maybe someone will email this post to him and he will understand how you feel. then you can work on it together :)

more plants!

it is a great space with a lot of potential. love your bedroom!

Having lived with 10 different roommates in my life, I have a little experience with this :)

Try coming up with ideas you think would look nice and think your roommate would like as well. Tell them about your ideas, keep things positive, and offer to do a lot of the work yourself. Chances are, if you are willing to put some effort into making the place look nice your roommate will like it rather than be offended! Depending on how much time your roommate has on his hands, he may use this as a chance to do some of the things he's been putting off around the apartment.

Being open with your communication as well as open to new ideas and suggestions are absolutely key to living happily and comfortably with a roommate!

Wow, what a dump.

Two words... Gut renovation. That includes the roomate(s) as well.

I think you should directly talk to your roommate(s). Directly explaining is always better than some indirect detours. I used to talk through my roommates when I was in collage, but I always brought alternative ideas with me so we were kind of selecting among different things.

I love you room by the way. It looks really cosy.

If caminante's method doesn't work, I would do the following:

1) Fix up your bedroom to be your sanctuary
2) Collect photos and ideas for an eventual place of your own (a style file), and
3) Save save save, so this will be as temporary as possible!

Good luck!

For as decluttering my old roommate and I had an unspoken agreement to place things in organized piles, everything of hers that was strewn across the coffee would go into as neat a pile as I could muster and left it on the coffee table. If you are going to clean, make sure it is obvious that you are CLEANING not just putting HIS stuff away, sweep, mop, wipe down the counters whatever you feel needs to be done, and as politely as possible move his stuff/put it away. Work in one area at a time.
If there is an issue of storage space you might consider purchasing a new shelf or storage bins to share with him. You should probably ask about this.
If you want to rearrange things ask with YOU questions so it is really his choice 'What do YOU think about moving the piano to the other wall?' or 'Would YOU mind if I brought a desk in the main area so I could work here?' Be willing to accept it if he says no.
Mostly be willing to foot the bill and do most of the work yourself for any suggestions you make.
LOVE your space by the way very cute.

I don't think the place is that bad. It just needs a little TLC and decluttering and it would be great. Offer to do some "cleaning" and "organizing"... who could be offended at that? And then while you're cleaning, throw out anything that could be construed as trash. If it's a questionable knickknack, old magazine, etc., hold it up and ask your roommate in a light, humorous way, "are you really attached to this...?" Maybe he won't be that sensitive about it.

Wow, ACanOf - could you be any more depressing on a Wednesday? It's not a bad space, and we all have our tastes, budgets, and compromises.

One question, Christina, are you willing to be the one who picks things up? -- I think your biggest challenge is not so much design but the fact that your roommate just has bad habits around neatness. If you're willing to the be the one who picks up things, without letting that make you resentful, then you're in a good place to say, hey can we make some decisions about where things live when they're not in use? Get his input, congratulate his good ideas, then take responsibility to always put them back, even when he is the one who left it out. If you start there, you can tackle the clutter. As he sees the house looking nice more often, he might become open to suggestions.

When that happens, I'd pick one area to focus on - starting with your work space, maybe, since that directly affects you every day. Work on solving that, and it will snake into the other areas of the common rooms. This spring, invite him to do The Cure with you.

Good luck!

It seems like the biggest problem is clutter/storage. I would recommend putting floor to ceiling shelving on the wall with the piano. Getting the books/cds/DVDs out of the way would help open the place up a lot. You can also pick up some storage cubes to place on the shelves as well to hold the random things that never seem to have a place.

As far as dealing with your roommate, I would recommend approaching your ideas one at a time. That way it will seem less overwhelming to him. It will also help discourage the idea that you are taking over the apartment if you implement one change at a time, rather than trying to redesign the whole place at once.

I think it's also complicated by the fact that it's all your roommate's stuff. If there's something you want to add to the room, you could use that as a lever to rethink the layout.

Otherwise, I agree with DragonKatinDC!

Since you work in the place you're both living, I think it's totally reasonable for you to be able to ask to clean things up. Give your suggestions in that spirit and I think it should go over fine. He should understand that different people have different preferences as far as their work environment is concerned.

If you just want to rearrange the layout I wouldn't worry about asking at all. I hate to perpetuate a stereotype, but most guys I know are more than willing to have someone else take charge of the decoration as long as you don't step on any toes.

If you want to go farther my suggestion is to ask about installing shelves or adding more storage space first before you ask him to toss anything that he's purchased for the space.

If you want to be a bit sneaky, you can always say that you've had this great bookcase/lamp/table (or whatever) in storage and you think it would look perfect in the space, but is he attached to the one that's already there? If not, you're good to go!

You really need more closed storage. I'm guessing that your roomate doesn't want to part with most of the cds/DVDs/books etc that are there--which is fine. What you need is something with doors to keep it out of sight. I think by letting the roomate know that you're not asking them to get rid of stuff (though a decluttering would be a major improvement) but just keep it behind closed doors, you'll encounter less resistance. The whole sofa/tv area is the biggest problem to me. How do you watch tv when it's so high up? I'd place the sofa perpendicular to the wall and put the tv on a lower console (with doors to hide stuff!). Furniture on angles can really close off a space.

ps-you can generally find inexpensive storage items on craigslist. If you 2 pick something together, it will make the roommate happy and you'll start to inject some of your personality into the space.

Your apartment has a lot of potential. I'm with calldoctor on this one. Cleaning and deguttering will go a long way. Also, the number one thing I would do if I had the change is paint, for sure. Yes, it may be a little more involved than getting some organizing shelvers or space-savers, but it would be a major improvement in terms of brightening the space. A fresh coat always cleans things up. I noticed the floors are in pretty bad shape, but it doesn't sound like you're in the position to do anything drastic about that. I would go with rugs. Nothing noisy or cluttered, though, keep it simple. I agree with several commenters here though, find some organizers and good shelves for books.

As for how to talk to your roommate, be polite, but also straight to the point. If you both are on fairly good terms, he shouldn't have a problem knowing you'd like to change a couple of things. Move in cautiously, but continually forward, you know? I have faith you can convince him to meet you halfway. Good luck!

Ideally, hire a designer or decorator :)

Next to that, come up with a list of things that don't work and a plan to solve your issues than come up with a plan together.

Looks like you need lots of clever storage, paint the whole place, get rid of what's not important and don't obstruct the windows.

Now someone here needs a "man cave" .. tell him hey lets make you a man cave, lets carve out your own personal space and make it your own.

Your roommate has a lot of clutter, and isn't bothered by things lying around. If this were a marriage, it would be worth trying to find a solution. But if it's just a rental -- and you're the newcomer -- I'd tread very lightly.

Meanwhile, enjoy having the last truly bohemian space in Williamsburg.

And if your roommate is unresponsive, ask for a reduction in your portion of the rent. Only to make a point of course. If nothing else, it will certainly open the lines of communication. You are sharing an apartment, not renting a room in his apartment. Remember that your needs should be addressed as well as his.

I think this room is kind of adorably chaotic!

I have an idea - what about floor-to-ceiling drapes along one wall? You can stuff all his things behind it and it would look really streamlined and dramatic.
Shelves would be great, but those cost $$ (ie more than drapes)and it's not like you're a couple who split expenses.

Tell your roommate you saw it in a magazine & you think it would look cool in your space.

Here's inspiration from this very site:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/inspiration-floortoceiling-drapes-093000

WHOA. TOO MUCH STUFF GOING ON!

Wow, I love the space!

I think the floor plan looks scattered and random, but there's plenty of space. Using directions based on my perspective on the floor plan above, I would suggest moving the sofa against or so it floats in front of the left wall at the bottom part of the room, moving the piano so that it is against the bottom wall, and placing the desk or TV against the wall opposite the sofa. Then you can bring in a dining table and some shelving with hidden storage (such as the ikea shelf with those square cubbies and wicker baskets, which work with the natural vibe you have going on) into the middle part of the room. You can also put plants along the top of the shelf! If that's really a butcher block, eating and working on it is a little gross... those things are porous!

oh, and as to how to bring this up... I think you can just say that you want to buy a dining room table for the space and you think you can rearrange everything so it works. Also, get some baskets/boxes/closed shelving and you can start to hide clutter. If he's a typical guy, he won't mind too much as long as you don't go overboard and let him have his space, too.

As long as he's a reasonable person, just be honest.

Tell him that since it's such a great place, you'd love to organize things and rearrange furniture to make the most of it.

I would love to see the couch moved. Aiming it into a dark corner makes the living area seem so much more cramped and closed in. And man is that TV up high! My neck hurts just thinking about trying to lounge there and watch TV.

Does he own the space? Or are you paying half the rent? Because if you are paying half the rent, you are entitled to half the say in decor and space!

I agree with msjessiemeghan. The fact that you're a 'newcomer' to the place doesn't mean he's entitled to leave his junk everywhere. If your name is on the lease and you pay half the rent and utilities, then you have equal say in how your common areas look and are used. If he drags his feet about this issue, then he's not good roommate material and I'd start looking for a new situation (if feasible, given your lease and finances) or hunker down and wait it out.

My advice is to take care of this problem ASAP. Sit him down with a few beers and have a friendly discussion about cleaning, organization, sharing common space, etc. Be very, very clear and explicit about what you want from him and vise versa. Get it in writing if you have to. This is not guarantee that he'll live up to his end of the deal, but at least he can't accuse you of springing a bunch of rules on him later on.

This is coming from the perspective of the lease holder of a small apartment of three people.

I truly believe that because we each pay our portion of the rent, this is OUR home, not MY home. Christina should have some say in the look and feel of her home.

Definitely asking and gauging how your roommates feel about particular furniture and space is key. Maybe he loves that blue couch, it's his dream couch, and has never thought of changing it. Maybe he hates the tv console and is happy someone else is willing to take care/change it. You just don't know til you ask and you have to work with what you have.

My personal feelings, as the person who is on the lease and lived at our home the longest, is that after all the roommates are gone, I will still be here. This means I am less eager to let go of my couch, kitchen table, and other furniture. Once the roommate moves out, and takes their couch with them, I have to purchase another one. If my roommate is long term (2 years), of course that changes how willing I am to make changes. Really state your commitment to your home if you want to change things.

I'm going on three years with a roommate, we both love vintage kitsch, plants, and homey feel. We also share a comfort level when it comes to clutter and cleaning (a lil' more on the cluttered side, definitely not minimal). When we got a new roommate, we were upfront about our cleanliness level, and open to adjustments in decoration. Our aesthetic is apparent, and when a roommate makes the decision to move in, they are also deciding that they are okay with the look of the place they are moving into.

Not everyone has the money to refurnish their homes or hire a decorator, which is probably why they have roommates, to afford to live in a nicely sized home or in a city with a high quality of life.