That's sweet.
You have a good start.

Your home is sweet, and much more elegant than my first home with my husband, with whom I've been in love for 35 years. Congratulations and best wishes.

I love that little niche (or what do you call it) in the first picture. I have a similar thing in my entryway but I've just hung a drape in the opening. I'm planning to create some sort of a landing strip there but have a serious problem with making up my mind on how it should look. As proven here, simple is probably the best!

http://www.notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/

aw. ain't love grand? speaking of love. am loving the iron bed with those linens. where are those from?

-anna

chateausavoie.com

Pretty :)
But the candle near the towel in the bathroom makes me nervous!

Congratulations on your new life together.

I'd be more worried about the toilet tissue running out than the candle.

In general though I don't really think there's anything inspirational about the apartment in my opinion it's very blah. Are Apartment Therapy running out of interesting spaces to feature.

@bridmw - I disagree. The style is in the lack of style. This is not to say that Adam and Vanessa lack style, but to say that it is sometimes very refreshing to see a home that doesn't look like it came from a catalog, or was designed by a professional, or designed by someone with oodles of money. Let's face it - most people don't have the budgets to spend thousands of dollars on furniture. I think this lovely home is an example of having a wonderful space that is elegantly designed and with character, without succumbing to throwing thousands of dollars at it in favor of glitz and glam.

Love the bay window-would try to do more with that. Wish I had something as nice as this when I was first married. Its quaint and homey and I love the bed as well.

sweet, simple, & charming! congratulations!

I wish you had applied some minimal staging techniques. If the first photo had no trash can or refrigerator magnets/notes, and you had removed the used candles from the niche, it would have made a much better impression.

The apartment has great potential for going forward. Love the French doors!

Team bridmw here, too. At first glance, this looks more like a series of Craig's List adds for someone selling furniture they are moving from, not to. I wish the couple much success on their lives together. This is a simple, functional space to begin in, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's just not what I'd expect to see as an example of design on this site, either.

Adam,
What about putting a larger (or 2 or 3) planter boxes/herb gardens outside that window of yours in the kitchen that looks onto the roof?

Congratulations to you and Vanessa.

...and do you really make toast on top of your bookshelf? How do you manage the crumbs?

There are some interesting architectural details in the living room. Have you considered painting the walls to highlight the molding and ceiling?

Some cheery curtains on the window above the eating space, as well as the bathroom window would look great.

Best of luck to the two of you.

@bridmw and @hrhprincessfiona: We love seeing well designed spaces with beautiful & expensive furnitures. But in this case, this is what matters --
"My wife and I are newly married and happily at home in our 500 sq. foot apartment. We hope our simple style reflects our friendship, gratitude, and deep love for one another."

@mjs7640 I disagree. I like the notes on the fridge and the trash can and whatever else is still out in the photos. I think those things make it inspirational because the apartment looks lived in, not just set up all pretty for a photo shoot.

You two have done a great job. My live-in boyfriend and I have an even smaller one bedroom that seems a little scaled down at times. Sometimes I forget how a normal couple's home looks after I've looked at all the beautiful photos on your site all day everyday :) Congratulations and good luck to the both of you.

Also, please cherish this time. My husband and I close on our current tiny condo in June, and we move into our new single-family home in July. Although I'm looking forward to having more space, I cherish the memories that we created in our small home. My husband and I met when I was in law school, and when he was right out of graduate school. At the time, we didn't have a nickel to rub together, but we created a wonderful life together nonetheless. One day you will look back on your tiny home with fond memories.

congrats to the both of you.

i think the apartment has amazing potential. there are some really great opportunities to make this space very interesting while maintaining that "simple" and homey look you are going for. for now, it's just pretty blah to me.

maybe just one really interesting piece? maybe a chair from a thrift store painted in a bold color? or an exciting light fixture?

there's potential here to use cheap items and achieve something interesting.

oh and i'm with thorndale, that screen in the bedroom has got to go. great bed though.

and if you want to stay in the neutrals, but highlight the molding and architectural details...how about painting the walls in a grey tone? i think if you want to keep the beige color you've got on the walls, then you need a little more color through textiles or furniture. ok i'm done now. it's just a good space with tons of potential.

Ooh that chair by the window looks like a cozy place to read a good book! And I can just imagine having some romantic dinners or lazy brunches at that cute table. Congratulations to both of you :)

Thanks for sharing your newly-wed home! Definitely cherish this special time in your lives together. Making a first home in a small space can be way more fun, creative, and rewarding than decorating some giant, luxe dream apartment with money to burn.

Your nest looks cozy and personal, and I admire how you've made the limited space work for you. The living room rug is wonderful, by the way, and so is the little lamp in the old-school telephone nook. The shoji screen in the bedroom looks just fine to me.

I agree with j i that some curtains or a window treatment would look wonderful in the kitchen or bathroom. It's a chance to add some color.

Oh, it's just lovely. Really great and realistic. :) So sweet and comfortable!

I love this apartment! I think it has a lot of style but is entirely unpretentious - something I can't say for the snarky commenters here. I love all your choices! This style is classic, comfortable, and homey. I would move in in a heartbeat, and I wouldn't need to change anything. I'm relieved to see a space free of mid-century modern, neon, and plastic. And, congratulations on your marriage!

Personally, i love your apartment. It's very cozy, and must represent you guys. I like seeing the wide variety of houses AND budgets this site can represent. We don't need to be bombarded with tiny spaces that have big budget makeovers. Anyone can buy a look.

Nice, cozy, sweet first home together. Congratulations to you both. Comfortable and warm, but not the most stylish, and that's just fine.