apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

the bones alone are outstanding.

Simply stunning! I love the interior architecture of the space and all of that white.

This is one of the few real heavy-hitters this year. I love the colors and the beautiful balance between hard and soft textures and objects.

"a valid excuse to refuse hideous hand me downs from family"
What a great (and hilarious) advantage of SMALL!!

love the dark paint in the alcoves!

Very nice! Love the coffee table!

love the choice of the alcove colors. great apartment too.

I've been waiting for my favorite-- no more! This has it all. Great architecture, smart space usage, color with function (love the dark alcoves!), good lighting (both natural and artificial), cohesive decorating plan that doesn't ignore "stuff" or comfort. Beautiful!

That first shot is just gorgeous.

This is, hands down, my favorite so far.

Ten stars for the Pinup on the red wall.

Beautiful! I love the pinup wall!

I agree that the dark alcove colors against the white of the rest of the place is stunning. I also love the quirky nick nacks/accents, adds a bit of punk to the decor.

i want your apartment. or, come design mine.

thank you.

Jees, these internation entries are kicking some serious booty in this competition. Looks like an amazing space and I am pretty sure we will be seeing more of it.

Oh lord. I want. Love this space and everything about it.

Lovely. I will be in Sweden next month. Any suggestions for cool home stores to check out in Stockholm?

I like it a lot but I think comparing with your other rooms you can do better in the bedroom.

Those dormers and the kitchen is making me envious...

Beautiful first shot--couldn't be better.

great use of color

The most gorgeous entry.

I love the floorplans more than anything on this Small Cool contest. This floor plan is pretty cryptic, since I don't know what language is used here... But it looks like there's a lot of wasted space, due to what looks like a long double hallway. Seems like a great renovation opportunity would be to get rid of a wall or two, if possible. But I do love the colors and style.

Not my style but this is it! The best small cool apartment here!
Your attention to color, your quirky details (like the pinup wall mural), the form and function of the furniture as well as the cohesion of the color/furniture scheme make this place A


By the way, I was also sold on the gas mask and "The Mistfits" album cover as wall art decor. I love the Misfits!

love this, even the (swedish?) floorplan!

I, too, love the alcoves painted dark. It was a really smart way to highlight the architecture, and it looks so good against all the white.

Stunning. I remember liking other entries, but this one has me starry eyed.

. . . waiting for P(too)'s comment on the word for kitchen.

super cool, thank you for sharing! I too am a fan of chrome and white. I'm wondering: how did you put the albums on the wall? Are they in frames? I would love to do that in my house.

absolutmarie: I just got a Brookstone catalog in the mail yesterday, and they have something for framing old album covers if you want to check them out.

Beautiful and inviting. Also love those dark color alcoves drawing attention and setting off interesting space/shapes.

Love, love, love it! Especially love the backsplash in the kitchen.

Well, I'm in Sweden and see this exact look in about every second home put up for sale on the web. A me too approach that ends up looking bland and unimaginative. Yes, there are efforts to add an individual touch here and there, but for some reason they don't work and the whole lot just feels artificial. Like a furniture catalogue. I am also saddened by the Fritz Hansen knock-offs in the first picture. Very uncool.

sexy.

Those dark alcoves are achingly beautiful with all that white furniture. This is just sooooooooooooo gorgeous. And the hand-me-down thing is really no joke, but it is HIGH-larious.

your home is extraordinarily beautiful. lyrical. thanks for sharing and good luck in the contest!!!!

Beautiful and very Swedish (but not generic). Helsingborg is a neat little town and it's cool to see the interior of one of the homes there.

I like the way the apartment is uncluttered and minimal, without looking cold or empty. All the white really works to keep the place bright looking, which I'm sure is especially important during the winter!

Love the way you play up the alcoves with paint and continuing the tiling on the counters.

Great apartment/space. I love everything and voted Supercool. The only thing you have to replace is the sofa. Keep up the good work!

Would love to know more about your dining area lighting fixture!

This is another beautiful international entry!

HI! I'm the owner of the flat. Just wanted to say thanks for all the comments!
I did notice a typo/mistake with the size. It should be 77m2.

Jut wanted to answer some of the questions:
Yokie-sorry, I am no where near Stockholm but I have seen ads for a store called 'One' which looks really funky. Other than that I am no help :(

Lisa_oak-The walls that make up the two hallways are supporting walls, so unfortunately they must stay.

absolutmarie-we took the albums out and just hung the sleeves with a thumb tack.

Gustaf- Personally I don't care for the shape of the Fritz Hansen chairs and I don't buy furniture based on the designer unless I really love the piece (and can afford it!)

lolax-the couch was our first purchase after relocating. It was cheap (IKEA) and I can't wait to replace it with something more modern, and preferably modular since I am a compulsive furniture re-arranger. But we just got a puppy so we're waiting until he's trained to buy a new sofa.

f.in.eur-the light in the dinning area is from bolagret.
http://www.bolagret.se/

We too shipped only books/stuff when we moved to Germany. We too were forced to buy 99% of our stuff from Ikea, and we hated it. But what can you do in those situations? Frankly, I think your place looks great! It does feel personal, one of the few entries that does. Nice job.

Have to agree with Gustav - catalogue comes to mind (sorry). But I also agree with some of the others - paint and architecture are great! Enjoy the puppy!

riley, thanks for your answer. I'm afraid it doesn't make much sense though. If you "don't care for the shape of the Fritz Hansen chairs" why buy knock-offs of Fritz Hansen chairs? This is one of the reasons I am saddened by people who do this: it would be so much better if they spent that same amount on an original (inexpensive) design and helped out a designer and a thriving business in the process. And it seems very strange that you "don't buy furniture based on the designer": how are the knock-offs not "based on the designer"?

Wow. Wow, wow wow. I love this one!

Gustaf, I can't quite understand why it upsets you so much that they have "knock-off" chairs. You're claim that buying designer originals is the same price as the "knock-offs" is uninformed and incorrect. A huge part of celebrating small spaces is celebrating people who do not have a lot of money to work with but manage to make their places beautiful with hard work and perseverance, searching out that great find.
While the owner of this apartment may be someone who can afford originals, I am not, and I see no shame in buying designer look-a-likes for a fraction of the cost. Why should people with big wallets be the only ones who get to enjoy beautiful things and beautiful spaces?
By saying this place is "not cool" because the owner is buying into good design instead of designer labels, I think you are missing the whole point of the contest.

azaleasmoke, there are designer originals to be had at almost every price level, including second hand and vintage pieces. Your claim to the contrary makes me think you haven't spent much time looking. You may of course still prefer the look of the knock-offs, but that doesn't justify buying them. In fact, your implied definition of "good design" (based on your claim that knock-offs are just that) is both superficial and ignorant. But here is what I thought the most revealing part of your response: "why should people with big wallets be the only ones who get to enjoy beautiful things and beautiful spaces?" The extension to that kind of reasoning? "Let's take it from them". That's the really scary thing about your argument.

The Fritz Hasen chair is not rounded on the top, as the ones I have are, which is what I was referring to.

I love the orb on the floor!!

Love, love, love this appartment and the decor.
The artwork above the bookshelf, just doesn't seem to go with the apartment, but it adds personality.

Simply stunning! I love this apartment!

It's a great space! I like it!

Weasel Dearest is Mr. Dangerous

So beautiful! My favourite so far.

Very nice and crisp. I love seeing the Piet Hein table, I have one and its been in my closet stored away until I can use it again. The only thing I did not like was the pictures hanging on an angle. Otherwise cool pad and nice furniture.

too obvious ikea mfor me. guess i've seen the large expedit shelvings a couple of times too often.

also don't like the style mix in the living/dining area.
the coffee table has a 60s retro flair while the sofa has a strong countryside feel to it.

the only thing that matches between coffee table, sofa and ding chairs is the white color, which but isn't enough to convince me.