No No No No this place is horrid, its boring & blah!

thanks for sharing Katie. I can tell that you're very organized. However, despite the organization it still feels a little cluttered.

Also, I'd love to see an area rug to help define the dining nook and break up the wall to wall carpeting.

So all it takes these days to warrant a home tour is to tack up a Keep Calm poster? It seems haphazard rather than Bohemian

If there is a Keep Calm poster I can't find it for all the clutter. Sometimes I wonder at taste level.

I think you have some really nice things in your apartment. It's a bit cluttered, but I suspect that part of the backlash has to do with your apartment not being in a cool, old building downtown with great bones and beautiful hardwood floors. Also, the kitchen cabinets are a bit dated... and for those reasons, it's not my favorite apartment (forgot to mention Anthropologie-discount jealousy - darn your cool pillows!), but I like what you've done with it. I especially love the beautiful bag by the bed and the cabinet behind it.

To make it a bit cooler, you might get rid of the glass coffee table and move the vintage one behind the sofa to its place. Maybe put a cool rug underneath. Also, try raising some of the upper frames behind the couch by a couple of inches to break up the line. Can you paint your walls? You might try that as well. And Craigslist some of the other little things (green stacked boxes by the window).

Maybe try getting rid of some of the bulk and painting a bit. It all feels a bit dreary to me.

why didn't you get the keep calm poster in baby blue? it would have tied a few pieces together a bit.

Comments like those above are why I stopped reading AT for the most part.
If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Get a hobby that doesn't include tearing other people down. This person is clearly proud of her apartment and I think she's done an excellent job of making it "hers." If its not to your taste then keep it to your self. sdl;fkhsd.

/end rant.

I like it. I think it's very cozy :)

Crowded and cluttered. Get rid of a bunch of things or improve the storage so furniture and decoration can be spaced out a bit more.

I'm not a fan of matching everything to each other but some matching creates a calmer visual. Like in the bedroom, the nightstands. The fact that both of them don't really match the bed and do not match each other makes it look sloppy. I'd get two nightstands that are either the same or similar to create some unity and tie stuff together.

@Travsmom: The poster can be seen in the living room beside the bookcase. In the first and 15th photo :)

katie- it is very cozy! i noticed you have a couple pieces of blue cased glass... could you share where you found them or any tips on finding them?

i have a couple pieces of cased glass and want to expand my collection!

Katie, I love it. Nice work for the space you were working with ( people it's 675 sq ft). I really love the bar area and just love all the color. I think it looks very cozy. Great work!

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! Great work and really love what you have done. I also find it cozy, different storkes for different folks!

Nice work indeed although I can see the tendency for some to see it being cluttered, for starters, the TV and it's stand next to the desk for instance looks tight, but workable and since I live in a small space, I totally understand the cunnundrum here.

I had to get rid of a sectional that was handed down to me last summer as I got tired of the space looking crowded and the sofa itself due to it's bland style/shape and meh fabric just was not doing it at all and now I have a much smaller, colorful couch in it's place and already it's a big improvement and the space I was working with was roughly 11.5x9 Ft section of a large main room due to where the slider and the hall are.

I agree with prior commentators... They have some great stuff! But, its all oddly staged.

Also, maybe she should try to back away from the Anthropologie employee discount. It was the first thing that popped into my head before I even read the blurb. But still, very cute stuff!

Your wall art over the couch is very inspiring. I love what you've done with the place.
Pay no attention to those AT haters, I also live in DC in a boxy "no bones or architectural structure" apartment, I also rent, so finding places like yours give me hope that I can have a nicely decorated place with lots of personality too.

I just found this site and I am glad I did. Katie thanks so much for sharing, I LOVE your place. I also live in Nova and have a similar style apartment as a previous person said a no bones or architectural structure style apartment. I just am so inspired and can't wait to use some of your ideas in my space. It gives me hope for my place. The dinner table area is great, I love the use of color. I for one love the kitchen and the wall art over the couch. I think this place looks wonderful and cozy. Thanks so much for sharing.

I wonder if certain commenters on these house tour posts speak to their friends and co-workers with the same... ahh...honesty they exhibit here. I wonder if certain commenters on these house tour posts actually have any friends or co-workers. I wonder this a lot.

rosenatti - hahahahahaha. awesome. you just made my entire day.

Very cozy! But the wall to wall carpet would drive me nuts!

Oh, come on, haters. What does "oddly staged" even mean? I have to assume that if she styles for Anthropologie, she shares their aesthetic, so it's no surprise that she has a good amount of their merchandise. I agree that the lack of hardwood floors and beautiful old architectural details is creating some of the criticism.

This does have the feeling of a "normal home" rather than a "designer" home. I don't see that as such a bad thing.

Katie, your home is gorgeous and you obviously put a lot of time and love into it. I'd be a happy visitor to this place.

Whoa. This tour is really disappointing. Looks like another case of loyal HGTV-watching induced over-confidence.

Unfortunately as a native of DC, there are few apartments that have any architectural character to them. You can only do the best you can with what you have. I think Katie did well with the layout of her place. Not great but not bad either.

While Katie does have some nice pieces, and good taste in stores, (come on - who does not love Anthropolgie?) it looks a bit cluttered. I like how she places the artwork over her couch. Very well done. However the pillows are too much with that style of sofa. Color on the walls would have been nice. Overall, more ecclectic than bohemian. Definitely cozy!

Not really my thing. For me it looks very college-y but if that's where you are in life there's nothing wrong with that. Lots of cute peices, but it feels like a LOT.

What is wrong with you guys!? Have all your apartments been featured in house tours? Is it because she doesn't have a couple of repro Eames chairs scattered around? Katie obviously loves the things she's chosen to live with and chooses them carefully. I think it's fantastic. It's not my style either - but it's refreshing that it DOESN'T look like a glossy magazine photo. This is what a real house looks like! And I'd bet that this is what other side of most of our computer screens looks like. I'm sure some of you were out to impress with your catty, snide comments - but you sound like complete jack@sses. Keep on keepin' on Katie. :)

While I think that this apartment, overall lacks a cohesive feel, I like it. I imagine that this really reflects Katie's personal style and taste and you can tell that this is someone's home, a lived in home and not the sterile, contemporary show floor that generally shows up on AT DC. I personally am not so much into the bohemian feel, not in my housewares, not in my clothing, not in my literature. But some people can really pull it off and while I think that this house may benefit from the Eight Step Cure (some items could be removed and the home may feel less cluttered and have more stylistic direction), it is a comfortable home and it feels real. Even without some repro Eames chairs.

Wow. Too cluttered, not cluttered enough... you've got to be a masochist to share your home on AT. Thanks for doing it though. Love the blue elements.

So is a home chosen for tour being held up as an example of all that is good, or just one person's notion of what makes a comfortable and attractive home? Seems to me like how you comment on the tours depends on how you would answer this question.

Given the prominence of tours on the site, it would seem to suggest the former and not the latter. Maybe that's not the case though.

Good point Indy Jeffrey. I personally do not like this space at all, but my best friend would probably like it. I say probably because I have a hard time thinking that anyone with an interest in design could accept the haphazard photo groupings, ugly sectional couch, and apparent disregard for color and pattern agreement. I would want honesty if I posted my home for this site. I come here to see innovative examples of homes that are truly inspired and outstanding. It is just my opinion, I suppose, but I do come to Apt. Therapy because they showcase a higher-design kind of style. If I want to see a "cute" place like this, I'll buy a trite magazine.

Very cluttered...and too much stuff hanging on the walls.

gawd some people are mean... if you have nothing positive to say, what about constructive advice?

I think it's cute. There are things in this apt I like, and don't like, but I think it's pretty cool that 2 people live in this space.

Indy Jeffrey and standupstapler - AT is not all about high-end design, it's about living well in small spaces, at least about peoples' real homes, not designer showcases for magazines. That's why there's contests like smallest coolest and fall colors. Because real people have inspring homes, and sometimes it IS one person's notion of a comfortable and attractive home, but more often it is many people's notion just maybe not yours. Maybe yours is a dwr catalogue, who knows. Maybe you guys should send in pictures of your home?

I can't believe how harsh some of these comments are. Show a little class!

If someone is young, as I'm guessing this homeowner is. they haven't had time to accumulate objects with "history." Give her a few years.

This home is cute and cozy. I love the pillows.

I'm 29. I'm not poor, but I'm not much above that. I share about 700 square feet with my husband and little kid. We have a lot of crap, and I'm trying hard to organize it. I WILL send in pics of my place and I look forward to doing it! We're renovating, and doing everything ourselves. We can't afford to hire anything done or buy anything new.

I come here to see what people have done with small budgets and small spaces and color and taste, not money.

This space is unhelpful. I could buy a bunch of pictures and pillows too, but instead I'm focusing on which dumpstered furniture to paint and my next drywall project.

There is an amazing home tour of a place in Berkeley on here that I'd refer you to! I also love the posts about DIY play kitchens. Just awesome.

I don't see any cool DIY stuff here. Just a lot of stuff.

Another outstanding performance from the AT commentariat! Go team!

Love your studio wall and your pillows are awesome! Pretty blue pots too. I think you'd benefit from decluttering and having some empty horizontal spaces.

I clicked on here because I guessed all the comments meant a positive slideshow experience. Turns out some people just like to pile on. Come on, people--the last eight years are over. We get to be compassionate to others now!!

ok...cluttered decor aside (though the bedroom is nice as is the kitchen), as a resident of the District of Columbia, my only comment is that it really irks me when a person says that someone moved to DC when what they really did was move to Arlington or Hyattsville or, g-d forbid, Fairfax. What they can say is that they moved to the DC Area, Metro DC, or maybe the Washington, DC area. However, the District of Columbia is a distinct, separate jurisdiction within the United States of America. People who move to Rossyln pay income taxes to the federal government and to the commonwealth of Virginia and get two voting senators and eleven voting representatives to the House, plus a governor and state legislature. Residents of the District of Columbia pay federal income tax and a "state" income tax and get a mayor, a council with congressional oversight, and a non-voting delegate to the House...like Guam and Puerto Rico, though they are exempted from US federal income taxes.

Thanks retrostyleguy81 for your business report on the (unfortunate) circumstances of taxation without representation. I live in Hyattsville, but I still say I live in DC because most people in this country are not from the area and have NO IDEA where the heck that is. I'm sure people don't mean to offend you by their word usage, but if it makes you feel better, I, too, live in the DC "area".

Anyway, getting back on topic, when I first saw the pictures, I thought "too cluttered", but I'm starting to love it that your setup is different, not at all safe and boring. If you can't paint (I'm not sure if you can or not) go with color! My favorite thing is the artwork collection above the couch. The pieces are all so different, yet they still look good together.

I love the pillows and I love the couch, but put together it just doesn't feel right.

Well said, coloraddict!

Very nice "table-scape" on your dresser. Your little office space/TV stand looks very compact and organized and I bet it works nicely together ~ well-thought out, not to mention nicely coordinated color-wise. The plant is a nice touch too.
Pay no attention to the negative comments. Be yourself. Remember this: If your space showed up in a magazine featuring living well in a small space, with the added cachet of a celebrity or a designer's name on it, or whatever, these same peeps would be raving about it.

ange_lune:

my comment in now way was meant to suggest AT is about high-end design. I know that's not the point.

I was simply trying to point out that if people view home tours as "best practices" they come to the comment section with different expectations than viewing the tours only as examples of what different people do with their homes.

And I have had a photo of my home on the site.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/roomark-jeffrey-91508-063027

Thanks for sharing your home, Kate.
It's sad but there are a lot of unkind people in this world and it seems most of them have been commenting here. A lot of negative energy.

I like your bed and the red painting in the dining nook and your storage shelving in the kitchen. Your place looks cluttered and disconnected.

People post to get feedback.... sometimes it is positive and sometimes it is negative. That is a chance that you must be willing to take when you post.

Poor Katie...She didn't drink the "cool" Kool-Aid. By the way, Indy Jeffery - you pad looks kind of boring. People in glass houses...

It's the full moon, Kate. Who cares, let 'em howl. Cozy like my grandma's sofa with loads of pillows & colors. I imagine it "softens" the D.C. (area) life/workstyle! :-) Thanks for sharing.

Uh, replica. I don't care if you think my pad is boring but I do care that you are suggesting I was being critical of kate's home when I did no such thing.

Quite the contrary if you would read either of my posts. Both were about the different tone in comments. If you look at what I actually wrote I didn't react to Kate's home at all, so you might want to clean the windows a bit on your glass house so you can see more clearly.

Jeffery, when you start using terms like “good” and “best practices” in the context of your posts then I might surmise that your were making a judgment that was less that favorable – but I stand corrected if I’m wrong and you do in fact like and appreciate Katie’s home. Additionally, I find the term “best practices” truly odd and extremely off-putting – if you are discussing engineering I would agree – but design, no. I see plenty of homes that completely fly in the face of the notion of “best practices” (whatever they are?) all the time – and one of the reasons that I find them compelling is they do so. And if you imagine any great practitioner of art or architecture and list words to describe the products of their imagination - their work (think Van Gogh, Wright), “best practices” should not be included.

I really do find your living room boring and I can guarantee that you would find mine overwrought. Which room is aesthetically more successful? Absolutely depends on whose making the judgment (and perhaps we would need to clearly define our terms before proceeding). Coco Chanel admonished removing one item after dressing; Diana Vreeland certainly did not adhere to that advice. Who had the better taste? If anyone can tell me they’ll make a definitive determination, we’ve all be provided resolution to a problem that has vexed humankind since time immemorial.

I don’t place comments (this was my first) on this site for the simple reason that there are plenty of things that I find boring, prescribed, lacking in imagination and resoundingly unsuccessful and others that make me drool. But personally I find it uninstructive and hurtful (and there was definitely somewhat of a pile-on in this case) to tell anyone who obviously puts a great deal of care and time in the construction of their living space that they’ve screwed-up, not adhered to “best practices” or have not realized some arbitrary standard that exits somewhere in the ether of Apartment Living!

I love the office work space and the overall feel of the apartment. It looks like a "real" home.

Home is where the heart is. It's cozy and the blue accents are very pretty.

I defended another cluttered home earlier today, and I am not a snob by a long shot, but I have to say that I don't see anything special or inspiring here and I don't think it warrants a tour. Sorry.

Katie, Katie, Katie! You have a lot going on here, but the only thing that's really important is that you're happy with it, yeah?

I believe she's on her way to designing an awesome boho chic apartment. Keep up the good work!

..Oh, and I suggest vintage pieces to add to the look!

katie,
love how personal your home is. you have a lot of things you love, and love to show them! your living room looks comfy and lived in and your bedroom is great. love all the colors. you have great, eclectic taste!

To those who say people here are harsh - if you post pictures of your place, you are asking for it if it lacks any sense. I'm just going with the four photos we see on the main page for now.

The bedroom I actually liked for the most part. The nightstands need to be decluttered and it wouldn't kill to have a little more color on the bed besides on the throw pillows.

The shot with the couch - the throw pillows are way wrong and way too large for this couch. If you can't pay to replace them, at least switch them out for the ones in the bedroom. And you could deal without at least 3 of the wall hangings - they look much better spread out a little more. You are making the room feel short.

The shot with the TV and desk - the only thing I didn't like was the tv stand seemed too small for the size television. General rule of thumb is it should be as wide as your TV...spacewise can't afford that big of piece of furniture, you might want to rethink needing a television that size.

With the entertainment armoire - again DE-CLUTTER!

cute? yes. organized? absolutely. bohemian? no.

There is nothing wrong with this place that some good editing can't fix. Some workable items and the intent is really in the right direction. Just edit, edit, edit. When in doubt throw it out. Create space and do lots of editing (meaning get rid of stuff that is not part of a group, e.g., frame colors and style, black and white photography that is mixed with pastels and two dimensional graphics. Needs careful rethinking yet positively doable. Good luck.

Katie - I love your touches of blue and I especially like your office space.
maybe spacing your pics further apart in the living room over the couch might highlight each a bit more. the one that is hidden by one of the pillows on the couch could stand to be placed higher and all on the bottom row should go up a bit so that anyone leaning back doesn't hit them. I would move the large black and white in the living room to over your bed.
Moving the large pillows on the couch over to what looks like balcony doors to the floor and perhaps no pillows on the neutral couch would also give more emphasis to your lovely collection of pictures.

Ohhh... The bedroom isn't bad, but the rest is overwhelming! And I understand that it's an apartment, so maybe there are restrictions to painting, but all that stuff on stark white walls makes it look random and overdone. I think you have some good pieces, you just need to find a larger place to distrubite them amongst!

Love the hooks in your bedroom, Katie.

If this apartment was decorated the exact same way but in an open apt with hardwood floors and exposed brick walls then everyone would say they love it.