apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love the attention to detail in your bathroom. The small photo above the mirror - wonderful use of space.

wow, even the futon looks elegant... nice job!

too dark!

I think light colors would make this place a lot better

OMG! This is Fab!! Love the bathroom! Colors are great!

Kudos to you for properly using the picture rail!!!

i personally love the rich dark colors. for its size, the kitchen is phenomenal! the bathroom, too...muy excellente!

This is a great space. I hate the futon though. Go for a real sofabed, the futon just cheapens all the hard work done to make the space elegant.

amazing - luxurious for sure. Great colors too

fantastic!
Not too crazy about the black toilet (I think it should have been white to match the sink and tub) but love the rest of the bathroom.

This is my favorite so far!
Where do you get clips for your picture rail?

Fantastic job! I'm not a fan of the futon. But everything is so rich, elegant, and well thought-out. Bonus points for the really cool floorplan you drew up - how did you do that? I really hope we get to see those windows over the tub!

I hate you!
This is so much more awesome than my place, and I'm only rocking 275 sq ft. The only thing I have to console myself is my dishwasher...sniff...sob..sniff

I really like this- dark colors aren't my thing, but I don't live here. I think the futon looks fine, maybe a sofa bed would look nicer, but I doubt that it would be more comfortable to sleep on. Good job! (and nice to see another SMALL space featured!)

...and the "command space." I wanna see the command space!

Totally fabulous! It's dark and luxurious without being too serious. Nice job!

I love it. I have those same curtains! (Target?) What's the brown wall color?

Its SO small but looks SO "grand". I'm not a fan of futons, but the accessories you've added to it and around it really make it fit. And the bathroom is simply slick.

I think the overall effect is stunning, though I agree with others about the black toilet (there is something about black toilets that slightly skeeves me out). I love the dark brown walls - I wonder if you had considered using heavy clear fishing wire (or whatever it's called) to hang your mirror and pictures instead of the regular wire?

Wow! Great job making a 12x13 room look elegant and act funcional.

I'm obsessed with it! Great job Bryan!

Great job. Though I want to just register another opinion against that color scheme. I don't think it's that it's dark - that could be very nice, and would go well in the space (that couch is fabulous, for example). It's something about the muted mauvey-greyness that really bothers me, I think. (But I didn't let that affect my vote, of course!)

I think the black toilet was actually a good choice. It recedes, but a white toilet would have appeared more prominent and bigger.

Is that regular wire hanging the pictures, or is it something else? It looks almost like a solid thing (sorry, me no pack me vocabulary this morning) instead of a looped wire. Please explain! I like that one central rod look better than the triangular look hanging from the outer edges gets (even with clear fishing wire you see the lines as shadows).

I love the dark. It wouldn't be my choice for my apartment, but it's a great color and it's really working well with the space.

I'm a big fan of the way you've combined antique and modern furniture and accessories. The dark color is luxe - I love it.

(Adding my voice to chorus of "get rid of the futon," though.)

Great job!

I agree with others about the futon. It's the only element of the entire place that doesn't seem quite right.

Everything else makes my jaw drop!!!!

LOVE the dark, rich color. The place feels warm to me... very warm, and soothing.

I'm especially impressed with your space planning - using lots of foldouts, keeping the kitchen superefficient and to scale with the rest of the space, etc.. I also love your integration of old and new

The darker colors are indeed striking, even if not everyone's personal preference, but I agree that it may not be the *tone* that's "not working hard enough for you," it's the monochrome... It feels like a few more contrasts would do a lot to make the whole place come alive - some more bright whites, or ice blues (as in the bathroom), or maybe mustard curtains, or even some taupe somewhere to "cut" the eggplant/black....

I'm not crazy about the futon or the black toilet, as others have noted, but if I were you, I'd make my next investment a bigger rug. The floors are quite nice, but I think a rug would be key to pull the whole space together.

All of that said, it really is great to be able to see such an individual (and thoughtful) approach to the space - you should be very proud! Thank you for sharing with us.

Keep the futon; ignore what the others are saying. I think it looks cosy, and as a fellow futon sleeper, a good futon is like sleeping on heaven. Beautiful space.

This apartment reminds me of the one Nate Berkus did on the now-infamous Oprah show, but minus the claustrophobic tenting. I personally have no problem with the darkness, just the mauveness, but regardless of whether I like that color, I think it's well done. Teeny-tiny, elegant and luxurious.

How you manage to contain a cat(?) and yourself in this space, while still making it funtional, fun, and sexy at the same time, is beyond me. I'm loving the colors, the kitchen (especially the subtle wallpaper), and that bathroom! I envy your 229 ENORMOUS square feet.

That said, ditch the futon, sir.

INSTA-FINALIST!

Ok the tile work in the bathroom was fantastical! Love the lighting in the kitchen very classy but with a wimsical manner. I will not hesistate in saying this is the best entry. I want to see more! We (the royal we) no longer weep for the future.

Did you turn a closet into a kitchen, and a kitchen into a "command space", or is the kitchenette a remnant of the apartment's former life as a boutique hotel suite? Just wondering.

This is a pretty great entry. It's not really my style in terms od decor, but it's very well pulled together. Oh, and I like the dark toilet - it recedes and you don't really see it when first looking into the bathroom, which is nice.

beautiful, truly. the pale blue design (wallpaper?) on the wall in the kitchen is stellar, i adore the gold mirror, and you just proved to me that a dark color plus a small space can work. but...where do you stash kitty's litterbox?

Love the tilework in the bathroom!!

um, WOW!
do you need a live-in girlfriend? ;)

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Stunning... This pad is a sure-fire finalist !

The washroom is amazing! Add a few noir and blanche candles to top it off, as the cherry on your cake.

My Vote: Stellar! Insta-Finalist!

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wait a minute...where's your refrigerator? do you have a mini built in under the countertop in the kitchen?

Thanks for your comments everyone! Here's an attempt to answer a few:

I made the drapes myself from fabric I bought at Zarin fabrics on the Lower East Side (thanks AT!) It's a heavy pattern that is inverted on the other side. I put large grommets in the top to make them a little more mod.

The pictures are hanging by very thin chrome chain. I got the hooks for the picture rail from Basics Plus on Third ave around 18th Street(4/$2).

The toilet was a hard decision, My concept though was to make it "of the floor" so it would recede. But I have learned since that a dark toilet is very hard to keep looking clean. The sink is in some ways a mini version of the tub (both rectangular with very sharp corners) so I wanted them to pop vs. the toilet. The windows in the bath (unseen here, sorry) also have small, white rectangular planters, which try to echo the other "vessels" in the room.

And the futon... Yes I used to hate futons, now they only annoy me. But this one is amazingly comfortable (i splurged on a great mattress). I agree it doesn't quite go with everything, but it was the first thing I bought, before I knew what I really wanted to do with the space. I wish I had 2 more feet of space because then the furniture layout would work great with a full bed with large lux pillows... Anyway the futon is called the Orion and it is from a company called Strata Furniture.

The wallpaper is from a store called Kitch Kitchen in Amsterdam ($12/roll)

Just chiming in to say I was totally charmed by the floorplan. I'm going to start referring to my mess of a desk as my workpoint!

i love it.
very masculine, in a good way.
over by the futon, is that a mailing tube wine holder?
i hope it is and i want to make one.

Okay, frontiersperson is having second thoughts about moving in with you so I'll move in with you.

The futon is fine. It's a very nice place considering it's only one room.

Good Luck

Tony G.

How can you stand that tiny kitchen? My apartment is the same size but my kitchen is about twice the size of yours. I don't even cook that much, but last weekend I did and went ballistic because I didn't have enough room to wash/cut veggies or set bowls...

So elegant! I love those drapes! The the wall colors are great too. The bathroom is modern and inviting. I like that the cooking area is so compact and efficient. In my 225 sq ft rental they've tried to jam a whole kitchen into one corner: doesn't work well. Yours makes much more sense. Great use of a small space!

Re: the kitchen

When I seriously cook (which is not often) I roll the "nightstand" over, which gets me some more counter space. I also made the counter top extra deep (30") so all the storage in the back doesn't clutter the workspace too much.

There is also a platform that sits on top of the sink, so I get a full 4' of usable counter top. The platform has a strategically placed hole so i can still use the faucet and throw scraps into the sink...

Frontiersperson, there is a small fridge/freezer under the stove. (6 cu.ft.)

Swanky. I like the bathroom and kitchen-thing.

I think your futon looks OK. I originally had a regular full bed but it took up half the space, so I recently got a Klik-Klak sleeper sofa. Not as comfortable, but good enough (I like a firm mattress). When put up as a sofa it looks really sweet. It's a great solution for a tiny place.

Working for a large real estate/architecture/interior design firm in New York, I can attest to the fact that Bryan's 3 F's is the best small apartment submission I've seen on this site. Bryan, you truly are an inspiration to deisgners everywhere. You make it work!

am i the only one who is really baffled by the piece of furniture next to the futon?? it looks like the doors are falling off, or it's so crammed full of stuff you cant shut the doors...whats going on there??

aside from that, its alright, though entirely not my taste. i do like the wallpaper/stencil you used on the little wall in the "kitchen".

What kind of sink is that in your bathroom? Duravit?

I know it's just me because everybody seems to love this space, but I can NOT imagine going in here and feeling comfortable. I applaud your clever kitchen solutions etc. and I LOVE the tile on your bathroom walls, but it just feels very heavy and I feel like I would be worried about bumping into things and knocking stuff over. And the black toilet creeps me out. So kudos to you for all your hard work and innovation, and now I know exactly what to show people when I am trying to explain "not to my taste".

okay, good--- i'll book the uhaul for this weekend hee hee.

Less than 300 sq ft. and it still looks huge! I think you've done an amazing job here - so elegant, and very innovative solutions. This is what the contest is all about - bravo!

Can you give us the specific name/brand of the paint color? I really like it.

beautiful, classy, hip....wow! I'm SO impressed w/this! I love the kitchen, but personally would be sad w/out an oven. I cannot believe you have a full size tub!

I'm also curious to see the "Command Center"...hee! And I have to say I'd nix the futon as well - if you win, spend your money on getting a bedding option that fits the rest of the decor and doesn't look as sloppy. (yours isn't super sloppy, it just looks out of place compared to the rest of the clean lines you've got going everywhere else!).

all in all: Bravo!

Anne if nobody was offended by my design then I would have failed. Thanks for your honesty. The worst kind of design in my mind is so bland that one that nobody loves it and nobody hates it.

Dean the piece of furniture you refer to is a rolling piece of cabinetry. There were leftover cabinets so i joined them together and made a pantry-like piece of furniture on wheels that also acts as a nightstand and extra counter top for the kitchen. The reason it looks crammed is that the door on the left is slightly open. The middle portion is open shelving for my alarm clock, books, etc.

The tub is Duravit (they make great angular tubs!) and the sink is by Hastings, it's the Verso 50 wall mount.

Colors in the living space:
Benjamin Moore Pueblo Brown (eggshell) 2102-30
Old Pickup Blue (satin) 2054-60
October Sky (satin) 2162-70

I need to see so much more of this place, because it's superb.

Please, Bryan, if you don't make it into the finals, post many more pictures of your space somewhere (like Flickr), and then post a link to them here.

This is without a doubt one of my favorite entries this year.

wow great use of space. i love how the kitchen is tucked it.

i like this. i woui love this. its so grown up and manly! i wouldn never want my own apartment to look like this (many isnt really my thing) but it looks great!

Oh this competition has gotten fierce! I've not seen many places as small as the 1 I'm about to move into & here this 1 is smaller! And way more fabulous. Thank the goddess again for great high ceilings-those dark walls work.

I love the color scheme, especially the deep color on the walls....

I have to say with the dimensions this person had to work with this is the most impressive entry I've seen. I love the color scheme. It's not ordinary and commonplace; it screams personality. Great work.

I love the living space. It works well as a living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Rarely do I see these three rooms effectively brought into one. I wish I knew about this place in my search for an apartment in NYC. It's absolutely perfect for my type of lifestyle.

The space is great.

And YOU are a-DOR-able. Omg.

It took me a long time to figure out what was making me not love this place - its the mix of cool and warm shades

the warmth of the rich brown walls and the gold mirror frame and the cream of the picture rail and window frame and the black of the furniture: all great

but the cool pale blue that appears to be above the picture rail and the blue print in the kitchen area and the stainless steel of the appliances don't work with all those warm tones - even the futon cover begins to look like a jarring cool shade.

I also get a bit creeped out by the kitchen - with the moulding around the opening it looks like a doorway to a room but there is no room there - the cabinets appear to come right up to the opening - personally I'd either paint the moulding around the opening the same colour as the walls to bring the kitchen into the room or I'd hang a curtain over here to hide the kitchen totally

You make it look easy to live in 229 sq ft (or whatever tiny size it was). Very impressive.

And I love to cook but I would love that kitchen. I had something very similar in my first apartment and I don't think I ever operated so efficiently in a kitchen since--it forces you to think about what you are going to do, in what order, use the fewest number of dishes, etc. I loved it. I have a big kitchen now and I just run all over it and use all my pots and pans ('cause I can). And living in Union Sq. How great is that???

The rolling piece of cabinetry is a great use of the same space for two purposes. If it were temporarily rolled about two feet in front of the kitchen sink it could serve a third purpose: as a bar.

Also, note that the lower shelves would have been inaccessible without the ability to roll the cabinet out.

This apartment shows what can be done by a (very) skillful designer with an attention to detail !!

Sweet Pad Bry-Bry!

Can't wait to see it in person. I love that you are using the picture rail and the color break on the walls does a nice job of creating a sense of multiple scales to the room.

A testament to Bryan that I voted stellar, because the colors are just not my thang--however, it is such an incredible solution to a micro space--the textures and placement of objects is really fabulous. And I'm always a sucker for a big bathroom with a deep bathtub and natural light!

Violetsrose: Thank you for the color analysis. I couldn't put my finger on it before (since I like dark colors!), but you've helped me to explain why the color scheme as a whole is a bit jarring to me. (Don't mind the kitchen at all though - and I wouldn't try to bring it any further into the room.:))

very nice bathroom and gorgeous pullman kitchen. nice work - i am pretty sure i know this building and judging by what i've seen of the older units sans renovations, you've done a great job.

not my choice of colors and not a fan of gothic-y pieces, but that's just me.

i have to say it again, very nice kitchen and bathroom.

I never thought I'd be such a sore loser but all the junky, cluttered, poorly laid out floor plans that are so pretty but totally unfriendly and non-functional supplanted my gorgeous garden suite. Now that I got all that off my chest, I'd like to say that THIS is the only home from the contest that caught my eye. It is comfortable, makes no apology for the dark exposure, and is unconventional, yet immediately charming. I'm glad it generated so much praise and controversy. Cheers!

Hey Bryan, do you remember the name/model of your splurge-worthy futon mattress? I could use a recommendation--thank you in advance!

I think this is the best apartment I've seen on the site! Despite the fact that its in competition with other apartments twice its size, this tiny apartment feels airy, open, and gorgeous. Even with the small kitchen, it really seems like you can do anything, from enjoying dinner parties (with the console/dining table and pullman kitchen pieces) to lounging with friends to relaxing in solitude (hello! what better place to take a bath).
Everyone knows how difficult it is to make one space work for multiple purposes while keeping design fresh and unique. This space provides functionality within a distinctive design thats full of personality and envelope-pushing combinations of classical and modern styling (personally, I adore the contrasts of warm and cool tones and the combination of classical and modern lines--it totally works!). This is an amazingly space from a very unique and skilled designer--this apartment should win, hands down!

Love it. Tell us about the bathroom tile -- I love the tiles on the wall.

wow. do you always keep it this clean and put away? i think that would be the only problem here. it looks lovely in the picture though!

Don't like the futon, but love everything else about the flat including the colors and the black toilet. Very stylish.

double wows. i think this is an amazing use of such small square footage.
i think the kitchen is genius for this amount of room, and you can always cut your veggies and set bowls on a table!
if i ever had to live in such a small studio, i would try to emulate you.

Really love the colors! Where did you get the futon. It's one of the nicest ones I've seen. Especially like the arms.

I absolutley love the futon!!! The horizontal slats in the arms are very handsome. Similarly, the rich color is very masculine.
Is it a full or queen sized? Also, how do you open it? Do you need to pull it away from the wall, and if so is it heavy. Lastly, where can I buy one just like it in NYC?

-chirs