Hello and how was your weekend!? I hope that you enjoyed yourself and were able to fit in a little “you time”. I had a restful weekend, which was needed, and I did a lot of organizing around the house (including my messy cabinet! Yay!) so that was also very good. I went for brunch at heimw which was lovely too — a little date afternoon with my guy… Here is a view from where we sat. I noticed that all over the city the erecting of decorations and booths for weihnachtsmarkt was underway since the massive marketplace begins in just a week or so. I love this time of year because it’s when the city smells like hot spiced wine, crepes, cinnamon and candy and when white twinkle lights shine are all over like tiny stars.
I also spent a few hours in the forest collecting mini pine cones and breathing in the fresh autumn air, my “emotional time out” as I call my walks here. The forest is so large, imagine if gorgeous Central Park in New York were a natural 2,500 acre forest … it’s similar as our forest is situated directly in the city. When I tell most of my friends they are surprised to learn this, just as I was before I came here for the first time. Inside you can find a few cafes, many playgrounds, a bird park, Europe’s top zoo (so I’ve been told), trails, dirt paths, paved ways for skaters and bikers, it’s a bit heavenly for a girl like me who wants to live in a city with access to the country. Here I feel I have the best of both worlds. I am very grateful to have a place to recharge without having to drive anywhere… I walk a few blocks from my home and I’m at the entrance to a forest. One of my favorite things about living in Hannover is all of the lush, green spaces.
All in all, my weekend was a good mix of relaxation and productivity. But I do wish that today was Friday all over again because I feel like I need a few more days off! And you?
So, in case you’re interested I thought I’d give you an update on the property that I told you about… well we went back for a second viewing and it was just as lovely as the first time, only I brought my husband who tends to be more environmentally sensitive that I am. He loved the flat but felt uncomfortable with the fact that the building, occupied by only 3 other families, had mostly elderly tenants. He loves the seniors, don’t get me wrong (his grandmother was his best friend up until she passed away) but he feels that we may be too loud for them. We love to watch a movie now and then and also enjoy listening to our music and he is a bit concerned about disturbing them. You know, being the “new young kids” in the building… we don’t want to cause a disturbance.
Other than that, his only other reservation was that the master bathroom had a massive transom window into the guest bathroom which had another window into this large light shaft that runs through the building from roof to ground. He was unsure if this was going to create a mold problem in the bathroom, it had no ventilation or fan other than the transom windows. I’m not sure either, but I have mold allergies so he’s unsure if this will be a problem. We’ve both only had homes and apartments where a window to the great outdoors was in the actual bathroom… Does anyone know much about how to deal with ventilation in this type of scenario???
(organizing my cabinet, this is part of the china passed down from Thorsten’s grandparents.)
Other than that, the property is amazing in every way – it was built in the late 1800’s so it has everything you can expect would be in an old, historical Jugendstil building. The rear of the unit overlooks the forest and the front overlooks historical buildings in the art nouveau style that is so popular in our district. The floors are original herringbone hardwood and the ceilings are so high I’d need a ladder to install pendants. The windows are all huge and brand new and the doors to each room are beautiful. There are french doors, pocket doors and glass doors everywhere. It’s one of those places were you walk in and your mouth falls open. But if you have to tiptoe so as to not disturb the neighbors, well this could present problems. Going from a home in the country to a city apartment, I think we’re both a little rusty when it comes to city living. I hadn’t lived in the city for 10 years and he, for 8 years, so it’s all “new” in many ways to suddenly have neighbors all around.
(I put these in my windows this weekend. Country-ish I know, but I’m eclectic – what can I say?)
So the property search continues… though in this neighborhood it is a bit like New York City when it comes to finding a flat — the second a good, large one pops up (since they are so rare) they rent in less than a week, sometimes same day, so it’s a bit stressful looking for property in this particular area. But I will persist and see what we find. Those who wait are usually rewarded, right? Encourage me, here! :)
(images: holly becker for decor8)
November 16th, 2009 at 9:30 am
oh…I am sorry problems presented themselves but, you will most definitely find a place! It is meant to be so, the perfect one will come along. For sure….That forest so close to you is heavenly…..really and truly. And those sweet little house lights? I loooove them, where are they from? I am glad you had a good weekend and here is to a wonderful week as well!
xo
Melis
Melissa de la Fuente´s last blog ..please welcome….
November 16th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Hello Melissa! They are from a German home fair that I went to in October called Infa. I’m not sure who makes them though. The bottoms are unmarked.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:37 am
How exciting to hear that your home search is going so well! I was just catching up with you since we have been busy this last week with our school project. (Photos are on Traveling Mama if you are interested!) It went so well and the kids were thrilled! Thank you again for your support and helping us get the word out. It was pretty much one of the most amazing weeks of my life- so powerful to see little lives touched! Hugs from Morocco!
Travelingmama´s last blog ..love is {universal}
November 16th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Travelingmama – When are you moving to DK? I meant to ask you that… And what did you think of it? And what city will you move to?
November 16th, 2009 at 9:43 am
these houses are gorgeous! good luck with the apartment search, I know how stressful it can be. it takes a lot of time and even more patience, but is always so frustrating. hang on, maybe you’ll even find something that will exceed your expectations…
eve´s last blog ..Gorgeous handcrafted bags by Emma Gordon
November 16th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Thanks for asking! We are leaving Morocco in January, spending some time with our family in the States and then heading to DK no later than June of next year. Copenhagen was completely AMAZING!!! The city is so artsy and had a very Bohemian feel. I posted some photos on my blog of the house we stayed at. It was incredible, sweet, and so homey! Here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/yf65nag There were tons of cute little shops that my husband had to drag me out of. I saw many brands that you have featured here such as Odd Molly and House Doctor, but most shops also had a fun mix of local designers too. I seriously thought of you often! You must visit CPH because I am certain that you will love it!
Travelingmama´s last blog ..love is {universal}
November 16th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Hi Holly: Sorry the flat didn’t work out but I can only think of one cliche (which is a good one!): “good things come to those who wait” – thought that was perfect for your situation…
November 16th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Holly, I think the apartment sounds great! Maybe you could talk to your future neighbors re the noise issue? We did that once and it made us way more comfortable moving in. Re the mold in the bathroom – I wouldn´t care too much… it´s not usually a problem in older buildings. I grew up with a bathroom like this and we never had a problem with mold.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:59 am
The city sounds fantastic, and so does the apartment! Can I just move in next door to you? As a NYC dweller for many years, one main key to apt. living is CARPETS and if you’re concerned about making noise, don’t put tvs or stereos on adjoining walls. Having had the opposite problem of being bothered by noisy neighbors, I would seriously consider who surrounds you…top floor is great because no noise from above (as long as the building has an elevator…especially if kids are in your future…they come w/ STUFF that requires lugging), and I would avoid buildings with dogs at all costs!!! Good luck in your search. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before you find something wonderful!
Heather´s last blog ..Now What?
November 16th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I love your forest picture with the bike in the background – I’d love to be there right now!
November 16th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Heather thank you SO MUCH for these tips. Yes, I think when I move I will consider area rugs in most of the rooms, great point. Also a helpful point about the stereos/tv/etc. THANK YOU!
November 16th, 2009 at 10:11 am
I’m sure that you will find a great apartment and the minute you and your husband see it will know it was meant for both of you (at least that was what happened to me when I saw mine). I always tend to think that if I don’t get something it’s because it was not meant for me. Moreover, I think that Thorsten realising about the mold problem in the bathroom has been very practical and avoided you a lot of future problems. I know that looking for an apartment is quite stressful and much more considering you have many things as you were used to living in a bigger place. Take it easy and try to enjoy it!
November 16th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Holly,
Just wanted to put my two cents in. I’ve found that when it comes to house hunting, those who take their time–which sadly sometimes means passing up places that seem dreamy–usually end up finding the most perfect place and spend years saying how they’re so relieved they waited. Little consolation when you are anxious to move, but I’ve found it to be true. So keep the faith. All the best!
Alison´s last blog ..Bless the mess
November 16th, 2009 at 10:37 am
I love your lines about collecting mini pine cones and how the city smells of spiced wine & crepes. That all sounds absolutely fabulous. Autumn is such a wonderful time, almost magical.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:03 am
I just started following your blog lately and think it would be fantastic to have a forest in the city — need a bit of quiet space when living in a busy (and noisy city). I live in NYC so would love if Central Park was 2500 acres! The flat sounds wonderful — all the historical details, beautiful hardwood floors, french doors, and ideal locations. For me, when apartment hunting i rely on my instincts. A home calls to you, and you know when it’s right. In NYC we also struggle with being able to happily co-exist with our neighbors in the building. If the walls are thick, and carpets can cover some of the floors, well, it might be possible. Young or old you will always have neighbors to contend with. Maybe the older ones don’t hear so well :) Good luck with your search.
P.S love the mini house candle holders.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:04 am
You are right – good things come to those who wait. Just like with a job, you should always look for a home when you don’t yet need one. You have the luxury of being in the flat you are in now until you are ready to move, so just keep up with the new listings, jump on the chance to see ones you like, and go from there. :)
November 16th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Hi Holly,
Your weekend sounds perfect. The more I learn about your city, the more I love it. I want a forest in the middle of my town!
I’ve always believed that the right house/apt will find you. Evan and I looked at homes for three years (casually, as we were happy renters), and nothing every came along. I am still patient. ;)
BTW, I HAVE to know where you got those little white houses. I always wanted a christmas village when I was little. I would spend hours and hours looking at catalogs. My mom hated them.
I really want to make a little village for the boys, but the houses I’m finding are tacky.
Please tell me they are not just available in Germany!
nichole´s last blog ..I Cheated
November 16th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
For the potential mold problem, you might want to try something like Damp Rid (http://www.damprid.com), which is a container that absorbs moisture. The ventilation in our last house was not very good and we used these in a few places and it helped immensely.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Oh – it’s so hard, isn’t it?! Apts in our German town go in a day as well, so I totally feel your stress! We looked for almost a year; I was so frustrated and depressed by the whole business, but I am SO glad we waited for the right fit! We both had ridiculously long ‘want’ lists, but really had to boil it down to a shorter must-have list. We were bombarded by noisy neighbors on 3 sides, and, as 2 people who work from home, this was horrid. We were also next to a bus stop and was so loud. What seemed like a good idea at first, was actually really noisy for us!
To give you an idea of a ’short’ must have city apt list for us: room to grow as a family, offices for us, top floor in an older bldg or anywhere in a Neubau (built in the last 5 years) so it wouldn’t be so ‘hellhörig’ (thin walled basically), good natural light, biking distance to downtown and near a bus line, roomy kitchen w/eat-in area, big balcony and/or low-maintenance requirements for the yard area, good storage, garage for car, place for bikes, and a landlord who made a good impression. It was hard to find this in our budget, esp since most 4ZKB+ were only available as a whole, expensive, house or had such slanted rooftop ceilings we lost too much square footage.
-sometimes old people are good b/c they have bad hearing and won’t hear you, but they also crank up their TVs and radios to hear their stuff. We visited a place where the current renter told us it drove him nuts hearing the TV cranked so loud above him. They can also have super noisy grandkids over often.
- bathrooms mildew fast over here. It totally grosses me out. Most are nearly fully tiled, but I swear, latex or mildew-resistant paint on the non-tiled areas – at least – should be required in a land of nearly no fans! Your master bath sounds like a valid concern, although I haven’t seen it – maybe the ventilation is better than you think…?? be wary though – muffiges Klo = yuck!
-ditto the poster who mentioned think about schlepping stuff. We’re on a top floor now, so dragging in groceries/drink crates can be a hassle. Think also if there’s a place to park your bikes and/or a baby pram, even if it’s at the bottom of the Treppenhaus!
Good luck!
juliette´s last blog ..Mixing yarn with ’shrooms: twisty
November 16th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Nichole – I found them at a German home fair and they’re not marked on the bottom so I have no clue who makes them but I’m pretty sure it’s a German company. Let me do some research and I’ll circle back with you honey. xo
November 16th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I just know you’ll find the right place. And in the meantime, take solace in the fact that you don’t have to pack up again! Also, one more holiday season in your sweet little “first” place can be something to enjoy and will be quite romantic…
I don’t think those houses are “country” at all. They are darling, and perfect in their whiteness. They are borderline minimal, and completely fun.
Shanon´s last blog ..It’s my booth, baby!
November 16th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Here in Chichester to find a bungalow in the most popular area is the same – they go very quickly!
We began to think that we would never find ours, but one day we were chatting to someone in the street we loved, as a joke we asked her if she knew anywhere for sale and to our amazement she said her neighbour!
The lady had been in a residential home for a year and her son had persuaded her to keep her bungalow until she was sure she liked where she was.
So, get chatting, you may come upon what you want before anyone else even knows it is available.
ps – we are moving in on the 30th November – yoohoo!!!!
November 17th, 2009 at 7:59 am
I’m sorry I didn’t read this post earlier, but I hope my comment would still be of some help :)
Well, first, the place sounds lovely – definitely one I would love to live in! It is so hard to find a beautiful building with great surroundings and even if you do it is often way too expensive, at least over here. I think that having elderly people live in your building is not necessarily a bad thing – I personally am not too fond of not being able to sleep until 4 in the morning, because my downstairs neighbors are having a huge party. At least if you guys have kids one day you’d know that there won’t be someone disturbing their sleep.
As for the noise you are afraid you’d be making, even mentioning that shows that you guys are just not this kind of people. I am sure that if you talk with your neighbors you will find a way to figure it out (carpets!!), plus they would probably be happy to have a young couple lighten up the place:)
Now, about the bathroom:) I’ve been studying architecture for 4 years now and the thing that they teach us is to always put bathrooms, closets and hallways in the darkest area. Which means most of the apartments (including my last three apartments) don’t have any natural light or ventilation. It does suck, definitely, but what we do over here is that we have a riser (not sure if that’s the right word in English, but it’s something like a chimney) and we put a small ventilator over there. After having a shower it usually takes half an hour to have a completely dry bathroom.
Good luck! xo
Iva´s last blog ..Visiting… Aedes Studio
November 18th, 2009 at 2:22 am
The Jugendstilwohnung Survival Kit starts at the front door: A basket full of bulky wool socks for visitors:) Most apartments of this type are “hellhoerig” (light hearing — meaning that you can hear impact from above — not necessarily voices and music and such, but steps. Step noise and music/voice noise have two different acoustical causes in construction). Hence the socks and no shoes are standard fare, even by formal dinner parties — also to save hardwood floors that have made it thru two world wars.
Bathrooms in Germany and indeed in Europe are always a challenge because of the stone on stone construction. The rooms do not breathe at all, so there must be some form of ventilation, or else you will have mould build up. “Luftung” – airing out — is critical. We used to just open the window every day and close the door if it was not an internal bathroom. BTW it is building code in Germany that if the window in the bathroom does not open, there MUST be a ventilator fan. If this is not the case, the construction is not to code.
THe fact that the windows are new (hopefully either double or triple pane) is great.
That is all that comes to mind right now— For me in Germany it always came down to a choice: Jungendstil, where all of your aesthetic wishes can be met, or Neubau — new construction — where you have more or less a clean slate to start. Both have pluses and minuses, since Neubau apartments in Germany can also be pretty darn nice!!
diana strinati baur´s last blog ..Studio Ceramics: Making Mosaics
November 18th, 2009 at 2:26 am
ps: my mother in law has the same dishes! I think they are definitely a German thing (plus she has a closet full of pre-war Meisner Onion Pattern Porcelain for good occasions… that stuff is gorgeous)!!
diana strinati baur´s last blog ..Studio Ceramics: Making Mosaics
November 18th, 2009 at 2:29 am
Just one more thing, Holly, with the Jungendstil aparments, is to make sure that there is enough radiator in the rooms to actually heat comfortably. Those really high ceilings require a lot of heat which always rises. If the apt. is on the top floor, you might get some cumulative heat from below. Just something else to check!
diana strinati baur´s last blog ..Studio Ceramics: Making Mosaics
November 20th, 2009 at 12:46 am
I love the picture of the white candle holder house. Where could I purchase one??
November 20th, 2009 at 5:26 am
Holly I’m not sure – I got these from a home fair in Germany and they are not marked on the bottom. :(
November 20th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Fall is so beautiful! House hunting can be daunting, but I’m sure you’ll find a lovely space! I love those plates, I have some just like them (But just a few-I got them from a neighbor). I would love to find a full set some day!!
Penny Patten´s last blog ..Decorating For The Holidays