customised, our TV which we mounted and a bit of extra room for storage (where we keep tools I don't use, gift bags, art supplies and shopping bags). 

Our living room. Image: Supplied.

Yahn did all the styling and decorating. He's a very creative person and loves an eclectic, maximalist style. He's one of those people who thoughtfully curates spaces so they reflect who he is as a person. It's a beautiful quality to have. 

Our living room. Image: Supplied.

I, on the other hand, enjoy it when everything is everywhere. I love clutter. I like to look around and see so many things that my eyes hurt. 

So that's why he handles the decorating. Our friends are rolling their eyes at this, rn. I can already tell.

Our living room. Image: Supplied.

Yahn's style is a whole lotta colour and a whole lotta trinkets. 

It was exciting for him to have full control over such an important space in our home (previously, we've lived with two or three housemates so there wasn't much creative control there). So he went wild. And I love it. 

Our living room. Image: Supplied.

His brother made the King Henry IV painting for his HSC about a decade ago (bloody talented family, I tell ya). Ex-housemates, Yahn and I all decorated the mannequin thing. 

We bought this painting of boobs from a friend's fundraiser. The pillow covers are from IKEA (I think everyone has them at this point). Friends gave the carafes to both Yahn and me on our birthday. 

Our favourite pastime is curling up on the couch together, with a few candles burning in the background, and chatting for hours.

Our living room. Image: Supplied.

We also love to host our friends and family for a drink or a games night! We're around the corner from our favourite bars too so our place is always a good starting point.

Our living room. Image: Supplied.

Yahn's Bedroom 

The living room is quite colourful, but his bedroom is what I like to call an oasis (oh my god, I just cringed writing that). But seriously, it's a peaceful little place that makes him feel calm. 

In our home, we really don't appreciate overhead lighting so we usually just have our lamps on. The wardrobes are huge and so are the bedrooms. However, Yahn's bedroom is a little odd. He doesn't have a direct window, but instead a door that leads to the sunroom. 

Initially, he was meant to have my bedroom which is bigger. We planned to share the sunroom. But when it came down to it, it just made more sense for him to keep the sunroom. Why? Well, he has his own SHOE CUPBOARD for crying out loud. 

Yahn's bedroom. Image: Supplied.

I think when moving, I had 10 large boxes and bags. He had about 25. 

Alas, him having the sunroom was the smartest idea because I use it to work or relax whenever I feel like it, anyway. Plus, he makes every room beautiful with the way he styles it, so it's a nice sight for me.

Yahn's sunroom  

This sunroom is technically Yahn's but because my bedroom shares a door with it, I often find myself going in and out. It's a great space for my housemate because he owns entirely too many things and needs all the extra space he can get. 

It's a pretty practical space, but it's still beautiful. Most of the furniture is from IKEA and the rug is the Tinka Beige and Grey Traditional Distressed Rug from Miss Amara.

Yahn's sunroom. Image: Supplied.

Shannen's Bedroom

I love my bedroom because I really value sitting in silence when I come home from work.

So I like to go straight to my bedroom and chill out. I got this king-sized bed (I know!!!!) from my cousin, who was moving interstate. She'd only had it for a year so it was in perfect condition. I, like Yahn, have a lot of trinkets. But the difference is, mine are not supposed to be where they've ended up. There are just so many things, everywhere, all of the time, because I like to look at them. Realistically, they should be in a drawer but I like to be different. 

My beautiful, soft bed sheets are from Sheet Society. They're from the Kane Bamboo range and make me feel like I am sleeping on a cloud. 

My room. Image: Supplied.

The artwork is by Miranda Lorikeet and is called 'All Strippers Go To Heaven'. It's the first piece of art I ever bought and it brings me a lot of joy when I look at it every morning and evening when I come home.

For my 24th birthday, Yahn and a few of my other close friends bought me speciality art by Yahn's friend. To me, it's about body positivity, self-acceptance and joy. I feel happy whenever I look at it. 

My room. Image: Supplied.

My bedside tables are both op-shop finds and I'm rug-free in this apartment, because I couldn't get one in time before my bed was assembled. Anyone who has a solid wood bed frame knows that thang is HEAVY to lift. Virtually impossible, really. 

Alas, I'm thinking of getting two or three carpet runners to make my floors a bit more interesting but I haven't decided yet.

My room. Image: Supplied.

Kitchen

Next stop is the kitchen. Natural light in from the balcony off to the side, so that means it is usually always well-lit. 

There's also a ton of storage meaning everything we don't want on display gets its own place in the cupboard which I am very grateful for... because I'm not a toaster-on-bench gal, personally.

Our kitchen. Image: Supplied.

Our kitchen is honestly quite adorable, functional and CLEAN and I love it. 

Bathroom/Laundry

Look, it functions perfectly well. It's not lavish, but it's clean, the shower head has insane water pressure and I find this room pretty relaxing because of the retro feel. It's also very easy to clean and functional. 

Our bathroom. Image: Supplied.

And that's it! If you want a better look, you'll have to pop 'round for a drink. 

For more from Shannen Findlay, you can follow her on Instagram here.

Feature Image: Supplied. 

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