apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The cat in the plastic chair thing in pic 5 is too precious.

What a fresh and upbeat place. I really enjoy the combination of slick and well designed pieces (the min-cent-mod chouch/daybed, the entertainment center, lamps and red the-cat-always-commands-this-seat) with things that represent your personality such as the little framed pictures, or the kinck-knacks here and there. The warm and creamy colors combined with hints of your character make this home feel well, like a home rather than a stylized showroom apartment. Well done indeed! (I am "appropriating" the photo of the cat looking at the bird clothes pins book thins- fantastic tounge in cheek!)

The photography is great! I love this place. I could easily live here. I envy you guys for such an eye and skill at putting things together.

Bonus points for ADORABLE kitties!

Hey, I was just on SILVERLAKE BLVD. about 10 minutes ago. Congrats on being named a finalist.

this place makes me happy! i'm so glad it made it into the finals. there's so much personality and charm, but still a strong design aesthetic going on- great balance of style and soul, and great use of your space!

the yawning cat pic is adorable.

cute pad, but i thought it was more impressive the first time around.

i wouldn't want to dust all those knick-knacks

i think it looks better (great) now

it looks like you have a bang & olufsen rosewood media unit!! i am so jealous!

this is one of my favorites, fo shizzle. la represent, sent! :)

Oh my! I liked this one the first time but like it better now! It's partly the greater number of views and partly that you had the bonus of a nice sunny day this time.

The collection is so nicely consolidated (my new word from JenPDX) and displayed.

I still want roughly this apartment as a vacation home in Minnesota. It's *cheerful*.

You know, I looked through your slide show again and it’s become very clear to me what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to influence the judges with all these “cat” photos. Let me tell you something, I bet it works. You’re really smart. In future contests all photos should be required to be cat-free because I’m liking your place a lot more just because of the cats. They are so cool. Especially, that photo of the cat yawning on the window sill. Does that cat have a name?

Hip Hip Hurrah! This apartment just gives off the most calming feeling, so full of light and great colors. I love it even more this time. This will be my inspiration for The Cure...to look like this.

The thing that impresses me is how this place is thoroughly modern but in a whimsical way (as opposed to sleek). Whimsy has more appeal to me than sleek.

I didn't see the cat yawning the first time through. Tony G., I think you are correct.

Congratulations, you guys made a really sweet spot. I really love how you used color in your apartment, it works well with the architecture and the lighting (both night and day), and it seems like two unique people live there who do things (like read and sew and play with cats). Great job!

regards,
trillium

So great! I am getting inspired...

Can you tell me what paint color you used in the bedroom? I am looking for a nice green for mine...

This place is so cheerful, I love it! And I, too was oohing over the cute kitties, especially the picture with the cat on the orange/red seat. Tooooooooo cute!

Woo-hoo! Another one of my top picks! I love this space because it seems to ooze personality and has such a vivid personal stamp. Like my other top picks, you can see a strong lifestyle statement. There are so many design choices that cohesively denote "cool", "hip", "young", and "urban" that it almost feels like a film/tv/commercial set. For me, it feels aspirational (esp. for a very specific lifestyle demo/niche) and approachable. Congrats to Greg and Em for creating an environment that's both stylized and livable.

PS I'm not swayed by the kitties--living, plushie, illustrative or otherwise.

I love the colors and the collections.

Another blue kitty!

I absolutely love this place! The new pics are greater evidence of how you retained the classic structure of the space and combined it with creative color and decor. I covet your couches (can I even call them couches?)

J'adore les chats and your beautiful home. This entry makes me feel a little homesick for LA......

I love your place. I did not like it as much in the first pictures. But here your photos showed your style and taste. I love how there are little surprises in every nook and cranny. Great touch the little face pillow thingys on the top shelf of the closet. Joy is everywhere!!!
Must be hard to leave home.
The kitties, yes are cute, but they are part of the home.

excellent use of space, color, light and RECYCLED GOODS!

The combination of new and used objects is exactly the model we should all live by.

I wish I had thier design talent!

I like it *a lot*, but the place seems a bit chintzy to me. Like the way the bookshelves bow under the weight of the books. Chalk it up to charm I guess.

(Yes, I mean chintzy in the low qual sense, not the gaudy sense. Yes, I am comparing this entry to Jane/Darko which I think has a similar vibe but a more high qual feel.)

Looks like a lovely apartment full of joy and life (and the occasional cat). It has a great post-60s Eames influenced hipster aesthetic that makes me want to put on a record (perhaps Frontier Psychiatrist by the Avalanches) Overall, an A+ job and definitely the best of the bunch! I would let Greg and Emily design my pad any day!

OMG. Is that Kozyndan art AND Scott Wotherspoon I see on the walls?

They're two of my favorites. I've met Scott Wotherspoon and he's an incredibly nice guy.

I love your place.

i love this apartment, to me it is stylish and comfortable. i could hang out in that office area with the red chair for hours. the additional photos make it for me. very nice.

Words cannot describe my love of this place. WOW!

I liked it the first time around, but with more photos - especially detail photos - wowza. The paint job is inspiring. This place feels so loved and lived in. I imagine festive parties here. Not the raging let's get crazy kind. I picture friends playing board games and drinking wine, or family gathering for the holidays.

I look at those pictures and see happy people enjoying lives well lived.

Wow.

Just looking at those pics makes me happy!

Oh, and hi kitties! What are their names?

Hang on... what's going on in the bottom right corner of picture number 4?

Ha! I love cats. I guess that goes back to my lives-well-lived comment above!

Was this place REALLY dark and rough when you moved in? I'm stunned by how you changed that. Bright and cheery indeed. Soft and warm.

I'm awed. And inspired!

Greg and Em your space is so amazingly sweet - it's unique, it's a great blend of both of your things, and the color scheme is like a gelato bar - I love the creamy dreamy pastel shades combined with the bright yellows... You did a fantastic job making this space YOUR OWN - it in no way resembles some overblown trend.

:) It's sooo fresh!

Holly

I just can't say enough (really, I'll stop now, but I need to add one more first!) The pics you've posted here are so different than the ones in your original entry. You didn't just post better pics. This time, you seemed to have highlighted different things in your home. LOVE that! And It's great that you added lots of details in your previous thread's comments. The fishbowl from postmodernpets. And thanks for the paint link! Geez, Apartment Therapy really is like a classroom.

OK! I'm shutting up now. Cheers!

JenPDX: "whimsical modern" is a fantastic description. I think I'm going to adopt that as my apartment's final goal theme.

I love the "Silverlake Sanctuary." The colors work so well -- cheerful, but somehow soothing and never garish.

And it's so nice to see someone with shelf after shelf of books - actual read and enjoyed (hopefully!) paperback books!

It's cute but almost too sugary-sweet, in my opinion. Very light and bright, though. I do think it's extremely trendy and stylized, though, in a very emo "sprezzatura" aesthetic. All the stuffed animals and toys make me feel like it's a sorority house.

That said, the books are refreshing to see, and it seems like it definitely reflects their taste.

I am truly inspired. This is an adorable, lived-in, happy space. (And very good that each of the two cats got two photos.) The details and color combinations and paint choices. Oh my. It's just all so well-done. I can definitely see nice little get togethers happening here. Congrats - you definitely deserve to be finalists!!

this place has grown on me so much; i think you should go into business, re-do apartments for depressives or people in funks

I almost feel like this entry is "cheating"...LOL! I would NOT call that a "studio"...

Main Entry: studio apartment
Function: noun
Date: 1903
: a small apartment consisting typically of a main room, kitchenette, and bathroom

There are rooms and nooks and crannies and niches all over the place in this apartment. It's practically a mansion (well, from my actual one-room-only studio apartment perspective).

There are advantages and disadvantages to having lots of little rooms. Yes, you DO have to be adaptable and figure out what goes where and make do with the size of the rooms. That can be a challenge.

But having all those little rooms allows you to be more creative with the usage of color, mood, light...an advantage other people do NOT have when they have a one-room studio apartment with windows on one wall only.

In addition, all the toys, along with the skateboard in the kitchen gives me the impression of a kid's playhouse. Which is actually FUN. It also inspires me to get rid of all the little toyish things I have out, because I don't really want the impression of dolly-land. Oh, maybe a couple things could stay out in my place and be rotated. But not as many as I have, which is WAY less than what you have out.

Again, I'm torn, liking and not liking it for the same reasons. It's fun and colorful and playful. It would be a cheery place to play in, but I'd never take anything said in the playhouse as being serious. Maybe that's the point. Not to take things too seriously.

I love your place! I would have never imagine that you could do so much in such a small space. I love the colors in your home, how neat/organized everything is (which I think it's essential in a small place), how cozy it is, and how much detail there is. I would love to live in such a home. Oh and I love the toys. Your home has a lot of personality, and not just a regular good looking home.

gagging on the sugary sweet toyland. A dude lives there?

Steve: Yup, a gent lives here, and quite happily. I know its not for every "dude", but considering I design children's products/toys, I would hope a bit of toyland does come through.

SEE!?! Again, it would have helped me to understand the space if I had known what the NEEDS of the person/people living in the space were. I think that description needs to be on the next contest.

It makes PERFECT sense to be surrounded with playful things if you are designing children's products (or have a house full of children).

Gotta find out WHY people have their spaces arranged the way they are to find out IF they made good use of the space.

Otherwise, I'm back to looking at it from my own point of view, and imagining leaping cats feet sending everything crashing to the floor, turning collectibles into rubbish in the blink of an eye.

For you folks, the description of accomplishment might start off with "As a children's product designer, I find it inspiring to be surrounded with my/others creations and energizing colors..." that kind of thing. Then I'd have a teeny bit better idea as to why spaces were done the way they were.

Once some of the spaces were explained, they made sense. Someone asked Vince why he didn't have a dining set, and he's not big on cooking. Neither am I. Nor are some other folks. Vince's priority was to have a good space for entertainment, plenty of seating, big TV, etc.

Someone else, Oh, Jenny and Clove, said they have meetings in the room and use the dining table for that too.

Someone yet again has tons of bookshelves, which is important to me, and I can see they use them. Uh, at least I can figure out the reason for the bookshelves on my own. LOL!

One decorating scheme does not fit all. I need to know everyone's size.

Greg...

One more thing...

Looking at the website, at the breakfast plate, what's on it? Toast. Check.
One egg. Check.
One small sausage. Check.
A tomato slice?
A couple of Oreo cookies?
And what's the pink stuff on the bottom of the plate?

I'm getting hungry.

(Homer Simpson voice).
Mmmmmm. Pink stuff.

And what's that other item, that looks like a rectangle of uh...like a rectangular tongue? On a biscuit?

Mmmmmm. Rectangular tongue on a biscuit.

That was my question, too, as I was reading this. There's no trace of a guy here, even in the closet, which seems full of dolls, dresses, and hats.

I was thinking that Greg was Em's child.

Tongue is delicious in my opinion.

I also enjoy liver, kidneys, brains, and small children.

But carry on.

"There's no trace of a guy here, even in the closet, which seems full of dolls, dresses, and hats."

He must have hidden the boogers and dirty underwear behind the curtain.

Oh, puhlease -- now we have to have a professional justification for collecting or it's bad design?

I'd assumed that Greg & Em simply liked anime-type bibelots and enjoyed having them around. What ever happened to having hobbies or quirky things that give us pleasure?

While I sympathize with Vince's comment that his space isn't quirky because he's just not quirky himself, I'm a little alarmed at a consensus that deviations from hotel-chic must be justified with a paycheck.

Andree: I think you've brought up a good point, as I would have liked to have been able to give a more detailed account of how and why our place is organized and decorated as it is, especially in relation to our lifestyles. Unfortunately, I think all of the entrants were a little pressed by the 100 word description limitation, so we edited out possibly revealing details that would give light about each of our individual needs and philosophies about space/decor.

As for the food (which is another shared passion...no...obesession): that's a traditional british breakfast of toast, british flat sausage, bangers, an egg, a banger (another sausage), british bacon (like an american ham), and a slice of tomato. It's a gut buster, but delicious.

The rectangular shaped food is a piece of tuna sushi, which I specifically prefer otoro, the fatty variety (fat makes everything taste oh-so good).

Thank you so much for your comments, everyone! It's an amazing feeling to know that our apartment has brought some happiness and inspiration to others.

Jessica, the paint colour in the bedroom is Behr Valley Mist (460E). It's bright and soothing at the same time.

YCH, as a graduate student in librarianship, I definitely agree that we need proper shelving for the books! We're still trying to figure out the most sturdy, accomodating, and affordable way to build them without having to rip out the existing trim.

MarcoPolo, yes, we have quite a few Kozyndan prints. We love their work and are fortunate to count them among our good friends. I'm not sure which piece looks like a Scott Wotherspoon ... the rest of the art seen in the photos is by Martin Cendreda, John Pham, and Brendan Monroe.

Daniel, those "dresses" are shirts -- half Gregory's and half mine, and his sneakers are also in plain view.

Wende, we seem like birds of a feather. Thanks for squawking on our behalf! :)

Rob, I'm so pleased that you could imagine our "lives well lived." We really wanted to create a warm living room for just that purpose -- friends, family, potlucks, and board games! The cats' names are Eames (blond) and Eero (grey). And, yes, the place was rough when we moved in. We had to downsize and move to this apartment out of necessity, but we could see its potential. As a labor of love, it feels more like home than our previous (much larger and more "slick") apartment.

Wende, I'm still at that pesky childhood stage where I say "Why?"
"Why?"
"But why?"

From the Contest page:
Readers and judges are asked to evaluate each submission for excellence in these three areas:

Efficiency
Innovative use of small space to maximize livability

Aesthetics
Beauty and stylistic achievement in Decor

Special Challenges
Creative problem solving in dealing with adverse conditions
======

Is everyone else able to look at these entries from a viewpoint other than there own? I don't know how to do that. While the Aesthetics section is "to each his own", I look at the entries from my perspective.

Greg and Em SOLVED problems, when trying to find a place to display their collections where they can be viewed and enjoyed.

Meanwhile, I'm looking at it from the Efficiency standpoint, in that, I'd have a real problem keeping them all dust-free and thinking of them as a burden.

Obviously I'd make a terrible judge and I'd never be able to choose a winner until I live with the entrants to see how they use the space. LOL!

"Is everyone else able to look at these entries from a viewpoint other than there [sic] own? I don't know how to do that."

Why not? Taste and principles of good design are two different things.

Greg and Em's toy collection is irrelevant to the contest criteria.

Andrea: In all honesty, I have to dust my toys only once a year, because I tend to keep our place pretty darn clean. Maintained with an air/HEPA filter, a regular every-other-day 5 minute vaccum routine, and our trusty broom/swiffer, we battle dust and cat hair quickly and easily. The small, but daily steps of cleaning makes maintenance a non-issue. I would argue once-a-year dusting of things that provide joy in my life is pretty darn efficient, but that's coming from someone who finds toys and items of fun integral to my life.

If you want to discuss about actual burdensome chores, we could talk about the kitty litter boxes :D

Henrietta: "Taste and principles of good design are two different things." Bravo...I've been thinking the very same thing throughout this competition while reading other's comments. As a designer myself, its often difficult to communicate that very chasm between taste and the principles of design. But I think for the most part, the majority of AT readers understand it, recognizing different solutions for different lifestyles. Its hard to edit our emotional opinions since aesthetics is so subjective, and it seems to organically affect our impressions of living spaces. Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks for the elucidation. I don't think it could have been said any better.

Gregory, Rob (Rob's Apartmenquarium #1, west coast) and I were discussing litter boxes and solutions in his original entry. We posted a couple of "furniture" styles that might be of interest.

I personally use the wood stove pellets (which I mentioned in the Jenny and Clove's finalist thread) for cat litter, as it's economical ($4.00 for a forty pound bag) and easy to clean up in a carpeted area.

I once spilt the clumping clay kind on the carpet. I thought I got it all out with the vacuum. I was wrong. I discovered just how wrong I was when I was steam cleaning the carpet and one area turned to mud. Yes, mud. Clay to be exact.

The wood pellets are heavier that clay particles, meaning there is less tracking of the pellet when it's whole. When liquid is absorbed, it becomes sawdust, without a urine odor. The amount used is scarce, just enough to cover the bottom of the litter pan, as the pellets will swell and become sawdust and increase to the point the tiny amount used is almost to the top of the pan.

You can buy regular wood pellet litter, such as Feline Pine in pet stores (about $4.00 for seven pounds). Trader Joe's has their own store brand (about $3.00 for seven pounds).

You're a designer! Okay, so let's make a cool cat box. I was thinking something like the cube ottomans, modern, stylish. It would also be nice to have something FUN. One that looks less like a litter box and more like...uh...???

There IS a market for that kind of product. When you invent it, can Rob and I try it out too? I mean, someone has to test it out. LOL!

By the way, any more places like yours in the neighborhood? After what you just said about dust, I'm moving there. This complex has "landscapers" that use a noisy gas blower. Oh, sure, it blows the stuff off the courtyard, and redistributes it up onto my balcony. Cough cough.

Plus the pollen leaves everything coated in yellow. And being near the coast leaves what I call "sea scum" mist/dirt covering everything. Clean car today, sea scum car tomorrow.

Any luck with cat vacuuming? I'm thinking that would take care of the problem before it starts but turning the vacuum on generally has cats hiding under beds all over the nation (except for one I saw on TV who apparently liked being vacuumed).

Last, let me ask again for an explanation.
"Taste" would be whether or not I like it (right now)?
"Good design" is...what? Not banging my shins on anything? LOL!

Or maybe good design is described here:
http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html

And maybe bad design is shown and described here...and all time favorite:
http://tinyurl.com/7cfnr

Ahh, totally thought the picture above your kitchenette was by Scott Wotherspoon.

Thought it was this one...
http://www.balconyjump.co.uk/img/store/22/10625m.jpeg

Then I looked harder.

I think you'd like his style!

Is there another entrance besides the one in the bedroom? I thought the entry door was actually a closet until I started going back over the pictures and trying to match them up with the floor plan (where are the room dimensions, also?).

Walk into the home, and it's the bedroom, with the bed on the right, the toy wall on the right wall, the dining cabinets ahead almost center, the bathroom ahead to the left, the kitchen to the right. Yes?

I got confused with pictures 4 and 5 on the original entry, not realizing they were taken from the bed. Duh!

The stove and sink are in picture 11 of the finalist slideshow. There's another room off the kitchen, that appears to have a door leading outside. That room is partially shown in picture 10.

Where is the fridge?

Is it the bigger rectangle in front of the window in the room to the left of the kitchen that appears to have a door leading outside?

Was the office once an entry too? Is this on a ground floor?

And picture 9 has the cat looking at books below plates in the dining cabinet located in the bedroom/entry. And the interior of the dining cabinets in the bedroom/entry are painted the brighter turquoise/aqua/blue like the kitchen? See, this is why I was confused.

I had the cat in the kitchen or the bathroom.

Did you folks put up any new walls? Like the one for the closet? Do you have any before pictures?

Arghh! I just read a ghastly story online that I will not link to but the headline is, "Suspect Joked About Cannibalism".

Note to Fed Lurkers: I really DO like liver (with a little vinegar and sage), kidneys, etc. Somebody had to speak up for these much-maligned delicacies. But I do NOT, despite what some people here might think, eat small children! No sir! It was a joke. Black humor. There's nothing to see here.

So you can get back to the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Good luck guys! Don't keep us in suspense!

Worried Henrietta

I love the orange chair that the cat is sitting in Where did you get it?

MarcoPolo, aha, I can see why you might have thought that Kozyndan print was the one by Scott Wotherspoon!

Andree, we are on the second floor of our building. We enter on the first floor, go up a flight of stairs, and then through the door that you see next to the bed. There is another door/stairwell from the kitchen, but we never use it, as it just leads to the back of the building. The office has a door but, as we are on the second floor, that room was never an entrance -- more like a porch (the construction of the wall and ceiling in that room lead us to believe that it may once have been one long porch shared by our apartment and the adjacent one). You may have noticed the reflection of a window between the closet and the office; a lot of these older places have windows in the closets (for light and air, I imagine). We did not change or add any walls ourselves. We do wish we had thought to take "before" photos of the shabby state of the apartment when we moved in, though! All in all, you have interpreted the layout of the rooms/cabinets/fridge correctly -- well done! Oh, and we use Booda dome litter boxes with crystal litter. :)

DinBoulder, we got the orange chair several years ago at Room Service in LA. There was actually a recent post about it on AT: http://la.apartmenttherapy.com/la/seating-sofas-armchairs/the-scoop-chair-007986
We can't remember exactly how much we paid, but think it was far less than $350 (maybe around $100-150?!).

This is a fantastic use of limited space. The use of bright, rotating colors keeps the visual interest moving. The studio is filled with details, while still maintaining an overall balance and almost Zen effect. The creativity and attention to detail is what makes this entry the Victor; if you look close, you can see the sewing room and the library.

Greg and Em's apartment charmed me since the first round. Although their place has lots of style, it doesn't subjugate idiosyncracy to the promotion of style. It's light, happy, and full of delightful vignettes.

The balance between the stuff of life and the clarity and airiness of the design is wonderful. There seems to be a lot of room for movement for a mere 639 square feet, and with their choice of colors Greg and Em handled the apartment's lovely architectural features to optimal effect. I don't care about cats, but as photographs the pictures with cats are yet more evidence of Greg and Em's humor and discernment.

It doesn't hurt that the occupants have been evenhanded and articulate, but I loved this place before I read any of their posts or witnessed their gracious handling of the commentators. After reading their pitch I was struck at how well they'd actualized their ambitions for this apparently once-bleak apartment.

Last and least, this place was a revelation. It's beckoning me to let go of the dour eclecticism I've clung to all these years out of sheer lack of imagination.

So, although the finalists aren't all in, and it's pretty much a photo finish, I'm ready to say, Judges! Do the right thing. Pin the blue ribbon on Greg & Em!

Gregory, it's really bugging me coming in to your home via the bedroom. LOL! I'd be wondering what your "intentions" were if you were a single guy. "Hey baby, come on in...to my bedroom...hehehehe" Even if it IS the best use of the space you have.

At least you seem to take my comments in stride, so without further ado, here's the stuff I'd change...

Of course, none of this is anything you have control over, so it's all hypothetical.

I'd switch the staircase around. So you come in to your home via what is now the Sewing Room.

Then I'd knock down that wall that is currently your entry, so it made your bedroom bigger, and you could incorporate the sewing area there.

I might put in windows...on both your living room wall and in the stairwell, which would give you additional light/views. They don't have to be openable, just fixed, would work.

Since I have a large imaginary budget, I'd also swap the bathroom and kitchen. And move the opening between the living/bedroom over to where the TV currently is.

This makes a "hall" so that folks don't feel like they are totally walking through the bedroom.

The kitchen could be done in a galley style...ahhh, too much plumbing work to swap. And I'd really like to see the kitchen where the office is and the office in the room where the fridge is, simply because it looks so SUNNY in the office. Ahhhh.

I asked some questions on James and Margaret's thread, that maybe you could answer too. Even though you are not an owner, you said you did a lot of work there in your home, with the permission of the landlord/owner.

When you first saw this space, did you immediately have a vision of what it might look like after you put in some time? Did you see it's potential? Was it something that instead came as you lived there for awhile?

I meant to ask this of everyone...because the PROCESS of going from the beginning to the end results we're seeing in all these great pictures is what's fascinating to me.

I personally laid out the apartment I'm in on graph paper and played with furniture arrangements before moving in. I just wondered what it is that other folks did/do. I think that would be helpful to know.

This place is cute, like a cupcake, but I don't think it deserves a spot beyond finalist. I just don't see any great sense of design. The paint colors are nice, the furniture's fine, and the cats are cute, although the toys are a little creepy (sorry) They seem like nice people, but I don't think that should influence the winner.

rules, is that you? I don't think the character of the entrants should affect who wins, either.

Otherwise, we just disagree.

Andree, get ready for the mother of all replies:

“I'd be wondering what your "intentions" were if you were a single guy. “
Wine and dine...in one room!

“Of course, none of this is anything you have control over, so it's all hypothetical.”
ThereÂ’s not a day that goes by where I donÂ’t imagine changing things structurally in a hypothetical manner. Unfortunately, being a renter of limited means (we moved into this apartment after I became unemployed and Emily began graduate school, thus we had to reduce expenses by a significant amount) these ideas remain hypothetical except for smaller detail changes (new paint, flooring, shelving, etc).

“... you come in to your home via what is now the Sewing Room.”
Actually, the entrance is in a great location in the scheme of everyday life, since the sewing room doubles as a library/shelving area which would be completely ruined by a door (plus the stairway would either have to extend further from the building, or youÂ’d have to reorient the stairway to face the rear of the building). The previous tenant was fortunate enough to own the whole top floor of mirroring studio apartments, which was likely connected by the long area that has been subdivided into what we now use as an office. Such fancies are good daydream material.

“...knock down that wall that is currently your entry, so it made your bedroom bigger, and you could incorporate the sewing area there.”
IÂ’m quite sure that Emily prefers that the sewing room/library is a small separate area. Many visitors have commented its extremely pleasing to have a small, separate space to hole yourself into. Its these small nooks that people seem to really positively react to when they come, and how theyÂ’ve been designated. I donÂ’t think either Emily or I believe we need a bigger bedroom. A bigger kitchen? Yes please!

“I might put in windows...on both your living room wall and in the stairwell, which would give you additional light/views.”
I totally agree, and have dreamt the very same thing. I have schemed about putting in one of those tube skylights in the stairway to let some light into the cavernous tunnel upward, and then create a long window across the top of the living room that would borrow some of this overhead light from the stairway.

“Since I have a large imaginary budget...”
I too have an account for a “large imaginary budget”, which I like to draw upon frequently. Its like a swiss bank account for those poor in wallet, but rich in imagination.

“This makes a "hall" so that folks don't feel like they are totally walking through the bedroom.”
The “walking through the bedroom” effect seems to be dampened because the bed is nestled into the area where the built-in dining nook table once stood. People seem to only notice after they do a turn around, usually after looking at the built-in cabinet, the toys upon the wall, or into the living room. I believe the light that comes in from the living room tends to lead the eye to the left instead of the right, where the bed resides.

“The kitchen could be done in a galley style...ahhh, too much plumbing work to swap. And I'd really like to see the kitchen where the office is and the office in the room where the fridge is, simply because it looks so SUNNY in the office. Ahhhh.”

No way Jose, we love being able to both work and look outside, despite some glare caused by the sunlight. Plus the darker, cooler area is much better for food preservation. And youÂ’re correct, thereÂ’s too much plumbing to even consider moving the kitchen, even with that Warren Buffet imaginary bank account to draw upon.

“Even though you are not an owner, you said you did a lot of work there in your home, with the permission of the landlord/owner.”
The work done was not structural, simply cosmetic. Our property manager noted we could change the flooring, paint the walls any colour we pleased, and improve upon any structural details that show signs of noticeable aging.

“When you first saw this space, did you immediately have a vision of what it might look like after you put in some time? Did you see it's potential? Was it something that instead came as you lived there for awhile?”
We definitely saw the potential immediately upon walking in the first time, but we took a fair amount of time to form a plan of attack in designing our space for the reason youÂ’ve guessed. Living in a space for awhile, one can effectively recognize the needs and necessities of daily routine. We didnÂ’t immediately paint (since the idea of moving to the apartment came out of economic desperation of sorts). We lived with some of the ugliest faux-brick vinyl floor tiling for months before finding an aesthetic and affordable solution (bright white self-sticking vinyl tiles from Home Depot for 89 cents a piece). Finding floor covering that we both liked and that could survive two cats was a game in patience. We created a colour scheme after going thru multitudes of swatches, matching the colours with the variety of light that entered thru each roomÂ’s window(s), but trying to make them distinct, yet harmonious like the small rooms themselves. The storing solutions for our various collections remained in boxes for months until we found shelving solutions that fit our budgets and that had some design potential in themselves.

I would say we have just only recently felt our place has “come together”, but we both feel like there is yet more potential to squeeze out of this lemon for lemonade. We just have to keep reminded ourselves that patience is a virtue...and easier on our wallets.

“I personally laid out the apartment I'm in on graph paper and played with furniture arrangements before moving in. I just wondered what it is that other folks did/do. I think that would be helpful to know.”
That a great planning technique I believe would help many people optimize their living areas. But to be completely honest, as both a designer professionally, and also from a personal home décor/interior design standpoint, I’ve always relied more upon instinct. Emily is more of the meticulous detailed planner (but with a beautiful sense of order and colour), while I’ve been the crazy “let’s eye that sucker” inspired dreamer. Together, we basically supported each other to pursue some unexplored ideas, while also reigning each other in when overly excited about some possibly unsuccessful solutions that later would reveal themselves to be incongruent with our household’s spirit. Having an extra set of eyes and a respected opinion is probably the greatest asset we’ve drawn upon during our stay here.

Gregory's post slammed a lot of things about this contest into focus for me. For instance, I had not registered that Greg & Em created this apartment on a shoestring budget. The money controversy hasn't excited me much, mainly because rich people routinely produce travesties. Also, you can weigh for one person's ability to pay for fine-quality materials and so on over people with fewer resources.

Neither has the controversy over professionals and non-professionals been that persuasive. Architects and designers screw up more often than not.

My squeamishness over making a pick at all (not that it matters) has to do with a point I think Julian made in the Chicago guest house thread. There is a huge advantage to being able to structurally alter your space. HUGE! I think that's why I instinctively leaned toward Silverlake over a couple of other favorites--like James & Margaret's Iconic Studio and Gideon & Tracey's Pocket Knife--where the owners made dramatic architectural interventions that showed a lot of skill and ingenuity. Hats off to them, but they are playing a whole different ballgame.

(Actually I have many more favorites than that, and I wish AT would just hand $1000 to every finalist and to hell with it.)

I'm even more impressed now with Greg & Em's place because of their limitations as renters. And rules, a lot of little toys and whatnot are not to my taste either, but that's simply not important. What's important is how well Greg & Em transformed this little apartment into such an alluring place with so little to work with.

Oof.

Henrietta, your comments make our hearts swell. You are too kind (even if you do like to eat small children)! :)

Emily and Gregory, I'm so glad to hear your replies! And I love that you both complement each other so well...at least as far as your home design plans go. With Emily as "Emily is more of the meticulous detailed planner (but with a beautiful sense of order and colour)" and you as " the crazy “let’s eye that sucker” inspired dreamer"...you DO indeed make the perfect pair.

It's as if your hearts were...not of one kind...but of ...

Well...if Emily were to interlace the fingers of her right hand with Gregory's left, and then overtop those prayer hands with Emily's left and Gregory's right, that's what you two are, heart and spirit. You mesh. Your inner selves mesh.

Your outer selves mesh and protect each other's inner selves.

Ahhh, I envy you.

And your lovely home. I certainly do love nooks and crannies. Perhaps if we combined imaginary accounts you could do your kitchen. I'm not using my imaginary account here anyway, you might as well have it all!

:)

Emily & Gregory -

Your place reminds me of everything I like about spring, it's light, fresh, calming, clean and fun. It's definitely one of my top three favorite entries. In short, I love it!

I also really like the green paint pictured above, thanks for sharing the specifics. It looks calming and not at all minty which is what I wanted, but the opposite of what I got in my spare room. Your room inspires me to stop living with it a color I don't love and pull out the painting supplies.

Thanks for sharing your home with us.

I'm not really sure why people are so ga ga over this space. What is so fresh about it other than they placed personal whimsical items on display and know how to take good pictures.
In my opinion other enteries were more creative in designing their spaces and actually had greater limitations to tackle (the one space, iconic studio, hakarl and jili d.i.y., pocket knife). Even after reading Greg And Em's explanations, i don't consider adding fresh paint and removing an old floor as very challenging,(would have loved to have seen before pictures). For that matter the paint selection is very safe. Nothing about this space is very daring. And i imagine this is why most people like it.
The space is too cute for it's own good. It reminds me of a dollhouse. And this might explain why most women like it. Greg states he's left his print on it, if showcasing his designs (toys) is print enough. Though i must give him credit for rationalizing this.
If any of those enamored by this space would actually look at the criteria that justifies a winner, greg and em's space falls short. In my opinion, the only requirement they fulfill is the aesthetic category. They managed to personalized their space with all the cuteness that represents them. and more power to them. But is this sole reason to hand them the grand prize. Other enteries have personalized their space just as nicely. How did they satisfy the other two?
Wheras other enteries had to deal with limited square footage, becoming resourceful to create storage or creating the illusion of a larger space (one space, jen and cloves l.a. pad, iconic studio) Greg and Em had the liberty to convert an extra room to a sewing room, for petes sake this space is huge, they have a large walkin closet. I know I know the definition of a samll space is left for debate.
Yet i cannot help but champion enteries (one space, pocket knife, iconic studio) whom fullfilled all criteria requirements. No hating on Greg and Em, they did a good job at decorating their space, i particularly like he mouldings on the lower part of the walls, but in my opinion, decorating is merely what they did. Budget no budget, rental/owner, i would hope an entry that satisfied all three criteria requirements wins.

Chris: There are so many amazing and inventive solutions for small space living posted here, so its no surprise you might very believe some of the other contestants should win instead of us. No argument here that some people faced stricter limitations, while still others had greater resources and budgets. If we come away with any prize at all, it will be a welcomed bonus.

Sorry guys! I must have jinxed you.

Chris: Less is more.