apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

nice! lots of great MCM pieces---drool!

Which is a good thing, considering the house offers fantastic views

The only view I'm noticing is an empty lot full of cranes.

I like what he's trying to accomplish but I feel the layout of the furniture is too cramped in the living/dining area (especially the dining table behind the couch) and the coffee table is not the correct scale either. But with a little tweaking, it's cool.

Seems a bit confused in personality; the exterior and interior architecture fights the mcm furniture and lighting.

I like the light and you certainly have a lot of great pieces in your home. For me, what I would love to see is the addition of some texture and textiles. Maybe a fluffy sheepskin rug, some distressed pots or wood accents, pillows or a throw over the couches. I really like the color of the bathroom.

For whatever reason, I love that view of the cranes. I'm convinced that one night he'll look up to find them lined up outside the window, gazing in like curious cows. That sconce looks great glowing red-orange on the wall, too.

Nice DWR showroom.

Meh. Anyone know where the lamp on the sideboard in the living room is from? My Mother-in-law gave it (and two in smaller sizes) to me. I always assumed they were from Pier One, but if your "biggest indulgance is lamps", they must be nicer than that.

The space and the views are lovely. I love the color and I love how it's not too matchy matchy. But I have to say it, does having your home featured on the website REQUIRE you having that eames rocker or lounge chair? They are featured in almost every House Tour I see.

Love the exterior, the windows/views, and the color choices. The bedroom really bugged me, though--not even a pillow? And the off-centeredness doesn't make sense visually. Also, I agree about the Eames chairs--they are really clichéd, at least on this site.

i love the little lamp in the 28th pic...and i also really like the cranes. city living for me :)

I agree with those who have posted that the furniture looks a bit... familiar. But there are very interesting pops of artwork that really show some thought and taste. So bravo.

My thought after going through the house tour was: thank goodness I don't have enough money to buy everything I want. When I moved awhile ago and tossed out a lot of stuff I'd been dying to get rid of, it felt frustrating spending week after week with unfinished spaces. I'd look at an empty place where I'd love to have bought [insert MCM classic piece here] but had to scour the web and neighborhood for an affordable alternative. But in the end, if I hadn't had to prioritize, to reach for solutions and make do, I'd probably have ended up with a place that looked like a DWR showroom too.

Normally I feel like I'm one of the critical ones, but I thought this tour was fun. The off-center bed caught me by surprise, but the house doesn't seem contrived.

I don't think it's a bad thing if all of your furniture is recognizable. But if a house tour doesn't have the requisite flee market finds and "upcycled" trash, some AT readers will judge it harshly cuz they smell money.

I'm not proud of my knock-off florence knoll craigslist sofa. I'm just broke.

i would LOVE to know more about the bathroom...i am working on a remodeling plan and i want to do a walk-in shower with a very shallow tub, just like this one! sources?

"...some AT readers will judge it harshly cuz they smell money."

I don't believe that most of us here judge beautiful spaces harshly on the basis of their price tags -
- if a space exhibits a sense of creativity, style and tastefulness on the part of it's occupant, I think many of us can appreciate that at all levels of cost.

However there are instances where it appears evident that the occupant has substituted a sense of style for a credit card and a catalog.

I like it, but that bed needs help...

bepsf, it's true that there are double standards based on the apparent wealth of the owners of the house. Probably people feel bad commenting on how horrible a space looks if it's been developed on a very tight budget, a somewhat understandable reaction.

I fully agree that there very often is a backlash on AT when someone doesn't dumpster-dive, curb capture or Etsy their way through a furnishing challenge. Or if an "adorable" tyke, kitty, bunny or pooch isn't in the picture.

I think the art here goes a long way to personalize the interior. As well it should.

I find absolutely no disconnect between inside and out on this house, and even if so, so what?

And that city skyline view is CRAZY... I can only imagine it at night. Even the cranes are a very interesting urban view... epsecially to the visual artist homeowner, I imagine.

And, bepsf, you might not be biased against this interior based on budget, but you certainly exhibit a bias against spare minimal interiors generally.

I just wish ATers would see past their biases to find moments of inspiration. They are everywhere. Even in places quick to be dismissed as DWR catalogs.

But, ItsJustStuff... I'll give you the bed! Doesn't live up to the styling of the rest of the place. :)

Patrick nailed it.

@keyse - i love that lamp too! in fact i read through the comments expecting that someone would have asked where it came from, but it appears nobody has yet.

any ideas on where the tiny lamp in pic 28 came from?

i'm guessing it's vintage, and will now hunt ebay for one.

Lawrence has a great space, and great stuff.

And I happen to think it's impressive that he goes sans pillow: I've tried and failed.

I spent Saturday afternoon at Ikea filling in gaps in my new house: trust me, if I had the dough, I would have called DWR instead.

Beautiful. I adore your art collection and the interesting way you display it. And the gray wall with the gray couch, wow. I've been really into gray lately. Great job.

Can you please tell me where you got the orange plastic storage thing? I need something like that for my art supplies.

I'm relatively new here (lurking for the last few months), but at this point I had to comment...

I simply do not understand the nastiness / snobbishness of the posters, and general vitriol thrown at people and their homes on this site. For the life of me, I don't understand what would compel anyone to submit their home as a House Tour here. It seems 9 times out of 10 the majority of the comments people make about their peers' homes are not just negative, but plain mean spirited.

I guess I just don't get it. Can some AT "old timers" help me? While I look at many things on this site and think, "Well, I wouldn't have done it that way" etc., I can't imagine being compelled to log on and post things such as: "cluttered, confused, sterile, and showcasey. 'Pure, clean, and minimal' do not describe what must be the ugliest rug i've ever seen in the den (repurposed from automatic car wash!)"

What am I missing?

Oh! And I just wanted to add something about this actual House Tour: There is a lot I like in this home! I particularly enjoy the bedroom. I really respond to the "off kilter" (off-centered) minimalism there. The colors are very soothing. My bedroom actually looks like the "brown bedrooms" and "brown and jewel tones" posts from earlier today (and I love - and am glad to see I'm in style! [though now I'll probably have people reply and tell me how tired my bedroom is]), I also have a design fantasy to have a home full of "quiet" rooms like the bedroom posted here. Wish I could have multiple homes to carry out all of my "design fantasies" ;)

"However there are instances where it appears evident that the occupant has substituted a sense of style for a credit card and a catalog."

... which is why i'd not readily offer up my own interior for an AT smackdown. folks would overlook the "demo-ed and rebuilt the entire house with my own two hands" and harsh on the eames lounger next to the goetz sofa.

oh well.

I'm prepared to forgive the DWR extravaganza-osity because the art collection is so wonderful. EVERY picture Lawrence has on his walls is refined, subtle and high quality.

And I love the view of the cranes. It's not a construction site - it's a temporary industrial-chic installation!

The windows and light are nice, but sorry, the rest just looks like The Museum of Every Modern Cliche.

I like it, especially the bathroom and the artwork.

And the view is to die for.

I love that orange cabinet in slide #13! Where is that from?

I like it. The windows are wonderful, and a much better focal point than the customary television. It looks like someone's actual home, not an interior designer's version of what a guy's home should look like. It's stylish, but not pretentious. The colors are fine, I think. Good use of orange (something I've wanted to do, but have not yet been able to).

akay--

A good comparison, yes...

I think Dan is older (not that that's a bad thing!!), a little more traveled, and has gathered a layer of finishing touches that this home lacks... but will certainly accrue over time.

But to say his choice of Saarinen, Cherner and Eames is more original than Lawrence's choices of virtually the same designers is, quite frankly, not quite correct.

I'm having some serious chair envy! Lovely home...and I especially love all the light streaming in all the windows. If only I could create such a neat and clean look for my own home...but alas..I'm a pack-rat.

Wow, those comments are entertaining. I think anyone submitting their house should be prepared for negativity, some of it just mean, but alot of it being useful feedback.

As many have pointed the art collection is great. Even if you move around alot.. please don't be afraid to put some nails in the wall and hang it up! Or at least get some little ledge shelves so that you can showcase the work and still have some flexibility.

My favorite part is the wood stain on the flooring... looks great and adds warmth to the space.

Yeah some of the scale is off but the pieces are great and the space is fun and inviting and the art is incredible.

My only concerns is the coffee table being too small perhaps? And the bedroom just seems a tad messy? Or something, I think I don't like those sconces wires and the bed being off center from the sconces. Otherwise I think its great.

And yes, the view IS incredible.

Lawrence (if you are reading these), some comments are constructive criticism but I wouldn't take the rest too personally, there are a lot of wanna-be designers on here that really have no clue what they are talking about.

Peggy & k1tsun3,

"orange plastic storage thing/orange cabinet" is ONE by Piero Lissoni for Kartell. It's actually two pieces. The top is the basic with doors ($575). Th bottom also includes the feet ($642).

",I like it. The windows are wonderful, and a much better focal point than the customary television"


in the spirit of "constructive" criticism, I agree with this, and the views ARE amazing. So...that was well chosen (the view)

In LOVE.

Well it's nice to see art worthy of the name.

If the art is so great, why is it all on the floor?

It's not really my taste, but I think he's got a good eye. Having said that--if you're going to show a minimal bedroom, smooth out the coverlet. Surfaces are everything when that's what's on view.

I think the critical posts would be mitigated if AT bloggers didn't present every place as "wonderful, fabulous, supercute!"

Nice to see the editors are removing user's comments.. I simply pointed out the obvious and what alot of others seem to be thinking. Nice.

@Vovloguy,

Hmm, my perfectly constructive comment -- which violated the comment policy in no way -- seems to have been removed.

In rebuttal to the "smelling money" argument above, my post linked to another AT house tour that also had many expensive mid-century pieces received very positive feedback.

Editors: boo-urns.

i would also LOVE to know the source of the bathroom's long, shallow tub.

@akay,

I'm sorry your comment got deleted. I'd be curious to hear your view. I never wrote that expensive spaces don't get positive feedback. I do think it's hard to argue that there isn't some bias against people who can afford (a lot of) expensive furniture.

@MiklakMiklak

My example was Dan's house tour -- which also features many expensive, well-known mid-century pieces, but was met with overwhelming praise. What, then, is the difference between these two homes that causes such polar reactions if not the expense?

I mentioned that this house appears more obviously trite to us -- more like a page out of a DWR catalogue. Dan's home better integrated the famous pieces and was more imbued with personality.

Thinking about it more, I think you're partially right about this money bias. However, I think the distaste isn't for the cost itself, but rather the showiness of the cost. In other words, does it appear as though the owner is trying to suit their own tastes, or are they trying to impress others with the costliness of their tastes?

For example, do we hate McMansions because they are sprawling, or because the owners are trying so very hard to show off their wealth? A little of both, I think. It's not the wealth itself that offends us, but the desire to flaunt it. I think that's what is causing such a knee jerk reaction for so many here.

And besides, we're all used to closely examining the price when we peruse a catalogue. When a home looks so very much like a catalogue, of course we're prone to fixate on the price.

Hopefully you can read this malicious, off-topic post before it gets deleted ;)

@Akay,

I managed to catch your post this time, and I pretty much agree with all that you wrote.

I think where we differ is that this looks like a genuine space to me. I think this is how Lawrence lives and he got all that stuff because he likes it. There are enough personal touches that it seems carefully assembled to me and more like a home than a catalogue.

I'm willing to grant that I don't have the most discerning eye though and he could have me fooled.

But Dan posted about how he found stuff at flea markets and in the trash, which sort of mitigated the "I hate rich souless yuppies" stuff. And his place was much better accessorized and arranged than this place.

This guy needs a plant and a pet.

Thanks, miaedu, I will have to put that on my wishlist.

Hi. Cool apartment. Where is the living room rug from? Thanks.

what is that wonderful shade of gray-green on the wall in the photo that has the orange womb chair and the gray rag rug?

I love each and every one of the MCM pieces because they are classic, timeless works of art with clean lines and artful form. That being said...when they are all together in one space/home; they cancel each other out.

What are the dimensions of your living room? I'm moving into a new apartment and it appears to be a similar shape to your living room. I'm trying to figure out how to layout. Thanks!

Amazing...Lawrence has a great sense of style...Did you notice the Vespa...I think I saw an exhibition of his work a few years ago...I like that it was no overdone...The design of the townhouse is great - did he help with that?
Thanks for showing..............

Really? Where are the design elements? Looks like some rich guy went to DWR and bought everything there and crammed it all in his apartment. What an utter waste of over priced furniture. Lawrence really needs to hire an interior designer to help to mix things up instead of all the cliche DWR purchases.

Over 1300 sq ft and the writer calls this "small space living"? Especially since this seems, at the moment, to be inhabited by a person or a couple.

As to the apartment itself: I wouldn't go so far as to make a snippy comment, but it does feel like there's something missing, or not quite right. There's too much for the eye for it to be minimalist, but it's not quite cohesive. When I look at the photos focussing or smaller spaces, it looks good, and the classic pieces work together; it's the wider shots that make the place look more soulless. Perhaps, as someone else suggested, adding some texture would do it. I myself think additional or different art might better bring it this home together.

I have no problem with the furniture is this space. I'd buy it too if I could afford it; it's beautiful, classic stuff.

But does it bother anyone else that the living room furniture is arranged differently in almost every shot? Just an observation.

My two favorite things are the actual concept of the building and the bathroom. But I see that the main problem is that the rooms are really tiny and even the usual small space solutions, such as the arc lamp, are not proportioned to the space. The arc looks way too big and ends up looking like it's set up for the third degree. And I'm not sure how it would look at night. The view with all those cranes is delightful - they look like toys - and the lamp might blind you from what is probably an interesting night-time landscape.

The bathroom is perfect in effect and result. Can you tell me how that enclosure is attached? And what is the material?

There is something about this place that just feels "off". Like the guy pulled up to an empty white box with a U-haul full of DWR stuff 1 hour before the photo shoot started.

There is no sense of spatial relationship between the objects. No balance. No "soul" (regardless of all the artwork). Very cold, clinical, contrived and devoid of looking like a human being actually lived in this ad-hoc arrangement of a credit-card "style".

The various attempts at re-arranging different "name designer" pieces in various living room shots speaks more of name-dropping than any individual sense of design/style.

For Boston, this is often as cool as it gets...
Why are there no pillows on the bed? Looks super comfy, I want to climb in.

the house is great. the pieces are great...but the arrangement is bad. much of it looks like stuff that's just laying around. with a little help it could be really cool.

Love the light, the Eames rocking chair, the floor.

The house looks so clean, everything in it's place. Love that

I haven't read all the comments, so someone may have already said this, but if not - that is not a construction site you see out the window, it's an equipment yard - and they're not cranes, they're mobile lifts. Unless the apartment is super-soundproofed, that means annoying backup alarms at all times of day are a feature of this apartment. Something for homeowners and apartment-shoppers to be aware of if they see a similar view!

Emily the cat - good comment on the "view". One hopes the tenant works all day and relaxes at home at night. Still, maybe the place has spot lights that iluminate the lifts, giving the panorama an unreal almost tinkertoy aspect that is quite unique, don't you think? But you're right about the daytime noise; would drive me crazy at first but after the first month...

I think this place could use a nice plant or two, but Lawrence moves a lot, which is not good for plants.

That being said, did anyone read what he wrote about moving a lot and having to pick furniture that is timeless?

Overall, this is a nice apartment, and I don't really think people need to be rude about someone having too much expensive furniture. I do too, and I am really poor!

Michelle
http://cheeseloversinternational.blogspot.com/

Lawrence, you have created a GREAT living space!! I totally get your vision! Love the cranes...so cool. My other favorites: the orange cabinet, the long bathtub, the whole kitchen, the magnificent furniture, your art and most definitely the BEDROOM!! Don't change a thing- - -DON'T add a headboard!! This an amazing expression of who you are. Thank you for visually sharing your space with me.
From Los Angeles,

Lisa
PS Great exterior too!

Wow wow wow! I'm saving this to my "style tray." I need to look at this more slowly and read everything too and see what ideas I can steal.

The photographs are deceiving; furniture fits quite well and is appropriately sized. There's plenty of space around the dining room table, the arc lamp is well-scaled and the seating groups are intimate without feeling crowded.
As for the bathtub, I believe the photo distorts the dimensions of that fixture. It's a conventional 5' or 6' tub.
The views from the third floor are spectacular and well above anything in the foreground!

Well done!

Not much in the way of originality. As one wag put it earlier, this looks like a "DWR showroom." I'm getting tired of homes filled with mid-century-modern "icons!"

Very nice, iconic furnishing, bright space, great details and the Art looks interesting.... love the stairs!
Classic designer pieces will always remain a plus.
It might not be the most original decor but it is tastefully done.
BRAVO!