apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Nice enough, but rather blande and doesn't feel "pulled together". Maybe more of a work in progress?

I know I should be over birds but I love the bird painting.

I like the cozy, yet airy feeling of your place. The artwork is beautiful, but the 2 pieces above your bed are hung too high, imo. Also the one in the kitchen could be hung slightly higher, again, imo.
I found it interesting that you could up and sell all your stuff without hesitation, and yet love it simultaneously. That really is freedom. Great job!

I love this ! It's very peaceful and I like the different shades of blue throughout. Proves that you can have something great on any budget.

p.s. by kitchen i meant dining area.

I love it -
tranquil and simple...

This is a really peaceful, cozy space that feels free of clutter. I love the cool tones throughout and the architectural details (doorways, niches) are a score.

The dining area really lives up to the name simple sanctuary... it's just perfect. Very restful.

Love the dining chairs... can you tell me where to find these?

where is the turquoise bird print from?

I voted cool. Too sparse for me but very beautiful and relaxing and everything you set out for it to be.

Its a little 'starter/ikea' for me but I think the taste level is there and I have no doubt that your place will evolve as the income starts to come in. Its nice!

I love the bird painting in the dining area!!

cute apt! are those shelves over the radiators? what are they made out of? do you take them down when theyre turned on?

the hanging paper lights are so cool - where/how?

I love the dining chairs too, and the bird painting.

Again, kind of bleh for this contest, probably perfectly fine for real life. If this was my first post-college apartment, i'd be pretty pleased with it.

Why the photos of the entrance and the bathroom, though? They're both totally empty shots!

I really love the painting in the top pic. The rest I'm kinda on the fence about.

It feels very zen, and relaxed, if a little austere.....

I'm voting super cool because I know she will make good use of the prize.
Lots of people with a lot more money don't have an eye like this - the proportions flow really well, even though all the elements are inexpensive. Great taste.
I don't know if she did the "cure", but it seems like a poster apartment for small, cool, healthy, happy.

I love it. I wish I lived there.

nice enough but not really a legit contender. just seems like the nice apartment of a friend. nothing interesting or extraordinary or particularly stylish or innovative. but i do like it. just not in this context. i do like the decor you've got in there though. good choices.

Wow. A single bed. Don't see those too often. Loving the bird painting/poster (?) and the chairs too!

Love the birdie pic! too cute! I liked your place, your decor is clean and simple with nice touches of color and fabulous dining chairs...but I wish I could have seen a pic of the kitchen...you only gave us a peek through the lovely archway.

great art

Looks great. Gotta clean the rust stain on the sink! ;)

Yeah - somehow this came off as being small and claustrophobic even though its more SqF than a lot of other entrants.

Now that you've got a nice basic set up going I'd invest in some more solid, lasting piece of furniture to replace the Ikea bits. You'll appreciate them over time, and they can really make a small space pop!

Love that dining room.

i agree with *wannabe minimalist*

as a fellow grad student (although, science not art :) i know how difficult it can be to tastefully decorate an apartment on a budget thats often so small that even ikea can be too expensive!! (also, not having a car can make taking advantage of craigslist difficult too ... sigh, personal gripes here!)

i think everyone should keep in mind that a lot of people have budgets and resources that are almost non-existant... esp in grad school!

and although better furniture is an investment - if you can only afford to spare $30 , then you don't have much of a choice -

i think that this apartment is really adorable and i love all the artwork - and its even more impressive considering the above... imagine what could be done if there was actually some $$ especially considering what a great eye she obviously has - love it!

good design is for everyone and **EVERY** budget!!

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10087644

These are the chairs, but it looks like she painted them blue, which is a really good idea. I just bought some and I can imagine they'll get a little dingy after a while.

The lights are IKEA, too, I'm pretty sure.

Lovely artwork in this apartment. I wish my friends would give me stuff like that.

Also love the bird painting. Did a friend make that one too? If so, does s/he have a website/etsy shop/ebay store with other work available?

Your dining area is fantastic. I hope you move on to the second round.

I really enjoyed viewing your apartment. I love your dining area, great scale for the place. Despite not being a big apartment, it does have an airy, restful feel to it. The color scheme is restful. Kudos for keeping it simple and still making it feel like a real home.

Thanks for sharing your pics with us. :)

I really love that metal frame in your bathroom. Did you layer that or did it come that way? If purchased, where did you get it?

Thanks!

stephanie, we will be most pleased when you share the artist info of the gorgeous bird painting (it makes your apartment, w/ the hanging lamp, a prize winner i feel)!
tj

Love that blue and white together with the bird painting. The first picture is a stunner.

Wow sorry everyone for the delayed response! I am in the middle of my finals week. So I will answer your questions:

1. The bird painting is actually a painting I did several years ago. If you would like one I would be more than happy to do some more or make prints of it. I will be opening an esty account over the summer months. My tag name is jbirdy.

2. The metal frames were also done by me, although the prints in them are from an artist named Gina Alvarez. An amazing, inspiring teacher I had while studying abroad. She has an etsy account..."ginat." She is also from St. Louis and you should really check out her work! :)
I made the frames from galvanized steel that I bought at a factory for super cheap. They cut it down for me, then I drilled throught the metal and attached small pieces of wood to the back, this allowed me to screw in eye hooks in the back so I could hang it. Then I framed the print between a peice of plexi and foam core and secured the corner hooks you can buy for really cheap at Hobby Lobby. I super glued magnets to the back of the foam core so it would attach to the metal. Phew! Hope that helps. :)
3. The chairs I got at at Ikea, they were on sale for 15 a chair last year.
If you would like to buy a bird painting, contact me at sbarenz@blc.edu. Thanks!

Also the lights are from IKEA, $40 a peice. The radiators came with the metal shelves installed. I know that CB2 has some good options for this though.

And LOL about the single bed comment...what can I say...I can't afford a double...also it was free, who can pass that up?

To me it's really a fairly big apartment for one person, but seriously I think it's rather nicely done given what she says. And really, I think you do kind of need to read what the person says. These apartments are homes of real people in real lives doing interesting things with WILDLY varying amounts of resources.

That bird painting is so sweet.

Thanks Curtis! What a nice thing to say. :) I actually got a discount on the apartment so that is why I have so much extra space. I used to live in a studio but due to a series of events I had to move out of that one and my landlord gave me this one for the same price.

My favorite so far! Uncluttered yet Personal. Warm without giving off the impression that you tried too hard. Bravo, steph24! Thanks for sharing. : )

A really great start here.

But the single bed with 2 (beautiful) paintings as headboard(s) just doesn't look right.
Plus that uneven pairing on the wall is wrong.

Otherwise the (2) little area rugs do nothing for the living room, or the dining room; especially with such nice floors.