apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

*gasp*

I can move in tomorrow. Think they'll leave their great furniture for me?

what a cute apartment on the inside, love the living room and bathroom but the outside looks depressing, no curb appeal here.

Cute place, but wow, I really hate color coordinated books. I had such a reaction to the first picture, with those regimented shelves, that took away from appreciating the other pictures. To me, color coordinating takes the "friendly" out of a great wall of books. Books should be a happy smorgasbord, perhaps organized by subject or author, but never by color.

yah the last photo kind of ruins it, but the interior is great.

Agree about the books, but I'm a book lover. Group by subject, not appearance.

But what a warm, pretty apartment otherwise! I love the birch wallpaper just visible in the hallway.

Love. Love. Love.

I lived Jackson Heights as a little kid so the outside vibes more homey than depressing to me but I can TOTALLY see how it might bum some people out. ( I can tell you right now though, our 70's apartment wasn't nearly as cool.) It's actually a pretty amazing neighborhood. If I recall correctly, it's the most ethnically diverse in the city, if not the US. Ruined me for the homogeneous suburbs we subsequently moved to.

People, it's wintertime. The out-of-doors do not generally look their loveliest this time of year, especially landscapes with a lot of deciduous plants.

Do they have two copies of the same couch, or was it scurrying between rooms between shots?

And for NYC, that outdoor space is absolutely lovely. Everything's relative.

Very nice place. My thought on seeing the color-coordinated books (I prefer grouping by subject) was that if the owners are this OCD, I bet they've taken very good care of the place. From the looks of things, that was a correct assumption. I bet this sells quickly.

I have organized my books by color for years now and find it to be much more convenient. Most of my books are either about feminism, dogs, or quantum physics - so categories wouldn't narrow it down enough. And I remember my books by the color of their spine and their size. It's cool if you don't like it for your own home, but don't knock those of us who do.

*drool*

This place is for sale - hopefully you can do with your books whatever you want! Don't you want a lot of shelves? Don't you see not just one shelf, a lot of shelves when you look at this room? It's one thing to pick on a LOOK! or a Flickr Inspiration: article, but come on!

Uh oh... more books by color.

@KTG, agreed :) For me, if I had that amount of money and was looking for a place in NY, I'd buy this in a heartbeat. And then mostly because of the shelves (although I love the other features too).

Sydney -- good point.

Other people seemed to have poached on my territory of flaming people for organizing books by color. I still have to say it -- it's really moronic looking! Do it only if you want to be considered a mental midget by people who actually value books for their ideas.

If I ignore the book grouping, I really like the floor-to-ceiling book shelves and soft colors of this apartment.

To me, book color-coding tells me the person just bought random books based on the color of the cover and probably didn't read them.

That said, the apartment is lovely... but the price makes me happy to be where I am.

For whatever odd reason, I usually remember a book best by its spine so color-coded organization works well for me, especially because it makes re-filing very easy and intuitive. If color-coordination is actually function rather than just decorative, it's not douchey.

Lovely space and I appreciate all of the nods to bringing the outdoors, in (though I do have some serious reservations about that pretty but totally overexposed Cole&Sons wallpaper). I have no idea if that's a fair price for Jackson Heights but best wishes to you with the sale.

Wow. Way to be rude, peach.

Just because someone prefers to colour code their books, and chooses not to organize them by subject, like you do (gasp!) does not mean that they are a douche, or that their choice is douche-y. Just incase you were going to tell me you didn't call them a douche, just their choice of book organization.

If you're going to use that thought process, maybe the *real* purists (whoever or wherever they are, but it's certainly not me... I don't have enough books to organize beyond my two shelf bookcase.. another gasp!) should come out of the woodwork and let you know how it's done.

How DARE you not organize alphabetically. By author name or by book title? And are you loosely grouping your books together by subject? If so, pffft. How douchey of you - you should be using the dewey decimal system. Or even better, perhaps you should really be organizing your books in chronological order, going by the original year the book was first released. Then you might have a better insight into the mental progression of authors throughout the years, and have a better understanding of how we, as a society, are evolving.

Insert some other ridiculous rationalization for how books SHOULD be organized, here.

What I find 'moronic', are those that would judge someone's intelligence by how they choose to organize their books. But then again, who am I to find even that moronic.

As for the place itself, it's gorgeous. The owners, or their Realtor, really know how to arrange and photograph the place so that it shines. I hope it sells quickly and that they get their asking price, and some of that furniture is truly gorgeous. I'd love to have a reading room like that!

PS, perhaps the books are only arranged by colour for show. People do all sorts of crazy things to sell a place, like put half their posessions in a storage locker, borrow different furniture, pretend they don't have a tv, and live out of a cheap motel so the place is always spotless. Just one last thought. And if they DO organize their books like that... well then, more power to them.

I just don't get colour-coding books.

It isn't about having red and blue books looking nice?
I want to know where my books are. I LIKE having my Murakami's all in one place, even if I've bought them at different times from different publishers and they are different colours.

Books are about liking books. Not about colour design.

This apartment is fabulous (and I love the bookshelves, even if I too think purely colour coordinated books look a little creepy). What I don't understand is why it's been furnished to make it look so cramped. That tiny sofa dwarfed by those towering end tables, I feel my shoulders hunching just looking at it. I couldn't believe on the plan that it claims that room to be over 13 feet wide. And the arrangement is repeated again in that office space (the sunroom?) with the cranelike shelving towers that give virtually no storage space yet look like they are about to crush that tiny desk in a pincer-movement.

Other than that, I have to say I would buy this apartment for the bathroom alone!

So cozy but still chic! The exterior actually makes me homesick for Jackson Heights. Curb appeal isn´t stunning but it´s very nostalgic for me.

I hope to return to the Heights soon and that my apartment will look as nice as yours. Good luck with the sale!

this apartment has lovely "bones" and tons of light. it's obvious that it's well taken care of.

reads as an airy small space - i was suprised by the dimensions.

Your apartment is awesome! You definitely won't have a problem selling. And the outside looks exactly the way it should this time of year as someone pointed out already... Sheez! This critiquing or just jealousy is started to get old and ridiculous already. I'd love to see where and how some of you all live?
Again, love this home, love those closets in the bedroom and that all white bathroom! Thanks for sharing you space!

I arrange my books by color (and I have read all of them), I arrange my candy by color (and I will eat and love every piece), I arrange my shoes by color (etc) and I arrange my art supplies by color. I love color and the spectrum and its how I remember things. Plus the books I have...some are hard to categorize and can fit into two or more categories (religion and feminism and philosophy!). So for all you out there that think its moronic, perhaps maybe I have read more books than you and have retained more because I obviously have no problem compartmentalizing things the way that is more efficient for me.

There is a difference between purchasing books FOR their color to arrange (and probably never reading or caring about their contents) and with having many well loved books that you arrange by color! Big difference.

PS this place is gorgeous.

Gorgeous place. If you've ever lived in NYC, you would know that this is what most buildings in Queens look like on the outside.

I love the shades of green in the bedroom but something about painting the doors the same color (no contrasting trim) always looks really depressive to me. I can't really articulate why but it feels a little mental to me...

Color-coordinated books are like Keep Calm posters: both were interesting the first time I saw them.

But that apartment is fantastic.

I'm glad to know I am not the only person who hates (loathes) color coded books!

I spent the first few years of my life in a Jackson Heights apartment that had an interior garden like this. There were 7-8 buildings in the co-op all surrounding the private garden. It's like having your own park. And the buildings are usually more grand looking from the street-- or at least mine was.

http://www.communitygreens.org/ExistingGreens/jacksonheights/jacksonheights.htm

More on the Jackson Heights garden apartments-- I think they are a jem unknown to many New Yorkers!

On the book issue --

The housecleaner who works for a relative of mine decided to rearrange the relative's books one day during a total house dusting (for which the books were removed and cleaned). She placed them back in the shelves according to height and color because ... she doesn't read English.

Wow, Fawn, I would love to live there.

All new kitchen, but no photos of it? Odd choice.

@forestdweller. What are you talking about?

That seems pretty pricey for the way the economy is going. my parents duplex apt was appraised at the same price range and it's bigger (2 floors), on the 1st floor, has a backyard, is in a much smaller 6 floor condo (safer and more private), and in a nice part of Corona. Not as decked out as this one but i'm sure that mostly goes with the seller anyways!

seems slightly pricey, but what isn't in NY. it's very nice though.

My main question is where did you get the 1 panel door in the bedroom??? I"ve been looking for 1 panel doors for so long and can't seem to find them anywhere. Multiple panels, yes, but not 1 panel. anyone have any suggestions? Doors make more of a difference than I think most people realize.

sunshiine537 - although it may be overpriced, JH is a historically landmarked neighborhood and has the best public transportation in all of Queens (6 train lines, 2 express trains, 10 mins to Manhattan). Corona isn't a very desirable neighborhood (yet!). So I'd say that the value of a similarly sized or even larger apt in Corona would be higher in Jackson Heights.

The apartment is gorgeous! I think that having a private interior courtyard is a great privilege in NYC! I have one in my building in JH and I'll tell you, it is really nice to sit outside on a bench in the warmer months, soak in the sun, read a book... and have total privacy while doing it!

Only $535K? When did NYC get cheaper than Vancouver?

The bedroom is the only place that looks like a place that is warm and livable. The kid's room is totally uninspiring for a child with just some expensive furniture thrown in. The living room is nice to look at but could you really see yourself sitting there with you friends, or even curled up on the sofa with a cup of coffee?

Ack. That bedroom is to die for! That's my fave. Thanks for sharing!!!

I like the yellow lamp in the Kitchen is that from CB2?

love the apartment! i agree with some of the commenters that the price is a little on the high side. sunshiine537, i think prices in JH are between 280-300 ,from what i can gather from own my apartment search. perhaps they are testing the market....

@Forestdweller & @CFYG, I think @luckypeach was trying to convey the idea that colour-coordination HELPS her find her books, that this is actually functional rather than just decorative. She was supporting the idea and opposed the comment above hers...
Relax and read carefully.

LOVE the kitchen and dining space! The combination of layout/light/colors is so inviting!!

Guys, I live in JH, and that is an interior courtyard, not the front of the building. Yes, it's winter, so it's not the prettiest, but it's nicer to look out into a courtyard with greenery instead of a brick wall. Jackson Heights, esp. the garden apartments and historical district, are very underrated, imo.

@emma - Having recently purchased a two-bedroom in JH and seen a ton of apartments, I must respectfully disagree. Yes, there are two-bedrooms in JH for $280-300K, but those two-bedrooms are very different than the two-bedrooms at $500K . It'd be like saying that because a $17,000 Hyundai and a $30,000 BMW are both four-door cars, they are the same.

Someone I know bought an apartment in this same building two years ago for $420k. Two bedrooms in buildings with better exterior gardens and in a better location (north of 37th Ave) sold at the height of the market for $500k...they are now selling for $400k. $520k for this apartment is way too high.