Name: Teresa
Location: Hoboken, NJ
Size: 562 sf
Rent/Own: Rent
What is the advantage of SMALL? Small is cozy and warm. I don't know what I would do with any more space, and as a single person I don't need anything more; this place feels like a city mansion to me...

What is the advantage of SMALL? CONT'D
I can see from one end to the other from my couch yet the railroad layout allows for both separate designated spaces and simultaneously a flow from one end to the other.
What's your favorite resource for your home?
Inspiration and decoration brought back with me from my travels...style-wise I definitely rely on my dosage of Apartment Therapy, domino magazine, real simple, and diy magazine to push me to try something new and inventive.
What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home?
That its "old bones" (the somewhat ramshackle structure and construction) necessitate utilizing all of my creative energy and then some to make it into something that feels both homey and pretty. I really had to work to cover and cloak all the bruises of this place and it has made me love it all the more in the end.




Comments (55)
Pretty cool look but I voted not my bag since I'm in a major declutter mode these days. Too many useless nick knacks for my taste. good job though
I love all the graphics, especially the tree in the bedroom, and the leaf above the table. Where did you get those???
I voted super cool because of the artwork. I love it so much. it looks just like the kind of stuff I paint, this could be my house!
Your place seems airy and light, which is something I can't seem to achieve in my own place. I like it!
What is the leaf over your dining table?
where did you get the pink bird painting? and i also echo: where is the leaf from?
I know it's a rental and I know nothing can be done about it, but good Lord, that ceiling is awful. I do like the wall graphics, though.
Charming and calm :-) Great use of artwork & wall stickers. Alternate view: knickknacks aren't useless - they are for Beauty & Self-Expression, and you've got some nice ones.
I am so happy because this place looks great, yet you have the same awful ceiling tiles as my rental. You give me hope!
love the artwork/stencils/paintings.
It is a little cluttery for my (also purging) tastes but the space if beautiful. I'd like to visit.
I'd also like to know more about the ginko/bird motif over the sofa please.
I voted super cool because I live in Hoboken, too. Nice place.
that IKEA white locker/credenza is starting to pop up everywhere.
Absolutely charming, lyrical, solid decorating style. By your floor plan, are there really no walls between the bedroom and the hallway? Interesting.
Love all the artwork on the walls. Your place has a lot of personality. Well done.
Ditto on wanting to know more about the motif over the sofa.
i think you have a very nice start here...love the touches of hot pink and the white makes it look very 'fresh'...fresh seems to be my word this year :)
serene and gorgeous- awesome.
I voted super because you've done such beautiful things despite the ceiling tiles. I'm really impressed.
I think one wall decal per apartment is enough. The bedroom one is fab.
Here is the link for decal:
http://www.supermarkethq.com/product/143
Aghh.. this one was tough. I'm a fan of wall graphics in limited doses because I think too many people over-use them.
In this case it just adds to the visual clutter.
I want that wire leaf hanging in the kitchen!
It's not all matchy matchy but a fun eclectic mix. Not perfect but could be home and wouldn't be boring.
Loving that people call this cluttered--of course it looks "cluttered", all the pictures we usually see look beautiful, but a little devoid of life!
This is one apartment full of personality-someone ACTUALLY lives here! Absolutely wonderful!
Excellent job! Decorating a rental always proves challenging and you made your space bright, inviting and interesting.
Decluttering is fine to a point, but it is the personal touches like vases, art, books and various gew-gaw that provides insight into the person or people.
I loved this, even though it's not my style (and voted "super cool"). The colors say "coffee and cream, with a hint of fresh strawberry here and there". The space seems personalized and tasteful with a lot of artwork which speaks to the owners character and style. The only thing I couldn't live with is the word artwork in the bookcase. It seemed a bit too 70's for me.
The people who talk about it being "cluttered" must only be happy if a space is a vast island of nothing or looks like a showplace as opposed to a space someone lives in. It is so not cluttered.
i don't think this is too cluttery at all. (ok, maybe go over the bookcase once..) but it seems she's carefully selected the pieces she truly loves and has them on display. this is a very lived-in place and shows personality and character. very cozy. great job.
I like some clutter too. Your place looks inviting, comfortable and cosy. I like it!
This place is gorgeous. Amazing use of neutrals as base colors, with complementary reds, blues and greens in furniture and accessories. I love the wall stencils/murals. How did you do it?
Sorry I just read about the decals. Good stuff.
The apartment is cute but I'm getting tired of the wall sticker fad.
well done.
I like it too--you have a wonderful eye for mixing materials. Every shot--except the bookcase which was quite dissappointing--you showed us a juxtaposition that works. Nicely done.
Lovely, warm vibe to the place :-)
I absolutely love the fuschia art in your livingroom. Did you do that yourself or is it available for purchase? If I can't buy it I think I'm going to have to try it myself!
I like what you've done with the place -- some elements are my style like the living room pic with the pink birds (which, by the way, I think I've seen it at Urban Outfitters for those who want to know) and the bookcase itself, minus the wooden knick-knacks. I'm really not one to talk about knick-knacks though and haven't even unpacked mine since I downsized to a studio. Other elements are less my style, but I still appreciate your sense of style and the cohesive look of the apartment. I could see you being very content here -- and Hoboken is such a nice place to live.
I was wondering where you bought the acrylic table in the living room or what company made it. All the ones I've seen on the Internet have been ridiculously expensive. Thanks for the info. in advance.
loved the space. One of a few that got my super cool vote. Nicely done. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments and critiques...always good to hear from what people think outside of what I see in my own head! The graphic with the bird over the couch is from ferm living--the painting over the acrylic table is actually canvas I painted with fuschia wall paint and then added wall graphics I got from etsy seller "ShaNickers" (the same place the wall graphic over the bed is from)...i totally understand the feelings about "too many" wall graphics but my reasoning was #1 :since I couldnt paint I wanted to fill large spaces with something without too many little things leaving it cluttered #2 by mistake (ha)...I intended originally for the graphic above the couch to go on the pink canvas where the canvas sits now over the table but as I tried to apply it it wouldnt stick so in a last panic moment stuck it above the couch and then had a pink canvas to fill...and so it went as it did :). Thank you again for all of your comments, especially those who know how hard it is to work with those horrid ceiling tiles!
oh, and additionally, the leaf in the kitchen is from pier 1...it was definitely a fun find.
and the acrylic table is from cb2 and was about $320.00
& the floorplan wasn't exactally "to size"...i am quite incompitent with anything graphics oriented...but i assure you it is close to refrigerator size :0...with room only for a standing shower box & toilet well within arms reach from the shower (enough room only for a mini bathroom rug between) it is about the size of a refrigerator and 1/2 :)....to my dismay.
jeez! i keep forgetting to answer at least one question--sorry for my messy brain! laura E....it is true...really no walls...it looks as it does in the floor plan...open between the rooms & no wall between the room and the hall space...railroad at its most bare minimum.
well done. at first i was gonna go cool cause of the decal wall art over the sofa, but then i thought abt it and said it's a great way to decorate for not a lot of money. is the dinning table a parsons?
It doesn't seem cluttered to me.
Absolutely AMAZING....seeing it pre and post decorating I can't even believe it's the same apartment!!! the color scheme through out the apartment is perfect and brightens it up!!! the bedroom decals over the bed are a great addition. voted super cool :-)
I like this place and it has a good feel. My only critical comment might be that it seems to be full of too many trends at once for my taste-- the lucite tables, the wall decals, the flor tiles, the ottoman-as-coffee-table... all great things to have, but while they make this a nice place to live (and certainly enjoyable to browse around), I don't think they show enough originality in their application for the purposes of winning this competition.
hello,
i was just wondering if you could tell us where you got the bench/coffee table? i have been looking for something similar. Thanks!
I think its âSUPER COOLâ!!!! Tot awesome that you made that pink art yourself!! Very creative :) LOVE this place, looks so warm and cozy. Donât think itâs cluttered at all -- itâs a 'living' space (people have things) Especially love how you incorporated all your travels into your place - every item and picture has a story. Very well done and beautiful -- even more bc itâs a renting space that has its limits and you def went beyond it and made it an amazing place ;-)
Another request for info on where you purchased your gorgeous leather bench! :)
thanks everyone again for your continued comments...the bench and the kitchen table are both from room & board....the bench is the "larkin" ench in the stock leather (coffee) and the kitchen/dining table is the 36" square portica table (stainless steel legs &walnut top).
Really serene and beautiful, you've made a silk purse of a sow's ear!
Definitely a super cool!!!! You have taken an ugly duckling and turned it into a swan. Mrs. Rumphius' flowers are blooming for sure :-)
I really liked the bedroom. I think the place would look great if a similar color scheme was applied to the whole apartment. Somehow now it doesn't seem like one. So all in all a cool.
STOP WITH THE TWEETY BIRD GRAPHICS ALREADY.... This is the shag carpet of the 00's
This apartment shows a bit of your personality. You seem daring yet reserved at the same time. Your color coordination shows that you are free spirited yet you have strong convictions. The books point to your intellectual side but they stand behind the real things you believe in like love and dreaming. The stencil above your bed points to the fact that there is life when you sleep although your eyes are closed and your separated from the outside world your mind is still active dreaming of the future and all the great things it holds for you. Its a great apartment.
NO THE "TWEETY BIRD" graphics as you so obnoxiously call... MAKE THE APARTMENT!! its sooo cool... serene and puts you in a fairytale land. The way she did it was SOOO clever and classic!!!
I GIVE THIS APARTMENT Two thumbs up and it really should be the winner i mean the girl doesn't have that much to work with for pete's sake!!
I don't understand the comments about people being so over wall decals/stickers. There are only limited options for rents who can't paint their walls.