Dead cow on floor. Lost me.

Is it just me or does it seem like that wall completely dwarfs the dining table? It's a small table to begin with, but looks so much smaller next to the wall. The wall draws your eye, but the table is so small and unsubstantial that it can't hold its own and gets ignored completely.

I like that the pattern is also used on the door.

My thoughts exactly @spectrogram. Chevron wall, reclaimed wood (and very uncomfortable looking) bench, bar cart, empty frame cluster, newspapered wall, scull with a string on it, birdcage, ampersand pillow, and succulents with no vase.

I'm okay with the newspaper wall, but the skull is overdone, and I have never liked the empty frames look. What's the point of that, exactly? It really does look like you just threw some junk onto the wall.

Homes that people actually live in are just so much more interesting.

"Although a bachelor, he also wanted to incorporate design elements for his future female counterpart to enjoy and feel welcomed by."

And those would be?
I don't think that I, as a woman, would want to get to know the bachelor better.

The coffee table is nice but I agree with Pi's comment that it's really dwarfed by the maxi-chevrons.

If this place seems cliche, it's probably because it was for a fictional client and not someone who could actually provide feedback as to what his tastes were. This had to be a place that would appeal to everyone. I think it's visually stunning and enjoy the feminine touches. As for the cowhide rug, well, if there were a picture of a guy wearing a leather jacket and eating a steak at the table I don't think anyone would be up in arms about it. I think that rug is just right for that room.

There's alot I like regardless of them being cliche. The green backsplash, the 'plumber' shelving, the mirrored end table, arcylic chairs .....
The cow hide rug and cheveron walls, and dark walls, not so much.

The dark walls are very cozy and they're the perfect neutral for the mix of metal tones. Until recently, I would have never though a gold toned mirror frames would look good with silver/glass materials. I think the dark walls are key to this mix of metals really working.

Had to laugh when I saw the National Geographic on the coffee table - this bachelor must be well traveled - he reads National Geographic!
And is that kale in the dish on the shelf under the TV? Hard to see on my computer screen....

Is it just me or are AT readers getting very snarky lately?

While many aspects of this apartment aren't my taste (after all, it isn't my own place), there's no reason why I can't appreciate it for what it is and appreciate the work the designer put into it. Yes, there are trends here, but that isn't such a bad thing. It lacks personality because there's no person to give it life, not because it's poorly designed. Enjoy the tour and don't expect everything to live up to your taste. Perhaps you should get your own home AT tour-worthy and contribute to the fun instead of tearing others down.

I like it! Except for the empty frames. I just don't get the whole empty frames thing at all.

To much going on here. To much pillow, to much cheveron wall to much of little things that make it look cluttered.The mirroed table with the silver vase, why? The mirrors to far apart.The dining table and chairs are not right for the space. As the saying goes less is more. It's just off.You have alot of cool stuff but it doesn't mean that it fits. I think if you add some large and I mean large and tall green plants it might help.

I think this fictional client is probably ... a d-bag. Seriously, that's the number one personal message I get from this thing.

I like it. The designer set out to create a bachelor pad and succeeded.

@PUGLOVEATL: Yes, people are snarky and elitist on here lately ("Oh yawn, I'm soooo in the know that I can't possibly look at another chevron"). Perhaps because a lot of us on here spend a lot of time on home decor sites/stores/mags, we tend to see things repeated a lot. However, to a "regular" person, a lot of these ideas would be interesting to them, since they aren't jaded. I think the space is nice, and I'm a woman. Have I seen an acrylic chair before? Sure. I have I seen reclaimed wood before, sure. But I've also seen mountains, sunsets and fresh flowers before and can still appreciate them over and over again. I think the designer did a good job pulling everything together.

It's not just you, pugloveatl.

Dear Rural and Rueful:

It HAD to be dead. The real one kept wandering off.

i like the overall feel of this - especially the bedroom - very calm. i'd love to know the source for the gray sheets and the patterned living room curtains. the only thing i'd question for a bachelor pad would be the couch - i can't imagine my over-six-foot brothers or nephews sprawling out on that size couch to watch t.v. - it doesn't look long or wide enough.

Now that we, and that chevron wall, have your attention…

The wall doesn't grab my attention, but what does is the fact that the light switch/outlet weren't painted black/the chevron design wasn't planned out to have the white portions hit them. Nitpickers gonna nitpick.

Um, technically then, "That chevron wall" DID grab your attention.

Nitpickers gonna nitpick the nitpickers.

LOL Patrick. Hey, is there a shopping resource for the gold lamp or did I miss it somewhere in the post?

I would say the light switch grabbed my attention. Technically, it's on the chevron wall, but what I noticed first was a little white box.

I really like the curtains in the living room. The Chevron is a little much for me, but it does grab your attention and make a statement, so it serves its purpose. I'm not a fan of the newspaper as wallpaper, but that's probably because it always reminds me of being in a Subway restaurant. I don't think this tour deserves the amount of flack it’s gotten since there are nice elements mixed in.

I am wondering if anyone has ever been into a model home and felt that it is full of personalized touches and something other than cliches? They are all works of fiction and presuppose that it will appeal equally to someone who likes golf/baseball/french country chicken decor/has one boy one girl for kids, etc. etc. You cannot blame it for what it is! But I do have some burning questions as well--is that a DEAD bird in the bird cage???? And is the FAKE zebra rug counter the REAL cow hide???

Well said HR4979. I think those of us that check blogs maybe a bit over stimulated. Close friends and family often shown me things that they are excited about and are new to them, that I've been seeing for the last year because I can't stay off AT!

I like the dark walls better when the trim is dark as well. I think white only works when you have a more substantial, architecturally interesting trim to highlight. My two cents.

surprised he didn't give the fictional client's name -- Trend Regularguy.
have to agree with @spectrogram.

Totally agree with KWATTS....

Love the mirror, LOVE the boxes on the wall, what a great idea! Frankly I think I'd be intrigued to know the person who lived in this apt....um, except for the single (?) bed? What's up with that??

The problem I have with this setup isn't the design cliches....after all, cliches are just elements that work so well that they're done to death and we tire of them.

My issue is the dark ambiance of this space, owing to the dark grey paint. I felt the same way about the previous Metroloft tour. Maybe I need a boost to my serotonin uptake inhibitors, or something?

Ha, I think this is a hoax, everything AT in one place.

I'ld love to know where the curtains in the lounge room are from please!

I think the living room curtains are made from this fabric: Waverly Lovely Lattice in Caviar.

http://www.fabric.com/creativity-headquarters-free-pattern-downloads-mama-san-apron-waverly-home-decor-fabric-collections-waverly-geometric-fabric-waverly-lovely-lattice-caviar.aspx?cm_vc=756b1813-cbc1-43b3-84bd-29889bf8fb7b

I think Interior Design is not about what is new or been used before, it is how you put all these elements together and I like this mixture of reclaimed and contemporary.

decogirlmontreal.com

A lot of trendiness sure, but overall I think it looks cohesive and interesting. Also, I'd love to see comparison photos of all the uber-blog-reading-interior-design-expert-nitpicker's homes.

don't be soooo snotty

"Dead cow on floor. Lost me."

Oh noes! Who will provide our moral compass now?

I'm impressed that Jared could do all this with $10,000, although some of the vintage/industrial pieces are a little rickety for an upmarket pad. Some of the little tchotchkes like the birdcage, the chandelier and the air plants should have been left out.

But the colours are lovely, the bedroom mirror is fantastic (in fact all of the mirrored pieces are fantastic), and I like the use of champagne crates to create shelves for liquor bottles.

if a man brought me home to this apartment, i'd propose on the spot.

This is awful. So much trend, so little substance.

NO to armless sofas in living rooms. Slipper chairs on some occasions, but the biggest piece of furniture in the room, and presumably the most expensive, but you have to sit up straight on it? In your home? No. Do without the tchotchkes and buy some arms for the sofa.

I like it for the most part.

The outlets bother me big time. Especially since it could have been laid out to be "white" in those sections of the chevron wall.

Too many throw pillows for a man.. gay or straight.

I like the cow hide rugs. I think I might get one now. But the Zebra rug feels out of place. Too exotic.

I would have added a rugged knife somewhere, and a pair of Blunnies by the door.

Well done though...

Some people were snarky on this one ... but I think a professional setup for a fictional client is fair game for snark. I would never post anything nasty about a real person's house or DIY efforts.

I would love a cow on my room!

I'm torn between liking this and agreeing with the snark. I have to admit the National Geographic cover was striking in this context. That certainly puts things in perspective.

OMG! @spectrogram took the words right out of my mouth! I'm glad I'm not the only one who was thinking about all the design cliches. I didn't know if it was just me or my mood but I am getting really tired of seeing animal skulls and animal hides, cheveron patterns, Keep Calm and Carry On prints, etc, etc. in "design" homes. Also..gray walls..another cliche. Big roll of eyes! Though I do have to say the cheveron wall grabbed my attention...but then lost it as I went through the other pictures.

In a few years' time, we'll all look back at chevron and think 'WTF...?'

I do model apartments constantly, and applause to Jared on a $10k budget, for sure. Im not going to nit pick, and not knowing the typical client of this building, cant go far on the comment I will make. However, my overall impression is that the "fictional client" is very specific, and when showing this model to prospects that are not the fictional client single well traveled male who likes hide, those prospects get a very specific view of who the other inhabitants of that building are (true or not) from this decor.

I also agree there are a few issues with placement and scale which do not show the space in the best possible way, and many of these elements will beg to be replaced in a short period of time because they are so "in the moment" trendy rather than classics of wider appeal. It conveys more momentary fabulousity than real use of space and living comfort. But maybe that was the building ownership's request?

For that reason, a little more gender balance (not suggesting adding flowers and lace - dont get me wrong) in the pallette, softer greys/taupes, and a few softer materials/textures, may have hit a broader spectrum of future residents as "home".

Maybe it's so of the moment because it's a model apartment that prospective tenants will spend all of 10 minutes walking through and will be rented out as soon as the other units are filled up. It's not a long term commitment for a real person who plans on living here for decades.

A model should appeal to the greatest number of real people walking through judging whether THEY want to live there. It should communicate "welcome, this is YOUR new home" not "this is the home of a specific person and we've selected elements to tell you a story about him, not to make you feel at home so you sign a lease."

As for viewing it as a space for that specific person described, real or fictional, it's a successful response on a very small budget and I applaude that.

But as a model apartment to attract a wide variety of future tenants...

I like the overall mood of the apartment, however many of the pieces are too feminine- the sofa, the ghost chair ( which I wish would just go away), the chandelier, bird cage, mirrored side tables, etc., to really call this a batchelor pad. The key component of comfort is missing to appeal to guys.

Wow, claws out on this one. Yes, chevron is not for the ages, but it's paint, people. Someone could just paint the wall again.

And isn't the birdcage really a light?

O.M.G. I'm in love. With this apartment. It's masculine but not too masculine. It's kitschy and unique. Bravo!

I am so over people freaking out about animal skulls and hides. If you have ever eaten a hamburger, you really need to tone down your outrage.

Seriously, Melship. I'm a vegetarian, but I'm not sure how those are any different from leather sofas.

"We had a specific imaginary client in mind, a man who loves chevrons more than anything else in the world, and we think this apartment will meet with his approval. Also, we think 'packing a strong, well-placed punch' is a desirable personality trait for both halves of our metaphor."

I like the uplit wine shelf (though I'd prefer it made of plain wood with less "atmosphere" aka advertising), I like the green backsplash (though not the fact that it's the only thing with any color), and I love the monstera leaves. I don't understand the chandelier in picture 2 -- did they forget bulbs? Is it wired at all? Did they forget candles?

I am a guy.

Too many pillows, they have to move. Lots of gold stuff, don't like. Too many mirrored stuff. Cheap shine through curtains. Remove the birdcage. My girl can get the bed, too feminine.

I like the coffee table. Couch is ok. Like the newspaper wallpaper in the bathroom and the wine box shelf. The dead cow can stay.

Where's the TV?

TV: Picture #9.

Not ONE book!

I am guessing the (fictional) resident is more an e-reader kind of dude. Maybe our Resident Guy Gerald can weigh in on books.

I'm a female, and I like just about everything in this tour! (minus the empty frames and gold) Trendy or not, it all just looks really cool together. Well done!

I love the three gold mirrors and the black & white curtains in the living area. :)

I kinda hate the birdcage & empty frames though. Can we let "shabby chic" run away and hide forever?

I can't believe peeps are SO snobby about this one. Are ANY of you cockels legit designers? No, you're all backseat drivers paint pushers just like me. Sheesh! Regarding the apt... I like it. The chevron wall is a little annoying, but then I never jumped on that wagon (unlike some of you posers). The bathroom is cool, the dining table could be a little bigger. I like the skull, the rug, the paint. I'd add books, plants and a nice bottle of whiskey. Overall I really like this apt. The only thing that rubs me wrong is the "bachelor" title. Can we please get over sexist interior design.

That chevron wall hurts my eyes.

Personally, I think there are way too many feminine touches in this apartment. If I walked into this place and saw those mirrored side tables, I'd be raising my eyebrows. Also the couch and cushions are definitely not picked out by some rugged dude.. If this fictional client was a couple, I'd buy the story...maybe. However, I do love the coffee table and pipe shelving. Oh, and I like the chevron wall...which apparently makes me a poser.

I think Brenda's entry in the small cool contest 2012:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/brendas-curiosity-shop-small-cool-contest-169500

was a much more masculine and imaginative use of black, color, frame, and it was a smaller space. Jared's space speaks like a man who's trying to hard. One thing, I really like the counterpoint between the mirrored side table and the vase on top with the creases and ripples. Are they both cliches now that just happen to play off each other brilliantly for this one moment in this one apartment? I've just never seen the like of the vase before.

I do love the layout of the space, and wish I lived there (and especially in New York) - I'm a composer so that home office would be my musical haven (depending on the soundproofing and exterior noise.)

I only have one problem with this place: I can't imagine any guy living in the Financial District aka Wall Street guy in a place with empty frames grouped together or chevron walls. It just doesn't strike me as realistic for the type of client described unless the client had an ex-gf who is a blogger that was given an Amex credit card and told to kit the place out but she's too cool to max out the card cuz she's into vintage.

I personally like a lot of elements in this place. I am ashamed (after the NYTimes article about prop-styling homes) to say that is the exact bar cart I have wanted for a long time now. Anyone know where its from?

This seems obvious, but I feel the need to say it anyway. People are aware that cows aren't killed to get a cow hide rug, right? (The chicken before the egg theory.)

Now as for my kitten teeth necklace, well...

I love how even the critics on this one pretty much ALL end with "But I DO like the _______." Isn't that the point of ANY interior?

Patrick, ending with "But I DO like the lampshade/doorknob/newelpost/toothpick" is the golden ticket to ranting, as it immunizes you against the scathing charge of being negative. If someone installed a toilet that is plumbed to circulate molten tar instead of water, a commenter would say "That's crazy" and the next commenter would say "Geeze! You don't have to get all negative! If peeing into molten tar isn't your thing, just move on, but don't trash someone's taste. We all have our preferences, and they all make sense at all times." But you have a license to whale away if you say "The molten-tar idea is crazy -- but I did like that it's a low-flow toilet."

LOL, B F B.

Jesus, stereotype much.

One of "them," really?

Ah, I see you meant one of "them" as in one of the couple. But really?

I still find it generallly offensive that you attribute any trait at all, and that you are so quick to assign roles and professions.

And your stereotypes aren't even RIGHT.

I know some Gay cops that I'd looooooooooove to introduce you to. For various reasons.

And you know what? NO ONE "deserves" to be offended.

Gotta admit, this provoked a definite response, AT....and maybe, that was the point of the exercise.......

Wow! I think this space is beautiful and fell in love immediately! (i'm a chick) I love this space, especially the consideration that the designer took to mirror placement. Rather than just throwing morrors into a space he's carefully placed them to reflect artful patterns and objects. Infact, everything in this apartment has been well thought out he's placed everything so carefully creating just the right amount of mood and style. It's stunning. I think he's done a fantastic job.
I hate it when commenters are so negative about a designer who has put in so much work to create something. Cliche or not, i think this place is hot. Particularly the mirror in the bedroom and the chevron wall.

I guess haters are always gonna hate.

For some reason, I see a different couple living here: One owns a Chevrolet dealership and the other is a cheesemaker specializing in chevre.

Or a Chevron station?

Whoa, I came back to see if there was a source update for the gold lamp what am shaking my head and WTF happened to this post? Some of the comments towards the end are totally inappropriate.

*and I'm shaking my head* Apparently I can't type correctly today.

*Yawn*

Well, you might as well take my comments to EricAuerbach down then. Cuz now it just looks like I'm talking to myself.

I really like the light fixtures, especially over the dining table, and the hairpin leg coffee table is awesome (as well as perfectly sized for the space). I wonder just how many of the snarky anti-chevron commentators were the first to jump on that trend two years ago, and the first to dump it as soon as it became too mainstream for their trendier than thou sensibilities... I don't know any single guys with that many throw pillows though, it kind of reminds me of Toms apartment on Parks and Recreation.

don't understand the snark. This apartment was done for $10,000! And it looks like it cost several times that. The designer is giving us ways of using elements that are currently receiving attention. He had an imaginary client for the space and an unspecified audience, so he chose to use dramatic colors and finishes and inexpensive pieces at the same time. This kind of design can be very encouraging because it shows that style is not necessarily limited by budget.

Overall the space reads as comfortable and relaxing. Because the chevron wall uses wide bands it's graphic without looking busy. I think hides are beautiful, but then I eat meat and wear leather. His imaginary client is male but I think the space is welcoming to females as well.

I just found out that the very talented designer Ron Marvin (who was a finalist in the best small contest here a few years ago) did one of the other models at 116 John Street. His budget was equally small (and a result he had to source from retail), but I like the results a lot better because they seem appropriate for a much broader range of tastes.

Budgets for each model were based on square footage of the unit.

There are not door knobs. This bothers me. With the mix of metals in this "model", I really wanted to see what door hardware was utilized.

Jesus, some of you are ridiculous with your comments.

I love the wall, I'm so-so on almost everything else with the exception of that white wood & glass door at the entrance of one of the bedrooms. It seems like a rather warm space for the middle of NYC.

I can dig it.