May I be the first to say absolutely stunning. This is just so beautiful - small and perfectly formed. The colour palette is perfect and the layout works so well. I am swooning.

My favorite part about this house is the use of pattern. The bed clothes and the armchair and...well, it's all adorable. It's fun without being junior and vintage without being too mature. Great job!

This home is is cleverly arranged and unusually decorated. What a gigantic bathroom! What is the name of the pink paint, please?

What an amazing space. I remember this one from the contest.

I especially love the little blue armchair. Especially with the doll in it; she looks like she's napping peacefully!

Just gorgeous, practical and clean. I don't even like pink but I could live with this. Yummy.

It's all about the bathroom!!! Lovely!

adorable! so posh and peaceful. your secretary desk corner is gorgeous. as others have said, pink usually gets my back up, but it works beautifully here without being precious or headache-inducing. it looks warm and vibrant.

very inspirational!

Is that a misprint = 410 sq. ft.?
That is amazing.... it makes 1,000 sq ft sound like a mansion
fun, lovely and cozy digs!
nice photography, Molly!

I mean, really... the colors are freakin' gorgeous!

It is hard to believe how small this cute place is! Great decorating in such a confined space, love the bright pink.

The Designer Insider

The colors are gorgeous! Dolls generally freak me out, but they don't in your home. So beautiful! I love that you have a small space, and yet there's still so much room. I especially love the last photo with you in the chair!

I just love your kitchen!

Really nice - and the washing machine and dryer IN the closet is genius!

I really love this home but I wonder how you entertain. Do you find that keeping the main room a bedroom inhibits the possibility of having guests over in a living room?

Beautiful! Love the big bedroom, especially the flooring. Love the white kitchen--very bright. I've been thinking about painting my kitchen white, and this definitely clinches it.

Tooootally jealous of the WD in the closet. This is going in my dream home someday!

thanks for all of the compliments!

@miami's elaine- i picked the pink from a pantone book. i can try to dig out the chip, but it may take me a while.

@adodson- when i entertain, which i likely do more than anyone else i know, we usually hang out in the kitchen and dining room area. i think the most people i've ever had in there at one time is about 25. also, i am the homeowner association president, and our meetings are always at my house. everyone just brings their own chair. average attendance for this is about 15. the first apartmenttherapy meetup was at my place this month, and it was cozy and nice.

I love it!

Having a W/D in your closet might just be the best idea ever. Why hasn't this concept been applied to newer homes.

gorgeous! do you know the name of the dark grey color? so pretty!

@annacorriep-i used the pantone book for that, too. i can try to find both of these if you guys really want them.

Where do you find book shelves like that? I love them!

@mr1378- i got them when i worked for design within reach. dwr.com. sapien book shelves.

@GiselleMonique It is all the time. I personally worked on a number of smaller homes where the W/D was in the master walk in, or a pair of stacked efficiencies was in the front coat closet, W/D one side, coat rack the other. In a lot of places the placement just depends a lot on the house layout. No one wants to have to run dryer vents 15-20 feet or water and drain pipe to a corner of the house. Normally the W/D will be on the other side of a wet wall, so unless you have a largish closet near a bathroom or kitchen, or in the path of the pipes going to one of those rooms, it won't go there.

We currently have a ridiculously large but awkward bathroom with our W/D. It is like a hallway. I hate it, but they obviously put it there because of the water lines. The toilet portion is right below the upstairs bathroom so they share a wet wall, and the w/d and shower are right next to the hot water heater and the water sewer for the house.

Ces't parfait ! Top to bottom. Just perfect. That kitchen should have been in the Small Cool Kitchens contest. And the bathroom ... I would sleep in there. It's a beautiful home that clearly suits Julie's personality and individual tastes, but its coziness and warmth has a broad appeal.

It's funny that someone commented on the dolls as not being freaky because the dolls make me laugh and laugh and laugh! Julie, I think you KNOW your dolls are VERY FREAKY, and that's what you LOVE about them. Your doll-like pose says it all. But the freakiness of the dolls is one of my favorite elements here because that sense of noir, the edginess of a plant growing from the head of a doll, makes the femininity of this interior mysterious.

My MOST FAVORITE element is the bedspread and the blanket covering it. Wish I had bedding like that. Beautiful home.

Loved it! And yes, the place looks like it has good bones. Your decorating is fabulous...great ideas, thank you!

Julie, you look just like a character from an Agatha Christie's movie! Kisses, you've got a sweet place.

A beautiful home. I especially love the color combination of the grey with the pink and splashes of turquois.

Great taste! I don't live in Portland anymore, but Noun is my favorite store there. That and Side Street Gallery. Check that place out. It's outrageous!

This place is making me smile. First of all, it's gorgeous. Girly and pretty, without being cloyingly sweet or fussy. Hard to pull off with all that pink and all those dolls. But it's got just the right amount of edginess. Second of all, it's all bed!!! You couldn't have a big bed and furniture too, so you went for the bed! I love it. You did your own thing. Few people, I'm sure, would be so bold. But, hey, if you crave a beautiful bedroom, but you don't actually have a bedroom, simply sacrifice the living room. Who knew?

Objectively this is a lovely home. I particularly like the walls' colours. However I get a feeling of melancholy when I view the photos, there is that extra touch of warmth that's missing (for me). Also, I really hate the way the bed is placed at the edge of the wall. Beautiful bed spreads though.

Beautiful and smart...

I love the kitchen!! And the bathroom! Looks so spacious :)

The heads/planters give me the creeps though.

Oh! I almost forgot. That bathroom is absolutely *dreamy*. I love the vintage tiles and the pink towels and the vanity and the ruffled shower curtain...... It just couldn't be more lovely. How can you *not* look good after getting ready in that bathroom?

Love it all. Um, but most importantly for me, what's your lipstick brand/shade (always in search of the perfect red)??

@elizabeth II- mac brand/mac red color. it has a blue base.

This apartment is adorable. I'm not a fan of pink, but it works so well here. Please dig up the shade of gray. It looks great with the surrounding white. Also, what shade of white did you use for the ceiling?

Absolutely perfect. I think I would be smiling all the time in this place. That kitchen and bathroom seem so pristine and...oh I can't even think of adequate words. I am, as someone else said, swooning. Julie, I can't decide what's prettier: you or your apartment! Thanks for sharing.

Outside of the wacky style I have many issues with this place…

The furniture all pushed to the walls, poorly proportional art, painted crown moldings, bed on the edge of the wall, paint stopping mid wall.... I know not the best comment but someone has to be honest.

Anyone seen Bride of Chucky?

@designprof- you don't have to be rude. usually i just don't comment if i don't like someone's place. those aren't crown moldings, anyway...it's picture rail and a boxed ceiling! get glasses and tact!

I remembered this place before. I thought it was really cute then and I still think it is. I remembered you used some filter before and it made the colors come out odd. Your kitchen is adorable! Love the dresser! i want it!

Very pretty and feminine. Say, is there a door to the bathroom? It appears that there isn't a door, which makes me curious if there are guests visiting who need to use the loo!

I'd love to see what your old ice-machine thingie looked like, I've never heard of those. :P Congrats on downsizing to a smaller fridge, I'm sure it lowers your electricity usage and carbon footprint. Personally, those fridges (I had one in college) never kept my frozen stuff actually frozen. :/

Hot diggidy I loooooovvvveeeeee your space.

I was having a really bad day today, and you just cheered me up.

Thank you!

I love your place.
When I saw your picture, I just thought: it figures!
I want to move to Portland and hang out with you.

love your place! wish my boyfriend would let me put some pink in our house. what's the technique you used to hang the artwork?

@sanjutamz: I thought the same thing!

I love your space, but I can't imagine living without a living room. I read above that most people hang out in your kitchen and dining area which makes sense, but I would need some comfortable living space. Are you ever tempted to push the bed into the corner and treat it like a daybed/sofa? That would look really great. Then you could add a second chair and presto, you have a sitting area. Sorry for the unsolicited advice! I own a staging company, and I can not help but see potential with that room.

That must be so convenient to have your washer and dryer in your closet. The only bad thing, I would be afraid a pipe would break. Then it might ruin some of the things on the floor in your closet.

Not very spectacular. The grey is banal and is a complete throw-away. It's a perfectly dead, devoid, noncommittal color that screams "fear" on the part of the person who chose it.

The coral is a little better. But nothing daring. Nothing very unique. Nothing with much character or specialness. White ceilings, a perfectly white kitchen, etc... Really?

Nice flooring, interesting fixtures, nice light teal corner stand. But all and all, I can't remember seeing anything featured here that was less compelling

Wow. I'm usually a bit surprised when I see nasty comments- I generally think that there's no point to comment at all if you don't like it and have nothing constructive to say. Everyone has different tastes, which is sort of the whole point in sharing in this forum...

I think you have a beautiful place! Great work!

I love this! I usually hate pink, but this shade is wonderful! What is it called? I think the dark stormy grey is the perfect foil to the summery pink.

kopanko, what colors would you have chosen?

Honestly, I think kopanko's comment is one of the most bizarre, aggressive comments I've seen on AT:

"Not very spectacular. The grey is banal and is a complete throw-away. It's a perfectly dead, devoid, noncommittal color that screams "fear" on the part of the person who chose it."

WHAT???

This is such an uncalled for, personal attack. It makes absolutely no sense unless these two people are truly real life enemies. Where on earth did this come from?

Despite the calls to, I'm not engaging on in a back-and-forth with other posters here. Frankly, I find the comments on me rather than on the featured piece to be a little baffling. I left my opinions, which I believe were very clear, and which I'm very content to let stand. If you don't like them, then please simply ignore them or take them with a grain of salt: I'm not writing anything binding on you--simply my personal view--as I appreciate that what you write is your personal view. Please respect that, as I respect yours: I don't see any call for the weirdness and personal hostility. Thanks!

I, too, collect head vases. Love yours, they are so unique and adorable. Your home is fabu!!

So lovely. My favorite thing is the "paintings" of your parents (I guess I'm assuming those are your parents). So perfect for the space and so you.

Oh come on, kopanko. Don't be disingenuous. It's one thing to say, "Not my taste, I really don't like it," and entirely another to castigate someone with such a vicious psychoanalytical judgment based on a paint color. Quite frankly, it *was* bizarre.

Yes, please let us know the pantone numbers for your paint colors. I love the gray!!

i also think that it's fun to open my place up to people, especially ones who appreciate and get inspired by it.

unfortunately, and i've seen other people do it, too, when you insult someone who was gracious enough to open up their home for the purpose of inspiring others, it's very hurtful.

i'm not overly sensitive, but if i was, the comments that a couple of these individuals have made would hurt my feelings very badly.

@ kopanko

It is a little late to attempt a verbal retreat from your assault at this juncture: the phrases "banal," "dead," "throw-away" et al. are hardly indicative of someone who just wanted to leave their opinion - your choice of words, indeed standing in such stark contrast to the 99% of people here who offer their praises, speak more to a desire to inflict a thinly-veiled lash of passive-aggressive nonsense...for whatever baffling reason.

I would offer a friendly suggestion; attempt, in the future, to choose your words with more care if you do not wish to be "misconstrued" by those that read them. You do not come off as someone who was offering their two-cents, but rather as an elitist jerk with, let's face it, highly questionable taste.

@thorndale- thanks for the compliments. the counters i think were about $100 per sq. ft...so kinda pricey. they are not the easiest to maintain. i think you have to enjoy the stains and embrace them. this is something that i'm just now starting to do.

@ ace and other who asked for paint numbers- i will try to look this up soon.

@christine0902- they are my parents :) !

@creative license- thanks for getting my back. i don't have any real life enemies....that i know of. haha!

@rhianna- i don't leave too much on the floor there that would get ruined, but i do think about that sometimes.

@sanjutamz and @ what?- come visit!...or move here!

@blonderea- i'm glad to make people happy!

@roxy72- there's totally a door. i don't usually shut it unless i have guests, but i wouldn't have an apartment without one. also, i was on the kitchn small kitchen tour. there is a pic of the icebox thingy in the before pic on there.

thanks to all who gave nice compliments!

I'd also like to know more about the white countertops--are they tough enough to handle hot pots? thay look great.

@ashasekh- i've never placed a pot on them that was too hot. basically, after they got installed we put a sealer on them which sits for a while and sinks in. then, about quarterly, i polish it with some waxy stuff that smells like oranges.

@ DesignProf

"Anyone seen Bride of Chucky?"

No, Professor, but I imagine that if your taste in interior design is anything like your taste in movies, we can safely ignore the entirety of your post.

Okay, so now I want to comment on your wall colors (because I think I have pretty good taste). I think your pink choice is dynamite. It's like you painted your walls with nail polish! It's my favorite, beachy, summer color to wear on my toes. In my opinion, it puts the "girl" in girly. And the gray? I think it's the perfect compliment to the pink. It's a bold, unexpected choice in such a feminine place. I think it mutes some of your brighter colors and gives the place a more cottage vintage feel, which is what I think you were going for. Plus, it stands up to your pink without actually fighting it. And it gives your place some edge, like I could picture a vintage Ramones poster on your wall.

I'm sure you didn't take you-know-who's comments too seriously, but I just want to make sure you know they were absurd.

@creative license- i didn't take them too seriously, but what if they comment on other home tours where the people do? it can be so hurtful. oh well. thanks for your compliments.

i've actually tried to picture my place being other colors, and i absolutely can't. isn't that funny? i picked them out from the pantone book before i even moved in. i'm glad they actually work.

also, i'm not sure if anyone noticed, but the floors and walls in the kitchen are the lightest of pinks....they look white most of the time, but in certain light, you can tell they're really pink.

I want to see examples of what kopanko thinks is daring, unique spectacular and special. Really? Yes, really. Then maybe I can put some merit to his/her comments. Otherwise, well done mannequingirl. My absolute favorite thing is the window over the bed turned into a frame. Would love to see a more detailed pic of it.

@ericottnger- the thing above my bed is actually a piece of art that my bf made. it's really great. i suppose you could actually frame a photo or something in much the same manner.
i have a slide of the piece. email me? julie(at)destinationpdx.com.

I've a small space also, my color scheme being green and grey. I have to say, I could NOT bring myself to be bold, as you did. Brava! to you :).

FYI, I have a cement shower stall. I used 511 Impregnator as the sealer because it seals but breathes. Highly recommended and their support gang is great if you DYI.

Kitchen in my fav. Thanks for letting us look :)

Is Julie a movie set designer? very nice apt.

Amazing Colours, creepy figurines... very creepy.

Incredible editing. Do you have much storage space? How do you discipline yourself to not be tempted to bring in more stuff? Great idea to forgo the living room/bedroom combo and just do one big bedroom. I find the grey calming. As a real estate agent are you ever tempted to go to something bigger? All over: well done!

Oh how I love the Douglas Sirk in your aesthetic. You've taken all of the beautiful, feminine, melodramatic qualities of his set interiors and put them to contemporary use with subtlety. I can sense the vintage, but it isn't overpowering. Rather, the vintage "haunts" the rooms. It feels as though, if one turns quickly, one can expect the ghost of Jane Wyman to be momentarily sitting at that bathroom vanity window. Kudos to you for such amazing taste, particularly those 40s-50s planters and the beautiful 40s sea-foam chenille bedspread (with fringe, no less!). It's a beautiful place and really makes a vintage collector's heart leap.

Looked at your home photo's and floorplan at least 3 times and am finally at peace with your decision to have a lovely spacious bedroom. Since you said you didn't like the wall hearter (in the wall to the right of the closet door?), have you considered a narrow table the length of that wall to be a entry table as well as a gentle cover for the heater?? A small banquette in the dining room area would make it a living room with that great window as the focal point... :) Thanks for your graciousness in replying to our observations and affections!

Floorplan?! Where floorplan? (Sorry, I'm new)

@johannar- maybe they were looking at my floor plan from when i was on the small cool apartment contest.

@justjude- not sure i can put anything over it. i may be able to paint it darker so that it doesn't stand out as much. i think it's a fire hazard to cover then...you can cover the steam ones, but not these.

@pollyrevenge- i super love jane wyman. haven't watched any of her films in a while, but you just inspired me to.

@la9052- i have a rather primitive storage unit in the basement. i think of it as stuff purgatory. that's the thing i have to edit most as it becomes somewhat of a holding tank. i should get down there and do that soon. thanks for the reminder.

@josie12- i wish i was a movie set designer. how fun would that be?!!! if anyone knows of any open positions for that type of work, hit me up.

Love love love the kitchen!

I've seen the pink/grey combo in vintage furnishings and clothing. A great color combination.

Julie! I love the pink walls, the little green chair, and the way you've placed the towels in the bath. They aren't folded perfectly, which makes them look so fresh and inviting!

My home just recently was posted on here (Holly's Pop Art Meets Vintage South), and I had an ill tempered comment as well. I think sometimes people just lose a little thing called etiquette.

I am an art teacher, and a common lesson in art education that some people miss is the ability to step away from one's own tastes for a moment and look at surroundings from someone else's perspective and style.

@stiles- your place is very cute. i love the south. i really could see myself living in charleston or savannah. i love the grand old architecture. i don't think i've been to columbia, but the soaring ceilings remind me of the other places, too.

i concur about the etiquette. it's important to still be tactful when giving constructive feedback and to try to choose words that are not deflating. i was a fashion design student, and mostly people were nice during critique, but sometimes....

It's darned hard to live in -- and successfully decorate -- a space this small and retain an open feeling, while still keeping light and color reflection/modulation in mind and carrying off this style. I like your color pallette a lot (I tend to like period design/colors like this--what can I say, I like the Expressionists, too), and will likely use something similar in my livingroom. You've visually articulated what I've just been thinking 'bout! Yea! (That, and I plan to paint my concrete porch floor grey and load the porch with with lush flowering plants.) Thanks!
-- Former Boston, now Atlanta Grrl

perfect!!

Checking back on old comments after a few weeks... WOW, the passionate response to ME in this?! Thanks for thinking of me folks!

Truth be known, I don't really read through many of the other people's comments on these threads: If I have an opinion and it happens to fall in synchronicity with something (colors, textures, rooms, etc.) that I happen to be concerned about at the moment, I'll occasionally put it up, or even investigate the thread further--if not I simply ignore them. I've done more actual reading on this thread because I've seen my name mentioned several times immediately after my posting.

Here's my comment to all the critics of me here: Get lives! This isn't a thread about me: It's about the decoration of the person featured. I find it amusing that you think you're somehow "shaming" me, or psychoanalyzing me because you didn't like my take on the unfortunate color selections of the bedroom. Jesus, grow up! You should be thankful you didn't actually go to architecture school where brutally honest critique is the most natural thing imaginable, and is taken for granted--not taken personally.

I'll just repeat this once more, as it appears to have not been processed: I have not misstated anything I've said earlier; I did not stutter; and I'm not backpedaling on anything I said. I'm more amused than anything by the weird "strike-backs" at me because some people didn't like my take on this project. You should realize how juvenile these are, how they actually make you look, and how far they fall form your goal of insulting or offending me.

I'll clarify my take once more: The deep grey is banal and dead. (Yes, this is indeed what I intended to say.) It has no character or life. It is not "tranquil"--it is simply dull.

If you disagree with me--good for you! Paint your whole house that color, and take gleeful delight that you've "shown 'kopanko'" if that's what floats your boat, and if it really means that much to you. What floats mine is great design: Something that at least pays a modicum of homage to soul, substance, vibrance, and character.

@ mannequingirl

"also, i'm not sure if anyone noticed, but the floors and walls in the kitchen are the lightest of pinks....they look white most of the time, but in certain light, you can tell they're really pink."

The reason people don't notice this is because it is the palest of possible tints... juxtaposed against a very vibrant pink on the adjoining walls. Something this subtle won't read as "pink", given this juxtaposition.

PS. I know I've been painted as a big villain here. I really didn't mean to be ugly toward you--it's just my personal take on the design. I'll say again, if you don't like it, then just please don't pay any attention. (That's honestly not intended to be sarcastic, just perfectly frank.) I think the pink is a great choice. I however think that grey is unfortunate, and a wasted opportunity for the reasons I stated before. Clearly you have a strong design sense, or you wouldn't be here.

"What floats mine is great design: Something that at least pays a modicum of homage to soul, substance, vibrance, and character."

Wow, do you practice this crap in front of a mirror? No, seriously, how can you be so full of yourself and still manage to keep a straight face?

Soul? Vibrance? Character? How are you able to objectively define these concepts? Somehow, your interpretations of these lofty high ideals are superior to those of, well, pretty much everyone else who decided to comment?

Kopanko, by the very nature of your words, you have launched an attack. No one solicited your opinion, if that is indeed what you think it is...though judging by your word choice in the phrase quoted above, I highly doubt it. You decided to, for whatever baffling reason, rock the boat, and you chose to use language that is completely out of character and tone for this thread.

You haven't been "painted" as the villain by anyone but yourself. For my part, I see you less as a villain than you are a common internet troll, hastily appended niceties notwithstanding.

Hello! I love your paint colors... especially the "watermelon" red-pink color. Can you tell me what kind of paint and what its called? Thanks so much!

Colors are fabulous!! Love the vintage era of this home, again colors are gorgeous, love it!!

Hi Julie, I'm wondering if you ever tracked down the paint color? I keep popping back to see if you ever answered in hopes of finding it! I would love to figure out this shade of grey!

Well, slap me around and call me 'banal', I <3 everything about this place!

Thank you for having style and class, mannequingirl!

I especially love your kitchen and bathroom, and it's funny to see that you keep your shoes like I do...In their boxes, with pictures attached.

LOVE IT! The colors and details are fab. Wish I could live that sparsely but I'm more of a student of organized chaos.

I really appreciate that your bed is not hidden away. I live in a slightly smaller studio and have my bed in plain view because it's the only layout that functions with the architecture of my apartment.

Anyway, it's all so lovely! And I covet your bathroom-everything about it!

@Mannequin girl, ever find that paint color? You're getting a lot of press now, with that color being featured with the pantone color of the year!

Prize-worthy! This is the most stunningly inviting use of 410 square feet ever! Minimalist as I've worked to become, this inspires me to reach for the next level, as the mood evoked in these photos of your exquisite home is charming and warm.

I also love that grey in the bedroom - has anyone discovered where to find it?

I LOVE this. The cabinetry in the kitchen is absolutely gorgeous. The bathroom is remarkable as well. The book towers present an effective way to store books when you don't have much space. The place looks much more open with no book shelf there. Normally, stacked books look messy. The way it is done here is very visually appealing, I'm stunned!

Amazing place. Thank you for sharing!