Winner!

gaaaargeous! I'm glad to see a Canadian entry.

Beautiful *and* an efficient use of space.

This is lovely! I vote Super Cool!

I LOVE this. I wish I had that much natural light.

-http://www.blogazar.com

Finally a Canadian! This is very pretty. I am jealous that you live in BC :( One day I'll get out west...

I love that rug under the coffee table.

I love this apartment! Great use of space, and all of the natural light and high ceilings are to die for!

I absolutely adore your home and all the design choices you have made. I am also incredibly jealous of the area where you live! If I remember correctly, I was there a few years ago for the yearly jazz festival. Oh how my heart longs to be back in Vancouver :-)

I like it but why did you choose to block a good bit of storage with your sofa? Is that where you store stuff that you never use?

stunning.

just the right amount of stuff... lived in,but not cluttered.

And beautiful.

great a local entry! nice space and use of colour. i know this is one of the two local buildings in gastown that are nice semi-affordable loft spaces, so it helps a lot to see how you've used the layout. one day i hope to also be in loft in gastown or downtown area as well.

curtains = cool!

thanks for sharing

Oh my damn, that couch is amazing.

The whole place is amazing, actually.

Winner for sure.

Love it!

Stunning!
Winner!

Bravo on those curtains. Lovely!

I agree...the winner for sure. Small space and an amazing sense of style. Not too matchy-matchy, and just the right amount of stuff. PERFECTION.

those windows are nice!
the place is really open.

While a lot of the decor isn't really my style, it's hard for a nice loft not to be cool.

What's going on under those stairs? That would be interesting to see. Cool place for the space and amazing natural light, but I couldn't vote super cool because of the plague of white laminate storage, much of which is inconveniently blocked. Do you climb on the lounge to get books down? Also colour sense is a bit haphazard - blues, greens, reds, browns, purples, taupe - not really coming together to make one story IMO.

where did the sideboard come from?

Beautiful! And I love the picture wall. I'd be happy every time I used the stairs.

Space-efficient, smart, personal, artful, inviting-- super cool!

i like what i see, but i wish there were photos of the kitchen, a nice wide shot from the windows looking in. i'm curious what the lofted area looks like from the living room.

Does you dad want to visit Boston and make me some built ins?

Okay. Now we're talking. Really great apartment!

Your table and chairs are great. I love your neighborhood, my parents are there right now... I wish I was too, I love Vancouver!

Damn, I wish my father was a handyman! Very nicely done--lofts are often hard to decorate properly, but you made great use of the wallspace with the bookcases and artwork. I like the choice of curtains too!

Good design choices and lots of personality... super cool!

Good luck - Hope you make the finals!

P.S. Can you lease tell me where you found those bed linens? Gorgeous.

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for voting and for your very kind comments.

To answer a few questions...

The duvet cover is called Spirograph (what else?!) and is from Canadian retailer Daniadown – they do online orders.

The cabinet/built-in/sideboard has come up a couple of times and I just wanted to say for the record that it’s made of wood, not laminate. Though I am guilty as charged on the laminate bookcase... which is from Ikea, no surprise.

As for why the couch is infront of the cabinet, I guess sometimes in a small space you have to make tough choices like a) having easy access to things like your suitcases and Christmas tree decorations, or b) having a place for you and your guests to sit. I voted for sit space. There’s very little free wall space, so storage and the couch simply have to co-exist. And the couch is actually really easy to shift when required...no big sweat.

(As a side note, there is no out-of-suite storage in my building and the only storage the space came with was under the kitchen/bathroom sinks... not a single closet to be had!)

Thanks Elizabeth II, every time I go up the stairs I am very happy indeed!

I can’t wait to share more pictures with you all if I am lucky enough to make it to the next round.

Cheers,
Simone

Good to see such a superb Canadian entry.
BTW, when can we see "AT Canada"?

Killer couch; in fact, I think it might go well in my own place! Is it vintage? Great match with the rug, too. Good luck!

Ditto to what everyone says......fantastic!

Very elegant.

nicely done! Hey where is the door?

Did I see the same photos everyone else did? I like this and it's very nicely laid out and cohesive...but winner? Really? I voted cool, but i'm not feeling this as finalist material.

bokinney, I'm nominating you for the Shameless Plug 2008 Award...
;)

This is a supercool space with wonderful texture and colors! Absolutely adore the living room.

you shop at fullhouse consignment, don't you!?

I like it.

The living area is a triumph!

Colours = AWESOME!

I really like this.

Love what you've done with this space, and loving the tall ceilings...

I like the mix of new and old. Putting this together can only be done by individual creativity. The mix of many colors works for me - it has interest and as a whole they are chosen to be complimentary. My favorite feature is the mass grouping of various-sized framed pieces on the wall...a gutsy assemblage that works here. This space has a lot of curios in it, keeping it fun and intriguing, so you could lie on the couch and gaze around, finding delight in the whimsy...yet at the same time, it's classy. Invigorating!!

Mejezabel, if you have a peek at the floorplan, the front door is just to the right of the kitchen. I’ll show photos of this if I make it to the next round.

Darling, I’ve never been to Fullhouse Consignment, but I just checked it out online and it seems like they have some really great stuff. Unfortunately, I don’t think I could shoe-horn any more Danish Modern in here for the time being. :-)

Blandwagon, thanks for making me giggle! I’ll never look at my rug in quite the same way again.

Cheers,
S

Simone - Thanks so much for the Daniadown info -not only do they ship to Montrreal, but there are no shipping charges (in Canada) for orders over $100. Woohoo!

Re the smurf-splattered rug, I think you've nailed it perfectly (no pun intended). Brightly splatted shag rugs with Danish furniture were all the rage in the late 60s and early 70s.

Xelif summed it up for me.

Not my style but I really loved this place! The color so nicely blended in and the place looked spacious!

The cathedral (practically) ceiling and the loft area really make for some seriously wonderful photos, and I do so very much love those curtains.

It's funny how that bottom stripe is similar to the kind of style that you see in several catalogs, etc. for normal-length curtains, and yet on this scale it manages to transcend that and almost seem like it makes the place cozier by subdividing the length of the windows, kind like how wooden paneling in cavernous castles does, when it only goes up two-thirds of the way on very, very tall walls, when they have a light color on that top portion to make the top feel airy.

In case all of that is hard to follow, basically, I love the curtains most; but I love the whole blooming place.

I love it!! Your vintage pieces are to die for!!!

I also agree with lightspeed - can we see an AT Canada?? The decorating magazines here really cater to specific markets (like Vancouver/TO/Montreal) and although I love the sources you often talk about, a lot won't ship to the Great North. Plus, we have some great designers!

So gorgeous. So cozy and inviting. It gets more beautiful everytime I see it!

my favorite so far. awesome!

AT Canada would be an awesome addition!

love it fellow Vancoooverite...I represented last year and you're doing a fine job this year- I think we need an Apartment Therapy North( Vancouver perhaps?) I volunteer!!

Love the wee teak table, is perrrfect

This is my other favorite of the European finalists. I love how the two-tone curtains help make the lower level seem cosier but also emphasize the height. Neat!

I'm not a fan of mid-century modern, teak, or the avocado color of your couch (sorry -- I grew up with that look and am allergic to it), but I liked your apartment anyway. It seemed decorated but not cluttered. I especially like your picture wall, which works really well (why can I not do this? Do I have the wrong size pictures, or is it some decorating gene?) and the bookcases with square shelves, and the way the spare-lined couch slots into the space. Very nice!

Looks like a place I would want to come home to everyday. Love it!!

Do you have any info on the chair at the base of the stairs such as age and design origin? I have the same one but with a different upholstery.