thanks for offering a picture of every room! it's so much better than closeups or no kitchen shots. i get a feel for the place. and i like yours very much! super cool :)

Seriously, you place is so cute I can't stand it. I wish you lived in LA so I could invite myself over for a glass of wine. It practically screams "Intimate get together with friends at Rachel's place."

Of course, I would bring the wine.

your bedding is gorgeous!

I love this, and not just because I'm a sucker for lots of houseplants. You've got great taste!

Oh, my god, I want that yellow 50s chair. That's my chair! gimme that! I swear I have been looking for that chair all my life. *sigh*

The whole space is very nice. I love the bedding, too.

toomuchstuff, we would SO fight for that chair. i'm drooling. by far my FAVORITE. this place is amazing.. can i move in!?

I adore your kitchen chairs, and the fact that you're so ably representing my hometown. St. Louis apartments always seem to have so much character. Well done.

I very much like the space--I am sensing a lot of anthropologie? Is that correct or just similar? Also, can you id the overhead fixture in the kitchen?

Love the throw pillows in the living room, the lovely corals in the bedroom, and the lacquered kitchen cart--great pieces and it does looked pulled together over time and so lived in.

Great pics! Really gives you a sense of the space you have. Great color choices in all the rooms. I really love your bedspread...very cute. The whole place is nicely laid out and looks very comfortable. Well done!

How cute! It has so much character and goes together and everything came from different places! That's some talent!

This is the first one (I think) that I have voted super cool. Very nice!

i heart that bedding... where is it from?

hey goonie
my bedding and a pillow are from anthropologie... everything else was craigslisted, thrifted, found on the curb... lucky sale finds etc. *laughs*

and I don't know what the overhead fixture in my kitchen is... sorry :(

hey toomuchstuff and animal houze,
the 50's chair was a lucky find... it was mint green and pink velvet stripes... this summer I recovered it in the vintage yellow fabric. It is so comfortable!

hey kelseylynn,
house plants are a guilty pleasure of mine!

Hey JulesDC,
The bedding is anthropologie... it is from last season... I got it as a graduation gift. I think it may have only been sold online.

Rachel

I love the layout of the cupboards along the back wall in the kitchen around your fridge, great use of space!

You're decor is lovely.

This entry makes me nostalgic for my favorite grad school apartment. It didn't look nearly as nice as yours, though.

I love the yellow chair and the houseplants.

hey thedanmole,
every thrift store in town.
estate sales on the weekends.
and craigslist.
oh and the curb

almost everything you see came from those 4 places :)

cute cute cute cute cute!!

now this is the stuff that I like to see :)

cute place!

where did you find the plants/plant holders shown in the pics above?

hey smitten11
the plant on my coffee table I found abandon by a dumpster last year... along with my pencil cactus... poor things.
The others are from different places.
All of my planters were my parents and grandmothers... I have 15 more in a box waiting for plants.

Rachel

This is a great place - very nice!

Only one negative thing that has caught my eye - and Rachel's not the only one:

What's up w/ folks displaying throw pillows on the floor or a shelf like a store display? If there's no room on a sofa or chair, put them in the closet or a drawer for swapping out with the ones that are in use!

hey bepsf,
they actually get alot of use on the floor... people sit on them or sit up against them... and it would be sad to stash them away. *laughs*

I love the layout of this place! What a great 1-bedroom with an extra little room. Is that big enough for an office or guest room? Love the kitchen/dining combo with the built-in separating the two. Good job. :)

I love it too! It really makes a difference in a small space when you have "old style" architecture - high ceilings, thick molding, pretty windows, gorgeous floors...your style really comes through and I love that its not too serious/expensive but homey and relaxed!

rachel,
is that the corona couch from macys? and i'm not kidding, i'm sooo moving in! too cute.

hey animalhouze
nope it isn't animalhouze... I got it from a local furniture place that is across the street from my apartment... maybe it is a look alike?

Sweet! I love the pillows, furniture, quilt, and that rug underneath your dinning table. So lovely.

Hey, I see the pinecone picture I just ordered for my canadian girlfriend! Love this place--I want your bed!

THis is great in that everything is scrounged and has a history. However, I'm not feeling like its just there yet. Its well on its way, but needs a little extra something here or there to really pop.

Missouri! Love the table/chairs and the bedroom. Did you make the quilt on the end of your bed?

hey LaDonnaNichole,

I did make the quilt at the end of my bed... well my mom and I made it together one christmas... most of the fabrics are left over from outfits my mom made for me and my sister when we were young... I think I am one of the few children of the 80's that never got to wear neon. *laughs*

Rachel,

I too drooled over the yellow chair. Was it hard to reupholster? I am thinking of recovering my chair this summer and I am not sure what to expect.
Love the place.

OMG! I want to relive my youth and have a "super cool" apt like yours. I love the parquet floors, it sets that 50's mood and the furniture is faboo! Love it!!!

Thank you for actually showing us your apartment instead of your objects. I think this is the first entry that actually captured the POINT of this contest. I like it a lot.

Like this a lot! As others commented, good to see the whole apartment, including kitchen & bath. Very charming place- uncluttered but not bare or cold. Very very nice.

what an awesome, small, cool place! excellent colors, textures, and i love how cozy it looks.

Cute kitchen and cool coffee table!

Lovely, I like your art choices very much.

I like your shower curtain, and your whole apartment, in general.

You have used some singular pieces with authentic charm. I love your place. The mix of patterns, textures and organic elements combine to create a home, not a staged environment. I like how you've unified the space with a white canvas (room divider between dining and kitchen, bathroom etc).

It's great. Fabulous job! :)

i wish i could see the study! (I know i'm being greedy.) this place reminds me so much of some condo's i saw in dc when i was homebuying. thanks for sharing.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the slipper chair in the living room - I've been looking for one like that for ages!

and where did you get the TV stand? Also something I've been looking for....

hey Bridget212323,
the tv stand... was craigslist... thanks craig!

the slipper chair was at a resale shop in Oklahoma (I found it last summer). It was mint green and pink stripes when I found it. I had never seen anything like it... but feel in love. And it swivels... have you seen a chair like that b/4 I would love information on it.

rachel - great apartment! i am looking for a similar color for my walls. can i ask what brand/shade is in the living room?

whoo! sending some st. louis love and luck your way, rachel!

nice, cute apartment...i'm guessing u-city?

I like your yellow and white shower curtain. Where did you get it?

The place feels inviting.

Adorable, I like your stuff, I voted super-cool.

http://tinyurl.com/4w59ew

for St. Louis area vintage furniture fans

Nice photo spread.
You took redeeming pics to show us how your space works.
Envious of all that living room.
Looks really comfy too.

May I suggest you address the end wall where the painting and pillows are?
You could drop the painting at least a foot.
Create a vignette with the floor pillows, and maybe even bring that 'snake' plant onto the floor and into the ensemble.

But I love your place.

the window cabnet is vintage! what finish is on it?

Rachel,Where do you get your creativity from?Your so talented.What nice use of space.Your parents must be very proud.

You are very talented,I think you have a fabulous craft.

Rachel - that is so cool. Love the pad. I can see influences of different eras that is amazing to see in the decorating from your generation. You are very talented. Keep up the good work.

This apartment is beautiful! Are you an artist? You have such an eye for design. :) I hope you win it all, you deserve it!

Maybe I missed the answer - where did you get your couch?

Great place, great layout.

This aparment is so amazing! Beautiful place ohokrachel, I'm really impressed. If you don't win I will be utterly shocked. Love it, love it, love it!

I absolutely love her taste in vintage furniture. I would have loved to have seen more of her bedroom. The living room rug has got to go. I really loved the armoire next to the kitchen but I think a lower piece of furniture do much better there in terms of opening up the space and letting more light into the kitceh area. The living room could have a couple of different variatons in furniture placement as well. The place has a great bones, good lighting and layout.

Karen

cute!
thanks for showing us every room!

I can't believe how much effort you put into your place despite the fact that you're only in grad school for a short while. I'm also in grad school and will be for a while, but I feel so much impermanence (perhaps because I've lived in five places in the last three years) that I don't want to acquire too much. I also anticipate making the cross-country move again and am horrified of moving my belongings. And so my apartment isn't too decorated. Your place is lovely, and I like the furnishings. You've inspired me to clean up my place!

my favorite room is the kitchen and it's because of the juxtaposition of textures and scales --- the to-the-ceiling cabinetry, the black metal rolling cart, and the wooden dining chairs in the foreground. the combination creates something dynamic. the other rooms and their furniture, while very soft and cohesive in their similarities, could use some of the bolder textural and scale contrast present in the kitchen. i'd like to see some variation in heights in the living room as well-- everything seems to be at eye level or below for the most part. something dramatically tall would be great -- maybe just stronger window treatments?

For those of you lusting after that chair--I just saw one on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hollywood-Regency-Swivel-Occasional-Chair-Mid-Century_W0QQitemZ130214698458QQihZ003QQcategoryZ156311QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and another
http://cgi.ebay.com/1950s-Kroehler-Armless-Chair-Retro-Mid-Century-Modern_W0QQitemZ200218082029QQihZ010QQcategoryZ63568QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

FABulous version with arms!! let the bidding begin!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/1950s-Rocker-Swivel-Chair-Retro-Mid-Century-Modern_W0QQitemZ200209081329QQihZ010QQcategoryZ63568QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

Is it west end city apartments? Looks familiar. Awesome decorations congrats on being a finalist!

i love pencil cacti!

So CUTE! Thanks for doing St. Louis proud. Where is this? Clayton? So many cute apts there. LOVE what you've done with it.

Ursula

you are so lucky to have such a cool space. love the layout and the floors. and i'm pretty jealous of many of your furniture pieces. :) looks great!

Rachel- Love your kitchen cabinets..so cool. And your bed- hope I'm able to find one someday.