appearance by Angelique Rogers; produced by Brianna Donnelly; edited by Christian Kozlowski.
In Refinery29's Sweet Digs, we take a look inside the sometimes small, sometimes spacious homes of millennial women. Today, 35-year-old Ang Rogers shares her two-bedroom apartment which she shares with her husband and her daughter.
When Ang Rogers and her husband decided to upgrade their apartment in preparation for the arrival of their daughter, they realised they had very different ideas about what "upgrade" meant. "I love the apartment but my husband feels like it's a downgrade because we now have fewer amenities," Roger says. "But the apartment aesthetically looks better."
One look at the space and you can see why Rogers was sold — window nooks create cosy spaces for their daughter's swings, while the high ceilings help keep the space airy. But the kitchen lacked a dishwasher and the building lacked an elevator. And their apartment? It's on the third floor. "I didn't mind until we had to have a stroller," Rogers says.
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You have a lot of vintage pieces from flea markets and thrift stores. What are your secrets?
"I would say once you find something you love, you should stay in contact with that vendor. They'll usually continue to have similar products. What I've noticed is that there are a couple guys at the flea that I always go to, so I stick with the people I like once I find them. You also have to be diligent. The butcher's table that I got at Housing Works, I had been to three different Housing Works before I found it. I feel like you can't go vintage shopping if you're looking for something specific. That's not a reasonable expectation. You have to be thinking about your space, and then you might see something that would look amazing in that space."
What was the worst place you've ever lived?
"The worst place I've lived was on Wall Street, when I first moved to New York. It was $4,500 (£3,400) for a one-bedroom which we turned into a three-bedroom, and I was the only person who had a window. So in the morning, my roommates would all come into my room to see what the weather was."
So how did you find this apartment?
"My husband and I have lived in Bed-Stuy for the past six years, and we've lived in this apartment 1.5 years. We really love our community, and this place is only one block over from our old apartment. And this rent in this part of Bed-Stuy is just a steal. I saw it, and I thought, I can walk 10 feet to see this apartment. So it happened extremely fast. There wasn't a broker's fee, we paid one month's rent as a security deposit, and then a $500 (£380) security deposit for the dog."