I love the consistency throughout, monochrome, beautiful wood furniture against the white walls and wood trim. The kitchen cabinets are beautiful great non color. Very clean and simple. The bed does not look appealing needs some work, but the art work in the bedrm. is great.

the bed is awesome!

I'm a big fan. Such a simple, yet elegant space. Well done.

Great art work! Great layout! This is the type of apartment I would love to live in.

I love the creativity and comfort of the booth-bed.

Smith is a cool name. (the place is great too)

The eclectic art pieces are great. They deliver lots of personality and pop against the muted background. It looks like a space that's refined and restful, but still fun. Great job!

lovely space! clean and creative and brimming with personality. i aspire to edit my home this well.

i love it! their kitchen cabinets are cool and they have great artwork.

Excellent!

Elegant and cozy; an often difficult combination that's well represented here. Fantastic!

I love that you seem to have a disco ball in your kitchen. I thought I was the only one. :)

i really like it!

Great apartment. I love the artwork and really dig the disco ball in the kitchen. I would love for you to come to Louisville and decorate for me :)

Lovely place! It has a lot of characters; personal and meaningful.

beautiful! simplicity and comfort at its best!

I guess I am odd man out, but I am not gushing...

But there is nothing to dislike. Lots of nice peices - who can argue with a disco ball!

I love that couch - so wonderful to have something like that to reupholster.

I am with mefitia--another odd man out. This is not bad, but not noteworthy, either. Not to be overly negative, but I don't think we need to see photos of non-decorated/non-furnished bathrooms, nor of a hat hanging between two closet doors. It's fine but not original or creative either. Looks somewhat staged.

Agree with mattphatt & mefitia. They certainly have some nice things, but I'd love to see some more personality injected into the space. And could the bed go where the big painting is now?

i LOVE the sofa and the art. great idea to have family and friends make the center pieces. if i ever get married, i might just steal that idea!

I love the shoes on the wall. It shouldn't work but somehow it adds a quirky little vignette...

I love how you worked with your space. It is minimal but comfortable. I could see myself coming home everyday and enjoying the authenticity of the space I live in. I love all the art pieces made by friends-nice touch! No vanilla here!!

I think it's nice. With others, I wish there was a little 'more' but as she said in her piece, they've moved a lot. Rather than being styled as an accomplishment, the bed is left looking like an afterthought. The rug is gorgeous.

I mean, what are you looking for, AT? What comments are helpful? That we like her style? or her writing style? The quality of her photos? Her connections to other creative Chicago people? I'd hire her just because she could get us into her neighbors' mansions :)

I'm thinking that's what's most important in a House Tour contributor.

I love the bedframe <3 but I think that some simple pillows on top of the bedspread would look a lot better. Right now it's kinda like a misshaped marshmallow and takes away from the awesomeness of the bed itself.

I also like the sentimentality behind the wedding centerpieces becoming decorations. They're also very pretty.

The openness/minimal stuff isn't exactly my thing, but I enjoyed looking at it. It does feel a little staged on first glance, but if you look closely, there are some personalized and unique touches making it seem more natural and homey. Even though it isn't my style, I like it. I'd like to hang out in a place like this. <3

Well done. I especially like the clean lines and blend of contemporary and modern furnishings. Not a big fan of bookshelves in open areas (can look like clutter) Nice sideboard ideal for storage of books after editing what needs to go. I agree that the bed and large art should trade places.(esp. if there are 2 windows)
Fun accent pieces. All in all your place is cozy and hip.

I love the simplicity of everything, it's very easy and clean looking.

I agree with livc; would like to swap the bed and the painting. Nice kitchen cabinets but in general apartment feels a bit chilly willy. Perhaps because the photos were taken in the dead of winter?

I wouldn't gush either. Okay place, but nothing to write home about.

Spare, but interesting. The unexpected worked well within the conventional modernist aesthetic.

I agree with mefitia and a couple others that the place is alright but very plain and doesn't have much personality. But there some individual pieces that I think are lovely! Also, I love the kitchen cabinets!

I like the feel of it. The simplicity and minimalism. When there are just a few things they each need to be pretty interesting. I think the bookcase needs to be more distinctive. Also I'm confused about the casters on the bed, I'm not sure what that's saying. But overall I think refining in the same direction will bring nice results.

Where do they put all their things? I saw plenty of storage furniture, but there's gotta be stuff they use every day that doesn't normally go in cupboards. Where do mail and keys go? Loose coins? Coats and mittens? Most people think they're being tidy if they keep pencils in a cup and remember to put them back every time--in this house, it looks like even the cup gets stashed away somewhere. I like that it's so uncluttered, I'm impressed that they are so ruthless about not accumulating and adorning, but what I do like most about these tours is seeing how actual lives get lived in beautiful spaces. Very few people really put everything they use away in cabinets, out of sight.

it's very boring, monochromatic, tidy, and devoid of personality.

i'm sure it's because they've only lived there for four months.....right?

Could you please tell me what the name of that birch and white chair near the dark malm dresser is? is it from IKEA? it is pretty cool.

having moved a lot myself, i understand the need to keep your belongings to a minimum. i appreciate the key pieces you have chosen to take with you, and especially the items with a personal history.
another thing to note is you have managed to create a very stylish/comfortable house on a tight budget. impressive!

The long piece of furniture in the living room, next to the sofa, with black lamp on top... would that be considered a credenza? Need a similarly functioning piece but the search for credenza is mostly giving me returns on office desks.

HIRED!!!!!

Hi all -- it's me, Smith. Thanks so much to everyone for taking time to comment on my tour! Since I am potentially going to present tours of other people's most intimate spaces, it's useful to know what it feels like to open myself up; it will inform my approach future tours.

It's also been really cool to get some feedback about our place. Our apartment is definitely a work in progress; having moved around a lot we've erred on the side of flexibility but to some it may read as too neutral. It's interesting to hear what people have to say, and it's been fun reading your suggestions.

SeeAnemones: Our mail, pens and other such things go in the small organizer next to the sink. Everything else goes in either drawers or closets. Since we have such a small space, we try to keep the little things out of sight, which also makes it easier to find them when you need them. We are also lucky enough to have a basement storage area for a small workshop, luggage, bikes, etc.

Scoot: The chair is a prototype on loan from a local designer. You're right though, there is an IKEA one that is similar!

ejdiamond: Chicago's winter light is pretty thin. I'd love to hear any suggestions you have to make it work more to my advantage.

livc: Oh how I wish the bed could fit where the large painting is! The room is quite narrow, so it only leaves about a foot or so of walking room around it and would block access to our closets.

octoeff: Perhaps try searching for a sideboard? I'm pretty sure I saw a similar piece listed on the AT Chicago craigslist finds...

wow...i have never read so many negative/critical comments before, and I know there have been WORSE house tours on AT that have gotten 100% positive feedback. Are you ppl just being over-critical of this one because one of its inhabitants is a prospective AT blogger?

Honestly.

I actually envy the minimalism and toned-down color scheme...it makes me think I have gone overboard with the colors in my own home. I am thinking a nice grey painting with some blue/green tones might help to reign in the colors around me. I am so glad I saw this house tour for the inspiration!!!

These comments are hilarious. This tour is a good example of simple apartment living that's sure to give some people an idea or two. Not every house has to look like pee-wee herman's to have personality.

Also smiphed, I work in photography and I think this tour is quite nicely composed.

What a lovely home and such a lovely presentation of it! Great work!

I appreciate the fact that Smith has graciously opened her home to us, to share all the great stories and details she has put into creating such a lovely space. It looks comfortable and inviting, and full of personal history, even considering they have been nomadic.

Most importantly, I think Smith serves as a great resource to others looking to do something special with their homes. She seems passionate about design and domestic space, and eager to share what she's discovered. I would definitely want to see more spaces she would present!

Smith: the world does need people who put away their toys. Just because I couldn't ever do it doesn't mean it doesn't look fantastic.

I love it. I think it takes courage and creativity to live the life of a minimalist and I appreciate Smith's point of view. It is clear that Smith and Erik have chosen furniture and art that carry meaning and best express themselves. Bravo. It is intentional and yet not forced. AT would benefit to have Smith's insight and honesty.

I love the use of reupholstering couches, it's definitely green, and is an investment that will keep giving over time. It's style will always be in vogue. The horse pillow, family made quilts, booth-made bed and especially the beautiful art demonstrate loads of personal style. The only criticism about the bed is it needs something a little nicer on it. I also love the idea of using their centerpieces from their wedding as art! The red rug adds some color and helps to pull the style together. The color is perfect. I think Smith's minimalist style is awesome, and it reduces the stress in their home. It gives you a sense of relaxation and calm. It is essential to have creative ways to store things, such as, the knife rack, even the way shoe rack works, special drawers for the mail and such. I would love to come home to such a beautiful, minimal, and stress-free home. Smith has put a lot of artistic flair and thought into their home and her writing. Smith writes clearly and interestingly about her home and think she would do the same in other environments!