apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


House Tour: Carl and Laurent's Bright White Live/Work Loft
New York

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Name: Carl and Laurent
Location: Chinatown
Size: 1000 sqft
Years lived in: 6 years

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2-23-housetourlogo.jpgThis week's beautiful house tour photos come by way of Anastassios Mentis, a professional photographer who has a penchant for documenting interiors and loves Apartment Therapy. Not only do we love reaping the benefits of his obvious talents, but we love his friends' homes as well! Carl and Laurent, for example, have managed to create a home that incorporates both a comfortable and beautiful living space as well as a functional work studio....

 
 

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What's amazing is that when you look at the living space, you have no idea that the same apartment includes a work studio. Carl, a painter, contains his creative work to one part of the home and is able to indulge in pure living and entertaining in the rest of his and Laurent's home.

By painting the floors and walls white and keeping the windows bare, Carl and Laurent created the lightest, brightest space possible! To counteract the sparseness of white, he adds a number of great color moments--in the form of rugs, purple kitchen walls, one shocking red cabinet and his artwork.

Carl and Laurent achieves an incredible balance in terms of a clean slate to invite creativity with enough visual stimulation to inspire.

AT Survey:

Style: Loft

Inspiration: I love the building for it's original New York features like the tin celling and the heating pipes,

Favorite Element: The original window in the living area

Biggest Challenge: It's an old building that never really got looked after so it took time to make the space water proof (we had leaks coming trough the walls!) we also had lots of mouse friends! Even after spending 3 weekends sealing every crack, they were really hard to get rid of!

What Friends Say: They always want to know how it is to live in Chinatown and how I managed to keep the place so clean in the dirtiest neighborhood of Manhattan

Biggest Embarrassment: Carl had a bathroom celling falling on his head while peeing. we had a leak from upstairs that day...!

Proudest DIY: The curved wall but done by us...

Biggest Indulgence: The big sur dining table from Crate and Barrel

Dream Source: I am a Prop Stylist so home shopping is part of my job (www.laurentlaborie.com). If you're on a tight budget, I recommend the white furniture company. They have great prices and good solid knock-offs.

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Do you have an idea for a house tour? Let me know! jill@apartmenttherapy.com
And check out our archives of past House Tours here!

Tags

House Tours, chinatown, artist loft, white painted walls

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Comments (49)

gorgeous!

posted by janegrace on August 6th 2008 at 7:36am
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Beautiful! I'm swooning over this loft! This is an automatic bookmark.

posted by PhillyLass on August 6th 2008 at 7:44am
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Me like.

posted by Pixie on August 6th 2008 at 7:50am
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He's living in my dream world. I love this place! Great work.

posted by SadieinDC on August 6th 2008 at 7:54am
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drooling...drooling...drooling

..the floor - SIGH!

the floor, the wall, the white dishes, the plain glass, the ladder with books

and the paintings... OH ...MY GOD ..

and the ceilings..All so White and yet so colorful.. the rugs.. OH MY and the ART work... OH MY MY...

tomorrow i'll be in chinatown and will be looking out

posted by BlackandWhite on August 6th 2008 at 7:56am
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This apartment is so inviting and calm. I love it. I like the mix of Ikea/high end items to create such a soothing environment. Cool.

posted by tara1979 on August 6th 2008 at 7:58am
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I am jealous about everything in this tour. I am going to go buy more white paint today!

-Eleazar
http://www.blogazar.com

posted by blogazar on August 6th 2008 at 8:10am
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beautiful! you've inspired me to reorganize my house/studio.

posted by art_brutale on August 6th 2008 at 8:10am
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Wow. I love the kitchen and the open shelving in the dining room.

posted by Cheryl K on August 6th 2008 at 8:12am
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i love how light and airy it is. lately ive been going through a white phase. i love this home... its so light and clean and modern but its not too minimalistic- its just perfectly edited. i love all the art and accessories! the dining area is my favorite!

posted by erinpearce on August 6th 2008 at 8:17am
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i am so bent outta shape now that i've seen this pad! i mean, this is what i've always wanted...down to the smallest detail it's just so right on. it looks clean and well edited, and still feels like home at the same time...just, yeah, i'm all about it.

posted by kdkaboom on August 6th 2008 at 8:18am
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Karl - (or anyone else) Where are those white floating shelves from? I want some like that for my kitchen. I need something strong enough to hold heavy loads of plates, glasses, etc. at 8' long. (so not ikea). Any recommendations? thanks

That's a really great space, btw.

posted by ric on August 6th 2008 at 8:32am
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wow! so beautiful!

posted by witchbaby on August 6th 2008 at 8:42am
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I love this! What paint color was used in the kitchen?

posted by jooly on August 6th 2008 at 8:48am
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Loveliness.

posted by gquaker on August 6th 2008 at 9:07am
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Oh, this is wonderful. Thank you for sharing, Karl! Your place is lovely and SO inspirational.

posted by Anna at D16 on August 6th 2008 at 9:11am
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I absolutely love this place!

posted by danze on August 6th 2008 at 9:20am
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This is what interior designers called white done right and for good reason. Kudos.

posted by Seaside on August 6th 2008 at 9:23am
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Beautifully edited, warm mixed perfectly with cool, rugs just right, color just right--wow

posted by jen_g on August 6th 2008 at 9:37am
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love, love this place. i am on a white kick myself after visiting greece (Mykonos and Santorini). Where are those great dining room chairs from and if they are expensive does anyone know a lower end version?

posted by bibak on August 6th 2008 at 9:51am
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they look similar to the long LACK shelf from ikea.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60103750

posted by dM on August 6th 2008 at 10:21am
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This loft is gorgeous. I especially love the dining room area.

posted by small clever rooms on August 6th 2008 at 10:35am
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This place is so gorgeous. I do love everything about it, the kitchen is great, it's so simple. Bibak...Those are Eames chairs, you can get them at DWR for around $250 Each... Whiteonwhite.com has the knock-offs for $150.

posted by TCMB on August 6th 2008 at 10:38am
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beautiful! your home is so calming, and yet energizing because of its simplicity. Is that a converted lack shelf you're using as a low table/console in the living room?

posted by selena on August 6th 2008 at 10:43am
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oh, and do you mind sourcing the cream throw in your bedroom?

posted by selena on August 6th 2008 at 10:50am
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Really great.

posted by hrhprincessfiona on August 6th 2008 at 11:21am
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Lovely. Great balance.

posted by otis on August 6th 2008 at 11:51am
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This place is totally gorgeous!

posted by suzy8track on August 6th 2008 at 11:55am
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You win. I know this block and building:) Lucky lucky..You have been there a while too..

posted by recon1 on August 6th 2008 at 12:12pm
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Karl - I love your apartment - so warm and streamllined at the same time. Any chance you can let us know where you got the dining table?

posted by cc3tx on August 6th 2008 at 12:22pm
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Wow, what a beautiful space!

Could Karl or anyone else tell me where to find this ladder, or a similar one?

I've been looking for something just like it with not much luck...

posted by berlinesque on August 6th 2008 at 3:12pm
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What a perfect apartment. I've been looking forever for a rug like the one you have in your bedroom. would you mind sharing where is it from?

thanks!

posted by annaoh on August 6th 2008 at 5:35pm
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Tasteful as can be

posted by truckeekid on August 8th 2008 at 6:37am
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Wow. Just wow.

posted by loftlover on August 8th 2008 at 11:25am
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Fantastic.

posted by gryt on August 9th 2008 at 7:57am
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Lots of inspiration here!

posted by art on August 9th 2008 at 8:22am
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One of my favourite apartments ever - it is perfect! The purple in the kitchen is amazing.

posted by catspajamas on August 9th 2008 at 2:48pm
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To cc3tx

it is mentioned above that the dining room table is from Crate and Barrel.

posted by annaoh on August 9th 2008 at 3:38pm
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I LOVE IT!Great taste!

posted by megf on August 10th 2008 at 3:28am
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From where is this desk?

The place is amazing -- white done right!

posted by vtmtngrrl on August 11th 2008 at 6:13am
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This is gorgeous! Can you tell me more about the white paint you used? Namely, is it a true, pure white, or is it a particular white (with traces of other colors in it) from a particular brand?

I painted my walls white 2 years ago - a great improvement - but now wish I had gone "whiter"; the white I used has umber (warm) tones mixed in. I am looking for a bright, fresh look, as in this loft or many examples in Vicente Wolf's books.

Wolf writes reverently about Benjamin Moore's "Super White", but as BM is not sold here (Europe) I cannot see just what kind of white it is.

Help anyone? Thanks!!

posted by BlueAholic on August 13th 2008 at 12:24am
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Does anyone know where the kitchen counter stools are from? I have been trying to find inexpensive draftsman stools for my kitchen.

posted by quality on August 13th 2008 at 7:38am
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Gorgeous loft!

Could you kindly give any tips regarding the installation of those floating shelves? I LOVE yours.

We are in the process of installing floating shelves in our kitchen and have encountered some difficulty devising a way to make them secure enough to reliably hold plates and glasses. Right now, we are trying to install them using threaded rods screwed directly into the studs with 9 inches of rod left outside the wall. We plan to drill holes in the shelves that correspond to the rod; the shelves will slide onto them. But I am not sure that setup will suffice.

Anyway, congratulations on a beautiful home. I love that it is so open, bright, and airy, without being sterile. Lovely!

posted by YL2008 on August 17th 2008 at 7:04pm
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Heaven.

posted by anablackburn on September 9th 2008 at 11:18am
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The Black and White calendar on the bookshelf is from? I thought it was available at the MOMA design store but I can't seem to find it.

posted by Replacements75 on November 28th 2008 at 12:15am
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This loft made me want to register just so I can comment on it. It is apsolutly gorgeous. I totally love it.

posted by kocka on December 3rd 2008 at 3:39pm
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Perfect, perfect, perfect!

posted by Emily the Cat on December 29th 2008 at 8:04pm
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Beautiful and warm. Appropriately complex.

(I just registered to comment specifically on your gorgeous home).

posted by bejeweled on January 5th 2009 at 1:00pm
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That celling is incredible! Can you believe that they used to throw away those tin tiles not too long ago?!

posted by Patrick F. aka PsychoPat on January 12th 2009 at 11:23am
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