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House Call: Laura & Eric's Adams Morgan Condo
Washington, DC

Names: Laura and Eric
Location: Adams Morgan, Washington, DC
Size: 962 square feet
Type: Condo owned for 5 years in a Beaux Arts building

Longtime Apartment Therapy reader Laura sent us photos of her lovely Adams Morgan home, which she decorated herself. The home has warm, exposed brick walls and wood beams. The condo feels much larger than its 962 square feet because of the open rooms and natural light. Click through the photos to take a mini-tour of this lovely home and read more about the place...

 
 

AT Mini-Survey

Style: modern/eclectic
Inspiration: I like modern, clean lines in addition to mixing color with neutrals. I like collecting posters from the places I’ve traveled and then hanging them in my apartment. Most of my art comes from trips I have taken to New York, China, France, and Russia.
Favorite aspect: The light is great – there are 16 windows. I like that it’s a big loft-like apartment with exposed brick and many unique features. I like the French doors going to the bedroom and the open feel of the place.
What friends say about it:They love it.
Furniture stores and resources: Over the years I have bought a lot of my furniture from Miss Pixie's, Ruff 'N Ready, Ikea, and West Elm.

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Comments (43)

Thanks for sharing your space. Have you ever thought of repositioning the dining table so that it runs parallel to the windows rather than perpendicular?

posted by j i on June 18th 2009 at 3:48pm
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I love the dining table but can't quite get a close enough look at it. Is that a laquered top or stained wood top? Looks like a lovely orangey color. Can you share more about it? Thanks! Great lively house : )

posted by ammanda on June 18th 2009 at 4:13pm
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and this place is worthy of a house tour because...?

posted by JeffC on June 18th 2009 at 4:27pm
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well she's got some really nice pieces but maybe they haven't lived there long? the lack of curtains or window coverings makes the place seem empty. i really like the furniture, rugs, and lamps (with the exception of the leather ikea couch) but it lacks something.

posted by thepictures on June 18th 2009 at 4:38pm
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Thanks for sharing, but I agree with JeffC... It's just, busy and no design asthetic other than a couple random pieces of furniture.

Laura
http://www.grafxnerd.net

posted by grafxnerd on June 18th 2009 at 4:44pm
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"I love the dining table but can't quite get a close enough look at it. Is that a laquered top or stained wood top?"

It's a butcherblock top w/ a glass overlay.

I really like the apartment itself...
...but other than the furniture in the dining area including the fabulous but poorly-positioned credenza, the green vintage armchair and some accessiories - I don't see much else that's noteworthy.

posted by bepsf on June 18th 2009 at 5:07pm
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i love the place itself (checkered floor and brick!) but not the decor so much. The backthroom seems so out of place...

posted by frozenemotion9 on June 18th 2009 at 6:02pm
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Don't really know why, but it seems that most of the comments so far have come from folks who apparently woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. In all truth, when I saw this place (especially the openness of the space), I called my wife in, saying, "Check this place out. I'm pretty sure you'll dig this!" I was right; she did! Anyway, I appreciate how this tour looks like someone's home. It's not perfect, and that's actually refreshing! I'm getting pretty bored with house tours that are reflections of nothing more than the thickness of the homeowners wallet. This place is just fine, and any "improvements" that may come along in the future will fall into place. Thanks for the tour!

posted by jef613 on June 18th 2009 at 7:34pm
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Can anyone i.d. the rug in the first shot?

posted by AyJayKay on June 18th 2009 at 8:15pm
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What I love the most about this condo is that it seems to express the personality and uniqueness of the people who live in it. The accessories, colors and unusual furnishings in this condo make it a hip and happening place. I appreciate the colors, the taste and the talent of the owner who decorated it. Thanks for sharing one of the most interesting I've seen on here!

posted by Gingerpie on June 18th 2009 at 9:49pm
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I really dig your place! Sometimes I get that "Ooh, I wanna live here!" feeling looking house tours, but this is more of a "I can actually SEE myself living here". It's eclectic, colourful, not too precious, not too cluttered, and all around awesome.

posted by natomaton on June 18th 2009 at 10:18pm
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I also really liked this place as it is a real home on a real budget. I liked that the owners have had fun with colour and experimented with interesting colour combinations.

posted by Pippin on June 19th 2009 at 12:17am
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I love the dinning room table and the chairs look a little familiar. I really the contrasts of everything! I love the wood floors, the color is very nice and it looks expensive.

But personally I don't like the paint in the living room area =[ the contrast of the blue green and the shades of red from the floor and bricks really bother me. Also I feel that the office space shouldn't have the checker board style floor because it distracts the mind.

Overall I love your place because it's kind of minimalist because you have what you really need.

posted by Lela on June 19th 2009 at 4:17am
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I'm in the camp of people who got up on the right side of the bed. I love this place! I could also see myself there, and am mentally positioning my own furniture. (Oddly, I don't have too much "designer stuff", but what I have is great.) It's got a great floor plan in an awesome city. I love the brick and the wood floors.

I would have tons of books up on those lovely shelves, and people would gripe about my book clutter. To each, his own. Great job!

posted by Rev. Bee T. on June 19th 2009 at 7:15am
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I'm impressed with the airy feel in such a small place, love the black/white tiles in the kitchen and creative storage solutions (credenza).

I like your color sense.

posted by Junobeth on June 19th 2009 at 9:09am
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In looking at the pics, there are lots of great things here, such as the dining room area adjacent to the kitchen and like how the kitchen was done, however, there are some things here that don't work with me.

One is that narrow flat wall between the dining area and the kitchen with a space and something behind it and then a bookcase, looks kind of random.

Another is the 2x4 studs with their sills/headers that define the living area, it just bothers me, why not just remove then entirely, unless structural, even if they are, there are much better ways to accomplish this IMO.

And finally, I'm not sure I like that 3 light fixture suspended in the middle of the living area for it does not seem to belong there and it looks like a surface mounted wiring track/ceiling mount was run to make this happen and the fixture does not go with anything else lighting wise. While I like track lighting for some things, here they seem to be used everywhere as I'd rather, for instance see a nice changelier or globe light over the dining table instead of the light that is up there.

I would also agree the green, from what other colors I see seems random and not fitting into what's there already.

Otherwise, a nice job in such an interesting space.

posted by ciddyguy on June 19th 2009 at 6:19pm
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Wow....it's amazing to get that much color and prints into a space without it looking cluttered. Great job!

posted by baileyb on June 19th 2009 at 6:24pm
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very cool layout and the space is filled well, not too cluttered. obvious lack of original art though. DC has such a great community of artists and places where you can find amazing original art at the same prices you pay for some of the posters I see!

Gail
http://gvollrath.com/

posted by gvollrath on June 20th 2009 at 9:55am
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I like the light pouring in...

posted by aychihuahua on June 20th 2009 at 4:41pm
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I like the warmth plus the vibrant use of colors throughout. The green in the living room actually works for me. That poster above the leather sofa is too high. Drop it down a few inches and don't center it. When you're sitting in a chair in the living room admiring it, you'll injure the T1 or T2 because of the high angle. I agree with the comment to place the dining table parallel to the windows. Love the black and white kitchen floor. The bathroom is killing me: no color at all, not even black. Will.I.am Drop the beat now!

posted by FallingAcorn on June 20th 2009 at 8:38pm
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I think it's a great place and with 962 square feet, you really made it look spacious. :)

posted by chesrow78 on June 22nd 2009 at 1:34pm
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I also think your place is great. The vast amount of light is amazing with the colors used in your decoration. I also love that you've used pictures/painting/posters from your travels.

posted by brannan on June 22nd 2009 at 1:45pm
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I like it!

posted by orangeblossom on June 22nd 2009 at 1:58pm
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Wow... is anyone else really sick of hearing people snark on peoples homes?

I really dig this place and when I read down the comments, it totally felt like a bummer to read the 'put-downs'. That's what they are folks. I hate to get 'kindergarten' but sheesh if you don't like it, don't comment. I understand if you think something is really awful, but just ho-hum doesn't warrant a negative comment. Remember 'if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all'? AT is a community, I wish people would treat it that way.

That being said... I really like this place. It's different and funky and cozy. And that mint green, velvet? mid-century chair is awesome!

posted by Jesse Lu on June 22nd 2009 at 2:10pm
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Love it, light, airy with it's own style! Particularly love the rug, can anyone name it?

EvaInNL

posted by EvaInNL on June 22nd 2009 at 2:29pm
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I get a good feeling from this place. Actually, I suspect the photos don't do it justice. I am sure walking into this apartment in person, you would get a real sense of atmosphere.

posted by Sophie@Century Finds on June 22nd 2009 at 3:04pm
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I'm kinda in the "why?" camp. I agree with Lela's feelings that the checkboard floor is distracting in the office area and that the green paint is well... with all that green outside, it's too much to have it on your walls, too. My only other comment is that you seem to hang one, and just one, pice of art per wall, and I think it'd be more appealing if you varied it a bit. Love the bathroom and simplicity of the bedroom.

posted by kushkush on June 22nd 2009 at 3:07pm
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Rug is Ikea and I believe and came in black swirl version as well. Great place! I love looking at everyone's homes. To all the snarky commenters: all homes don't have to be in your own taste to appreciate what people have done. I think the credenza is placed nicely to act as a room separator. Otherwise, it's just all open. Also, Laura - what is the paint color in your dining room? and the trim color? Thanks for sharing!

posted by allyg on June 22nd 2009 at 3:30pm
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Pretty,bright . cheerful. I love the bedspread in the bedroom, the taupe shade is exactly what I want. Can you tell me where it was purchased? Floors are beautiful, and the table is magnificent.

posted by Betty14 on June 22nd 2009 at 3:45pm
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all those contrasting colors and hard surfaces make the place look a little cold - neutral, textural drapes/shades would kill 2 birds with 1 stone

posted by sunan on June 22nd 2009 at 3:59pm
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I love the checkboard floor and don't agree it's too distracting for an office. I also love the exposed brick. I think this house has loads of warmth and character!

posted by Josephina on June 22nd 2009 at 7:42pm
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I find it interesting that there are such strong reactions to this space. I think the reason is that the owners have chosen some elements with a fair amount of visual tension. It's pretty edgy but in a very subtle way. For example, if you take 2 pure colours and add white to the colour that is normally darker than the other, and add black to the colour that is normally lighter, you get a very discordant combination. Here she's done red black in the bricks combined with green white on the wall. I don't know for sure if green is considered "darker" than red but in any case this is an example of playing with a very edgy combination. In my opinion, clearly the people living there *like* an edge on the visual elements, and enjoy the interplay between bold and bland. Very interesting. It would be another thing altogether to go super bold but this is much more covert. I like it.

posted by hbot on June 22nd 2009 at 9:41pm
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I didn't care for this as much. Mainly I felt like it was a great start but still a work in progress. I also agree that some of the windows definitely need curtains or some type of treatment. I loved the floors but the brick with the bright white trim was jarring to me-maybe a softer/warmer white?

Perhaps it's just that there are elements that strike me as "hi I just got out of college and this was all I could do" A for effort, but most of the things left me cold-not bad, just not my cup of tea.

posted by grumbler101 on June 22nd 2009 at 10:26pm
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hey the rug is from ikea , not sure of its name but u can check out the ikea website

posted by hima_vasu on June 23rd 2009 at 8:29pm
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Is this a real space? I can't get over how much the pictures look like a computer generated room. Silly but I'm so distracted by that. Love the floors though.

posted by English Accent on June 24th 2009 at 9:48am
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The bedspread was purchased at West Elm and the paint color in the living room is Tangier's Island, I think by Behr paint for those of you who were asking.

posted by Gingerpie on June 24th 2009 at 11:01am
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I'm sorry, Gingerpie, but I think it's bad form to post a fake stranger's gushing comment about your place and then answer questions as the owner, using the same user name. You need a thick skin to post photos of your house on AT.

There are some good suggestions above that would help the space feel more cohesive - using warmer colors on the walls to tie in the exposed brick and wood floors (both lovely) and clustering some of the artwork together. I also think that you need a couple more shelves to finish out the bottom of those two floor-to-ceiling bookcases. That just looks odd to me.

Overall, it's a nice place. It seems very spacious and filled with light.

posted by CooperTX on June 25th 2009 at 11:31am
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I'm not the owner. I am a relative of one of the owners and I think I'm entitled to state what I think just like you are. I love what they've done in this condo and think it's quite uniqe and interesting especially for such a small space. Just love it and find it stunningly original.

posted by Gingerpie on June 25th 2009 at 11:49am
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I apologize. I jumped to conclusions when you wrote about the paint color used, etc. If I ever had the guts to post my home on Apartment Therapy, I would be tempted to create false identities to praise the decor, so naturally it was the first thing that came to my mind. :) This is a tough crowd.

posted by CooperTX on June 25th 2009 at 12:36pm
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That's ok Cooper and I do understand why you thought that! Very magnanimous of you to apologize. And I do agree with your comments about the bookcases. I also would have added a couple of lower boards on each one. You are right, this is a tough crowd! But I am impressed with the comments because all of them are interesting even if critical and some are helpful. Many of the people on here know their stuff, seem creative and talented and you can learn things from them.

posted by Gingerpie on June 25th 2009 at 4:23pm
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What a great place! There are tons of nooks that add a lot of interest to your space. I love all the bright color. Who knew red and sea foam green could look that good together in your living room? You have done such a great job and really inspired me for some of my decorating projects.

posted by atrunnell on June 30th 2009 at 11:10am
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I love the floors, and I love the 'open-ness' of the space. What was the original floor-plan like?

posted by Coopers_mama on June 30th 2009 at 10:40pm
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I really love this space. It's personalized and unique. I love the bright beautiful colors. I agree with one of the earlier comments about sometimes getting a feeling like hey i could live there. I am taking away a few ideas from these pictures. Thanks for sharing.

posted by Lily74 on July 1st 2009 at 12:48am
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