apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love how you've maximized the lounge space upstairs. It feels comfortable and says "let's stay for awhile". Your place looks so much bigger than 290sf.

Cute skateboard!

What does your front door look like? Do you have a patio? Your place has such a warm yet breezy feel to it. I'd really like to see how your treated the outdoors.

My fave so far! This space has a really unique layout that has been used to its full potential as etslee comments. I like the warmth and continuity of the colours/textures/finishes.

This is pretty amazing for being 290 sq. ft. and it's a 2 level floor plan.

Do you rent or own this place? (I've never seen anything like this before!)

Great place for the size, but how do you get any cooking done in the kitchen!?!?

I really like the combo of the wood and stainless steel in the kitchen. The wood warms up the space a lot and it does not feel overcrowded.

This is incredible! Such a tiny space but you have been able to get in a separate dining area, two sofa seating areas, and a bed. 228 sq ft, wow! Nicely decorated and definitely comfortable. I love it!

Incredibly efficient use of space. And unlike other entries, it looks like someone actually lives here. Beautiful! I rank this an insta-finalist along with Mark R. & Stephanie D.'s entry on the NYC site.

it's a little detail, but I love the reading lamps clamped onto the bookshelves... and then taking that extra step and lighting the bookcases themselves. very nice.

That's a small space!

The living room is quite inviting; nice soft neutral tones and a sofa that looks modern but comfy.

Tiny kitchen, and while it seems packed, I like the neutrality of the colors there also because it brings everything together. You don't have much prep space, but it's clear you've thought this out rather well.

This is another situation where the 3 photo rule might not be sufficient. I'd love to see the upstairs.

I'm having such a hard time believing this is 290 sf! That's incredible. Kudos on fitting it all in (with a sectional to boot!)

oops 228 sf. even more unreal. looks so much bigger

Hi everyone, thanks for the nice comments. I'm going to try and respond to each of you so here it goes:

etslee~I did really try hard to maximize the upstairs space so I needed to find a layout that would be comfortable but functional as well. It must be the angles of the pics but my space is literally a breadbox :)

pg~Thanks, I love my skateboard, use it all the time since I hate driving, but SaMo is nice since you can get to pretty much all the places you need close by. My front door is a stained wood, somewhat antiquish/distressed looking, and yes, I do have a front patio with a bench and lounge chair but again it's quite small too.

KBinBC~Thank you for your kind words. It's quite cozy and warm to live in.

Jamie~Yeah, I've never seen anything like it before either. I own it, but I picked it due to the location (which is on the block of the beach) rather than size. I knew that I had to sacrifice sq.footage but hey, I'm practically in the water.

phaedrus~Yup, cooking elaborate things can be a hassle at times, but if I keep it simple, I can manage. So, rest assured I'm not making a three course meal everyday. :)

elle1009~Thanks, it was hard finding the right frig, as it had to fit into a particularly small nook.

Lisa~Tiny is the word. Yeah, the two sofa seating areas were quite a challenge, but I was finally able to find something in the right dimensions. whew!

Li~Thanks Li! I really appreciate it. Yes, I actually do live here and it works for me. I know it might not be the most glamorous but I think things are functional enough. Thanks for the confidence booster.

sixsquared36~Thanks, I got those lamps and bookcase lighting fixtures from Home Depot and Ikea.

JacksonMarie~I know, I know, I took far more pictures to share but couldn't because of the 3 photo rule.

Thanks again everyone. Have an awesome day! Chon :)

Love the Gus chair! I have one too.

cool...clean....simple....practical, love it! amazing what u did for half the space of others, WOW! i want to see more...

Nice! Love the layout and art and tall bookshelves.

What's weird is... I have the same color sofa pillows and turned table, but a totally different style house. Now I want a white slipcover after seeing your sofa with "my" pillows. ;)

eee i want to live in santa monica, and i want to live here ;)

Beautiful!

Feels a little Ikea-ish to me. But you use the very small space well.

Love <3 your bookcases. WOW: a comfy sectional AND a full bed in the same space and it still has floor space without claustrophobia in there? The pictures are too high on the wall though.

Amazing use of little space! I am surprised that such a small space has that cumbersome traditional staircase consuming so much of the air rights. Since you own it, you may consider modifying / opening up the staircase to make it less like 'the 800# gorilla in the room.'

I feel for you having absolutely NO work space in the kitchen. Perhaps replacing the round table and chairs with a mobile eating counter or table with extension leaves and stacking stools that could be stashed on its lower shelf would give you a little more elbow room during meal preparation and serve a guest or 2... EEEK: is that a paper towel roll above your little gas stove?? Where's the fire extinguisher??!?

Very cute.. especially the kitchen. I voted insta-finalist, good luck!

I love so much about this space but, in particular, I loe the kitchen and the textures you have chosen. A "hot" property!

Hi all again, thank you ScottB, elliot, Valerie, bluetoes, geninne, Xeno, XMNR, Amber, and louise for your support and encouragement. :)

XMNR, yup the staircase does take up a lot of air space and I've been looking into other alternative stairwells that could possibly open up more space but still be functional. Actually, I did use to have one of those mobile carts with the extension leaves and stools, but it just didn't quite work well in the space downstairs so I opted to go for the round table as it provides a lot more room to work on for preparing food, eating, reading, working, good ole' Texas hold'em with friends, etc.

Have an a super fun day everyone! Cheers, Chon :)

Unreal! So serene and cozy... "insta" all the way!

Really well done. I missed the voting for this. Do you really watch that teeny little tv?

Hey jenniejen, yeah, I actually do watch that tiny tv, but I like to watch the lower floor lcd better but it's not much larger! :)

woah. i love this. this is the best 290 sq feet i've ever seen!

My Favorite thus far! I love the natural layoutt and what youve done with the space

Congratulations - this space really is lovely! Where is the tray your laptop is sitting on from? Thanks!

Thanks lerato, the tray is from Offi. It's the 'Overlap Tray' in walnut I believe. Cheers.

i love ur space. where did u get the fridge?