Name: Hannah
Location: Upper West Side, NYC
Size: 366 s/f Alcove Studio
Favorite resource:
Found objects, aka mongo; Craig's list; Ikea, cheap, practical, and easy.
What inspired you?
I am used to small spaces. I grew up in a very small apartment in a brownstone walk-up on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Originally a one bedroom, my parents folded another bedroom into the space by shrinking the bathroom and wrapping the second bedroom, equipped with a loft bed, around it. I also grew up with what my mother calls "street finds."
...A rather self-explanatory term, it signifies a piece of furniture discovered on the street, lugged home, cleaned, and lovingly incorporated with rest of the furniture. But a street find is more than just a table or a chair – it is also a treasure, and a symbol of life in New York City.
When I moved into this studio, I called on my experience of living in small places. I have tried to use the furniture to designate different spaces for working, eating, relaxing, and sleeping. However, because the apartment is so small, each designated space must fit together with its neighbors, like a puzzle. For example, when I work at the desk, the couch doubles as work table where I can spread out papers.
Yet because the ceilings are very high (nearly 18 feet) and the windows are large, the apartment actually feels quite spacious.
Design Tip:
Mix old and new, and warm and cold.
EXTRA:
The most satisfying challenge of creating an efficient layout in this space is that most of my furniture was discovered on the street, either by me or someone close to me. I found the glass table top which sits on top of a base my grandmother found in Milwaukee, and a friend found the chaise lounge base. Of course, I had to purchase a minimal number of things, like the Intermetro unit, because the kitchen has no counter space. But found or purchased, modern or traditional, the things in the apartment layer and converge to give a sense of openness and history to the space.
Your tolerance for visual busyness is much higher than mine, but darn! you'd be fun to wander little neighborhoods with, checking out the junk shops and seeing what's been left out as "free to good home."
I love it. Lots of character! It beats all those generic apartments we have being seeing the past few weeks. I like what you have done with such limited space. The apartment looks very cozy, and simple. What more could anyone want?
I like the placement of the glass kitchen table; right in line with that half of the window, and I think that the island you created right outside your kitchen is really the perfect thing to do with that kind of kitchen.
I wonder sometimes what has propelled people to do what they do with their living spaces. The impulse to reflect their position in the pecking order must be high on the list. This is one of the few entries that doesn't look too, too self-consciously applied/designed. And it's a blessed relief. From the look of things, Hannah is surely one of the few apartment owners I'd want to meet. Her home looks comfortable, intelligent and possessing an integrity that conveys a real style. There are days when I'd be very happy to walk through that front door and find myself in such a pleasant environment. Good show, Hannah!
I'm especially taken with the pastel artwork over the fireplace; the usual path would be bright color accents, but this really works.
Mind telling whether it's a poster (and if so, where it's available?) or if it's an original work of art?
Congratulations!
I liked the feel of the space, the table inline with the window is nice. The only discordant note was the TV on the little roller box. Toss that sucker out of the window, but check for pedestrian traffic first.
While I'm glad this place works for its occupant, it's not designed, or even arranged. I don't understand the digs at those entrants who cleaned up before they took their pictures. I don't think streamlined or organized is the same as generic.
Hannah obviously has many interests and like the feeling of having her possessions out and about. I collect lot of stuff myself, but I've got the room to indulge myself.
Here--the scale of all the accessories is so small that if the ceilings and windows weren't as high, the place would feel cluttered.
I think you would have received a higher rating if you had better pictures. Your place looks great, stylish and comfortable!
I like this place simply because it's not a showcase apartment where the occupant's intent is clearly to let the world know she is fancy-pants rich and o-so-a-list stylish. And a calendar over the bed (a Pentagram type calendar at that) is salacious.
The ceilings are 18 feet?? I don't think so, from the look of the pictures.
I'd need to see this in person. The front half looks crazy cramped. I think I'd be climbing the walls in there. That pillow cover on the sofabed is nice.
I like it. It's welcoming and easy. If I were a guest for dinner I would feel very comfortable. Kudos.
I agree with what someone said about the scale of the stuff - it's all so itty bitty, making something feel off.
is hannah a student? it feels like a strikingly neat student's apartment, particularly bc of the thumbtacked poster. the mantlepiece/cabinet top's clutter bothers me only in contrast to the bareness elsewhere, it's like the content is hugging the ledges. i agree with the person above who said the cart nicely contains the kitchen. it's actually a great and interesting space, and i'd be interesting in seeing how this progresses.
The couch looks more like another bed and the placement seems awkward and not very comfortable seating. Is it just there for spreading out your work? Does someone else live and sleep there? I'm not convinced that it is the best layout. I think you should find a different couch or other seating and a more functional "work" table if you really need to spread stuff out. And why the storage crates in front of an attractive fireplace (whether or not its functional? Maybe have the couch face the fireplace. Some good beginnings, but it needs some work yet.
I really like the idea of the cart outside the kitchen. I had a kitchen just about that size at one point, and did not come up with such a neat solution. I also like the way the window near the dining table looks.
I once had a kitchen like that. To create a counter, a previous tenant had a cut a piece of wood that you could move from the stove (when not in use) to the sink. It functioned as a cutting board, and had grooves around the edges for water to run off into the sink while drying dishes.
You have lots of room for shelves/ cabinets above the existing ones in the kitchen. Take advantage!
The barstool is a cute find, but it doesn't seem very useful here.
I like your use of lamplight.
You are lucky to have the alcove!
Is that a futon for a couch? I agree with the person who suggested having a real couch near the fireplace---it seems like a college-student kind of a seating solution. Also, that is one crowded mantel.
Nice to have the table by the windows, though.
Everything is fitted in nicely, and the place is certainly much neater than I've ever been, but I'm missing soft surfaces--no rugs, no curtains, not much upholstered furniture. Makes it seem cold to me, regardless of color choices.
I've been looking for a kitchen cart just like that - shelves with wooden top. Can you point me in the right direction to find something similar?
Oh! It's InterMetro. I just needed to read a bit further down the page :)
I see a Rasil posted. I know a Rasil. Nice person. How many Rasil's are there? I love this name, truly.
Yeah, I'm not so sure about 18' ceilings either. My ceilings are only 14', nevertheless they look quite a bit taller than these.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drumwell/29956689/in/set-672167/
I'm guessing it's a typo. Maybe 10'?
Great apartment, wonderful design tip, and great street finds/mongo philosophy!
I love your table - both its history and the contrast between the rectangular glass top and the curvy iron legs. I don't think that the picture of your dresser does it justice - it looks like it's a gorgeous piece of furniture.
At first I wasn't sure about the mirror on top of the dresser, but after I looked at the pictures again and re-read your design tip (mixing warm and cold), I realized that it's the reverse of the dining table - strong rectangular lines below and curves above. I'd hang the mirror on the wall and take some of the things off the dresser to show off these two pieces and draw out the contrast between them....
I'm very curious about the brightly colored stripes along the front of the fireplace - are those tiles? Did you make them that color to go with the artwork and the pillow on the chaise lounge?
Oh my goodness, I really like how homey it is.
I see a Canadian design reference! Your bed has a Hudson's Bay Point Blanket on it! I wonder where on earth you would find one of those in New York?
Are you secretly Canadian? :)
I agree with Drumwell. If the ceilings were 18', then the fireplace would have to be around 8' high. Also, why is all of the space in front of the fireplace empty? You could definitely spread out a bit.
The ceilings are vaulted. You can see it slighly in the picture of the dining table and the one of the kitchen.
An unusual space, with a tucked-in kitchen, alcove, generous fireplace and little built-in storage touches, even some cool shelving running along the window wall. Totally agree with the fact that this apartment is unassuming, personal and doesn't have anything to prove. It seems cozy, too..warm in winter and cool-breezy in the summer.
Also agree about the sitting area--I thought that was a bed by the fireplace. It strikes an iffy note and cuts off valuable floor space.
The windows are gorgeous--a simple treatment would look great on them, such as simple shades or diaphanous curtains.
Needs something to pull it all together.
The glass dining table top is a totally cool street find, and it looks fantastic with the iron stands which your grandma found.
Agree that it would be great to have a second focal point in room to unify it all.
I would bet money that those ceilings are no where near 18 feet high.
I'm having extreme de ja vu, and it is... you just need to email me on this one. It's like I'm looking at my own space - But, you need to really get wild with art. Put it on the walls, make it crazy - steal pages from library books and just tac it up in a cube... do it. You'll thank me later...when I lived alone not too long ago, I had ancient prints up all over and rave fliers. IN such a small space, with great streamed-lines... like you are creating, don't be afraid to make a collage anywhere - bright. Let the real art speak for itself by getting some up on the walls.
Otherwise, just your placement of items - pretty and very much a great place you put together...you are showing a most wonderfully rich fireplace mantel! A full, and yes - - overwhelming amount of memory represented there. Nothing to be ashamed of there.
The plant placement, subtle use of color, distinctly geometric and reasonable layout shows dedication to efficiency, practicality, and above all, true sense of design. Automatically my favorite. wow, you GO. Just add art, water, and POP - you live in a great place... enjoy.
There are far too many nick and nack and bric-a-brac for me.
Hello everyone, this is Hannah. I have been out of town for the last week of the contest and so unable to respond to all of the wonderful comments posted here. I appreciate them all, constructive and positive.
I do need curtains and I do need a rug - these things are next on my list and I am now inspiried to go and get them.
About the couch placement - it was one of the things I struggled with when I set up the space. Unfortunately, the space is not wide enough to put a couch in front of the fireplace, which would be ideal. Something shorter would be better too, but because it is a futon, it doubles as a guest bed, which I do use frequently enough to make it worth having it.
Really, the couch is the most representative of the problems one can face when working with "street finds." I am not a student, but cant afford to buy everything custom and have to work with what I have on hand. It may not be perfect, but somehow it works.
And the ceilings are not 18 feet, a typo or wishful thinking, not sure which one. More like 12.
And finally, the Hudson Bay blanket is a relic from when my dear parents lived in Canada during the 1960s. Good catch. I love that blanket.
Again, thank you all for the wonderful comments.
Hannah
Hannah needs to leave some of that clutter on the street. You don't have to bring home EVERYTHING you find. Save some for the other pickers. Being selective is what makes things special. At some point along the way, you passed quirky and veered off into junkyard.
I really like this space but I can not understand why there is no couch or upright type of upholstered seating. I also like the use of glass on the table ~ but i do think its too big for this space and dominates that area.
Also you have all of that space in front of the fireplace that would be a great seating area.
I think if you rearrange a few things it could be awesome
~sam
I had a studio like this one once couldn't figure out what to do with it...I liked it..it is simple n cute
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