apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Love it love it love it.

ABSOLUTELY STELLAR!

WOW!

Lose the zebra rug and I'll bake for you every morning. OK, not really. This is my dream apartment MINUS the zebra rug.

Saw this one on SSBS. Loved it then, love it now. I especially like the awkward corner that Ron made into his desk area with fabric wall panels. And I believe he said the headboard is a tabletop!

This is what I wish I could do. It's beautiful!

Those curtains are stunning !!!

Where did you get the chrome lamps?

Ron, I am a contestant myself, but your space is ABSOLUTELY stellar. Your zones are perfect and although the bed and the living room are in one big room, you have made it look very comfortable. Love the desk corner. Kudos to you. Good luck. A

Recently came across Ron's website (don't want to skew the contest by linking to more pics of it) and realized I have tearsheets of his awesome San Francisco apartment from when it was featured in (I think) MetHome around 2000. It was always very inspirational for my own studio-living, and I like the NY apartment even more. It's interesting to see how he's used the same pieces and added new ones between the two homes.

Insanely gorgeous! Is that a real headboard, is the headboard just an illusion (i.e. a headboard painted onto the wall?) Also what desk is that??

Finally, someone with enough lighting! Love the strong patterns and the light airiness.

I am sitting in stunned silence.

The gloves are off, now kiddies.

*gasp*

Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up: the black trim on your white curtains...wow. And I covet your sofa. Madly.

While not exactly my style, this is what I evision of when I think of NYC studios. Very well done.

Your apartment is so breathtaking! Literally, I think I gasped when I saw the first photo.

Ok, I can't even look at it any more. I'm getting jealous.

And I thought my place was small. Bravo, Ron. I may steal some ideas...

I loved this apartment when I first saw it. Fantastic that it's in the contest!!!

I'm in love!!!!!!! OMG! It's just like a hotel room! I love it! Bravo, Ron! Bravo!!!

Oh wait, those are the lamps that I wanted!! I submitted a "good question" for that lamp! Where did you get yours? I'm so jealous right now!

Hands down winner! LOVE it!

This could have come our of Elle Decor. It is really beautiful and aptly named.

eversince I saw your apt , I put the photos of this amazing apt in my "I heart rooms" folder and I am so happy to see it as a contestant (or a winner). great use of space with such style.. beautiful than words.

omigod. beautiful!

Exquisitely done.

Will someone who knows about Ron's web site please post it? I truly, truly want to see more!

Cassis, excellent use of a Princess Bride quote.

I also adore this apartment. But one question: do no other New Yorkers watch TV? Maybe the TVs are artfully hidden in all of these photos.

I want to like it, I do, but that is just a little too much stuff in there.

This is completely gorgeous, pristine, stellar!

One sidenote: I'm beginning to feel like I'm the only one without a zebra rug! (Ron, I think it works wonderfully in this space, I'm not saying that I don't like it)

LM, I think I see the TV just to the right of the glass lamp in the second photo.

One more comment/question...

Flea market and second hand stores?? Please tell us what items you found at those! I have much to learn from you!

The first shot looks like an Elle Decor cover shot!I love it.

Oh, now I see! Thanks, Doug.

It really does look like a very upscale hotel.

I want more entries like this. This caliber. The only thing I would do differently is add one or two antiques. Preferably something Victorian. A gothic chair? An art nouveau lamp? Other than that -- It's perfect.

Tony G.

LM,

Speaking for myself, moving into a 300 square foot apartment in an art deco NY building.... the TV was the first thing to go.

And now it looks like it's gone permanently - even after I've moved into bigger digs. Can't say I'm missing anything, am I?

Yum!

There is definately a TV in the second photo - probably 13" - which makes me think I should trade in my 19" and go smaller as it works so well here.

Just saw Doug's comment. Ah well. At least this TV's small....

My jaw literally hit the floor. Awesome.

OH MY GOD. i love this & want to move in. classy, sophisticated, tiny, amazing.

insta-finalist.

when looking at the photos, all i could say was "ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod" over and over again...

this is as close to perfection as i've seen (as as close to my style, though a bit more "done" that i prefer to live). my only dislike is the urn and mirror(?) blocking the window.

LOVE the yellow lamps, the lucite tables (i just found some of those myself!), the blue foo dogs (the "it" home accessory of the moment, no?), oh....i just keep going back and looking at the photos...its like im falling in looooove, haha.

someone post the link to more photos!!

Damn he's good. My baby brother definitely has an eye & creativity galore. Love the sophistication, colors & great use of small spaces. Need to hire him for my house.

Ron you are AMAZING. I hope you win!

I think I've just seen my favorite entry!!! Exquisitely beautiful!!!

Gorgeous!!

If I had to show someone an archetypal image of a New York apartment that second photo would be the one I'd show them - gorgeous!! - love those shiny lamps!

Completely Gorgeous.

Wonderful!

After lurking for a while, I finally registered simply so I could vote on this fantastic space. It is exactly what I'm trying to achieve with my own apartment.

I adore this.

Here's his site: www.ronmarvin.com. It is amazing.

Loved it when we posted it a couple of weeks ago and love it now. I counted 10 lamps on his website and now he says there's one in the bathroom as well! I have a serious lamp fetish. Congratulations Ron a great home.

I'm giving this a stellar despite the fact that I don't see the kitchen or the bathroom. The main space is so well done, I can't help but believe they are equally well done. Bravo!

LOVELOVELOVE your apartment. Did I mention how much I love this place?

"I want to like it, I do, but that is just a little too much stuff in there."

I agree. The furnishings are beautiful but the apartment is too cramped for me.

For some reason the first photo didn't grab me so I passed this entry up many times. But the second photo sums up the sophistication of the aprartment. My hunch was that this room was professionaly designed. I like to look at professionaly designed places in hopes that I can learn something from them.

I could see a Murphy bed fitting nicely into a space like this to free up floor space. But those things are probably a hassle sometimes.

Just too cool for school! Exactly the feel I want to create in my place: elegant and serene yet cozy with the hotel suite vibe.

That couch is so boss -- adore the single cushion style.

The decor and architecture work so beautifully together. Kudos on such a fabulous place.

Take a moment to look around this space. What you'll notice is that from any angle and any perspective any part of the space is a beautiful vignette. That alone is quite a feat yet what truly makes Ron's home so amazing is that the sum of the absoutely stunning parts is drop-dead gorgeous.

Sweet indeed Ron, very well done.

Rich, opulent, and full of grandeur! Oh la la, Ron, oh la la... (:

Delicious swanky goodness.

LOVE the handling of the yellow and turquoise accents... you really understand the concept of "accent."

SOOOO beautiful. But -- honestly & truly -- is the majority of this stuff REALLY from flea markets, ebay etc. ??

Fantastic! Amazing! and I Love It!

My oh my, kudos to you. I can just see Nick and Nora and shaking martinis. Well done indeed.

elegant, impactful and approachable!

Ron wins! and the WORLD is a made a more beautiful place because his apartment is in it!

Beautiful, but it looks *too* much like a hotel room. I know that's the point, but as someone who hates hotels, I can't really warm to this entry.

Nice use of space, but I personally don't want to live in a hotel.

yes. truly and honestly a majority of the stuff is from flea markets or second hand. every single lamp (except one), every ceiling light fixture, the sofa, the chair, the ottoman under the console, the buffet, the large mirror, and the desk chair are all from flea markets. not to mention a lot of the items in the vignettes!

someone commented about the mirror in the window. that is hiding the air conditioner off season. no need to look at it during the winter!

thanks for all of the positive comments!

As stated previously, I really LOVE this place. But...is the contest open to professional interior designers/decorators? I thought it was amateurs only.

I adore it! NYC uptown luxury, with style, but no pretention. truly elegant...

My favorite so far! I love this! The WINNER!!!

says nothing about amateurs only on the contest entry page. i'm glad to see something of this caliber. truth be told, you dont have to be a professional to have a well-appointed apartment, just some sense of aesthetic. it'd be a total letdown if the translation weren't made from his work to his home! looking at ron's apartment is a design history lesson, it makes me truly happy (as an artist and former furniture design/industrial design student). i'm hoping he doesn't get disqualified on some lame technicality.

I wish there was a decor prize, and an innovation prize.

I still also wish there had been a "no previsouly published spaces" but there was not.

And y'all who say this looks too much like a hotel, you are VERY lucky to be staying in some VERY nice hotels, damn!

Gorgeous! Is the chandelier vintage or can we normal folk find it in stores?

Is there such a description as juicy sophistication? Well played. Richly layered without being cluttered. I can't wait to see more.

I love it.

I just really wish there was a budget portion of the contest so the poor folks like me had a chance. haha

That being said, although the budget is obviously somewhat high, it is appointed to look like it was designed over time and not just a bunch of purchases from DWR. Nicely done.

This is the winner. Others are good, some even great. But this is masterful. When I first saw pics of this apartment online in December I had what can only be described as a religious experince. I saw the proverbial light---many of them, actually. And they were all spectacular. Even the shades were outstanding! Just look how the banding on the yellow lamps compliments the drapes; Either feature is terrific alone. Put together, however, and the room just snaps. Brilliant! And look at the sitting area furniture, stylishly defying the well-founded rule dictating judicious use of leather (especially white leather). I thought it couldn't be done. I was wrong. There is not one thing I would change here. Not one. Indeed, I now know perfection is possible.
Ron- I was an athesit before you....

fabulous! this should win!

Very nice. It's beautiful yet it has personality. And it's not just minimalistic like some people would be inclined to go just to get wows.

am i the only one thinking that this eerily looks like a matt of top design work? he did win though so im saying this is really good. but gives me a feeling that i've seen this before...

To borrow from My So-Called Life: Ron's apartment, you're so beautiful, it hurts to look at you.

Seriously, my heart hurts right now.

Kudos!

I lived temporarily in an identical apartment in the same building for 3 months after 9/11 - I recognize the layout. If you saw what the empty space looks like, you'd be even more impressed with, and amazed by, what he's done. Trust me - there is nothing glamorous about the building.

Having professionals compete with "normal" folks in this contest seems unfair.

Wow. Just--wow.

There are not enough HTML tags available for me to convey how perfectly chic and elegant this apartment is. Bravo!

WOOOOOW!!!! The place is gorgeous! I have also registered just so I can vote! You have proven that space is not an issue - it's what you do with it! thanks!

Laura--
Why do you say this is *not* done on a budget?

I love it. Very quirky and excentric. Interiors are so much more fun with the combination of old and new. :) A small flat can look luxurious too as you have proved.

http://kittyrenovates.blogspot.com/

everything is too heavy.

re: matt/top design
it would seem that for the last 3 years, a lot of designers have been taking cues from kelly wearstler and reviving the hollywood regency/maximalist look, so while it's not entirely original (same for matt's designs), it's still refreshing to see a tiny space appear palatial through accents and robust. heavy schmeavy.

Lovely but he's not exactly a recent graduate. IMHO a seasoned professional who will be hosting a tv show really has no place in this contest.

Now *this* is what I'd call a jewel box apartment. It's exquisite and exemplifies the fact that you can live glamorously in any size space.

Will you adopt me?

Love the apartment. Hopefully, one day, when my apt grows up it will look like this.

Two questions: why didn't you carry the same design on your bulletin boards?
What is the make/color of chocolate paint?

I think it's a problem there's no place to eat properly. And I wonder where the books are.

The decor is just amazing...beautiful, and sophisticated, without being stuffy.

Is there a designated dining area, or is it all just breakfasts in bed, and manhattans and hors d'oeuvres on the sofa?

Want to see that innovation--I'll bet he's got some somewhere :)

Ron, this place is amazing! I'm wondering how you took the photo on your site that is a straight-on shot of the big mirror above your danish modern cabinet... with no one's reflection in the mirror!? Are you invisible? ;-)
Some enterprising furniture maker should hire you as a designer, because that sofa and that sidechair would sell sell sell.

I don't mean to be overly cynical. But does Ron live here or was it for a client?

oh he lives there.

I became Ron's love slave when he said on ssbs that he makes his bed every single day. Love the room.

IM SICK!!! It's beautiful!!!! Where did you get your endtables.

Great space! The use of color is amazing. Here is the winner.

ron marvin, i DO adore you
-brynn

perfect

Nice work!!!

Just explaining my no way vote - just looks too stuffy and too cramped for me. I counted eight table and two overhead lamps. Do you really need all those lamps in such a small place?

>>I think it's a problem there's no place to eat properly. And I wonder where the books are.>>

Can you not see the books on the tables?

peggy continues to be the rain on EVERY parade.

Um, if you can't do overhead lighting, then, um, YES you need all those lamps.

the end tables are from west elm.
the silver lamps are from the flea market.
books are in various stacks. some on the coffee table. some on the buffet. some under the console/bar.
the photo taken of the mirror was done on a timer, with the camera being hidden by the art in front of the mirror.
there are actually twelve lamps in the apartment and four overhead lights, all of which are on dimmers. but when friends are in the space, no one notices. they just know they feel very comfortable.
the brown is benjamin moore's "classic brown" 2109-10.
i eat using the two coffee tables, for dinner for two. larger dinners are done buffet style. i had ten people for a fourth of july dinner!

Sans faute !

sensational yellow lamps!

when I first saw it, I thought it was some boutique hotel suite! you might actually inspire those movie set designers with their Hollywood fantasy New York apartments. Kudos!

Where can I get a curved-back sitting chair like the one here?

(And by the way, it was the number of lamps that really sold me on this place. It seems like just enough lighting to me. - But I've been so frustrated with the lack of lighting in my place. I have seven lamps in my small studio and am going crazy trying to rig some extra lighting in at least three more places. Waiting for the right lamps....)

The space is stunning- perhaps too much so to actually live in. Does anyone know where I can find a reasonable version of Lucite coffee tables shown?

umm, ptoo sorry to offend you. I didn't realize it was a parade - I thought it was a contest.

And uhh, I see both overhead and table lamps.

I've been looking at this multiple times. It is instantly recognizable as magazine ready and professional looking. I am not of the dream- home -as- luxury-hotel faction, which seems to prevail here, but side with the dream- home-as -personal -museum faction, (like the recent SF house tour from one of most amazing artists I've ever seen in my web browsing.) But I did want to weigh in on the lamp issue. Lamp light is cozy and welcoming and overhead light is harsh. These lamps surely make a beautiful ambiance to be in at night. These pairs of lamps seen to dominate the room in the photo and the shades are visually dense in the daytime. I would prefer slender torch ( or is it torchiere?) style lamps in the corners that let the photo collection dominate the room and maybe some wall sconces to spread around the light sources evenly. Everything in this apartment is in perfect balance visually, which must feel very calming to live in. I agree with Patrick about the categories; would make the contest better and insure a wide range of entries.

I can't stop coming back and looking at this either. This is perfection.

Very Sexy!
...and the apartment looks good as well!

Please, please let us know where that couch is from. I need it for my condo.

peggy--

Yes, overhead lights. You got me there.

But really, a no-way vote because too many lamps? Seriously?

Oh boy. I thought Urchin's London Jewel Box had this contest in the bag, but now . . .

This is incredible.

OH MY GOD!!!! I cannot stop scrolling back up to look at these pics!!!! Such a clever idea not trying to hide the bed, but making it such a focal point in the decor. The details in the apartment are to die for! One word to sum up your space: scrumptious!!!!

the sofa is from the flea market. it was hot pink crushed velvet when i found it!! there are actually two of them. the other is in storage. i had it reupholstered and added the bolsters .

Hi ptoo - sorry if I confused you. I was just sort of wondering why he had so many lamps, maybe he just likes them. The no way vote is because the place looks stuffy to me.

wow, just wow.

Stunningly classy. It's just incredible!

Perfection. Wondering if you could come to Boston and give me a few tips... heck work on my place.

This is the very definition of "Smallest Coolest". And also New York City style. The lucite tables and West Elm zebra rug really make it, keep it from being staid. This is yet another example of how fabulous a place can be even with white walls.

gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous - very jealous of the molding and your lamp pairs - great use of 300 sq. ft.

one question, to which i probably know the answer: where do you eat?

This kind of reminds me of P2's place from the first competition (supreme compliment). Beautiful!

This is so top shelf it's not funny. Deeply inspirational !

I love the visuals, but I would feel a bit uptight in this space because it is so decorated. It all works though!

I think this contest has very vague guide lines of who is allowed to compete, which makes the range of contestants quite broad. There should perhaps be an "amateur" and "pro" categories? Cause, clearly, this entry blows the rest out of the water. And I don't think it's very fair to those who put a lot of work into their spaces but aren't pro interior designers. ::shrug::

This is sweet or shall I say "suite". I should be so luck ot have this as my respite every day.

Beautiful!!!

This is going to be a hard one to beat . . . by far the best entry.

BY FAR.

i think if an amateur were good enough to produce something like this, they would probably be pro.

All looks very staged to me, and not especially different.

I don't see anything that's particularly inspiring to living in a small space.

In other words....it's a nice hotel room. I wouldn't mind staying a few nights. But it ain't home.

Me likey... no lovey! :)

http://kittyrenovates.blogspot.com/

perfection!

This place is amazing! Love it!!!

Smashing success!

I LOVE this apartment. Ron really understands the small space and works w/in the confines of that space to make his place look cozy and bigger. The use of color as an accent is terrific in highlighting key pieces like those amazing lamps. He maximizes all his square footage w/out making the place look junky. This place is hands down the winner!!!

Lovely but too furniture crowded for me.

you have style and do it w/ out having to spend a fortune! Great eye----great lines!!!! Calming and flows well for the small space --- AWESOME!

i think this is the most beautiful apartment i have ever seen and would give anything to have the talent that went into this!!!! this apartment definitely deserves first place!!!!

In Manhattan we are used to living in small space but most of us are not as fortunate to live in a "hotel suite" as beautiful as Ron has created. Ron has created an amazing space that is very well thought out using every inch of space. The flow, color, scale of furniture and lines make this truly the "coolest" space in NYC. Its simply AMAZING!

Ron,

Is there anyway we could see pictures of your kitchen and bathroom? I'm needing some inspiration for a 300 sq. ft. apartment I'm in the process of buying.

Cheers from the gypsy girl, Canada!

Does any one know where to purchase the chrome ball lamps Ron has in his living room??? I have searched every where and can't find them.

Elegant and well designed, it gives hope and inspiration to all people inhabiting small spaces that beauty, style, and comfort is attainable if one is committed to it.

Take care,

I.