apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Lovely place. Cool!
Only the zebra rug is not too convincing for me.
It doesn't go too well with the lovely colorful fabrics you have all around.

Cool, I like the zebra rug even though I generally hate carpet on carpet. Nice light - would have loved to see a pic of the bath or kitchen.

I reallly like your place... love the artwork over the bed (what is it?) and love that you have a consistent color palette. The only objection is the zebra rug... it would look just fine if it was one hardwood, but over carpet... it seems like overkill.
Overall Super Cool

Very nice! I agree with martita...I love the artwork over the bed too. Would love to see the kitchen and bathroom to see what you've done in those rooms as well. Great job.

Like it, but the zebra rug needs to go.

Good layout of the furniture. Lovely colors in the bedroom area.
I have a hard time with the mix of styles.
50's mod
safari
antique
contemporary (couch, matching chair and bed)



Not much matches 50's mod, except for 50's mod

Really stylish and I would have liked to see kitchen and bath. But overall supercool and I think the mixes really work -- it's all rather glamourous.

Beautiful! Stylish, tiny but feels spacious, there's personality & it's unique. Well done!

The zebra rug is GENIUS with the goldenrod yellow sofa and chinoiserie bench with Asian-floral fabric...really, really nice composition in this area! Where is the rug from? It's one of the best versions I've seen.

Your personality is very evident here..I like that you're not trying to pull off someone else's look, or hiding everything as if no one lives here.

I do think it would be kind of cool (esp. given your obvious love of interesting textiles) to hang a floor-to-ceiling curtain at the end of your bed, or just upholster a folding screen with some cool fabric and set if there. It's just me..seeing a bed from the rest of the house is a little jarring. I think it might feel cozier to demarcate the area a little.

Overall....wow!

Funky, urbane, chic and nice!

*thanks everyone for your gracious and thoughtful comments!
*the zebra rug is real animal skin and i believe it was acquired by my grandparents many years ago during one of their many travels...probably on safari
*there is a fabric divider (in long view photo, you'll see a bracket to the right above the existing curtain), but it was unfortunately not installed during the photo shoot
*the art over the bed is traditional japanese fabric

Lovely use of color and pattern!

This is really lively and nice.

Cute place! I would like to see a picture of the kitchen and the bathroom though, all I am seeing is the main living/sleeping area!

Zebra goes with everything...everytime.
Great diggs!

a whole lot of cool! thanks for sharing your space with us, packed with whimsy.

The L-shape makes this room look small.

I love it, including the zebra rug! It adds interest to the carpet (which I'm guessing comes with the apartment). The whole place feels bright and spacious, and the splashes of color and pieces from different eras really lend the place personality. Looks like it's great for entertaining too!

very interesting. I love the mix of styles - Super Cool. Please tell me, where did you get the dining table?

Really deft mix of patterns and color, beautifully done!

Pretty fabulous that the zebra rug is from family adventures. Not just a trend object but HISTORY! Kinda funny that the real thing is 'the best version', it looks quite authentic!

I voted Super Cool before even clicking for all 5 pics because the two pics already look great, I love the eclectic mix!

It's great that in such a small space, you have separate areas for sleeping, dining and entertaining.

Great Choices - and I agree that the Griffin Table is a super-cool piece, especially on the Zebra Rug!

Coolest grandparents ever!

great place, great zebra rug, I love all the mixing and everything goes together.

Well done!

Out of curiosity have you ever taken the bookcases and tried to use them as a room divider, maybe stand them up so only 2 cubes are on the floor?

I wonder if that would cut off the space or give the bed privacy?

CUTE! This is a GREAT example of someone who has great use of color. I hardly notice the white walls. I sure hope you make it past this round, because I really want to see your bathroom and kitchen. The furniture is lovely, and you've broken up the nicely. I guess living in 391 sq. feet really makes a person live with the bare essentials... So, I am interested to know where you keep your hobbies? Just the shelving in the living room area?

I like your place but get rid of that tartan thing on your bed... it hurts my eyes.

Fabulous! I'm a fan of the rug (and its story) and found your place eye-catching. I love the mix of eras. I wondered about the dining area being so "far" from the kitchen (rather separated by the living area). Have you tried switching those two areas?

Super Cool! Great use of old and new, splashes of colors, and mix of patterns. Thanks for sharing; you sure know how to put all this together...I'm sure your grandparents are proud!

it feels really cohesive... I know that's hard to do when mixing eclectic pieces in a small space. really nice...

wow this is soooo refreshing. I saw so many yukie posting today until now! So much personality in it and it is as beautiful as magazine column.

THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS...
....SOME ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
*the dining table is marked with the name "burke" who did most of the mod furniture in star trek, etc
*since it's wall-to-wall carpet, the bookshelves (which were designed to sit vertically actually) wouldn't stand up straight or be secure unless they were against a wall.
*great point about the dining area not being next to the kitcen...i tried that initially but works best by the windows...the sofa works best in the center with the desk behind it
*i actually work out of this tiny space, too...using the desk and sketching on the white table
*i keep hobby stuff in some closets in the kitchen and off the bedroom (behind the white curtain in the long shot) and my bike is in the foyer so it's a bit tight entering the apartment
*i bet my grandparents are smiling at all the fuss over the new life of some of their treasures

As an apartment dweller who is stuck with white walls, I'm pleased to see how you've used color to really liven up the space.

i wonder if my place would be so cool if my grandparents were hipper (i doubt it). very nice. love the prints and your choices. really nice eye.

Yikes, this reminds me of living in Tokyo with oh, so little space. I give you credit for creating small, usable rooms in so little space. Beautiful and functional. It's great

Wow! Small can be beautiful and elegant without sacrificing functionality. Outstanding use of color and texture. You have demonstrated how to overcome the white walls and wall-to-wall carpet so common in rented apartments. Floor plan shows no wasted space. Glass coffee table and bench with cushions do not take up much space visually or in sq. ft. but accomodate guests. Laptop sits inconspicuously on sofa table when work is done. Living, working and entertaining in this small but lovely room inspires me to take a second look at my own living and working spaces.

You certainly have a lovely flair, and the photos show us a good amount. However, I see to much "Ikea" resemblance, which is just a personal issue - I could see you thinking out of the box a bit as that is obviously your strong point by integrating some different styles in. I would live here though, if you took away just a few things.

I love the colors and the bright and airy feeling. Great entry!

love the bench in front of the bookcases...good idea

love the zebra print rug with all the punches of yellow and orange. love the low bookcase.

wow. i'm surprised at how well this entry is doing. kudos to a very good layout for a small space, but i felt like all the furniture was so unbalanced. the small art on one side with all the dark furniture-- I don't think it's a good match for the other side (bedroom) of the room. I love the griffin coffee table-- but I can't fully appreciate them with all that's going on around it!

Great job, Rachel..... Very charming and inviting space using the brightness very efficiently.

Indeed, a very nice job. I love how you mixed different, yet somewhat common styles in here, modern, 50's modern, asian etc for a lively, yet not frilly place at all and definitely not lacking in the personality department either like some of the posts I've seen for this contest this year.

there is a nice balance of clean, airy rooms, but still full of charm and whimsy too.

I love the zebra rug. And this place looks much bigger than it is! Fabulous!

A lovely example of nicely blended furnishings, color and texture. Well utilized space. Perfectly comfortable. I like it!

this is such swingy, citrusy perfection, every last detail (and i usually don't care for zebra rugs), i'm sorry can't help it, this is my new happy place; should be a top 5; and Cally, you are violently wrong here.

Awesome unit. You're hired!

That's a particularly cool armchair.
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/042208rachelwsmc/2008AptTherapySmallSpaceContestRachel004

And beautiful dining set. I also like way you arranged your daffodils.

Gotta love that vintage 1960's kitchen table and chairs!

Big fan of all the colors and the layout!

I love it, I would love for you to decorate my place.

Love the subtle and ecclectic use of color, texture and pattern. I love how you maximized the small space to make it look spacious. In response to the reader who thought the zebra rug was too much on carpet, remember that this is a rental apartment and you have to work with what you have.
Great job!

not every thing in here is my style, but I do think it's very nicely put together. The layout is perfect for the space and limited sq. footage. Nice job!

If it wasn´t for the coffe table and the zebra rug...

Rachel, Rachel! What a gorgeous place. Love the neutrals with the oranges and reds. There's something Hollywood Regency-meets-mod about this... Bravo!

My eye bounces around too much, there are too many attention-grabbers, and nothing goes together. Not talking matchy-matchy, but cohesiveness. Just not feeling it.