apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I don't know what I love more, everything or everything...

OMG I love the rug too!!! Where did you get it? Fabuloud use of color!

I LOVE this! No color is overdone...it's extremely cozy without having "stuff" everywhere. I'm in love with the mirrors and that blue dresser.

A lot of mystery and good aura in this place, I can feel it.
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Simply gorgeous use of color. Very sophisticated.

Wow, I've seen similar rugs and hated them but you've really made it shine! I LOVE your living room!

I love it. Beautiful colors pulled together in a wonderful way. Although I'm noticing that the loft bedroom is not really teal...

Love, love, love, love this apartment. Any chance for a full house tour? I want to see more!

A beautiful, serene and sophisticated room. And I love the green of the houseplants as a foil for the blue and fuschia.

Um, win.

Oh, my goodness! I feel so touched by these comments; thank you so much. One Important thing i forgot to mention: I wasn't uncertain about posting photos where the arrangement was different. Then I realized it might be helpful; it shows it's always a work in progress, and Time. It takes time.

Star Princess: I bought the rug at ABC- and it was a hefty purchase, let me warn you now. But I knew I wanted it to anchor the room, and since it's a one time cost, I decided to take the plunge.

I love it!

Oh! The loft bedroom isn't my bedroom; it's for guests. My bedroom is tiny and teal, trust me.

i suddenly want to sing "How Deep is Your Love" it's got that classic '70s nyc vibe

Hands down winner.

I think you might be living in my dream apartment. Gorgeous.

Agh, there's another bedroom? I had coop envy even when I thought the loft was the only one! (I rent up in Morningside & can't change anything.) I really love your couch.

I reread my post. I guess I was too overwhelmed by all of the lovely comments because I didn't make much sense! What I meant to write was, I wasn't certain about posting photos of different stages. Again, thank you for the lovely comments.

I love everything about this apartment! The rug is to-die-for... the houseplants... the little fan in the loft... the color of the hardwood floors... the wall unit...the big mirrors...I could go on...

Impressive, your guest bedroom is the first loft bedroom i have seen that i think i could sleep in!
Are those built in book shelves or your bookshelves?
thanks for sharing.

I like your color choices and agree w/your color philosophy. You have some very nice pieces, e.g. mirror, sofa, great-looking bureau and wall sculpture. Also love the book wall...I can feel what you're going for here, and I wonder if editing out a few things might make for a more spacious effect.

I love this. Now this is my idea of color. I'm more in favor of soothing than exhausting when it comes to use of color.

http://www.modernests.com

I'm normally not a lover of (too much) colour in the house, but this is soooo beautifully done it makes me smile. I especially like the sofa.

This to me is a very NY apartment and EXACTLY what I would want if I lived there.

I love Adrian Lyne's films because the apartments are always smokey, dreamy and filled with interest I can watch them a few times just because of the apartments, this has that feel to me.
This is probably one of my very favorite tours!!!!!!

You were so smart to spend bucks on that rug, so worth it!

It really does pull everything together. This is when you can say a rug make a huge impact and is the art, the color.

I am still drooling.

win! hands down the best so far.

I love everything you've done, not just the colours. And I too would love to see a full house tour!

Wow. What a treasure.

where did you get your couch. love it!

Woah, this is my favorite so far, by far. Gorgeous.

Beautifully moody.

Beautiful opening photograph, so lush and inviting. Makes me want to step in and have some tea.

I agree with others, very well done and my favorite contest entry so far. I had considered a similar rug at one point but the color was too much for me. Now I'm envious of how you've made it work for you. Is it vintage Art Deco era or a reproduction? An excellent choice either way.

I'm going to try and answer all the questions:

1. The sofa is from the Brooklyn flea market. 2. The rug is not a reproduction: vintage Chinese Art Deco. 3. Believe it or not, the bookshelves are from Ikea, and they're almost 10 years old. They've proven to be shockingly durable; I've moved countless times, and they're still standing.

As far as making it more spacious, well, it's just perfect more me! Honestly, I wasn't "going for" any look; it's a collection of what I love AND what I can afford. But I think it just comes down to different approaches (words like "edit" give me the heebie jeebies).

To the person who mentioned Adrian Lyne's set design: you are spot-on! The visual experience -regarding some of the apartments in his films- borders on the erotic . . .

the bones of that apartment are a dream!

so lovely!

As the Dude once said..."That rug really tied the room together."

Nice place! So warm and cozy. Thanks for sharing.

love it. i'm movin in!

I meant no insult. As a film lover, editing should not evoke "heebie jeebies".

"beautifully moody"

perfectly said, SparkerShop.

Go Gidget. It's GGGGGorgeous.

i have been and slept in this beautiful apartment. Everytime i walk in, its a whole new experience. GORGEOUS GO

This is the kind of apartment that makes "color-fraid" people invite color into their lives... Tastefully placed, and beautiful palette... Thanks for sharing!

very cool.. the rug and furniture work beautifully with the brick.

my sweet Schopenhauer

not sure if you might be interested in any unsolicited constructive criticism, but if i were you i'd consider looking for a different ladder, one that fits better into the decor of the lower room (which is gorgeous).

also, i love lofts, but this one juts out at me and disturbs the aesthetic of the rest of the space, so if it were me i think i'd keep the curtain mostly drawn.

With the amazing high ceilings and great light this is an apartment that can really handle lots of deep colours and I liked that you went from the blues and fushias instead of bright reds, greens or yellows.

Please, can we have a tour once she wins? I am so longing to see the rest of this space.

So pretty! (And also, "fuchsia".)

The colors of the couch and the chest of drawers with the rug make me swoon.

As for the rest: wow. Wow. Wow.

I would so love for this entry to win over a bunch of 50s crap!

PS Wanna see teal bedroom, please!

I love the juxtaposition of rich, warm, elegant purples against the stark bricks. Gorgeous!

this apartment is great. a) i love the set-up of the place with the sleeping loft and b) i love your use of color :)

So chic, so soft, so inviting! I don't want to say cozy because the space is too cool for cozy. Love the colors, the furniture - so jealous.

I agree, House Tour!!!

House tour should be so coming.

What's not to love?? It's so great!

Genius!

House Tour, Please!

beautiful apartment_we need a House Tour!

I'd love to see the rest of the place. It's just what I'd have if I lived alone...my spouse, kids, and dog take up a lot of room.

I have serious sofa lust now.

i love this! in what part of nyc can you find such a great-looking apartment with the brick, windows, etc.?? i'm currently looking for an apartment and am not seeing anything like this!

ooooh love it. win, win!

This apartment is remarkably similar to the ones in San Francisco on the 1000 block of Market street, btwn 6th and 7th, run by Richard Lane (come on folks in there, some one enter small cool next year!) where i once had an almost identical unit, and was foolish to give up. The only drawback is that they are in the butthole, or armpit of SF--sorry, let's be honest--surrounded by, often, vibes from hell. Yet being back in a "real neighborhood", Noe valley, it is not really more friendly.
But i digress: There should be buildings like it allover SF however--it was profitable, while housing lots of working class people, artists and students, not just upscale professionals and the beige boutique real estate set which has swallowed much of the city. Certain housing activists opposed it at first (since it was a for profit venture), then came to embrace it, but since this is SF, there's been no more like it...when there should be! Allover the country, there should be some sort of lobby for this sort of thing.
By the way, well done, pretty place!!

Thank you for the unrelated rant pinkorangered. Much appreciated. I mean it.

I love this apartment. Reminds me of my last one in the Upper East side (loft boudoir and all). Except this one has even more flair. I love how everything comes together so nicely and it is so well photographed by a regular resident.

I am surprised how well the bookcase works in the normal narrow confines of a NY railroad apartment. It reinforces the idea that I have to constantly relearn. Namely, take a potential negative and play into it and it becomes natural.

Very nice decor, although I am not sure this belongs in a contest for colorful rooms as everything is rather mute.

Your room is alittle dark and depressing for me. The rug and sofa are also alittle depressing. It looks like the chair in the loft could fall off the edge, I would not want to sit there. Each to their own taste.