i get it that you're a grad student and you like your apartment, but you're showing us pictures of rooms you haven't even done anything in beyond maybe put a few pictures on the wall. looks like a pretty space but is not really a contestant.

Not to be rude...but this LOOKS like a college dorm! White walls? No rugs, nothing special..? Not sure how this fits in the "cool" part of the Small Cool Contest...

Not my bag but...congratulations on your post-college place! I know how if feels:)

why are there no shots of the bedroom?

this year's small cool will go down in history as the bedroom taboo edition. when AT first announced it'd allow only three pictures, i was disappointed because i knew we'd not see many bedrooms. of all spaces the the place where magic happens. but most entrants seem to have added just an extra shoe rack or tchotchke shot rather than show us into the warm and happy cave. just like kitchens are so often let out, the place where soup happens.

i'm not overly excited by what i see here, and i am normally so easy to please really. surprise me in one corner, make me smile at one wall, and my finger clicks super-cool. but here i've got no idea what the super cool click should be about.

I know this ones gonna be hard for people to swallow- especially given that this is a modern crowd and Burlington is anything but a modern city.

However, still a little disappointed that there wasnt more effort put into this place. Buying original art is a great start! Put a little money aside for more grownup furnishings and you'll be on your way. And paint, if you can. Color is your friend, especially during those long Vt winters.

I love the dining table and chairs. Please tell me where you got them! Thanks!

Are these "before" pictures?

AT LEAST, put away your dishes!

is it me, or are we seeing way more uninspired entries? sorry, but that's what it looks like to me. i don't see a whole lot of imagination in most of these spaces. other than the fact that the square footage meets the contest requriements, by and large, i don't see them as contest worthy at all. of course there are some exceptions. sorry, my opinion. it's been very disappointing overall.

This place is in dire need of color, scale and organizational structure. Having the art pieces hung pell mell all over the place, with wide expanses of wall in between makes my eyes hurt. And what's up with the stuff hanging off walls as if it's random decor day?

I would pick up some magazines (at the library if necessary for budgets), and incorporate some themes for storage, scale and decor. You've got some potential here, but it looks horrid as is.

ok i love love love the first picture with your gorgeous worn floors and the huge chunky dark wooden table even the chairs go perfectly oh man it creates a whole feeling yellow flowers a little trickle of sunlight, then the rest of your apartment is a super let down, and just kinda blah

I would take this place hands down, over that navy blue, boat apartment in NYC.

I agree with the first comment by buyersremorse.

I don't understand this contest this year. Most of the entries are perfectly ordinary homes that are just... normal homes. Instead of 'design contest worthy', they're just 'acceptable'. If this entry were my own first 'grown up apartment', I would certainly be pleased with it, but i certainly wouldn't think it was worthy of a design contest.

My memory is that last year's was full of varying degrees of 'wow'. What happened?

The apartment looks neat but very bland.
You need to add color! With a nice chrisp bright color on the walls would make the place look more alive! Right now, it kinda makes me emotionless...
And yes, add rugs too!

ARE YOU KIDDING, That's an empty apartment. What gives?

Im getting nervous to read the reviews if my place ever gets posted, yikes.
I do agree it needs to evolve more but I can say, I like your boots : )

I like your boots, too!
And the table and chairs are kind of cool.

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but... your floorplan (the drawing itself) is one of the better ones I've seen. You mentioned wanting to decorate your walls only with real art... do you dabble in art yourself? If not, why not put some of your own creations up there?

I think you have a great space to work with; you just need more color and more personality.

Though while I'm on the topic of real vs. fake art... there's a happy medium between original art and tacky dorm posters. Some nice prints in good-quality frames might really dress this place up, without costing a ton of money. Etsy is a good resource for that.

I love your computer desk

fine but, like half the entries, entirely regular. maybe i SHOULD have entered my place!

hi everyone, lauren here.

to all of you sweet commenters, i can't actually paint the apt, unfortunately. if i could, i'd probably go with a blue like the one yesterday, or a lavender. and i totally agree with you about the couch and rug. this is what i've been able swing so far, but imagine a bright white couch (with blue walls), or a darker bluish purple with the same white walls. i really think about all of this decorating as a large, life-long work in progress, and yeah, it'll be nice to keep working :)

Pteetsa, the table and chairs came with the apartment. i could check with my landlady, but i suspect they came with the house when they bought it

domesticfashionista, no kidding! after reading some comments on other people's (beautiful) homes, i was starting to hope i wouldn't get posted

insanity_pepper, thanks! i do dabble in art - the lower print above the couch and the drawing above the other couch are mine. i'll probably start investing in frames before i get a new couch or a rug, actually. i care a whole bunch about the prints i have (which are all originals!) and i can't wait to get them archivally framed and all that, so that they'll stay nice as long as i'm around.

For 500 sf (with closets!), your apartment looks mighty spacious. So why do you have your printer right under a tiny computer desk?? Why are your shoes and coats out in the open? If you can't paint and you have a huge void in your living room, why isn't there a rug? There's nothing here that indicates a creative use of small space. In fact, it looks like a lot of the space is wasted, and that is not what Smallest/Coolest entails.

Some of you need to lighten up. This is a contest not a photo spread. What really matters over everything, is that the person who lives in it likes it and is proud of it. Giving advice is one thing but some of your comments are mean. If my place looked that good when I was your age Lauren, I would have been proud.

If you can't paint, use big panels of color instead (think screens made from old doors, huge canvasses with fabric stretched taut over them etc). Also, go to plant sales at the end of season. Get pots cheap and then fill them with vertical plants (fronds, ficus etc) for height and color.

You can decorate your home on the cheap without sacrificing style. Scan your newspaper for auctions and estate sales. Like I said, great space, half-ass decor.

Hi Lauren,
Let me tell you- I had comments that made my jaw drop. I still have tears that fill the lower lids of my eyes when I think about them -of course it is a contest and of course I could have posted pictures of a Dania furniture gallery. Maybe it is where I live but typically people cant paint apartments- they usually cant change the floor- and usually apartment dwellers are renters- if I had money I wouldnt rent I would buy- isnt that the idea of the contest- making the most of what you have? You did well girl! Love the dining area!

The floorplan is quite lovely... Sorry, not feelin the rest.

I like that you're building your home around concepts: get something with good bones and don't cover them up, don't be in a rush to fill you apt up, and I LOVE that you are committed to getting original art. Not only are you getting wonderful art to be inspired by, but you are supporting the art community. I also like the table and floors in the first picture - it's so VT and textural. I'm also totally with you on furniture budget but I would like to see a more interesting arrangement of what you have. Pulling the loveseats away from the wall and making them face each other might be something to experiment with. Thank you for sharing - you're pretty brave!

I just had to add one more comment. One reader stated "where is the wow" factor? After seeing many of the contest entries , I see a trend growing here. I think people are getting sick of over done , over priced , over saturated , picture perfect homes. Also a lot more individuality which has been really scarce in the past few decades. I personally like the minimilism. When I come home at night I want to relax. Not have some big splotches of color screaming at me.

Lauren: I really like your dining area and your artwork. And believe me when I say your apartment looks way better than my first post-college place.

Hi Lauren
Your place has a great, compact, usable floor plan.
I'd like to suggest just doing some homework on how you could keep what you have and bring everything up a notch:
Learn about hanging art, let alone framing and preserving what you like.
(The disorderly hanging could be rectified for 'free'.)
Good layouts don't have to mean spending money.
You might want to experiment with pulling that sectional out from the walls too. It looks like there's some room to play with.
Make it a habit to grab magazines, etc and see what and why makes something appealing.
Thanks for showing us your place.

Hi Lauren-
Great suggestions regarding resources.

I personally really love the spareness of this one, and the worn, bare wood floors. There's a certain austerity to the decor which is very in keeping with northern(ish) New England. And it must be so convenient to have all your shoes near the door. I'm going to look into a similar system for my next apartment and get back some closet space.

It's been fun with this year's contest to see the regional differences in apartment decor. I can tell right away the NY, Pacific Northwest and LA apartments. Here's another part of the country.

I like your boots too!!

And seriously people - there's no use in saying negative things. No one is forcing you to look at this contest.

This is small. It is also cool, as it is clear that with very limited resources someone made it into a very livable space.

I mean, we would all prefer the 'small' 700 sq ft apartment with the free view of city and nature, and preferably throw in some real art instead of reproductions.

For me, this site is about use of resources. While the pictures could have been made more carefully, the place is not bad. And for the budget, I think it is great.

Hi Lauren -

Thanks for being so brave. You have a nice apartment, but for me it isn't my cup of tea. Keep up the good work, can't wait to see what you do with the place in the future.

The meanness of some the comments this year is really p*ssing me off. What's wrong with you people? Do you really think that everyone's sitting back and applauding your snarkiness and rudeness? If something offends your delicate design sensibilities so much, why not just move on and look at the next thing? It's a flipping disgrace and you should be ashamed of yourselves for being so out of line about people's homes. Like eebnyc said, it's not like anyone's forcing you look.

As for the apartment, I think it's pretty cute. She's found some lovely furniture that really fits the mood of the place (I love the computer table and I think the dining table has great, solid piece that really has presence there in the middle of the floor) and she's put up some quirky affordable decoration like the prints, the sunny blue curtain and the pink fish that's hanging in the breeze in the kitchen. It's not as polished as a lot of the other entries, but don't crucify her for it. I reckon that apartment is just going to keep on getting nicer over time. All the best Lauren!

Ouch you guys are harsh with the comments! What did *your* first apartment post-college look like? Mine was a rat's nest filled with dirty clothes and beer bottles!

I think the floor plan is great....in a few months this apartment will be a "very cool".

Lauren buy lots of cheap art!

I love the rustic floors and the dining table. I agree with the suggestions that the furniture placement would probably be better if things were not all up against the walls.

I really like that you appreciate the older architectural details. I just watched an episode of HGTV's House Hunters with a post-college home buyer and she was so excited to get a brand new condo-- and it was so bland. Your place has a lot of personality.

My husband and I live in a married student apt at our grad school, so I know what it's like to work with a small budget and white walls! I would never have the courage to post our 550 sq foot apt on here, so I applaud you for entering the contest and seeking pointers from the AT community (although it looks like entries are getting more jibes than tips this year...)

First of all, I think you're off to a good start and you have nice furniture pieces that you can work with as you add to your apartment - love the table! If you can't (or don't want to) paint the kitchen cabinets, a good way to add a little color would be a simple window panel. It's a small window and curtains would be too much for it, but you could pick up a colorful piece of fabric and whip it into a quick panel - you can let it hang to cover the window at night or roll it up during the day (or sweep to one side with a hook). Reprodepot.com and purlsoho.com have some great fabric (check out the Pear Tree Border at Repro).

Since you like original art, you can pick up some great, cheap prints off Etsy (mLee and BluLima are two of my fav sellers):

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5205908&section_id=5300599

I think this is great for a first post-college apartment! In my first place, our decor was all about function, and whatever was free or super-cheap. Flowers were the closest we got to decor. So, I think Lauren's doing a great job with what she's got and it's clear she's thinking about aesthetics.

I also like how she's organized a little corner into a "mudroom." It seems very well-arranged for one person, and although I may not choose to decorate with bags/scarves hung on the wall, I sort of like how it's both organized and shows that the place is lived in by a real person who values and enjoys her things.

Suggestions: since the whole place is rather spare, I think it might be nice to incorporate some artwork or brightly colored panels of large scale to give a little more drama to the place. Curtains would also give it some warmth - and those can be done cheaply or diy. I think the living room furniture could also use some rearranging so the "office" isn't so cramped.

Nice job!

This is a joke, right?

Or the other choice DesignGod, would be to stop being a b*tch. You might enjoy it.

Really sweet place. I understand that you rent, so if you want to add color to the walls, you could try soaking adhering beautiful fabric to the walls using a mix of starch and water.
I love the artwork. The dinning area looks really warm and inspiring.

This a really great first apartment for sure!

Once again not seeing the "Smallest/Coolest" element at all - I thought the whole point was apt's that use small spaces in ingenious ways.

So for the "Smallest/Coolest Apt" it is "not my bag." But - for the "Coolest 1st Apt" I give it an honorable mention :-)

hey guys, lauren here again

thanks for the support :) i also don't really understand the need to be mean - constructive criticism does not equal insulting.

as for the furniture, yeah, i've tried a ton of different arrangements, and any time the couches aren't against the wall, the apt looks really cramped - there really isn't the space for that. i think the solution would be to get a small three-seater couch and a chair instead of two loveseats - they take up way more space than they look like they should.

and thanks for all the boot compliments! the reason i have my shoes and boots out is cause i love them so much - putting them away in the closet would be like putting my art in the closet.

and unfortunately, i'll be moving out in 3 weeks, so this place is as nice as it's gonna get. i can't wait to get started on the next place (where i can paint all i want!)

p.s. perlsoho is one of the most amazing places ever!

To be fair, I think the negativity is directed more at AT than at the individual posters. Lauren, this is a perfectly lovely apartment, it's just not at contest-entry level. I've never paid as close attention to this contest before this year, and I figured that AT would pre-screen entries. Maybe that's what people are trying to say.

That being said, I don't think most people are being bitchy or mean, just honest.