apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Great Place. I love the books in the fireplace.

Tasty and refreshing

breath of fresh air. i've looked and looked and can only just make out the layout of your place. what's the square footage? those birds in the bathroom are so sweet! i love that just about everything was under $100 each. well done!

heather leaf, i did a rough measure & it's around 460 sq ft. if it helps you figure it out, there is a murphy bed in a main room, the closet is a walk-through, & there is a narrow kitchen. it's very small, but i love it!

thanks everyone! i moved in just this may. i broke out my book & did the cure while i was moving. i encourage everyone to try & join in on this fall cure.

Oh I love the colors, very refreshing! I love the "FROSTY" color that is used. I'm looking for something similar for my wash room.

What a fabulous place! Front-runner, in my opinion.

Beautiful!

Now THIS is an entry! I love your place, Mariegael! One of the best yet! Good luck!

I love the house! You have an amazing eye!

I even love the name you gave it, the Frosty Mango is an excellent tropical fruit flavoured ice-creamery up north.

This place is amazing. I especially love the kitchen, but it's all great.

I think you deserve to make it to the finals!

mariegael, thanks for replying! yup, i love your apartment so very much. what a smart idea to complete the cure on a blank slate (figuring out what you would bring INTO your new home instead of what to take OUT of a current one). perfect!

gorgeous house. i love the eating area and all the wall art!

thanks!

linda, all of the wall art (except for the post card & the rastorbation in the kitchen) is my own. 2 are works in progress, but i like to hang them up as i work on them. so, that means allot to me.

This is beautiful! There are so many things I love about this place - the blue light reflecting off the green jar in the first picture, the soft lamplight throughout, the books stacked in the fireplace. Plus, anyone who gets their inspiration from a Tide box is cool in my book. Great job, Mariegael!

Oooh this is very nice! I love all the colorful artwork and the books in the fireplace. It's great that you were able to decorate with pieces under $100. I should take you shopping with me!

Oh I forgot to mention...love your fat kitty on the bed! Too cute!

it's bright, but also very soothing...great job!

eye candy..love it but don't like the books in the fireplace too symbolic or something not right for me.

Kitty is too cute.

Great job--and I'm especially happy to see an entry from Charleston!

aw i love this place

I've seen a lot of entries I really like so far during the contest, but yours is even more special. It's so creative and unique, so energetic and yet soothing. It's really fabulous!

love the birds in the bathroom!!!

thanks everyone! i'll try to answer all questions.

coopertx- thank you! my grandmother recently passed, & she collected depression glass. she wanted us all to keep a few things. they reminded me of the bright colors in stained glass. so, i put them in a place where light would shine through.

suzy8track- my sources are mainly ebay & craigslist. if you look, you can find great deals even on everyday things. it makes shopping more like a scavenger hunt! oh, & that fat kitty is on a diet! i adopted her even bigger, if you can believe it.

lorisf- thanks! i wondered about that fireplace quiet a bit. i didn't mean it to be symbolic, but i was worried people would take it that way. i just don't have a bookshelf. my last apartment had built-ins. i tried storing them up high, but i needed to be able to access them easily b/c they are mostly research related.

wvlinz- :D i think we need a "middle of nowhere" section on AT. haha it's a big adjustment from living in downtown columbus, but i love hearing the crickets & seeing stars again.

carlac- the birds are super easy! i used to have them above my desk in my last place. if you do an image search on google or in your library, you can find field guides to animals. then, it's just a matter of adjusting the size, increasing the contrast, cutting them out, & gluing them to nice paper. the frames were something like $2 for 4 at ikea. the cuckoo clock is seriously old & from germany. so, i can't help ya there. heh i have this gorgeous, vintage green tile in there. so, i didn't want anything that would fight with that color.

I love this. It's a great balance of white and fruity fresh colors. It's playful without being childish.

beautiful work!
love the colors and the artwork is pleasing to the eye.
glad to hear you adopted your pretty kitty with the name i cant pronounce.

you did a great job.

sassydo- hehe that's ok. i adopted her from a friend of mine who was a physics major at MIT. so, in honor of him, i named her after Schrödinger's cat, a thought experiment in quantum mechanics. i'm a total nerd.

mviamontes- THANKS! that is exactly what i was going for, playful.

Oh, gorgeous! I love every aspect of it.

I like everything about this place :
art, colours, how you arranged "fireplace", news paper-holder :)... Everything!

I bet it is an adjustment but downtown Charleston is really a hidden gem. From your apt I'm guessing you are in the east end, as am I. No Ikea, but no rush hour traffic either!

Question - I love the fireplace, especially how bright it is - my current fireplace has black tiles on the ground and fake painted brick on the inside. Does anyone know how to re-tile the area in-front of the fireplace? Does it require special tiles or special heat-resistant grout? (There is still a gas fireplace in the fireplace). Thanks

Beautiful and refreshing ! Well done !

Winner vote!

I love the flat planes of color here and there.

I love it! it's tiny, yet inviting. there's a lot of energy in the colors but they're grown-up too. I love how all of the areas are unique yet easily blend in to one another. this one is a winner!

wvlinz- yeah, you're right. the thing i most miss is coffee shops. i had to buy a coffee maker. i'm saving money, but i miss being able to grab a book & sit in a coffee place for hours. also, i miss whole foods. :P do you know of a place around here that sells locally grown veggies?

blankdc- i have no clue. try submitting that question in an email to AT. mine still has a gas line too. that's why i have a plant in the back. if you don't use it much, you can lean a really large piece of art in front of it. i had a place like that a few years ago. it wasn't functional. i covered the fake brick w/ a kind of silver leafing & put stacks of pillar candles in there. the silver made the whole thing glow. funny story about that place ... one day, i walked into my living room & there was snow all over the place b/c my land lord hadn't plugged the fireplace. haha there should be a post all about crazy apt stories!!! how fun would that be?

everyone else- thank you! if i place i will finally be able to buy a couch. my last one couldn't fit through the door so i gave it to someone who needed it. most of all, it is just nice to see the risks i took validated. i'm a fairly shy person & have trouble expressing my true self socially. so, i do it with art, fashion, & my home. it's like my diary in code. i really appreciate the feedback.

mariegael,

have you been to taylor books on capitol street? bookstore, gallery, coffeeshop, live music on weekend nights and central gathering spot. there are a couple of others downtown as well. capitol market has local produce in season and good produce inside, though not local, all year.

my email is lindsayhilton@yahoo.com and if you need any info about charleston i am more than happy to help out.

yes, i've been there quite a bit. thanks!

i love the small table/brown and white striped picture/lamp combo right by the fireplace. i think that stands out the most to me in your apt b/c it is really warm and inviting! very nice!

I really hope the judges choose this one. The colors are very calming and exciting at the exact same time. The rooms are put together so nicely where there is a simpleness, yet nothing is boring, there is always something to look at. She has done so much with so little space. And original art is always a plus!

I really like this studio. It's charming and cozy and the use of color is just right. I'm a HUGE fan of small spaces and this one is amazing! Good luck. Hope you make it to the finals.

livealoneinpawtucket,

i more than welcome criticisms if you actually have one, but you should know it's more than a little transparent when all of your comments are rude except your first, which i'm assuming is a friend. ESPECIALLY when you just joined last week. be specific & be constructive.

Lovely and peaceful. Must be a great place to come home to.

This is my favorite of all. The colours are peaceful and calming. Great atmosphere! Good Luck!!

thanks to everyone who voted for me!

Congrats on advancing to the next round! We knew we were in for a fight when we saw we were up against your apartment. We love the blue chair and the fireplace. Best of luck in the contest! Cheers, Brett and Gretchen

awwwe thanks!

Mariegael-

I love Fall colors but do not usually ever comment..... but... I wanted to tell you how beautiful your place is. There are many lovely entries but so many seem so predictably mid-cent. modern or swedish minimal or they seem to be straight from the pages of a West Elm catalog, but your place is original and clean and bright- but still soothing. I love the shot of your bathroom and the colors in the kitchen....and the tile around the fireplace. I have a feeling that your home would look alluring no matter how little money you used or had- which CANNOT be said about many of the more attractive entries (unfortunatley it seems that you can buy style to an extent- however you cannot buy the feeling that your home evokes- KUDOS- MarieGael!) Your place instantly struck me and I will continue to vote for it. I am dismayed to see that your entry is just behind (in the voting) "Chistine's Bright and Cheerful"- please. Good Luck, Brisha

thanks allot. i'm a tad bummed about that.

i appreciate all of the comments people have left. maybe you'll see me again in small cool.

Sorry to see you lost. Your entry and Catherine's Outside Inside were my two favorites. Congrats on having a truly lovely home though. (and a cute cat!)

hello again- Really love your place and the building itself looks like thought you might have a good suggestion. I rent half of victorian house and my living room has an old chandelier coming down from 11 ft ceilings. I cannot remove it or replace it- the only option I can imagine is too paint the tarnished bronze metal or replace the three (newer) glass bulb shades that flower out from it (they seem to be what offends me about the structure. Where might I find pretty glass 'bulb shades' that fit on with the tension of three screws. Anthropologie, maybe? any ideas?

wow. i honestly do not know. if it were me, i would find out what they are called & then look on ebay. that's where i've found almost everything i have. i don't know what your style is, but i had that issue in my last place. they had those flame looking bulbs. i just got round bulbs that they use for vanity mirrors in a frosted glass. i think it looked pretty cool. i have a really ugly, 80s style ceiling light that i can't do anything to. what i do is avoid using it & i made sure none of the mirrors are positioned in a way that would reflect the image of the thing. anyway, i have seen the old style bulb shades in more traditional places like pottery barn & restoration hardware, but they are a bit too traditional for me.

I love your house! A lot of these entries I'm not really seeing the outstanding colors but this one I REALLY did in a beautiful way. The blues are gorgeous and I love all the ways you reflected that and the ocean feel of it. So, so pretty and inspiring.

Your cat is the cutest!