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I know that monochromatic looks will make a space seem bigger then it is but that is just to blah for me.

N.

http://badhuman.wordpress.com

I'm with badhuman.

Too sterile, yet still feels cluttered. :(

Not loving this... looks like someone (without much style) just moved in. Agree with other posts, love minimal, this is blah.

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http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/031708jenniferbeningfieldtour/_slide_/medium

I do like the lights in the bedroom, though.

is it illegal to hang art in london?

...although I guess they do prevent one from sitting up in bed.

Still. Pretty.

AT4H - thats because its about 'minimalism'. The use of a single colored background and brief text is meant to make the error page look much larger than it really is. ;-D

Incidentally I'm getting the same message. :(

When I saw London Urchin's flat I thought, Corr Blimey!

While this one has some similar elements it doesn't have the same effect for me. The kitchen wall setup with table and chairs reminds me of a judicial hearing room too much and the space seems a little cramped.

Some of the elements are gorgeous, like the kitchen unit and the orbs but as a whole the space is lacking something in my opinion.

I'm wondering if the furniture was part of the design process? If not, that may be why I'm not fully appreciating it. You know what (I'm thinking as I write this) I think if the furniture was different I would have been immediately overwhelmed.

O.k. I can't shut up yet.

The mirror seems awkward.

I think this place was designed in a John Pawson minimalistic way.

Everything that needs to be is there while stuff that doesn't need to be should be taken out and/or replaced.

deneph's link will get you there! thanks for that!

Link should be fixed now...

Oh dear, I have absolutely no sense of any personality from the people who live there. In fact, it just looks like no one has moved in yet. Why so stark and unfriendly?

I love the kitchen, but on the whole seems a bit cold and not lived in.

this looks like really fancy furnished corporate housing...that hasn't been rented in years...

Well, then, I guess we all agree. I'd like to go in there and splash some screaming scarlet paint on everything.

Is "screaming scarlet" a color?

Gorgeous.

I'd like to see a bit more personality of the owners/tenants, and I don't quite understand twin beds in a one-bedroom apartment (for a couple? sleeping in the same room but separately?)...

All the same, it's an elegant and calm space. I'd love to move in (and add just a bit of art and colour).

It seems very cold and unwelcoming; almost like someone just brought their furniture to a new place, and left their personality in storage. I could never live in a place like that.

I know this minimalism is meant to be calming but this looks like a budget motel. Snore.

Overall, I like this one. I certainly see a Pawson/ Anouska Hempel influence. My only suggestion would be to go a tad more minimalist/monochrome (the dining room and chairs seem a bit off , as does the bowl in front of the mirror) or to go a tad softer (say, a gauzy sheer ripplefold curtain wall over the living room windows). When it comes to minimalism, every little detail matters. As it stands, the furnishing send some mixed messages and dilute the impact of an otherwise strong effort.

The dining area reminds me of a conference room, and the sitting area feels to me like a waiting room in a standard office building.... not quite feeling like a "sanctuary" to me.

is that a glob of toothpaste next to the brush? is so someone has justed ruined the minimalist scheme!

I actually found it quite refreshing. It's like a warmer John Pawson.

Carpers on this web site might (will) disagree, but minimalism as a design ethic need not appear as sterile as it does in this apartment. Free your imagination if you can stand it for just a moment, however, and consider the possibilities of this space as it immediately foregrounds the people who live there and their friends. At a party for example, the people who attend actually become the objects of interest and not another thing you've bought. Imagine that! The problem here, what art has identified as the "lacking something" in the space might be people.

Whether or not the owners intend for their space to function in this way who knows, but let's consider the space as it looks and see what we can do with it, 'eh?

I am a minimalist junkie, but the problem with it is that you have to severely edit *everything*. Nothing can be casually left about like the tray and newspaper/book and random bowl. This place needs some colorful art to distract from the detritus of real life.

Cold, uncomfortable and zero personality. It reminds me of a doctor's waiting area, but with less charm.

The lights over the bed are seriously annoying; how many heads have been whacked on them so far?

Rugs, artwork, even flowers or plants would be a big help here. Dull, dull, dull.

Oh, but I love the shot of the bed. Makes me want to snuggle down with those pillows.

needs art and color. but the bedroom is cozy. but if it's for kids, (twin beds) then they need some things of interest . i don't like clutter but what's the point of being in a waiting room and having the few things you like hidden away. my friend's home is so comfy and cozy, beautiful and cheerful and they have worn floors and paintings of hockey players on their walls! and it works!

Davidasposted: I agree. But that's also true of padded cells.

The idea of this as a sanctuary is what throws me entirely -- the coldness puts me on edge and I find the sitting room really confrontational with how you would have to sit straight on to your guests -- though I love that they don't appear to have a TV in there. Or they may have hidden it somewhere we don't see, since they have teabags in the cupboard but no kettle on the counter. When you move in Britain, the kettle is usually the last thing packed and the first thing plugged in at the new place. :)

I don't think I like the orb lights in the hall (the scale bothers me, much like the mirror bowl issue) and the separate bed thing is confusing (the London housing market is ridiculous, but if you can afford to have all this done, it seems you could afford another bedroom) but if the orb lights in the bedroom are on a timer/dimmer to come on in the morning, that would be brilliant.

And no, there's no city-wide ordinance against hanging art here! ;-)

I like minimalism, but somehow, this doesn't quite work for me... I think it is the Hempel touches that do it; that and the Mart Stam-like chairs (are they Mart Stam but with curved arms?) that I complained about on a different thread -- we owned some at dining chairs for over a decade (actually, over 15 years I now realize) and they were miserably uncomfortable as dining chairs (great side chairs in an office though).

Also, I do not get the sense of perfect repose in this space that I do in a truly minimalist space -- I think that the volumes are off -- i.e., to me, it feels as if the ceilings should be higher to pull off such a look. (plus, the bedroom just feels weird to me).

If you are going to be minimalist, the few things you choose should be supremely comfortable and satisfying.

LondonUrchin's space was so much more successful -- the use of bold colour and texture -- for example, the Hans wegner dining table and chairs, contrasting the period feel of the space, etc.

London or Dullsville? I trust AT to vet these things and this was waaaaaaaaaaay below your standards. For shame.

so glad you all feel as i do. i was wary of opening the comments and seeing lots of, 'ooh, love it!'

my remark is, wouldn't at least one houseplant be a welcome addition here?

no houseplants here just emphasizes the lack of feeling of life in the place.

So funny--my immediate reaction on seeing the first photo was "it's as if London Urchin designed a corporate conference room." I fell head over heels for L.U.'s own pad but this one doesn't do it for me at all.

Feels more like a board room at Wernham Hogg than a sanctuary. It also feels like this reno fights the original character of the place instead of working with, or complementing it.

I'm a minimalist but this place looks unfinished, especially the livingroom. I don't like where the fireplace is situated and I don't like where the kitchen is situated in relation to the fireplace. This is not so great for my tastes. But if the owners lovet, so be it.

i think it looks gorgeous, i especially love the lights.
though it does look a bit unfinished. it needs some sort of color or art on the walls!

Point taken, viola!

I feel depressed now...

It's John Pawson, but much cheaper looking.

...and it's a shame, since I was so ready to like it.

I really like the way the kitchen was composed--the large oak block incorporating many functions (including hiding dirty dishes). It does seem as though it's very architect-sanctioned styling/decor, which often tends to be very severe and monochrome. Perhaps the clients are not quite in the space yet?
Or afraid of changing anything that the architect dictated? For example, our architect had some decided ideas about colors (or rather, non-colors of gray and black) that we rejected, not wanting to live in a prisonlike environment. Architects make great bones for spaces, but they often seem afraid of color and 'decoration', as if it is too frivolous.

I think this is beautiful. It's like a very imaginative hotel suite. It's not how I would arrange my own space, but it's very beautiful and confident. Would love to spend a couple weeks there while vacationing.

No matter what the 'look' I think the space should be inviting and comfortable.
This simply isn't.
None of the rooms are.
Inventory what you have and decide what changes need to be made to make it work.
The schizophrenic kitchen aside, it doesn't really need drastic changes.
But art, and revisiting the lighting schemes, for starters will go a long way.

L.O.V.E. the lights in the bedroom! Who makes them? Where did you get them? How are they installed?

Can anyone tell me how to recreate this in my own home? Where can I get similar wall-hung orbs in various sizes?
I live in NYC and need something cheap.

Thanks!