apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Love the plywood walls, penny tile, and stair treads.

Not sure how two people need 2,000 square feet. Wouldn't a smaller home be far more "sustainable"?

I love the combination of plywood and drywall.

http://www.modernests.com/2009/06/this-weeks-picks.html

It's such a clean and organic look when you can see the wood grain.

http://www.modernests.com/2009/06/this-weeks-picks.html

I'm also a fan of color washing the plywood (white or a color), for an accent effect.

sally,

I don't find 2,000sq ft to be THAT big for two people...maybe they are factoring in a future child down the road. Planning ahead is a sustainable practice :)

abc123, point taken--kind of. It would still be a ton of room for a small family. I live in less than 1200 square feet with two teenagers and two big dogs. It's more than enough.

I guess I just bristle a bit at the "sustainable" and "green" labels being thrown around so often these days. Even more sustainable than building a new home would be salvaging an old one, in many cases. Heating and cooling a smaller one costs less than a bigger one, too. But it does seem as though these people have done about as much as they can to minimize the impact of their home on the environment, given its size.

I love the coffee table... but it's position seems a bit askew. *I just love that word* The bare wood wall seems like he needs friends.

I agree with sally - sustainability often has as much or more to do with size/amount of consumption as it does choice of consumption. It does look like a nice place, though.

And - I love that coffee table too! Any idea where I could find an affordable version of that?

I have always loved that string chandelier.

the coffee table looks like the ikea stockholm?

betsbillabong,
Why don't you commission one? There are some really talented people out there and you may enjoy the process.
We can't always compete with ikea prices, but can make an honest effort to work in your budget. I don't think people realize this is still a viable option.
www.michellelipson.com
I'd be interested in hearing if there was a way to use feedback from sites like this to develop customized products for groups. Like a sort of mix of crowd sourcing and group buying. A small run of a product that was pre sold to an interested group. What's everyone think?

Hi Flying Hammer,

I wish I was notified of replies to comments on this site... I often forget to check back.

I have the utmost respect for craftspeople. And when I can afford to commission furniture, I will. And in fact, I just did -- a picnic table for $150.

However, in looking at the URL in your comment, coffee tables are priced at $3300. Until recently, that was a few months income for me. I can't spend that on coffee tables - I need to spend it on food, and books, and art.

I think the idea of crowd sourcing is an interesting one... it might enable craftspeople to bring their prices down. And I also think it's well worth commissioning something rather than buying a designer table for thousands. But there is an enormous gulf separating the $200 (or $50 used) table and the $3300 table... one that it seems might be difficult to bridge.