apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i love the dresser - the legs give it some fun character. where's it from?

I love that rug!

Noooo for that rug being a craigslist find. I really want to know where it's from. Anyone have any idea?

Lizzie had great taste-evident in her pared down color scheme and mixing of styles. And it's very warm. Yay!

Definitely one of my favorites so far. I like the way the duvet cover, the map and other items work with the colors in the rug without being matchy-matchy.

Really nice space. I love that it's under 400 sq. ft. That's small & cool!

Cute space..I don't like the new HUGE red buttons for this contest..anybody else?

Hello all,
I found the little dresser at a moving sale (for $7!) but it was all scraped up so I repainted it that almond color. The rug was originally from crate and barrel but I got it on craigslist about 3 years ago... I am a poor grad student so secondhand is the way I roll!
--Lizzie

sweetheart, I feel the same way. It's not that they're bad/ugly, they're just SO huge that I always pass over them, sub-consciously thinking that they're ads! So I'll be scrolling up and down the page like 12 times going "where is the slideshow link!"

Very nice, well done.

nicely done.

LOVE the colour scheme, also the wicked awesome dvd crates and tv set up. You have such a cute home. Jealous!

agreed, not a fan of the prescription pill/red alert/we're under attack button.

great home! so cute! tidy, fully-functional, every area has a role and the 'divisions' (i.e., bed area & living space & dining room) flow neatly into the next!

love the pretty white pot full of succulents!

That is indeed cozy!
I have a similar dresser for my tv stand.
I miss having radiators.

You got style, girl!!!!

Bad Buttons! Too big and cartoon-like design does not fit into the A.T. site.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

this is super cute & looks really comfy to live in. inventive style on a budget is my favourite kind!
(& not cartoon-like at all).

Very nice. Did you have pictures of the kitchen?

Lovely. I can sympathize with the rental-on-a-grad-student-budget, and I think you've done a great job.

One question - do you ever want a table or some kind or surface (for drinks, books, etc.) in the living area?

I hate those red buttons too! I too keep thinking they're ads and not "seeing" them.

Where is everyone getting those large initial letters? I want a few!

great example of creating your own personal style and incorporating high end inspiration into a place on a budget. good job.

Lizzie: I LOVE that duvet cover... where did you get it?

I love your place. It's simple, colorful, and nicely arranged. Not to mention, you didn't have to spend a ton of money to do it! Good luck, I hope you win!!!!

aladywhoknows, my letters came from ebay and thrift stores, but i know you can buy them in lots of boutiqe-type stores too.
gourdsaregorgeous, the kitchen is pretty standard and i am unfortunately not "allowed" to change anything in there (i.e. paint the cabinets), but you will see it if I make it to the next round!
ellechicago, the duvet cover is from Ikea three or four years ago (it was only 14.99 and has held up really well).

:) lizzie

Beautiful!! I'm a fellow Chicagoan and have looked at many places that small...love what you've done with it!!

P.S. I saw your thread on Etsy!!

Nice! I like that this apt shows you dont have to spend a ton of cash to look good (based on the lizzie's comments!)

Great entry! Very simple, very cozy.

You are right about the rug being the "unifying element". It's perfect.

Also, I love to see an entry from those whose previous posts show that they participate in our AT community!

really lovely apartment!! it's both polished and relatable. i'm voting super cool :)

yes, i keep scrolling past the Big Red Button thinking it's an ad! no me gusta.

oh, also...the fact that you have old school My So-Called Life DVDs totally sold me before I looked at the slide show ;)

Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Great color, great style, a comfy real home for real people. No built-ins, no big bucks, just a good eye. Genuinely small, genuinely cool.

Very nice the way you have used vintage and used furniture and pulled it all together

And if you win you could get this cool coffee table from are friends at Room&Board :)http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product.do?method=get&id=313075&coll=377693&cat=91552826

Please come decorate my apartment, Lizzie! Maybe in May? :)

Very nice. I appreciate your comment about coziness, too.

Agreed about the red buttons. I spent a silly amount of time yesterday looking for the slideshows because I thought the buttons were ads.

Very nice place. You said it best about your place having a sense of warmth and coziness...it sure does. :-)

love the dollies lined up on the desk . . .
super cute super liveable teeny tiny place

What a fantastic little apartment! charming, functional and welcoming. Gets my vote!

big metal initials are from anthropologie (which I always want to shorten to anthro--is that weird?)

So nice! It's great to see such a lovely place done on a normal-person budget. Small/Cool doesn't have to be Exorbitant/Designer.

Impresses without coming across like a catalog interior. Your home is small, tidy, and cozy. And you actually worked within the challenging constraint of a student's budget. That says resourcefulness to me.

so cozy, stylish and realistic! i love love love that rug, too. and the bedspread.
what are the dimensions of your living room?
your apartment is smaller than mine but looks spacious in these photos...

The books and the carpet together create mega-coziness!

I love this! It looks so comfortable, warm, and fun to live in. I'm so glad there are awesome entries like this that prove you don't have to gut an apartment and spend thousands of $$ to have a small cool place.

So very serene, and I love that the pictures give such a good idea of how you love. The bed is hidden just enough. The rug looks like it as the jumping off place for the apartment's vibe. Well done.

I wish my apartment while I was in Grad school looked this good!

Well done. Super cool.

And I, too, spent a ridiculous amount of time looking for the "see all pics" button yesterday, I was just about to post "Where can I see the pictures?" when I finally saw the nasty red button. I'm glad I'm not the only one who missed it--funny that we can't "see" it.

Love the rug! It's amazing that you've taken such a small space & made it appear so roomy. An inspiration.

love the books the carpet the dresser/tv stand. very cozy and original, so many on AT seem to advocate getting rid of book/dvd collections but a home without books is sad

Moddog, thanks for the coffee table suggestion!
Guido, good eyes for noticing the little dolls on the desk! (i sell them at thelulubird.etsy.com if anyone is intersted:)
HollyinDC, the main room (living room/sleeping room) is approx 11 x 17 ft!

Thanks for all the nice comments, everyone! And thanks for reinforcing that you don't have have/spend lots of money for small/cool, and that necessity can lead to fun resourcefulness and creativity... Lizzie

LaDonnaNicole, I totally agree! I LOVE books!

I wish I could see more of what has happening in the apartment... what does the kitchen look like? the bathroom? entryway?

Nice and personal space, Lizzie. And I have to weigh in on the Big Red Button - yucky. It seems to me it should echo the headline.

I love it! You have great furniture. And I agree, that rug is fabulous!

i really like this - it looks 'doable' and lived in which is nice. i also like the furniture layout and the vignette of the books with the letter. the only thing i would kindly suggest is perhaps dressing the bed a bit more with nice pillow shams - other than that lovely lovely start.

I love it. Simple and looks larger than it is. This place looks like a happy home to me.

Where's the comforter from? Or is it a duvet? I love the Ae shot too. The little touches here are nice.

I like the bed/couch arrangement. For some reason it works for me.

Your apartment is the same size as mine! I lvoe what you've done with your space.

Very nice place for under 400 sq ft.
But lower the art.
Look at it while sitting, if that's where it's enjoyed, then lower it accordingly.

Nice job, especially on a budget and with such tight space. My college apartment was that small, but nowhere near as appealing as your have made your place.

The rug is cute, and I think someone in one of the contests a year or so ago had it too and said it was from Target. Whatever the source, it looks good.

very pleasing, I like the way the tv looks on that chest of drawers and the rhyme of the books spines and the carpet colors. the proportions of everything seem perfect and soothing.

Argh, how did this not get "super cool"?!

It looks amazing! The rug is lovely and the living room is very cozy.

I am using your apartment photos to show my husband that we can definitely downsize to a smaller apartment for just a year when our lease is up at our current one. We'd save almost $300 a month, which would really help since we're saving for a down payment on a house!

Thank you for sharing this. :)

I don't think a single person has shown their bathroom yet. What's up with that?

Great apartment on a budget!

love it! tiny and so awesome. i'm saddenned people are attracted by the shiny and don't notice the amount of thought and budget-wise thinking that went here. lovely place and totally super cool!

I totally love your place! The only think I wish was different was the DVD storage... but the rug, oh my gosh.. I'm so in love with it!

Hooray for cute apts! :)

-Jess

Love your sense of style - it's comfortable and not theme-y, which is refreshing. Inspires me to sit quietly with a cup of herbal tea.

very nice!

where are the metal letters from?

and the bed sheets?

i think it's really cute

i have never seen shalom of safed on AT before. its a first!

Lovely place, made even better by Shalom of Safed My So-Called Life :)

I'd love to know the paint color - seems like perfectly warm not-too-off white - just what I'm looking for!

I really like those book crates. Where did you get them?

Bryku, the book and dvd crates are all from garage sales and flea markets. You can get them on ebay as well (but then you have to pay shipping, and they can be kind of heavy to ship)... They have a great weathered look to them that adds to the cozy-factor, and i really love how each one is different.
--Lizzie

very nice

where r the carpets from?

I love the use of color...

I am moving into a unit in Chicago w/ this exact same floor plan! And the way I'm envisioning the use of the space is almost the same as Lizzie has done here. I'm excited to enter Small Cool next year. :-)

Lizzie, Love your attitude and style. You did a great job with a small place. You don't need lots of money to have a nice place. Kudos to you. Thanks for the info. about your little dolls..I also noticed them and wondered where they were from. Thanks for sharing.

thanks for all your warm comments, everyone. it's been so fun to share my space with you :)
--lizzie
http://thelulubird.blogspot.com/