"Well after 5 months, I think the loft is in a place where it's 'ready for its closeup'."
Is it ever! This place is TOTALLY tricked out and the lighting alone is worthy of an entire post. While it may not be everyone's style, Joey's place is a hell of an achievement.
For all those that wondered what it was going to look like last spring, here you go. (Thanks, Joey!)
apartment itself is cool layout ect furniture and accessories are great.... the lighting is nasty though. reads total cheese. if a guy took me home to that I'd run.
I would say hope you're already hooked up, but no self respecting woman would ever let that happen.
but hey if it makes your heart sing. who the hell cares what I think!
rs
makes me think Epcot Center-cum-porno soundstage...
in other words, it reminds me of my childhood. i like it!
Yeah, the blue lights make me wanna tear out my eyes. I guess money really can't buy taste.
My goal was to get people talking, and it certainly has worked. I should defend the lighting though. They can change into any one of 16.7 million colors (and fade into and out of them at that) and are only as you see them for photographs. Right now as fall is moving in they are a dark pumpkin orange, crimson, and gold. The effect is usually subtle atmosphere, not disco flash. Ok well it's disco flash usually too.
I drive by this building on my way home from work and the large glass doors (now covered by a patio fence, sadly) showed off this place in all its glory. The colored lights are NOT as bright and neon-like as they seem in these pictures. In fact, they look more like painted surfaces that change color. I had to drive by a few times before I realized that they were lights and that he wasn't just painting his cabinets/shelves every few days. In these pictures it looks like the main lights are dimmed down to show the colors. Joey is right about how subtle it is, and the fall palette is amazing!
Oh and trust me ladies, if you saw Joey, you wouldn't run screaming.
I can imagine the lighting being great for parties. The whole look of the place is very masculine with lots of cool, hard edges. If it was mine, I would introduce some organic materials but I'm guessing that's not your style. Enjoy your newly renovated place!
Reef
You can't knock the place, even if it's not your style. And I'm sure he's getting plenty of ladies (or men) regardless of what anyone here thinks, lol.
BUT, the actual space is so nice, that you could throw a futon in there, with nothing else, and it would still look awesome. Sooo, some things money can buy.
I'm happy to see the finished product--always nice to continue a story that's been left hanging. I'm a little confused, though; a lot of the pictures look as though they're computer-generated. They're not, right? Maybe it's the lighting?
swanky. disco-y. the loft-set of the charming and handsome soap opera villain.
all in a good way.
VERY cool to see the end result. thanks. I want to see one huge art "statement piece" (perhaps on the "dining room wall" but everythng else looks pretty friggin' amazing. Not everyone's taste perhaps, but screw them. You come home to quite the enviable grown-up pad.
but now I want to see a pic of Joey.
And more details on witchy's childhood.
Hey Reef,
The colored lighting is really just an accessory, it is great at parties because it can be customized for the occasion, or like I said before, set for a certain season, mood, etc. Also, since the place is really mono-chromatic, it adds color when I want it, and can be turned off when I don't. The benefit to it is, yeah it's flashy, but it's also instantly removable. It's also possible to make them all any temperature of white, at any dim level.
I welcome some suggestions for adding some organic material. I only recently moved in so it's still a work in progress.
The nasty trolls come out to play once again.
I think the seeming premise that the place is the means to get laid says more about rs than joey.
I remembered joey's original pics and was going to post about the different colors possible but he beat me to it. I guess that makes lighting color comments redundant.
Thanks for posting us the completed pics joey. Glad to see it turned out so well. When I was doing a bathroom remodel I almost went for exposed plumbing (the trap area) but our contractor said he could not get the more finished style of trap that you have. These were available in Europe but not here. Where did you get your's from?
Not my taste, but still really cool. The lights really lift it out of that bland, techno/masculine look. I'd love to see this sort of thing in a lounge or bar... Joey -- are these all LEDs?
The the big question is, where did Joey get the color shifting LED lights? Those are cool!
One more post and I have to get back to work. There is one computer-generated photo (the 1st one) that showed the original spacial plan I sent to the contractor. There were many many more, but that was my first shot at it.
Patrick (the other one), you are absolutely right, I am still looking for that big piece for the 'dining room'. I was actually thinking a large mirror hung horizontally, but haven't made any decisions yet.
Cara is correct, in these photos the main track lights are running at about 25% while the colored ones are at 100%. Normally the tracklights are at 60%, and the colors at 50%.
Re: women running screaming (at the loft, not my appearance, though thanks Cara!), they've all loved the idea that they can punch a few buttons and get any color combination they want. Think about being able to change your paint colors as fast as your change your mind, that's what I wanted.
Well I'm a gal and I dig it. The wall colors are great, and the lighting is fantastic (though I'm glad to hear the colors can be changed when wanted). Beautiful furnishings and comfortable layout. Excellent job!
At first I didn't like the lights (not a fan of the blue) but now that you say they change colors... WOWZA. I really like the sound of your fall colors. I bet they really warm things up.
Also - CAN you do flashing lights/special effects? I just had to ask. That would be so much fun if you could!
I dig the lighting, it reminds me of an episode of CSI -very atmospheric.
jamie pup, I think you can get chrome and brass traps from Waterworks among other sources. Like a lot of contractors, if their usual suppliers don't have something, they assume it's not available (or don't want to bother tracking it down).
Hey Jamie, the trap was ordered from DesignerPlumbing(dot com.) It was the only one that I could find to meet the Massachusetts Building Code. It looks chrome, but is actually plastic. It was $30 if I recall correctly.
Mary/Max, the colored lights are indeed all LED, from ColorKinetics(dot com). I found some on Ebay, some from Wiedamark(dot com), and some from an event planner's auction that I came across. All 60 LED fixtures use about the same amount of power as one of the track lights.
The track lights are all Low-Voltage Halogen from Home Depot.
Exactly! Do tell us Joey! And I'm just wondering, is using LED lights energy-efficient at all compared to regular lights?
Love the apartment! The bedroom is cool. I might steel some ideas from you if you don't mind.
To A:
Special effects like strobes, chasing rainbows, color cycles, sparkles, etc. are all built into the software that comes with the light controller. For a friends going away party (who loves green) the lights cycled through 255 brightness of green in various stripes/checkerboard patterns. On the 4th of july, the shelves were deep blue and 'sparkled' with white, while the cabinets were 'flowing' stripes of red and white. It's crazy stuff, and a lot of fun to play with.
I will post some pictures of the fall colors tonight if I have time.
Oops, I posted too late, my question has already be answered.. Thanks!
Joey, it's gorgeous! I envy you that EBay find!
Will check back tonight for the new pix.
Olya, LED's are VERY energy-efficient, and those tiny little bulbs last 3-10 times as long as other bulb types. You'll be replacing all your incandescents with LED-filled bulbs before too long (you can now, but price point is still a bit high).
Hi Joey,
I love your place -- I checked the older pics and what a great transformation you have effected. I wanted to ask how you like the countertops. They're Caesarstone concrete, right? I'm thinking of having mine replaced with the same material. Thanks.
Do you have LED lights in your lamp over your dining room table too? So will that change colors? That's very cool. I can't wait to see photos of the fall color palette (not one for the blues here). Brain disconnect - why am I reminded of the loft in St. Elmos' Fire that Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy shared? I haven't seen that movie in years, but that just came to mind.
I am very very jealous. Not to mention the loft itself is beautiful (i frigging love the brick and the hardwood floors you have) but I totally dig the lighting system. Granted, I wouldn't have gone with all blue for the photos you took, but it's very sharp nonetheless. Nice work buddy!
Maria,
Yes that is Caesarstone Quartz, and the color is Concrete. It's amazing. My parents have granite and have to worry about rings, staining, sealing, etc. I clean my counters with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, or just soap and water. The halogen lights really bring out the fine texture, and a lot of people think it's polished concrete.
John from Velocity, yes, there are LED lights in the lamp too. That's a George Nelson Bubble Lamp (which I am sure you are familiar with) that I just took the lighbulb assembly out of. The LED fitting literally took 15 minutes.
Olya, please steal my ideas, I am flattered that you want to. The bed is the Pacific Bed from Crate and Barrel, the shelving is Cubitec from DWR, the closets are Ikea. The main paint color is Timberwolf from Bejamin Moore. The lights over the closets are from Home Depot, and the reading light is IKEA.
www.flickr.com/photos/joeynicotera/sets/893619/
Those are some more shots, and I will post the new color scheme tonight.
Sh** is slick, yo! Really great attention to the lighting. I'm personally not an LED-chroma guy, but the overall lighting design is fantastic. Also, the lower kitchen cabinetry really caught my eye. Bedroom nook is very cool. The only thing that seems unresolved to me is the placement of the keyboard. I'd either place it someplace else or give its current location more presence--maybe a small bold-graphic rug, spot-lighting, etc? Fantastic job. You sure didn't skimp on materials. Congratulations.
Wow. Thanks for showing us the finished (or nearly) apartment.
Hey Enrique,
Thank you for the compliments. One of the things I had emailed Maxwell about is some suggestions for what to do with that piano area. The rug idea is great, that will also help with acoustics.
Anyone else have any suggestions? I'm still looking for ideas for the dining table wall as well as over the bed. The ceilings are 11', so big is fine.
Joey--
That wild, large-scale faceted mirror posted here recently could be amzing. Then it would be both art and mirror.
But I could also see some ginormous piece, very textural and slightly reflective... so that it would react with the light show. But I'd go painting versus print behind glass. (but this is just me living vicariously.. you sooo don't need so much advice!!)
I actually think with the wood and brick you've got all you need, organically. I'd make sure all fabrics you bring in are chunky and textural, though. I think everything you bring in to the space needs to be able to hold its own against the built-in stuff, but without upstaging it.
Just please don't succumb to the "this needs PLANTS" line of thinking.
I read the comments first, and was steeling myself for some porn set from the 80s. While my taste isn't quite so slick, I think Joey did a great job. I agree that the only thing that isn't totally in sync is the keyboard placement, though I have no brilliant ideas. Nice job!
About that keyboard. If you really want that area to hold it's own with more visual statement, get a baby grand piano. Hey, I'm envious.
The light show is Not Me, but I'd love to have a friend who had one, so I could visit and play with the colors.
Hey Jimkk,
That is ultimately my intention, and acutally what I originally designed the space for. In the interim I'm thinking of coating a piece of MDF with black laquer, cut in the shape of the back of a grand piano, and using it as a desk behind the keyboard. I figured I'd put some sleek aluminum legs underneath. I aspire to get the baby grand by Christmas.
A baby grand by Christmas? Now, you're really making us jealous... ;) (If you tell us next that John Legend or Alicia Keys is performing at your Holiday party, then we'll have to start hating you.)
Hey Joey, I think that walks a fine line between cool solution and bad piano bar. ;)
Save the MDF money and put it toward the BGF: the Baby Grand Fund. :) Some things are worth waiting for!
(But I second Enrique's idea to use a rug to anchor that area now... just make sure the rug will accommodate the actual piano later.)
Patrick you are right, some things ARE worth waiting for. Plus by putting something makeshift there, it could potentially lower my motivation.
Sadly, Alicia couldn't make the party :)
Seriously though, the digital piano you see in that picture is worth a decent amount in trade still, and the baby g will be financed accordingly. The nice thing about a piano is they oft outlive their owners. Financing one for a few years isn't a bad deal for something you have (and usually works) for the rest of your life, unlike a car.
I should also point out that all of the finish work, including all of the lighting, shelf-building, cabinet panel installing, furniture assembling, etc. I did myself (with the help of family and friends.) You'd be surprised at how little everything costs, and how off-the-shelf it really all was. Very few things were special order. The money I saved on contractors went to the cool stuff like the furniture, the media center PC, the TV, and all of the things that make a condo a bachelor pad.
jaime pup -
in NYC, George Taylor in Tribeca has finished traps and all sorts of English taps. I like the place because it's like a down and dirty plumbing supply place but with all levels of supplies, high and low.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/main/archives/003015.html
Joey -
255 shades of green...great fun. Thanks for showing!
and
baby grands are pretty easy to get ahold of used...sometimes people don't want to move them and more or less give them away.
or maybe I'm just a baby grand magnet.
That is just so freakin cool.
I love the boldness of the individual areas that all look deffind while blending together!
The jealousy is very strong but damn it looks good!
baby grand will work very well in the space!
Hey Ben,
Thank you for noticing what I was trying to do. Lofts are difficult in that way because you want consistent design without feeling like 'this is the room'.
Does anyone want to donate a baby grand? :)
free baby grand! o craig...
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/msg/98119556.html
but it's a burled walnut. I think you need to hold out for ebony.
Maybe I missed it, but was any information given on the LED setup? What software is being used? Where you can get the lights? Any other info?
unrelated to lighting porn...I was wondering about the gas cooktop. I didn't notice an exhaust vent above, so I assume this is built into the cooktop unit. But my understanding is cooktop vents need to have the exhast run outside. So how did you accomplish this? (I am currently planning a kitchen redo and info would be appreciated).
I love the lights and what you say they do. How nice to be able to create that many different kinds of moods in one place! I love what you've done with the place. I'm gonna have to look at this several more times.
Doug in DC,
The lighting/software/control is all by Color Kinetics. They are here in Boston but I found the best prices/service/knowledge at Wiedamark (dot com) in Texas. Great guys, fast shipping,
Lonnstrom.
Here in Massachusetts, the code states that you only have to have ventilation if the stove is commercial, or over a certain BTU rating. That excluded me from the Viking/Wolf/Gaggenau class, but saved me $$$. The stove you see is a GE Profile, and isn't vented. HOWEVER, one of my options was a Jenn-Air downdraft. In that case, since I am on the 1st floor, and own a patio, I have access to the crawl space below and would have been able to vent accordingly. I can put an island hood, but the salespeople at the appliance store told me that since the ceilngs were so high and the windows were so large, a hood wouldn't do as much good as opening a window or turning on the hvac for a little charcoal filtering.
Curtis,
Thank you so much for your compliments. I will be posting more pictures to Flickr tonight (got in too late last night to do it)to show some different lighting schemes.
Hey all,
You can either click my name at the bottom of the post or go to
static.flickr.com/26/45489133_b17c49d935_o.jpg
I could only take one picture before my camera battery died, but you can see that the lights are far more subtle when the 'house' lights are at the level they normally are.
In this program they cycle through burgundy, orange, gold, green, and red.
If anyone has any requests, I can post accordingly.
Thank you all so much for your comments, and keep the dining area/piano area ideas coming!
honestly these pics don't even do it justice, and this is only from one angle! its sleek and modern, but with an amazingly homey feeling (comfy couches and soft lighting set the tone)..it rocks!
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Hi Joey,
Very nice use of Color Kinetics products! Thanks for your referral.
www.wiedamark.com
Joey,
Write to me. I work for a TV show and would like to feature your pad.
Super cool...megan_hanceford@yahoo.com
Joey!
I want to feature you on a new HGTV show!
Please call me!
Thank you,
Trisha Reece
818-755-4800 x.261
i won't to win this house
Great sleek space. It's way too much for me, but I think it's a great design and bachelor pad. I love the lights....and with so many combinations and possibilities, it would suit any occasion.