apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

super cute, especially for a guy's apartment ;) love the colors, and the kitchen is adorable.

love it! though i personally wouldnt hang a bike over the stove...

Oh this place is wonderful, has a kitschy lived in feel, but not cluttered although far from spare, of which I like a lot.

The overall feel of the space has a humorous side and is such a fun place to just gander at. Well taken pics btw.

One thing I don't think I like is the bike hanging in the kitchen, otherwise, it's a great place and full of great colors too.

Nice job!

I agree re: the kitchen - the color is great, and the light through the curtains is luminous. Your desk area is probably my favorite, though.

Really cool. I love the 'old school' office area. I gotta nitpick the bike hanging so low above the stove and table though. No way you are going to convince me that you can eat or safely cook and while the bike is there. Tire soup is not tasty!

Super cool. Love the minty walls in the kitchen, so fresh. But ditto on the bike.

p.s. sweet record player.

I love it, even the bike in the kitchen. What I don't like is the leg lamp! Get rid of that and your apartment would be perfect.

Love, love, love the orange stripe in the living room. And the ottomon-coffe-table-lineup.

Oh, and your floorplan was AWESOME!

I like the leg lamp and like the surprise of the bike in the kitchen, but it does seem somewhat hazardous over the stove. But if it works for you, that's all that matters.

Where did you get your table lamps? They are cool.

super super cool. love it. especially the mint green kitchen with checkboard floors and your little bistro set.

anyone else thinking, "wait, where's the bedroom?"

ha. it was only till i read the rest of the post... gotcha

OHHH finally something worth looking at. Bravo.

Ditto, Nevis. I really like your space but my favorite part is the floorplan! Very cool.

You definitely win the Best Floorplan Contest hands-down ... can you come to my house and draw mine, please? I'd frame it! And I love your apartment, so much personality but nothing is too over the top. (But please be careful with your bike so close to the stove!)

Best floorplan yet!

really great space. one question, do you pull out the sofa every night and fold it back every morning?

Do you have to move the bike every time you cook?

Really cool place.
Super-cool!

You win best floorplan drawing!
And, you know, your apartment is pretty sweet too. :)

Oh my god!!! Is this my entry?? I have like 20 of the same things as this guy PLUS it too is my lifelong fantasy to live in that kickass Parr ranch.

Congrats Matt!! everything looks perfect. The kitsch factor is high but the design and consideration of small space is higher. Best looking entry yet!

Er ... I guess "lifelong" wasn't the right word ... perhaps my lifelong fantasy to live in a place LIKE that, and my 4-year fantasy to live in that specific home. ;-)

I love this apartment! It looks lived in- I love that! and the pictures on the wall are great! Great use of space!!

the colors in your place are so cheery and light, yet very bold. i wish i could draw floorplans like yours when presenting to clients! great job!

By the way ... why are all the cool guys like this on the WEST coast. We need some in New York.

Love it. I adore the record player, where did you get it? Also, the movie seats are pretty awesome. I'd love to live in this apartment.

Awesome job. Love it. The only thing I don't like is that when you move, all of your color will most likely be painted white, and that's a crime.

i really like this place. i don't know who the parrs are... but i was reminded of keith mars p.i. office from veronica mars... although that orange stripe on the blue wall is throwing me off. but i loved it over all! and the best floorplan so far.

cool place! we all have the same desk at my office. we were all doing a double-take looking at your entry.

AT needs to hire you to do illustrations of floorplans!

Love your apartment. The placement of the bike doesn't seem functional - unless you don't cook much.

Way to work only 325 sq ft. its kitchy (sp?) and cool!

The "fragile" lamp! Must be Italian.

The theatre style seats are fantastic. Can I have them?

love this space and the floorplan makes me smile.

Wow, thank you everyone!

To answer some questions: yes, I pull out the sofa bed every night and every morning. I've always been good with routines and while it took some getting used to, it's pretty natural now.

The bike over the stove. Hmmm. I know it's hard to tell from the picture, but the bike hangs over the back burners. Since I've never cooked such an elaborate meal that requires more than the two front burners, it hasn't been an issue. When I bake (usually at least once a week) the tire sometimes gets warm, but that's all. I've played with different arrangements in my living room and kitchen, but they all felt awkward, scary (above my computer) or crowded. Ideally I would like the bike to sit a foot higher than it does. I'd probably have to buy one of those tension pole bike racks, but those usually require a stud to push against, and I'm not sure if there is one at that point in the kitchen.

And the Parr's are the super-family from The Incredibles. :)

This is a truly fabulous place -- and an inspiration to me since my pad is even smaller.

I love everything a lot, except the blue wall with the awkward orange floating shelves. What are those about?

Great work area, though, especially that desk and the barrister bookcases, I'm jealous!

i agree with "ciddyguy" that there is humor in your apartment -- which i love! it must have something to do with your being a cartoonist? there is a liveliness that i wish i would have seen in more of the other entries. i love that your place has a distinct personality!

Nice place!

Agree with ^trygve^ about those orange shelves, perhaps remove those and it will be pretty cool to hang your bike on that wall instead.

Delightful!

What turntable is that? I love it.

Love it! Great color choices. The only thing I didn't like was the bike over the stove...it made me a little nervous. Loved everything else about your place though. I voted Super cool

Great apartment... definitely one of my top 5! Lots of personality, bold colors used beautifully - love the orange stripe in the living room - and it really has a feel of being lived in. The scale of the theatre seats and series of small ottomans leaves you with some extra floor space, and that helps give the whole place an airy feel. Seems a lot bigger than it really is. Great job. Definitely super cool!

oh! and the sad thing is i watched "the incredibles" for the umpteenth time just two nights ago. boy, the things my memory chooses not to retain... i really really want all the furniture in their living room.

The turntable is an Electrohome. It's a Canadian audio company I came across on e-Bay that had some great designs in the 60s & 70s. The speakers that look like lamps on my desk are also Electrohome. The sound is definitely older, but I like that for the records, not so much with the computer pair, I plan on replacing the speakers in those.

This is amazing! Nothing generic, everything well curated, a super cool (if trying) sleep setup, an someone with a yellower bathroom than mine. Jealousy abounds!

My favorite part is the kitchen table - which could have been any generic thing, but instead is this hysterically whimsical wrought iron! Love it! Super super super cool.

I really like the floor plan picture...good job!!

extra point for the floor plan

Now this is what small cool should be about! As someone who also has to keep my bike above the kitchen table, I relate! great use of a really small space to fit in all the "zones" for living and working!

Great--super cool!

Seems kind of hodge-podgey with the mix of modern and classic decor. It's not something I'd do in my place, but I definitely get a kick out of the theater seats in the living room.

love the theater seats and the bike - I laughed when I saw that it was in the kitchen.

One of my faves! Love the bike above the stove in theory but all I can think of is the dirt that falls from the wheels.
Love the old movie theater seat too!

Absolutely one of my favorites in this competiton! So many interesting, quirky choices and surprises... yet it's cohesive and serene. The personality feels honest, rather than forced. Wonderful job!!!

Repeating what most have said already... LOVE the color choices, but why would you hang your bike, with its dirty wheels, over where you cook and eat?? I'm more concerned about whether or not it is sanitary, than if your wheels will get warm.

Aside from that, can I come over?

I heart your small cool place. This is my favorite entry by far.

Finally, an apartment that is both cool and uses a small space well! Some elements are not to my taste (shower curtain) but I voted super cool anyway just because it's so refreshing to see someone using space so well and also painting a rental. Love the blue and the green. Love the blue stripe on the one wall. The bike is a reality and people need to try living in 325 sq feet themselves, with a bike, before they judge.

great floorplan!

just perfect.

Like the desk and office chair. Not keen on the bike on the kitchen wall.

favorite.

I can't wait to see more photos! And I love your enthusiasm for your sofa bed. A transformer bed *is* way more awesome.

Super cool for the best floorplan EVER and I love, love, love that desk.

Love the light, the colour, the floorplan, the vibe. Small and super-cool.

Wow, awesome. Great use of color and space, not to mention making it feel bigger than it is.

Should definitely be a top contender because Matthew's entry embodies what this contest ultimately seeks!

Wow...the yellow bathroom and mint green kitchen sold me. Do you feel Parisian eating in the kitchen? Nice work.

I love the whimsy and style in this place. Perfect color, clever furniture; your apartment seems to tell us that you'd be a fun person, too.

I love your desk area. Ditto about the bike though..

a small cool indeed! the bike over the range does not make sense though.

Finally!

I voted 'super-cool' based partially on the extremely helpful floor plan.

super cool! i almost gave up looking as these since most are relatively ordinary, though perfectly nice. i loved this place. the family room is awesome. i love the orange paint line with the painted shelves in there. very interesting and unique and cool.

someone said they want to see more pics - how can their be more pics since it is only 325 sq ft!!!

i meant i almost gave up looking at the entries but am glad i kept viewing so i could see this cool place.

Love it. And I love everything everyone else does. I'm so ebaying some Electrohome right now.

LOVE the leg lamp! the men in my family are going to get rid of me so they can have one, too. better not show them your entry ...

Full of win! I love it!

Brilliant use of space and color. Everything in there contributes to the overall style and function. Can't say that for most of the other entries.

Nice place, I can see the cartoonist in that fantastic floorplan. I admire you living in 325 sq ft in California... That's like living in 100 sq ft here in NYC. The kitchen is such a lovely old-timey color, and I like the desk area a lot. Thanks for entering!

I can't beleive there have been 76 comments and NONE of them have noticed the Kermit the Frog phone.

It's a Kermit the Frog phone, people! Some people go through their entire lives without owning something that cool!

Needless to say, I covet it.

i had that phone as a kid!! well, except mickey mouse was holding the receiver. he's still alive and kicking at my brother's apartment.

Wow
Great work, the small space challenge aside.
Fun colors, personality everywhere.

But I bet you'll tire of the cute 'theatre seats' in your living room real fast.

Wow! Great floor plan. Great place. Wanna host a movie night for us? I'll make a Jack Jack-Snack-Attack?

I really LOVE this! The folding theater seats are great, and the couch/bed is awesome. It doesn't look like a sofa bed at all, such that I got to the floorplan and thought "but... where does he sleep?" The large size desk also looks fantastic, and for such a small space, you did a great job making it feel much bigger.

I'm too much of a germaphobe for the thought of bike tires over the stove personally, but I have no suggestion of another place to put it. Everything else I love, so it's still super cool in my book!

I've owned the theater seats for over 3 years, I haven't tired of them yet. :)

The best thing about the Kermit Phone: it works! I bought a PhoneLabs Dock'N'Talk to Bluetooth my cell phone through Kermit. The quality isn't 100% but sometimes you want to talk into a Muppet you know?

I haven't really experienced any dirt falling off the tires. Maybe that's a sign I need to ride my bike more.

Thank you for all the kind words!

It's much nicer than most of the entrants...
though I would re-think the bike in the kitchen.
Can't you chain it outside someplace?

If you become a finalist you'll have to show us that bed in action.

oh, mr. dangerous.
be careful what you wish for.
heh heh.

(thanks for the setup! and the perfect name to go with it)

Love it. A point of view is what I've been waitinf for! And that floorplan. Amazing.

I actually felt the bike over the stove was just gross. I mean, the bike tires touch the ground in all sorts of icky spots. Would you hang your shoes over a place where you prepare and eat food? Ewwww...

But besides that, wonderful wonderful job. =)

uh oh, you're not going to like the opposite angle of my kitchen, with the custom shoe rack over the sink. :)

I've thought about chaining the bike outside, but all the available areas would be good for me, but terribly inconvenient for my neighbors.

I have some overgrown bushes out my front window, if I can get those removed that would give me a little area to set my bike and maybe have a nice little garden. Unfortunately, it isn't really a priority for my building manager.

Adore the bath, and the folding theater seats however, the Bike over the stove? Does that scream unhygenic ot anyone else?

love it!!!

I totally dig the orange stripe with the floating shelves painted in the same color! I can't believe other ATers didn't dig it! I even saved the image to my inspiration folder, which is VERY RARE. I try not to take too much inspiration from others creativity, but I may just have to steal it.

Super small and super cool. I really believe this is what small cool is all about. It's creative (especially the bike over the stove, that takes guts)and can actually feel how you live your life day to day and it seems like such a great place to come home to.

I like it a lot and I love that desk, there are still some offices in here that have that sort of thing and I am always thinking how great they would look in a better atmosphere, you've proved me right. Too bad the poll is closed, you would have had another super cool from me.

where do you sleep? or is this just a working space? love the drawing of your place- i wanna watch the rest of that cartoon! :)