apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If you hate to dust....why do you have so much open shelving?

I like it though.

Hello shelving heaven! Great use of a tiny space. Impressive that a lot of stuff you found on the street...

I love the art! You can tell this is an artsy pad!

yippee... finally another super cool! see? it doesn't have to be minimal and sparse to be super cool, it's just that everything that's there is worth looking at, adding to the sense of a lived-in home. just beautiful, thnx for showing us semi-around.

is that a stretched De Lempicka? where'd you get it? I can only find poster-sized reproductions online...

I like the sentiments behind this one. I love scrounging and repairing and reusing. Still - like so many entries this year this one is nice and well organized and well curated - but just short of that WOW factor.

Love the corner with the orange chair. Also love that most of this is done with found objects and 99 cent store finds--like my place! (but mine doesn't look nearly this good *sob*)

i'm loving this place, especially the rug in the living room. where did you find this??

I think this has LOADS of "wow" factor! The square footage may not be that big but the CUBIC footage is mondo boffo, because that ceiling looks cavernously high, and the enormous scale of those paintings makes the eye massage the entire height of the wall. I think this is fantastic; in every sense.

No fair you're an artist.

I give it top marks anyway. Even though I have a vague suspicion it might be cramped in real life. I can't tell if the floor-to-ceiling art takes away from it seeming closed in or it's just tricky/strategic camera angles.

Smashing. The sense of scale and continuity of design is so mature but also unique and fun and still a little Zen. Magazine worthy.

Also - way to rock the single closet and open shelving!

I'm confused about the bathroom...does this mean the toilet and shower are in the kitchen? Is there a partition somewhere?

Like your sofa.

I love the art! I also secretly covet this kind of cool and fun almost-clutter, but i know i'd never be able to maintain the 'almost' part.

I agree about the dusting - only having three rooms to clean is awesome!

What a cool place! It is getting even more difficult to decide who I am rooting for in this contest.

Really like your layout, and the open shelves in the kitchen.

Love the art and the orange chair!

Awesome!!!

not my style but the use of space is brilliant and the big art really works!

"the mean streets" HA. i love it.. wow, your place is only 366sqft? amazing use of space. very fun and interesting. great job.. it's fun to look at.

love the drum table.

LOVE it. Especially the scale of all your artwork.

LOVE it. LOVE the art. LOVE the colors. No one else bother entering.

This is such a fantastic use of space, used items, and design strategy.

Your artwork is stunning.

I'm impressed with the variety of spaces he has put into a small frame. It would be a very comfortable home to be alone in - there's always someplace else to go. Cozy!

wow, i can't believe this is only 366 square feet! the pictures make it look so much bigger. and as other people have said, that orange chair is very neat. really like this one even though it's not my style.

(and i like the depth of field in the second photo of the slide show...how it highlights the book/magazine rack/side table and ottoman/stool thingy, but still shows the room)

Your apartment is beautiful. I like how it shows your individuality and demonstrates that someone actually lives there, unlike many of the apartments that seem untouched by human hands. I like your use of colors and especially all of the artwork. Great entry! I hope you win!

Agreed--finally some wow factor!! Very well done. I love that it feels so mixed in styles but that I can hardly recognize a single piece of your furniture--without it looking MCM as well...

I also love the "curated clutter" and the way the bedroom and living room share a similar style with the bedroom feelings more peaceful--as it should.

I have officially seen 3 entries that I like.

Lolita Lempicka! Tis great.

Brimming with character. Love this.

Great job! I also like the organized everyday object thing you have going; it give the place a warm and lived in look. I've enjoyed the variety of styles in this contest and it's amazing that it's such a small space yet doesn't seem so from the pictures. I particularly like your use of large scale artwork and reusing things; it shows with a sharp eye and some labor you can make a pleasant home without waste and lots of expense. Thanks for sharing!

I like your shelving and how the TV just fits right into it without being too obvious.

Lots of nice vignettes, but the photos don't allow me to see how they relate to each other. I'll reserve judgement until we get a wide-angle lense in there!

I was shocked that this is only 366 SQ. You did a wonderful job making it feel spacious without being empty.

I'm a MCM 'modernista' but I agree with aad that everything here has a place and is worth looking at -- in other words it is minimalist in it's own way. I especially appreciate the way you have integrated so many 'found' objects into your place to make them your own and managed to avoid the flea market look than has inflicted other entries.

Great photos too! (although I too wish for more 'room shots'

I like the first shot. Not so thrilled with the other shots. I think it's time for a "clear out." Do you really need all that stuff?

Bethany, try ArtSelect.com for the oversized de Lempicka, like this one:
http://www.artselect.com/perl/frChooseMatFrameSize?artID=232000&matID=1&frameID=609&t=a-cmfs&tab1=canvas&tab2=canvasChoices

La Dormeuse is available at a size of 53.5"x 41.1"

They don't have the one Eduardo has, but they have others:
http://www.artselect.com/artist/1063/Tamara_de_Lempicka.html

the coi painting is great.

I love it! This makes a great change from some of the emptier minimalist places we've seen. It has such personality, and I think I'd really get on with whoever lives here. Super-cool!

what a great apartment-- anyone know where the kitchen table/chairs is from? i need something on a similar scale for my (tiny) kitchen!

Is the ZOOM OUT function on your camera broken? I can't get any sense of your space from these images. It's kind of frustrating because I know there MIGHT be something there, but now I'll never know for sure. ARGGHHHHH!!!

The artwork and statuettes are somewhat evil!

This better be a finalist. Excellent use of space and wonderful art. I wish I could come for a personal tour.

This is completely not my style, but I love it! I think it is beautiful! Well done!

i want to actually live here

Really original. Love how the deco vibe goes all the way through -- kitchen table and chairs; painting; scary doll ...love it!

Am I the only one curious about how that bathroom works? It's even more narrow than the sofa. Other than that, I really like this place... it's very personal yet cohesive.

At less than 400 feet and a clearly sophisticated, personal look I would sure like to see this entry in the finals. It may be my favorite entry so far, and its not even particularly my style.

I will cross my fingers for Eduardo.

This is one of the few spaces I've seen that I'd love to hang out in. Fabulous!

i love to see all that art...

where is that side table from? It's awesome. Great space.

Its the total opposite of my style, but i still adore it! Awesome.

This cute little (and I don't mean that in a bad way) apartment has enough life, color and light in it to make it a wonderful gem in the otherwise dark Gotham city. It's decorated simple and functionally which would make me want to move right in - leave everything there. Hope that you enjoy it to the fullest.

This is absolutely marvelous. I love the bedroom- it has a candlelit-like glow to it. Could you tell us what color and brand of paint you painted the walls in the bedroom?

I love your art! So much more sophisticated than all that Domino Mag matchy matchy stuff. (Not that I don't like Domino Mag...)

Alive with style and personality.
What a great example of showing how small can be so warm and comfortable.
Your art displays in particular.

Otherwise try and find some closed cabinetry for your kitchen stuff.

Truly an outstanding entry.

hi, everyone...

Thank you so much for all your sweet, generous comments. I was so nervous about posting. So many stunning places. And you guys are tough. So again, thank you. Truly overwhelming. My apt. is indeed a labor of love. My landlord is M.I.A. so I've done a lot of work on it myself. I've changed the ceilings, the floors, the walls... I know, it's a rental, but the expenses are recouped in peace of mind...and sight.

As to some questions....
1) The huge oil piece (De Lempicka) was painted on a found stretch of canvas. I used guache on the one behind the chair: it's a dream I had 12 yrs ago. In the bedroom: a pencil drawing of stillness and motion.

2) I found the orange chair on its head/ full of tar and 60 layers of dirt.

3) The marble kitchen table was a gift. The chrome chairs are 60's Italian. Found them as a final sale at Housing Works: 2 for $30! "No one wants them 'cause they're rusty," the lady said. I polished them for 2 days... When I don't get so lucky, I improvise. The center table in the living room is made from a simple fish tank frame. The top is a woodcut I made. The curio above the kitchen table is a fluorescent light protector my office was kicking to the curb. The bed frame/headboard is homemade.

4) The "scary" statue is an African nurse. She has a sweet smile in real life. U'd like her. I got her because she has no left foot.

5) It's been a challenge to photograph this apt. partly because it's so narrow.
In-room long shots clump everything against the wall...no real perspective... The doorways cut each room in half...so I could either show one "side" or the other. I hope I get the chance to try again...

6) I believe the side table is a 50's telephone stand. It even has a little coil to hold your pen.

7) The bedroom paint is from Janovich. I forgot the name. The # on the can says it's 301SP (or 3015P). It's in the zen green/beige family. Hope it helps.

8) The small bathtub/shower is indeed in the kitchen. I can toss my pasta in between shampoos...or make lemonade... *

eduardo

I don't have much to add that hasn't been said already, but just wanted to contribute my homage because this entry is one of my favorites.

For my eyes, it has 'enough' stuff -- enough to interest my eyes, but not so much that it's cluttered. Well, it's almost cluttered; you're walking a fine line. But it's stuff I'm curious to look at. This is so important to me, and it appears to be a very personal preference, how much is "enough" or "too much" for different people. In emptier places (in real life, not talking about this contest), I have felt my eyes zipping around frantically, trying to find something interesting to look at. I apparently really crave a certain number of interesting things. Too much emptiness makes me nervous. Too much clutter makes me cranky.

I also loved the colors here, and a big thumb's up to the large art (yay, Tamara!) and the sculptures and the stuff you salvaged and the stuff you made yourself (especially the coffee table/fishtank stand and the big drawings in your bedroom). This place looked like a NYC apartment should look -- full of fascinating tales, life stuffed into a tiny space. (This is courtesy of visiting my grandma in Brooklyn from our home in the suburbs when I was a kid -- I was fascinated how every inch was used to fit her life into a much smaller space than I thought was normal.) Yes, small is more responsible ecologically; this is how we should all be living!

You're the only person I saw who got the "right" answer on why small is better -- there's less to clean!

Good luck, and thanks.

Fantastic! What an inspired use of space!

i would do anything for the coffee table--donate an organ, sell my soul, you name it--somebody please tell me where i can get it.