Hmm...I count 6 Eiffel towers in that first photo, so I guess that makes this the winner. 4 people in 450 sf! You guys deserve a medal for making it work for you.

i give you guys thumbs up for even making it work for 4 people. plus your place isn't too
college-y. love the blackboard.

I count five names... 5 people living there? Wow.

There's something about this place I really enjoy. If you were in Portland, I'd want to hang out.

Is that chalk on the black wall? I feel bad for you guys if you have to re-paint when you move out! You get a big thumbs up from me.

P.S. Love the check-mark book shelves on the wall, not to mention whatever color that wall is painted.

wow, you really get bonus points for not killing each other with less than 100 sq ft each
(I count 5 names too)

love the chalkboard paint wall and the friendly vibe of the kitchen

this space is nicer than a lot of "grown up" apartments i've been in. kudos to you guys for actually making a cohesive looking space. all of the roommate situations i've been in have resulted in chaotic mish-mashes of everyone's stuff in the common rooms. i'd love to see the bedrooms.

I think this space is just okay. It is way too cluttered for me, and yes I understand there are so many people in this apartment. What is the large thing in the living room covered by a blanket or something?

Another thing that is just driving me mad is the number of entrants who cite "IKEA" as their favorite resource. It seems about a quarter of the people have Ikea down as their favorite resource so far. It goes against the idea of creativity for this contest. I know that Ikea is affordable, but so is finding furniture at a flea market and refurbishing it. Almost everyone on here knows the entire catalog by heart and I think it works against you because you have a "store bought" design. I buy Ikea stuff, but whenever someone says, "oh hey, I have the Malm bed too," a little piece of me dies inside.

There are so many other resources out there! Look at the other 75 percent of the contest. I applaud them.

That rant isn’t pointed at this entry, just at everyone who has cited IKEA so far.

Regarding Eric's comments about the IKEA encouragement. I personally do not shop there as I don't like the quality or asthetic, however I don't understand the gripe about folks opting for this store as their number one resource rather than say, flea markets. Flea markets, craigslist, garage sales etc. are hit or miss. You can not walk out when you have saved up your $X to buy a chair and necessarily come home with one. It is all hit or miss. Many people want to put together a home in a relatively reasonable amount of time and opt to shop at traditional places in order to achieve that. Practicality is a big consideration for most of us.

You get points just for using "pimped out" in your entry.

I like the chalkboard wall and check wall shelves, too. Great college apt! Sure beats the "line the beer cans up on the bookshelves" look!

I like Ikea...it's a great resource. While I'd both a.) like to have a budget that would allow me to slap down money at ligne roset every time I needed furniture or b.)the luxury of time to spend trolling flea markets and then refurbishing my finds. I'd be sleeping on the floor amongst a pile of my clothing. I agree that overdoing Ikea can be dull, but it can't be beat for affordability.

To join the chorus: IKEA shows up so much because IKEA makes clean, modern lines affordable in an instant, mass-produced, low-cost way, in much greater variety than Target. Having always done the flea market thing, I often wish IKEA and Target had been around when I was young and poor. Sometimes you just want to own stuff that looks nice and goes together! It doesn't have to last forever or be deeply loved... it just needs to add up to a pleasant environment with enough storage.

We rarely actually buy anything at IKEA, but if I were 20, I'd love it. (And for 10' curtains, they are da bomb.)

Regarding Ikea:

I wholeheartedly agree with what you say about Ikea. It is fast and affordable. Everything goes together easily. My question is this: does having a Ikea apartment win this particular contest? Or instead do we honor those who have taken the time and effort to troll the flea markets and creatively build things on their own from home depot etc. Or use other resources that people have mentioned that are not ikea, use their brains, and make it all fit together. Not to say that this entrant didnt do that. They have taken things from walmart/kmart and also mixed it with ikea.

I guess what I am saying is, Ikea can be okay in very limited quantities, but it just shouldnt be listed as a favorite resource! It drives me nuts.

Okay, now I know who stole my Eiffel Tower prints and my IKEA dining chairs.
But 4 people living there together? I don't have enough personal space for myself!
I don't see the knife block, so I guess you guys are doing okay.
But I can understand the housing costs. People in the middle of the country rejoice! Folks in NYC and California pay for the "luxury" of living where we do.

For college housing...you definately have a nice pad. I LOVE the slate wall for scribbling. I can't knock IKEA because it got me through undergrad and it fits well in your theme. Nice Job! -t

What a fun way to memorialize your travels. The blackboard paint is perfect. I do think the lr arrangement is a bit awkward. The two white chairs seem to crowd the bookcase. Could the be placed across from the sofa with the butterfly chair (?) in the corner where the white chair is now?

You've all done a great job with such a small space. Love the kitchen, the blackboard wall and the colors of the living room walls. The living room does look a bit cramped though - I would swap the white chair in front of the bed leaning against the wall with the butterfly chair. The computer space is awesome!

Oops - I forgot to add that I really like how there is plenty of seating space in the kitchen and that Vodka lamp rocks!

Not my pick, but I can see you re-entering in the future and doing well. This could win best small college apartment on the cheap 2006! But not smallest coolest apartment 2006. You made great design decisions, though nothing too unusual, or new. I love the chalkboard wall, but it is not a new idea.

I think you have a good starting point and your design acumen will grow and look forward to seeing something from you in the future.

what are the names of your pokemon?

You tried! You are in college. My college place with 4 other girls was a little more put together, but that's because we got to shop at vintage stores instead of ikea, and therefore found amazing pieces that ended up fitting together - you have the stuff on the cheap - when you move out, you should search for some more antique, or mid-century modern pieces to start adding depth to the already interesting pieces you have (like the lamp). What's with the paris thing - is someone a frenchman in there?

i am 18 and going to collage soon i think that your place is pretty cool ill use some of your ideas on my place. i really like yalls chalk board.

your place sucks so much who would want to live in that peace