love it! great work! where are the sconce's above bed from?

the floorplan doesn't lay out the same way as your photos. other then that, it looks great.

Are you by chance a real estate agent? That's all I could think of when reading the text. Love the space.

I love it but I can't reconcile the floorplan and the photos either.

This place is gorgeous, but is it for real? Where's all your stuff? I get that we're about minimal stuff around here and I don't have a lot myself but it's almost like you can't tell someone actually lives in this space...

I love your kitchen. A rare "insta-fianalist" from me.

Floorplan is from another entry:
http://la.apartmenttherapy.com/la/small-cool-2007-entries/7-merediths-boho-chic-studio-021190

Thanks, jamie pup. I thought I was going crazy.

I have to ask the same question as Erin K. Are you a real estate agent?
It would make sense this place is beautiful! But when you say you purchased everything from the internet and had it delivered ...umm get the feeling it was as easy as picking up that phone.
I think if you added a plant or a favorite flower in a vase it would feel more like you took the time to add a lil something personal.

That fridge is HOT. Who makes it?

The nelson bubble sconces slay me!

Nice pieces, but they don't form a unified whole that make a place pop for me.

I don't know how you could improve the place. It looks absolutely perfect...so I'm not going to make any suggestions.

Tony G.

looks like a display suite for a condo development!
maybe a bit of color on a wall, like the blue or green pulled from the toss cushions would help!!

Where is the bar cart from?

Wish this would have been in the kitchen competition.

While the space is amazingly nice, I thought this contest was about how well the space was used and not about "how much can AT readers afford (re: pre-installed bones)?" The first and third shots are... unnecessary. They don't show off how well the space was used at all. Nothing here is really innovative.

Again, I love the space, but I would like to see more photos like the third.

I meant second. :)

i agree with Gretchen...
i mean, its great that you can order all that stuff from a website, but most of us put our heart and soul into our teeny abodes. i dont see any evidence of an actual person in this space. to me it just kinda seems like "Winner of Apartment Therapy's 'Smallest Coolest Contest' 2007" would look really awesome on the brochure when you put this place on the market. and also...doesnt seem like you much need the grand prize. sorry...just my opinion...

http://www.summitappliance.com/detail/r22s

So the bathroom is an open shower?

I like that...

love it! very inspiring

I really dug the pitch, and man, that's a whole lotta kitchen in an itty bitty space. Gorgeous.

Very nice physical space.

Might you change the lay-out of the furniture? It looks a little busy. I would float that sofa so it creates a division between the bedroom and the living area.

I think the floorplan and pictures match. The bathroom & kitchen are hot!

Is the patio included in the sq footage?

I LOVE IT!

But I would have a different coffee-table book on the coffee table. Sheesh.

Seriously, though. I like this a lot. I like the kitchen, the space, the patio.

I was going to argue about being low maintenance (or lazy) and if I were able to pick up the phone and have everything delivered, I'd do that, too, but there is something to be said for the hunt (which I am normally too lazy to do) (I'm sortv minimalist by default or character flaw).

I don't envy your ability to furnish and decorate your place via the Internet, but now I am wondering about goodnightdean's point. Hmmm...

But I still like your apartment very much.

Zzzzzzzzzz

I didn't have any trouble coordinating the pictures and floor plans, but I have to agree with wanting to see a little bit of your personality spread thru-out the space.

Color is personal thing - personally I like it, but perhaps you don't? (I can remember a time when I didn't want much color after living with my mom's 'every room a different and not always coordinating color.)

Overall, a nice, clean, relaxing place.

Yeah, cuz its so frickin' hard to order blah "contemporary" stuff from amazon.com and Pottery Barn. It looks like a professionally staged model unit in a condo development.

Coolest Smallest? Not even. More like Boringest Yuppiest.

IMHO it is far harder to carefully select and place items in a place like this, than it is to just throw a bunch of thrift store finds in a room and call it 'cozy'.

I also find it interesting that for many people clutter=personality. Thankfully such people seem to be in the minority of the voters in this competition.

I personally like it. I've become a fan of minimal and efficient. Where is the bed frame from? The kitchen cabinets?

Brand spanking new condo. New cork flooring. Shiny new appliances. Shiny new cabinetry. Pottery Barn, DWR and Room and Board catalog. Apparently unlimited or large credit account.

Yeah, so frickin' hard to "select and place" items.

I like it if it weren't for the fact that is looks REALLY REALLY staged and fake. Are there rules against that?

My first thought was that I'm not crazy about everything just being ordered off the internet, but it's chic. So I couldn't vote right away.

But really, I don't see one single personal item. Hmmm...

The only thing I like about this place are its bones. Nice space, great patio, good bathroom, lucky to have a closet like that, etc. I think the bed and living areas should be reversed. The bed could be partially hidden with bookcases. As it is, in the summer, you walk through the bed area to hit that killer patio. The patio's awesome but the bed being placed between it and the living room really stunts things.

how do you use the computer (whose monitor is the tv)? Is there a chair? Do you bring a wireless keyboard in that is stored in another room?

Erin K. and the others are probably right.

the pitch reads like a bad real estate ad, and you're obviously a desperate agent trying to sell a poorly staged apartment.
there's absolutely no personality showing in these photos,
and the ikea adel kitchen? c'mon. stop wasting our time.

The floor plan has been updated since the post first went up today.

The more I look at this, the more I agree with others. This looks like a "fake" - it looks like a professionally staged condo unit being marketed by a real estate agent. I don't think anyone actually lives there.

Its the downside of AT's increasing public profile - the more people find out about this, and the contest, the more the opportunity to attract some contestants aren't entering in the true spirit of the contest.

I think it's really nice. I love almost everything you chose, and I think while some people say its "easy" to order everything from a catalog, it's also difficult because you have to be able to picture it in your space without seeing it. The pieces that were chosen all go together very well and look cohesive, without all being from the same place. And so what if it looks like a model, of course people are going to clean up and make it look perfect before submitting it.
The only suggestions I would make are adding some plants/flowers, like someone else said, and perhaps a curtain or some sort of sheer privacy thing to seperate your bed.

i like the simplicity of your bathroom. Beautiful. And the lights hanging by the bed. I guess these photo's dont show lots of personality, and agree that maybe you could add something personal, pictures to the walls or maybe some living flowers or one bookcase somewhere.... I had a flat similar to this one time and I had a really hard time personalizing it because it always just seemed cluttered to me when i tried.

But on the whole I enjoyed it and think you've done a great job on this place.

I really like the integration of the indoor/outdoor spaces; particularly that the bathroom opens to the outside. It's a nice abode, but somewhat sterile.

These pictures don't convince me that this is anyone's personal apartment. If this entry is acceptable, I think I should be allowed to enter a 3d computer rendering of my dream apartment...it would have even less dust and wrinkles in the fabrics than this place!

I don't think the living room and bedroom should be reversed. The bedroom should be furthest from the front door so that guests don't have to walk thru your private space to get to the living room. Right now the bed is closest to the bathroom; it doesn't make sense to place it closer to the KITCHEN.

I am impressed with the layout and certain parts of the design, such as the kitchen and some of the furniture pieces, but mostly this place reminds me of a hotel room at a resort in Palm Springs. It is just not very innovative, clean but dull.

What a place. I love it. But I too question whether it is someone's home or a realtor's project. There is no sign of life there. And no personal voice in the pitch. If I (possibly most of us) told of our favorite rescource, I would have said "I ordered everything and it all came to my home." rather than were ordered and came to the home. Doesn't matter that much as it's a nice place to look at. But if this is a model and not someone's home NO WAY should submitter be eligible for DWR prize.

Love the wet room.

clumpy dumpy and ocean dreamer, the floorplan was changed after I and the others posted.

Surely you didn't think AT would let the mistake persist?

I'm giving the space itself an insta-finalist. Is that o.k.? I don't know! I'm so confused! Davy, to you really live here? I'll be waiting for you to prove that minimalists can drive muscle cars too.

I'm intrigued by the overly positive kitchen responses. That's high marks for Ikea. Maybe the fridge (Fagor?) is enough to distract the eye and give the kitchen a little more character.

I would like to see a creative room division for the sleeping area since it seems so traditional. Maybe a semi-sheer screen? Anything really.

The space itself is really an empty canvas with all the potential in the world. I really hope that that is not why we are seeing it in this competition. Besides, if it were a real estate ad how would a potential buyer know how to contact the supposed seller?

I need to reply to Dave's comments. I know Davy and I witnessed him ripping out the old carpet, tearing down the old cupboards, digging out the old shower, and installing the new stuff you see here. He found the cork flooring on line (80% off list) and laid it himself over a badly cracked concrete floor - no easy task. He spent his free nights researching for that awesome 24" fridge from Germany, and he also found deals on designer (ie.Philippe Starke) fixtures at 1/3 the cost. He worked day and night to get it that way. He's not a real estate agent, but a graphic designer by trade. Maybe that's why it looks professionally staged. It's his home and he uses every inch of it, every day...comfortably. The point here, Dave, and everyone else reading this, is that it doesn't take alot of money or square feet to live well in a small space. It takes ingenuity and a little spunk.

Davy should have had his buddy Idahoguy write his pitch for him.

Are you sure the fridge is from Germany? It's from Summit, the same model in the blue and silver kitchen in smallest coolest kitchen #5.

Can you let us in on Davy's source for Duravit at 1/3 the cost. That's like finding a needle in a haystack!

What kind of car does Davy drive? Just kidding :) o.k. you can tell if you want.

the idea of hiding all the wiring inside the closet is genius for a small place - wires are "cluttery" and overwhelming.

to answer those who question how he uses it as a computer: if you zoom in on the 2nd photograph, there is a keyboard/mouse stand next to the eames rocker. i think the stand just slides over to the screen, and maybe the big chair can then be rolled over too. another genius use of small space.

while this entry is too open for my taste (i think the bedroom should have SOME privacy), there are a lot of excellent small-space solutions here. makes me want to buy a flat screen and hide it in a similar manner.

But I too question whether it is someone's home or a realtor's project.

This apartment is not currently listed for sale as a resale, if you check the Desert Area MLS. That doesn't mean it won't ever be listed for sale, but there's no way to predict or police whether entrants are showing off their homes prior to listing them for sale.

@idahoguy - Thanks for the clarification that this is a real space and not a "fake" entry. I can respect it a little more - a litte.

Overall all though, I still thinks its a hum-drum, middle of the road, "contemporary", bourgeois sensibility taste that looks like it was cut out from an IKEA catalog. Sorry, but for me, no sale.

Everyone should go look at David and Im's Onespace from last year. This space can't even hold a half burnt candle to that space.

I love the kitchen and "wet" bathroom, but the actual living space is bland and lacking in personality.

well then idahoguy,
sounds like davy ought to ditch graphic design and get his real estate license.

The kitchen doesn't work since the fridge is too far from the sink! It looks good in photos. However, I can tell that kitchen isn't used much. The fridge should be on the side near the sink then the dishwasher then the stove. Nuh-unh...

Wow, tough !%@*&! corwd over here.

Dave, it's just sad you had to have someone say, "No, this is not a 'fake' apartment.

Why the anger, Dave, why?

And to those who say, "How hard could ordering everything over the internet be?" I say, "Have you ever tried it... with appliances, plumbing, flooring, etc. etc. etc.?" Um, it AIN'T easy.

Why slam this obviously talented guy for using the new technology available to get a look he wanted?

You *could say* "How hard is it to walk into a showroom and point?"

C'mon, give this guy the break he TOTALLY deserves.

If you don't like it, don't vote for him. But insulting his home, his credibility AND his integrity is just a tad too much...

And Dave, pop quiz... point to ANYTHING in this apartment from Pottery Barn. If you're going to be a bore, at least get your references straight.

And I want to be one of Davy's neighbors, to enjoy the morning "drying off" ritual! ;)

Whatever patrick - I see you haven't lost your caricature as the bitchy queen. Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.

And ordering a bunch of shit is NOT hard unless you've never worked a day in your life. And yes, it is the same thing as going to a showroom and pointing. Get up on a 40 foot ladder and paint dormers in the hot sun all summer and then we can talk about what is and is not hard.

These entrants VOLUNTARILY submitted photos of their apartments to be put on the INTERNET, accessible by, well, everyone, in a CONTEST that includes public voting and COMMENTS so that they could win $1,000 worth of stuff. This is not a kiss their ass-a-thon. If somebody can't take a little hard criticism when they put themselves on preening public display, then they shouldn't have entered the damn thing in the first place. Yeesh.

And I'm not angry. Just because I'm not a passive-agreessive priss doesn't make me angry.

Lovely. I try debate and you start the hair pulling.

For the record, I was only speaking directly to you in two points there, but you've chosen to take the whole thing personally.

So crank on his style then, but stop making sweeping bitter judgements about what hard labor did or don't go into his space (because you don't know), just because YOU can't afford to buy anything right now. Do you not think that if your situation chnages, you wouldn't hire someone to paint those same dormers the next time? And don't call him a liar or fake. Yes, he's in a contest. But we're adults, no?

And does vision not carry any weight in your world against hard labor? Do you not value "idea" at all? Sad, if not.

But c'mon, play along... where's the Pottery Barn stuff? Huh? Huh?

And all this tirade, using Jane and Darko's home as an example, makes entirely no sense. Sorry, but their place is a temple to consumerism.

(and I'm still not sure what you expect here, or what would make you happy... that he made his own friggin' toilet? Um, hate to tell you, but THOSE all come from showrooms and catalogs... those hard-workin' plumbers don't *actually* make them...)

@patrick - There you go again, thinking you know the story behind the story merely because it confirms your precast judgment of the person posting something. Typical.

First off, I did paint dormers - and soffits and window trim and clapboards - in the hot sun. But it wasn't some DIY project. It was - although in the Before Time, in the Long Ago - as a house painter. Rather, the point is that picking out things from a catalog, or online, or on the phone and dealing with the minor hassles is not HARD. Its not work, its spending. Conflate real work with spending if you will, but I refuse to do so.

Second, as far being adults - its the blogosphere, its a contest, its criticism. Get a thicker, less passive-agressive skin if you can't handle it.

Third, I'm not bitter because I can't afford anything right now. To the contrary, I could easily afford to outfit my space like this one. My credit is par excellence, my cash flow is healthy, and my savings are flush. You grossly mistake my criticisms of this space with some pseudo-pyschological analysis that it procedes from personal issues I have around money. It doesn't. My day job involves moving millions of dollars around. This isn't about that. This is about investing soul into a space and not just buying it out of a catalog - or online.

Finally, Pottery Barn, schmattery Barn. DWR, R&B, Sears Roebuck, whatever. The point is it all looks like the owner opened a bunch of catalogs (online or other) and just went on a shopping spree. *yawn*

You are no one to point fingers about "thinking you know the story" when you jumped down Davy's throat after knowing 100 words or less about him, or the history of this project.

I actually figured you were a housepainter way back when. Hmm, you seemed to have no problem *taking* the money from the spoiled louts too lazy to do-it-thenselves. Do you not see the double standard or irony there?

re: "its the blogosphere, its a contest, its criticism. Get a thicker, less passive-agressive skin if you can't handle it."

If you want to use that as an excuse to be an ass about and to people who are obviously house proud enough to enter this fray, fine. But because it IS a blogosphere, I (or anyone else) have/has every right to call you on it, no? (and ""everyone does it" is the lamest of lame excuses, btw)

I again post the question back to you that you didn't answer above: What would make you happy here? If he felled the trees? Smelted the ore for stainless steel? What kind of rehab *would* "count" to you then? Not trying to be a smart ass (or to quote you, "bitchy queen") just really trying to get to your point.

**********************************************

Gorgeous ! Lots of light, open floor plan, clean lines accompanied by a great selection of furnishings !

My Vote: Stellar! Insta-finalist!

**********************************************

I really like it. I feel like this is one place i could live. It's so clean and mod that it almost looks like a computer rendering. very well staged and photographed!

There is no hypocrisy. I never said that anything was wrong with someone buying their way to a nice place. Not at all. Rather, my point, was that such a route, while perfectly ok in the general sense, doesn't really seem to warrant the level of (a) ballwashing going on and (b) warrant being considered an entry for the finals, as it was less about the ingenuity/creativity/etc. of the entrant, and more about the entrant's ability to buy stuff from online catalogues.

The San Diego entry is even worse - its a professional architect (who has his own firm) entering his moneyshot show piece "case study" which he's probably writing off as a business expense. At that point, you might as well have a contest for professional architects and interior designers a la Arts & Architecture Magazine's Case Study homes and call it a day. Although I'm sure Maxwell would be quite happy with that as it would mean his website would be getting enough attention from the business side of the design world so as to charge more for his adspace.

@allargon - I see cooker, workspace, fridge (with sink a few steps away). And I could enjoy cooking plenty here.

i like this.
but i agree that many of these items look like they were picked from builders' samples.
also - i hate the pillows on the couch, they belong in a hotel lobby somewhere.
the rest of the apartment (sans pillows) would be a dream-come-true to come home to. the sconces look like vintage finds... did you also get them on the net?

i really like your clean and uncluttered bathroom and kitchen. i love that refrigerator!