apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

IMHO, the space itself is lovely and does have a lot of light, but other than that, it looks a little boring to me. the kitchen could definitely use a shot of color, maybe some flowers or small vases on display. and where do you sleep? (on the futon?) i would rather have a daybed than a futon (hypocritical of me though, since we do have a futon in our living room, but it's not mine and it was free. personally i hate it.) maybe better pictures would help to understand the space more.

Great space & light. And, nice to see an entry from San Diego!

Nice attempt with the in house garden but i did'nt see any interior design that was "out of the box thinking".
next

It's a pleasant space, and I think you did the right thing by keeping it simple -- but I agree that you're not pushing the space to do anything challenging for 330 sq ft.

Speaking as someone who abhores clutter on the kitchen counter -- you have even my most compulsive days beat for kitchen neatness. I'm impressed, if a little frightened.

How long have you lived here?
The apartment has great bones - the windows, the built in bookcase - but besides the houseplants I don't see how you've made the space yours yet. The kitchen looks like it's never been used.
Has really great potential though.

Rather than pick, I'll try to offer some advice. First thing that comes to mind are art and paint. I imagine its a rental so you may not be able to paint but perhaps just do a few accents here and there (trim) to bring some color onto the walls. That combined with some artwork would be a great help in the "making it yours" area.
Next I'd go with some window treatments. Whether you keep the blinds behind the treatments is up to you but that will add some more pop to the apt. Since you like the light, perhaps something that will roll up when you want.
And, when you can afford it, less ikea.
Have fun with it.

Nice plants but other wise it doesn't look like any effort has been put into decorating.

Above comments are pretty good and I am jealous that you don't need gates on your windows (NYC here).
But I find your arrangments on the shelves to be surprisingly fussy.

An apartment with that much light is a jewel! Liven it up with a little color. As an artist, I say HANG ART!!!

The furniture is a study in what a solitary male might buy for himself--the only thing missing is a large TV dominating the room. Instead, the IKEA easy chair is geared toward the little side table, which is a poor substitute for a real work surface like a desk, and isn't even sufficient as a coffee table for the futon seating area. And what happened to the other walls in "the fishbowl?" As for the kitchen, the floating paper towel dispenser the key feature in an otherwise clinical space. Lots of light, but certainly not warm.

A few replies just for fun:

Wende, I did the most important thing possible by not making it feel like a tiny, one-room apartment. It's very hard to photograph small spaces.

Szig, who uses a kitchen? :)

mscot, I can afford more than IKEA, but I don't see the value. These are just material things, and spending twenty times as much would not enhance my comfort or lifestyle.

Michelle Caplan, where would I hang this art? The three paintings are by family. Otherwise, all space is either window, door or mirror.

Finally, Bucoy, nothing warms space more than natural light. Having useless things strewn about does not add warmth, merely clutter.

Good luck to all.

I think that he did make the place his own by NOT cluttering it up with a bunch of useless trinkets and do-dads.

And I love the kitchen it doesn't need anything added to it.

Rock on Tom

Since you seem to have a bit of green thumb, perhaps some plants in the kitchen (herbs?) would be a nice contrast to all the white?

The place is in much better shape than when I lived in THAT VERY unit 10 years ago.

The light is amazing...tiny corner apartment, awful layout to have to deal with, but windows windows windows!

I lived there for 6 months, along with my 80 lb Chow Chow mix, Cinnamon (RIP). Needless to say, we spent lots of time in the park. If you find any red fur still around, I'm sure it's hers.

I do have fond memories of the place. :)

Great windows and built-ins. I bet the change of light throughout the day really creates all the artwork you need. I like the dressers used for the tv and really like the colors of the futon and chair. The lights above the futon are probably perfect for reading! I like the kitchen and if you wanted to add a splash of color the side of the long cabinet above the microwave would be the perfect spot (I'm thinking something long and thin just a bit smaller than the cabinet). You could do the same thing above the paper towel holder and on the other cabinet and it would look very interesting. Looks like a comfortable home you enjoy spending time in. Do you know Steve above or is it just an incredibly small world?!

2 words buddy ew sick. lol

I do not know Steve, who apparently lived here ten years ago. This is a San Diego equivalent of 22nd and Sixth in NYC, so I'm sure it's a well-known place, minus the 20+ floors above. I've even had guests who know this apartment from before I had it. Hmmm. :)

Very, very boring. The kitchen has nothing in it and there is no personality. It looks as if you grabbed some stuff you found in your parents basement and threw it in an apartment. Next.

I agree with you on the clutter issue, however, color is your FRIEND. Even if your place is a rental, it is very easy to paint one wall, then change it back when you move. It would have impact and this place needs some life! I like the plants idea, but it just isn't enough to wake up this decor. The kitchen looks like nobody lives there and you'd be better served to have a cabinet where your electronics are hidden from sight. It's good that you keep a tidy place, but I see no design efforts here - it's just somebody's apartment.