apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Does anyone else see the mirror door headboard as an accident waiting to happen?

Could you please tell me where that red pendant light is from?

Thanks for the tour. It was really cool to see how Hakarl and Jili's furnishings work as well in their new space as they did in their old space.

Yum, yum, yum! What I love about this is the long-term-collecting feel to it. And the fact that the teapot, clearly a beloved item, isn't perched on a shelf somewhere, but rather is front-and-center, welcomed in a friendly, everyday-object way. There's something about that placement that's kind of touching. I'd like to see th bedroom get a little more love, but my guess is that with time, it will. This is, it seems, a home built out of (among other things), patience.

I love the way you hung the curtains - very clever!

I love your space but I suspect whoever measured it as 550 sq. ft. might have undermeasured? I have 447 sq. ft. as a studio with a kitchen and bath that appear the same as yours. I don't think you can manage not one, but TWO extra bedrooms in 100 sq. ft. ?

You've done wonders with whatever size it really is.

Beautiful apartment. Thanks for the inspiration!

I love the floors!!

You did a great job guys, where do you do your scavenging? I heard upper east side on garbage days but can never find out when is garbage days!

gia

Nice and clean, I like how you've figured out clever ways around not being able to make too many permanent changes.

Very European - classy, uncluttered & timeless.

How was the tree scape on the wall created? I've seen a similar execution before and I really like it.

I'm sad to think your previous landlord may have repainted your old apartment white. *shudder*

this is amazing. you guys did a wonderful job. the antlers in the bell jar looks gorgeous. and the picture of the orchid in front of the couch is my favorite!!

Friday nights are good for UES trash-trolling. Wear sneakers and gloves!

I've been a lurker on this site for a quite a while, but I don't post all that often. I love your apartment. You have so many great idea! Painting the door black is a wonderful idea. My kitchen is that exact same shade of green, and I've been stewing over what to do with my cabinets! Can I ask where you got the sheets of metal. And do you have any tips, if I were to attempt something similar?

Thank you for a wonderful tour!

I love the sheepskin throw over the couch look. I was wondering if anyone can recommend a faux one?

Lourdes-
I'm not sure if they still have them or not, but Ikea used to have sheepskin throws and I'm guessing that at their prices they were faux...

Love your orchids and love your wall. Can you share tips on where you find the tree image?
~Carla from PR

Nope--Ikea sheep are just cheap...they're real.

I love this apartment just as I did their last one (especially when beloved everyday objects getting the attention they deserve).

That apt. is not 550 sf - maybe the living room is. I live in 500 sf and it's the size of your living room! I'd say thats closer to 900 sf at least.

I love this place a lot better than their last one. Although I'm not sure I understand the explanation of the tree image ... he put tape on the walls and then cut out a tree and painted inside? Correct? I don't understand why he didn't just paint it if he had the skill to carve the shape out. Seems like a wasted step to me ...

I wouldn't be surprised if the apartment really was that small. They are using a wide angle lens on the camera which gives the illusion of more space. Look at the photo with the bed in it and you can see the bed is extremely stretched out.

Ridge:
I would say that tracing is pretty quick, and cutting with a knife is fairly quick as well. But painting is fairly tedious, especially if you want nice, crisp lines. I'd rather do it the way he did as well.

Probably should add...

I dig your digs :-)

hi guys
thank you so much for your comments and the positive feedback...
just to answer some of your questions:
Amy - the metal sheets on the kitchen cabinets are alumium siding from the home depot. they come in large, rolled up sheets and you can cut them to size with a carpet knife.
Carla - visit istockphoto.com. you can purchase illustrations of trees there and combine several if needed.
Stefan - the wide angle lens makes our place look larger than it is. i was amazed when i saw the pictures -- our living/dining room is only 15 x 14 ft...
Ridge - masking the tree outline allowed me to use very thin layers of paint so it looks more like a print. and i figured it would be faster than painting it free hand.
NIcole - we had the lampshade custom made because of its size. i recommend this place: Kawahara, 344 W 38th, NYC (www.knyny.com)
hope that helps!
hakarl

The tree mural is beautiful and a great idea... natural and modern at the same time. If someone else want to try it, here is a book with beautiful silhouettes of trees (and other things) on an included disk...
http://www.amazon.com/Neubau-Welt-Stefan-Gandl/dp/3899550722/sr=1-1/qid=1168483962/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-4340979-3379149?ie=UTF8&s=books

Thanks for sharing your inspiring place!

Just de-lurking to say that your place is inspirational. The color, the thrifted finds are sensational.

hakari this, hakari that.
tell hakari that 550sf means STUDIO. not a two bedroom. this is the most pompous slide show i have ever seen. just because someone has a clean apartment with mid-century flea market finds, does not make it interesting.

love it! my place is a bit smaller and your place is an inspiration! i have the same tiny kitchen and am so down with your sheet metal idea. i also like seeing simple things used as focals - like the chairs by the door, the throw on the couch, the mirror behind the bed...it seems like you really take care of what you bring into your home- but it's not just all high end design. normal people can afford this stuff with effort and some creativity. it's good to see a fabulous space that in possible for those with small salaries...that is not looking like a door room or all ikea.

love it! my place is a bit smaller and your place is an inspiration! i have the same tiny kitchen and am so down with your sheet metal idea. i also like seeing simple things used as focals - like the chairs by the door, the throw on the couch, the mirror behind the bed...it seems like you really take care of what you bring into your home- but it's not just all high end design. normal people can afford this stuff with effort and some creativity. it's good to see a fabulous space that in possible for those with small salaries...that is not looking like a dorm room or all ikea.

Beautiful gleaming hardwood floors alone can make any kind of interior decorating look good, but with good taste in furnishings and decoration, the result can be classy and stunning!

I could live here. It's perfect.

Ha! Knew I´ve heard (well read) the names before.
Wonderful apartment. Stunning.

this apartment is beautiful! you are so creative...i love the headboard idea. i think this is one of my favorites.

Wow- it seems so much larger than 550 sq feet. So fabulous!

I love the sheepskin throw too. Anybody know a good source besides IKEA? The IKEA ones are small anyway, I want a large size like the one pictured here.

Hey, anonymous ... jealous much? square footage doesn't determine whether its's a studio or not ... it's the amount of rooms. You could have a 1200 sf studio, as long as it's all one room ... and to everyone who mentioned how large it looks ... yes! I couldn't believe it was only 550 ... looks much larger, yet has a lot of cool stuff packed into it!

I love your place. Your eye is amazing. The wind-chime light is absolutely divine. The lamp in photo no. 27 is also quite wonderful, but would look much better in my place (ha, ha). I also have a lamp jones and must weed out at times. The red shade over the dining table is lovely. I love your use of ordinary cast-off objects as art in the kitchen. Photo no. 34 is very lovely. Cute lamps and great drawing.

There are only two things I would change. One is the mirrors over the bed. Any time I see something large over the bed I cringe because my dad was almost killed by a mirror tile that fell on him while he was asleep. Maybe these are secure and fun for when you are getting it on, but I think your eye is more discriminating and can find something much more lovely, like a tactile.

Maybe the fabric tree hanging over the sofa can go in the bedroom and you can find some art for over the couch that really pops. Something edgy perhaps by a graffiti-inspired artist, but also large. I feel like you need something edgy in the living room to complement the combination of the windchime and skull, you know to carry the edgy-ethereal theme over.

The other thing is the Ikea locker. Sorry, but those Ikea lockers have really gotten trite since I've been perusing this site. Again, your eye is too discriminating for such a predictable piece. Oops, sorry I guess that's three things.

These are just my humble opinions and I wouldn't even offer them if I didn't feel inspired by your place. Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed looking at your photos.

oops - forgot to mention those curtains are absolutely fabulous. I'm going to steal that idea.

What a lovely home you’ve created! Sophisticated, yet warm and unpretentious. I concur with all of the positive comments above. Such an inspiration. Thanks so much for sharing.

Could I ask you where you got the LR/DR curtains and where you found the mirrored closet doors? Both are pure genius!

I have that same flip clock (in picture 16?) except mine died about 2 months after I got it 5 years ago. I've always had the intention of getting it wired for electricity, but never got around to it.

hi harley
i found the curtains at Pearl River Mart in chinatown (www.pearlriver.com). they come in different colors, too.
When flipping through the new West Elm catalogue (www.westelm.com) the other day, i saw that they just added a similar kind to their spring collection. hope that helps.
hakarl

I'm late chiming in here to say how great your new space looks. Is the DWR sofa the prize you got for winning the contest last year. Not quite sure I like the mirror panels as headboard. Seems a little stark in the bedroom, perhaps a work in progress. Overall though another lovely home.

I love the paint color in the entryway.... What is the brand and color name?

hi liz --
the color is "painted turtle"(710F-6) from behr.
hakarl

Great! Thanks for the prompt response.... Hope it looks as good in my space as it does yours! : )

Great place, tasteful and clever; and big bonus points for having Yoko Ono's "Grapefruit" on your bookshelf!

OMG, I love your apartment. I can't believe you guys created such a beautiful space in less than a year. BTW, your previous apartment contest page was in my favorate page for a while (who can forget the masking tape wall paper!). Bravo!

Liz and Hakarl

I'm so glad you named the paint in the entryway! The first three photographs of the entryway show three different shades to the one paint (the first looks grey, the second blue, the third green) and I love that. I'm going to get a sample of that paint and try it as soon as possible!

Your apartment is really lovely. I especially love the mirror in your living room - where did you get it?

Lisa from Orange County

I am inspired!

Love the lamps in the bedroom.

This is one of my favorite apartments ever. I love how a few accent colors and treatments made such a huge diufference, especially in a mean little rental kitchen (much like the one I've got).

You have a very happy realm in your mind, Hakarl! I first noted this in the pictures of your home, but when I read about the lamp with no base finally meeting the umbrella base, I knew it for sure. I love this sense of inspired discovery anywhere, and you whole apartment is filled with it.

I miss the days when I lived on W 88th and found all the most amazing things other people threw out! What was wrong with them?

Hi. Where did you get your dining table? Thank you. Great apartment!