Love the pointed arches and the color palette. Very original, and charming!

Wow, what a unique small space! The character of it would overcome the smallness for me as well. So fun!

Such a clever, beautiful use of color and space. This is a crazy thing to say, because the place is so tiny, but I think I need a house tour. I want to see more!

I love what you did with the paint colors.

Love it

I love it! very charming modern gothic!

Oh now I reeeeaally like this one. It's so nice to see something that's not afraid to be small and bright. They should have a new category for best use of colour in a small space. Also those arches are fantastic, you're going to be so bored with right-angles when it's time to leave.

The architecture in this place is crazy cool. The design really fits with the uniqueness of the space!

Oh and if I may, I don't think that chair in the 'woman cave' is doing you any favours. It's a bit brown and a bit skinny. I think something squashier would be nice. Maybe. Just a thought.

LOVE THIS! I'm envious, too! I'm also a big fan of gargoyles & gothic architecture. I love that you can see a bit of the Pacific ocean from one of your windows!!

My first thought: Stuff above the bed, where does this person live? I hope it's not (scroll down), it is! California.

Then I saw the rest of your place and I am simply fascinated. It seems slightly magical, somewhere that I want to explore. I would love a house tour so that we could get a more cohesive picture. Thanks for sharing!

Very cute and a really interesting space. I too had the same thoughts about the bedroom niches over the bed as LadyL - "Nice, but clearly not in California... omg it IS in CA!!"

This is uniquely beautiful and exciting to see. Best of luck in the contest.

Innovative design sense and use of space. I don't mind the brown chair. A chair that's wider and with more padding would take up too much room and make the apartment seem cramped, which she does an amazing job avoiding because of the arches. Besides, beautiful chairs are rarely comfortable.

Really nice job! Adorable!!

what blue did you use in your kitchen? I love your apartment.

Love it! This must be at the Villa Riviera, people here should google it. Stunning building in Downtown Long Beach.

Fabulous job. The space is interesting in its own right but you've maximized both function and style with your choices. The paint colors are to die for -- would love to hear the specific shades.

This might be one of my favorite tiny spaces of all time. Magical!

LOVE the layout and architecture of your space! And I'm seriously digging the Idea of having a "woman cave" :)

Love the little woman cave! Very interesting architechture.

Love! Love! Love!

Love it! Kind of has an Amelie vibe.

Love that you went with such a strong colour on the walls, the place really is a fairytale. I've just read your "Biggest Challenge" answer again - did you put in some or all of those arches yourself?

Cool! I need more space, but I'd love a hideaway like this!

Love it!! The colors, the quirkiness, the arched mirror, the niches -- did you make those niches?? I'm curious about "the pantry" and the "dressing room" -- I assume the latter is a good sized closet? Could the former hold a small table? Personally, I'd make the "woman cave" my office, although with that light and view, I'd never get anything done. I'd be scared to have a mirror that big above my bed in CA, but I assume you have it wired down securely? I would love to have a gargoyle nest all my own!

Magnificent! A winner!

Oh my god, I am so in love with this. I could live here no problem. What are the paint colours? I love that turquoise.

LOVE THIS. Those arches are FANTASTIC. And kelly green with teal? You're a woman after my own heart...

I might feel a little cramped in it but I still love it great job of space utilization and style thats why I will vote favorite!

Waow I am so so impressed. I see a lot of beautiful apartments on this site but this is the best ever. I am very impressed by the originality and I understand that you are never bored of your little fantastic apartment. I would also loke to see more of it: kitchen , bathroom, etc... Do you have a blog? Favorite for me!

This is so cool!

OMG,  I am so thankful for all the AT reader support and comments. So many interesting questions have been posted, and I want to answer them all. I'll have to do it in separate chunks as they come in, so stay tuned...

And thanks again for all the thoughtful comments and suggestions!

RUTHTOOTH I totally agree about the color of the brown chair - it's my biggest embarrassment! I caved into function over form because it's a recliner and it swivels around so you can see out the window.  It's also a wall-hugger and skinny, so it won't bump into the walls of my "spacious" Woman Cave. I was going to spray it black with upholstery paint so it would kind of disappear into the floor, but haven't figured out how to do it without overspraying the entire apartment. If anyone knows how to do this in a small space please share your technique!

LadyL and HOME BODY - yes, I'm an adrenaline junkie, but got over my fear of earthquakes after experiencing a few of them here on the 15th floor. It just sways back and forth like a big cradle. It was much scarier when I lived on the 5th floor where it gets all the stress, and everything cracks and creaks and falls off the shelves...but I did secure the big monster arched  mirror to the wall just in case.

The blue in the kitchen is called Ariel's Song. I'm embarrassed to say it's a Disney kid's color from Home Depot. The kid colors always look so much more exciting to me than the grown up palettes.

SLAMPRIA I don't have a blog, but you can see much better pictures of my place on the airbnb listing at http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/202930. They sent a professional photographer out with a wide angle lens so you can see the layout much better, although some of the furnishings have changed and evolved over time. Thanks so much for your interest in my little place : )

STATIONARYFIEND Yes, I hired someone to put in all the arches. The window arches are actually on a fake wall constructed in front of the standard square windows. Everything just looks so much better through an arch, or two, or three...or seventeen.

Very observant TDOGG!  This is indeed in the Villa Riviera. You must be from Long Beach! You should stop in during the next Home Tour when the Villa is open to the public. And yes, the history of the building and the exterior architecture is amazing. Thanks for the google recommendation.

HOLLY14, you ask such good questions! I added all the niches. It was a last minute decision when they framed in the wall and I saw all those little unused spaces between the studs. Same thing happened when they framed in the arch of the Woman Cave and there just happened to be a space the size of a stained glass window that had been sitting in my storeroom for years. Contractors hate me.  

The big mirror above the bed is on a hinged door and there's storage behind it. The mirror above the fireplace is also hinged to hide storage. Unless they spring open during an earthquake I think I'm safe. I've also learned to run and hug the shear wall at the first rumble of an earthquake! It's a California thing we do.

Oh, and the woman cave was previously used as an office with a desktop slab facing the window. I just got tired of sitting at a desk, and love working from the ugly lazyboy. If I need to spread out papers I just roll the lift top coffee table over and use it as a desk. All the office supplies are on the walls of the woman cave, or in the hidden shelves that you can't see in the pics. Kind of hard to explain the set up, but it works

The dressing room was actually an exterior closet. I got tired of going out into the hall in my nightgown to find something to wear, and finally got around to creating an interior entrance. No room for a table but theres a lot of shelves. 

The pantry was originally a small dressing room, but after I finished getting all the appliances into the  4'x 6' kitchen there was no room for food. I had to choose between food or clothes. Food won and a pantry was born.

@KBFROMLB - I thought I loved this place before I read your further comments, but now I am even more in love with it. Truly fantastic, magical job.

I love everything about this! The arches, the gargoyles, the intimate yet majestic feel. Very well done, indeed.

Absolutely love this -- and the Villa Riviera is one of my favorite buildings in LB. So happy to see the building renovated the last time I was in town.

I can't stop thinking about this apartment! It has inspired me to want to paint my suite. I love people who are unafraid of using bold color!

I just love the colors and the arches. I did check out the link for other pictures. So you just rent it as a bnb? You don't really live here full time? The building itself is gorgeous also.

I love your pillow cases, where did you get them?

CATCALA I live here, but rent it out on airbnb when I go on overnight petsitting assignments. One of my guests suggested I enter this contest. I didn't think I'd have a chance because I don't have either of the magic ingredients - a cute pet, or an Eames chair!

BOUNCEWDEN the Wake Up and Smell the Roses pillowcases are from Urban Outfitters.

I'm curious - do you own, or are you renting the place? If so, did the managers have issues with all the renovations? I just have so many questions! I hope you win, and that they do a full house tour and ask you all the details about it!

CRAFTYFATALIST I own, and had to go through the tedious process of getting approvals from the HOA, and also the Architectural Committee, as well as all the necessary building permits from the city.

To create access to the exterior closet, I had to dig up all the legal records that proved that I had been paying taxes and HOA dues on the closet ever since I moved in, and it was indeed part of my original real estate purchase.

I couldn't alter the windows, so that's why the arches are only in front of the windows and the original windows are still totally intact.

The building itself is on the National Registry of Historic Places so the exterior and all common areas have to comply to some pretty rigorous regulation by the city. The inside of the apartment is up to the owner, and as long as everything has been approved and permitted you can do what you want as far as renovation. I had to be very careful with the plumbing since there are 14 floors below me that could be damaged if it wasn't done right. Electrical was a nightmare but worth it in the end.

I wish there had been a Remodelaholics Anonymous group available at the time!

There's cute... and then there's quirky... and then there's this, which is frankly wacky.

I think it's awesome. The gothic arches, the layered shades of green, the turqoise kitchen cabinets, the black marble (or is it vinyl?) floors, the room designations that don't follow any of the rules. I hope that we can eventually get a proper tour from AT with professional photography!

I love your bedding! I'm currently looking for something cute but different like that. Is there any way you can spill what store you atleast got it from?

DENISEPLEGMAN - the comforter I got on sale at Urban Outfitters. Not sure if they still carry it, but they always have an unusual selection. They also have fabulous offbeat pillowcases. I have several different sets to suit my current mood. The smaller pillows I made out of upcycled fabric and leftovers in Ikea's bargain bin, and then I quilted them for texture.

BLANDWAGON I'm secretly loving your and MEDUSA12120's commentaries. Yep, I made up the rules all by myself. I think I'm somehow related to the late Mrs. Windchester who created doorways to nowhere. I just like looking through them. If you count carefully you will see there are actually 9 rooms and 17 arches in 264 sq. ft. I have this sort of fetish about arches. They make me happy. I actually did them before putting in a kitchen.
We all have our priorities.

THIS if freakin' fabulous!! O M G...LOVE everything about it, well maybe not the floors and living on the 15th floor. Amazing :)

House Tour, please?!

260 sq. feet??? Totally creative - almost visionary.

Hi KBFROMLB,

You are correct my better half and I just purchased a unit at the Willmore Building. We will be submitting our unit for the contest next year. Good luck neighbor!

I couldn't live here, the colors would drive me crazy - but I'm still 'favoriting' this entry because it's bold, adventurous and unique.

So cool! I can almost hear the Bauhaus playing in the background...

my favorite! love the colors and cool arches.

I LOVE this! And I love it even more, now that I've checked out your link. What a great space!

Best " Teeny-Tiny" I've seen so far! Love the interior architecture, the wall sconce lighting, and overall creativity with the decor. Good luck. Hope you can make it to the top.

You should use some of your airbnb pics. Thanks for sharing the link as those make it so much easier to grasp the setup of your space.

This is SO CUTE!

Magical!

Fabulous

Bold use of color. A fireplace and view of the ocean...pretty great for a tiny place.

The beautiful Villa Riviera. I highly recommend everyone google so they can see how fantastic the exterior of this building is, too. It's a local treasure.

TDogg - I almost bought in the Willmore a few years ago, I love that building so much!

Very inspired work here. I love what you did with "chalkboard" paint.

Cheers, my homies!

p.s. Kathleen - Did you live there during the big Villa reno a few years back?

This is a level of awesomeness I can only aspire to! ^_^ Wish I could see more of your beautiful home!

SO CUTE!!! I'm in love!

I die for those architectural details.

SOLEILANI -
Yes, I did live here during the big rennovation. I'm stll recovering from the two years of living under a tarp full of chemicals, and a big fat special assessment to boot. Only for the Villa Riviera would I endure that kind of pain and suffering!

You, TDogg, and I will have to get together some day and discuss our old house love.

THESMILEQUEEN -
I would have loved to use the airbnb pics but they are watermarked. Although I can no longer accept any airbnb reservations, I left the listing active so that AT fans can see the great pics. Sadly I don't have a wide angle lens to take any good pics of my own.

This may be my favorite Apartment Therapy apartment ever.

GENIUS ! ABSOLUTE GENIUS..THOSE FLOORS ARE UNREAL

So cool, one of the most unique spaces so far!

I was lucky enough to be a guest here once. This apartment takes ingenious space use to another level. Kathleen is either a genius or spent years putting this place together... or both!

If you could imagine a secret hidden love nest inside the attic of same ancient cathedral, this might be it.

Magical!!! We just stayed here and believe or not a few times my honey had to call out, "Where are you?" The use of space is brilliant you feel like your in a place twice as large. I loved the colors everything flows together. The best part was when the fog rolled in late at night and it was us the gargoyles on top of the world!

saturated colors - this is to die for. LOVE LOVE.

so this is a BNB too? how does that work?

I didn't like this place until I clicked on the link that the owner provided. After seeing the entire space I think it's brilliant and absolutely want to book it if I'm traveling in the area.

All that and a fireplace too? I'm jealous of your nooks.

BDIGT and STPAULYGIRL
I wish I were able to continue hosting on airbnb, but the apartment is no longer available due to HOA regulations, unless it's for a month or longer.
Unfortunately that means very few people will be able to experience it in person.

NONIE thanks for the vote. How 'bout if I spray the big brown monster chair black so it will go away, or recover it? Hate to give up the ability to twirl around and look out the window and recline. Been working on the brown monster dilemma a long time. C'mon AT peeps, help me out here. I need some ideas.

I, too, did a double-take in the visual rotation, when I got to The Poufy Chair. But then I could quickly see why you kept it. I, too, live in a small space; I guessed it was a turn-radius thing. I never imagined you could do a 360! Nifty.

I think, though, that I found the solution to your dilemma, just a few days before your last post.
It's from a Katie : http://blah2beautiful.blogspot.com/2011/11/low-down-on-painting-upholstered-chairs.html

She had a hideously ugly thing, that you cannot now tell was a hideously ugly thing.
In fact I was wondering where she got 'that amazing chair.' Here in situ: http://blah2beautiful.blogspot.com/2012/04/office-reveal.html
She Dabs the fabric medium+paint onto the fabric.

And... perhaps soft fabric could be wrapped around the arm rests, with snaps or (the dread plastic) velcro, so that they can be changed out, & laundered...

Kathleen! Your pad is awesome! It makes me smile ;) I'm scouring the internet for small spaces with big design for a webseries I'm helping produce, is this something you'd be interested in participating in?

Gorgeous home!

The pictures on http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/202930 are not online anymore. :( Would you please upload it again somewhere?