LOVE the desk/table. SO SMART!!!

Very nice!

Many smart uses of a small space! And it all looks well coordinated and following a similar colour scheme, nice! Particularly like the double function of a desk/dining table - very clever! Also like the entrance with its small wall cupboard for storage of small items.

Love that patterned wall.

Thanks for sharing your home. Your place is so well thought out.

I really adore the plumbing pipe wallshelf. I want to build one so bad, but I am just too in intimiated. ;)

I'd love to know how many people live in these spaces. Here I assume it's a couple.

Favorited.

Amazing table/desk! Any chance you'd share a how-to on that? Love your color and material choice too!

Super space... and if the chevron-like accent wall is not wallpaper, would you be willing to share how you did it??? Definitely a favorite space.

A favorite. Love everything about it. Well done.

Convertible dining table/desk with even the coffee table doubling as seating is the best small space solution I've seen so far in this contest!

Excellent use of space, and would love to see more pictures of how the dining table/desk is constructed.

Also, where did you get the blond wood cabinet with the frosted sliding doors (looks like it's at the entrance)?

Hi Everybody! We’re so flattered to get our space even listed, let alone favorited! Much appreciation for your comments and curiosities. We’ll try to answer some questions:

@Miss_sandrix: The entryway hall is narrow, so we needed to find a small shelf to put our keys, wallets, etc on that didn’t crowd the space. We thought about a bench but many are too wide. On the opposing wall is a random spattering of folding hooks for coats and scarves.

@PurpleCharm: The plumbing pipe wallshelf ended up being worth all the effort, but it certainly was intimidating. One thing we learned was to buy a few pieces of pipe and their connecting pieces before purchasing everything you think you’ll need to get accurate measurements and an idea of exactly what your project will look like. I think anybody can do this with some good planning.

@KelleyK: There have been two of us living here for the past 3-4 years: my boyfriend and myself, our cat, Olivia, and our dog, Lilly (who was camera shy this particular day).

@Altertect: In another comment box I’ll outline what we did.

@Wyatt.White: Nope, the green wall isn’t wallpaper! We handpainted that sucker. Fairly easy, just time consuming.
1) Buy lots and lots of painters tape,
2) use a laser-level,
3) pencil on your vertical lines,
4) pencil on the angled lines every other column (which is easy thanks to the laser-level),
5) tape all sets of columns with the chevrons angled in the same direction and then paint,
6) remove tape and let dry,
7) tape other sets of columns (some of the new tape will cover where you painted previously, for example, the vertical in-between lines) and paint

@ErinC4: Thanks, Erin! Hope others feel the same!

@TeakFreak: Though most of the items in our home were obtained through craigslist, we did purchase this piece from CB2 a few years back because of it’s perfect fit.

I know, I know, don't comment on the animals! But your kitty looks so regal!

I love your chevron wall, and the blue in your bedroom.

love your dining table, and the plumbing pipe shelving/desk! so much function and style in a small space!

love the chevron wall!

@robert.foddai what about the unique wall treatment they hand painted or the desk/table solution they designed and built themselves. pretty surprising, and innovative, and unconventional if you ask me!

@robert.foddai, I totally get what you're saying. Try looking through the old house tours and contests. :)

Stop using your beautiful coffee table as a bench. When it breaks you'll regret it. Buy stackable stools (like IKEA frosta?) and store them somewhere.

Love it!!

I love the stuffed cat. Not very PC... but nice touch.

New favorite. Love the colors, the furniture, the ingenuity. You have STUFF, yet it's not cluttered or overwhelming. Glad you're proud of this place because you should be.

@emmelemm: The blue is really relaxing. We were worried it would close the space in, but bedrooms should be cozy and comfortable!

@tacobell: The trouble with the extra stackable stools is twofold.

1) Finding that “somewhere” to store the stools while not in use isn’t exactly easy in our tiny place; we already have a few folding chairs hidden away for the extra guests at the table.
2) It’s hard to see from the angle in this photo, but there would be no room for the stools and people to maneuver, even with the coffee table pushed against the sofa.

Finding appropriate seating that serves multiple purposes is complicated, too. Ideally we’d like an actual bench of some sort, but we haven’t gotten there yet. A Nelson bench, for example, would look great, seat multiple people, and serve the purpose, but is only 14” tall, while a standard chair is 17”-19” in height. Guests sitting there would be far too low to eat at the table.

Creating our space, while keeping it practical and functional, is an ongoing process.

@Gulaid: Don’t cross the cat.

@Katlia: We do, indeed, have STUFF. Thanks for the compliments!

Good job Joey! It's beautiful. Nice photos.

LOOOOOOOOOVE!

Marked as a favorite. I really like the graywash on the wood floors. It looks like you centered your whole color palette around that. It's also interesting how many of these entries have the plumbing shelves in them. I'm currently using that system for our dressing room. houseofthebonestorm.blogspot.com

I like the good space and major furnishings. Worst impression I get from pics are all the framed pieces are not hung well, especially above the sofa. Though white frames would be a better choice than black, the pieces need to be edited and a larger pieces or two with some punch of color would be nice.

Looks like a lot of stuff in a small apartment. I have seen your place before the transformation and I will say it does look brighter and up to date. Good job!
Hope to stop by and take another look.

Joe - your place is awesome! I guess I always thought all of Joanna & Rachel's friends were as lax about decorating as they are. Glad to know they have another DIY-obsessed friend besides me!

Love your plumbers book stand! Very cool :) rest of the apartment is lovely too

Do my apartment next, plz.

This is *so* chicago. wish my place looked like this!

love the workspace. what size and kind of pipe did you use?

Can you PLEASE share the plans for your expandable dining table? Pleeeeeeeease!

Any chance you could share a basic how-to on the desk/dining table? It's amazingly creative; I'd love to use a similar concept in a space that I have.

Yes please share the plans for this table. I am about ot move into a 600 square foot condo and it would be perfect! You're a genius :)