All right, my lovely Grit & Glammers, the news I’ve been hinting at is official: I’m furnishing a new apartment in Atlanta — a weekend getaway in Dunwoody, just minutes from June and Company. Athens is still home, and it always will be. But with one grandbaby growing like a weed and a sibling arriving in September, this BeBe wanted a place to hang her hat that doesn’t involve a ninety-minute drive (or more, depending on Atlanta traffic) home after Sunday dinner.
This Atlanta weekend apartment feels like a natural extension of this new season of life — one where grandmother outfit ideas, overnight bags, and Sunday dinners are all starting to overlap in the very best way.
And can I tell you a secret? Furnishing a new apartment from scratch is one of the great style pleasures of this stage of life. No hand-me-down compromises, no “we’ve always had it there.” Every single piece gets chosen on purpose — and a weekend apartment doesn’t need everything. It needs the right things.
If you’ve been following along, you know this move has been part of a larger Life Beyond Style chapter — from Atlanta weekends to Frances Valentine and the little signs that a new season is unfolding.
What You’ll Find in Today’s Post
Key Takeaways: Setting Up a Weekend Apartment
- Start from zero, choose with intention. A second space is a blank canvas — every piece should earn its keep.
- Invest where you sleep. New mattresses for both bedrooms were my first purchases, not my last.
- Pick multi-tasking furniture. In an apartment, round tables, nesting pieces, and storage-friendly consoles work overtime.
- Dress for the job. Lease signings and tape measures call for hardworking clothes that still feel like you.
What I’m Wearing for Moving Season
Setting up a weekend apartment involves more appointments than you’d believe — leasing offices, movers’ estimates, measuring windows twice because you didn’t write it down the first time. My uniform: J.McLaughlin’s striped Finn shirt with a super comfy J.Crew linen-blend five-pocket pants in the softest pink.
A crisp button-up is one of my 4Bs for a reason — polished enough for the leasing agent, relaxed enough for taping boxes. I finished the look with suede slide sandals (easy on, easy off — a mover’s best friend) and my layered pendant necklace, because a little gold at the neckline pulls together even a packing day.
And because moving season in Georgia does not play around, I’m keeping my wardrobe practical, polished, and breathable — the same mindset I use when styling Bermuda shorts over 50 for summer days that require comfort and dignity. Imagine that.
And for signing the lease? I reached for J.McLaughlin: the Finn shirt with the collar popped, tucked into the Adelyn paisley skirt, cinched with a denim belt, and carried with a wicker hobo bag. Some moments deserve a real outfit.
The Unpacking Uniform
Then there are the days when the boxes outnumber the chairs — and those days deserve a uniform of their own. Mine: the Jackie sweatshirt cardigan in white, layered over Alice Walk’s three-quarter sleeve stripe tee in the prettiest pale blue, with Gap’s 90s slim jeans cuffed just above the ankle. A sweatshirt cardigan is the secret weapon of moving season — it has the ease of your favorite sweatshirt with the polish of a proper cardigan, so you can go from styling bookshelves to a hardware store run without missing a beat. On my feet, white GrandPro sneakers — cushioned enough for a full day on hardwood floors, crisp enough to keep the whole look intentional. And because no outfit of mine leaves the house unfinished, a strand of blue beads at the neckline picks up the stripe. Even on unpacking day — especially on unpacking day — getting dressed on purpose changes how the whole day feels.
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Furnishing a New Apartment: Every Piece I Chose
Here’s the fun of a weekend apartment: every piece gets interviewed for the job. Do you deserve a spot in this next chapter? Here’s how I answered, room by room.
The Sleep Situation
Two bedrooms mean two beds, and mattresses were my very first purchases — second home essentials start with a good night’s sleep. My room gets the Leesa Mattress (use code BETH75 for $75 off) — after years of good sleep on mine in Athens, one is coming to Atlanta. I wasn’t about to experiment. It will sit on the Tanner Platform Bed: clean lines, no box spring, letting the bedding do the talking.
If you came of age on Thursday-night Seinfeld, you’ll remember poor Elaine, exiled to Morty and Helen’s foldout sofa — the one with the steel bar running straight down the spine, in a Florida condo cranked to roughly the surface of the sun. One night on that contraption and she’s listing sideways, popping muscle relaxers like Tic Tacs, and roaring “STELLA!” across the entire condo dinner. The grand finale? A chiropractor sentenced her to five more days. A bad guest bed doesn’t ruin one night — it takes hostages.
That is precisely the houseguest experience I refuse to offer. The guest room gets a Helix Mattress — and I didn’t choose it on a whim. It’s the kind of bed the testers at AARP rank among their best for cooling, pressure relief, and support, which matters when you’re my age and your back keeps score. When my boys come home, and eventually all three grandbabies, I want them sleeping as soundly as I do under my own roof. No creaky pull-out, no “I slept fine” said through a stiff neck — just a real night’s rest.
A good pillow isn’t a luxury — it’s the difference between a houseguest who lingers over a second cup of coffee and one who’s quietly eyeing an early checkout. Some people won’t travel without their own, tucking it under an arm through the airport like a security blanket, and I completely understand the devotion. So the guest room gets a Helix Dream Pillow Set, but I’ll let you in on my own preference: a Cooling Pillow you can adjust to your liking — building it up or pressing it down until it’s exactly right. That little bit of control is everything.
The Dining Moment
My Tulip Table and Tulip Chairs will get pride of place by the apartment’s wall of windows. That sculptural white pedestal against dark hardwood floors makes my heart skip. This set is currently in my YouTube Studio, but we end up pushing it out of the way for filming, so it’s getting repurposed for Atlanta.
Round tables are a quiet superpower in apartment living: no sharp corners, easy flow, and just right for pancake breakfasts with little ones.
The Living Room
The Hartwell Sofa in soft ivory will be my anchor — tailored track arms, dark tapered legs that nod to the floors, bolster pillows that make it feel collected rather than catalog. Yes, I chose a light sofa with grandchildren in my future. That’s what washable throws are for, and lots of pillows — style has never been about playing it safe.
The Personality Pieces
The Hadley Nesting Tables might be my favorite purchase of the whole project. Those hand-turned bobbin legs bring warmth and whimsy to all the clean modern lines — and nesting pieces are tailor-made for furnishing a small space. The best rooms, like the best outfits, need one piece that makes you smile.
Common Questions About Setting Up a Weekend Apartment
What do you actually need when furnishing a new apartment from scratch?
Start with the foundations: a quality mattress, a sofa, a dining table, and good lighting. Everything else — rugs, accent pieces, art — can layer in over time. Living in the space for a few weeks before buying every last piece leads to far better choices.
Is a weekend apartment worth it for visiting grandchildren?
For me, absolutely — proximity is the whole point. A weekend apartment turns a long drive and an overnight bag into pancake breakfasts and school pickups. Choose a location within minutes of family, not across town.
What furniture works best in a small apartment?
Pieces with visible legs and light silhouettes, round tables instead of rectangular, and furniture that multitasks — nesting tables, storage consoles, swivel chairs. Light upholstery against dark floors keeps an open-plan feeling airy.
Should a second home match your main home’s style?
It should feel like you, but it doesn’t need to match. I think of my Atlanta apartment as a fresh verse of the same song — my American Classic foundation with a slightly more modern, edited sensibility than my Athens house.
Similar Finds on Amazon
Several of my picks run a higher price point, so here are Amazon alternatives that capture the same look — similar style, friendlier checkout.
- Similar to the Jackie Sweatshirt Cardigan: a white cropped cardigan — same sweatshirt ease, same polished crewneck, fraction of the price.
- Similar to the Alice Walk Stripe Tee: a classic Breton stripe boatneck tee in blue and white — the stripe is the point, and Amazon does it well.
- Similar to the Gap 90s Slim Jeans: a high-rise slim straight jean in a medium wash — cuffs just as nicely, and a good backup if your size sells out.
- Budget-Friendly Amazon Find for the GrandPro Sneakers: a white leather lace-up sneaker with a low profile — crisp, cushioned, and grandbaby-chase approved.
- Similar to the Tulip Table: a Saarinen-style white pedestal dining table — the sculptural mid-century look at an apartment-friendly price.
- Similar to the Hadley Nesting Tables: bobbin-leg wood table — the same hand-turned charm, and they tuck away when the grandbabies need floor space.
Watch the Apartment Tour
The blank-slate apartment tour is coming in July — here on the blog and over on Instagram — and I’ll be sharing room-by-room reveals all summer and into fall. A weekend getaway at this stage of life isn’t an extravagance. It’s choosing the places and the people that matter most — and getting to design a whole new backdrop for the memories.
Don’t miss a single reveal. Sign up for my free daily newsletter and every morning’s post lands right in your inbox — the apartment diaries included.
Want to follow along in real time? I’m sharing the behind-the-scenes moments — the paint swatches, the furniture deliveries, Ollie’s inspections — on Instagram @styleatacertainage.
And if you’re ready for the full experience, the Grit & Glam Club is my membership community — exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, plus an ad-free experience across the entire blog. I would love to have you there.
Because style has no expiration date — and neither do you.
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Outfit Details
- Finn Shirt in Stripe
- Linen Blend Five-Pocket Pant
- Suede Sandals
- Layered Pendant Necklace
- Finn Shirt in Blue
- Adelyn Paisley Skirt
- Similar Denim Belt
- Wicker Hobo Bag
- Jackie Sweatshirt Cardigan
- Stripe Tee
- 90s Slim Jeans
- GrandPro Sneakers
The Apartment
- Leesa Mattress (my room)
- Helix Mattress (guest room)
- Tulip Table
- Tulip Chairs
- Hartwell Sofa
- Tanner Platform Bed
- Hadley Nesting Tables
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