apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The winner! In My HUmble Opinion that is!!!

Very nice! Would love to see more though. I'm not sure if these pictures capture your great apartment that I could only imagine through your layout drawing.

Oh, holy cow. Warm and inventive and personalized and tidy and completely gorgeous.

Between this and Daniel's studio (#28), I'm feeling optimistic about entries with stuff.

Beautiful job. I look forward to seeing more pictures when you are a finalist.

Lovely apartment, the lighting is great.

I definitely want to see more.

I agree with MA - a definite winner! What a lovely space - warm, sofisticated and full of character. Thanks for the inspiration.

love your library shelves!

Well, anything with a library ladder gets my vote. Having your bed so far from the nursery seems to me both a blessing and a curse, but definitely the best use of the space.

I love the colors in the main area! Low-key but energetic.

[More muttering about three photos not being enough.] Lovely colors and textures. May I ask who makes the crib?

Books!!!

Amazing use of space, and warm and unique.

Can adults really use that hammock, or is it for baby-rocking?

The hammock is adult sized (easily large enough for 2), though it is good for baby rocking. The crib is a Stokke and will convert to a kiddy bed and, eventually, two chairs if we want (though it will hopefully be recycled for more kiddies).

Thanks for the comments.

Paullchik

Hooray for Hell's Kitchen!! (In a simlar note--what is with it our 'hood and exposed brick? I feel like it's a zoning requirement or something. ) I'm glad to see a mix of wood stains. I've been paranoid that none of mine matches but yours looks good!

this is the hands-down winner in my opinion. its so lived in, warm and home-y. last night i dreamt about my 'dream apartment' and this is what it was, almost to a t.

except, youknow, in my dream there was a wolf infestation which made my dream apartment unlivable. ha.

Fantastic! It's great to see someone deal so successfully with the familiar long-and-narrow railroad layout of a lot of small apartments. One question: Where/how did you get those interior doors with transparent glass (or plastic?)? I want to do something similar but the doors I've found are wildly expensive. I would love any DIY tips you might have. Thanks!

I love it. Very creative manipulation of the floor plan

Lovely! A real HOME, where it appears people actually live, work, read, keep their favorite books and objects, and all the while do so in great style. This is what should be winning the contest! Not some cold, clean show-room.

I love it, but I've already voted for it! Isn't this entered in the Smallest Coolest Nursery as "Violet's Urban Tree House"?

I do like it a lot, but not enough for it to win in more than one category.

You have a hammock in your living room.

You = Awesome.

Seriously though, its a great looking apartment and it looks as though you really did a great job with maximizing your layout.

Am curious to see the bathroom and kitchen.

All in all a great space- very warm and comfortable, yet quite organized.

Firstly, judging from the floorplan, what a marvelously efficient use of space. I'm reminded of the resourcefulness and inventiveness of a tightly run ship, without the cabin claustrophobia. Secondly, maybe it's the hammock, but more likely the wonderful warmth and variety of texture and color, that gives the space a feeling of being above deck on calm seas (watching the sun set, etc). Finally, there's an almost Eames-ish quality of personal yet playful design expression, and a perfectly tuned mix of traditional and modern. I am so not green with envy. Bravo.

This is SOO great. I love your library shelves, your hammock, and your beautiful and quirky art on the walls! I also like that your apartment has a modern vibe with vintage/thrift store furniture. Proves you don't need one of those expensive trendy rockers to have style. Definitely one of my favorites so far.

Where in the apartment is that second picture? I can't figure out where it goes.

Rocketslide, the piture is taken from the nursery door and shows the dresser and yellow chair shown on the plan.

classy, warm, harmonious, comfortable, welcoming. insta!!

Your hammock is awsome! I've actualy wanted to have one inside my own place, but how did you attach it to the wall?

I like the first photo. Not so much the 2nd and 3rd photo. I really would like to see how this place was decorated in 1900. That would be ultra cool.

I'm amazed that so many people shop at the Salvation Army. Maybe next year the Salvation Army should sponsor the contest.

Tony G.

Love it. I love it so much, that I'm moving in. Next Friday good for you? :)

I am sorry, but 560 sf is not small enough. I live in > 300 sf and there is no way to make my apartment cool with 2 of us in it having 1 bedroom and 10 ft ceilings.

My boyfriend would be so jealous of the shelving with the ladder! We were just gushing over a $15mil townhouse with the same feature (hahaha not in 15 million years!)
Love the colors, it's so cosy.

I've noticed that many entries cite the Salvation Army stores as a resource. Do people know that the whole organization is extremely homophobic? I'm all for thrifting, but please be aware of what your dollars are supporting.

Gorgeous. Can't wait to see more. Great to see the books.

Love it. Reminds me of home. I'm entering next year!

I am drooling over the bookshelves above the windows - so charming and inviting

Love the eclecticism. Radiates cozy comfort, and heaps of character. Your bookshelves and art wall are especially intriguing.

I love how there seems to be so many little "zones". So hard in such a tiny space!

Just as everyone else said: charming, warm, comfortable.

I feel like this apartment is the equivilant of a person one would describe as "effortlessly chic". We all know it does take some effort to be this chic, but this apt. hides it so well. As much as I loved some of the previous apartments, the effort is a bit conspicuous in many. Although I don't think that's a bad thing necessarily, I just think this apt. is much more in line with the reality of the average persons life.

Enjoy this space with your little one, this would be a great place to grow up in!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this apartment. You guys win, hands down.

At first glance, I thought this is what N.Y. apts. are supposed to look like! Love the warm feel the subtle colors that relaxing feel - great space!

Xeno,

The hammock is hung from two large hooks, one of which is sunk into a wall stud and one of which is attached to the brick wall (with expansion bolts--it took forever to drill the holes). As the stud flexes some under the weight of the loaded hammock, the hole in the drywall around the hook in that wall has expanded some, but that is pretty much inevitable. The real trick is being confident (or getting lucky) with the stud finder, since the screw-in portion of the hook is probably 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter, it needs to be sunk in the middle of the stud (which is only 1 and 3/4" wide) to avoid splitting the wood.

AAM,

We got the doors, which have glass inserts, from Dykes hardware on 44th, but you can get them from pretty much any building supply place. I can;t remember how much they cost, but it was in the neighborhood of a couple of hundred bucks each. Note that we made a big mistake and did not get shatterproof glass, a problem we will have to address once the baby starts tooling around on her own. I expect that you can order them with shatterproof glass and it would cost a bit more. Also, the door to the bathroom, which is not pictured, has the glass frosted, so light passes through but you can't see anything (even silhouettes unless they are practically pressed against the glass).

I'm drooling over the high bookshelf and ladder. absolutely beautiful!

Lovely and warm and so homey. Is your carpenter neighbor available for hire?

Yep - LOVE it!

This living room really invites you in, it glows with warmth and coziness, I can almost smell fresh coffee. The lighting is beautiful on the yellow walls and the brick wall has so much character. Lounging in that hammock with a stack of books and a fire in the fireplace would be luxury. Love it.

Can you please tell me the source of the orange lamp and the pink artwork in the second photo?

fantastic! definitely want to see more.

My grandmother raised 10 kids in an apartment like this.

She would approve.

Peggy,

The pink artwork is fabric stretched over a canvas frame (it hides the fuse box).

The lamp came from a store "somewhere on Avenue A" according to Mrs. Paullchik. Sorry we can't be more precise.

Paulchik,

I love the library ladder. I was wondering - how high are your ceilings? Also, how much did the ladder and shelving cost and who did it (if you didn't do it yourself)?

Thanks
Bob

I'm so sorry this isn't a finalist, this is my absolute favorite
(most of the finalists seem book-free)

Bob,

Sorry to take so long to respond (I am sure you have given up hope by now). The shelving was paid for at the same time as a custom stereo/cd cabinet that is between the big room and the kitchen and was $3000 total. It was made by our neighbor. The ladder was around $100, I think, from Olde Good Things. It was 14' high and had to be cut down (to 9'9") to get into the building! The ceilings are about 13'6" to the bottoms of the rafters at where the bookshelves are.