apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Boo hoo! What's wrong with the site! No pictures are showing up! Just a lot of jpg file names!

Hi~ if you are going to live in the living room I suggest you get a room divider of some sort, so you get some privacy, too. For the colors, well... gather some paint chips and decide with your roommate. I think a creamy yellow and a pale teal would look nice, seen the floors and kitchen...

The answer is gold wood.

It doesnt look like you have a lot of windows or light, so chocolate could get very dark in the winter. Look in your wardrobe, pick colours you love. If your worried they wont be to everyones taste, pick neutral colours for the walls, and add colour with blankets/rugs/cushions/art/plants. That way if your roommate isnt a fan, you can keep those things in your room and agree on items you both like for shared spaces....

Everyone needs some private space, if you must share, think about how the person in the living room will be able to attain that. And plan your own comfort after that - Set up your room in such a way you could hang out there for an entire day if you and your roommate need space away from each other - good lighting, a reading chair, a small desk for working on a laptop?

For furniture the person in the living room is going to need storage, as well as a sleeping area. An expedit from ikea can be a cheapish way of getting storage - buy baskets that slot in and that person can hide a lot of their stuff in plain site and it can function as a large visual divider, to give some privacy. Though you may want to wait until you have a roommate to buy anything, in case that person already has furniture...

You could also add colour and privacy by hanging a curtain on a cieling track if your not planning on putting up a temporary wall - A wall is probably a good idea though. It may seem like a big investment, but its probably worth it as a renter would likely stay longer? cutting down the hassle of replacing people (I cant imagine anyone would want to live in someone elses living room for more than a few months at a time). We looked into it about 6 years ago and figured it would cost us about $1000.

Wow, how many folks in NY do this?

Can somebody source that couch for me please? I am in love.

Do nothing. Get a used futon and a second job and spend all of your time working and saving to get a decent apartment. I am serious. Why are people worrying about decorating when they have to live like this? Why decorate a hovel?

couch looks like Crate and Barrel Petrie sofa

trumystique: everyone i knew in college was sharing living rooms and bedrooms...it's the only way to live close to school in the city. i, personally, could not have dealt with it, and thus moved 45 minutes out to brooklyn. it's a pretty common living situation though.

I'm a little confused about this living situation and the layout of the living room.
Are you essentially converting the living room into a bedroom???

I know this is none of my business but WHY are you going thru all this just so you can live on the Upper East Side?
Why not just get a studio or live in a cheaper area? Queens has awesome, large apartments at cheaper prices that are convenient to Manhattan.

I sleep in sort of an alcove off a living room. No door, barely any privacy. It's intolerable, but it's only lasting a few more months (for a total of eight months). I wouldn't really recommend this living situation to anyone -- it's not really a "deal" if you are completely sacrificing your privacy, not to mention the complications it brings to your sex life.

Ok, ok...I see that I offered nothing as far as decorative advice.
All I can suggest is getting 2 loft style bunk beds. Ikea sells them for $150 each.
That way each person can use their computer, read, etc while the other person sleeps in privacy.http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50019950
This will also be a space saver. As for furniture & paint....I think everything is fine as is. Don't waste money on paint. Maybe just add some decorative touches but keep it simple. Save your money!

I heard that somebody moved to an UES apt (250sqf ) and built a room and sharing the rent with another person. what makes it more interesting is that the apt is a sublet from another person :-)) and everybody is making profit of this property except for the landlord..

Welcome to NY!

"I found a great deal on an apartment on UES.

The only catch would be I would have to live in a living room with a roommate in a 1 bedroom apartment."

That's a great deal? Jeez...

I lived in a studio with a room mate. It was not terrible because I knew it was not forever...it was temporary. I did it for 2 years. Since I roomed with a buddy that I had known for a year, it was fine. We were considerate and respectful of each other. I never had parties without asking him and vice verse.

Also, living in the city affords many opportunities to be away from home and get some alone time. As long as one person is not a homebody, it will be okay. I think it is great that you are investigating different resources to live where you want to live. In the words of my father, it isn't permanent. Try it for a month, two months, a year. If it doesn't work, move to Queens or Brooklyn:)

As far as decorating goes, we had two twin murphy beds with tons of shelving, one large couch, a small dining table, lots of pillows for guests to sit on the floor. We each had our own desk, so that we could study and have privacy.

I think it will work out. Keep us posted!

sweet pea, to answer your question:

Before I moved to NY from Europe, I have been reading books about living situations and about New Yorkers.. and what fascinated me the most is, one of the article said "in order to have a NY zip code, New Yorkers will do anything, like subletting from already subleted apt, or will live in a shoe box size apt"..

I quess for some people this is true.

All I can say is wow. I never knew.

Anyway I would second the suggestion for the Ikea loft bed. I saw some kid use one in a studio on Small Space Big Style to great effect. He was able to have clearly definied zones of function.

I would say dont do much decorating in this situation. Do enough to make it tolerable using Freecycle. Then save your pennies so you can get together first, last and security for your own place. Or share a multibedroom apartment.

New York Muhtari,
I am a New Yorker and I really don't see the big whoop in living in Manhattan.
Honestly, it seems like people that come from other states are the ones that are obessed with living in Manhattan.
I love living in Queens and like hanging out in Brooklyn as well.
Real NYers know there is MUCH more to NY than Manhattan.

Sweat Pea them is fighting words ;)

(Though I happen to agree).

Sol, that's a great idea :) I was thinking of getting a huge (wide) closet facing away from the kitchen so that hopefully it'll feel more like a room than a livingroom. Of course, I can always use the same concept to divide the space between us as well. I LOVE your color suggestions. They both sound perfect for what I want and will definitely use one of those on my wall. Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

Rick I got different results for gold wood so I'm not exactly sure which shade of wood that is but thanks. I'll keep looking.

Clairepetrol you gave me lot to think about and handful of wonderful advices. I really appreciate it! My favorite was:

Everyone needs some private space....plan your own comfort after that - Set up your room in such a way you could hang out there for an entire day if you and your roommate need space away from each other

I didn't even think of that! And I'm sure that would save me a lot of hassle in the long run now that I'm aware :) About the lighting, the living room actually have two identical windows on the wall - like the bedroom so it's not TOO bad. But yes, chocolate won't do. lol.

The wall is a great idea but the landlord doesn't allow it :( but I will keep that in mind in my next apartment search! I agree. I don't think anyone grew up wishing to live in a living room and realize that I will have different roommates over the year. If possible, I'm just trying to make it as comfortable as possible for the both of us. Ikea will be the partner in crime.

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sorry I need to head out for work now but I'll try to respond back to those who took the time to reply as soon as I can. Thanks :)

As far as advice, I think that it would be good to get some kind of bar thing; the kind that comes with stools, and put it right in front of your kitchen and use it as a peninsula to help define the kitchen space, give you more counter space and create something on which to dine, so that you don't have to "eat up" much of the rest of your space with a dining table.

Other than that, I kind of like the color that's already behind the sofa; I'm not a huge fan of that red chair in that space, but it could be reconciled by putting bits of it in a pillow or something.

About Manhattan -- yes, it's true about at least some out-of-towners.

I defected the Confederacy in 1986 for artistic freedom and political asylum and I did not travel 2,000 miles just to live on the outskirts, which is what Astoria felt like to me when I first moved here, so living in Manhattan was what I was determined to do, and did end up doing. But I didn't do it until I was able to afford it by myself, but that's just me, and the fact that I don't like roommates.

Hear hear, Curtis. When I moved to NYC after college, I shared a 1-bedroom with a stranger, living in the living room while she had the bedroom. It wasn't snobbery about the boroughs (I later moved to Queens). I honestly didn't know anything about NYC geography so living in Manhattan seemed a good idea. And yes, seemed worth it, after making it all that way, to have the Manhattan experience. Yes, there is a lot to be said about living in Queens or Bklyn. But to outer borough defenders, I will say there's also a lot to be said for living in the thick of it all. There is more to NYC than Manhattan...but there's nothing like Manhattan, either. I wouldn't have spent my formative years there any other way or traded my later years in Queens, either (and the rent was cheap! Hell, I'd just come from sharing a dorm room--having a wall between me and my roomie was a step up! Then to go from that to Queens was like winning the lottery--so much more space!).

Anyway, to the original poster. I found a folding screen to be invaluable for privacy. I had a bed and a sofabed in the living room, and kept the screen up when I was in bed so I could be sleeping in the a.m. and not be seen if my roommate got up before I did in the morning, or came home late, or whatever. I agree with those who say you shouldn't spend too much now. One day in the not-too-distant future you will graduate to a place with a room of your own that is really worth investing in (just keep saving your pennies).

re-reading this post, i'm trying to figure out if there are three people living in a one bedroom or if it is two people in a one bedroom....

if you have three and must divide a living room as sleeping quarters for two people, then could you hang a drape across the entire room using that cable system from ikea? you'd have to use fairly lightweight sheeting or tarp fabric (or maybe shower curtains?), but at least you could screen off part of the room--from view if not sound...then use loft beds on each side and make each area it's own private suite, with sitting areas and workspace under the loft beds.

If you are only two people sharing the space, again, i'd make each separate room a suite, with a loveseat, chair and small desk...then just share the bathroom and kitchen.

You could use a compact bar with stools and screen off the kitchen with something similar to the inexpensive Ivar shelving from ikea (paint it a bright color and hang cloth on one side to screen the room from view of the kitchen.)

I lived in a similar setup in a rent-stabilized 1br for 3 years, and it enabled me to save a downpayment for a co-op even when I was making next to nothing. Good for you for living within your means (I assume). It can work, and work reasonably well, as long as you pick your roommate carefully and talk ahead of time about rules for overnight guests. Seriously, the roommate makes all the difference in this kind of situation.

I wouldn't invest too much in the living room just yet because not only will the roommate likely have his/her own stuff, but s/he'll put wear and tear on anything you do buy. Plus, you don't want the roommate to feel like it's *your* apartment and s/he's just crashing.

Paint the living-room walls in a neutral shade (tan or gray) to make the space seem less temporary, and add a hospital-track curtain to separate the room into sleeping/living areas. If the new roommate wants to pitch in $500 apiece for a pressurized wall, you can always do that after the fact.

If you are using the sofa or daybed, place this across the windows and place the red chair on the right side. I would suggest installing bamboo shades from the ceiling behind the sofa to allow privacy and to allow light in to the other part of the living room. You can put a sofa table behind the sofa daybed so that when the shades are down, you have an accent furniture and not a plain wall of matchstick shades.

As for colors, I suggest painting the well to the left of the kitchen red for accent, then the wall on the kitchen side, same as the tan paint on the first picture. Leave the wall under the cabinet white while the wall on the left of kitchen (not part of the bigger wall, immediately next to the range) in the same tan shade as the right side of the kitchen. Then put a long, narrow and perhaps tall table parallel to the kitchen (similar to a bar), add 2 bar stools and hang one or two pendant lights. Define your kitchen/eating area with a rug under the table. If you can get a fun rug that will add accent to your room (like zebra print or whimsical geometric prints)

Hi Youngin,

As an expert of this type of situation, I say definitely try to put up some kind of wall. You could probably put a small table/chairs/seating area against that wall in the kitchen, make that the "common" area, and put up a wall around the rest of the living room.

I know you said your landlord won't allow it, however there are companies that specialize in putting up walls that won't damage the floors/walls -- totally landlord happy:
http://www.thewallpeople.com/
http://www.livingspaceinc.com/

You could probably get permission from your landlord to do that.

Another option as well -- my mom lives in a super-strict co-op that won't allow ANY alterations. Their living room is HUGE and she wanted to put a small office in -- and the co-op said no way. She ended up building a wall out of FOAM (no joke), taped it to the ceiling/floor, and covered it with pretty fabric and molding. It looks amazing and totally does the job -- and didn't even cost much.

A wall is the best way to find a roommate -- even if there's no common area, everyone wants their own private space.

Trumystique it's not unheard of. Everyone has their reason and it's a good way to save money. There are, of course, downside to it (less privacy) but I'm sure those who participate know what they're getting themselves into.

Freecycle, I like that :) I figure since I'm going to be living in this place for a year, I won't mind coughing up $400 or so for decoration if it means it'll feel more cozy throughout. But believe you me, I'm saving every penny leftover for a better place.

Foxylou2 I'm in love with craigslist and found it on one of the garage sale in NYC. I'll try to source the link for you.

Edina I already have two jobs and am currently a college student. I weighted the pro's and con's of this and right now, this is the best option for me. Design matters. It can turn an uninviting space welcoming. I'm not unrealistic enough to think that I can turn this into a 4-star luxurious pad (not with the limitation I have) but it can make a difference. I'm trying my best to make this homey within the boundary I'm in. Yes, it's not the most fancy place to be but it doesn't hurt to try.

kcpm thanks :)

greenconverse yeah

Sweet Pea sorry if my explanations came off confusing. I should have worded it better. I'm trying to turn the livingroom into a bedroom/studio-esque. The living room is for two people. I'm living in a studio with a girl right now and it's less space than the livingroom. Queen is an awesome place but for someone like me and with my schedule, commuting can mean the difference between 5 or 7 hours of sleep everyday. So not ALL people living in NYC want it for status and it hurts to feel that you think I'm one of them.

Ahhh... thanks for coming back and offering advice! I also think bunk bed is a good idea. I was thinking of having a bed underneath it sideway and arrange desks elsewhere. So that each person won't feel like that they only owe a corner of the room but welcome to move around in space. Hahaha, is that too much to ask? Maybe I'm being too idealistic in the relationship I'll be having with my roommate.

duckumu it's a good thing I don't have a sex life then! ;) I'm sorry to hear that you had such a miserable time in alcove studio. You're right. Scarificing your privacy is a big thing and not to be taken lightly. I'm actually living in a studio with a girl right now and it's *smaller* space than the living room (The picture doesn't do justice because it's actually bigger than it looks in the photo). That kind of situation isn't for everyone but I like to think I'm very laid back and easily accomdating so it doesn't phase me. She is very demanding and even though I pay rent, she asks me to sleepover my friends apartments over the week. It can only go up from here :)

Thanks for thinking of me and my comfort, though! I appreciate the concern.

New York Muhtari HAHAHAA! That's HORRIBLE and the sad thing is, it's probably true. 250sqf isn't all that much either. Thanks for sharing the story. The rent in NYC is sky rocking and it's no surprised there are people taking advantage of that. Now everytime I'm in an apartment in NYC your story will pop into my head and peple will be wondering why I have a dumb smile on my face. lol.

GHB maybe I should have worded it "perfectly in my budget"? lol.

335ktt can I just tell you that I think you're wonderful? Hahaha. Sorry for being too forward but it's quite a relief to read your say on it after so many people seem to look down on my decision. So thank you for the support :))) I'm glad to hear that it worked out between you and your friend. I'm looking for similar show of respect from my roommate and vice versa.

"If it doesn't work, move to Queens or Brooklyn" HAHAHAHA.. that's great!! Yeah. One day when I store up enough money I would love to have my own apartment there. I don't plan on living like this forever. This is my last year in college and after I graduate, it'll give me lot more opportunity to grow and I'm looking forward to the new move then. Your suggestions for the place sounds superb. Shelving would be the key! Hahaha. If we can fit all that into the livingroom and still walk around, I'll all for it. Thanks for everything. You rock!!

Curtis, bar is another good idea! I wonder where you buy those though in budget price. I agree with the color behind the sofa. That got me too. Thanks for taking the time to let me know how you felt and your explanation. I'm happy to hear that you were able to find your own place in NYC without a roommate because that seems to be what you wanted. Kudos to you!

janbrady wow I enjoyed reading your story. Haha, you write so pleasantly too :) I'm glad you're so content with what happened and don't regret anything. I can admire that outlook. I also agree with what you said (along with having other reasons to live in NYC) and you worded better than I ever could. Can I ask where in Queens you're residing now?

Hmm.. folding screen-- Is that same as a room divider? That sounds ideal. Thanks.

polkadot sorry I could've worded my explanation better. There's three people living in the apartment. One in the bedroom and two in the livingroom. Aww! You gave suggestion for BOTH. That's awesome. Someone suggested a stool for the kicthen as well and it's a good advice. Maybe I underthought the privacy issue and it's best for me to get the cable system. I haven't seen the cable system or ivar shelving you talked about from Ikea so I'll keep looking. Thanks!!

sue Congradulation on your downpayment for the co-op! Hopefully that's working great for you and YES. 100% so! The roommate can make a big difference between something homey-cozy to crazy-hectic. Hopefully it won't be the latter. Thanks for your faith in this situation. I was kind of down to read other people writing otherwise but your post brought me right back up :)

I actually thought the future roommate would prefer me to furnish it a bit because I don't see anyone masochist enough (at least not like me, hahaa) to stay there the whole year. I'm anticipating roommate change every 3 months or so and that's fine with me. But if I find someone who is willing to be more permenant, I'll definitely talk to her about it. I didn't think it would make the other feel like out of place if I went on decorating it so that gave me much to think about. I like the idea of neutral shade for the living room wall. I'll keep everything you said in mind. Thanks!

THANK YOU ALL for taking the time to reply back and offering your wisdom. I appreciate it!

cmoirae2 I'm embarrassed to say it because you sounded so sure of your instruction but I was confused when you told to place the sofa bed across the windows. Did you mean vertically or diagonally? You also told me to color the wall on the left of the kitchen both red and tan shade. :-)

I LOVE the two pendant lights idea. It would definitely make it look more classy and liven up the place. I seen some design like them around so thanks for putting 2 and 2 together for me.

I had to go back and re-read what you've said couple of time to fully get everything. I'm glad that you took the time to let me know because those are some great suggestions. Very to the point and constructive. This is exactly the type of response I was looking for. Thanks!

Hi brooklynblondie, can I just say you're wonderful? These links are fantastic! Thank you for sharing. The story about how your mom beat the system was very inspiring. Haha, I should be taking some lessons from your mom. Before, having a wall up wasn't even an option so you opened up whole new doors for me. Phun not intended, lol. I like the idea of having another wall up but I wonder how much it cost if the deposit is $200. As an expert who been through it all, I value your wisdom a lot. Keep 'em coming! =)

And thanks for referring me to my name. You're the only one who seem to have! It made the post a lot more personal.
Foxylou2 The owner dubbed it "60's Classic Living Room Sofa" and it's selling for $900 on the Upper East Side. It's only 3 months old and I would've loved to grab it for myself had I had the money but you're welcome to take: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fur/465074694.html