apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I call that the furniture my dad bought, my mom hated, and so she gave it to me because she wanted it out of her house after they got divorced!! American of Martinsville is another brand of good quality stuff, especially the Urban Suburan line.

Your kitchen looks as narrow as mine and i dig the wall treatment.

I think my grandmom had those curtains.

Wow, it's like some kind of frightening time warp! Seems like a fun place, except that the bedroom doesn't exactly invite romance (at least from this girl's perspective.)

most of the time, while i like midcentury furniture in general, i think going with ALL midcentury is a bit too obvious considering how trendy that is right now. but your place really works, because it looks like your building is from the 20's/30's and your apartment really has the bones to match the furniture. Going with real vintage pieces that may or may not be designer is also a step in the right direction over the same name droppy pieces everybody with tons of $$ has these days. So rather than these McMansions full of trendy big ticket stuff from the DWR catalogue, it looks like your place really is a good fit, like you've found the heart and soul of your home.

also, your kitchen looks so much more spacious than it probably really is. how'd you do that?

Opoponax -- I admire your good eye! The apt is in fact from the 30's -- building originally done in 1910, but broken up into smaller units during the depression. (In one closet you can see part of original ceiling treatments!)

The ceilings are 10 feet, and as is probably obvious, I used every inch of the wall surfaces in the kitchen. The large window (4 ft wide by 6 ft tall) helps open up the space. It looks out at the next, identical building, so filling the window with colored glass was a way to keep the light in and the neighbors out!

great kitchen! everything is exposed but manages to be aesthetically pleasing as well as tidy. i love the recessed storage area, though it might be a pain to keep clean. and i am heartened to see someone else has pans whose bottoms seem acquainted with fire rather than flawless!!

Hey! This is my grandparents' apartment!

Looks fantastic! So glad to finally be able to see it. Everything looks so great together. Congratulations on a job well done. It must be wonderful to wake up to and live in!

I KNEW I'd get into your apartment if I waited long enough!! ;)

I think this space and what you've done to it really suits you, whihc I think is the ultimate compliment.

Congrats, and thanks for sharing!

haha! I used to live not terribly far from there, in Washington Heights. My building was build in the mid-20's, and had a lot of similar design elements to yours (especially the high ceilings and arched doorways, which was the giveaway). I wish I'd known what a great place I had before I gave it up for the circa 1945 box I now call home...

I really admire the kitchen! What's behind the shelves with the colored glass apart from a window? Is it just the window glass itself? I was fooled into thinking it was a wall.

It looks terrific.

Too bad they got rid of the radiators. I love old-fashioned radiators.

The kitchen window is covered with sheets of a semi-opaque fabric I bought at Ikea. It was intended for a curtain system they have (insert Swedish name here!) with sliding tracks and a variety of hanging fabric panels.

Radiator in liv room is original from 30's, and I would love to get rid of the one in the bedroom -- hasn't been used in decades!!!

Hey... I have the same leather setee (mini sofa). Got it at Bloomy's for a bundle. How much did you pay for yours. This particular style had a name... i forgot.

Settee (or couch-let) is indeed from Bloomie's -- called Eleanor. Paid only half a bundle due to sale/coupon and another 15% off for opening card there. I am happy with it, but it seems like after I bought it suddenly there were many more couches on the market that would work with mid-c.

I love your place; it is comfortable, warm & fun.

i am curious as to how you did the shelves in your kitchen window. i've seen that done before. a great idea for extra storage.

Frank, did the kitchen cabinets originally have doors and you removed them?

Holly -- Kitchen cabinets had glassed pane doors that were removed long before I moved in (probably had so much paint that they no longer closed properly). A friend of mine lived in this apt for 7 years before I took it over, so my experience goes back.

The sad thing is, however, on the day I was moving in, the building put all the old cabinet doors out on the sidewalk for the sanitation dept to pick up -- seems the fire dept told them to get them out of the basement, a potential fire hazard. If I had had the time, I would have looked for the doors to fit my kitchen cabinets; but I didn't have time to look through 60 units worth of old doors on moving day!!!

Kat -- the window shelves are just cut wood, painted semi-gloss super white, and held with very small, discrete brackets.

Looks great. Alot better then when I was sleeping on the floor. Your brother

This looks like a really great place to hang out and that there are many stories to tell about it.

Dude, lose the mirror (behind the black leather couch)...

Does it have air conditioning?

You call that furniture...It looks like the Goodwill had a firesale. I would not be caught dead in that place

Nice apartment! I would keep the mirror - they don't usually photograph well but they help brighten a room. Where did you find the bars on which you hung the pots and pans in your kitchen?

Shopaholic40 -

You can get those from IKEA.

I have never liked mid-century furniture, until now. Good job.

Your place is awesome!

What happens when you find a mid-century piece of furniture that you like? Do you buy it and get rid of something you have or are your furniture buying days over?

It's so clean and tidy! It's a very nice place.

Tony G.