apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

yet another tiny apartment in Princeton... who knew? when I lived there I would've sworn it was all McMansions...

I like the red walls.

Are those hip waders on the wall in your bedroom? Too funny!

It's a cute apartment, but it would have been SO much cuter if you'd taken the time to tidy it up! It may seem petty, but among these other spotlessly presented homes, your crooked lampshade and messy counter were enough to keep me from giving you a thumbs up.

I do love the waders and backpack as a design element though.

I think you've done a heckuva job defining your spaces and making the space livable. This place seems a lot bigger than 320 sq ft! Well done.

The bedroom area was a bit messy looking, but I loved the rest of your place, the red wall is really striking and the doggy looks quite dapper in his little outfit. It's a great setup for such a small place.

Great 1st & 3rd photos; the rest is distractingly untidy. But I love the color and the french doors are wonderful.

The waders freaked me out for a second.

I like your aesthetic. You clearly have a point of view and I like that you are willing to take risks with color, texture, personal objects, etc.
You're a guy, right? I'm getting a guy vibe looking through these pictures. It's not the waders. It's the trash bin in the living area.
You have room for a bistro table and pair of chairs just outside the kitchen doors. That would be sweet. You could even do multiples of floating shelving for a fake cabinet look (plates, platters, glasses, etc.)
I like your office/book nook.
Leather chair is bomb.

Messy messy messy! Read chapter ... well, all of them ... Maxwell stresses the importance of editing!

Ha-ha! I actually love seeing the untidy bits as well as the great living area photos. This is another one of those spaces that I would like to see win because I'd like to see what they would do!

Hey all,

Thanks for leaving comments!

1. Right about the tidiness issue Gvinton. Mea culpa. I beg for a reprieve though! I just knew that I had to get submit quickly, lest I never, so know that I do intend to give the place a spring de-cluttering. [BTW, tossing that legacy lamp soon!]

2. Suzy*track, my dogs says "Thanks" and agrees that its time to organize the bedroom area. He's thinking small boxes...

3. ShelleyinMSP: Glad you loved the Captain's Chair! It's my way of channeling Capt. Kirk. "Mr. Sulu, warp factor 5!" Not a big fan of the trash can, huh? I do want to use that space more, but budget issues keep me from doing that best with what I've got....now if perhaps Gvinton would change his mind and give me a shot at some prize money....BTW, right you are, I'm XY.

Thanks All!

JenPDX, I LOVE YOU!.... I mean, you know in that acquaintance way....

@KateMick Yep, those are hip waders....

You have a great thing going in the living space. You can't see in these photos, but he put curtains next to both sides of the television, which his DVDs hide behind. It's very welcoming and has a lot of personality.

I think that same thought needs to be applied to other parts of your apartment. You have a unique thing going with the hip waders. You should make that the focal point in that space, instead of the rest of the stuff that is not put away.

As sally305 said about Mikki's lovely space:
"I think you should find the "constructive" in everyone's criticism and enter again next year."

@creativeneurosis you would be surprised at the amount of Tiny apartments that exist in the downtown Princeton area.

okay, I can tell there's some good stuff in here, but not really cause there's so much of your junk everywhere. How about cleaning up before entering a contest? I hope this isn't what your place looks like when guests come over.

Maybe tidy up a bit before taking the pics?

Ok the clutter is killing me - the bookshelf so needs to lose about 20% of the things on it and the kitchen is in horrible need of cleaning. Don't even get me started on the bedroom area.

Nice ideas - just if you never tidy, it will never look good.

Who knew so many commentators were your mother in disguise? Keep it untidy, Greatstar and Dogstar!

LOL - I think if some of us were his/her mother, we would have finally said enough and cleaned it ourselves.

those complaining about the tidiness seem so uptight. this is a man's apartment. h-o-t.

By far the classiest of the 'small cool 2009' spaces that I've seen. (The others look like college dorm rooms!) Great job!

Tidy is nice, but I really do like the entries that show some evidence of people living in a space. This is a good one. The main living area is spiffed up and things are put away, but there's stuff going on in the kitchen, and he's stashed a few things behind the room divider. Who among us is unfamiliar with that scenario?

And I laughed out loud when I saw the waders--I thought Greatstar was doing a headstand!

Good job--thumbs up.

I just love the green color of your dog's outfit in the first picture. It just maches well with the redish brown background color of your apartment.
However, I like messy looking and some perculiar junks around your apartment most because this is the real world that we live and deal with every day.
Don't clean up the junks and try to be more tidy!... then this apartiment will lose its own peculier characteristics!!!

Very nice space. Looks much larger than 320 sq ft. so that's a testament to your ability to define the space. As for the messiness issue, its tasteless that people chose to comment on that. You are being judged on your design and I think you've done a great job of making such a small space look stylish and livable. BTW - I'll trade you my large kitchen for your living room with the glass doors and balcony...

Hey all,

Took your advice and had mom clean the apartment. Let me know if you like:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20714340@N06/sets/72157616544852619/

PS. Thank you peahen!

Is this enough to change your vote Gvinton?

I personally like the fact that that very small space looks comfortable and lived in. I am certain that if I lived in that small of a space, it would be extremely cluttered/messy. It is obvious that greatstar has a life. Thanks for sharing!

Greatstar -- The place looks amazing. The layout of furniture was really nice before, but it looks more polished and still lived in - which is a good thing.

The space rocks. I appreciate the effort behind the flickr photos, but completely unnecessary in my mind. Let's all try to imagine for a moment that greatstar might have better things to do with his time than remove all signs of life from his apartment/photos. What do we think? Maybe?

The clutter, though minor, distracted one from being able to appreciate your nicely defined spaces. So thanks for tidying up. Love the coffee table and your use of color.

@ChrisGal, hurray!.....the photos do look nice....tidying was worth it....now only if Gvinton would change his mind....

@ scootergirl and thetruth: thanks for defending the lifestyle, and life is good, but always could be better.... ;)

@EllaM The table is the bomb (Noguichi coffee table, Design Within Reach) and thanks for the shout out. Random, but no chance you went to Cornell, did you?

Ps. Post Pundits, here are some tidied up photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20714340@N06/sets/72157616544852619/

@missybinski you've got a nice way with words...let's talk about the trade....=)

he cooks, he cleans...he's a keeper!

I'm a sucker for a dog dressed up.
dog is cute.
I like the red walls and leather couch and chair.

As a mom to sons....I totally appreciate her willingness to help you up by tidying up all the man rooms. Either way though....you have a great place will all sorts of unique and interesting elements.

Greatstar, you totally get my thumbs up now :-)

@Gvinton Hurray!

@ilonastella I also love doing laundry, cleaning out the gutters, and giving baths to babies.....

Did your mom really do the cleaning? I find that disturbing. If you're old enough to live alone, you're old enough to do your own cleaning.

I like what you've done with the space though. I usually don't go for masculine decor, but this really works.

I like the 'before' and 'after' versions of your place. It's very interesting either way. Thumbs up from me.... :)

@jooly rest assured that I did clean up myself.
@junklover, thanks!

This is a really fantastic use of space. The living room feels so luxurious with the red paint and leather couches. I also love the sunny kitchen and the pooch! Good job!

I like that you did not pretty it up to make it look like no one lives here! If this is how it looks when it is a mess, then you are doing great! I could not find a fly rod, but I know it must be in there somewhere! A very nice REAL place!

Wow, you're so on the edge that I wish I could just push you a bit. OK so a few areas needed picking up, but forget about that (just get more colorful baskets like the red and green). Your style almost demands MORE trinkets and action figures and quirky off-beat artwork! I say fill your entire space with all that defines you from floor to ceiling. Don't force yourself into anything that is even remotely minimalist. More.. until you fill up the wall, move that really high artwork down a few inches, let your dog breathe, and start thinking of the best gift for Mother's Day *now*.

@emhpasador Yes! Fly rod is in the trunk of the car now...

@LaDaDee Thanks for the ideas. Yeah, minimalism definitely seems to be the zeitgeist these days....hmm. PS. I Love You Mom!