apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

"pet the merchandise" ahah :)

me and my brother have a similar situation in brooklyn (and at 900 sq ft, 2 bedroom!)...though it's only been about 20 years, not 50! it took a long time after i moved back to nyc for me and the sibling to reclaim the space, renovate it, etc. but since we did, it's been awesome. so good for you! the space is awesome and i love the family history! the writer's area rocks :)

interesting....but it also depresses me... maybe it's just one of those days.

Nice to see so much space.
But why is the furniture (esp. the sofa) pushed against the wall?
Some of us are still victims of that mentality to show more space by doing this. It really backfires.
(Someone called the lined up furniture look: funeral home style)
A few tried and true tweaks with the placement and art hanging, the room could be really comfortable and charming in it's festive season color palette!

I came here to ask the same question - why is the furniture all up against the wall? The couch at least could be angled for a much nicer look.

I'm not sure if she is referring instead to the vintage furniture shop on Bay Street in Sag Harbor (across the street from Provisions). I happened to wander in there recently and found lots of great "organic" rustic vintage wood pieces that were surprisingly affordable- like a Nakashima-esque coffee table for about $300, rustic solid wood dining tables for about $1k, wood slab console tables for about $400, etc. Otherwise I think the Hamptons are an overpriced wasteland for vintage furniture. Much of it is too country-beachy or over-the-top.

"Style: Retro grandma"

Priceless. And the place looks so...real. I especially like the coffee table.

I agree, move some of the stuff away from the wall. I really enjoy the eclectic granny look. It's something I'm trying to go for myself. But I see the "funeral" in it. I think moving the furniture around would give it a modern granny feel that I think you're looking for.

I love this. It's warm and inviting and it makes me want to curl up and have a cup of tea.

Thanks for your comments, everyone. I appreciate the suggestion to move furniture away from the walls -- I'll give it a try. But how far from the walls? And what kind of an angle might work for the couch (someone suggested an angle...)?

The apartment is truly a work-in-progress. I'm glad I could share it with the AT tribe.

I really feel a kinship to this place. I don't see why having books and reading material is an "embarassment" to someone who is a writer. It should not in my opinion. I do feel for the problem of living in a family museum. I think Laura's mother needs to let go and allow Laura to have her own life and time. I know we "warm" types feel the stories and connections entangling objects and those layers can become a burden. If Laura loves everything in her apartment then it is absolutely a success.

sorry, Lauren, not Laura.

I recently bought the same hanging lamp at at a tag sale on Long Island. I had to unscrew it from the wall with a kitchen knife because no one there had any tools. I plan on hanging it over my desk tomorrow.
I love your apartment. It has wonderful homey touches.

Ditto Kate (NC). I live in a house that's been in the family for 56 yrs. Planning on moving asap. :0)

I really like the metal cart under the guillotines. Where did it come from?

Even though it is somewhat refreshing to see a regular lived-in apartment, I have to ask why is this featured? I had a number of friends in Berkeley that had similar apartments and furnishings in college.

I like this apartment - its not filled with brand new stuff from chain stores and its not filled with second-hand stuff that seems pretentious - its filled with things that the owner obviously likes and it shows - lovely place

I'm not sure exactly why everyone thinks the sofa would be better away from the wall - why would you want to waste space behind the sofa? - or sit closer to the TV? - I think its just fine where it is

In terms of pushing furniture out into the room, what about creating a little conversation square at the far end of the living room. I love to see the bookcases, but maybe they could be spread along the walls on low shelves (a more library feel) and have the couch and some cushy chairs arranged in a square around the coffee table. Sorry for my crude little ascii art

---------------------------------------
I [bookcase] [bookcase] I I I
I I
I couch I
I coffeetable I
I chairs I
I I
I [bookcase] [bookcase] I
----------------------------------------

Oops, that didn't work well, sorry.

Why would angling the couch waste space? What an odd assumption. You can easily put bookcases, lamps, etc. behind an angled couch.

I think the energy of the room is off because of all the furniture against the wall. The angle doesn't have to be severe, just a 10 degree angle, even, would add a dynamic edge to the room and break up the monotony of the furniture against all the walls.

(If you do angle it, it would be great to see pictures then! I would angle it in towards the camera, myself, to make it more inviting as a seating area.)

Its not an odd assumption - it you move something slightly away from the wall you will have taken up some of the space in front of it (making her closer to the TV in this situation) and be creating a gap behind it - unless that gap behind it is big enough to walk through or have other furniture in such as a table (which in this situation it wouldn't be unless she had her nose next to the TV) then you've either got an empty area ,or an area you then have to fill with stuff - you can't put a bookcase behind a sofa as you'd only be able to get to the shelves above the line of the sofa - you could put the lamps behind it but then if you wanted to read/knit/sew/whatever the light would cast the shadow of yourself onto whatever you were doing - better to have the lights to the side of the seating - I think its just fine where it was

If I came into this apartment and she had the sofa angled at 10 degrees I'd just presume it had been moved temporarily and would probably push it back against the wall automatically - 10 degress is just going to make it look untidy!

follow-up comment:
Moving furniture away from the walls isn't about 'wasting' space behind it. There is already plenty of room here.
It is about showing off the furniture better.
Giving it presence.
Plus if you create a more intimate conversation area the room is more inviting and functional.
when you move the furniture away from the wall you see more floor and wall, the eye reads: more space and flow area.
(Any feng-shui afficionado will tell you this.)
Further, you don't have to provide a walking area behind it.
That's not the point. Neither do you have to put more stuff back there.
The intention is to free up visual space, making it more restful and create balance within the room.

Angling furniture does waste space, as a rule. But there is room enough to do that here if you really want to.
Personally I would let it run with the line of the wall, or angle it quite dramatically.

painting will be a easy way to add your own style, love all the random vintage or street finds, full of charming details.