apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Vinh, elegant, calm, warm space. I love it.

i like so many of your pieces and the vibe is very soothing. maybe a thread of a color that contrasts with the brown. just an element here and there.

great taste!

Well-edited space. I love the color on the dining room walls - would you share the brand & color?

I love this. You have some really beautiful furniture, and your house is indeed elegant, calm and warm (well put, avianmission). Where did your living room rug come from? Really a soothing home; it must be wonderful to come back to.

Absolute stunning. I love the muted palette.

what a gorgeous place. that is some seriously classy taste.

The wood pieces are simply amazing. Beautiful finds.

So elegant and serene - I love it!

(See how a big area rug makes your room feel larger and more luxurious? Take note people!!!)

LOVE your dining room. What the name of the paint color in your dining room?

Thanks everyone for the support and comments!!!
Bonline... the dining room color is Benjamin Moore. I'll get you the color when I have my fan deck in front of me! PROMISE!!! :)

wow, that is quite the dining room!

That dining room table is GORGEOUS.
It actually makes my heart palpitate.

wow, brown, beige, tan...overload

Where is the duvet from? And the paper lantern above the dining table?

Perfect! Just Perfect! The Furniture is classic and clean. I love that.

Zaky, i made the duvet from 3 yards of ClassicCloth fabric I got at a discount fabric place ($2/yard.. can't beat that!!). The fabric lantern i bought in some store in Ashville, SC of all places and just bought a lamp kit for it.

I love the sophisticated look of all the neutrals. And your dining table is awesome.

What I love about this kind of classic palette is that it successfully stand on its own, but you also can easily change the vibe of the room by introducing just a splash of color to fit your mood at any give time: a single flower in a bud vase, a candle, dining table runner, etc.

This is gorgeous - I've never been a fan of brown before, but this is changing my mind! So classic and smart!

somehow the colors got washed out a little in the pictures. The rug in the living room has a gorgeous red that doesnt seem to show up.

As soon as I saw your living room, I knew this was my old apartment - and I always talk about my first place in L.A. with nostalgia. I love what you've done to the place!

Calihoya... seriously??!?!?! That's awesome!

I love your space. It looks much larger that the square footage. I think the layout is very smart and the color scheme is very soothing, but doesn't put you to sleep. Neutrals with splashes of color really rock. Your LR and DR chairs are both stars!

Indeed, nicely done and I do agree the color pallete is a little too muted for my taste but I do love the use of brown, but it needs to be used with shots of other colors such as red and/or orange and/or yellow say to keep it lively.

I like a home to have a sereneness, but it still needs color to keep things in check.

One thing you do here that so many others don't is adding layers to the space so you aren't left with too much of the same tonal values in similar colors.

Yes, I have to admit I'm tempted to go knocking on your door to see it in person. But I'm pretty jealous, as you've done much more with it than I ever did. And I definitely miss all of those closets!

Calihoya... come on over! I'll cook dinner and we can tell stories about the apartment! ;)

This is fantastic, comfy, i want to take a nap on that rug! What's the fixture hanging above the dinning table?

I don't love the colors, but it's soothing overall, and elegant, and that table is stunning. Your guests probably salivate whether or not your cooking.

This is how to do neutrals right, with texture and pattern. Well done!

i love the area rug in the living room and the living room chairs. can you give us more information on where you got them?

I would like to know info on the rug in the LR as well. Congratulations on a wonderful home.

Bettyboop and NYCPDX... the rug was a gift to me from a company called Fort Street Studio who are friends of mine (and my employer!). I NEVER would have been able to afford that. It's 100% silk and one of my favorite things in my house. The LR chairs i got on ebay (as i did most of my furniture). I took ivory felt and some nailheads and "reupholstered" them since i can't afford to really do it.

The rug in the living room--awesome acquisition!

Wow! 800 SqFt of Beautifully mastered space. Ideal place to come home to after a busy day of LA living.

I really like the soothing colors. If it were my place, I would spice it up with some color... but it isn't :)

The are rug is fabulous... well done apt.

Gorgeous! the dining room table is amazing. How come i can never find great apts like this in LA????

You redid the chairs yourself? They look wonderful. Good job!

mmm a house made of chocolate. Total yums.

great stuff

Stunning table, rug, fireplace screen. Lovely apartment.

where did you get the dining room table and who designed it. It has such a beautiful shape. I love it.

Where's the silver gnome? :-) Beautiful job Vinh!

Wow, that is one classy joint.

The LR chairs are gorgeous. I would never have thought to shop on ebay.

I love the light above the DR table is spectacular. I can only imagine how beautiful it must be when its lit at dark... this is why you need to make it to the finals!!

Love the table and the lamp. the chairs are ofcourse absolutely adorable.

My favorite element is the gold circle above the fireplace- it's simple but adds a nice elegance to your apartment. Overall, this looks very mature.

Awesome!!!

Very impressive. You got my vote.

Very warm and classic!!!

Love it, just gorgeous Vinhny!

it is fabulous... just like the owner!!

This is the way to do neutrals - with amazing depth of tone and color. Such a rich palette.

Love. Well curated and stylish. My favorite post.

are the LR armchairs borsani? love

Your DR table just took my breath away! You are building such an elegant place. Also love the chairs in LR - they look very comfortable. Great!

wow. just, wow. really stunning.

I find this place very restful, calm and elegant. While I am drawn to earth tones I think this is way too duochromatic (cream and browns). I think with a few punches of color this apartment would be perfect.

Great discipline in color & keeping tchotchkes to a minimum. I couldn't live like that and have great respect for those who can. Very nice job.

Thanks Nathan_Andrew! The LV chairs are not Borsani. They're 50's Italian but with no identifiable maker. The dining room table is a Renzo Rutilli. both the chairs and table are ebay finds. they're my favorite!!!!!

Wonderful use of neutrals, and I'm envious of your ebay finds. Fort Street Studio rug, of course. Works of art, I covet them.

Wow....great place. I play tennis with this guy. Didn't know his pad was so swanky. Thought it would be more like his powerful backhand down the line!

Absolutely love with what you've done with your apartment! Glad to see you submitted for this (ps: nice rug) xo

Beautiful

i freaking love it- i want you to help me complete our condo

Vinh(and his talent for design) have always been winners in my book. There are great things in his future:-)

all my biased friends and family... THANK YOU for the support!
to everyone else, which is a majority of you, you rock!!!! :)

I have always loved your apartment!! It's always so comfortable to stay there when I'm in town visiting. Go Vinh!

Hmmmm... major 'hotel suite' vibe here for me. But a perfectly realized, though severe, aesthetic, nonetheless.

I could swoon in the warm earthen life of your rooms. This home is the ultimate "come gather round" refuge. Amazing.

lovely dining room

Good luck Vinh - hope you win

So fabulous. You've created so much mood and interest with just a few neutral colors. I love it!

I love this, too. The browns are really cozy feeling. Really seems like a great space to come home to.

It looks very nice. Good Luck.

I wish you could paint that fireplace, because it would be great to be able to play up the shape of it even more, but I understand that as a renter you probably can't.
But what you've done with furniture is still amazing.

wow ~ i LOVE your place...

CHICISSIMA! As always by Mr. Vinh Diep. Can't wait til the next round of voting. You deserve to win. Fab design, elegant and eclectic mix--just like you.
Baci,
Kathleen & Maurizio

where's the gorgeous coffee table from?

What's the name of those incredible chairs around dining table? I have been looking for the similar design like this but dont know the name of this kind. Please let me know, thanks! Good luck to ur competition, Vinh!

All the comments seem to be coming from this guy's friends. Very biased. To be honest, this apartment is nice, but *yawn*! I thought this was supposed to be a "small, cool" contest, not one for country-type, commune housing. This place is too old, has no personality and belongs perhaps in an Indonesian hotel magazine. Nice, but not cool. Does this Vinh guy have anyone on here voting that is NOT one of his friends?

By the way, what's up with those weights on the floor in the first picture?

Ilovedesks: thanks for your comments. i guess that's the beauty of this blog right? I would take a good guess and think that most people had their friends and family vote, mine just happen to give me a shout out. As for the "yawn".. i have a pretty hectic life so sometimes the "yawn" is exactly what i need to get away from it all. The house is about my life and how i live and i know it's not going to make everyone happy, as evident in your opinion. Oh.. and what's up with the weights on the floor? They're just weights on the floor. Sometimes i like to pick them up. I hope that helps. And thanks again for voicing your opinion.

This is beautiful. I echo the other comments - inviting, calm, elegant, warm, serene...

It's a gift, not just to be able to find great things and put them together, but to create a mood and a feeling in a home.
Hope we get to see more.

This place must reflect its dweller. So tranquil and elegant.

I LOVE those chairs in the first picture. Where did you get them?
thx,
J

Just came back to see the rug ID and vote for you (and I don't even know you! :)). Great work and thanks for the info.

Beautiful. I envy

Stunning!!

I live in Ventura and WANT TO BUY THOSE CHAIRS! I LOVE THEM!!!!!

I, like everyone else, love the rug. I found this one on Overstock http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Hand-tufted-Current-New-Zealand-Wool-Rug-8-x-11/4401353/product.html
I'm sure that it's not nearly as nice as the Fort Street Studio one, but it has a similar pattern.