Name: MikeZ
Location: West Village, NYC
My general inspiration is a modern style with natural materials, finishes, and color, with touches of chrome, texture and pattern. A lot of mixing and not so much matching. I really do love the look of branches and driftwood as an accessory and I do use them a lot in my decor...
• 1 My bedroom offered a challenge with the chamfered window wall. The bent plywood stools I got on clearance from DWR gave me the seating I needed and I can bring them into the living room for guests if needed. The 'Stone Rug' (designed from the actual shape of a stone from the beach) came from a Conran Shop sample sale and was in perfect shape! The combination of seating helped to make the space a bit more cozy with a modern and natural sensibility that I appreciate.
• 2 Another small challenge was the heat registers. It can be hard to truly 'conceal' them because of their confined locations, and since they are somewhat nostalgic to the turn of the century building I live in, I didn't want to completely cover them up. In the living room I fastened some 2x4's I found together, painted them flat black, drilled holes and inserted sticks vertically to create a screen. In the bedroom I just removed all the paint and since I love more natural materials, including rusted metal, I left it rusted.
• 3 The kitchen had a double wide entry from the living room in addition to an entry from the hallway, and because I needed the space for a sofa I wanted to close the double entry off, but something that could be removed since the apartment is a rental. Since there was about 4" of space within that, I transformed that bit of space into a storage closet accessed from my kitchen.
• 4 I used Double bi-fold doors and installed some aluminum angles that I found from an office conference room renovation that I fastened on the backside of the plywood installed in the livingroom. I love the fact that I have a mini closet for glassware and other miscellaneous items!
• 5 On the living room side I installed 1/2" plywood that I covered with an inexpensive roll-up bamboo shade with some vertical weaving of the bamboo material. I love the natural and modern linear texture it creates! I finished off on the sides with corner wood molding that I stained a color called "bamboo" to match.
Thanks, MikeZ!
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I love the bamboo on plywood feature in your living room! What a great piece of interest for a low price. How did you attach the bamboo shade... glue, staple?
view luscious11's profile
Your place looks very calm and comfortable.
Love that cola canvas in your kitchen - I've only seen it once before: in MY kitchen!
view sunan's profile
this is terrific use of small space. Love the idea of keeping the register rusted.
view ec05's profile
i love your place; and the ingenuity you've shown. good stuff!
view formosagirl's profile
I agree, I love the mini closet for glassware. Perfect, also, for those pesky cupboards with old ironing boards.
view sassifrass's profile
I love it! One of the few featured apartments that I could see myself living in without any changes.
Making that wall/cabinet between the kitchen and living room was genius. I wish I would have thought of that for my place.
view Marie's profile
Really well done, calm, comfortable and interesting. Love, " a lot of mixing and not so much matching". Those are great words to keep in mind. That's what can make a place look more personal. This does not look like a rental.
view stt64's profile
Tres bien!
The mini closet for glassware is genius.
view Indy Jeffrey's profile
Great place - I like.
view bepsf's profile
Like Marie, this is a place I could move into as is, and it's maybe the first one I have seen here. (OR, you could come design my space -- I like what I have done a lot, but you have definitely got an eye!) Bravo!
view SherryBinNH's profile
i love how all the furnishings are low. I'm always looking for just such types of furniture because of the tiny space in which i live. This has great furnishings without overwhelming the space.
view dkzody's profile
Stylish. Nice balance and scale.
view ah2Bthee's profile
Simple and balanced...Looks nice.
view saphire's profile
Changing that entryway into a cupboard that could be removed later was PURE GENIUS (sorry for the capitals, but I think they are earned in this case). And I also love that said cupboard seems to be reserved solely for cocktail-making materials! :D
view idontdobeige's profile
"Hiding" the rad behind a wall of branches is very clever! I think if you added small pops of blue (like in your print above bed) would look great and add interest in your living room.
view Daily Decorator's profile
To Daily Decorator, Its interesting that you mention the little pop of blue because I actually do have that in a painting on the wall to the left of the living room photo that you see! Including a clear glass blue vase. Hmmm looks like we are on the same page! I wish I was able to post more photos....
view mikectnyc's profile
Does anybody know where to find the stools in the first picture?
view SillyBug's profile
Hi Sillybug,
This is Mike of 'MikeZ'. The 'Gallery Stool' was designed by Hans Sandgren Jakobsen. My online searches unfortunately showed that they are about 3 times as much than what I paid, and I got them at least 6 years ago on clearance from DWR. Currently I found them available on nova68.com
Let me know how your search goes.
view mikectnyc's profile
Amazing..gives me a few ideas to break out of my mold..
Where did you find the coffee table?
view amberle's profile
I was lucky enough to get both the coffee table and the sofa (R.M. Schindler designs, but not the cushions and pillows) for a song from my job a while back. They were replacing them in one of the stores.
Thanks Amberle for your nice comment :)
view mikectnyc's profile
Dude seriously you call that modern?? I mean it is so artsy-fartsy its ridiculous, where do you go to decorate the Hudson Bay where you pick up some twigss???
HaHa just kidding your apartment is amazing, it looks huge! I've always wanted to know what it looks like, its so impressive. Hopefully I'll see it in person soon. You know I had to send a sarcastic comment. I believe you would do the same to me:)
Froggy
view froggy41175's profile
Hey Froggy!
OK at first I thought, "Here is some constructive criticism, I can take it, bring it on!" But I dont understand, why would you EVER think I would be sarcastic? Little ol' me? Nooooo. I am just one fun lovin' dude that likes to use you as a vehicle for personal entertainment, just for a few laughs... That's all
view mikectnyc's profile
Great Job! Very warm and relaxing. Where can I find the same type of window coverings? I have a long narrow sliding door and window I would like to cover with something cloth panel like that, as long as it pulls up like a scrim.
view Zinyc's profile
Hey Mike, the apartment looks awesome. Looks like you put alot of work into the apartment. I particularly like the Johnny Walker bottle of scotch. Is it red or black label? Not to get off the subject of your apartment..(yawn).ZZZZZZ....but e-mail me the phone numbers again.
view Rbidon's profile