apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Sorry, I am not seeing the French Cafe theme. Other than adding furniture, it doesn't seem any different than the before.

And I am very sorry, but why waste a photo slot on a vacuuming rear end?

Weeeeelllll... I see what she means to do, and the elaborate fireplace makes a good jumping-off point for a vaguely French turn-of-the-century look... but the details haven't come together yet.

If I were going to give advice, what I'd do is:

1. Change the futon cover to a neutral color from the posters, possibly the same beige as the coffee table. Add pillows that pull in colors from the poster, with some TEXTURE and possibly a little gold or silver trim.

2. Swap the undersized rug for a much larger rug in something neutral and comparatively inexpensive like bamboo (or sisal, if you don't care about going barefoot), to define the space. Use the little rug for the dining space, maybe.

3. Flea market shop for a really WOW chair that epitomizes the French Vintage theme and picks up the color scheme. This will also draw attention away from the futonosity of the futon. This is an opportunity to find a badly finished chair with good lines for cheap, then repaint it and put the right cushions on.

it's a great space, and i loooooooooooove all the plants. they really make it so happy and homey.

i feel like it could use a cozy or chaise near the fireplace, and then a colorful, patterened futon cover. also, to play up the french-cafe theme, how about a long, narrow shelf at the height of top of the door to display more french-inspired stuff? or even just more plants?

also, i would put the mattress on the floor and then nail a headboard to the wall behind it. there's no reason to waste even an inch of a 4-ft loft.

thanks for sharing your space annie! I concur with wende (who's a pro at this!) -- there is a lot of potential in this space.

the first image is really inviting, and i was quite excited to see the rest, the subsequent detail pictures didn't maintain that level of interest. lovely space, lovely details in the wainscoting/fireplace/etc, lovely plants, i think there's a lot potential.

i think that the katarina entry (the one someone called miss havishamesque!!) has done a more polished job in this vein... it is an inspiration to me.

Love the space - love the light - love the plants - love the idea of the french cafe theme - love the feeling of the place.

agree with wende about pretty much everything.

- move the rug under the cafe table and chairs
- get a big, plush rug for the living area
- if you can't just get rid of the futon, change the color scheme to something more in the gold/orange - maybe add brocade cushions or a gorgeous, colorful throw - it's just too plain.
- close off the electronics
- add a fabulous chair and side table

Oh, and you need a picture of the Eiffel Tower

I don't beleive it - not one Eames chair and no eiffel tower pics. wwwwweeeeeeee. She should win based on that alone.

Nice floors, ceiling height, great fireplace.

There is nothing like a Boston/NYC brownstone or a Philly rowhouse.

Holly

Good start and good ideas, but its not there yet. As others mentioned the 1st photo is very inviting, but deceptive when you see what is still unfinished.

Annie, your apartment has great bones, and I love the plants.
I think that a bigger carpet might sort of bring the decor together more. If I were you I would look for a new (used) couch on craigslist and at the flea markets. I found a great thirties french provincial style sofa (in rough shape upholstery-wise) on CL for a hundred bucks that would look GREAT in this apartment. You could probably find something similar with a little digging.
I also agree with Wendy that a chair or two wouldn't be amiss. It would be nice to create a "conversation area" that isn't so TV centered. That is one great fireplace. You might try making it more of the center piece (although I can see that it's sort of across from the door, so that might not be feasible), and then play up the far end as sort of a little Victorian hothouse.
Thank you for sharing with us!

sorry but I think its just terrible. That apartment has such great bones and she practically ruined it.

great architectural elemnets! maybe trying to incporate them more into your design (ie not covering them with hundreds of house plants)?

you need some Feng Shui balance of elements, thats what I'm thinkin cause the space is cool

why show your butt. i just don't get it. but the apartment is homey. but i am disturbed by the butt shot. are you trying to tell us something. what up with that girlie.

What I really like about this apartment is that it actually looks like it would be a comfortable, pleasant place to hang out and and spend an afternoon, rain or shine, and that it feels really spacious. I love that there are lots of plants. I also love that you didn't go too overboard with the "Parisian cafe" theme and that all the furniture isn't super trendy and perfectly color-coordinated. I think it's a breath of fresh air.

I agree with Caitlin about the chair, tv, and fireplace. I also second Decor8 Holly's comment.

The apt. has excellent structure and bones. Larger framed art on walls is one suggestion. Larger rug (with part of rug placed under the sofa) would help define the living room space. Because the ladder and loft look modern, perhaps the coffee table could also be of a more modern vintage.

It looks better before than after. Look at those gorgeous windows!

wende, you give great advice, I should've posted my apartment just for the tips

Hi Annie,

You have a very cool place but a very challenging place.
IÂ’m gonna throw out some wild ass suggestions based on what I would do and what takes into account some of your interests.

1) move your bed into the main space near the windows – you can create a murphy bed on the side with the fireplace or just abut against the wall.
2) Create a curtain arrangement for either just one side or for two sides of the bed – this can be with a track that hangs off of the ceiling. You might want to have two layers of curtain – one shear and one solid for different effects/moods.
3) Get rid of the overly large plants – I imagine you love them but there have to be some nice more vertically oriented alternatives.
4) Build a drop ceiling over the kitchen to match the height of the loft/bathroom? Ceiling – can go slightly higher if you like – include 2 – 3 canned halogen downlights to give a bright sparkly light to this now small space. At the edge next to the wall, create a recessed light cove – you can use either incandescents or halogens for this. Paint the kitchen wall this side a brilliant color that you love – make it a light color – the space is small. The light cove will be used to wash this wall with light and emphasize it.
5) The big storage unit? Next to the fireplace has to go. Instead you will build in a small banquette/pew-like seating and can put a small table here. Hang a nice lighting fixture over the table from either the ceiling or from an arm you extend out from the loft/kit ceiling area. If you are still hurting for storage, put some of the stuff in the newly created loft space. It’s a crazy ass idea but you could have a pull down storage unit over part of your kitchen – roughly 2 x 2 x 3 ft tall – require a cabinet maker or architecture student to figure out the details.
6) Make your loft into a reading/xtra bedroom/storage area. At the edge of the loft make some very nice shelves for books/display (facing the main space). Emphasize the horizontals of the shelves by not pulling the vertical supports to be flush with them. Run these the entire length of the room and run them a foot/9 inches short of the ceiling so that the ceiling floats above them. Keep the entry where you have it or move it to one end or the other of the space. Your ladder will have to be rebuilt, narrower and attached on a rail that runs the width of the room. It will be like a library ladder, allowing you up at any point along the wall. Note: I didn’t mention it but the low wall on the room side of the loft should be cut down to the floor so that you can have a full wall of shelves – 3 feet/plus or minus. To light your shelves/display area, you can have a series of gooseneck lamps peering over the side placed at proper distances along the top of the shelves or, get one of these cool wire based halogen tracks from IKEA and run the width of the room, just a bit beyond the shelves.
7) You mentioned Paris Café but you should think brasserie. Why? Because brasseries always use mirrors so that patrons can see one another from around the space. Mirrors can help make a small space seem big/grand. Think about a large freestanding plate mirror within the room. Also think about some reflective surfaces in objects like glass, nambe, etc….
8) The fireplace wall is perfect for doing an accent color. Use it, please.
9) Replace the panel door on the bathroom with a flat one. Have someone give it a high gloss (like the sliding closet doors next to it) paint finish – will require a spray gun.
10) Think about hanging some nice ferms in the space. You have high ceilings – it makes sense to hang things. You can use wall brakets to hang them if you like.
11) The comment made earlier about a larger rug is correct. Also, sisal/coir rugs look fantastic in spaces like this. They have a historic flavor yet are also very contemporary.
12) Try to get some consistency in the types/color of wood in the furnishings you select. Can help give a sense of design cohesiveness. Also, with such a stunning floor and fireplace, your wood furnishings will have a tough time competing – don’t make them.
13) You have a low wall/table of plants now. I would suggest a vertical glass shelved unit – not too deep on rollers that can almost fit between the windows. At night keep it in that position. During the day (when you aren’t home), roll it in front of one of the windows. It will help the plants and cut down on the heat gain of the room.
14) Get a few more chairs. Give yourself more options for whatever you are in the mood for in terms of seating arrangements.
15) Glass over your posters helps – you don’t have to do an expensive frame (and yes, they are crazy expensive) – you can get clips and a foamcore backing. The glass makes them look classier, sparkly and ads some nice reflective hard surfaces to the space.


OKÂ…IÂ’m about done. I hope these suggestions donÂ’t seem too offputting. You can manage most of this stuff yourselfÂ…would take some work though.

As I said, you have a challenging space, but with some effort, you can make lots of it.

Edina M--
Don't ruin a good name with such blatant hatin', sweetie darling.

The character you take the name of could pull off a full frontal attack with wit and wordplay, at least.

Have a LITTLE tact, please? These are real people, welcoming us into their HOMES, of which they are very proud.

Patrick (the other one)

These people are coming onto this sight to be judged. They are in a competition. they are not inviting us into their homes but inviting us to vote for them so that they could win some really hip furniture. I for one am not going to be patronizing like so many other posts which are determined to say something positive about apartments that have no style whatsoever. Frankly I don't think we are doing them any favors because such false positive feedback will only make them continue doing what they are doing which is often disastrous.

I come on this site because I want to see "gorgeous things" and when I don't I say so.

edina M, dont pay any attention to patrick the othe thing. He is famous for sounding self rightoeous. we love him just the same. YUk.

bravest contestant - I take the butt shot to mean: by the way I don give a **** what ya'll think.

but that's just me and she looks far more pleasant and dignified than that.

I'm gonna go fry some fritters. ya'll can shove it.

ewwww!what a waste of a great space!

DK - I like your comments and they mean well, but it looks like she is doing the best she can with a small budget.
The plants make ALL the difference in the world and move them around *all* the time - love the French attempt - but it needs just a bit more wild creativity to be really FRENCH, you need just a bit more saturated color (just pick one -think the movie, "Amelie"), and you'll see how much a difference it makes.
1) Old wrought-iron wall hooks for coats, plant hangers, decorative mirrors. But, Old and iron.
2) either a bigger rug or no rug at all. A bad rug only detracts - hell, move it in front of the fireplace. Add a floor pillow, make a story there.
3) get rid of the coffee table, or paint it white, or something - crackle, silver whatever, make it "go away" visually from the floors - which you can't change colors on anyway.
3a) Sofa needs to be softer. Pillows with some luxe to them, fringe, velvet (Anthropolgie has great Frenchie-looking oldish fancy pillows).
3) Make the cafe table pop with some solid color or plants behind it. Too white - it disappears too much, when you want to bring out it's FRENCHness.

Otherwise, I would totally go over to your house after work and have a drink, look out the windows, and hang out for a couple of hours before dinner... whatever. It looks fun there. And you look like a fun person who doesn't mind showing some a#* while vacuuming to a slew of self-important New Yorkers. Cheers.

hi - great space - where did you get the ladder?
alicia

Hmmm....nice place, but the furniture, the use of color need help

lovely place,You need a moroccan RUG,I have it!

Great Space. I would have loved this when I was single & looking for a studio. Love the windows & plants. Would have a hard time with the kitchen.