apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

this entry would have been nice to see in the
I Got Art contest . . .
[I'd like a better look at your photography etc]

Yay--finally, the long-anticipated contest begins!

That floor is crazy cool. Did you guys do that yourselves?

You guys are so creative with such a little space. Love the decor and the view. Best of luck to you.

I do agree that it is a nice use of space, but the decor lacks style or panache. Maybe some colors on the wall, or interesting throw pillows could be a start.

Help me here. Am I expected to vote before I see all the pictures?

Efficiency and problem solving aspects are good. View, quite nice, but nothing screams out to me as "God, that's a gorgeous apartment!"

Looking forward to seeing more entrants!

I like the layout, the view, and the good storage solution - platform bed with art- I wish we could see more pictures of that. I agree that the place doesn't inspire me, which is the unfortunately high standard set last year. But it still looks like a cozy, functional space.

I wish there was a category between "A contender" and "No Way, Jose!" That just seems so harsh - like I hate it when that isn't true at all.

Hey avocado, that's what the comments are for. You did a good job with them.

Thanks Jamie Pup. Being from the South makes me hyper-conscientious about sounding critical. I wish there was a "Bless Your Heart" box to check because I think it is so brave to post your apartment.

AppleMartin--you can wait to vote until you see more.

avocado--I love the "bless your heart category."

I agree, it's a great use of space but the furnishings and decor don't inspire me. Nice view!

BTW, one of the thing I like most with this apt is something I saw once before in a contest or in an "inside out" and that is where the bed is and that it is partially enclosed. In this way it is distinctly separate and does not block the flow to the window as I have seen in many studios where the bed is closer to the window - even with a low wall that does not block light.

I know this can only be done with certain floorplans but where this is possible, I think this is the best solution for a studio.

This is not to say that I did not like anything else but I do hope the judges (I'm sur they will in fact) will take into consideration the layout and not just the decor etc.

I think I'm personally going to hold off on my voting until I've seen more entries...I find that it's hard to vote without some context, and when I did that in other contests, I regretted it!

Thanks for inviting the AT community in, Brady and Andrea! My first gut reaction with the place, echoing comments above, is that it needs more pizazz too. I really like your lamp and table beside the sofa (you can tell I've been in the market for these things), but I can't get past the rocker beside it which isn't really my taste! For "pizazz," I think it would be cool to have another light fixture in the entry way--maybe someone else could tell me how easy/hard that would be, because I would like to do that myself in my bedroom, but have ZERO electrical know how!
Also, maybe bring in more of the red color on the bistro seats into cushions on the sofa or maybe curtains? Or, maybe just changing out the paint color on the window wall to something less in the same color family as the sofa?

Here's another vote for "that's a cool layout." While I'm not ordinarily a fan of accent walls, I really like the peach wall for providing a goal at the end of the long corridor. I also admire the concept of your bedroom storage area -- clever and functional!

The cat is also highly stylish. My solid black euro-style cat will have to stop complaining that the gray-and-white tabby is too country, now that I've seen one in New York.

WRT voting, I should have said this before but I think it would help greatly if, once all entries have been aired as it were (sorry but the poll on what women wear to bed has permanently altered that image for me) we could run all entries as if they were all in the final and vote on them.

This way we vote on all of them after having seen them and we save our votes for what we really think are the best ones.

after that, the judges can take over.

I totally agree with JP regarding voting.

I also like jamie pup's voting suggestion.

I also really like Brad and Andrea's design tip; while I often sketch out floor plans, the color-coded chips is a great idea to make reviewing the plan easier and more visual (not to mention eliminating the need to tag drawings with the name of items in tiny, cramped handwriting).

I just love that paint color; in the photo on here, at least, it looks like the perfect blend of peach (which is one of my favorite colors) and beige.

I really would like to see a stronger presence above the sofa; either bigger are, or more, or something, or a large mirror. In fact, if that very photo could be about four times the size it is, that would be great.

And that nice, dark grid shelf unit makes me want more substantial picture frames for above it, in slightly less hap-hazard arrangement.

I agree with Jamie Pup about the voting and I agree with avocado that the phrase "No Way Jose" is not really one that I (also originally from the South) am quite comfortable with. Furthermore, I think it could help usher in comments in a tone of voice counter to that which AT really seems to try to foster.

In that vein, why not just have a numeric rating scale? Because different entries get a different number of votes, you'd have to take the percentage of top scores in relation to that entry's total vote or something, then maybe break ties in favor of the entries that got more total votes -- but it feels less rude to rate something as a "1" than as "No way, Jose!"

I think there's a lot to be said for a system that lets people feel good about sharing apartments that have several good ideas but that aren't top-top-top-notch design.

I think this contest is going to be really hard with only three photos! It's hard to judge the bedroom area by that little edge sticking out, and it would be nice to see the kitchen and bathroom. Will the finalists get to submit additional photos...?

I agree with some of the above posters that the rating scale is flawed. I think there should be more than 3 choices, and perhaps a toning down of the wording of the bottom category. But now that voting has started, I don't think this can be changed.

hmmmm. my one main suggestion would be to think of making the pieces of art on the wall larger (by way of, for instance, super-huge mats), and more consistently framed. right now, they kind of float, and don't have much connection to the furniture below, or to each other. i think that might give them more substance, on their own, and make the space seem more unified.

the end space with the sofa and the view looks very comfortable; more visual appeal over the sofa might make it even more "grounded" and inviting.

I am sooo in agreement with the numerical rating system.

Please start that!

No one is a 0 if they have least attempted to put furniture in a room and make it habitable-

The interesting design anaylsis would start to happen after you pass 2 on the scale - it might help others (and me ;-) to be a learning experience to dissect why one was a 4 and another an 8.

Design and space planning are my passions, but without formal training -sometimes it's hard to suck up good design principles by osmosis.

Just my 2 (on a scale of 1 -10) cents.

I like the living area but get rid of that 70s maple rocker with the seat pad, the iron table in the hallway and the iron chair in the hallway. Take them out to the dumpster now! Empty space would look better than these bad purchases. Were you sleepy when you bought these things? Rule 1: Never purchase furniture when you're sleepy.

Brady and Andrea,

I love the retro, neo-cozy-country aspect of your design placed smack dab in the middle of metro. Personally, I favor the sharp lines of contemporaray, however your place makes me take notice. Photos of "clean", almost unlived in looking spaces are nice for a magazine, but your space makes me want to crawl through the monitor and take a nap next to the cat. Your creativity and space utilization is remarkable! Great job!

PS- who is Jose?

There were many nice things about this apartment, which made it hard to choose the third option. But it just doesn't quite meet the AT standard. One suggestion: don't spread out the art work and don't hang it so high. It would be more dramatic to cluster pieces together. Even if they don't seem to "go together" the fact that these are pieces you like/love is unity enough. What I wouldn't give for that expanse of windows and the natural light.

I don't understand why so many of you have this notion that you need to see all the other entrants before "voting." You're not voting yet - you're giving your opinion. It doesn't matter whether or not you see any of the other entries before you rate this one. You have to rate all of them. Each stands on its own. I find it so frustrating that these comments come up every contest. Too many of you don't seem to "get" how it works.

This is a preliminary round - think about it: On this page, we're only asked to honestly give our opinion of this one. It's subjective, of course, but try and live in the moment, people. On the next entry's page, we honestly give our opinion of that one. This early on, you don't pick and choose which one you vote for after you have seen them all. It only makes sense that we all need to give feedback on **each and every one.** Then, it seems obvious to me, the finalists are determined by seeing who got the most "high marks." So don't hold back now - that makes absolutely no sense.

...sigh...

Need more art on the walls. Too many conflicting styles of furniutre, and colors. That place is so busy it looks cluttered.

This is not a tiny apartment, too easy.

this apartment looks like the "before" shot of makeover.

Hi Brady and Andrea, -Just some ideas ;)Positive ok
1.Show off that awesome platform bed! (add bedding and a few pillows)
2.Taking down the curtains will open up your space and create balance.(but I understand for division. String clear stone beads to create an open but private look) You could also use art attached by hooks to make a divider)
3.There is a lack of flow of your space= A lot of furniture.
4. The floor is awesome. However, it's not seen due to the odd placement of the rug. Place the rug to fit under the sofa.
5. Find a look that works well together. In the apt. I could see many different styles. ie- country, modern, urban etc.
6. As for the art(I'm an artist so this is fun for me)try playing off the geometric shapes of your amazing windows in your apt.
example: Buy bold black frames for your art selections.
7. The color scheme I see for your space: black, whites, warm yellows/oranges and natural woods to match your floor color. Take care and the best of luck.

A big to stogy and safe. Needs a splash of color here and there. But a million dollar view, that's for sure. A nice apartment for hibernating in on a cold winter's day.

Thanks for the comments (good and bad). WeÂ’re enjoying them and admit it can be embarrassing to be critiqued in this way. There are some really beautiful apartments in this contest, so we are getting inspiration from them as well as direct suggestions and encouragement. In reading the voting criteria for the contest we felt our merit for entering was strongest in the areas relating to efficiency and problem solving. Beauty is subjective, but clearly some of the entrants are very strong in this area. When we submitted our entry only three photos were allowed. We submitted two more photos a few days ago. One of the pictures will show our bedroom. We built our bed platform and we're not sure how weÂ’d survive without it. Wall space above a low lying bed seems like a misuse of space for such small apartments. As much as we love some of the other entrants we still wonder where they keep all of their belongings. As seen in our layout we created a space between the curtain and our shelving large enough to conceal storage bins. One problem we encountered was with the ceiling and main wall behind the couch. Because they are concrete, it is difficult to drill into and crumbles easy. When finished we were very pleased with the outcome of the curtain system. Although it is not a sound barrier, it provides the privacy we need and is not fixed or space consuming. We keep most of the curtain system open, but can create two-three separate spaces when desired. For the cat lovers, they might appreciate the thought we put into making the environment interesting for our cat. With the placement of the bedroom furniture and the shelving units in the center of the apartment, she has an elevated level of her own that is easily accessible. Our apartment, although, it is not chic, it is still small and cool!

I agree with the comments about more art on the walls; I find that a great way to put my stamp on my personal space. The floor is great, and i'm envious of the view. -t

I'm glad you submitted more pics. The bed area is cool and it wasn't highlighted enough in the original pics.

As for the competition, I agree. It is daunting with all this stylistic beauty. But I give you kudos for function and fun that mmets your needs and fits your style. I'm of the mind that those elements are what really matter the most anyway.

Brady and Andrea--Love hearing about how you've thoughtfully worked out the cat's well-being and amusement in the space. Anyone with pets knows that pets rule our lives.

Where did you get the cool wall shelving unit?? I really need something like that.
Thanks.

Cool storage solutions and great view!

erh, is that a box of kleenex placed right next to the telescope?

vids - the shelving unit with the pink phone (called geometric storage) as well as the shelving unit in the living room (called rolling storage but we left the wheels off) are from West Elm.

Hi Brady and Andrea,
Now we see that awesome job you guys did on the bed! Love the bold color bedding too. The best of luck ;) Your view- Wow!!!

This apartment actually looks lived in -- which in my book makes it much more of a finalist than some of the others! It's easy to do a lot with a small space, if you don't acquire stuff -- but I won't give you points for it.

However, accomodating your stuff in a small space, and still managing to make everything look good -- lots of points!!!

The bed solution is lovely and I want your bookcase! It feels slightly cramped, but it's very vibrant and pretty.

Get rid of the rocker. They're great for rocking the baby, but they're horrendous.

I'm sorry but I don't like anything about the apartment. How did this become the #1 finalist?

I'm sorry not to be able to decide yet. I think the best way to do it is just enjoying an stay there...
I'm from Spain and I'm quite sure you guys know who I am.
I'm very surprised the way you show your home and accept very chritical opinions.
Hope my desire comes true someday and I can help "in situ". Toni

I'm sorry to tell you that I'm not really sure to give you my opinion yet. The better way to solve my doubts I think is to come over and have a direct look at your home.
I guess you are quite surprised but if I tell you that I'm writing you from Spain, I'm sure you know who I am.
Just to finish, my real opinion is that you have a wonderful home and it really matches with you. TONI