apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

SKIP the shag! It's REALLY REALLY hard to get cat puke out of shag. I mean, we LOVE our Ikea Shag rug in the bedroom, and it looks great! But we have a puker. ANd he always manages to get it on THAT rug. UGh.

I'd recommend a play-yard gate from babies r us to cover that radiator with - otherwise, they can be hot to the touch for little hands....

here's a link to the gate in use (IGNORE the mess...)

http://flickr.com/photos/shelli/363944100/

HI, I have to concur about the shaggy rug - I know them, but they don't mix with cat hair, cats pulling them apart, etc - I've had to give up the dream due to my kitty!

All I can say about the rug is to make sure you get a nice thick soft one with a pad underneath for the toddler. Carpet tiles aren't very soft.

I'd keep the rug somewhat light - I had a chocolate rug in a room with a lot of sunlight and it still made the room way too dark.

I think I saw that ABC is having a HUGE rug sale in the NYTimes yesterday - plenty of beautiful bold designs. Just know that if the rug is a strong pattern - bold floral, whatever, most of the rest of the items in the room will have to stay somewhat neutral.

Good luck!

Becky

if you want to divide the room into two spaces, you can also use a freestanding shelving that opens on both sides or a even a lo credenza with your stereo, sculptural elements, etc.

or you might even be able to put a freestanding shelf on the left side of the wall between the front door and what looks like the closet, to create a longer and possibly more dramatic entryway and a little office nook by the closet.

I'm a huge fan of getting custom-bound rugs from Home Depot (or any of its peers). Basically, you just choose any carpet from the thousands they offer (including soft, easy to clean, floral, what have you!) and tell them your exact measurements - PERFECT for a long narrow space like yours (allowing you to unify the living/dining areas), vs. being stuck with standard 6x9, 8x10, etc. Get a high-quality carpet pad, and voila! I've found it's incredibly cost-effective compared to other rug options, not to mention all the benefits or a truly custom product.

Second, I'd be sure to replace that flushmount overhead light with something more attractive - maybe a hanging fixture with a drum shade?

Finally, it looks like the two rooms at the end of your apartment get great natural light - if you're planning to stay for a while, do you think your landlord would allow you to install transom windows to help share more of the sun with the living room? It's an easy job for a handyman, and might really be worth it.

I think the dark wood furniture will look fine - a nice contrast with the floors.

Hello Clarissa,

First of all, you have a great place. From the pic, I see a lot of great features-open kitchen, wood floors and large enough for dining room/living room combo. You have made an excellent choice.

I agree that you may want to refinish the floors (if possible). I would not suggest going darker with the floors. I think that dark floors look great but I would keep the shade of the existing wood. If something looks great, why change it completely.

Even though you do not get a lot of natural light, you can bring light in through lamps. I suggest having 2 table lamps on both sides of the couch, 1 floor lamp next to a club chair, bookshelf lighting and
maybe a nice smaller table lamp on a table near the entryway. From the pic, it seems like your place is pretty bright. Think about getting dimmers for the lamps or added to the existing overhead lighting. That will create quite a bit of drama and can create different moods.

Here are a few other suggestions: Definitely paint the space something other than white. I think white looks great in modern newly constructed spaces..not the spaces with history. I think silver sage (light green with grays) would be great. I love the color and have it throughout my living area. It is the color you see in Restoration Hardware. It looks great against white molding. If you want to be bold, try a darker color (not too dark) of choice but do not paint all the way to the ceiling. Leave a thick white border (1 foot) around the perimeter of the room where the ceiling meets the wall. It will add height and the space will not feel so dark.

As far as rugs go, go for a light color and no pattern. It will compliment your dark furniture. I know you love floral print...try to use floral only in your accessories like pillows. If you are willing to spend money, anthropologie.com is a great place for floral printed pillows. Also, try framing some of your favorite floral fabrics. There are few floral rugs that I have seen that does not limit other decor.

Thank you again for sharing your photo. I hope to see the results soon.

I think a large mirror on the wall opposite to the window would significanlty increase the amount of natural light during the day. Also anything that sparkles would help, like a modern crystal or glass chandelier to replace the ceiling light.

Because you have a fairly small (or let's say cozy) living room, I suggest that you put in some large mirrors to create an illusion of space. Some light rugs and couches will help to cancel out the room's dark appearance. A skylight would look amazing in your living room.

www.modernloungedepot.com

My own living/dining room is roughly similar in proportion, although I am lucky enough to have a ton of light and a great view - basically, I have a 34'x14' space with a kitchen and front door entrance at one end and a hallway leading to bedrooms on the other, with one wide side lined with windows and a terrace.

In ever-cramped Manhattan, a space like this should definitely do double duty. Accordingly, I would make the end near your kitchen a dining area as it seems meant to be given the light fixtures. However, I would use a brighter chandelier or other type of fixture that provides a diffuse light instead of the downward-facing one you have over the dining area now, and replace the one over the breakfast bar with another track lighting fixture so you don't have two things hanging down in a small space.

Since you have the room, leaving some space between the dining area and the living area at the far end will help create a separation without needing to use any type of wall divider. You can put a large picture or shelves against one of the walls in this transition area to avoid a weird gap (in my apartment, the terrace doors fulfill this function) but I would definitely leave some room.

Other than that I would follow Maxwell's advice, with the added note of putting a credenza or something else to serve as the "landing strip" between what appears to be the front door and hall closet on one end. The couch should go on the opposite wall from the track lighting, it would be very uncomfortable to be looking at your front door the whole time you are relaxing on the couch.

Plus the flushmount ceiling fixture seems somewhat awkward in that photo, I would plan on leaving it off and making sure the track lighting/lamps provide enough light. Hope this helps!

Thanks for saving me from a huge mistake! I was actually thinking about flokati for the bedroom, all the while wondering about this issue.

Is there ANY KIND of rug that cleans up well from the cat problem?

Ha ha ha! Shelli took the words RIGHT out of my mouth. Shag rugs are a cat puke MAGNET, for SURE! Try something more...washable ; )

Yay! Everyone has such excellent ideas! I am excited to put them into practice. Many thanks for the help. I will surely send photos once we make the move. Does anyone know if I should send the updated photos to the same email address or is there a way to post them from the website?

Clarissa

I have a guest bedroom in my apt that is very small and very narrow... to make the room look more evenly (square) shaped I painted a long walls a very cool celery green (which recedes) and the short walls on the end a very warm salmon/clay (which has the effect of being closer) I was totally surprised to see the finished outcome, but the room really does look more balanced and even slightly larger. The vaious effects you can create by painting are really amazing and cheap! I would look into something like this for your living room.

I have two cats and my own personal experience has been that a pure wool rug (oriental) of decent qualilty is the easiest to keep clean.

A nice rug really pulls a room together, too.