apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Aren't entries supposed to have a floor plan? I also think that you could show alot more with 5 photos. And I reeeeally don't want to descriminate but 834 sq. feet for one person is not small!

Cool loft Tanya.

Are those glass Ikea panels? Can you tell me the dimensions of them?

The view photo reminds me of a Michael Mann film.

OK!! we can end this contest now! This is the by far the most awesome little apt. well put together and thoughtful execution. kudos

I like the big window. very modern, snow white, I like the bedroom area. Where's the kitchen?
Snow White Cool.

I don't like all the white. Seems like a sterile space to me.

I really like this place. Never thought all white was hot, but you did a really good job. I like the clear seats...where did you get them from? I like how you put up privacy panels where the bed is, good idea for when guest are over. do you have a bathroom and/or kitchen?

Who lives here? Feels really generic. Anyone can buy [spendy] furniture and throw it in a big room.

Too stark for my taste, but very well executed. I agree that I would have rather seen a floorplan or kitchen or bath shot rather than one of the (breathtaking) view.

This space has ZERO character. If I didn't know it was an apt, I would think it was a furniture showroom. What a missed opportunity. Where is the personality? The fingerprint of the owner? I want to see some spaces with a real narrative. I want "I bought that while backpacking in Thailand." Not, "I snatched that up out of the DWR or CB2 catalogue and assembled it in 15 mins." Where are the one-of-a kinds? Don't get me wrong. I love Noguchi and Arco, etc, etc. But come on! You need something to take the edge off those classic modern heavy hitters. I'm over this one. Next!

yep, i have to agree with gretchen. it just doesn't feel like home, and i'm someone who lives with predominantly white, too. there's almost nothing personal about this space. it's cold.

this space feels so cold. like a sci-fi movie set or something.

where is the closet? i would love to see a floorplan as well.

Love the place, and love the yellow hanging lamp, but IMO it feels a little out of place.

i think this is a great space. I would feel very lucky to call it home. This said, I do not think it is a "Small Cool" space. I guess for me a large part of what makes a small cool is seeing clever design and creativity used to overcome the challenges of living in a small space. There really isn't anything like this here. It is a large space filled with full-size, single-use furniture.

LOVE that huge window, but what's with the towels (?) on the furniture?

Tanya, I'm so jealous. This is my dream home. The decor isn't 100% my taste (I can't avoid color and I'm not much of a fan of glass), but that doesn't change the fact that I absolutely LOVE it!
And that bedroom area is PERFECT!

I think the towel is for a pet.

It's a nice space and nice expensive stuff inside. But I don't care if they changed the rules, living in a 350 sq ft 2 room studio myself, I cannot consider this part of the challenge.

I like this place, but I think the photos don't do it justice. Would have loved to see the kitchen and bathroom, as well as a more detailed shot of the privacy screens around the bed.

I love the all-white idea and think it shows real discipline to stick with that.

I wish there was more in the homeowner's description to put the space and her decorating choices in context. I also want to see photos of the kitchen and the inside of the sleeping area, which I think looks great with those panels.

Its nice if you like mental ward chic. I have the George Kovacs arc floor lamp and its the only thing in the whole room with any redeemable value. And I am highly suspicious of anyone with an all white apartment.

However, I wish people would stop bitching because it is a so-called big space. One person in an 800 square foot apartment is hardly huge. People in New York are so used to living in a box especially if they are poor.

Too sterile.

Too white.

I could see where it could be really cool if you were going for ALL white, but it's not. There is SOME color thrown in, just not enough to make an impact.

I really like all the furniture BUT this space really needs some textiles and some accent color--rugs, curtains, artwork etc... It's a good start but needs more attention to detail and personal touches.

For me, this space is austere and cold - more appropriate for an office than a home. I don't find it particularly interesting either since all the furniture is pretty homogenous.

I'm puzzled by a couple of the furniture placement choices. The desk behind the column is cramped and awkward, and the mirror next to it looks as if it would give you a full length view of the column.

I do like the inventive way you've partitioned off a bedroom space. And it looks like you've got a stunning view, Tanya, but that's irrelevant to this challenge.

It's a great apartment, but I don't think it should win a DIY contest. The space itself is very industrial and chic to begin with, and this just adds industrial furniture on top of that.

Most inspired bit is probably the IKEA panels around the bed.

I just noticed the desk and mirror thanks to ranger.cookie. Unless the space is owned by a "little person" I don't understand this furniture placement choice.

It's a great space that surely required a lot of discipline to assemble. That said, I would have loved to see the bathroom and kitchen and storage spaces.

"I bought that while backpacking in Thailand." Ah yes, the global mall for travel trophies and affordable home decor. I think there are some people who prefer homes as a visual retreat and rely on their memories and friendships to remind them of their personal history, exploits, and accomplishments. That said, there is some interesting art and a display of what seems to be personal photos that the owner has NOT chosen to highlight in their entry. Perhaps this space (and the entry photos) are quite indicative of the owners private personality.

There's no kitchen! hehe ;)

I think this place is tiny by L.A. standards. Great View! You must live over off of Alameda.

why do some entries have a lot of description, and some don't? I think a space like this... well, I'd like to know more. Did she make the partitions for the bed area? If yes, then I would consider that into my vote... I'm going to hold off voting until the entrant says something for I'm between "cool" and "not my bag" at the mo'.

This place is enormous! While this is very much my style, I felt it is lacking in personality or individuality. A bit too 'showroomy' if you will. Why was the view shown (which is nice, but not part of the contest) instead of the kitchen? And, what of the floor plan, or lack thereof? Did I mention this place is enormous?

Tiny by LA standards? Wow.. I guess I really am poor. I live in a studio in Los Angeles as do many many other people in the city.

This is a beautiful apartment, but it really does feel like a DWR showroom. I would have liked to see the bathroom and kitchen as well, to get a better idea of the owner's personality.

i wish the mirror was near the window instead of the column, too, to reflect the view. it's very peaceful and neat!

LOVE the view!

hmm I should love this right? all high end well thought out furniture choices, great view and nice layout but this very nice, perfect as a showroom but I think even in a show room there would have been a rug or carpet in the living, more variety in the textures of white and a bit more personal style.

It looks like a wonderful starting point and if you really really love monocromatic schemes and the feel of cold concrete under your feel, I can see how this perfect.

Agree with TheoJ. Good starting point, great blank canvas but needs to be personalized... if not it's just a blank canvas.

JenPDX, don't be absurd. How on earth could this apartment be "indicative of the owners [sic] private personality," when it's HER apartment. Who is she hiding from...herself? Furthermore, how could anyone be "private" when the feature wall in their apartment is a 12' long wall of glass that almost stretches from floor to ceiling. And with no curtains no less. Nice try, but no. It's just a sterile showroom. That said, I AM intrigued by the bed screen.

Cavernous, and not in a trompe l'oeil small-space-trickery sort of way. It doesn't offer many (if any) tips to those living in small spaces on solutions, innovations, or other ways to cope with small space. I feel as though the furniture merely had to be purchased and placed. Maybe if there had been a more thorough description of Tanya's intent, but the description is just a few rushed phrases. That said, the view is lovely, and this apartment does do industrial chic very well. I'm sure having a cool place (with a cool concrete floor) to retreat to is very helpful in L.A. summers.

I actually really like it, but the white space is screaming for some art, even if just cool prints/posters. I think the sleeping space is very clever!

Perhaps a rug in the living area or a vase on the dining table would make this place a lil' more 'lively'?

This apartment makes me think of the movie "Solaris" kind of space-age-y but ultimately a bit too "cold" for my own tastes. I think the panels around the bed are pretty groovy and I do like the clear/plastic chairs. I'm glad to see an entry that's a departure from the mid-century modern/bright colors design that is the norm for AT (my apartment included).

Well executed version of a particular "look", but I find myself longing for something to break up the coldness of the polished floor-- a rug in the seating area seems missing to me. Love the panels hanging around the bed, would have liked more than one picture of them.

I think what kept me from voting "super cool" was the narrow-long-rectangle factor. The sofa. The sideboard. The benches. The dining table. The sleeping partitions. One of the columns. The folded throw. The table holding the photographs.

It's unrelenting. The lighting, small seating, and other round shapes just aren't strong enough to balance it out.

Right now, the furniture placement doesn't optimize this beautiful space. Some humble suggestions:

Turn the dining table so it's no longer positioned parallel to the length of the room and the other sideboards/tables along the wall.

Coax the living room out of the corner. Position it closer to the center of the space.

Move the desk to the other side of the rooms - next to the windows. Place it in a corner diagonally, so that when you're seated, you face the entrance to the space.

I have to agree with FeloniusMonk. This place could be fabulous but there are scale issues. I'd love to have the opportunity to push the furniture around a bit and rehang the art. Maybe lose a few of the smaller pieces. Though I couldn't live with this style myself, I've seen lovely European apartments like it. I like the bedroom area, but I'd have appreciated seeing more of it. And the kitchen.

I can't decide whether this reminds me of a mental institution or my office. Either way, it feels sterile, cold and unwelcoming. How can anyone walk in there and feel comfortable?

This space is super hot. It takes a lot of discipline to live with so little clutter. Ignore all the haters who call it "sterile."

It could embrace the cleanliness even more, though. What's all that crud on the side table behind the pillar -- where the orange chair is?

Very nice sofa. Where's it from?

Don't know why you'd waste one of your pictures on showing us your view, since this isn't The Smallest Coolest Views contest, but also I got tired of feeling like I was in a cave...

Cool. Great use of space and dividing up of the studio. A little too urban/industrial for me personally, and some of the fixtures are a little plastic/display-looking, but if you're into industrial chic then it rocks!

I didn't think small-cool could be as big as this (834 sq.ft)? Did the square footage limit go up?

I really like this look - personally my home is a lot more cluttered with mementoes etc, but after a hectic day I think I'd quite like to come home to something as sparse and uncomplicated as this. I don't mind a home being a blank canvas or backdrop for living - though I wonder if, in practice, living in it would be a little uncosy?

It's an incredibly cold space, that feels like a showroom. I couldn't go there every day and feel comfortable.

Things that I do like: what seems to be a display of photographs on a vintage table, your dining area and your desk.

very chic, woulda loved to see kitchen and bathroom.

yawn.

I think the use of white is pretty chic. Would love to see a floor plan though...

What is that sideboard? I think it'd do a better job of serving as a TV stand than the current TV stand.

You bought an industrial loft with great floors and great view, and filled it with designer furniture. There is nothing interesting or ingenous here. Nothing worth celebrating.

It looks like the kitchen cabinets are in the extreme left of the first pic ... along the wall next to the windows. I would've liked to see that space.

And I agree with others ... a nice looking space, but just kinda filled up with furniture. Compared to the entry that built their studio like a boat interior, this just doesn't wow me with DIY.

I would've loved a floorplan!

no texture

art not well placed

no wit...

Not very much passion in this one. Even the responses to the questions are monosyllabic.

Wow! Are the comments always this cruel with this competition? It's not a showroom, this is someone's home and they have invited us into it. I imagine they are reading the comments too. It may not be your personal style and you can vote that way but there is no need to just offer completely negative feedback that has no offer of alternative or suggestion. It's no wonder there aren't many entries this year.
Isn't this a community? How about some respect people.

I like it, but the bed right by the front door? There's probably no closet, and the kitchen would have been put in by the developer. There's a lot of furniture in that space, and while it's not my taste, the owner has living, working, eating, etc. But if you're really going for hard-edged industrial chic, then hide the wires to the tv.

The view is her art piece, and having some random posters would just diminish it.

Edina-Rose Monsoon :

especially if they are poor? Please, please do define poor. Many RICH in New York live in small places too. The REAL poor get kicked out of their projects and moved to dangerous neighborhoods until it's considered trendy and the cycle starts all over again.

834 square feet and all the pictures are of one area from different locations?

Awesome view.
So glad you included that photo as it is one of the 'walls' that you look at.

What's with all this art looking haphazardly thrown up?
Also, do you use dimmer switches?

I tried something similar with the hanging panels once.
Love that.
Overall a great place with a fantastic outlook.

I don't like all the white or the use of the space. The view is awesome though...

I love the use of the ikea panels to create a bedroom. I agree with everyone else about the furniture selection. It's too much like a showroom for my tastes. But, you did something architecturally to make use of a small(ish) space and create separate living spaces so I'm going to hold off on voting until I see other homes.

I didn't vote, but my feet just get cold looking at the floor. And, if I stand on it long enough, my back hurts.

I wish there were more soft things to balance the hard objects.

I like the space, though it's diametrically opposed to everything I do in my own apartment---mainly cooking, eating, and entertaining both people and pets. I have to agree that the space is fantastic and there are some very well chosen, beautiful things in it, but where does the occupant's soul come through in this very cool but not so small apartment?

What's with all the lame, bitter comments? Someone obviously put a lot of work and thought into this place. If it's not your style, fine, but have a little respect.

I love this apartment and think it's great. And since people haven't seemed to have read the rules, it's 850 square feet or less, so this apartment qualifies!

I like the loft aspect and the furniture. I just hate the fact that there is NO COLOR WHATSOEVER. Paint, and you'll own me.

It LOOKS great, don't get me wrong, but..

To me, 830 square feet with an open floor plan isn't small...

I'm really amused by all the "you need color" or "how does this show your personality/soul?' comments whenever a minimalist or modernist apartment comes up. Is the only way to express yourself to load your dwelling with every tchotchke, picture or color you've ever liked? That said, for a large modernist apartment, this place feels cluttered with (admittedly cool) designer furniture. It looks like you have to squeeze around chairs or tables to get anywhere. Even for a party pad it seems there are way too many chairs. I love the bed area though.

Oooh! I love what you've done with the skyline.

I need some color! It's very slick though. I like the way you separated your 'bedroom.'

I didn't read all the comments but I read enough of the ones saying it was too sterile and had no personality. I disagree. I LOVE your place. I LOVE white and concrete. I LOVE clutter free spaces with minimal nick knack crap all over. When I travel I don't buy stupid kitschy nick nacks for that very reason. I buy things I use everyday so they aren't on display and I don't see how doing so give one more personality that someone else. Everyone is different!

After seeing this I have picked my favorite. Stunning!

Please, where is the green/yellow pendant light from? I NEED it :)

if this wasn't LA, i would fear the floors (that they were cold to walk on). but otherwise... why the hateration people? this apartment is beautiful! and it has lots of personality. like black_sheep said, everyone is different. this contest shouldn't be so much about judging against your personalized tastes as it should be about judging the design and use of space -- in which case, this chic chick did an amazing job!

While nice, this looks like you just bought the model loft and left it at that. Nothing strikes me as personal. Nor does the size seem small or a challenge.

I can't vote but Tonya I have to tell you that this is absolutely beautiful. Forget the people who say it's cold, I think it's beauty and simplicity make it create feelings of passion and love, at least for me. I LOVE the panels around your bed and the sharp lines and black and yellow to accent it. I am very inspired by this room and it is most definitely my favorite of the LA homes. And I *love* your view. LA is definitely the place form me!

i love the space, however i wish there were more personalized objects with a sense of history to offset the expensive from-the-showroom feel of the furniture.

what i'd really like to comment on though is edina rose's remark that implies new yorkers are complaining about the large 800 square feet because their reference points are tiny boxes, especially if they're poor. oh edina rose, since when is $2,400 per month rent for 350 square feet indicative of someone who is poor? and what's with the derisive tone towards being poor anyway?

I love this place. We are moving into a place w/no bedroom & would love to do something w/panels. Where did you get the ones you are using???

Thanks! Please email denise@chezus.com

Does anyone know where to find the long white table the owner uses as a desk (behind the column)? Or perhaps something very similar...

The crisp, sharp edges of all the furniture is a very eye catching theme. This also made me reconsider white as a furniture option. I like it.

I'm loving the coffee table though for how completely opposite it is from everything else with all its curves. (^_^)

Although I do have to agree with how the furniture arrangement seems a bit off. A bit closed in, even though this is one large open space. I wonder, perhaps this is done on purpose though, to accentuate the spaces as their own....