Thought I’d share a moving day recap (though this has now turned into an incredibly long post, oops)- this particular one actually went very smoothly and was almost completely stress free thanks to Bookstore Movers!

Moving is always a huge pain but with enough organization, preparation and an excellent team of movers, I’d say this one was my best move yet. As I mentioned in my packing tips, I did a lot of organization, labeling and preparation beforehand. I also hauled over a bunch of random loose items before moving day: lamps, pillows, art, etc. Items that wouldn’t fit in boxes and would be a time-suck for the movers. My goal was to have only large furniture pieces and boxes left in the apartment when the movers arrived. With a few small exceptions (vacuum cleaner, etc), that really helped move the process along much quicker.

Here’s a look at the insanity of my studio apartment a couple days before the move: 

After taking over a bunch of art, mirrors, trash cans, throw pillows, etc. over to the new apartment, it definitely helped clear a pathway in this small space (of course I forgot to take pictures of that)

 Moving day: I ran over to the new apartment at 7 am to check on my lovely permitted parking spaces for the moving truck (no loading dock at new building) to find a bunch of geniuses parking in my ’emergency no parking’ spots so I called to get them towed and then proceeded to ‘borrow’ a traffic cone, run to Harris Teeter to buy two rolls of duck tape and create a rigged blockade around some of the spaces until the movers got to the new place.

I made it back to the old apartment just in time to chug some iced coffee and the team from Bookstore movers arrived on right on time at 8:30 (a welcome relief from other movers I’ve used in the past) and were super organized, efficient, friendly and even cracking jokes at that ungodly hour. A pleasant surprise.

They got all 35 boxes out of my apartment in 15 minutes flat. I barely had time to take pictures it was so quick:

After the quick box removal, then it was time to wrap all of the furniture. I placed most of it near the dining/kitchen area so there would be enough room to wrap each piece and so there weren’t any stray boxes hiding around the apartment. My lovely sleeper sofa was completely wrapped, taped and protected (and by some miracle the Bookstore Movers team fit it in the elevator at my new building- the couch is 7 ft long and the elevator opening is 7 feet tall and the elevator inside is 7.5 ft tall.. you do the math). Every item was meticulously wrapped and labeled ‘living room’, ‘bedroom’, etc so they’d know where to place it in the new apartment.

The last of the chair and small furniture line up:Balcony furniture was the last to go:

I fully intended to get more pictures of the move out process but it was literally so quick that these are all I have! I did take a couple shots of the empty studio:

As the movers were packing the last of the truck, we grabbed an uber and got over to the new place right at the same time as the truck. My rigged crazy parking permit tape/cone worked and there was enough room to park the truck. Even without a loading dock at the new place, the team was incredibly quick and efficient in unloading everything (and without damaging a single thing, of course).

They placed everything exactly where I wanted and even took time to lay down the large rugs so the furniture could be placed on top. Here’s a peak at the new place! 

The three crew members that came out from Bookstore were phenomenal, hilarious, skilled and even broke out in a jingle or two during the process. I can’t say enough good things about them! If anyone in the DC area is moving, do yourself a favor and call these guys. Seriously, best moving experience ever.

Studio Style Blog was created to be a one stop resource for studio apartment dwellers. From renter-friendly upgrades and DIY projects to decor and styling tips, you’ll find everything you need to create your own stylish studio apartment. I’ve lived in two studio apartments in Washington, DC and my goal is to maximize space and style while staying budget-friendly. I was given a discounted rate for moving services in exchange for this post, but I honestly wouldn’t have changed one word even I didn’t get a discount. All images, tips and opinions are my own. If you’re interested in sponsoring a post or advertising, please contact me here. 

 PS: (Ok, I know this is now the longest post ever, but I’ll stop soon)

We topped off a successful moving day with a tradition of dinner consisting of pizza and beer al fresco on my balcony, and a little trip up to the roof with a gorgeous view of the monument. From my balcony, you can see the capitol and I’m still pinching myself a bit every time I glance out the window and see it. I’ll also take a quick moment to thank my amazing mom for coming out yet again to help me move! This first started as a necessity a couple years ago and now she insists on coming out even though I’ve tried to tell her no! Needless to say, she made the process go even smoother and helped out with a crazy amount of tasks both before and after the move. Cheers to my lovely saint of a mother