apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Beautifully done!

i sublet a place in tudor city last year, and loved it. great area!
i also have the same sink in my bathrooms--but it looks much better in yours (probably because it's shiny and clean :)). love the mirrors!

nicely done, it's beautiful!

I cannot get over how great your kitchen/bar looks. Wow! Though I do wonder how you cook...

I like it but I'd need more kitchen space. I agree with heatherdazy: how do you cook??

Very nice...and that bath...exceptional...hardly notice it's small with all that glass.

This is great. I would love to see more pix of your bathroom. I have a little cottage and the bath is about the size of yours, maybe, just maybe a tad larger, but I've really been wondering how to handle the space. It's awful now, but you've given me hope.

This looks very IKEAesque. Not a fan.

This would be a little pastel for my taste, but I think you've done a great job cramming in so much without making it looked crammed - especially the incredibly well organised kitchen (though I too wonder how you cook).

leehou - I don't recognise any Ikea items here, I don't know what you are referring to.

brilliant! soft grey and blonde, glass and mirrors, groovy tub chair deskside doing double duty...tiny stunner of a space!

Beautifully organized! Is your sofa a sleeper?
I also wonder if there is a stove in the kitchen area or even a microwave?
well done, thanks for sharing.

I love the bathroom. I am weirded out by no stove/cooktop/microwave in the kitchen - is a microwave hid somewhere?

your bathroom is amazing. i live in NYC and know the pain of space.

does your spa bathroom have a tub or shower;-)?

NY'r here also, great use of space! Also a calm serene hideaway in what can be a chaotic city. I must admit I have kitchen cabinet organization envy. Good goin'!

Thank you, kind commenters all! (even leehou - only the sofabed is Ikea!)
To answer your questions - I wasn't able to show everything in 5 photos!
You can see how I cook and the rest of the organizing details on my website www.lifestylespacedesign.com, under "Manhattan Studio".
How I cook:
the kitchen island has a microwave and a ceramic single burner cooktop that pulls out of the island in a purpose-built 'drawer'. With cooktop, microwave and crockpot, I can whip up cooked breakfasts, healthy home-made soups, casseroles and rice/pasta dishes.
The bathroom:
It has a 3' x 3' shower at the left of the vanity, and I installed a body-shower column with jets and rainfall shower head, and a full height frameless enclosure. Just because it's small doesn't mean it can't be luxurious!
Sofa sleeper:
Ikea Karlanda in camel leather, BUT, the best thing we have ever done is buy the Simmons Air Comfort mattress from Jennifer Convertibles. It's an air mattress over an innerspring, literally 2 minutes with the little pump to the most comfy bed we've ever had.
I had 2 custom slide-out boxes made for the bed pillows (saving valuable closet space!), which you can just see under the credenza behind the sofa.
And check out my closet on the website - the most you can get into less than 3' x 4' AND STILL FIND IT ALL!
Thanks again, everyone,
Kittie

Nicely done! The kitchen is teeny, but you may not be a culinary oriented lady. Still, very nice use of space and and lovely finishes.

queenbee - I've got more kitchen than you think! Check out my website, http://www.lifestylespacedesign.com

Excellent!!! This is the best TINY space that I have seen for some time! Very inspirational and upbeat, and chic too.

Amazing! I will never say I don't have enough room again!

Where did you get your bar stools?

Dear tranzer,
The barstools are from http://HomeDecorators.com
I think this model may be discontinued, because I used them for another client, and they were in the clearance outlet at that time. They do still have the lattice bar stool in aluminum, which is also a cool look. Mine have held up really well despite many hours of cocktail sipping by The Beloved and myself :)
Good luck, and thanks for looking!

We must say that you have excelled yourself. We have seen your designs from being a child, a teenager and a dynamic and imaginative young woman. This beats them all !! So well done. We are so proud of you.

Incredible! I especially love your desk area. Question: How did you get all that stuff built? I don't see a table saw anywhere.

Hi, lcat!
Glad you like the "Stealth Desk"!
I designed the desk built-ins specifically for the space (it was the old twin murphy bed closet) and had them built by a cabinet shop in Kansas. My excellent contractor then installed the components onsite.
It's a lotta office in a small space - I actually run my whole interior design business from there!
Thanks for looking, and your kind comments.

I love the feeling of luxury in a small space. Beautiful. Where did you get the credenza?

Thank you, stpaulgirl!
It is the Amanda 4-door lowboy from www.HomeDecorators.com, currently about $350 s/h. It comes with frosted glass, but I wanted an opaque look which would match the room, so I painted the back of the glass with the same custom color paint as the walls, and protected the painted surface with clear contact paper.
Just a note - the credenza requires assembly.
The Beloved, (my husband) tackled the assembly - not his skill area - while I was on a business trip, and called me with the following question "Do you hate me or something?"!! Apparently it is lots of pieces, but he is a bit of a wuss at things like that...!

make that " $350 plus s/h"
sheesh

It reminds me of the 80s with all the mirrored stuff. I like it though. I don't know why it went out of style.

What paint color grey is that?

Hi, JenJen1973,
It is a custom color I laboriously mixed myself, using a combination of green, black & white acrylic craft paint & Restoration Hardware sample pots, then had it matched in eggshell finish at Benjamin Moore.
I'm out of town this week, but I can see if there is a color number on the paint can next Monday if that would help!

Love seeing great uses of a small space!

http://smallspaceresources.blogspot.com

WOW - this is fantastic. Could you believe that you could do such an awesome job with a small space - amazing.

What an amazing space!! Love the bar/kitchen. I cannot get a feel for where it is in relation to the living area. Could you expain? Thanks.

Thank you, remy!
You will get a better idea of the layout from my website http://www.lifestylespacedesign.com - there are lots of photos under Gallery "Manhattan studio", Gallery "Kitchens" and Get Organized! "Kitchens has all the hidden storage/organization details.
The studio is a 10' x 17' rectangle, with 2 small recesses at each end of the 17' south wall. One recess is the home office, 21" x 44", near the windows, the other recess is the kitchen, 21" x 51".
I am pleased with how it turned out - I got a lot of functional kitchen and storage, with the look and feel of a stylish cocktail bar...
Cheers!
Kittie

Thank you Kittie,

I was amazed at what you were able to do with such a small space, even more so when you mentioned 2 people share the space. You are an inspiration!!

And a dog! - admittedly a tiny Shih-Tzu, but I still had to make storage space for her stuff (diamante collars, hair bow collection, fluffy toys and all).
Thank you for your kind comments, remy - I LOVE what I do, every small space challenge is so much fun!
Best wishes,
Kittie
www.lifestylespacedesign.com

excellent use of space, but it feels very masculine to me and sort of like a hotel.

wow
i am wowed
i dont know what else to say
absolutely splendid and i love the whole concept. i live myself in a tiny apartment in nyc and i know what a pain that is

Thank you, sweetiebox - love your screen name.
Small spaces are my passion! If you want more details of this reno and to see my other NY projects, visit my website http://www.lifestylespacedesign.com

ZOWIE! What a jewel box.

I have fond memories of my mother's friend Consuelo who lived the bachelorette life in Tudor City from the '40s to the '80s. I used to visit her for tea in the '70s and remembered how delightful her teeny apartment was: lots of light; basically one big room with a Pullman kitchen. Yet, she had it furnished with exquisite crystal chandys and beautiful furniture and accessories from all her travels overseas.

Such a small space with big elegant style! Just like yours, Kittie.

Thank you for your kind compliments, aychihuahua!

Tudor City's buildings are so beautiful, and even though the apartments are small, I believe as Consuelo did that you can live graciously in a tiny space.

Thank you for sharing such a lovely memory!

What a terrific use of space! Thank you for inspiring me~!

Love the rug, chair and the cabinet behind the couch!

This is AMAZING! Utilitarian AND aesthetically pleasing. WOW!

Colleen, thank you!
You'll be glad to know that the rug was $250 from Overstock, the chair was $99 from Bed, Bath & Beyond, slipcovered by me, fabric another $75, and the credenza as mentioned before was approx $350.
You CAN have great design on a budget...especially if I'm your designer, teehee!

Kittie your space is amazing. I love the fact that you took the time to thank everyone and respond to all questions. Awesome!

STYLeyes, thank you so much for the compliments!
I love my work, and it has been great to get so many positive responses. Thank you everyone who took the time to comment. Apartment Therapy is the BEST!