apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

beautiful space!

LOVE IT--one of my fave apartments I've seen on AT. It would have been easy to walk into some store and just buy the usual stuff to fill the space, but this oozes with charm and personality. Bravo.

Of all the homes on AT I've seen, I think this is by far my favourite. Maybe because our styles are similar. My diligence and thriftiness, however, can't compare. I'm far too lazy and impractical to make my home look like Elaine's. :(

this reflects serious personal style - that each room has a different vibe is so impressive! after the living room, your green and glimmering bedroom was a shocker...and then the red and pink office...very bold, and unapologetic, style :) everything feels at home, from the vintage to the baroque.

the wood tiles on the deck...er...balcony!...ahah! they look great. and yes, the view is to die for. but what i really love...the hot-or-not stools? i'd never seen them (on AT, i mean) and they're really exactly what i've been looking for in my place! where did you find them?

thanks for the tour...it's really an amazing space!

Wow.

Great job. I'm currently renovationg mine and yours is definately an inspiration.

Shouldn't it say "Step inside Elaine's home," instead of Lauren's?
Great place though.

The colors are pretty amazing, and there's no shortage of texture. I love it when unique things are put together this well. The space is enviable to start with, but she didn't rest on those laurels, she worked it to a froth, and it's just delicious. Congratulations on a job amazingly done!

I absolutely love what you have done with this apartment—and I’m wondering where you got the wooden mat in the second bathroom? I would love to put something like this in my own bathroom—how do you find it hold up to moisture though? Thanks…

You designed the living room to match the cat, right?

Also, I would like to steal your bedroom, thanks.

Wonderful colors in every room! I especially love the soothing green color in the master bedroom. May I ask what paint brand/color name it is? Beautiful space, Elaine! You go girl!

thanks for the nice comments, guys! I couldn't have done it without AT, where (as mentioned) I found the ottomans plus the living room wallpaper, and also got some lovely feedback on the window treatments in the living room, not to mention countless other tips, hints and inspirations.

The mat in the bathroom is an easy one though - got it on sale (I think for under $10) from Bed Bath & Beyond! Thanks again AT for everything, and Jill for your lovely pics ;-).

My snowshoe now would rather live with Elaine and her snowshoe!

Inspirational in every way.
Beautiful home, Elaine.
Thanks for sharing it.

Ooh, and a couple more questions I missed before my previous response:

-The paint in the bedroom is Behr Asparagus. Since Home Depot is open way later than most similar stores in NYC I do tend to get most of my paint there (except the bedroom, which is Ralph Lauren Mai Tai).

-The wooden mat doesn't see much water, I chose it more for its ability to conceal kitty litter (the wicker thing with magazines in it hides one litter box and there is another in the tub), which just falls through. But the tiles are lacquered bamboo, so I think it would probably be fine.

-The cat (one of two but the other is always hiding) is actually a Birman. And the carpet, although not intentionally matched, does hide some of the tumbleweeds of cat hair rolling around the place.

Really great appartment!
One question: what is the name of the wallpaper in the living room?

Excellent style and personality! Really, your home provides great inspiration for do-it-yourselfers.

Yes, please tell us where you got that gorgeous wallpaper and the name! My baby's nursery waits for your answer! :-)

seriously, my most favorite apartment ever!!!!!!!! this has totally shown me that having different styles in one space can not only work but look AMAZING. i often get frustrated becuase i like so many different pieces and colors and themes and i don't know how to practically incorporate them all into my apartment. this is totally what i am aspiring to create someday in my own space. thanks for sharing!

aww, thanks everyone ;-). The wallpaper is often discussed on AT, it's Cole & Sons' Woods pattern. BUT I do have a great source for it - www.sandersonfabrics.co.uk. They mail it right to your house and it is less than half what most US sources charge.

Where did you get your fabulous bedding? (England?)

Also, in the picture just above, is that a creamer and sugar bowl on a tray? They are lovely! What material are they, and where can one find them (who makes them?)

Wow, really lovely. Goes for the kitty and your shoes as well as the apartment. I adore mirrored furniture and you've done a wonderful job with it in your bedroom.

What is the sparkly, texturey stuff on the living room wall behind the TV?

Wow! I can't add much because everyone else has said it already but I am very impressed with your style and DIY skills.

The color in many of the rooms is too monochromatic -- all green, all red, all purple etc. -- and there is no feeling of continuity between the rooms because the colors are so dominant and don't carry over from room to room.

Monochromatic is a style, Haley. A very chic one at that. Just check out the latest issue of Domino Magazine- they did a whole section on the monochromatic look.

As for the continuity between rooms, there can be continuity found in many ways here; the style of furniture and accessories, graphic composition, use of texture, etc. It's not all about color.

(PS- BRAVO on the amazing apartment. "Color" me jealous.) :)

Charming and unique. You have a wonderful eye for style.

Beautiful apartment!...Where can I get a Barbecook like the one in the balcony?

I am amazed by the artwork. You have some very beautiful graphic sculptures. I would like to see a little more continunity and flow, but your bravery is astounding. I am extremely envious of the size of your place.

My favorite is the red and pink office.

P.S. Great shoes.

Civil and sincere criticism is always welcome! To be honest, the lack of continuity issue never bothered me because the two bedrooms (where it is most noticeable) are separated by a hallway from each other, and by a long hallway from the living/dining space.

I do like having the rooms be different and chose different styles for each (midcentury for the living room, Hollywood Regency for the bedroom and Asian for the second bedroom); that being said, I do have a tendency to get a little "matchy".

To answer a few more questions:

-I travel quite a bit and got the bedding from a silk factory in Shanghai for a shamefully low price. I actually designed the bedroom around it.

-The sugar and creamer set is another travel find; it's made of brass and I got it in Thailand.

-Behind the TV I hung a bunch of those pieces of mother of pearl that you often see in 60s-style chandeliers. I got them from the Bloomingdales catalog several years ago but they often carry them at West Elm.

-The Barbecook grill is from gourmetgrills.net, where the customer service people could not be sweeter or more helpful; it's super easy to use and I highly recommend it.

Apartment is fantastic---exactly the sort of place that my niece might create for herself. (Dra, if you hear me, you'll turn your place in LA upside-down just as you're taking on the fashion world.) But what is most impressive is Elaine's classy, thoughtful way of responding to questions, comments, and criticism. Brava!

I think your apartment looks great!

Could you tell us where you got your dining table? I was thinking of something like that for our kitchen...

thanks!

Beautiful apartment! Can we find out how you did the mirrored piece?

And where did you get those great shoes???

Yes! I'd like to hear more about the DIY mirrored furniture. I feel like I was reading something recently about spraypaint that gives a mirrored effect, but can't find it now... anyone heard of that?
Gorgeous apartment!

too fabulous for my taste

Wonderful apartment. I particularly like your e-bay wall unit find. And those great peep toe shoes!

OK, more answers:

-The table was super-reasonable (under $500 as I recall) from Homedecorators.com. Unfortunately they don't have it any more, but try Straight from the Crate here in NYC for something similar.

-As for the mirrored furniture, I just had pieces of mirror cut in the shape of the doors on the desk and glued them down. For the dresser, I also had to have pieces drilled with holes for the hardware and unfortunately they are not quite exact (so some don't quite get inset enough into the front of the dresser).

I am thinking of replacing them with mirrored plexi actually, the dresser is a strange 50's concoction with panels in different colors that can be swapped around to match your bedroom. Mirror was too thick for me to use in the same slot as the panels, but plexi would be fine; any thoughts on whether it would end up looking tacky?

-As for the shoes, acquiring them has been my life's work ;-). But the peep toe leopard ones are a recent acquisition, from Stuart Weitzman - on sale!

s'wonderful, s'marvelous! i'm going to read some of the other replies b4 i jump in with my own questions.

Love every bit of it. I could move right into that bedroom and see it as mine--and be amazed that I'd brought my taste to such an excellent realization!

There are some gorgeous things in this apartment. Just about everything is nice and the apartment is a very nice size, but OMG, could all of the furniture be arranged any worse! She needs to seek consultation for arranging things.

great home and love the colors--thanks for all the answers/tips!
just curious: where are the shag rugs from?

Beautiful pics and apt- thanks for sharing.

Where did you get the wood tiles on your balcony from? Love them and did you install or have someone do?

Elaine,

Really gorgeous space! I was interested in the table and chairs that you have on the terrace...Are they wrought iron and if I may ask, where did you get the set from?

Elaine, I agree with all the comments above - your apartment is spectacular!

A question - where can I get a shoe closet like yours? I'm looking for shoe storage in which shoes can be hidden from sight.

Happened to drop by again and realized there are quite a few more questions I have not answered - where are my manners!

-Shag rug in the bedroom is Crate & Barrel (unfortunately it does shed quite a bit, as the saleswoman there had warned me), while the one in the living room is from the discount basement at ABC Carpet.

-Wood tiles have been discussed elsewhere on AT before, they are from a company called Vifah; they are based in NJ so if you have a car you can save a fortune on shipping if you go pick them up in person

-The patio furniture is from a company called Hanamint, everything is cast aluminum, so it's way more lightweight than iron and rustproof. My chairs are from the Tuscany line, Hanamint is available from lots of online vendors but you can check out the various lines here: http://www.hanamint.com/gallery5.htm

-The "shoe closets" are actually Effektiv units from Ikea with no shelves, etc. installed; I ended up putting shoe shelves from Bed Bath & Beyond inside (which b-a-r-e-l-y fit) since they are a good height and depth for shoes.

Thanks again for all the feedback!

This is my first time browsing this site and I must say that your apartment is absolutely incredible!!! I LOVE the color choices and creativity used in each room. Thanks to you, I now have some great ideas for a few projects of my own :)

I was desperately searching for green curtains on the internet and somehow came across your beautiful apartment with a fantastic green bedroom. May I ask where you got your green curtains and valences? Thanks!

Elaine, your apartment is incredible. I was going through archives for inspiration, and came across your home. It is so unique and so personalized, it is a futile task to try and recreate it. BUT, I've got so many ideas from your place, that I can hardly wait to implement some of them. One question, though. i read in your comments that you got the living room rug from a carpet store (the one that looks like corrals). I found the same one, but it was too expensive, around $37/sq.ft? Where exactly did you get yours??? Thank you.

Hi everyone - sorry for the late reply, I didn't realize people were still commenting on my house tour! In case it's not too late:

Basak, I actually made the valences and side panels (they are not full curtains since they are very narrow, and are only designed to stop the light that leaks around the edges of the blackout shades). As long as you can sew a straight line you can make something similar, and they are hung with two standard spring rods.

Olya, I bought the rug from the basement outlet at ABC Carpet here in NYC. It was not cheap however - I think that rug and the rug under my dining table (which I got at the same time) were around $2,000 total. On the plus side, I found that the artist Chuck Close has the exact same rug in the exact same color!

Hi. Along with the others, your apartment is fantastic! I'm in the process of trying to find some bergere or carved chairs for my apartment. The ones I've found will need to be reupholstered so I was wondering if you could recommend who did your beautiful chair in your bedroom. Approximately how much did it cost?

Also, could you recommend some places in NYC to find fabric. I don't have a decorator so it would have to be a store open to the public. Thank you!!!