apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i love your sofa.. beautiful!!

I love your place. It pretty much sums up exactly what I want my place to look like. Except my place is about the size of your lounge and maybe the alcove which is why I can't vote yet. I'm sorry but 700 sq ft? That's not small! My bitterness aside, you have wonderful taste.

very nice really, but why not use the five pictures extension to also show us some kitchen and bedroom shots? there's really many entries this year leaving those important areas out... was curious to see how others dealt with those challenges in small spaces.

way to go, dc! i really like the pops of color against the white (the flowers, the orange lounge)

Agreed on kitchen and bedroom -- bathroom too. This is the same floor plan as the other guy who had all the paintings and the dark (black?) walls. Do you guys live in the same building?? The complaint there was that we didn't get to see the bathroom and bedroom.

Beautiful! My favorite so far. Making me wish I had bought a white couch instead of brown leather.

agree with aad...next years rules need to have something about entries that include pics of the whole space - not just one room.

while the tableaus of objects are nice...i'm really wanting to see the whole space.

i like this but would be curious to see the bedroom!

suuuuper adorable!

where is the white rug from? i've been looking for one just like that.

Other than the office--which looks enviably tidy and well-organized--I don't see much compromise/creativity having particularly to do with SMALL. As you say yourself, 700 sf for a single woman is ample. (Which is WHY, AT, that you should not have upped the size limit.)

Yolanda...cool apartment! Would you mind telling us where the couches are from?

Something fishy is going on . . . East #6 (located in Chelsea, NY) and East #7 (located in Washington DC) have the exact same layout, down to the same dimension.

Ah? absolutely identical layout of the floor plan as http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/east-6-matthews-gallery-047160. from two different cities... two identical places in polar interpretations.

Number 6 disappeared! Wha' happened? Anyway, I like this.

The large white couch is called the Petrie sofa from Crate and Barrel.

Lovely place, but I would love to see the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.

I'm not bowled over but I do like it. Agreed that it would have been nice to have seen more of the place. In the photos it looks like the pictures over the living room sofa are crooked, which bugs me. The purple tulips were a nice choice.

Very nice. I like the natural light.

Beautiful! But not small (I mean, a bedroom AND an alcove?). I agree about increasing the variety of pictures - we're only seeing 2 rooms and this lady's got 5!

I love your place HARD. I have a big question about your office arrangement: Are the pull out drawers hearty enough to comfortably accommodate a laptop? I'm looking for an office solution in a similar sized space and wonder if the fact that a chair won't slide under the work area would make me bananas.

Ok, so maybe 700sf is ample for one person, but I can't help but love this place! Well organized, well lit, with good taste AND restraint. The furniture and accessories harmonize well, without looking too matchy matchy or simply like a CB2 or DWR catalog. I love the clear plexiglass tables which keep the space looking airy. I'd like to see the rest of of the house though.

Yolanda, your design sensibility is superb, and I love the white rooms filled with light (what I would give for your alcove!). I'm assuming you don't have puppy paws clambering over all that white furniture, and I have visions of nightmarish red wine incidents, but it still looks great.

But what's with only showing us the living room?

I really love this place, it is well edited (but clearly not professionally done). Although I have seen that sofa in a million places, for some reason that pic make me want to buy it.

I do agree that AT should change the rules so you have to submit at least one picture of each room.

I still think 700 sqft is quite small, by the way, but I think this place is well arranged.

I don't think 700 sq ft is big, even for a single person.

Anyway, I love the white sofa. Too bad white doesn't go with my dog.

My second "super cool" vote. Yet I would have liked to have seen pics of the rest of the place.

I know sitting too close to the TV is not good for your eyes but I think your couch and the media set can be a lil' closer, or is it just me?

Speaking of foreign home mags, I find Elle Decoration - UK edition and French version are the very best!

I agree. Seeing just one room just doesn't tell us enough, unless that one room is a studio. The rooms we see, however. are nice and light and the decorating has a deft touch.

This is lovely, very calming. I too love the white sofa and wonder how people who live in cities deal with the inevitable dirt if they have light colored upholstery (grit that just seems to float into my apartment, even though I'm on the 6th floor). Right now I'm trying to pick a fabric for a mid-c sofa I just on craigslist and while I would love to go light, I'm leaning toward chocolate brown velour b/c I'm worried about dirt.

I love your sense of style! This place is awesome! I wish my place could look this good! By the way, I'm in love with your sofa. Excellent job!

**cries**

700 sf is double my one-bedroom (for single girl and 60lb dog), and even that is larger than my friend's one-bedroom (for single guy and 80lb dog) at roughly 275 sf.

I think it's neat and cute - a bit too "twee" actually for me, now that I think about it, but it looks happy and homey.

The room looks very airy, full of light, and inviting, but a little too "I went to DWR and bought what's currently cool"

Maybe I just jealous I could never afford to do that myself.

Nice living room. Would loved to have seen the APARTMENT

Yeah, what a great sofa and console table.

I really like this entry but,
show
the
bed/bath/kitchen?
instead of storage?

I love your place and especially the white sofa. I agree with the other poster that it wouldn't go with my 80lb german shepherd dog.

Anyhoo -- here in DC are you? I live uptown in a condo and am interested to know if you care to at least share the neighborhood or Ward. I'm in Ward 4 in Brightwood.

I think that's an Ikea rug...

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80084920

I'm getting deja-vu...some of these are starting to look alike...

It's very nice, but I have to add my voice to the choir of "I thought this was SMALLEST Coolest". Considering that the average family home here in the states was around 1,500 square feet before the 90's housing boom, 700 square feet for a single individual definitely does not seem "small" to me.

I love this space! It's so stylish and well pulled together, but also very inviting. Nice mix of high/low as well.

I do wish I could see some of the other rooms. And (although I don't hold it against you) I agree with some of the other posters who feel that this space for a single person is not *that* small.

To those who commented on the sofa (Petrie by C&B) I found a cheaper version here:

http://www.customsofadesign.com/styles.php?s=renata

I've seen good reviews of this place both here and on other blogs.

minty03, now you tell me! i just bought the petrie sofa in hydra blue and had it delivered two days ago after a 2 month wait!

i think this is a perfect example of how much a space can benefit from fresh flowers.

it's bring and cheery and Yolanda has great taste. this is just a sample of what we can expect if she makes it to finalist...are people going to complain about "not seeing the entire apartment" the whole contest?? i mean, my bathroom is one of my favorite rooms, but it's too hard to get a good photo of it, so I wouldn't include one.

nevermind.....i'm still voting super cute one this one.

Yes, where is the missing Number 6? The link above doesn't work and the Smallest, Coolest home page doesn't have a number 6:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/contests/2008/small-cool/

I'm a little surprised to see an AT editor's name in the comments on this entry.

I've noticed a couple times in the Smallest Coolest entries that the small dwellers claim small spaces help to keep it clean.
Can someone explain how that works? I live in 740 sq feet and it seems if I so much as set down a newspaper the entire house looks messy. maybe it's habits... but even with 7 closets I don't seem to have a place for everything. I'm sure I need to get rid of more stuff, but what do I do in the meantime? How do you do it?

clickchick, for me smaller is easier to keep clean in the sense of "not dirty" (not necessarily in the sense of rather than "not messy"). When you only have 400sqf of floor to vacuum and wash, it's a lot easier to tackle, and when you are forced to be in the same small space it's more motivating to keep it tidy.

Something fishy is going on here - 2 entries happen to have the EXACT same floor plan, dimensions, graphics and all AND both entries fail to show their bedroom or bathroom? What is going on? AND they are located in completely separate cites?!
AT editors - please clarify!!

With all that style in the living room, why not show the bedroom. It looks like its plenty big. Quite nice, really.

I love this - please tell us about the desk - where did you get it? what is it? i need something similar and love yours!

I figured out the floorplan mix-up -- the floorplan in the other housetour is incorrect. You can tell if you look at where the window placement should be in the unit. It totally doesn't match up with where the windows actually are. (In fact, in that house tour, I saw no windows, no natural light at all.)

So, I'd say that the floorplan for this housetour is the correct one, since the alcove clearly matches up with what's in the plan.

Where's the orange lounge chair from? I love it.

I really love your place. However, you too were stingy with showing pictures of the entire space.

Since I'm new to AT, I went and viewed all of the pictures from last years contest. I noticed that most if not all of the entries showed bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and even closets. We are only getting sofas, rugs, and desks this year.

Pretty as a spring day

Very nice!

700 sq ft is small for one person if she has pets or is a packrat. It doesn't seem like a lot of space to store all one's stuff.

Anyway, I agree with the other posters that there should be a rule about showing every room in the place. Not to worry, the camera doesn't enhance every speck of dirt, just every piece of clutter.

I like everything here except the white sofa. It's nice, but I've had one in the past and would never do it again. Even in a smoke-free, pet-free, child-free environment it doesn't stay pure white for long.

Washable, white slipcovers I'd do, though.

This space is serene and adorable. It gives off the vibe that whoever lives here cherishes their home.

I have one suggestion about furniture placement. I'm guessing that the homeowner spends most of her time sitting in either the sofa, the futon, or at the hidden desk.

All three of these main sitting areas orient the sitter in the exact same direction - even if the actual view from each chair is not identical. The living/lounge area might feel more dynamic if at least one of these sitting places were repositioned so that the sitter will face a completely different corner or wall in the room.

700 sq. feet is generous for a single city-dweller. But the space will feel even roomier, if the person inhabiting the space is "tricked" into viewing a variety of room perspectives by mixing up the orientation of the most comfy seating.

I'm a new poster and this may have been addressed in the past but wonder why there is no resource list for "small-cool" like for other house tours. I'm curious about where the coffee table and chair were purchased.

This is a lovely room. Very homey-modern and great use of white. Would love to see more.

What's up with everyone and their grandmother owning a Budda??

WOW... your living room seems a lot like mine. I have that CB2 coffee table and a very simular white sofa, with a light coloured shag rug underneath.

I also always have fresh flowers in my apt.

However, I agree with others, I wish I could see pictures of your bathroom or your bedroom.

I def need inspiration for my bedroom... it's my next project.



Overall, from what I could see, well done!

instead of the vignette (buddha) there should be a bedroom shot. very nice though.

GO DC!!!!

Great pictures...great place... I love how you kept things restrained-(color and textures) while expressed yourself and your personal style.

YAY DC!!!!

the orange chair looks like "Bo-concept". they have a website.

The coffee table is my absolute favorite !

Hi ATers,

Thanks for taking the time to vote and comment on my submission. The feedback has been extremely complimentary. I live here with my cat Yokie and a very long distance boyfriend who pops into town every few months from Australia. For those familiar with DC, we live in Dupont circle on 16th St.

I would have loved to show more pictures, but I find the lounge and alcove to be the highlights of my space (and we only get 5 shots). However, the bath, kitchen and bedroom are also very nice. Depending on how this all turns out, I’ll be happy to share more of the space either through the contest or my Picasa web album.

For those who think this is not a small space, 700 sq ft is NO mansion and there are real challenges involving storage, avoiding clutter, and accommodating guests. Furthermore, I find my floor plan somewhat awkward, and it was not the easiest to work with.

Here’s some additional information in response to some of your posts:

Sofa: Petrie Sofa, Natural – Crate and Barrel
Love this sofa! I had been coveting the Petrie for 2 years before I bought it. So far it hasn’t been much of a problem keeping it clean. Just don’t eat pasta on it, stick to white wine and give it a surface clean with a vacuum or lint remover once a week for pet hair etc. I am thinking about having custom covers made to protect it during parties.

Futon: Versa – Bo Concept
Very compact with high style. Serves as office seating and guest bed.

Orange Chair: Commander Chair in Carrot– EQ3
This is one of my favorite things in the room. I had to drive all the way to Richmond (twice!) to order it and pick it up, but it was worth it.

Coffee table: Peekaboo, CB2
This table just lightens the space so much. I can pile books, magazine and flowers on the coffee table without adding a lot of visual weight. I also have the nesting tables. The whole Peekaboo collection is fantastic.

Wood chair: Eames Plywood Lounge
This has always been one of my favorite chairs of all time. I had to have it.

Rug: VITTEN - IKEA
This was a good buy. I worried that I was using too much white, but I haven’t seen anything nicer for as good a price.

Office closet: IKEA, PAX Wardrobe
This is a converted wardrobe fitted with shelves and pullout drawers for enhanced organization. The pull out drawers are fine for accommodating a small laptop and office supplies.

Cleaning: My iRobot Roomba helps to keep the pet hair down and keeps the floors nice and clean for bare feet. I also try to put things away right after I finish using them, this includes dishes, newspapers, shoes and clothing (although this can be challenging during the busy work week).

Thanks a lot guys and keep the comments and votes coming.

-Yolanda

i voted super cool. i was sold the moment i saw the Egypt book on the coffee table*...didn't have to see anything else once i saw that but glad i did! love the pops of colour and that the home is chic and modern BUT comfortable and lived in. would love to see more - the bedroom, kitchen...usually I don't like this much white but it really works here and feels fresh - not sterile.

*also sold upon seeing the hot pink tulips - one of my faves!

geez, i wish people would get over the size limit and stop brining it up on every single entry. the rules been set already gosh-damn it.

-me thinking out loud.

yayay yokie (and yolanda, though I know yokie was the true artiste). While I admit being insane with jealousy (I live literally around the corner from the Yokies, have some of the same pieces, though slightly less space, yet her apt. kicks mine's bootie!), I have all the more respect for what she did. Yes, the size may be bigger than some (i lived in a 325 sq. foot studio. I took my sweaters and sheets to work to stash in my office which had more storage) Yolanda has done an amazing job decorating, laying out and designing this apartment herself. And the kitchen bedroom rock too but she's right, she's showing the really unique, coolest features!

rock on dc!
washwords/jfa

washwords.wordpress.com

Nice Place Yola,
Remind me the next time you in town so I can get you to do some decorating for me...lol :-)

nice. but i'd like to see at least one of those pops on a wall.

I really like this apartment, but I wish to see more of it. It almost looked like I was looking at the same room over and over - it's a nice style, but I like to notice at least a subtle mood change between areas. It looks like a nice place to be and it has a clean and fresh attitude, which is why I'd like to see more sides of style in a home, distinguish the sense of being in another room than you were just in, just a little.

cool...

yao..

hey sis this is really off the chain--want to do my room when you come home. yeah u see.

Pretty, pretty, pretty. The orange chair is the perfect colorful accent for all that white! I really want my apartment to look like this.

Love the place. Can you provide the ISBN for the Egypt book? I cannot find it on Amazon.

Deladoulin,

The name of the book is "Egypt: Flying High" by Marcello Bertinetti. ISBN 88-544-0004-1

Here's the link on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Egypt-Flying-High-Marcello-Bertinetti/dp/8854400041

Overall, a very cool and hip home. Love the furniture. In the room with the green rug, I think I would have loved to see a bigger piece of colorful art hanging there - it really make a bigger statement. I love how you have a door you can close and hide away your work space in that room. Very neat.

Karen

Very nice!

Great use of color.

Only improvement could be some more play with texture.

Lamp - I want it. Where is it from?

What happened to my comment? I want your lamp - the one next to the Buddha. Where is it from?

The desk/wardrobe is pretty ingenious; you should send that to ikeahacker. (Or is that an IKEA-suggested use.)

Mjoe, I bought the lamp at Bed Bath and Beyond. It's called the Tillary.

Yes, i guess you could call the PAX wardrobe an IKEA hack. I used to use it for my clothes. Now that I have new built in closets, I changed the fittings and now it's a fabulous office armoire. The best part it that it looks modern and hides all the mess.

Having Che and Buddha so close is a very huge oxymoron.