that light/fishbowl combo is too cool

Its boring and blah. Looks like my grandparents house. Vinyl floors, yellow 70s stove range, window AC unit - so not cute.

It looks dated. There does not seem to be a cohesive look throughout the space and there is way too much clutter.

wow - I really dislike this apartment and almost everything in it. hideous!

i think you would be happier with some color on those walls. the little cabinet to the left of the tv is too cool

there are a lot of awesome pieces in here, but I think it is a little cluttered.

people! how about a little kindness? it's a leap of bravery to put pics of your home up for public appraisal (a leap i'm not yet brave enough to take)...i think saying it's not your taste along with concrete reasons why (as two posters above did) provides honest and constructive commentary without being a personal attack. declaring someone's home "hideous" seems a little cruel to me.

this is why rentals can suck: hideous 70s built-in appliances and gigantic wall heaters.

this apartment is dying for some color on the walls!

I think the appliances are awesome.

I really miss the days when people remembered this simple adage. "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. It speaks volumes."

Oh, and "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

I think this apartment is fun. It's hard to make a dated building look current, so why not work with what you have? Kudos for that particular effort. You could have chosen an overstuffed rolled arm couch with hobnails. Your authentic casegoods are great choices. Better than CB2 or West Elm quality, so they'll last you a long time.

I'd like to see:
-- some contemporary elements so that your place looks a little more blended, a little less like a time capsule. For example, a solid orange or yellow drum shaped lampshade in the bedroom instead of the atomic motif.
--mix up the materials (maybe something you could do over time?) by incorporating glass and metal and other textures with your teak.
--Larger, mismatched pillows on the couch. Or maybe a narrow and long brightly-colored bolster (Brocade Home had some recently).

I've learned so much on AT about how to deconstruct the styles I like so that I can get the look I want in my own space. I've received truly excellent suggestions for my home, and I'm very thankful for them. But the equivalent of "your place sucks" is less the helpful (nevermind rude). I'm sorry some people said that to you.

Wow, caught some grumpies on here didn't didn't you? Their comments were not complimentary at all, basically putting down your efforts.

First off, I love, love, love the place for it's largely original, that I love. As for smeone saying the stove being from the 70's, it's not I don't think. I think all of that is original from the mid 60's and I believe it was around that time that the "sunburst" treatment as seen on the stove began to appear.

But some things to note, first off, how well kept up this place is. It's not often you find a rental that old in that nice a shape. I live in a 1960 1 bedroom here in Seattle that has had the updating treatment done to it, and not all that in keeping w/ the buildings style either (thankfully I can say I still have the original dusty blue sink and tub in the bathroom, the original wall hung vanity, luminous ceiling and the kitchen still has it's original cabinets and all doors are original too, but that's largely it).

That said, there are lots of nice elements here but color seems lacking, too much white or wood or black. the couch looks kind of large and the pillows on it too small for the scale of it, I'd move the two ottomans and place them side by side somewhere else in the seating area and bring the Eames shell chair out from the corner for it looks jammed in there between furniture.

Love the brown canister set and the turquoise spice rack, way cool.

Again, a very good start here and in such a pristine spot that in my mind looks a bit more early American in the details such as the dining room light (which looks similar to the one we had in the entry of our early to mid 60's era split entry growing up).

I think this apartment is very cute. Nice work playing up the space. Keeping working to combine styles and update things. Great work though!

Really cute -- I'd suggest a rug to tie your living room together and maybe add colour. I happen to love the stove (makes me all nostalgic)!

so i just realized that in my tut-tutting that one poster i didn't actually comment on the space! sorry! i agree with the comments that color is lacking...i don't know if that's because you're prohibited from painting (a sad cruelty of some rentals) or just haven't gotten around to it yet or if you just prefer the look of a blanker canvas. if you are allowed to paint, i would at least do some accent walls--i think orange, turquoise, nut brown and a dark charcoal grey would be colors that would look great in your place, and would act as a foil to really highlight some of the great pieces you have. if you're prohibited from painting, i'd recommend some really large graphic prints and textiles--pillows, curtains in your bedroom--to fill in color-wise. i stumbled on these posters recently on an old AT-post, and i think they're breathtaking (and some would be in keeping with the retro feel of your place):

http://826la.org/store-sundries/

thanks so much for posting pics of your place!

Very cute! It reminds me of an apartment I used to rent in Signal Hill, CA.

The spice rack in the kitchen is adorable, and the small cabinet next to the tv is really unique and shows off your collections very nicely. I'm totally impressed by how clean, neat and organized it looks.

Some wall color would be nice, but as an alternative, maybe try a large colorful rug in the living room. The lamp in the bedroom has a wonderful shape and it would really pop with a coat of spraypaint and a different shade.

Thanks for sharing!

wow, i like the people created a profile today and then immediately left asinine comments with nothing constructive. people must be off to a miserable start of their New Year and looking to take it out on random people online.

the 'clutter' issue is hard with limited space. 2 things I would consider for making the place more open are:
1. moving what look to be storage/seating blocks away from the tv credenza. that would open up some space and allow the curio cabinet and shell chair some room (of course there may be no other logical place for them).
2. likewise in the bedroom i am wondering if there is any place on an opposite wall for the retro kitchen cart? it would open up some space there as well, and wouldn't crowd out your bedroom set. the rest of the furniture is nicely tied together with the neutral tones by the bedspread

PS

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/scavenger/scavenger-recognize-a-few-of-these-furnishings-los-angeles-073267

This post has a pic in the upper left that applies to my comment about mixing up the materials over time. They too have a cream sofa and what looks like could be teak cocktail table, AND they have the glass over the sofa, a lacquer and chrome side table, and a pop of brilliant color in the turquoise lamp.

Nice pieces of furniture. I guess what's not doing it for me is the wall to wall carpeting in this case, which appears similar in color to the walls and the sofa.

I'll bet if she had hardwood floors throughout in, say, a medium stained oak or something more dark and rustic, the rooms would take on a totally different, much more Scandinavian, look. For now, she's renting. But when she buys a place, she's already off to a great start with both her furniture and her accessories.

Perhaps change wall color if possible?

Like some of the other posters, I personally prefer more of a mix of styles and textures. That said, you have some great pieces! I think they'd benefit from highlighting them with some color on the walls. It seems that more color would tie the house together and give it a more polished look.

You have a lot of cool pieces! I definitley think some art on the walls could go a long way. Large pieces, devoid of browns, oranges and creams (there's a lot of it in your place already). Maybe mix it up with more modern looking art, graphic prints, as opposed to going too retro.

Thanks for all the feedback. I do agree that it is lacking color. I can't paint the walls because I am renting, and I would love to have hardwood floors! The color of the appliances are not attractive, but I am renting. I am working with what I have. The majority of the furniture I refurbished myself. If I had a lot of money, then I would probably pic out different pieces of furniture. Thank you for all the positive feedback. I will definitely take your comments into consideration. As for the negative feedback, everyone is entitled to their opinions. You don't have to like it, but please don't leave negative feedback unless, you can give concrete reason's why. Also, since some of you created accounts today, then I think if you had the guts to post pics of your home, then I would definitely like to see them. I am proud of what I have, and if I owned a home, then I would definitely do things differently. For now, I am happy with what I have, and will definitely add some accent colors. Thanks!

Is your sofa the Corona from Macy's? If so, how do you like it?

well said, carrieb!

Yes, yes--where'd you get the sofa? I love it.

littlebunnyfoofoo: Thanks for the poster link. They are really cool.

alisong: Yes, it is the Corona from Macy's. I actually just got it, and I love it. It is very comfortable. I used to have a dark drown couch, and decided to try the lighter color. That is one of the reason's I posted it on here. It wasn't going with the carpet, and I needed some advise. I will look for an accent rug and pillows. I plan to move later this year and into a place with hardwood floors. It will match better. I do recommend the Corona.

I just had a good look over the photos, and I think they were all taken with the Flash on. I think AT'ers respond negatively to interiors photographed with flashes. The light of the flash takes away the lovely effect of natural sun landing on various surfaces around the room, and makes everything look a bit 2-dimensional.

I think Carrieb has some cool stuff going on, and I'd like to see her place get another chance with better pics. :-)

You have some nice pieces here. I love the lamp/fishbowl-I've never seen anything like that before and if I came across one, I'd probably have to buy it on the spot.

I agree that the place would really benefit by color on the walls, but when you rent you usually don't get that option, so you have to make do. Maybe color in other places might help? Like a rug to go under the coffee table, or a throw blanket for the back of the couch, or different curtains for the bedroom window (a pale orange to tie in with the poppies on the bedspread, maybe?)

You do have some nice pieces! I think you should stack the bookshelf and the credenza, it would look great. Although that means you'd need another piece of furniture for your TV...

I agree with other posters that the walls could really do with some colour. Since it's a rental, are you allowed to paint? Some of the art also seems a bit lost on the walls, but you just need bigger art, or a collection of pieces to resolve that.

I like your plant stand since it reminds me of one in my house as a kid. The fishbowl/lamp = awesome! And your bedspread is lovely! I'd like to see a close up shot of the great curio cabinet in the living room - I want to know what's in there!

p.s. I like the gnome!

glad you like the posters...and i just thought of another possible way to import some color to your walls without having to paint them...there is an awesome online store that sells really colorful, awesome giftwrap:
http://www.papermojo.com/
while it's not inexpensive ($4 is sort of my upper limit for 'frivolity' purchases, though), there are some paper swatches that are large enough to act as faux/reversible 'wallpaper.' here are a couple i've recently used to decoupage some butt-ugly furniture:
http://www.papermojo.com/emboss/vivant rococo paper.html
http://www.papermojo.com/emboss/flocked wallpaper print.html
http://www.papermojo.com/contemp_prints.htm
just a thought!
ps - i really adore your bedspread and the little turquoise spice canisters!

wow! I love littlebunnyfoofoo! You rock! Paper is definitely a great alternative to painting. Also, my friend uses fabric on her walls. Since, I got the tv and couch I wasn't sure what to do with the walls and floor. It is a weird space. I think this will help out tremendously!

As for the lampshade in the bedroom, it is very sentimental to me. It was my great grandfather's, and I was trying to make it fit in as well as possible. I am not attached to the lamp, so I might just paint it another color. I have been looking for a new lamp for a long time.

The lamp/fishbowl I got at the Pasadena City College flea market. I had never seen one before and I had to snatch it. I love it! I haven't seen one since.

If I move, then I will definitely consider stacking the credenza and shelf. I wanted to keep the furniture low because I used to have tons of tall furniture and it felt claustrophobic.

Thanks for all the feedback!

Others (esp. tam-tbag) have said it, but I agree that a lot hangs on the photography. You could have the same home shot a different way, and posters would be ooh-ing and aah-ing. I admire *anyone* brave enough to open his or her home to the AT crowd and risk the baying that usually ensues! Thanks, Carrie. I enjoyed seeing your home, and admire your grace in dealing with some of the negativity.

I think you've collected some fabulous furniture pieces--pieces that will go the distance. I get the part about not painting the walls, but this home really needs some color. Try punching it up with some more vibrant throw pillows here and there. Some graphic poster art with great colors wouldn't cost too much. And maybe taking away one of the nightstands by the bed would free up the space, it is kind of cluttered. I love the sparkly countertops! You go! And do ignore those early mean comments obviously posted by folks who didn't take their meds this morning. It's hard to control things like air conditioners and space heaters when you're renting.

Thanks, carrieb! It looks really nice.

We have that lamp/fish bowl combo!!!! My husband put a small diecast Vespa against the nature backdrop in the bowl instead.

Great apartment! Love the pieces you have!

Really? That is awesome that someone else has that lamp/fish bowl combo. Where did you get yours?

Thanks!

Hi Carrie!

I've been thinking a bit about your place, trying to figure out why some people have responded so negatively. Some people have said that your place lacks color, but I'm not so sure that's a problem. For example, a lot of the cool interiors shown at www.lightlocations.com are all-white or beige, without much color. I actually think you've done pretty well considering the architectural limitations of your place --- beige wall-to-wall carpet, the heater, etc. It's really hard to give a certain era of housing stock a sense of drama. Thinking about your place, I think people are probably responding to a certain sameness in the wooden furniture pieces. Everything is a square wooden block of the same color. What would probably change things a lot is to eliminate a few pieces and think in sculptural terms about furniture. For example, what about exchanging your coffee table for an interesting curvy coffee table? Or maybe exchanging some of the furniture, like the matching side tables in the bedroom for something ethnic --- like an Asian-influence side table. Each side table could be different from the other and you might think about doing something lacquered. Mixing it up a bit in eras and style will enhance the drama and surprise factor in your place and doesn't have to be expensive, either. I found a great kidney-shaped glass coffee table on Craig's List, but flea markets would have a lot of this stuff too. Finally, you might consider whether you really need as much furniture as you have. I think less is more is always a great rule when it comes to furniture and curios. Instead, I think it works better to go for fewer places that add drama.
Anyway, congratulations on your ever-evolving place! You've made a great start so far.

Thanks, PaminBoston.

Carrie, we got the lamp/fish bowl combo at a junkyard/antique shop. Ours is blue and a bit more elongated. Honestly, we didn't know it was a fish bowl 'til we saw yours, hence, the Vespa inside the bowl.

Thanks, KTG. I truly appreciate your constructive criticism. It will help me out immensely. I do need to rearrange things and I will start doing that first. I actually have 2 of the eames chairs, and one is going to go by the couch, and the other will be in the corner. That is the only place it can go. I will move the ottomans. My biggest issue is storage. I don't have much. That is why it may seem cluttered. Hence, the retro cart in the bedroom. My ex put it there, and I kinda just left it there. It will have to go. I need to do some spring cleaning! I do have some artwork. I have only had this setup for 6 months, and I am still trying to figure it out. Last night, I added a back splash to the shelving unit in the living room. It makes it look more modern, so there isn't as much wood everywhere. It will take time, and this experience is helping me grow. Thanks, again everyone!

i LOVE the corona sofa; i think it is a great anchor in the space. i'm considering buying one myself and you just sold me!

and i think i agree with the flash-on thing; it's a great home and an interesting example of dedication to mid century style. the one downfall to mcm is that it's so easy to make things look like a set even if they're not that sometimes it can get TOO uniform. but i like the lines and think that overall, with natural light, your space is probably lovely.

I have the corona sofa as well and so far it has been pretty great. My only concern is that the three seat cushions tend to "buckle" depending on what part you are sitting on - also if you tend to sit in the middle or on one side or the other more often, then the cushions start to look uneven... a little bit of a disappointment, but for the price you really can't do better than this sofa (wait for when Macy's furniture goes on sale which it does at least a few times a year).

I saw the sofa in your slide show and it reminded me of how great it really is - it looks fantastic in your space!

I think that goes with any couch and the cushions. I will probably rotate and move them around every few months. It's like flipping your bed. The couch was on sale when I got it.

It's funny because these pictures look dated already. I have made a lot of changes since they were taken! I might post new photos in the future, and have a photographer take them. We'll see...

Please post your updated pictures.

So, let me start off by saying I have the exact same double oven and similar range in my house with the brochures from 1963 and the same bathroom cabinet. I live in a ranch house in the Bay Area built in 1963. Yes they're all original to the period and even though people say they're ugly, it was part of the charm that led us to buy the house and I'm disappointed because 2 of my burners don't work and I may need to replace the stove. My kitchen is red and that helps make the yellow look cute, so I can see why everyone recommends more color. I have hardwood floors, and a terrazzo linoleum in the kitchen/family room and that also helps with color/ texture. I love your old pieces in the livingroom but also agree that maybe the shapes and colors are a little too similar and instead of seeing them as cool stand-out pieces they blend together in one of those awful discount store pre-grouped furniture collections. Perhaps breaking them up a bit might be better. Getting a vintage rug in a bright color might also help deflect some of the sameness.

Anyway great post, love the fishbowl lamp!

I moved out of this place over 8 months ago. I took everyone's design advice on AT and applied it to my new apartment. Here are some pics. Same stuff, but in a new place.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/axlewood/sets/72157619328293301/

Your place is an inspiration to me! I have recently become obsessed with acquiring mid-century pieces (thanks to a fascination with I Love Lucy, Mad Men, Boogie Nights, etc.), and I'm looking for ways to put them all together into a comfortable, cohesive environment. I admire every decision you have made in the design of your apartment. I think I may even use these photos as a template for my current redesign of my place.

As a fellow LA resident (I'm located in Venice), I'd love to hear more about where you got your pieces. They're spectacular.