HOT DAMN!

Winners in my book. really cool rendering -> reality transition in the video. Love your furniture choice but beware: you will get flak for having good taste!
regards,

joel maria pirela

wow...major improvements over your original post. your video was fab. i have a feeling you will put your DWR winnings to very good use.

Very very cool. Apartment is beautiful. Presentation does a great job of trasnlating spacial to visual. Great job all around.

I see you also have a cat that must be included in everything that happens in his/her house.

Wow, you really lucked out. I really didn't like your original entry and now that I see the other photos, I'm thinking "what were they thinking with their original entry?!"

It looks so much different and much better than I originally thought. What great ceilings! Job well done!

The new yellow accent colour works better than what you had before. It's brings some warmth into the space. Good choice there. However... I am still not drawn to this entry in any way. The whole thing feels to me like marketing for some new condo development aimed at young professionals. The soundtrack for the video doesn't help either. Yes, the windows are nice, as are some of your furniture choices, but anyone with enough cash can buy those - no great achievement there. I guess I just don't see what others do in this case.

i love the exposed ceiling and the large windows. the layout is also nice, and the colors work. however the decor feels impersonal to me. i don't see a strong sense of personal style. i see only a generous furniture budget and DWR catalogue.

i thought this was one of the most underwhelming entires... semi-finalist? oh well.

It's hard to find fault with this one, because your choices are so very impeccably stylish. But I can see what the previous comments are referring to - it could be seen as somewhat impersonal - I'm thinking top-end boutique hotel. Still very beautiful though. (And the yellow strip is definitely better than the green).

this is a very nice space, but I don't really think this has any original thought to it. The pieces are lovely, the colors are o.k., but I have to wonder if this won the dwr gift certificate if there is anything left for you to buy there. This has a very strong showroom feel to it throughout. It feels very 'purchased'.

gorgeous! i'd love to use that yellow in my bedroom. what paint did you use?

I mean, the photo is very great, but i mean how many kitsch pieces of furniture can you throw in one shot? nelson, noguchi, eames, jacobsen. If i didn't know better, i'd say you photographed a DWR showroom......

I graduated two years ago also and am wondering how you can afford all of that DWR furniture. I guess I picked the wrong major!

Impressive-looking. Hurray for spending car money on pretty things! And for cats!

There is a good amount of Room & Board furniture in this space, which is a fantastic source for reasonably-priced pieces. All put to great use here.

Great job!

I love your place!

If you wouldn't mind...where is that fantastic pendant lamp over the dining table from?

Thanks

I agree with arza. It's a lovely space but it's not moving me. The foul stench of gentrification hangs in the air. I'd be interested to see the spaces of the boys and artists who pioneered that neighborhood.

Your windows are amazing, and I'm so envious of your closet space! Nice place. I can' believe that people are judging on "gentrification," which is 1) hypothetical anyway and 2) we are supposed to be judging on interiors. How the heck do we know about any of the 'hoods these apartments are in?

Cool apt, coolest video!

Thanks for all the great comments and constructive criticism.

AlmostAD - The pendant over the dining table is from Crate & Barrell. It was actually one of our first newly-wed purchases two years ago.

GoofyBuddha - your remarks are unsettling. You cannot comment on gentrification without knowing our neighborhood and the history of our building. If you knew our neighborhood, you would realize that it is one of the least gentrified in the vicinity of downtown Chicago. Sure, there has been some development within the past few years [as seen through our windows], but it is nothing like Wicker Park, Bucktown, South Loop, West Loop, River North, or Lincoln Park. Our building sat vacant and dilapidated for years. Would you prefer demolition, or 'gentrification' [using the term loosely].

i'm printing a copy of your yellow wall so i can match my bedroom paint :) please let me know the name if you have a chance.

Fifi - The yellow TV wall is 'Buttercream' #B25-5 from Ace Hardware brand in satin finish. The darker yellow behind the bookcases is one shade darker on the same swatch. It is called 'Golden Straw' #B25-6. Good luck with the painting. It will definietly brighten your space!

the couch in your living room...is it comfortable?

this isn't my style per se but it looks very sleek and modern. although it seems bigger than some of the other small apts we've seen here.

I think its a wonderful apartment, and I hope that in 2 years I'll be able to have our basement to this awesome state. ;)

i love grey wall to wall (especially here)!

kitty seems to like it too

It is truly stylish and makes me want to go urban.

Mindy and Michael have captured the essence of the space and made it very personal.

thank you :)

It's very nice looking, no doubt about that, but I feel like I've seen this apartment too many times before. There's not much original here. I'd agree with others' comments about it looking "showroom-y" - maybe because there weren't that many sources used? Honestly I think there were a lot of more worthy contestants, and I'm kind of disappointed this is a semi-finalist.

oh wow! the shoe factory lofts in old town? a coworker of mine lives there. great space! great job decorating!

-a fellow chicagoan