This is so true. Once I've seen the little nooks and crannies of my home through the lens of a simple phone camera, I have gained a new appreciation for it. I now see my home in a different light, with and without the camera. It also helps to see what needs improvement!

That closet is way too Joan Crawford for me. Are those shirts all equidistant from one another? I guess one person's texture-collecting journey is another's creepy self-indulgence.
(I recognize that it is very easy to merely crack wise, post and walk away. But this kind of pretentiousness and self-absorption deserves criticism, as does AT's reverence for it.)

i disagree with kushkush. apartment therapy IS about self-indulgence: self-indulging in the comfort of one's own home, whether it be decorating ideas, decor inspirations, or interior design.

so if one wants to appreciate his/her own home by reminding oneself with snapshots, let him/her be. stop with your cynical comments. i, for one, do not appreciate it.

Lovely photos!

So I just put the hipstamatic app on my phone. What else do I need to know to get photos like these?

Funny, my first thought when I saw the picture of his closet was "wow, I wish I wasn't too lazy to have a closet that neat"...second thought was about how much I wish all of my hangers matched...maybe there is a little Joan Crawford in me affer all.

Nothing wrong with a little "home" indulgence, there are much worse things. Looking at other peoples spaces on AT has taught me, a self annointed design snob, to be tolerant of other peoples tastes. I actually think the shirt pics is a great composition.

And I recommend to all of my friends who ask me for advice on there homes that they take pictures. It really does allow you to really look at your stuff.

@kushkush It's an interesting point of view that these images seem self-indulgent. I can see how devoid of context they might come off that way. But really, they were meant to express the insularity forced upon me being laid up for days. I felt like I could either go stir-crazy, or find a way to love my unfortunate situation.

I'm often intrigued by ideas such as "shop your own closet" or generally finding a new perspective on something you see every day rather than growing envious of others or needing something new to wake you up.

Also, I work, a LOT. And my fiance works from home often. I come home exhausted and walk right by things that have changed or been arranged and generally forget to appreciate my surroundings. In this way, the self-indulgence you see is mostly me falling in love with the aesthetics, thoughtfulness and devotion that she has for our home. She finds ways to express both of us in our home. Honestly, that deserves far more indulgence than this simple photo journal.

Oh, and you couldn't slip a piece of paper between those hangers, there's so many stuffed on that rack. So there's your equidistance! ;)

@creative license - Hipstamatic is fun. It offers plenty of different film, lens, and flash options to play with. To get this specific effect, check ou the tags on my flickr account for details. It lists the configuration there. www.flickr.com/mpkiser

Well said..I love hipstamatic, it can make a picture seem so artistic even when all the usual needed elements aren't available for a "good" picture. Like my home it doesn't need to have perfect lighting to be beautiful. You can really see things from a different perspective as you've done here.

Btw Micheal, I've had a bad sprained ankle before and my heart goes out to you. It hurts a heck of a lot more than people realize. Make sure to let it heal properly!

This is an AWESOME post. Thank you!

I just want to say thanks for a slideshow that doesn't reload the whole page.

Great place, it's interesting without looking like all the other apts featured here. It makes you want to meet the owners :)

Wonderful, thanks for sharing these. I see these as more of a tribute to your fiance than self indulgence. I want that app!

On a side-note I wish whoever edits the comments would sometimes leave them alone. (a few of mine have been deleted, there were no attacks or negativity just opinion, and then later posters will agree or comment but there is no context)
So often the comments refer to a post that is no longer there. I'd much rather read a cohesive thread and a lively discussion.

The cat, and photo #1 of the white flowers, are delightfully peaceful. How smart to make the best of temporarily being stuck at home with reduced mobility. As other commenters wrote, photos are a great way to notice things you ordinarily wouldn't. Consider taking advantage of the unscheduled opportunity to read and/or write, too. People often have something they've been wanting to do along those lines that can make being home more fun.

Thank you for sharing these lovely images.

I live in a rented flat, and while I don't love my house (it is cold and damp), I do love my home - the things I've done to it, the collecitons of objects, like the mugs, jars and tins, and pictures on the tea shelf in the kitchen, and my art space with paintbrushes, paints, pencils, works in progress etc.

Despite the cold and the damp, this is the happiest I've been in a place, because it fits my personality.

I totally thought he was going to take pictures of the house to be aware of clutter or make light of things to change. Documenting a home is a cool idea and would definitely capture where a person was at a certain point in their life.

@mpkiser - Thanks! Will check that out right now.

I love seeing a place that is not overly self conscious, that it begins to have its own life of natural organization ( aside from the shirts) But all the things you can see have been chosen with and good eye and a sense of humor

At least the shirts aren't arranged by colour!

If you don't mind me asking, where did you find the little horse sculpture/piece? I recently saw one very similar perched in the window of a private home and was smitten.

Your horse sculpture is beautiful. It looks ancient Egyptian. You've inspired me to take some hipstamatic photos of my home. Thank you.

@kushkush MY God, if a person likes the look of something kept ultra-neat & ordered, and is willing to do the work to keep it that way, allow them their enjoyment. If we had a Puritan Police Force, you'd be it, I'm afraid.

@artdepartmentjean I picked up the horse at a small antique shop in Chicago called "Old Sau's" but I too have seen a couple since. I have no idea how to source one though :(

If he didn't have such good friends here I might be wiling to part with him: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpkiser/5952617758/in/set-72157626661729560

This thread is funny. Who would have though a pic of shirts would be so polarizing! How ELSE should rack of shirts look? Some things in a home work best when neat, some can be strewn about. It's all a balance. Oh, internet.

Thanks so much for taking a look and leaving comments. This is just a small sample of the Apartment Journey. If you'd like to see more, there's many more shots here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpkiser/sets/72157627334363024/

I have no idea what hipstamatic is but if it makes my apt look that good, I'm all for it.

I thought of doing this,sort of. I haven't hemmed the curtains I made, I haven't covered the chair that I've bought 3 or 4 batches of fabric for, or the office chair at my desk. Maybe seeing how it would look to everyone else will force me to finish!

the flowers are beautiful. and the shirts!

I admire and appreciate Michael's aesthetic, his skill with a Hipstamatic (which I had never even heard of until now), and his unique and contemplative way of spending his recovery time. Perhaps most of all, I applaud his humor, restraint and diplomacy in responding to some of these comments.

Ah, pinpoints in time! I love them! Sometimes when I am home in the middle of the day, which is not often, I love seeing how the sunlight falls against the hardwood floor in the hallway or feel the breeze as it lifts the curtains in the bedroom. Noticing simple things in detail that often go unnoticed in the course of a busy day is a great way to just be.

When I had first moved into my small condo and was depressed, a friend gave me a picture that he had taken of the kitchen window that looks out on the brick wall of the next building. We had just hung a stained glass moon and placed a plant and a pig cutting board there. This photogragh was just such a lovely composition, it gave me hope; and I have it hanging on the wall of my cubicle at work.

Compositons like these are what keep me coming back to Apartment Therapy!

Um, kushkush, that just looks like a tightly packed closet with all the same hanger. If they're all the same and you shove them to one side, they automatically space themselves. It's a boutique trick.

Personally, I keep going back to the image before it -- the metal can makes me blink. It's junk right? But it workss. Why? I don't know. Nice.

I love the vignettes in my apartment: The full curtains in the living room and bedrooms, the arrangement of furniture in my kitchen, the fat pillows that bring my loveseat and chair to life. The order and cleanliness of it all. I refuse to find that self-indulgent, it's called being content with what you have.

I can't even believe that people are responding to kushkush. Too funny. Is he/she even on the right website? Isn't all decorating self-indulgent? Whatever, kush.

@mpkiser - I'm now addicted to Hipstamatic, so thanks. :)

P.S. By the way, they no longer have the lens that you used for these photos, but I'm sure I'll find plenty of other great combos. Can't wait to be self-indulgent!

@LeighM So true! The way light works in a space is what really defines it. It's one of the reasons I always try to get up early on weekends and hang around the apartment. I never get to see it that way otherwise! I always come home to a slanted western light right before sunset. The morning and midday sun are almost magical in comparison.

@MaryHS One of my favorite decorating techniques is to use industrial objects or natural debris — a tin can, empty spaghetti sauce jar, old pipes, a tree branch — to create an aesthetic point of view within the everyday. So many of those materials, once the labels are removed, are sublime in their simplicity.

@creative license Bummer about the lens, but you're right, there are tons of other configurations to experiment with. And watch for limited edition releases, that's how I got that particular one. It's a fun snapshot platform for when you don't have your primary camera within reach.

You can see my non-Hipstamatic shots here: www.farthestsouth.com

Thanks for the conversation guys!

These are just lovely. I've been feeling kind of discontent with my apartment lately, so I think I might try a little project like this to help me see it with new eyes. Thanks for sharing!

@michael - You are extremely talented! What a great eye. I enjoyed the photos. Thanks for the link.

michael - fantastic and thoughtful response to kushkush's weirdly vitriolic post :)

I don't get to cook as much as I'd like, so when I try out a new recipe, I like to, similarly, capture the dish on Hipstamatic.

Hipstamatic is just amazing love it love it love it!

So true. I recently shared a quick pic with my phone of a scene from my apt (http://blog.17thandriggs.com/) and although I thought it was a horrible corner, after I saw the picture I found it slightly less so... I think the room was overwhelming me and making it difficult to see the individual bright spots. I think this is a wonderful exercise in looking for the interesting/positive around us.