apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I agree with switching the bed and the living area... unless you like waking up with sun in your eyes... :-)

And I'm digging the little built-in shelf alongside the bed. Nice space.

What a lovely place! Totally agree with switching the bed and living area and screening off the bed. And get some flowers for the dining table! Post the pictures when you've finished!

I'd put the bed where the living area is now and move and combine the living and dining are to the window. A looser arrangement with the dinner table doubling as a parlor table of some sort will help make the space feel less empty.

A decorative screen -- or even a bookcase -- might do just as well to close off the sleeping area as curtains. Of course, a bed with posters, a canopy, and curtains could let the bed be a statement and not need be curtained off.

Art work would also be nice -- classic album covers? Musicians at play?

Just a thought. But it looks like it's a wonderful space with great light and I'm absolutely delighted for you.

I agree with the suggestions above, but I would add the following comments:

1. Is the TV where it is because that's where the cable outlet is? If so I would set aside budget to have the cable split and pulled through the wall towards the windows. Figure that will cost you about $1000, but will be well worth it.

2. Don't put your bed on an angle, it's weird.

3. You've got the "Furniture against the wall" syndrome. It's OK, I did to when I moved to an open floorplan after living in a Victorian. Don't be afraid to move away from the walls, you have the space!

4. Don't put the dining area against a wall. You give up dining space and it looks cramped. I can see where the kitchen is, but without a floorplan it's hard to say what to do.

5. DVD storage should be near the TV somewhere. I'd go with glass-doored shelves to cut down on the visual noise of all the spines.

6. Take advantage of the ceiling height by using a hanging lamp on a long chain/cord somewhere. It will really show off the height.

7. You've got a huge blank wall where you desk is now. You should try to find some cool large format art for over there.

I would place the bed so that the headboard is where your two Eames chairs are and then shift the living room closer to the window. The desk could then be placed behind the couch. This would let you avoid starring at a wall when you're on your computer or working.

As far as the dining table, I think moving it beside the windows is a little too far from the kitchen. I would leave it near the area it is now, but pull it out from the wall and rotate it 45 degrees so you can make room for a 4th chair without forcing someone to back into the wall when they try to get up. To seperate this from the "bedroom" area, a curtain, room divider or a bookcase could be placed where the couch is currently located. I would personally prefer a bookcase with both sides open so that it still feels relatively open and provides you with attractive and functional storage, but that's also probably the more expensive solution.

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I personally like having my bed next to windows. The sunlight is energizing and helps me wake up in the morning! I despise the notion that one's bed has to be in some dark, walled-off cave.

Good ideas by others about moving living room near windows. But, if you really like your bed near window, then I guess keep it. Magazines suggest bed at angle, I agree with other poster, it is kind of weird, so get rid of it, unless you really like it.

You did a great job with living room furniture arrangement. Just a few more suggestions. Small wood table on left of couch, holding remote, doesn't match that great. Try to pull in nice red chair closer into furniture arrangement. size is good and red color contrast bright and interesting against couch. seems like other green chair, tiny table and white table thing get a bit small looking and cluttered over there, especially since couch is so big.

seems like tv furniture holder and tv are against wall, it happens, but good you pulled couch sectional away from wall, looks nice. but if you pulled red chair into mix and pulled couch further back from well, would look more like a better seating arrangement and less like young americans just sitting on couch staring at flat screen tv, y'know??!

also, only front legs of couch need carpet underneath. don't waste all carpet under couch. make it a little warmer and extend are rug to tv area.

keep dvd like furniture away from living room and dvd player, even though more conveneient because not too pretty, and don't need to be that convenient. you can walk across room to get dvd. that black dvd holder doesnt match pretty mod lviign room setup.

agree with other poster , work table and/or desk somewhere closer to living room setup, but not too close, since living room already looks so pretty. that way can eat near lvivin g room not kitchen, if you want. get 4th chair and pull table out from wall!!

bed linens are very nice. but i'm not fond of the two bright couch pillows, too dramaticlaly different from brown couch. maybe a bigger pillow with brown and the bright color in it would be good. because couch is so big, instead get something less shiny, browner with color, big and thick.

enjoy your place, looks great!!!!

lovely space! enjoy it.
love the bed? where can i find it? expensive?

If you want to leave your bed in the light and your sitting area in the dark, then you need to haul out the paint brush and do the sitting-area walls in a dramatic color -- either dark brown like the sofa for night-time drama or a bright color that doesn't clash with your orange chair. Paint both walls of that nook so that it seems cozy and unified rather than a dark corner.

It looks like you're getting decent light - a few plants in simple containers could go a long way to help delineate space and add life.

I actually live in the same building with the VERY SAME layout. It's such a beautiful space, but it can be perplexing finding a place for everything. We have our living area and bed area switched. If your place is like ours, your cable hook-up is near where your television is now. The sun can be so overwhelming though, we just can't sleep by the windows. So, we have an extra long cable cord that we hide. Also, have a long book case/room divider that separates our bed area from our dining table. It creates the idea of different areas without making the space seem any smaller. I agree with a lot of what Max above wrote. We made sure to not put all of our furniture against the wall. You get a big, yet intimate, space that way. We hung a lighting fixture above our dining room table. Shoot me an email if you want to take a look at what we did.

I'd keep my bed by the window, but I agree it probably shouldn't be diagonal (since nothing else is). I'd keep the TV a little farther from the window, as they benefit from a little darkness (if you don't watch it during the day, never mind). And you can run white coax along the baseboard yourself if the jack's in the wrong place and have it be practically invisible.

Mostly though I just wanted to say how much I like your stuff. That "Beatles for Sale" poster is wonderful.

Bobby, I am terrible at layout so I can't offer any advice-- I just want to say I absolutely love your space and the small punches of color all over the room. Could you tell me where you got that lime green file cabinet under your Parsons desk? I am looking for a file cabinet fun enough to actually make me want to file things, and this one looks great.
Thanks!

Nomi

I agree with Maxwell's suggestions. Don't be afraid to arrange the living room in a more angled, less rigidly squared off way. The beautiful thing about your lovely space is that it lends itself to these sorts of arrangements that the rest of us long for. You have good, strong pieces whose scale works well together and in the space. Well chosen!

Putting your flat screen TV over by the light might make for some glare problems. You might want to consider a big ceiling to floor drape, lined and in a heavy fabric to fix that problem. It wouldn't have to go all the way across. If you gave enough extra length to let it puddle on the ground, it would be long enough to do a loose, sexy pullback when it's not needed for utilitarian purposes. Something like that makes a tall block of color that would help anchor and define the living room and keep it from having that floating feeling.

I might move the desk once you get the living and sleeping areas switched. Not sure whether it would work better a bit to the left of its current location or if it should go where the DVDs are now. You definitely need big art for the wall where it is now.

Nomi,
the filing cabinet is by ikea
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40104166
I have the same one.

I think the living room and sleeping area could work in either place done correctly. I do like the idea of switching and adding the hospital curtain track for bed coziness. If you leave the same, I would lose the angle on the bad and put the headboard to the wall with the neat built in low shelf. It might be neat then to paint the recessed area above the shelf a slightly different color to symbolize the designated bedroom. I would avoid leaning that paint on the shelf. Rather use it for a few small decorative objects (carefully chosen). A large piece on it takes away for what could be used as a dramatic architectural detail.

I would second the notion (seems that no one has mentioned this a second time) to please get a round dining table and pull away from the wall.

Perhaps use your armshell rocker in the "bedroom" and the sideshell eiffel as the desk chair. Then get one more chair for the living area (or not any at all) that has a little more substance to it to flow with the sofa better.

I know I will get lanced for this but - LOOSE the Beatles poster. I am a musician who is in love with the Beatles, but it makes it seem a little collegy. I have a Byrds print over the bed in my room, but it's in a totally defined space. In one open space you have to be much more selective. I would however, be most concerned with finding ore artwork.

BTW - you have an amazing space!

One more thing...

If you decide to get another living room chair really think about your options. Here are some.

1. Get a rattan hanging chair (a la Nanna Ditzel) to emphasize your ceiling height and provide ample scale at the same time.
Here is an affordable option: http://www.winningsupplies.com/products/Hanging_Chair
Just loose the hanger it comes with and hang form the ceiling.

2. Get something for a nice design contrast to the Eames furniture. Perhaps a nice vintage wingback recovered in a robin's egg blue with ebonized legs.

3. Get something ample and comfy in the danish modern aesthetic if you are uncomfortable with blending taditional and modern styles. There are always inexpensive well-made no namers on ebay. Not everything has to have a name tag on it.

whitespike, you will be lanced for misspelling. :)

I love the Beatles poster, but it needs to be lower down on the wall.

Great space, but it is eating your furniture alive. Keep any future purchase as large a scale as possible.

I agree with changing the dining table to a new shape, but I'd do a rectangle, or long modern (Saarinen) oval.

As the arrangement stands now, I'd swap the two posters. If you don't swap 'em, hang the Beatles down lower.

I'd move West Elm desk to the opposite side of the room so it "lives" with the bedroom stuff.

I'd bring the large lamp over with the sofa, as opposed to against the wall.

And don't bring anything new into the living arrnagement with such visible legs... you'v got a LOT of legs showing, so I'd try to minimalize that.

The other benefit to swapping bed/living rooms is that you can use that ledge for your DVD storage... cap it with another run of wood so it still functions as a ledge, but just high enough so you can pull your DVDs out.

It also looks like you are teetering between browns and naturals, and punches of color. In open plan, I think you need a color punch with the bed, regardless of where it is. Not saying change all the linens... just get an orange-red pillow. Lots of stuff at CB2 right now that works with your stuff and vibe.

If you are on a West Elm budget, look at the new really huge lamps, a pale blue ceramic base, and towering shades.

Alll nitpicky stuff in a great space that's just really fun to imagine "what would I do, if I were lucky enough to live there?

I agree with getting things away from the walls. You have a lot of space. I'd make the couch face another direction to create a floating living room anchored by the rug. You don't need to focus all of your attention on the tv when you're sitting down and relaxing. Move the dining table out- Feels a little to dorm roomish pushed up against the wall. And more art, no bed on an angle. Good Luck- you've got great stuff to work with!

I think all you need is to replace your DVD shelf with this "scaffold" shelving from CB2 (I just bought two and I LOVE THEM). It won't block out too much light, it'll just create a bit of a wall between the sleeping area and the rest of the room. I don't think you'll need to move anything at all.

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=118&f=3870

Get rid of the DVD storage all together. Take the discs out of their cases. Put all the Discs in one Notebook style case that can be stored in your TV cabinet. Put all the cases in storage or get rid of them. It keeps things way less cluttered.

Maybe some free-standing folding screens/dividers with amazing graphic fabrics or wallpapers to help divide but still maintain the openness. Alternatively since I've yet to hear anyone complain of having too much storage/display space - you could go for modern shelving that looks good from either side.

If you are going to maintain the current placement of things, I'd move the TV to the Beatles wall, and reposition the seating accordingly as well. (and yeah I'd lose the poster too heheh)

Given the size of the space, you really could play with big framed mirrors as well.

Finally (from personal experience) resist the urge to have it all kitted out immediately - you most likely will end up with a few buys you wish you hadn't. You seem to have all the basics already so take your time. Nothing beats getting to know the space you live in, getting a feel for how the light falls throughout the day, etc. Once you're really lived in the space, you'll get a really good feel for what will work for you.

And keep moving things around if you feel like it...when you've got it where you like it, you'll know ;)

$1000 for cable..? Why not buy some at a store and staple it along the baseboard?

I like Maxwell's suggested floor plan. It was my instinctive choice as well. Waking up to sunshine is great, but basking in it is better

Actually, I think the bed's fine by the window, unless there's this great view out the window you want to share with everyone. Call me weird, but I don't like dragging guests all the way to the back of the place and being close to entry areas feel too active for sleep.
However I agree on straightening the bed out. I did the diagonal bed thing for a couple of different times and never really loved it. It always seemed to take up more space.
The problem I see is that the apartment has poorly defined spaces. Your apartment is like a river delta--fast pathways everywhere, no meandering.
Personally, I would try the TV where the Beatles poster is and turn the couch to face it. By doing this, the couch separates the bedroom from the living room. Dividers of some kind would still be great, but this would be a no cost way to get started.
I agree with other posts about finding a round table and floating it away from the wall. A rug would pull it together and frame the area as a space. Maybe the rug you already have.
Because it looks like part of the sofa is on the rug, the rug may be too small to keep it with the couch. It either needs to be completely off or find one big enough for couch and table if you go that route.
It's hard to tell what that landing strip looks like, but I get the feeling that it's clunky. Based on where the clothing on the floor is in the pictures, I'm wondering if you have enough room to do something more dynamic.

Polkadot, thank you for the Ikea reference for the file cabinet

Actually, anatolia, placing the living area at the far end puts it in full view of the entry... it would be first thing seen by guests looking into the space. Now, it's the bed, even though the living area is closer.

I have my bed close to my door for another set of reasons, and it's been working for me just fine.

But totally agree about the rug size.

Nice place! What kind of lamp is that, where can I get one, price?