In… Audrey’s apartment: “I spend almost nothing on electricity”

For those who have known Madmoizelle for a while, do you remember our section “In the apartment of…” ? Stopped in 2017, it is back in service now.

For this seventeenth episode, we are going to visit Audrey’s nice apartment!

In… Audrey’s apartment

• What is your first name and your age?

Audrey, 35 years old.

• What do you do for a living ?

I am a national education official, and no, I am not a teacher! I work in administration.

• What is the pedigree of your apartment? (location, how many square meters, monthly rent or purchase price)

I live in a town in the Dijon metropolitan area. My T2 is 45 m², plus a small terrace of about 10 m² on the ground floor of a small building. I am a tenant. My rent is €660, charges included, with a garage and a cellar.

It’s very expensive for its location, but that’s the price to pay for having a terrace, which I absolutely need for my cat who makes me miserable if she can’t stretch her legs outside.

I live alone with my cat: Artemis, 50% angora, 50% alley cat, 100% princess.

• If you had to give one word or phrase to describe your accommodation, what would it be?

Practice. It’s small, but it has everything you need.

• If you had to interview your apartment, what would be its positives and negatives?

The positive points : it is well laid out, very well soundproofed and insulated (I spend almost nothing on electricity and these days, that’s important).

I have two strips of land on the terrace so I could put aromatic plants that I use for cooking. The terrace overlooks hedges and a large park, so there is no opposite, and Artémis can go outside without risking being run over.

The negative points : it is expensive for a medium-sized town, all the wallpapers need to be redone (thanks to the Provençal style of the 1950s), the kitchen and the bedroom are small, I can’t really enjoy the terrace in the summer, because we hears the neighbors of the buildings all around, it is far enough from my work and from the city center.

Can you show us one (or more) object(s) that we can only find at home? An object found, manufactured, inherited…

I have a great passion for illustrations. I love picking them up from artists in markets or on the internet. I then look for the frame that goes well, nice and inexpensive.

I’d rather dress up my walls than have too many trinkets to dust off! I also always bring back a little something from my travels, either antique or a nice handcrafted object. So a lot of unique things in the end.

• Do you have a decoration idea, not too expensive or downright DIY that you are too proud of and want to share?

You can find a lot of handmade things at my place! I am very manual and I love crafts of all kinds. I often attend workshops. I have already made pottery, jewelry, glassware…

The paper flower wreath in the room is mine (my friends helped me cut petals), and during pottery workshops I made plates, shishas (Japanese dogs to protect the house) and a daruma (Japanese figurine to make a wish). I have already made a felt cactus, etc. I never stop!

• Is it that you had a big wallet crack for something in your home?

My biggest crush was the couch. I wanted something big enough to hold all my guests and be able to lie down in the evening watching a good movie. It doubles as a queen-size bed too, so it’s handy for guests who want to sleep in at night.

Otherwise most of the furniture was bought second hand. And if I can’t find anything used, I wait for the sales.

• What are your decorating quirks?

As I have ADHD, I need everything to be in its place and as visible as possible. Everything is always tidy, it’s a matter of peace of mind. I compartmentalize everything in boxes or baskets.

I also try not to mix too many different styles and colors in one room, it eases my mind. I also pay great attention to detail. When I have a specific idea in mind for decoration, it can take me weeks, months, even years to find exactly what I want.

• Where do you feel most at home?

On the sofa, with a plaid, a comedy channel running on YouTube and the cat on my lap (who deigns to spare me his presence only when it’s cold).

• What is the music that loops most often in your home?

None since I got my cat. I realized that I was using my stereo just out of loneliness.

Suddenly, the CDs moved into the car. Latest favorite artist: Flint Eastwood.

• Do you have work or decoration projects?

If the owner allowed me to do so, I would do all the wallpaper of dubious tastes that must have been there for a good 30 years.

• Do you follow Instagram accounts for decorating inspiration?

No, I very rarely go on Instagram. I get a little inspiration from Tumblr and decorating stores. I mainly work on my favorite pieces, while trying to follow the color codes of my pieces.

• How long do you see yourself living in your home?

I would like to leave as soon as possible to invest in a house with a small garden. But given the real estate prices at the moment and my not crazy salary, it’s complicated! But I prefer to wait until I find exactly what I want than to take something that only half pleases me.

Thanks to Audrey for this nice visit!

Read also :

In the apartment of… Julia: “Insects are found in the house, under frames, under a bell, cast in resin…”