apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Not to be mean, but with the heater under the window, the bed next to that, and the curtain drawn the way it is, the bedroom area reminds me of a hospital room.

Awww...it really does look like a hospital room set-up.

I really like the clean, uncluttered, but still lived in, look and the kitchen looks great. The only element that I don't like (and it may be the photo) is the rug. Looks a bit bland.

Love the interesting light fixtures in each room

Looks great, I like your light fixtures. The coffee/dining table is awesome. Seems like a thoughtful space

I like this place a lot and voted super cool - I want to see more - but I have to agree, when I saw that top photo, I also thought hospital room.

I voted cool. I like it, and the books give it a lot of personality. I also like that you're sticking with the white dishes. Smart move.
I love your bedding.

well then, that is one swank hospital room!

The white walls are a little sterile. That's probably adding to the hospital room feel.

Neat floorplan--all those nooks and crannies. I like the built-in bookshelves, and I bet the place looks great lit up at night. But in that cool sunlight it comes across as cold and austere to a fault (which may help set the "hospital suite" tone of that first photo). I think it needs some bolder colors to break up the monochrome.

great kitchen storage and bookshelves

I love that you have a point-of-view. It is extremely cool, almost to the point of feeling a bit sterile. But I can imagine you feel very calm there. I know I can't be comfortable with a lot of visual clutter, so I can see why you went this direction. It's lovely.

I'm with STYles--when does the nurse come.

i want to see the transformer table more and pics of how the credenza works as an office - voted super cool just so we can see more pics!

Cool light fixtures. But other than that... meh. This looks like the typical white brick building coop apartment.

I've logged a lot of time in hospital rooms and did not get that vibe. Love the light fixtures and use of space.

Wow, this is a fantastic place... I voted super cool! I love that it is clean and modern, but not filled with a DWR catalog of furniture. Instead, the furniture is unique and says a lot about the owner. I also really like the unique light fixtures, again, not something you see every day.

The only thing I would change would be the layout, I think it is nicer to have the living room next to the window.

This is a beautiful home and very soothing and calm return to from the bustle of NY. I'd love to stay there.

The lighting is great and the curtain and window treatment fabrics are beautiful. May I ask where the fabric is from?

love the bedding and the coffee/dining table.

you guys are being mean!

it's difficult to create a moveable partition between bedroom areas and living room areas so i think this use of a curtain is great. you can enjoy the light during the day and have the comfort of a closed-off bedroom at night.

NOT hospital-roomish!

Thanks, vbp. The lighting is almost all Max Sauze.

The curtain fabric in between the living room/bed is Josef Hoffman (from the Neue Galerie) and the curtains are wool and linen from B&J, which has the best fabric in the city.

My reaction was that this is very peaceful and austerely beautiful - I love it.

I love the simplicity and the muted colors. I don't think it's sterile at all, just clean, cool and calm.

Best I've seen in this contest so far -- nice pieces, well edited, looks paired-down but lived-in. But, I, too had to get past the curtain -- suggest you lose it all together or strive to find a better solution. Why do you even need it?

It does need a partition, but not really liking the clothesline solution. It's not exactly hospital room-like in decor, but that curtain wire bears too much resemblance, also somewhat to putting on a play up there on your platform, since there's another panel from the other side.

It looks like the ceiling drops down between the bed and living areas, and I would attach something to the bedroom side of it, if possible, and maybe in a richer fabric.

I guess if you did it my way, it would block the light from the windows to the rest of the apt. when curtain is closed. Huh. I don't suppose you want to do that then.

love the kitchen, especially the light fixtures in that room.

I love the kitchen! What's the counter made of? Is the sink made out of it too? Looks great!

Where's the color?

This is my favorite entry so far!!!!

I enjoyed how you managed a super clean/modern aesthetic with drama.

Hi KatieD: Thanks! The counter/integrated sink are made of one sheet of stainless steel. You can bring a wooden board to Bowery Kitchen Supply, and they will wrap it in stainless for much cheaper than a regular kitchen design store.

Really liked this entry. Love the open shelves in the kitchen (I wish I could do that to my kitchen but then it would just look like a clusterF#$@) and I don't think that bedroom looks like a hospital room at all. I second the white dishes comment. White dishes are so sexy.

Nice. I like the kitchen.

Very cool! I love the light fixtures and great use of a small space!

the kitchen seems glum. maybe it's the lighting.

i think this place is really nice, and not at all hospitaly. the cold lighting, more than the neutral walls and curtain, probably contribute to the stark, sterile appearance. I'm sure if this place was photographed without the direct sunlight or at a different time of day (maybe even night with the lights turned on) it'd appear much warmer.

I agree with Jooly & MarisaJane's comments. Voted Super Cool. You have great taste.

Question: Don't your dishes get dusty sitting on open shelves? I wonder this every time I see them in somebody's apartment.

Like the efficiency and tidiness of the kitchen, and really like your coffee table and lounge chair.

Hi HollyinDC: Yes, they do get dusty out in the open. But the great thing is that I use my "nice" china and glasses every day, whether I'm alone or have company, and just run my dishwasher (energy efficient Miele!) when it fills up, keeping everything clean and dust free.

I love this - especially the interesting choice of light fixtures.

I also think photographs that are better lit would make this place look *amazing*.

What kind of wire did you use to hang the bedroom divider curtain?

i voted super cool

because it is super cool

so very super cool

did I say it is super cool?

because it is :)

Great job! There is good repetition of the black/white/neutral theme, spaces are well-defined and used well, and it look neat instead of like an austere museum. I agree that the place would look better with warmer light and maybe some candles to soften things.

love the modern pieces, less familiar then most we see, the max sauze, hoglund, and bruno mathesson.

i'd have said super cool if the curtains were actually on a real hospital track and floor to ceiling.....you could use sheer fabric atop the bedroom/living divide if you wanted to let the light through.

very nice.

I'm with those who think that it's mean and petty to say the bedroom looks like a hospital room. If you look at the bedroom space, there is very little that could be altered in terms of the layout. Also, I think that the camera work looks flat (likely because of flash use or a lower end camera) and that undermines the real loveliness of the space. I can easily see it looking better in person or with a different lighting situation or camera.

I liked this one a lot. It has a good mix of pieces with style and blank spaces. The lighting fixtures are wonderful and the place is clear and uncluttered while still looking like someone actually lives there.

I voted "super cool" because it looks real, but beautiful. The pieces that show style are also atypical and show personal style and taste.

I'm not a big fan of the apartment, but I really like how Lydia writes, how she answers questions and how she lives, so I'm going to give it a 'Cool', because I like her.
I do think it would be a great idea to use more vibrant rugs, I think the place could use some colour. Reupholstering the low cream chair in the living room would be awesome too!

There are so really nice pieces here and it's a nicely designer apartment but there is a mourning feeling to the place. I would have liked some warm added in either textures, colours or art.

Mausoleum chic!

The space has an interesting layout. I like that you used curtains to divide the space with the living room but it looks really odd that the line and the curtains does not extend to the top of the opening of the bedroom space. It cuts the space up by putting the curtains lower than the opening - you need to draw the eye upwards instead.

I love the windows next to your bed - very nice and bright. With the space, I think your furniture layout is pretty decent. It just feels like it needs something to take it to the next level. Maybe more cohesive color and finishes.

It looks like a very comfortable place and the hand drawn floor plans is very well drawn!

Karen

The people who think that this looks like an hospital room, have been lucky enough not to have spent much time in a hospital. Having spent a few weeks keeping my husband company at Greewnwich Hospital,(CT) I can say that this looks far better and more personable. And Greenwich Hospital, as befits the very well-to-do community surrounding it, looks great. Great apartment. Great use of color and space. Best one yet. Looks planned, welcoming and elegant.

Love your lighting fixtures and coffee table... I'm envious! The apartment has a certain austerity to it, but I would love to see it in the evening. I bet that living room feels like a very warm and welcoming room in which to share a glass of wine with a friend or two or three, and the bedroom probably feels like a comforting coocoon.

I don't get "hospital" vibe at all, but I get that people aren't used to seeing short curtains on a rail any more. It's all about the blinds these days, but I like the softness of these white curtains with the lovely drapes pulled open during the day.

Just is... VERY COOL!
Please tell me who made the sofa? Where did you get it? Is the fabric cream?

Thanks.

There are so many beautiful pieces here! The use of color and light is fantastic. But I really want to move the furniture around!! With the living area at 13' x 17', there should be plenty of space to do something interesting, something other than the dread seating-area-cum-hallway. I also chime in as thinking it would make a huge visual and conceptual difference to hang the separating curtains directly from the ceiling (using a sheer at the top for light, as healthyhome suggests). It would come across as a partition rather than as a clothes-line.

VERY COOL= a vote for Super Cool:)

Thanks, B-More (are you from Baltimore?That's my home town)

The sofa is from a great ebay seller, realfineone, which has fantastic stuff. Here's the link to what they're selling now.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZrealfineone

The sofa is Danish, teak, with cream linen. Don't know the designer. Here are some pics:

http://flickr.com/photos/74912900@N00/sets/72157604511627536/

i'd hate to beat a dead horse to death but this really feels much too like a hospital room

Yeah... "Hon"! I do live in Baltimore. I'm from NY, but have been here several years now.

I have the same sofa! The fabric is a cream and brown wool houndstooth. It currently resides in our baby's nursery but now that he's walking it will probably go on craigs:(

One more side note about your space. I too would have my bed closest to the window. Views are relaxing and there is comfort in a space that lets you unwind.

I really do think you put a lot of great design thought into the
space and I think your colors and fabrics are lovely, but I do have to admit to immediately thinking this was a "hospital" space.

I think the one way around it would be to take down the gray
drapes and go for something a little earthier. I love the texture choices in your fabrics and that gorgeous blue print could really lend it self to a yellow, meaning like a bamboo or jute shade over the window. It might look a bit warmer.

i love the interesting light "sculptures"