apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love that food pantry/cupboard thing. where is it from? It is a great piece for that space!

This is really beautiful! I actually like the color scheme, too... it seems cohesive without being matchy-matchy. Coordinating everything with the artwork and the rug might be too much, although I guess it all depends on the look she's going for. Beautiful "after" shots!

Ok, on second thought I'd love to see artwork that at least picks up on the blue-green thing she has going throughout the room. It's still nice as is, though.

Lovely afters. Nice place. I, too, am curious about the cupboard in the kitchen.

I also love the kitchen cupboard and have been looking for something like that! Where is it from?

Beautiful! Great work! May I ask where the adorable headboard was found?

Darling--great job & I love getting the update!
One idea when you get time/money/energy: maybe find some cute paper to cover the windows of the kitchen pantry piece--cover the clutter and unify with the other colors in the space. You could get some scrapbook paper or gift wrap & just cut out a size that would fit the glass or even be a bit smaller & just tape it to the inside.

thanks for the comments everyone! i just got dependable internet access, so that's another reason i asked my mom for help. i love my apartment now! the pantry is actually a bookshelf from ikea, it's the smadal unit with the glass door option. i hope to find some paper or material for it; i have wire to hang it with, but i'm not sure what to use for material or where to get it. as for the headboard, my mom found it at a garage sale and painted it white. it's so nice to have a home i love to come back to at the end of the day! and it would never have happened without apartment therapy! :)

-elizabeth

What fun! I really like the rug - it grounds the brighter colors and all the white - and the kitchen is adorable!

Guess the only thing that's bothering me now is the desk/television area - it looks a bit cluttered. Maybe some closed storage is in order, or at least a set of baskets or attractive bins to contain things? Also, to me the chair seems too big for the space. If this were my pad I'd probably keep the desk finish as-is but pair it with some simpler white shelves above and a smaller, white chair. AND, while I would toss the television entirely, you might consider setting it on a pretty little rolling table - maybe a vintage bar cart, painted white or gold?

I love the "after" photos of your place. You did a lot with just a few easy changes. Grad school is a lot of work; don't forget to breathe.

This is a lovely apartment.

This is a great time for you to experiment and try out new ideas, colors, configurations. Try not to get too caught up in making it perfect. You'll learn more about what you really like by trying whatever comes to mind....enjoy!

I was thinking the desk area seems a little confusing/cluttery too. I'm confused why aren't you using the secretary as a desk? Since you only have a laptop (not a huge flat screen monitor or anything) seems like you could use that as your work area, and get rid of the desk/use it as a kitchen table...
Love how you managed to make the tiny space so open, it looks really sweet and cozy. The only other things I'd add would be plants on the window sill and a pretty duvet cover.

Thanks for the cupboard info, Elizabeth. Enjoy your cozy home and good luck with your studies!

It's cute, but I think you still have way too much furniture.

The secretary could eliminate the need for the desk, for instance. And do you really need so much seating? A sofa, an upholstered chair, a desk chair, and three kitchen chairs, plus seating on the bed -- that's a LOT of seating for one small room.

It sort of looks like the home of someone who downsized and is trying to squeeze in all their old stuff. It's bright and pleasant, but it could be even better.

I just realized what the problem is: nothing in this space multitasks. I'm guessing you grew up in a big house where nothing had to.

What a transformation! You two did a great job -- I love the teal and apple green color accents. Thanks to you and to AT for showing the afters.

Love it. I always love to look at how different people set up their small spaces.

http://smallspaceresource.blogspot.com

Cozy!

I love that we (as in site) got an update. I hate never getting to see the afters. There are a few things bothering me though.

The desktop is cluttered, but I can look past that somewhat - but from where I see your television, how do you watch it? The chair might be facing it, but wouldn't it be practical to see it from the sofa (or at least the bed)?

The desk chair is much too large for the space - it just juts out in the middle of everything.

The rug doesn't fit into your style at all - it looks very awkward and I really don't see a way to tie it in anywhere.

In the kitchen, the doors are made of glass squares and shows off the clutter - but some simple paper should fix that.

Also I only spy one tiny lamp by the bed and what looks like some lighting under the shelf above your desk - it must get pretty dark in there.

I also think since you have a laptop that using the secretary as your desk would have been wonderful and would have eliminated the need for your desk. I realize you are in college, but you still have a kitchen table to spread out stuff on.

You also do have too much seating unless you throw parties on a daily basis. You could easily use one kitchen chair for your desk chair and simplify it. I remember the floorplan a bit - there was a small room you could have used the chair in to make a small reading room.

To Lisa (Montreal). Why so snarky? If you have some helpful and friendly suggestions, mention them. If not......

I think the color scheme looks pretty good. The place looks a lot homier now. But I agree that there's too much furniture and too much of it is single-task-oriented and doesn't take advantage of vertical space.

So I'd get rid of the desk and the small bookcase near the door and put up more wall shelves to hold all the books, pictures, etc. (Or at least, replace the short bookcase with a taller one). Then you can use the secretary as a desk. The white armchair or one of the kitchen chairs can be used as your desk chair. You'll have more floor space that way and the room will open up even more.

Theres nothing I love more than a hint of turquoise! Great job!

nmw - I wasn't being snarky, and I'm sorry if I came off that way. I just think the place would be more roomy if she used her furniture in a multi-purpose way, which people who live in small spaces are used to, but people who have always lived in big houses are not used to.

There's a LOT of redundancy. For instance, there's a desk, as well as a secretary that could be used as a desk, plus a kitchen table that could also be used as a desk. There's seating for seven, not counting the bed, which could also be multi-purposed to provide seating.

It's a cute place (as I said), but it was designed with a mind-set that people used to much more space have: there's a "living room" couch, "kitchen" chairs, etc., and no attempt to make anything serve two functions.

That's all I was trying to point out. Again, sorry if the comment came across as anything other than a helpful suggestion.

Lisa (Montreal) -- I think I'm the only one to agree with you so far. I do think the person living here should keep both a table and somewhere for her laptop - but I'd ditch the desk and put the laptop in the secretary. I'm still trying to figure out why one person needs three or four dining chairs when she lives by herself? If it was my place though I would keep both the loveseat and chair - I couldn't stand using my bed as seating.

There really are places to create double duty, so you may want to consider editing a couple of things (some chairs and maybe your kitchen table?) before adding a coffee table. If you think you need a coffee table, consider using a small ottoman with storage. Put a thrift store tray on it for double as a coffee table and extra seating.

Hosting a study group? A vacuumed floor is perfectly servicable.

Don't let anyone sit on your pretty bed.

And I LOVE the turquoise. Good luck in school.

I love it. You both did a fantastic job of opening the space up and the colors are lovely!

thanks for the comments everyone! having a lot of desk space was actually in my original idea for the apartment. i didn't grow up in a big house, but i'm studying music, and almost constantly, i have sheet music and books spread out over the desk, bed, two chairs, couch, secretary, and floor...i do a lot of comparative work and that's the easiest way for me to see all the music at once. the secretary was a great find because i can gather all the messy scores and store them away out of sight! any suggestions for storage and easy access of loose sheets of paper that can't be stapled?