How to Find Your Perfect Apartment

February 20, 2026 | Kylie Ann Keller Merrill

“Perfect” is a relative term, specific for each individual. Perfect is actually a matter of perspective, a play into a value system. Perfect is not linear, and it is certainly not “one size fits all.”

A good place to start: is there anything in your current home that feels like a pain point? Something you wish you can change based not on how you’re living now, but on the person you are becoming? Anything that you are longing for is something to deeply consider when looking for your next home.

Then we follow up with the limitations: ie, the budget. After looking at incoming money, how much is the maximum comfortable spend on monthly housing expenses? Even more, are there things that you are willing to give up that you normally enjoy (ie traveling, shopping), that would enable you to get the apartment that you really want if it does end up costing more that expected?

Next, we think about the other big constraints: location and size of apartment home. These two things will often drastically determine the cost of an apartment home. When thinking about location, apartments close to city centers and transportation hubs in “trending” neighborhoods will drive up the price. The further you move from transportation, the more favorable the price point tends to be. When factoring in space, the larger the apartment (ie 2 bedroom v 1 bedroom), will of course make a difference in price. The question here lies: which one is more important? And if both are equally incredibly important, then how flexible is your price range?

What determines a location’s importance is relative to lifestyle: what does your daily life look like? How often do you need to take public transportation, or will you have a car instead? And for apartment size: do you work from home at all and are thinking about where to put a desk? Are there any pieces of furniture that you currently have (or want to have) that you would like to bring with you into this next apartment home? What do you need in your home to make it work for you and the life that you want to live (not necessarily the current life that you are living now)? What about beyond your day to day? What really makes you come alive? Do you enjoy entertaining? If so, is an open-style kitchen, a large living room, or an extra bathroom important (or perhaps a combination of any / all)? Are you a plant parent? If so, do your plant babies need direct sunlight? These lifestyle questions and more are all things to consider when thinking of your next home!

For some people, answering these questions can be a fun exercise and for others, it can be an overwhelming and intimidating process. If the latter sounds like you, I’d love to help you navigate this process to find that place where you feel like you belong. Loving your home isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity!

Curious about how to find the perfect place for you? Reach out and let’s find your next home, together!

There’s Snow Place Like Home

January 30, 2026 | Kylie Ann Keller Merrill

Snowy days have a fun way of reminding us how important it is to love where you live! When the city slows down, walking more than 5 blocks feels like a chore and your apartment windows turn into the best snow globe: loving your apartment isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

I have had the prevliedge of loving every apartment home I have lived in, but finding the right home takes works! Knowing what is important to you is a key place to start.

Curious about how to find the perfect place for you? Reach out and let’s find your next home, together!

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On Finding Home

August 1, 2017April 29, 2025 | Kylie Ann Keller Merrill

My Drawing Spot

There is a reason that people say there is no place like home. While often this does refer to a physical place for some, I do think that home has so many different connotations. I think that home is more of a feeling than a place.

For some, home can be a place of hurting, a place of pain: a physical place that is not desired to return to. Others may not have felt the feeling of home. Perhaps home connotes a restless feeling from moving from place to place and having to uproot a livelihood, a workplace, a lifestyle. I believe that true home is found in security, rest, and community. While a home can be a physical place, it is so much more than that: it really can feel like a safe haven. I know that when I walk through the doors of my home, I am fully relaxed, restored, and protected.

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When I was a high-schooler, my mom introduced me to the movie “The Saint.” I will always remember this one scene taking place in Russian during the Cold War. One of the protagonists has to make a run for her life to the American Embassy so the Russian Mob would not kidnap her. She is able to break away and sprint towards the embassy (in dramatic fashion of course becuase… #movies). As she gets closer to the gates she starts screaming “I’m an American, open the gates!” (Watch the scene here).

Although this is obviously an extreme example, I feel that whenever I rush home and make it, I’m able to guard my heart and mind from the any battles or struggles that I’ve been fighting through the day. Once I am home, when I’m truly home, I can pray, read, journal – whatever it takes – for me to shake off the day. I know that God wants us to live in peace and He truly desires that for each and every one of us. Isaiah 32 says “My people will live in a peaceful habitation, And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places.”

Home is a place where I can fight my daily battles, and fight for the things that matter most. It is a place of creation, inspiration, motivation, and determination. Home resets, recharges, and rejuvenates me. It is more than just a physical place, it is a state of mind.
Matthew 11 invites us to turn to Jesus when we need to rest “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I need to fix my eyes and set my mind on the one who can give me rest, that true feeling of home.

Once I found my home, my sanctuary, I have to do everything to maintain it. I can’t just let my guard down. Proverbs 24 says “By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” It is through the wisdom of the choices that I make every day that my house (both my physical space and that feeling of home) is built. It is a continued understanding of The Word that my home becomes a place that is established and deeply rooted in truth. And my continual thirst for knowledge – and keeping my faith fresh – that my “home” is filled with true and precious riches. It is then that I will feel safe, secure, and grounded. It is then that I will find my true home.

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About a month ago, I thought I was going to have to move out of my apartment I have lived in for the last 5 years of living in New York. It broke my heart because I have such an emotional attachment to my physical home; and it is my first place I called home in New York. It is where I hosted a Thanksgiving meal with close friends, where I received a phone call that I got a job after searching for months. Through a miracle (and a ton of posting on Craigslist) I got a new roommate just in the nick of time when I needed to resign the lease (praise the Lord, amirite??!). To say it has been a blessing would be an understatement, because I really do treasure the aspect of home. It may seem silly to say this, considering this is a rental apartment, I have invested so much time making my place somewhere I feel comfortable and safe, where I can shut the door and lift my eyes to Heaven, where my help comes from (Psalm 121:2).

So I ask myself the following:
What can I do to make sure when I come home, I am delighted to be there?
What can I do now to make my home feel safe for not just me but for others?
How can I bring that feeling of home, of peace, of rest out of my physical home and into the spheres of influence where I live my daily life?

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New Territory

April 21, 2017April 29, 2025 | Kylie Ann Keller Merrill

Lately I have been experimenting with different forms of art: taking pictures, making videos, getting back into watercolors. By no means am I a professional, but I guess the only way to improve is through experience. I get nervous about sharing things that I create for a few reasons.

1) I don’t want to come across as someone who knows it all. After all, the more you learn the more you find out how much more there is to learn.

2) To try something new is nerving.To try something new in the public eye is even scarier. (Even if that public is just your friends and family).

But you know what? I tell myself that taking small steps to pushing boundaries is key to getting rid of fear when it comes to much more important things. Like going on that interview for a job you feel unqualified for, or taking a trip alone for the first time, or signing up for that foreign language course that seems intimidating.

With every small act of faith you will be rewarded. I am reminded of this verse: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20

Reaching Generations

April 11, 2017April 29, 2025 | Kylie Ann Keller Merrill

Sometimes I take for granted the things that people around me have created to make my life easier or my life so wonderful. It’s easy to hold your phone in your hand, something that has been “perfected” and developed over decades of tech advancement & testing to take a picture of a classic New York monument, one that took so long to build; and not even think twice about it.

I feel so often I take for granted the finished product of things; and don’t appreciate the time it takes to build something beautiful, something that lasts, and something people can appreciate for years to come.

My favorite building in the world (right now), the Flatiron Building, was actually envisioned and designed by architect Daniel Burnham, who worked with The Fuller Company until its completion in 1902. Unfortunately, even after working to put a dream into practice, the CEO of the company who bought the land in the 1800’s was not able to see the finished product before he died. Nevertheless, because of Fuller’s vision and investment, millions of people are able to enjoy his handiwork today.

I could study and draw this building for years, and I have, and I always find a new architectural element that fascinates me. One of my favorite things to do in the city is to sit on the chairs in Madison Square Park across from the Flatiron Building (probably with a cup of coffee in hand) and just thank God that these beautiful landmarks still stand here today.

Flatiron Building

So when you start your next project, think of the legacy you want to leave behind. Is what your working on something just for now for yourself or something generations of people can enjoy later? Be patient, and know that to produce something of quality that lasts can sometimes take more than a lifetime.