Name: Kimberly
Location: Chicago
Size: 550 sf
Rent/Own: Own
What is the advantage of SMALL? I still can't believe how much smaller or heating bill has become. And living in Chicago means long, never ending winters. We've saved a bundle on bills, and I have to say, we save a lot of time by having less space to clean!

What's your favorite resource for your home?
I don't think we could ever give up cable, because our television time revolves completely around HGTV. The inspiration on this channel has definitely been an impact on what we have chosen to do in our own space. Of course, "Small Space, Big Style" is our number one program.
What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home?
The best part of living in our small, happy home is that i always feel comfortable and warm. Our kelly green walls were a bold move, but it adds a nice spice to the overall feel of our colorful wall palette.




Comments (43)
Fantastic apartment!
But again I want to see how you fit your style and stuff, not necessarily artsy photos (kitchen.)
Not my style at all, but I like this. Love the bright colors (pretty absent so far in this contest), particularly in the bedroom. Would have liked to have seen more of the kitchen than just the tea kettle. Very cool!
Very sweet! A fun and welcoming place.
Your place is very nice. Still didn't show the true space...if you can, send more pics. You almost gave us a picture of the kitchen, but the penguins were more important I guess. ;-)
To all contestants, I really appreciate that you have taken the time to enter this competition and show us your home, but this competition isn't about who has the coolest collection of stuff! Please show us more of the ENTIRE sapce.
That said, your apartment is immaculately decorated. It really is very beautiful. I just wish that we got to see more of it, ie kitchen and bathroom.
Your bedroom is fantastic!!!
550 sqft with two bedrooms? that is crazy...
What I love:
-that Kelly green wall...what color is it exactly?
-the yellow frames with black and white photos...they are fantastic...
-that the bedroom feels so cozy..
Holy crap! I scrolled down and saw the bedroom photo and for a split second I was all "ooooh, my bedroom!... wait, I didn't enter smallest cool!" Haha! So needless to say, I heart your bedroom. Especially the gray comforter (or is that just the sheets?)!!!
I love that used such bold colors on your walls. It makes my heart melt. :)
This is cozy! :)
Love the pictures BUT can vote yes for your place - don't really see the apartment in these very edited pictures.
Kitchen aside, I think the photos are great. It's 550 sq ft people! They have 2 bedrooms AND have room to showcase some great personal stuff without seeming overly cluttered. Fun colors, too.
I think the point is to get a little tease of the apartments so that we vote so we can more.
I like the strong colours. They really work in this space.
Fantastic use of color in a small place.
It's a shame you chose those photos, they don't show the APARTMENT, just various THINGS. I love what I see though, beautiful.
the color palette makes me happy!
Fun, fun colors. And I. personally, like the kitchen penguin picture---it gives a nice sense of your taste and style, plus the color there is luscious. You've made a small place really you.
Warm, welcoming apartment. Since it's your apartment, have you thought of taking down the hall wall bewteen the bedrooms and making one bedroom larger? I see a back door, but you have a front door, which means the back door becomes superfluous. Maybe, as time goes on, the picture requirement could be more specific. First, would like to see the floor plan first, so we can get a sense of what we're looking at.Second, maybe the pictures could be more uniforms.That is, picture number one is from just inside the front door. Picture number two could be at the entry of the main living area, Picture # 3 from the entry to the kitchen, etc. Then when we judge apartments, we judge decorating and not photographic skills.
My vote said it all - Super Cool!
WOW that bedroom is bright- how do you sleep in there?
The bold colors looks great everywhere else. Cool.
I love the green walls. And the penguins! Would like to see the living room from another angle. I can't tell what the coffee table looks like.
Your photos give a good sense of your taste, and I appreciate that! Definitely super cool.
A friend's bedroom is almost that exact same color, and she says she always feels happy waking up to see it! She's incredibly energetic and creative, and it definitely suits her personality.
I agree with the entry title -- this place definitely looks happy. I hope we get to see more!
I love the colors - You forget that the spaces are small with the vibrant use of rich colors!
I voted "Super Cool"
:-)
"WOW that bedroom is bright- how do you sleep in there?"
I am sure like most people, they sleep in the dark with their eyes closed.
I really love the bright colors- so inspiring!
Cool.
Even though the space is small, I can personally say that you don't feel like you're in a small space at all! The colors are so happy and I love how everything is so clean and crisp. Very creative and inspiring!
Beautiful place!
Can you tell me how you painted these IKEA record shelves? I'm thinking about getting the same ones, and yours look great painted but the IKEA faux wood-grain still shows through nicely.
Was I the only one who got a little start when the second photo revealed that the dog was stuffed?
Wow, you did a great job. Beautiful colors and a great use of space! I like what you did with the the IKEA shelves! I may have to steal that idea! Well done!
the dope shit, that's my word!
Thank you, everyone! To answer some questions:
Jess, the color is from Home Depot's Behr brand. It's called "chlorophyll," and although bright, it's still my favorite shade of green. We loved it so much, we painted our entry the same!
Thank you, sparkle. I've never been brave enough to paint an entire room my favorite color - orange - until now. And I've never slept more peaceful...
and Jack: We didn't get the faux wood-grain IKEA shelves... I think they had some option last fall where it was solid pine, and it was sold in sets of the 4 slots, and we bought 2 and just stacked them. It also had the option of adding little 2 inch legs, which we did. We just bought some gray wood stain from Home Depot, and we used the same to stain the wood shelves on our green wall. Thank you!
I like mjc's comment :)
Kimberly
I'm guessing here, but what we're seeing so far is too consistent to believe that she's really hiding anything. I like the colors and I like the whole thing. My wish to see the other bedroom has nothing to do with an sense of "auditing" to see if she has been "editing" but more of a curiosity about what else she's done to the place, but there's a picture limit, and she's done well here, I think. Congratulations for getting to live in such a beautifully done space.
I absolutely adore everything about this space! Super cool in every way.
My only complaint has nothing to do with the apartment. I just wish people would stop this trend of zany angles that show as little as possible. We only get five photos, so the five need to show as much as possible. There has to be more to this kitchen than a few miniature penguins and a kettle!
That being said - judging the apartment instead of the photos - I adore it. If I were on a date with a woman whose apartment looked like this, she'd own me from the second I saw it. Such color! But it's not overdone. And the details are fun! But, again, they're not overdone.
The word happy definitely fits this space! I love it.
Thank you, Curtis and Rob. By editing the photos the way I did, I was hoping to pique the curiosity. Even though the space is small, it's hard to get just 5 photos that show everything and include the details. By choosing a bedroom and living room wide shot, and a few details from the guest room and kitchen, I was hoping to show 2 of my favorite rooms and leave the rest up to the imagination.
I appreciate everyone's comments, good or bad!
Kimberly
I like the fun colors. It's very vibrant. I think you've decorated it well.
Brilliant and gorgeous.
Kimberly, I love the colors you chose! It's a very inviting place and I would totally want to hang out there! Sophisticated fun.
This is by far my favorite entry, it's colorful but not outrageous, it shows your personality and the Kelly green/ yellow combo is fantastic, so smart. Even though the pictures don't show every corner of your house, they are enough to show the way you live within that small space and convey your personality.
This is one of my faves! Love your paint choices. Especially the blue-ish teal in teh living area.
What a fun sense of color. However, I am very skeptical of 550 square feet. If your floorplan is at all accurate it looks like the living room/kitchen is 400 sf alone And the two bedrooms and hall at least 200.
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Super duper space! Very inspiring. Makes me want to pare back my stuff..... brilliant use of colour too... I'm off to the hardware store for some paint as we speak...