Friday, October 21, 2011

Our Tiny New Apartment!

Here is a video of our new place. Be kind :)


30 comments:

  1. what are you talking about, it's huge for a brazil apartment! and nice floors. kitchen and bathrooms suck but meh, big city livin' means big city sacrifices right? congrats im sure it will look great with all the furniture! cielings and lighting look very nice :) you should just turn that bathroom into a closet. i did. i turned one into a kitchen pantry. hehe. take out the toilet first.... :P

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  2. Trust me that is not small, you should see the images of some of the "spacious" apartments they advertise in the UK.
    3 Bathrooms is a bit of a luxury, you will never have to queue for a pee again and the lounge area is big, a lot of the new UK apartments would be squeezing a kitchen into the same space.

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  3. Well done! Love the abundance of sunshine, and nice to have a balcony! Still in the same 'hood as "old" apartment?

    --Jean

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  4. The kitchen isn't even that bad to be honest! I've lived in 3 apartments since I got here and that's pretty average!

    And balcony and natural light - huge plus! Yay, congrats :)

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  5. I think it's great Rachel!

    And regardless of whatever you may have to re-arrange or re-do....come on...it's a wonderful apartment in freaking Rio de Janiero for goodness sakes! I'll trade you my house for this apartment any day! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

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  6. That looks almost identical to the size of our apartment. We even have the same long balcony. I like it! Can't wait to see some photos when you've moved in.

    Now, the important question. Where will the computer go?

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  7. It's nice and not so small (come on over to my place!). Love the long varanda, I'm jealous! You can grow your own herbs and flowers and have an outside place to chill! Lagoa? I'm curious where you're moving to! Congratulations = )

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  8. The living room is really pretty and big! Would be nice if the kitchen was more open towards the living room or if it had a glass window towards the living room..

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  9. Oi! parabéns à nova casa Rachel!

    On an entirely unrelated issue - we are using your blog as inspiration for a competition at my portugues class... to write a humorous and topical blog post about a time we were in Brazil. You have set the bar...! bjs, Rebecca

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  10. Rebecca, I would LOVE to see the winner of that competition! Btw, I'm totally honored :D

    Thanks everyone! The living room appears a bit bigger on video but it is a decent size (and square shaped is a big bonus). I would love to have a bar from the kitchen but I really don't want to deal with an obra (construction/remodeling... obra just works much better).

    Oh,and the building has infrastructure! Poor, playground, GYM!, and party rooms. I figure going a bit small but with all the bonuses was a good move. :)

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  11. I find galley kitchens very easy to cook in....the window is nice for natural light, and, wonderfully an on-demand water heater! Rocks make great neighbors. :-)

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  12. Nice!! lots of balconies, Im jealous! Looks like you will have fun putting all those pinterest looks into reality =)

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  13. Really good apartment, plenty of room to assemble into something personal that you'll really love. I won't offer sugestions since using the alcove in the living room as a seperatecouchtvsoccercorner probably won't win any hearts in this message box.
    Nice Portuguese pronunciation by the way.

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  14. First of all: I love your voice! Congrats on the new apartment, the floors are so beautiful and the balcony is awesome.

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  15. What's the appartment square meter? I moving to Brazil next year and would like to have an idea of sizes in meter. Thank you!

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  16. I like it!

    Are you still in the Botafogo area? I think its nice that you've got the open space to the back of you...it seemed really quiet and sheltered from noise.

    Congrats!

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  17. Dear Rachel,

    It is a GREAT apartment!!!!
    You guys did great! Love the wrap around balcony, the kitchen is very spacious for a new/modern apartment in a big city. I noticed a lack of Quarto/Banheiro de Empregada which shows it is a modern apartment ;)
    Other bonuses are the HUGE living/dinning area, it almost looks like it was a 3 bedroom turned into 2 for extra living room space, that is what my brother did in his Sao Paulo apartment.
    To be honest with you, it looks much more spacious than the typical equivalent new apartment available in Sao Paulo and much, much, way bigger than any Manhattan apartment you can dream of... ;)
    I love the Rock/Hill across the view from your balcony, that will mean lot's of privacy ( a premium in any big city ) and the golden precious silence that you will have due to the lack of cars/buses/people right in front of your window.
    Congratulations! To you and Mr.Rant for the great choice! :)
    May you and your boys have many years of great happiness in your new beautiful home.
    Gil and I have to agree with Griddy, you Portuguese sounds awesome!!! ;)

    Ray

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  18. It looks lovely! It's quite a bit bigger than the apartment we have in Santos. I would totally use that bathroom as a closet, too. Who needs three places to pee?

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  19. Nice! - can't wait to come visit...

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  20. Very nice! Congratulations! You should make a video of the process of getting it :-)

    No termites, no leaky ceilings...sounds like a dream to me.

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  21. Given the near impossibility for gringo's to rent in Rio (fiador/deposit/seguro fianca) just being able to have that place is something to be very pleased about. It looks outstanding to me!

    My (Brasilian) wife and I have been looking for an apartment for a year now, off and on, initially the sticker shock kept us from renting several very nice places. Now, it is getting past the absurd Seguro Fianca or fiador requirement and finding a LL who will accept a three or even six month deposit. My wife is from Maranhao, local landlords here require local fiadors and some require TWO! And, the fiador(s) must own property here in Rio. For other Gringo's thinking of renting in Rio, keep this in mind. It isn't just about finding a nice apartment, it is more about finding the right landlord.

    You have found a great apartment, room for the kids to play and from the looks it should be quiet. Congratulations. When is the party?

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  22. Congratulations! It is beautiful and certainly not small! I will dissent on the issue of the front bathroom, you NEED a lavabo! Do you want your or your husband's colleagues using your boy's bathroom?

    My brother in law lived in Botafogo near open green as you have in your backyard and they ended up with Micos and Toucans as frequent houseguests so I foresee your need for netting ;-)

    It is a lovely place! Beautiful wood and granite. Beautiful light. I am sure you will all be very happy there! - Cas

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  23. Congratulations Rachel! The new apartment looks beautiful!

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  24. Looks awesome! I'm sure it'll be 100% better filled with furniture, family and love!

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  25. Hey Rachel! This is spooky, I don't even live in Rio (I'm in Belo Horizonte), but I've been to this building! Well, to the same "block", as they are a couple of buildings. I have a friend who lived there, and he really liked it. Location is really good and I'm sure your kids will enjoy the pool :) Good luck!!!

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  26. This looks like a great find! I watched your video when you posted it but now I am coming back and trying to study your kitchen. What size of appliances can you fit in Brazilian kitchens (we are madly buying before we move and I have a fear we will get there and nothing will fit!)

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  27. It depends on the kitchen. My old place has a galley kitchen but the big appliances aren't next to each other so size isn't an issue.

    Are you guys doing the expat move with a company? If so you'll definitely have a bigger place than me. But if possible get thinner models ;)

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  28. Natalie;

    If you are shipping goods to Brasil in a container, choose your shipping company carefully. And, some people I know have had to wait a long time (4-6 months, though I have heard horror stories of much longer waits) for their containers to be cleared by Brasilian customs.

    Brasilian kitchens run from a camping stove, ice chest, and sandwich grill, to full blown magazine cover institutional sized dream kitches. I highly recommend knowing where you will be living before buying furniture or appliances.

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  29. Thanks, Rachel! We are doing a relocation, which is different. They move us there and leave us, so I am assuming we will be looking at apartments with tiny kitchens, especially since we hope to stay in the city and I don't have a job. I feel like everything American, even those that seem slim, are still big compared to what I see in the online electrodomesticos.

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