All Photos: The Awesome Lane Johnson
Enter Robert's Apartment Here and Judge for Yourself
(voting starts Wednesday at 12pm)
(Contest Homepage, Prizes & All Entries)
Name: Robert
Location: West Village
Size: 300 sq/ft
Type: One Bedroom
What is your favorite home store?
IKEA..I know that may sound like an uninspired answer, but I think IKEA is a excellent start for people, or a great finish if you are missing a few pieces. The design is good` and the quality decent. The most important thing is to mix it up. You need to add some personal, unique items picked up at flea markets etc. to round out the space.
What is your secret?
Hmmmmmmmm.
Simply put, I try to go with the architecture while considering the end user's needs. By this I mean, consider the existing lines and architectural direction of the space before you attempt to put another layer on top.
My place is quite simple and clean in part because of it's diminutive size and also because that is my preference. I like to use industrial materials in more refined ways. Materials such as plywood, stainless steel and concrete are generally not considered to be elegant finishes. They do, however, convey an unexpected warmth and style when mixed with other more traditional materials
I guess this would be my "secret" or general philosophy in approaching interior design. Robert
Beautiful! But may I ask how much did it cost, approximately? The bathroom is just luscious... Love the skylights. Do you know if your neighbors are selling? I know a few people looking to buy, esp if fixer uppers and well priced.
These photos show a lot of great details I didn't notice before like that shelf in the shower. I love it!
Totally, totally fab. My fave. Such clean, beautiful lines. LOVE the TV/table/cabinet thing. It FLOATS for God's sake! And it's the only one in the contest so far that looks even more delicious in the second set of photos than the first. Beautiful, beautiful job.
stunning and practical. you've got my vote.
Without a doubt the best design. BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFUL. The bookcase/dining table is fantastic, as is the couch. But is anything in there really from IKEA?
Question--what is the purpose of the bookcase that partitions the sofa from the wall? Does that nook serve a special purpose?
Was the sofa base constructed?
I think the nook is supposed to serve as a sort of front-door closet. I think it was a good way to create a closet where there wasn't one, and it also doesn't seem to be obtrusive (surprisingly)!
I believe the cabinets in the bedroom are IKEA, no?
This one remains in my top 3...I like so many elements in it. These new pics really showed details I didn't catch the first time too- it served its purpose though...I love it even more now!
stunning. i love every inch of this space. i especially enjoy the flip-down table, can you possibly share with me (by email?) who built that piece for you? it's incredible.
this apartment has my vote for smallest/coolest overall. with patrick and brandon following.
thank you for sharing all of these very special spaces.
Loooove it. Clean lines. Minimalist but it looks complete, which isn't so easy to do. As an aside, I would never be able to sleep in a bed that touches the wall on both ends. I can't even sleep with blankets on my feet so I'd freak out having my feet touch a wall. So I guess I'll have to sleep on the couch when I come over?Seriously, this is one cool apartment. A+
Wow - wow - wow
Nothing more to say but WOW
This apartment is amazing. I can see your talent and smart mind for both design and aesthetic. Your place is far and away the smallest coolest apartment. Lucky you have such high ceilings and skylights in a small apartment in New York City. Good luck!
Robert's and Patrick's places are both just fantastic examples of the fact that, even if you're "just renting," you can do things to go ahead and make a space your own. This place really does look wildy amazing in a very quiet way.
cuanto cuesta??? mucho dinero??
I vote for you because I do think your apartment is definitely THE smallest/coolest one. I love it! I'm a big fan. Congratulations!
Robert, I love your place. Really great job. Can I be nosy and ask if you have a design/construction background? I know you told me, when I admired your plywood cabinet, that you built it yourself, and the design is so impressive and space-saving. (I've always secretly wanted to be able to build stuff.) Kudos on a great job! So many nice touches.
Hats off!
As I said before when the two additional pictures of the apartment (of the couch) which had been inadvertantly left off were added to the original entry, this just gets better. When I viewed the original pix, I thought, I can't tell what the whole place looks like, since these pix don't show enough. But now we know -- every inch of this place is fabulous. Wow! I want to linger and drool over each pic and I know I'll open up this slide show again and again and each time get a hit of "wildly amazing" as Curtis said. Please tell us every detail about the whole place. I think that wooden unit is so efficient, makes good use of the space, and looks great. I'm not saying how I'm voting yet, since I'm going to carefully look through them all again, but...
Is that additional storage directly behind the couch (under the pix)?
I still love the apartment, but is the bathroom doorway really that impossibly narrow!?!
If I understood your "secret", you designed your place yourself - So, I have to ask, would you be interested in taking on the design of other apartments?
What can I say? A beautiful space that just gets better in every photo!
Those windows give it that extra touch...we didn't see them in the original slide show. And a more complete view of the layout just reveals how perfect the whole design is!
Congrats!
Your bedroom is gorgeous. Clean, crisp, and simple!
I like apartment No. 5 the best.
The weird thing is, there are a few (little?) things I don't like about the apartment - and yet, it's slowly inching it's way up to being my favorite. Maybe that's why it's successful - it is obviously great at communicating that it's a real someone's apartment, so that little criticisms from an outsider don't really matter.
Clean lines, but not antiseptic/artificial; sort of modern but retro at the same time; lots of color, but still subdued. If Robert designed the space (including the built-ins) himself, I think he's done a great job.
And that mini-womb/cacoon of a bedroom? Maybe I'm nuts (omit "maybe"), but I would love sleeping there. The whole tiny, little thing is really super - from the bedding to the cabinets to the niches. (Just don't dwell on the obscenity of the fact that this little nook changes this from a "studio" to a "one bedroom" in NYC - man, I can just HEAR the broker selling this joint...)
I'm not going to even bother listing my little "criticisms," because it seems pointless. Unless you twist my arm. Out of its socket.
(And Robert, I'd love to know what you used for your backsplash in the kitchen. And how you secured it. And where you got it. And when you can come and do it at my place.)
I love handcuffs!
Anna,
Are the bedroom cabinets from IKEA? I don't recognize them--they look so high-end.
love it! it's fab-ooooo!
Yeah, I think all the cabinets in the bedroom are IKEA, and the cow-print chair might be too. People look down on IKEA, but like Robert, I love it. The key to making it look high-end and not like mass-produced plastic is to mix it up with other nice pieces, like he said. It's like wearing a bargain-basement outfit with a Chanel purse and shoes.
A cosy little nest full of a good and wise vibrations.
I do love it;
Will I be invited ?
Robert answered my same question on his original posting about the bedroom cabinets by email and said that the bedroom cabinets are indeed from IKEA.
Beautiful work, very inspiring. In a word Fabulous!!!
A terrific apartment...no one else comes close. Vinceri Roberto!
just looked through the photos again,
i loved it even more the second time.
loved the bathroom, it's the best of them all.
I would love to know about the back splash as well.
just looked through the photos again,
i loved it even more the third time.
you win.
I'm hoping the backsplash is plexi, thus (relatively) inexpensive; I'm fearing it's glass, thus too expensive for old pppphillll
God, sorry, more questions, the more I look at the photos - - is the "built-in sofa" replete with storage underneath? Do I see that the seat flips up?
This is exactly what I need/want - was this custom-built (by you, by someone else), purchased? Can you build one for me when you come to install the backsplash?
The IKEA items I see are the two white kitchen chairs, most of the white melamine cabinetry and possibly the kitchen cabinets... The pony fur Eames piece is, um, probably Eames. Someone on another thread knew the vintage of it...
Okay, I'm really curious -- do you have to take the mattress off in order to make the bed?? I don't think I have the skills to do that ..
Those white chairs look more like Jacobsens or the ubiquitous knock-offs. As for making a bed in that small of space, you just pull up each corner of the mattress at a time to tuck the sheets in. Sleeping in small space like that is actually very cozy, and doesn't waste as much space as most bedrooms.
Tough making a choice, but Robert's golden handcuffs is my top pick. It is indeed the coolest, small apartment of the bunch.
Questions for Robert
Who makes the bathroom sink and where did you get it? Who built the bookcase/TV cabinet/table. It's such a brilliant idea! Thank you.
Kimber
Robert built the wall unit.
The backsplash resembles the one that the winner of the kitchen contest had (the contest prior to this one.) It was plastic, I believe plexiglass. She also gave details on how she installed it in the thread.
This place makes me swoon. Everytime I look at it, I just fall helplessly in love with it again. Although I studied all the entries again before I voted, I knew this one was my one true love (must be that heart in the bedroom) and it got my vote.
The only part that makes me a little uncomfortable are the areas to the left and right of the couch - the shelving. I realize the unit on the left creates an entryway, which is very nice. But it looks a bit chockablock to me. It may just be the angle that the pic was taken. Robert, do you have additional plans for this area?
Where is the shelf about the bathtub from?
about=above
I'm torn between Hillary's and Robert's spaces. There really should be more than one category, but I guess Robert should win overall, and Hillary second place. Robert's place has more factors going for it. I prefer Hillary's place, though, mainly for the philosophy behind it. [The counter shouldn't be up there, by the way]
Robert, this space is extraordinary. To think it was done in 300 sq feet. What should feel like a jail cell is in fact a series of delightful journeys. I'd let you put those handcuffs on me anytime!
Funny, Pixie, the area you pointed out was one of my "trouble spots" as well; I understand the utility, but think it doesn't *quite* work - especially since the rest of the place works so perfectly. I'm not so opposed to the storage which sort of deliniates an "entryway" - that I like - but the bookcases in the corner seen awkward. I'm almost thinking an "L", with the bookcases continuing *behind* the sofa might have been better. Not sure.
This is one of the things that has me still on the fence, chosing from among Robert, Patrick and Brandon...
What a dump!
LOVE IT! LOVE ROBERT!
But the bookshelves around the couch are such a minor thing in the context of the overall apartment. Every space in the contest has its flaws and I'm surprised to find any in Robert's, otherwise so fine.
This is by far the most sophisticated of the group.
Textures, material use and colors are sublime.
Bravo Roberto!
I need to cast a Vote for Robert. How do I do so.
Best Regards,
Paul
Robert's is the best! You'd never know that behind that unassuming door . . .
Robert's apartment rocks!!!!! It's the most creative and inviting.
looks wonderful
fantastic
when can i move in?
Great use of space and light.
awesome -liked the kitchen
marvelous. you need a cat.
wish there were more pics. looks good.
the table and chairs agains the book case rock! more is not better; better is simply better! and that's better.
-B
ya got my vote!
Best of show!
Robert - you did a stunning job. You deserve to win.
its the look i'm going for. mod and functional!
Your use of space and color is creative and fun. Hope you win - you should.
Love it!
like it a lot
Looks very nice. clean lines. good use of space.
A palace in 300 ft. It's a miracle.
super looks
Superb!
looks great as well as affordable.
Definitely the winner!
The great thing about the room is that it all works as system. At the same time its no so streamline and similar in color, shape, etc. to be boring.
-M
Comfy and inviting - and functional. How did you do it!!!
my husband even likes it.
Robert!
if i could I would, but i can't, so I'll just envy the ability and the look.
looks good.
i wanna live there...i'm gushing at the loving detail you've put into such a small space...the bedroom space with the framed cutouts in the wall...beautiful~
i might re-paint that front door though! honestly, how could you photograph it with those smudges and discolorations??!
Having lived or visited relatives in NYC, Rochester, Orlando, and now living in Memphis I found the apartmnet perfect for the amount of space. It has a zen and quaint feel to all rolled into one. I loved the color choices right down to the furniture design and placement of carefully chosen pieces of accessories ie. the the books and phone.In a place with that square footage there is not room room for clutter thus I loved the shelves and cabinets. Apartments always seem too short of those. Job Well Done!!!!
You have done a spectacular design. Can I ask. Where di you find the sink and about what was the cost.
Thank you so mcuh for the inspiration.
By now this is an old post, but still incredibly inspiring. I love your place, colors, textures, layout - bonus points for the Arne Jacobson Ant Chair, Eames Lounge Chair and Walnut Stool - beautiful, peaceful, calming space.
I love it. I come back to it time and time again to get ideas for my own place. Two questions, how did you do the backsplash and where in the world did you get the bathroom sink/vanity? Love the glass tiles in the floor. Looks like slate? Just peaceful and elegent and modern. Bravo!
I love this place...when I saw it on TV for the first time I was blown away with all the amazing space-saving solutions! Everything from the foyer created by the bookcase to the under the sofa storage! Just amazing!! Good luck!
~B~