apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Lovely. I've got your backs when the rest of these folks start raggin on you about the poster. I like mine!

poster contents aside, the scale of it (and the other art) is too small, giving it that "dorm room" feel, imho. the bed placement is quite awkward, too.

wow, thats a lot of ikea

I think it is very spacious feeling and pretty.

And I actually love the placement of the bed. I'd much rather wake up to a view out a window than to a view of a doorway. It would have been nice if a layout was included.

And you know...some of us have an ikea budget. I still think the overall effect is really nice.

are the green leaf lampshades ikea?

It's interesting the amount of Ikea that a lot of people seem to have and then reply with "I/we have an Ikea budget." Frankly, I know how much that table and chairs cost at Ikea and for the uncomfortableness of them and the price, well, it's not very budget or comfort minded. I bought an amazing chrome and formica table with chairs for under a 100 bones. And it's cheaper and cooler than Ikea. It's just funny that when people say budget, they think Ikea and with all the new lines that Ikea is promoting, budget isn't always the first thing they are thinking of, especially when it comes to longevity. I can bet in another 30 years I'll still have my chrome table and that Ikea number will be toast.

I love this. And I think it's Ikea done right.

I like it. The bed placement made me uncomfortable though, I'd like a curtain running behind the headboard to make it feel like the headboard was against a wall - say an airy one like the ones I see in the picture.

wonderfully done house ...thats called ikea done perfectly !!!!! now people please do not start anti ikeaism here !!!

lovely, forget the haters. I love the color on the walls

I love the wall colors too. I think the "floating" bed might drive me crazy after a while, but I can see the reasoning behind it.

Writer needs to use 'of' more often.
ex: 'Floated furniture off the walls' should read
'Floated furniture off OF the walls.'

This happens throughout the post. I don't believe one needs to be grammatically correct when blogging, but this doesn't read very well at all.

What paint did you use on the walls? I love the color, too.

I agree with you King of Arcadia, when it comes to making long term investments for your home. I've slowly but surely replaced all but 1 of my original ikea pieces over the years --and interestingly, everything but the couch held up well enough over several years and several moves to hand down to younger friends/ relatives getting their first places. I now shop almost exclusively on craigslist and at flea markets--except for kids furniture which I still love IKEA for. But if you are moving into your first apartment and you have nothing, I mean NOTHING, and you need to furnish an entire place from scratch for a say, $1500, which was my budget for my first apartment, Ikea is pretty much the only realistic choice if you don't want to take a whole year to do it. I had a bed and a few dishes. that was it. Ikea was far and away the best bet for getting a couch and some bookcases and a kitchen table. There is no other one stop shopping place that you can do a whole (tiny) apartment for that budget. It would take --and has taken--years of shopping and picking at flea markets and craigslist and ebay to fill my home with pieces I love that will last. but I'm grateful for that first IKEA visit so I didn't have to sit on milkcrates and sleep on a mattress on the floor while I found all my forever things.So I really do think there is such thing as an Ikea budget.

I was hoping for a picture of the view!

Thanks for sharing Gretchen,

I am fine with the IKEA love. I think from the selection available you choose very well. Everyone is always saying you should wait to buy pieces that you TRULY love, but it takes a while to find them - and hey, sometimes a girl just needs a decent kitchen table RIGHT NOW.

Excellent paint choices I say.

My only complaint is that if you write about the view (and place the bed to enjoy the view???) I want to see that view please.

~k

I really like that table and chairs - I've never actually seen them before (IKEA or no). They seem optimally suited to a small space.

Love the wall color, but I think you need more art. It looks like you haven't been here long.

Love the colors -- the entire room seems spacious and efficient.

dining table is from ikea .. even i never saw the table at ikea until last month ....one of our frens has it
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70092553

This place looks awesome!! Great work. I love the dressing area behind the bed. Also, good work with the Dec/Acc's.

ikea indeed has many great pieces... some of which get responses like: "wow, that's from ikea"... trouble is when the entire space is ikea (with the ikea seasonal palettes and "print du jour", to boot), it just seems like the first scene from fight club in which you can go around and name each piece (in the funny ikea name). in any design-art, (landscape, interior, architecture, graphic), scale/variety/contrast is key. in an all-ikea layout, you're apt to miss that. "one-note-ism" (a la neutra, FLW, some bauhaus designs, etc.) can work *if* the material quality and designs are stellar and in keeping with the residence (which ikea isn't)... so, for those that don't think they can afford much else, do some searching at vintage shops, flea markets, etc and get something that acts as a foil to all of the nordic-ness.

as far as placement (re: the bed), some pieces are designed to be placed against a wall (as this bed is, with its tall, open headboard). beds designed to float tend to have either no headboard or one that's so large and solid that it acts as a divider. ikea's malm could do that, especially if flanked with others of the same ilk. in this case, (as mentioned above) hanging something to act as a divider (think long, wide piece of canvas or even hanging wooden panel) could help things out, methinks. it could also create a much-needed separation of space in a small area.

personally, i'm never a fan of powder blue walls as the reflected light is rarely kind to the skin (makes you look sort of sick), but to each their own here. the contrast with the red in the kitchen is nice... just wish it were a more "stone-y" tone and not as cool.

I think the floating bed was a delightful choice! I've set up my bedroom in that manner before. I love the look of it!

Too much ikea, indeed.

I love the paint colors too, the use of different shades of grey works beautifully. The unorthodox placement of the furniture is interesting to see as well. Nice work!

Auburn, you nailed it. I tried to go the craigslist route when I first moved out. I spent hours every night scouring the furniture listings, only to come away with just one or two things that were tolerable appearance-wise, were within my budget, and weren't trashed. Then there was the hassle of calling up the owner and setting up a time to see the piece, and if I wanted it, I then had to borrow a vehicle or ask a friend or family member to drive me there and help me to move it, and coordinate their schedule with the owner's schedule with my schedule.

For every single piece. No. NO.

Instead, I went on the Ikea website, made a list of items I wanted to check out, went to the showroom to see these items and narrowed down my list, then borrowed an SUV to take home all the items I could manage myself and had the rest of the furniture delivered. ALL DONE in just two evenings.

Craiglist and flea markets are great if you have the luxury of time and your own vehicle. The rest of us have Ikea or hideous hand-me-downs, so I chose Ikea.

I think you have done a lovely job, I was also disappointed at not seeing a pic of the view, tho.

Hi, Gretchen Smith here.

Thanks for all the feedback from my posting. I'm a believer that all feedback is positive feedback.

Here are a few answers to your questions...

About the IKEA... Maybe it's a bit much, but I happen to like IKEA furniture. My husband and I just moved 7 weeks ago from our other tiny apartment in Santa Monica, and since the furniture fit... we just went with it:)

About that view... Here are a few pics taken from our window. I only had 5 pics to send into AT for my application so I had to pic the "best design shots". For those who want to see the view below.

http://files.getdropbox.com/u/123673/P1010039-1.jpg

http://files.getdropbox.com/u/123673/P1010061-1.jpg

The paint... The paint colors are from BEHR, bedroom color is "Dark Granite", Main color is "Anonymous" and Orange accent color is "New Brick"

Last question to address for tonight is the bedroom... Behind the bed is a two white stools and small table with my jewelry box on top. This area is our "dressing" area. See link below for pic.

http://files.getdropbox.com/u/123673/IMG_0630.JPG

We can sit and put out shoes on while I look for my favorite accessory to wear. If the bed was facing the living area it would stick out to far from where we close the curtains and we would lose the view.

Anyhoo, we did the best with what we have and what we knew to make it the best Apt for us :)

XOXO
Gretchen Girl :)

I really love the way the apt is set up. I think at first the bed might seem odd in the middle of the space but i think it's a very cleaver way of placement that the average person might not be so cleaver to come up with. AND if you ARE so lucky to have an amazing view of the New York Skyline then I say enjoy it to the max, whatever way the bed is placed is better then having to look onto another apartment or a brick wall like so many New Yorkers have to. I also love the mix of color and I say power to Ikea!!!! In this day and age the majority of shopping is done online and if you have an eye and can pull out the more unique items and mix and match them together to make it your own style it's really great!!! Besides if you live in the city then you have a better understanding that you probably won't be living there forever and in that case wont be taking your items with you when you go. So who really needs to invest in costly furniture. I love what they did with the grey walls and think it goes very nicely with that city feel. Like another post before mine it the entire space seems spacious and efficient.

Wow! What a great space! I really like how you've made three different spaces out of one large studio. The apartment looks larger than mine and I have a 1-bdrm!

I am not feeling the negativity about the bed placement. I really like the changing area behind the bed (especially the full mirror). I agree with the commentor above, when you've got a view like that (OMG!!) you've got to capitalize on it. I can't imagine falling asleep to that, it's got to be beautiful.

Overall, great job!

Wow. I think this really works. The placement of the bed with respect to the view really works imo. I cant wait to see if this works in my small apartment!

Your views are amazing and I can see why you would design around them. You've created really comfortable, attractive, livable, separate spaces in under 500 sqf...amazing!

Regardless of where you got your furniture, it looks amazing. Wall colors are great too. And I love the creative thinking with the bed, why have wasted open space or the bed under the window (away from the view) just because it's what's done traditionally?

Oh, I think your grammar is fine too.

Congratulations!

Lovely home! I'm also an Ikea lover. You chose your pieces wisely and I think it looks terrific in the space.

Gretchen the view is mind blowing !!!!!

beautiful job. I love the wall colors!

I have absolutely no problem with an Ikea-full house, especially when one is young and poor. But, no one has mentioned the issue of reviewing your own apartment, like many did for "Annie and Kristina's Brooklyn Tree House." Is it just that the Swedes have done such a good job making things homogenized that we all look past individual style? Personally I feel that the sought after personal style is a little more interesting.

Wow! What a view.

good job!

Very nicely written post Gretchen. And incidentally I always though "off of" was a regional Americanism, I'm not sure it is correct grammer (although I wouldn't object to it's usage). And don't listen to the Ikea begrudgers.

I really like how you arranged your zones so you get the most of the OMG Spectacular View. However I too think a curtain, say a semi-sheer, behind the bed head would look better, and still give you your dressing area.

One thing really niggles though, how liveable is this space really? Surely nobody has this little stuff. I mean, where do you put your clothes and books and computer and everything else?

Auburn is right on about the IKEA, exactly what I've done. Besides, I find that being a good second hand shopper is a skill one has to learn, and is only doable with a certain amount of patience and time. Not everyone has time to wait, look and find that exact piece. Plus you have to learn what is a good deal and what is a rip off.

Bearing that in mind IKEA is pretty close to great for budget purchases.

This is a really clever and beautiful space, accomplished with beautiful color and good editing.

I WISH I could float my bed! I can't sleep like that though, by that I mean, I literally cannot fall asleep if the bed is in the middle of the floor. So I envy anyone who can!

And the view!!! The view!!! *sigh*

Aren't House Calls usually submitted by the apartment's owner?

Where would they put all of their stuff? What stuff?

Excellent!!!!

B/Heights is a wonderful place, enjoy it to the fullest! I lived there for a few years a while back and loved it.

You're apartment is crisp and clean and wonderful. I can see it's great to live in and entertain as well. You've done a great job at editing and arranging, very hard to do. Kudos.

Gretchen: Sorry if someone has asked this question already, but is your coffee table West Elm? I have one just like it but in a dark wood and was wondering if you painted it. IF so, do you have any pointers, I'd love to paint mine but I'm unsure about the piece, if it's wood or laminate, etc.
thanks
and who gives a crap if you have lots of IKEA, if you like it, go with it. Nice place!

I love the color scheme, it compliments the view perfectly. I'm sure this makes the space feel even larger. Wonderful how you were able to take a small are clear of the clutter of stuff. Tons of stuff and decoration makes a place feel junky. Whats wrong with getting rid of the old. I would however like to see the apartment once you have lived in it for a while. You have such amazing personal style and I would love to see what some time would do for this space.

I absolutley love the placement of the bed. I would not add a curtain, that would ruin the view and make the space feel smaller. If anything, remove the headboard to add to the open feeling.

Such a beautiful view! Lucky duck!

Good job, ignore the ikea haters. Your home, your style, get what you want and like, wherever it may be from. Like the bed away from the wall, get more art up there. :)

Totally awesome. Great article and nice place. Really enjoyed the writing, which was fun and whimsical: "Though the challenge of the space was the amount of space . . ."

Super job - hope to see more of Gretchen on this site!

I am jealous! How can u guys be so clean???

I mean so "uncluttered"??

Love the colors, especially the couch. It's as though you brought a bit of Santa Monica with you.

I would happily sit amongst your lovely furniture and decorative pieces and enjoy the beautiful view.

Thanks for welcoming us into your home.

I have replaced all of my Ikea furniture with nice wood antiques I found for the same price or even cheaper off of Craigslist. Ikea makes me cringe, sorry. I do like the lay out of your space.

the colors are nice. It's really stark though... I don't think I'd want to live there. It doesn't seem like anyone lives there... maybe some artwork would be nice :)

Very pretty though, just feels unfinished.

I think you have done something truly amazing with your space!

I can't believe how cohesive and separate it can be at the same time. Plus, I'm impressed you can make such a small space work with two people.

You are very inspiring to me, and maybe someday I'll run into you in Brooklyn! We move in just over a week!

Emily

I literally gasped when I saw your view!! Absolutely gorgeous. Who cares about furniture when you can look out at that everyday!

But that being said, I think your place is charming.

As far as I understand, adding 'of' is to be avoided. Your use of commas, however, could use a little work (no comma before parentheses; "and, with a few design tricks,"). Nice job, well-written overall.

Looks great! I love the bed placement - very smart.

i guess i dont know ikea pieces as well as all the haters. i think the room is cute and clean. love the grey paints. i do like the idea that someone mentioned about putting a curtain behind the bed.

Gretchen here, I'm back to answer a few more questions about my space.

I had some comments about the organizing of the space and to be honest, I'm just not a hoarder and we have only what we need and use because who need 12 pots and pans or 6 sets of towels when you only use only 2 (see my point). We have an organized closet, under the bed storage and a large pantry in the entry that holds the "odds and ends" of the home. I even started a small home organizing and decorating business called "O.C.D." short for Organize. Concept. Design. that helps clients let go of the clutter so they can live and love their home again, it's quite edifying for me:)

My husband and I are also in transition mode, we have been married for almost two years and we both have moved (separately) three times (cross country) in the last 7 years. So to invest in nice quality furniture in our 20's and current life stage isn't really for us, which is why there a lot of IKEA. Speaking of IKEA, it's more of a style than a low price tag to me. I guess I could get the same white lacquer bookcase from West Elm or Design Within Reach and pay a few hundred dollars more for it, but why would I?

There were some comments about the furniture and...

-Coffee table is West Elm- this is a finish they had a few seasons ago (cinnabar lacquer I believe)

-Lampshades - IKEA (Holla:)

-Artwork - Always looking...

-My Grammar - Let's just say I speak a language called "Gretchen" only a few understand :)

Have a nice day!!!

I really like the layout and colour choices. To be honest, I had to keep going back to the pictures while reading through the comments -- the wall paint has the right amount of 'stone' (not powder blue) and is a good neutral base for the other pops of colour. I would suggest maybe a rug for under the dining table to make the set stand out more from the honey floors.

Also, curious as to what the first comment is referring to in regards to your poster? It is only in the first picture, so maybe it's a new addition? Regardless, 'Keep Calm and Carry On' is my personal mantra du jour and I think it fits with the serenity of your place (and view). Great job!

how mean of everyone! i mean i have seen some places that are REALLY "ikea" and i don't like that, and i've seen some that are REALLY "dwr" and they are no better, believe me.

So I actually saw the comments before I looked at the pictures and then I expected something "Really Ikea." IT'S SO NOT!!

Very pretty - nice use of space, shape, color.

I haven't been to ikea in about 5 yrs, so maybe they are making some very great stuff these days if your apartment is "so ikea." your place makes me want to go!

In response to Wild-er's grammar lesson:

Writing "off of" is grammatically incorrect.
http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/probPrep.asp

Maybe you should know what you're talking about before you leave a rude comment.

generally not one to go tit-for-tat in comments, but i'm a total grammar nerd and feel compelled to say that wild-er's comment that "floated furniture off OF the walls" is correct is, in fact, er...incorrect.

both "off" and "of" are prepositions, so the phrase should have only one of them. =)

I like a lot of individual aspects of this apartment, but overall it leaves me cold. It looks like a showroom, with very little decor that shows the personality of the people that live here. I love walking into an apartment and instantly learning things about the inhabitants...but here the only impression I get is "anal" because it's so much neater than my place ;)

But truly...by her writing Gretchen clearly has personality, but it doesn't show in this space. I admit that almost all the furniture in my place is Ikea. But the smaller items are from all over the place, and in general aren't from any chain store. And you don't have to spend a lot of money. One of my favorite decorative items is a framed poster from a film festival--all of $20, including the frame. You CAN achieve this (personality through decor) without cluttering the space.

It's a really nice start, though, I like the furniture and color choices. I hope we hear more from Gretchen.

Well Gretchen - I think it is lovely and that view is something I would love to have. Great job - be happy

My mouth dropped when i saw the first photo! Its exactly what it seems, a bright & airy studio. A refreshing feeling when you wake up. The Ikea furniture doesnt seem like too much & honestly to have moved 7 weeks ago in this economy who cares, we gotta do what we gotta do & i think its blended nicely. I actually have that same grey color on my bedroom walls & everyone who walks in say they love it.
The placement of the bed is different, to a blind eye it may seem odd but thats why i like it, its unique! The only i wished to see, would be some sort of art/photo on the big wall next to bed.
Gretchen, I think you have real talent here, well done.

What a beautiful space! I live in a very small space too, but my looks no where near this good. I am so envious. Makes me want to completely start over in my home. Not sure if you will see this at this late stage - but can you tell me about the interesting piece of art over your credenza.

Note to self. Get rid of more stuff.

To those making comments about grammar and spelling, etc. Please first realize that this is a site about design, style, decor, organization... If you are that concerned about correcting someone go down to your local university and teach a class to those that are interested in learning proper English.
Generally, leaving a comment should be an act of constructive criticism, not simply pin pointing out the bad stuff.

Peggy, the photo above the credenza is a painting a friend did back for me in High School. I love it so much, it's gone with me every move I've made :)

XOXO
Gretchen

Thank you mor008. That snarky grammar remark was bothering me, too.

Lovely, serene space, Gretchen. I applaud your visual editing and color sense.

Oh noes! Not a Keep Calm poster. :-) I just started laughing when I saw it. I was fortunate enough to have my office space featured on AT, and I do have a Keep Calm Poster. EVERY SINGLE COMMENT was about that dang poster. It almost ruined it for me. But not quite. :-)

Gretchen...I think it is beautiful!!! I wish when I was that young that IKEA would have been around to help me get started.

I think the space is great from floor to ceiling! Don't change a thing. Especially the bed. Remember, it is your space to live in, so do it how you want. Who cares what everyone else thinks.

I may have to call you when I go to decorate my next space.

Lovely! Colors and layout are so unique. I, too, wish mine was this clean and fresh:) Thank you so very much for sharing your home.

Great use of color! Where are the candlesticks on the coffee table from? I've been looking for some just like these.

I agree that the space could use a bit more art on the walls, but overall I think it's really lovely. I don't find all the Ikea pieces to be obnoxious at all.

from one gretchen to another - i like the apartment and the post! well written, shows personality and creativity. (and seriously, some of us *do* like the clean, modern look of ikea. it's good to mix it up a bit - with color, artwork, accessories - but i think that gretchen's started to do that already...and she's just getting settled in) nice job!

okay - I admit I'm not the design expert many of the posters here claim to be - but I love this apt. - I like everything about it including the incredible view! It "feels" so serene - just as a home should - and I'll never understand why where you get your furniture and how much you've paid for it, is more important to some then "how it looks and feel in the home"

Lovely. But please, enough with the Keep Calm and Carry On posters.

OK WERE IS THE REAL APARTMENT?? Were is your 'STUFF" I like the clean lines but it reminds me of a hotel room. Does anyone really live there? Family pictures, Wedding pic, I could n ever get my "treasure" in it. lol

I **love** the wall color - I'm a huge grey fan.

And, don't let the hecklers of the "keep calm" poster get to you. It is a popular print for a reason - and, as prevalent as it may be, its message is still pertinent in our world. I have a bright pink "keep calm" that I hung on a whim when we first moved into our house that is my boyfriend's favorite piece of "art" in our house. The color makes me happy, and the words keep him calm when our 15 month old Wheaten is acting up (which is frequent).

I think this gal has a keen sense of color.

What a wonderful relief one experiences! I love your elegant taste. The overall layout and color scheme render a profound sense of serenity and freedom. I will definitely seek you out when I have my house redesigned.

Pretty nice apartment. I like the colors. I'm not a fan of high beds for small apartments, but it seems to work here.

Nice!

Michelle
http://cheeseloversinternational.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the links to your view, wow it is amazing!

And the wall color is gorgoeus! The floating bed is a neat idea too, I live in a very small space as well and really like what you did with yours.

I like your place. If I could add just one suggestion - instead of having the round mirror with the floating shelf try either a huge vertically oriented poster, mirror or painting, or a piece of tall furniture (that is higher than the extended countertop/breakfast bar.) A tall cabinet for more storage if you ever need it? To me, (just my opinion remember) the shelf looks odd on the same level as the counter, especially since you don't have any stools as a contrast. It appears almost as an extension of a surface which doesn't seem to be used, or highlighted. Also, all of the other furniture (table, sideboard, couch) are pretty much on the same height level and a break from that might add interest. Plus, a huge mirror could double that spectacular view!

Also, great to see there are other beings in the world named Gretchen (who are not German shepherds, Schnauzers, etc.) I've met more dogs named Gretchen than people! Great job with the place and I love your business name!

- Gretchen (Greta on AT)

You F@#king Rock !!! anyone who doubts this house is really lived in, it is. My sister is a compulsive cleaner. Her place in Santa monica looked this put together and clutter free all the time. i pray for her when she has kids, i have 3 and the living room stays organized for about 10min on a good day!! Gretchen you are an amazing talent! You taught yourself! You have a 450 sq ft apt, Does anyone of these bloggers know how crazy small that is. Some of these other places in the top 5 are like 1,000sq ft and up, I mean come on give a girl something to work with, but girl your so good you don't need alot. Can't wait to come visit and see you the apt. and the view! Yeah one more thing! My sister has amazing skill and taste. Shes a designer not a f@#king english major, who gives a rats ass about the way her blog was written . If you really want to have fun critic mine. Love ya sis Heidi

You've done an amazing job! The poster can be changed to something else, and one of the photos actually doesn't feature this poster. It's easy to replace it with a larger-sized piece of art. It would be much more difficult (and more expensive) to replace the flooring, for example. And the floors in this case are beautiful!

Overall I like this space. The living room could use a touch of black somewhere. Maybe black piping on the pillows? Love the poster!

Holy cow! What a view! I'd never be able to move. Great job on the space. Really nice color choices. Almost minimalist, which I like. I'd feel very calm in your space, even without the directive. :-)

Heidi Mann, take it easy!

I'm not an avid cataloger of Ikea, so to my untutored eye, the apartment looked really good. I thought the wall colors were really great. I personally noticed the Jonathan Adler pieces and wondered about the expense for a young couple. But people are entitled to own what they want.

The KC&CO poster will be a sign of the times -- 2009. If the message works for people, it works; but it's not going to stay in fashion forever. FYI -- I have it up as a notecard on my bulletin board. And I have sent it as a notecard to friends.

I loved your space. The gray/orange color combination is great. I love that it us simple and uncluttered. I can imagine that it is very soothing to come home to. Good job!

Gretchen - Love your sofa! Details, please! It is exactly the blue I have been looking for. Please let me know where its from!

I like it, where did you get the glass chair?
The only thing is the position of the bed... I will change it...

Very lovely! The wall colors are perfect! I wish my home could look this serene and comfortable.

It's Gretchen! Glass chair and sofa both purchased from IKEA:)