Your kitchen has an amazing backsplash and your sofa is cool...other than that it needs some flavor!

It's a nice place, but I'm refraining from voting on this one. 825 sf in Manhattan is astronomically huge.

BBBOORRRINNGGGG.. 'nuff said.

looks like you're leaving a whole wing out in your pictures, while 4 and 5 are nearly identical. what's wrong with the bedroom one wonders then.

love it! don't change anything! love it!

What was that big black blurry thing in the kitchen pic? It kinda creeped me out! I liked a lot of elements in this place, but you need some more personality here...perhaps a nice big colorful artwork above the sofa to start.

I love what I do see but certainly need to see more to make an accurate judgement. Loving the original details of the apartment!

Nice, I guess. But where's the "personality"? No art, accessories, color, etc. I agree with animalhouze. Borrring!

The blur appears to be a person, dressed in dark clothing and in motion. It creeped me out at first too!

I love that backsplash in the kitchen.

I wish we could have seen more of the living room. I will say that that wall over the couch is screaming for some sort of decoration.

The living room and kitchen look like they came from two different apartments...

where is everything? it looks like you just moved in. a little blah, except for that backsplash...

the kitchen / bathroom are of a completely different character than the living room. are you going to remodel the entire place? i have to admit i prefer the living room. the old details make it much more inviting. i found the kitchen/bathroom to be way too severe & hospital-like.

Not my style, but elegantly done. Kinda reminds me of uber german minimalistic modernism.

Very bland, not my taste at all. No personality. Also, 825 is huge.

The kitchen is really boring -- save for the backsplash -- and totally clashes with the living room's traditional decorative features. Adn as man have asked -- where's the personality?

And as many have asked . . .

825 sq feet for a 2 bedroom really isnt that big at all. I personally love it. I love the old world detailing of the living room (possibly bedrooms?) and the stark crispness of the bathroom and kitchen. Plus good Lord, look at the storage!!!

Super Cool.

The storage in the kitchen area is pretty amazing, but I feel a disconnect between the style of that area and the living room. Perhaps I need to see some more pictures of the living/bedroom spaces.

this may not be everyone's taste but it is something to appreciate. Its great she has a large empty apartment and maybe planning to live here with a family. Its a great start to be minimal. Its really good for the environment not to consume a lot and also good for your wallet.

I think maybe a lot of the stuff was stored in the bedroom during photo shoot nonetheless it shows her style and living.

this feels very sterile & spare. like a monastery.

I like the kitchen and bathroom area, but it seems at odds with the living room. You basically showed us half of your apartment. It doesn't seem quite fair..

Yes, where's the character and personality? Beautiful bones, though.

does anybody actually live here? it seems pretty cool, but like you just moved in. however, i do LOVE the couch and the piece of furniture right by the door...is it a set of old cartographer's drawers?

I am confused by this place. It's like two different apartments...

Looks like Kanye West's house.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/inspiration/kanye-wests-apartment--046637

This makes me angry.

This space confuses me. The kitchen has potential, but there is still no character or signs of life anywhere. More photos would be helpful.

personally, i think they should have different entrance guidelines in manhattan and burroughs cause 825 sqft here is like the equivalent of a 120 acre ranch in tulsa oklahoma.

sigh. with that off my chest, i wonder if seeing the bedrooms might have helped tie the ideas in your apartment together for us? there are really nice elements in each room (the living room floor is great, as are the beams in the kitchen), but the overall layout right now is really confusing.

maybe if you make the next round we can see more pics :)

825 sq ft. for a single individual? That's HUUUUUGE...

I think next year's rules should dictate the number of square feet per human inhabitant. 825 sq ft would indeed be small for a family of four.

I can see why she bought the place. I wonder what she'll do with it. And seriously now... if this is small...

cool place. like the mix of old and new. looks like a lot of $ went into this. big space too.

Ramstone, you're funny. Why "angry"? Are you sure you're not just bored?

Great space. Great taste. Simply Elegant

This apartment has beautiful fixtures and built in features. I would have to agree that it needs more of the owners personal touch. It seems like a lot of the personality it has now is inherent in the space. What has been added to make it their own? It doesn't need to be cluttered, but maybe just a few stand out pieces would help. I think the wall over the couch is the perfect place to start. A painting above the couch would be a great way to make a statement. The apartment has a lot of untapped possibilities!

Blah - contradictory - 825 sq f and not overly consuming? My friend lives in brooklyn with a roommate in exactly half that size space. I live in about 1000 sf with TWO roommates and a cat - so no way is this considered small.

Pretty, with lots of storage: yes. But the storage isn't born out of necessity, nor is it particularly creative.

i think more of a description would help. 825 ft for one person IS huge, but there are 2 bedrooms? Did the buy the space as it is, or did you buy a funky old space and plop this futuristic pod and make the storage system? these details would really help... i'm tempted to vote "not my bag" but if you put in the work of making this weird spacey place.. then it would be "super cool"

Normal, I do not comment on these But I felt compelled to at least say this much: Tres Chic! I love all the architecture details in your flat. Your attention to detail is impeccable. I admire how your complimented the wood work in the living area by highlighting it will crisp lined furnishings. It allows the eye to appreciate the history and craftsmanship that originally went into the wood work and floor. And the juxtaposition of the remodeled kitchen area further highlights it. Great idea mixing the wood beams in the kitchen to continue the flow.
The bathroom speaks values about who you are and a true work of art. Bravo!!! I would have loved to see the bedrooms, but something tells me they are a work in progress. Hopefully you will keep us posted. I would love to see what you do next.

Antique wood and super white storage walls is inspirational. Love how they look together, even if no one apparently lives here year round.

Stunning space, but it is HUGE for NYC, and really, it seems that all the credit is due to the architect, who has achieved the rare perfect combination of clean modernism mixed with classic architecture.

Also, I hardly feel like someone living in a million dollar apartment really needs a prize, I'd much rather the gift certificats go to someone who has really come up with interesting ways to make-due in a small space, and who could really benefit from some money to further improve. Yeah....

I love your place! Especially the hardware: kitchen and bathroom's design is amazing. However the sofa doesn't seems fit well, maybe something from Bo Concept or DWR will do better. Still it's well done!

This one is more about the space than the decor, which apart from the living room shot is pretty sterile. The contract in style between the living space and kitchen/bath really threw me. Would have been interesting to see the bedrooms.

hmm, its wierd, I like it and hate it at he same time. but I think all in all, its a little too sterile for me.

I actually love the photos that were shown; I love white cabinets. However, this entrant seems to have focused on the most renovated, updated portion of her place. No living rm shots; no bedroom shots. It does make you wonder.

I don't have an issue with the size that others here have.

LOVE the kitchen! Clean! White! Shiny!

out of six pictures, four of the kitchen, which is awesome, but it's not a best renovated kitchen contest, right? the rest of it - a portion of the living room, which looks as from different century comparing to the kitchen. And where is the rest?

it looks a little sterile and hotel like? it's beautiful, but probably needs more of a personal touch.

I'm grateful that you submitted it. Courageous! On the other hand, the 825 sqft, although within the parameters of the competition, is gigantic for the upper west side. I can see how that size might be appropriate for this competition in the midwest, but it just feels wrong here. Good luck with the rest of your renovation. You look about half way through?

Beautiful kitchen. But from these photos it looks like it was just bought and no one has moved in, yet.

Very beautiful and elegant! Magazine worthy shots for sure!
Thanks for sharing.

When will the white on white on white laminate ever end? This doesn't even look like the pre-fab inexpensive laminate we've seen used in many other entries. I hope the owner is pleased with the effect and will enjoy it for a long time, because I suspect it will be hard to convince a new buyer to love such an austere and difficult kitchen. And Melissa will need to stock up on the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers if she ever intends to open a window.

As has been noted, this apartment is huge by Manhattan standards, but we see only the kitchen, office and a bit of the sitting room in these pics. It's a very cool (almost cold) kitchen, but not small and we can't see the rest of the flat to know whether it's as efficiently executed or not.

I really like the look of the kitchen and bathroom area. Has a Nostromo (the ship from the movie Alien) kind of feel. The transition to the living area is jarring though.

825 sq ft is a whole lot of consumption. And I'm not finding anything in the decor to get enthusiastic about.

Looks like a great place, but I would like to see the bedroom. In general I would advise people to show their whole apartment, not just several shots of their favorite room.

I really can't vote on this one because the only area we see is the kitchen. Too bad you didn't think to photograph the other rooms since you have such a large apt.

Brrr....seems cold. Fantastic space, though.

i think the kitchen is beautiful, though it looks unused. i'm hard pressed to see any sign of life. i have the feeling this space is partially renovated and we are only seeing the completed renovation. the living room is too incongruous with the newly done kitchen and bathroom. it feels old and wrinkled while the kitchen and bath are dwell magazine new. i, too, wonder what's up with the bedrooms. why don't we see them? do they tie in with the woody living room or sleek kitchen? the apartment has a very weird layout. i'd hate being in that back bedroom and having to run halfway through the apt. to get to the bathroom.

This place is very large and very empty. I just don't dig this impersonal space.

This is not a small space - I guess in my opinion, small should be 650 sqft and under.

Zzzzzzzzz.

The commentary on what should be considered small or big is getting old, and it's irrelevant. No matter where this is, it follows the rules. The key is whether the space has been maximized to its full potential in a smart, elegant, personal way. That can be done in 300 or 800 s.f., it's just that higher expectations should be placed on the larger space.

Oh, and I like this place but I think some big art would go a long way toward making it feel more inviting.

the idea of juxtaposing those dark wooden walls and the white storage should be cool but there's no vision here to pull it together. i think the place is so irritating to some because it looks like a developer condo, basically.

It's like two completely different spaces stuck together as one-- a loft with shiny white surfaces everywhere and no evidence of human beings at all, and then a nice living room with warm wood and real furniture. Was this a reno that got stuck? Two apartments melded together? The presentation of this space is confusing... and while much of it is austerely beautiful, it's not, to me, livable or an expression of the person who created the feeling of the space.

Yeah, and agreeing that the space needs some colour, and some art, stat.

cool, place but it doens't look lived in. the bones are great, but it needs some personality. try adding art.

****i don't understand how a place this big qualifies as small. i have a place smaller than this (not in the contest) & my friends think it's huge! come on, AT. a 400 sq ft rental shouldn't have to compete w/ a 825 sq ft owned. you know what i mean? they should at least be a diff category.

wow, I think this is one of the best. I'm stunned it's got such low votes.

I really adore the pics you provided, but had to vote cool because half the apartment's missing!!

love the bones but it looks like no one lives here. that's a bit baffling. no art, no belongings, no nothing.

farmhousemoderne - Amen. So tired of comments about the contest rules.

As far as this entry, I'm interested in what's shown but do feel like I basically just saw the kitchen and bathroom (which actually is the opposite of every other entry). So I'm curious.

Absolutely stunning... Has a very European feel with the juxtaposition of the old and new. My guess is that the living room retained the majority of its original details while the bathroom and kitchen were badly remodeled over the years leaving nothing of the past to salvage. This is the perfect setting for installing such a starkly modern kitchen and bath in a very traditional space. I am all about minimalism, but it would be nice to see a bit more art or something, and please interject some bold color somewhere.

To the haters, they just don't get it, and that is OK... As for the size, I agree that 825 sq ft in Manhattan is equivalent to a forty room mansion in Georgia, but it follows the rules none the less.

I also agree with famhousemoderne... the contest rules were laid out and if people don't think they're fair then bring up the subject to the organizers, through an email or something, not in the comment area of the entrants. It seems by what some posts imply that if you don't live in anything under 400sq ft you're a sell-out.
Voted "Super Cool". I would definitely add some art or something to personalize it, but it has great potential.

You need a more streamlined sofa to go with the rest of the apt.

825 and no soul!!!

Hi Melissa.
Great, quirky space.
I really like what you've started to do.
I think it's just the living room that awaits to follow suit with the rest of the place. Particularly the sofa.
You might want to consider changing the sofa out or recovering it somehow.
A crisp white comes to mind and will pick up on your clean-lined look. But there's other options.
It would certainly work better with the side chair too.
Overall I really like what you've done here.

what is that black thing in the kitchen? is that artful photography?

kimg924,
Because of the huge increase in the size allowed for entries, I think it becomes harder than ever to tell why apartments are getting low votes - many, I suspect, are voting just because they think it's too big and shouldn't win because it shouldn't have been allowed in the first place. And not because they don't like the design per se.

I remember someone suggesting (in the thread announcing the contest) that we should work around the rules by voting down the ones we think are too big and shouldn't count even if they're gorgeous. After all, having a large place that's well-designed just isn't as hard as the same in a teeny tiny place, and this site used to be about the latter. So things are confusing now.

@Blandwagon - more like the follolwing exchange:

Decorator: So blah! There need to be PICTURES!

Melissa: There will be no art. Art distracts from the simplicity of the room and what I really like about the design.

Decorator: But surely I've got to have art and bright PRETTY colors that POP so it can be like my apartment that is SOOOOOOOOOO CUTE and COLORFUL and has PER-SON-AL-ITY!!!

Melissa: No art! You will ruin the angular perfection of the lines! You will destroy the environment I have created here!

Decorator: But how does all this white tell ANYTHING about your PERSONALITY? And where's all your STUFF? It doesn't look like ANYBODY lives here!

Melissa: How about "I like white" for starters? And you saw all the cabinets, right?

Decorator: I need color now or I will DIE of HYPOTHERMIA in here!!!

Melissa: You sicken me.

I like it! :)

This is a beautiful space, but all of the style is in the architecture rather than in design elements. I'd love to live there. However, I don't know how much "credit" can be given to the owner for how great the place looks. It all belongs to the builders. I'm also refraining from voting.

This place looks like a showroom ( kitchen / bath area ) and like a doctor's waiting room ( living room ) to me. These at least were my first impressions. Then, i just thought: dead. It looks dead, like not lived in. A pity.

825 SF in New York is not small. I know it's within the rules for the contest, but it's just so not within the spirit...

That said, cool kitchen and bath!

A 2 bedroom apartment is small? Pulease.

While this is a nice space, it feels and looks cold and uninhabited. A lot of empty space that's not counteracted by color or furniture do not add to too much in terms of "coolness"

I agree with the poster upthread who said this place makes them angry. It makes me weirdly angry too in the sense that the juxtaposition is so jarring I feel like a frustrated, confused caveman and I just want to SMASH until the thing that hurts my brain is destroyed.

I like the rooms individually but they don't go together at all. Maybe if the decor and furniture in the living room was white and way more stark it would be a better marriage.

Kubrickian.

Kubrickian, indeed. 2001 meets Barry Lyndon.

We simply lack the information necessary to judge how cool it is. We need more of the whole apartment, rather than only the kitchen/dining/desk area.

Just looked it all over again - and was struck by the claim: "In New York City you are always surrounded by consumption. Living small makes sure that whatever you bring into the house you better really love..."

The sentiment is noble. But I don't see it expressed by the apartment. This place has gobs and gobs of storage - gobs - but hardly anything brought into the home is visible. Odd.

Melissa, It was suggested by someone that I should take a look at your space. Gorgeous 100%. Regardless of the voting pool that seems "challenged/confused" this year, as you will see I tried making my case, which lead to a less than desirable response.

Your space accomplishes many things, first it is a beautiful pre-war shell, second you updated the kitchen and bath (which as an owner) would be in your best interest. White is always the right choice for these two regardless what anyone says..Its clean and clean and clean..Perhaps toss a small danish style wood stool in the kitchen just to absorb a little of the brightness..You would be justified in making a few inexpensive additions..A large photo above the sofa, a painting maybe to contemporary, but a great glossy photo should capture the modern flow of the apt, perhaps put up some long white curtains over the windows. I am not suggesting you do this but..BUT if you where to paint the molding/wainscotting all white and paint the walls and off white or the opposite it would again make the modern feeling (which I appreciate) flow better.

I appreciate that you let the apartment itself speak. I agree about your comment about living in Manhattan and being absorbed in consumption. Lots that vote outside of our world have NO idea about living in NYC. I am not talking about a recent transplant either..living here..It is another thing to walk out the door and have what I call the "sidewalk tax" right? you go 2 blocks and you have spent nearly $20.00 on whatever. That also creates the friction here with the comp. You have people with a car and nothing for 1 mile and you have us who have everything downstairs so we in essence want less inside.

Thanks for sharing.

Dear lord, people, why all the negativity?? This is a real person's home! Do your best to at least be civil when giving commentary. Melissa -- thanks for sharing your home with us.

For my part, I think this is a brave and fantastic remodel. The parts that are complete are beautiful, and in this setting, the cleanness is the effect. I could never do it in my own home, hence its impressiveness.

At first glance, I thought some of these photos were renderings.

thanks for the tour of your kitchen. it looks nice.

You guys are crazy! This entry should have won! The kitchen and bathroom are immaculate and beautiful. If the owner is reading this, I want you to know your place is incredible and I'm mega jealous of your home. The negative people commenting on this entry probably buy their decorations in the clearance aisle at Target. LESS IS MORE!

Melissa,
I love what you did with the space. My husband and I have been apt hunting on the UWS and I think we ran across an apt just like yours (might even be your building!). I especially love the white built in storage space leading to the kitchen area. Where did you get these cabinets?

The detail on the wood floors is beautiful! I love older buildings.