Name: Rachel
Location: Burbank, CA
Size: 620 sq. ft. apartment
Rent/Own: Rent
What is the advantage of SMALL? How much space does one person really need? If it starts to feel small, then I need to get rid of some stuff.
Name: Rachel
Location: Burbank, CA
Size: 620 sq. ft. apartment
Rent/Own: Rent
What is the advantage of SMALL? How much space does one person really need? If it starts to feel small, then I need to get rid of some stuff.

What's your favorite resource for your home?
For thrift stores, I love Out of the Closet, not just for great finds (like my red velvet sofa) but also for getting rid of clutter whenever I need to purge the apartment. I get emotionally attached to things, but it's easier to get them if I know they'll have another life with someone else. And all the proceeds benefit HIV/AIDS research.
What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home?
Since I'm not allowed to paint, I use fabric and ribbons to create areas of dramatic interest on the walls..
nice. i wanted those cubes from Target. one suggestion: tape fabric panels inside so the contents can't be seen. you can add something great to your room and keep the vibe neat.
view Lady J's profile
the head-on shot of the burgungy sofa area: the flowers, the sofa itself, the photos are very nice... but my gawd that other sofa and the cushions have got to go (cushions are very matchy-matchy, while not matchy-matching the rest!) imho, they are ruining an otherwise lovely living room.
p.s. i love the candle holder in your bedroom.
view mjr's profile
If you got rid of that huge beige sofa in front of the doors to the terrace and brought in a couple of cool chairs, you'd have a winner.
Love the sewing/crafts nook - haven't seen one of those yet!
view bepsf's profile
I love the fabric on the wall behind the photo frames. Great idea!!
view Melissa82's profile
I like the picture wall.
view Joan A.'s profile
The little cat portraits above your couch are adorable.
view BrionyCat's profile
I LOVE IT! Well done. :)
view shamrock73's profile
very feminine- love it.
view jenna's profile
love the pink wall shot with the couch but the rest of the place seems to lose that focus and design wonder. that brown sofa is not so great and you don't stay with the victorian or whatever it is (antique) theme throughout, so the place as a whole isn't great, just elements/partial spaces. shoot.
view bmorebent's profile
btw the sewing room ain't so cute.
view bmorebent's profile
I think some of the entries need creative photography to win the contest. I really like the second photo (not the quality but the angle) but then it throw me off seeing it with the beige sofa. I would vote super cool with just one photo but after seeing the rest, there are some elements stops me from doing it.
The bed is dreamy... :-))
view New York Muhtari's profile
Yay! Mine finally posted. Thank you, everyone, for your comments.
About the beige sofa: I see what you're saying and appreciate the comments, but that sofa's not going anywhere. This isn't a showroom and I actually live somewhere else- I live here, and I flop. I'm a flopper. And that right there is a floppy couch. (This is the part where some people start throwing "lol"s around so you know they're not taking you or themselves too seriously, but I'm not an lol-er, so you'll have to take my word for it that I don't take any of us too seriously. I really do appreciate the comments.) I have considered slipcovering it, but can't decide on a color.
bmorebent: thanks for the constructive criticisms and practical advice. Oh, wait...
view Risaplata's profile
It's really nice to see an actual personality here. It's not really to my taste, but I can see that you live here, enjoy your space, have made it personal and homey. Good job.
Dissing the sewing room ain't so cute.
view oakland's profile
That bed is sexy! I think I'd gasp if I started dating someone and the first time I saw her bedroom, I saw a bed like that. ...but I mean that in a good way!
view Rob in PDX's profile
This looks like a great place for the renter--girlie and 'floppy' and all that stuff, but it's SO not my bag.
view phaedrus's profile
Wow I am only one of 11 people who thought this place was super cool?? I am disappointed. Who doesn't like the pink graphic outline and the placement of the tree photos? What about the netting over the bed? awwww
view katekaye's profile
i think this looks like a great, comfortable, cared-for place and that the woman who lives here seems creative and like she'd be a cool person. I like her. I do. But, if we're judging people on their taste.... this one's a loser. The netting, the bad rugs, the beige-blue-pink-red living room.
view buyersremorse's profile
I think it is beautiful. I love the colors, I love the artwork (and I love the cat). Super Cool!
view wenmul's profile
reallly great art wall. well done.
view healthyhome's profile
Is that a Thomas Kinkade print? I'm not trying to be a hater, I liked a lot of stuff here, but the Kinkade print evokes a visceral reaction in me.
I love the picture wall and the way you get around the paint issue, though. And the bed is way dreamy. I'd probably skip the couch and flop right onto the bed myself.
view Mercy Street's profile
Mercy Street: No, it is not a Thomas Kinkade. That painting was done by my great-grandmother. Actually, one of the reasons I "framed" that painting with the ribbon is because the edges of the wood it's painted on are no longer square, and I wanted to give it the illusion of square. The one in the living room is by my father, the black and white pictures (except the kitty portraits) are by my friend Mary, and the other photos are by me. (I'm not a Kinkade fan either.)
Thanks, everyone, for your comments. The bed netting, if you'd like to do something similar, is a regular four-poster bed canopy from Anna's Linens that I doubled back on itself and hung from the ceiling with teacup hooks.
view Risaplata's profile
thats one comfy looking bed.
view Trixie Jones's profile
I like the comfy-cozy casual - ness of your apartment! I'm beginning to discover that I relate more with spaces that aren't so "put together" or sterile. I like your bedroom and the netting and also the collection of art in your living room.
view lynnelise1's profile
I love it. It's so sunny and happy looking!
view Sleek's profile
I love it! Pretty, enjoyable to look at, a much cuter sewing area than most and comfortable looking.
view Cally's profile
I have to agree with many other commenters about the beige couch, which is too bad because I love the burgundy couch vignette. It's sort of a modern take on grandma's house. Very cute.
view Erika in Seattle's profile