apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i just love the tallll bookcase of cubes. nice height!

For me this is the best so far - lived in with personality, simple and elegant with a sense of fun. I love those huge windows and all the light.

Love the small white side table - where did you get it?

Nice. Not fond of the clutter-y little figurines in the kitchen, but I do like the painting behind the sofa.

Is the low bookcase in the bedroom an IKEA-hack w/a Lack bookshelf? Whatever it is, I like it as well.

I love it! If I lived here, I would want to have friends over ALL the time. A great space.

I love the orange sofas and the monster-height cube shelves. The orchids are a lovely touch, as well.

So glad to finally see an entry from Philly! Yay! Great space and I love your bookshelves (Ikea?)! Definitely a Super Cool vote!

I love the bright couch with the more subtle drapes. And someone has a great green thumb with all those orchids!

Super Cool!
Where in Philly are you guys located?

Love the bookshelves. What are they?

So fun and cool!

I was pleasantly surprised when I got into the slideshow. The painting behind the couch has got to go. It's too 80's hotel-ish. And the clutter on the counter was a little distracting - "surfaces dahling! I need surfaces!" But the rest of the place is very cute and cleanly put together. I love the desk with all the little drawers!

Ps. looking at the bookshelf again...someone REALLY likes Manga!!

While its nice to see an entry from philly I'm a little confused by the floorplan. Do you not have a kitchen/dining room table? What is underneath the bedroom (it appears to be a loft)?

I could be wrong but that looks like 2200 Arch. I know they had the same floor plan for some units.

Lina chair :)
super tiny desk :(

I like the major pieces a lot. The lamp seems a little I dunno dominant/obvious.

Plus another 850 footer. That's like 3 of my old apartments.

I love that the picture of the huge bookcase includes a person -- it gives you an idea of the scale of the piece!

I love the tall bookshelf as well. I need one for myself (and all of my books)!

Bookcase is Cubits.
http://www.dwr.com/product/categories/storage/bookcases/cubits.do

Great use of the Cubits - especially next to a low profile desk - but how do you reach things?

I like how the giant couch/lamp/shelves play in the big open space.

Cool. This one got me with the great view of the living/office space but lost me a bit with the toys in the kitchen. If the large drapes are made of multiple panels ganged together, that's an excellent hack I will use. I'm trying to buy long drapes now and they cost a bloody fortune. The Lack shelf hack in the bedroom is kinda hot also.

I have couch envy

It's a fab space. I hate to be a shill for another poster on this site but you really do need a big rug somewhere in the vicinity of that couch.

I was also wondering...what IS underneath the bedroom?

This space is cool...but I have a lot of trouble fitting it into the "small" category! I just looks huge to me. Maybe it is the high ceilings....

This apartment has architecture on its side. Would probably look fantastic with nothing in it.

LOVE, love, love, love!

I know the rules were changed, but 850 sq ft is only small if you have a family of 6.

i think it's hilarious that everyone is bothered by the toys in the kitchen. everyone here has to act so adult and modern all the time - can't some figurines hang out on the counter?? no one had a problem with the "clutter" tacked on the fridge. =P

that said, i like this place. without the plants i think it would be too stark for me, but plants always warm a place up.

I thought the toys in the kitchen were cute, and it was the owner's way of showing off some of their personality.

lucky! omg the windows. do tell about the curtains!

I really like the floorplan and use of this space -- it feels big and open, even from the bedroom. Great windows, flooring and sofa.

Also, it's nice to see an exercise ball actually "work" in a space, design-wise...

u have a lamp shade head in the aerial pic. lol

It's a nice place, but it's really easy to have a nice place when you've got 850 square feet to play with.

so many great things here. love the orchids, bookshelves, windows, bedroom and sofa. not too keen on all that stuff on top of and on the front of the fridge though.

More posts from Philly! :)

love the setup. orange is a tough color but the sofa looks so in place here.

this is such a cute, fun apartment!


...there should be a mid-sized cool contest, because 850sf is a whole different ballgame (with less ingenuity required) than some of the teeny tiny 1-br and studios on here.

Ditto about the painting in the living room looking like it came from the 1980's. However, I don't think it needs to go. Artwork is very invidualized and while I don't care for it nor do I think it "fits" with everything else going on in the apartment, I am sure that Tamie and Vincent love it and so it should stay.

I don't like the toys on the kitchen counter. When you cook, do u have to clear off the counter before you start?

Finally, a contender!!

I love the bookshelf but I don't think I'd pay $1500 for it. (the website says 3 cubes costs $220.. $220x7)

Very, very nice. The first photo is spectacular.

There are only 3 sets of the bookshelf. it cost around $800 included tax and shipping. I know it still kinda expensive...but it is very strong unit and easy to move in future...and you can make it in different shapes to fit your apartment. =)

why do people bitch and moan about the bigger apartments?? the contest allows apartments that are 850 square feet and under...so....whats the point of even bringing it up?

while not totally my style, this is a super nice place. great job!

Oooh very cool apartment! How secure are those cubes? Does it shimmy when you brush up against it? Anyway, love the loft bed, love the light and the high ceilings. The toys on the counter are cute and fun. He probably just put them there to add a little personality, like other entrants who consciously included flowers in their photos. And isn't personality what everyone harps on about the most in this contest?

It's great to see all these posts. My fiancee and I moved in not too long ago and are still in the progress of getting things set up. The apt has 12ft ceilings so it makes the space look huge. The bedroom is elevated but there is no space under the bedroom unfortunately. Most of the items we have are from ikea
1. The side table next to the sofa is from ikea (dave laptop table)
2. The desk is put together with ikea items (2 helmer drawer units) and a white table top.
3. The bookcase in the living room is a cubits and was made from 3 sets bought in DWR.
4. The bookcase in the bedroom is a ikea lack which we modified.
5. The sofa I bought from a small store in Soho, NYC called APT. sofa is called "noon".
thank you all for viewing and commenting!

How do you reach the top bookshelf?

We have a long ladder that we use that folds up nicely when we don't need it. We keep the ladder in a small storage closet

the floor and the bedroom... sigh... if only i lived there. :)

its such a great apartment to begin with. its like anything you put in it is going to be great. and i have to agree with some of the others that 890sq/ft? on one hand that's a lot of space to work with - on the other i've seen some pretty small 900sqft apartments!

Very artistic living room!!! Why do i have this feeling that the living room is more of V's style and the kitchen is T's styel?! =P Beautiful ~ so now you do'nt have to go to art gallery, just stay in. ;)

Great apartment! Can you tell me where the desk chair is from?

Love it! And love the Lack Hack!

Tamie and Vincent - I've been struggling for sometime for the right desk and really like your solution. What size table top did you go with on top of the helmer drawers? I am really interested in a desk about 45-50in wide. Does the distance between the helmer's greatly affect the bend of the table top? From the picture it looks as if you easily could have had the table top extend only halfway over the helmers creating even more room in the wings? Thoughts? Thanks!

i hate that painting, but otherwise this place looks so much bigger than it is. good job.

i recently saw those bookcases at the container store of all places. i know that you can get them at DWR also, but i think the container store ones are a little cheaper.

Important to know is that the ones at container store are made from the same company but they are absolutely different in built and architecture. Those will not sustain height and even at low height they WILL wobble. The ones bought at DWR has minimal wobble and very sturdy.

McGruff: The helmer drawers have a relatively short depth (16.6in.). I used a vika 39 3/8in x 23 5/8 table. The back actually hangs in air but it is not noticable. Pretty study the way I have it. 45-50in solid table should work fine without bending but if you want the drawers to be flush with the table and not have the edge hang in the back you must work on a table with 16.6 in of depth which is pretty shallow.

beautiful. i know 850 sf is pretty big, but sharing a open floor plan like that with someone else does take some creativity... you did a good job of creating discreet spaces with quirky, personal details.

In my dreams, I live in your apartment. But without that painting.

Bravo!

Man I love this apartment. You get Super Cool from me because of the natural light. I'm che'lous!

do i see big fat speaker cable behind the speakers? i smell audiophile!

The loft has amazing bones and space!

This is my favorite so far. I'm drooling over your place. I love, love, love, love, love the space! :-)

Great space!

Hi Guys
Fresh! Good Decoration! We really love it. Hoping to stay your dream home soon.

This seems huge!!! Love the cubes. Manga looks so nice stacked.

Very whimsical yet cool & comfortable. I totally dig it. Super cool!

OK, judging by the first pic alone, I hated it because of that art piece. It reminds me of those mass produced art pieces you find at the Ft. Lauderdale Swap Shop. However, Once I viewed the rest of the photos I loved the place. That sofa is degorgeous!

Please lose that art piece. Get it insured then burn it!

By definition- this is a cool space of which you have done well decorating. I dig the floors...

Agreed...lose the painting!

Lovely. Fun. What a nice place to call home.

Thank you very much for all your comments! It was alot of fun showing my place to all of you.

I really like the desk with all those drawers. Can you tell me where can I get it? Your apartment is absolute beautiful.
I envy a man that is neat like that. My hub is so not like that. I also loved the orchids. I have about 95 in my apartment and I made a extended window sill to put the orchids on it. It looks great when they are blooming in so many different colors. The painting in your apartment is very vivid and makes the place look so alive.

The desk was put together from ikea items. Get two helmer drawers and add a table top. But the workspace can be pretty short since the depth of the drawers are about 16 in.

LOVE all the orchids!!! Try some Paphs. :)

Very nice, the desk and bookshelf are really chic and super-functional.

so nice, I love the cubits!

Fun and fresh. It's great!

Hooray Philadelphia! Nice job. I like the orchids.

Not precisely my taste but I think the design choices really let space itself speak. Avoids the tendency to overdecorate and oppress the architecture. Nice.

hey cool apartment...how do you got the lamp that high? it seems that my one hangs lower if i compare with your photos.

Very cool apartment.. I love the lamp. Where did you get it?

Lamp is from IKEA, the lamp's height can be adjusted by turning the side knob and pulling the lamp upwards.

I love the orange couch, my boyfriend has a similar couch and I want to upholster it in this color, wondering if it's cheaper to buy him a new one.