apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

WOW!!!! Fantastic!!! You are truly a great guy!! I am very imopressed with the decor. You have done a fantastic job (as usual).
I love the way you have selected the furniture and the wonderful way you arranged it all. Must visit you to see it in person.!!!!

Great use of space, very efficient. The color scheme enhances the area while still making it home!

The use of color makes the space appear more open. Clean lines, great decor and intimate.

speaking of vertical blinds, i'd love someone to present an elegant solution. i currently have them in every room in my apartment, and i'm not allowed to take them down!

A ""Minimilastic Haven"", Excellent use of space, great ARTWORK using wall space gives the rooms more depth and balances the color scheme. I can completely visualise the vision of the serenity and a lounging socialising space. Mostly, I
L-O-V-E the design elements and amazing way its all mixed up. This is by far the best Small Space Living portrayed in this contest.

I could move in,in a heartbeat. Beautifully laid out home. Beautiful art pieces. Well established corners. Love the dining area- would be so relaxing to dine in such a serene environment.

Great space, but lose the vertical blinds (the 'wire hanger' of interior design).

Really nice. The table and chairs are beautiful. Is the lamp for sale?

fantastic use of space & colour,minimal furniture but at the same time very functional living space.
GREAT work

Very cool space. Awesome mix of simple, clean minimalist furniture with older vintage pieces. Beautiful art work on the walls.
Like the earthy palette of the bedroom.
"Colin's cube" is definitely my favorite small living space displayed so far.

creative use of space. like the cool furniture and art work.
AWESOME!!!

Beautifully done....Simple yet elegant.
Where were you when we looking for a designer?

Some nice curtains, install them over the vertical blinds.

I love the grouping of different white dining chairs -- they look really nice together.

I wish the pictures weren't so dark...I can barely see the furniture. I do like the different designs of white chairs.

Very interesting blend of furniture and artifacts through the decades.The new with the old.Has museum artsy look to it, yet cosy and warm.
Good show.Wish you luck!!

Love the eclectic use of mix-matched dining chairs that go so well together.
Colin has some fine taste in art--is that a Sol Lewitt in the living area?
And is that a Jitish Kallat in the entry way?Kallat is so hot in India right now.
I wonder is Colin is as hot as is apartment, because if he is, I'd move in a heartbeat, too!!

An amazing and innovative use of space. The design complements the artwork really well. Wow!

LOVE THE SPACE. We have a HOT ONE America.

love the DJ corner. Designer furniture, I likey!!!
-GFB

u got a sexy space BITCH!!
-QAB

Just WOW!!!
Amazing collection of art. Love the lucite candle
holder on table. Mid century lamp. And antler light. Like the art in by Dj corner, is that LEWITT??

Where did you get that great low album storage shelf? It's very cute.

I think the striped rug should be replaced. It doesn't do anything for the carpet color. Maybe something a bit more vibrant and warm.

Also, the white dining "set" in front of the white wall doesn't do anything for me. It looks cheap, even if it isn't (Verner Panton or not). Maybe it'd look better in front of a different color.

Super cool place... like man you must be getting lotsa chicks with this kind of pad.

I love the grey chair in the bedroom (where did you find it?) and the black leather chair in the living area. Efficient use of space, though I'd want a bit more art on the walls (ex. above the bed) -t

Dude, you've got some totally cool freakin' art. Love the Lewitt. You a professional DJ, dude?
Can I move in with you?
You from India, dude?

I kinda like the striped rug colors on carpet..its all very mellow and serne...Minimilastic Modern !!

-tiffin

not a fan of the glooby lights...

sorry.

amazingly cute, nice colour contrast and well designed furniture....

I like the whole thing, but all those different white chairs around that table are really my favorite thing.

I have a lot to say. The first picture really captivated me with the contrast between the earthy toned bedlinen and the gorgeous orange Indian throw.

This person obviously has fine taste and the money to go with it! Corbusier in the living room, Karim Rashid in the bedroom.

Is that a ROGAN CHAIR in the living? I saw it in a few magazines recently...are they out yet... I thought still limited edition.

And that lamp - saw it on auction at LAMA last year. It's a 50s Italian. Also love the Bay Area touch - the Dorthy Thorpe candlestick.

All-in-all a great space. Restrained yet very luxurious...

Judges - take note!!

Debbie da Design Maven

Me thinks Colin must have had all of his friends log on to vote! He must be cute.

I'm one of Colin's friends, but that's not the only reason why I'm voting for his apartment. He deserves the award not only for his intelligent use of space, color and design, but equally important, for the genuine, unending passion underlying all his efforts.

Love the lamps. Love the white chairs and table. Would like the Lewitt hung lower on the wall. I think the lounge chair next to the bed is too crowded. Walnut Creek? Whoda thunk it!

I chuckle as I read the comments above. Thanks PPal and all the friends who have voted for me!!
I am not an architect or design professional, but have always had a clear aesthetic sense/ personal style. I know my apartment is far from what I would want it to be (frankly, I detest the kitchen and grey carpet!). I guess the biggest challenge has been adapting a space that I am currently renting (and hence with limited potential for modification) into something that strives towards my ideal. Yes, trying to bring the Big City loft aesthetic to sleepy suburban Walnut Creek...My pieces are a mix of high and low; contemporary and vintage; all with special meaning to me and all with potential for transplantation to my future (owned) space... I found out about this competition serendipitously while at DWR last weekend, and entered on a whim.
It's been so encouraging seeing all the great small spaces out there - it's comforting to know that there are other people as passionate about their design choices as I am!

Really? You're not a design professional? I'd never have known. eyeroll.

Ahem. Whole lotta names not usually found on AT in those comments. 290 wow votes are as lopsided as the first silly pic. This is why judges will do the finals.

I'm sorry but HICKS are not permitted on this site. Too bad no one told you.

Thank you for sharing. Again, I don't see much of a challenge here from a space perspective as it feels quite large. Window treatments would be very nice.

I've looked at this entry repeatedly and frankly can't figure out why it is appealing to so many people. White (or off white) walls do not a design statement make nor the perfect background for art. And doesn't the owner ever have guests in? I like the things he has collected but I don't think they are arranged with any great panache. The spaces REALLY need color. And I don't mean that the color has to be bright. A play of subtle neutrals could make a huge difference.

I think you have some great pieces here. However, all in all, I don't think you display them to the best of their potential. Replace the Le Corbusier and Karim Rashid pieces with Kmart and the LeWitt with a framed M.C. Escher print and this would be just your average bachelor pad. There's very little creativity or personality here, just the obvious big name swank stuff anyone could get from Design Within Reach or MoMA if they had enough money.

Also, this apartment takes minimalism and "protein over carbs" to the extreme -- your space should say something about you; where are the family snapshots, the knicknacks, the books? all this apartment says to me is "i have a lot of money and know what kind of art and design will impress people" not "this is my home."

Au contraire to what 'the opoponax' and 'merv' say, I say that it takes sophisticated taste to know the difference between good art and really great art and Colin seems to know the difference is. This is, of course, subjective....
Perhaps some people do not need to have pictures of their loved ones on display. I, for one, harbor mine in a much more intimate place.
And finally, the space DOES say sth. about the person living in it--did you not notice the neat piles of books and the DJ turntable?

Well - I am glad that this entry is so mysterious as to invite multiple viewings. I do not expect everyone to like this entry or even "get it", just like I am baffled by some of the other entries posted.

OPOPONAX - this IS my home and it DOES say a lot about me - I am a minimalist and an art collector and a design enthusiast with a penchant for mid-century pieces and I do like to have guests over for chillout sessions while I DJ. As I stated before, I am making the best use of a rented space.

HANIFA - I will take it as a compliment that you find the space large. It isn't, and is perhaps testimony to my effort to attain a pared down aesthetic.

I DO believe that white walls are the best way to display art - affording flexibility while providing a blank slate.

All of my collected objects rotate so as not to overwhelm me at any given time. All the books you see are author-signed and reflect years of attending book signings and other events. All my mid-century finds reflect years of similar forays into vintage stores.

OPOPONAX - the only person I try to impress is myself, as I have to live in this space. If you want to see minimalism to the extreme, check out the Donald Judd Proto-Loft in today's NYT. Or perhaps the "new trend" at "mismatched chairs" and "table for one" in the Home Section (which I had creatively done years ago)...

Hmmm, I like your taste in furnishings, but something is missing. Well, quite a bit is missing. Color, direction, and PROPORTION. Oh, and get a headboard.

I do find you apartment appealing, but it feels unfinished. The space reminds me of a college student apartment, but with high end well designed pieces.

The proportions of everything are too small. The TV stand for one. It can still be mininmal, and but needs hight. The seating is not lounge hight so why is your television practially on the ground? You have great taste, your choices just need a bit more proportional consistency.

and obviously I cannot spell height, so do not listen to me... LOL

I read this in the latest WALLPAPER, and couldn't help but think it could be my domestic Mission Statement:

"...has created areas of apparent uncluttered clarity that emphasize the space of each room and also allow each piece of art or design to be appreciated in sufficient isolation. And yet, despite this, the house is full of stuff, books and all the other necessary detritus of personality... (T)he whole is an essay ... that testifies to the difference between taste and fashion."

Amen to that, Colin.

Looks very cold.
J

I like the art, and the use of different chairs at the dining nook. I am happy you are doing that - it adds curves and an informality that makes a small space interesting.

In the words of Truman Capote: "Frankly, I don't see what all the fuss is about."

No color, no cohesiveness, no attention to scale, plus Colin has a little trouble taking criticism. I have to hand it to him though, he has a lot of friends.

Regarding Colin's review of his own space disguised as a Mission Statement, seriously now... Quite a bloated sense of grandeur for what could pass for a college dorm, don'tcha think?

I really like the white one white. However I dont like that the dining area is right as you walk in. Can you divide that space somehow - white a screen or something?


~sam

I too suffer from the wrath of renter's vertical blinds. An easy, non-permanent way of disguising them is using your standard office supply binder clips to attach fabric/curtains to the top part of the blind. It's not a perfect solution but it looks a lot nicer than icky blinds.

Very nice. Where did you find the white dining table?