Who Lives Here: FJ!!
What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home? There is this insane little, almost useless, niche in the apartment that epitomizes the kind of quirkiness and age in real estate that you move to Europe for.
What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in furnishing your small home? I left Los Angeles and my loft with king-size bedrooms and 11-foot tall ceilings behind to do be closer to my family again. I knew I would live in a smaller space, but I was unprepared for what this downsizing really meant in creating a space that would fulfill all functions I had grown accustomed to. Plus I was having the sofa I love shipped over, and that one was really scaled for spaces larger than 900 sq feet, not to be in one third of that — or so I thought. That sofa, and my artwork, books, and clothes was all: I was otherwise starting from scratch this time last year.
I had to learn to speak with a different interior vocabulary than Industrial and Expansive and Minimal, because what I used to know would just not work here. So my tools were my memories of how my mother made spaces flow when I was growing up in The Netherlands, an IKEA catalog, and, indeed Apartment Therapy to teach me to not fear using 'old-fashioned' elements like draperies and (ulp!) wallpaper, and how to use them in a rented space, and to just dare have some things be completely out of scale sometimes. If your sofa is huge and your room is small, just have a sumptuous living room.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
great place for a pillow fight.
view aad's profile
Cool spot. I'm a little confused about where you sleep though...
I love the fabric over the chair in the front area by the stairs. I also liked that you weren't affraid to embrace WHITE and just roll with it. I personally need more color and clutter, but your place looks very relaxing and serene.
Good job on finding a place for everything and for being brave enough to downsize so much!
Thanks for sharing.
view amazonikon's profile
Great job of hiding the clutter. Plus I am unreasonably giddy and seeing a apartment with a bathroom that is actually smaller than mine!
view kjb's profile
I think your family should move to Los Angeles.
Well, it is small (380) and white is one of my favorite colors...
Congrats on being one of the first entrants into the contest!
Good Luck.
view Mr. Dangerous's profile
The first pic is of my single bed. I put up the curtains over them because I am a light sleeper and the landlord provided terrible window coverings. I close them at night. They have a second layer of brown curtains on the inside to block even more light.
It ended up looking like a cozy bunk so I went with it.
And yeah, I just love white. But I knew I had a problem when a friend wrote that from pics it looked like I lived inside a fridge. :) Then fortunately my artwork arrived, and I also decided I could experiment with a color.
view FJ!!'s profile
Place looks great. Clean and simple. My head was able to digest what it saw quickly and soothingly.
Yeah that sitting area is pretty chilled out'
You may be better off staying in London and passing on Mr.Dangerous's suggestion. It is evident there is a better sense of design in Europe. Ugh. Already just two international posts along side the eh..shiver U.S. posts and I mean it's black and white in the style and cohesiveness. I am hoping a NY'rr represents.
view recon1's profile
You should be number 1! Go FJ go!
view gearjock's profile
This is one of those space I would like to win because I think the owner would make great improvements to an already nice space with the prizes on offer!
Lovely space with a great arrangement.
view JenPDX's profile
Ohhhh I wanna curl up on that couch and read and sleep and mmmmmm, that looks so nice.
view missbrewsky's profile
I'm loving it. I'm going to take a hit from you in covering my well worn couch (which I was hoping to replace this year). I like the way you draped the fabric.
view Joan52's profile
I am a little spooked by the sight of those furniture covered in white cloth. It seemed a little too white.
view tdeb's profile
I love the drapes around your bed. I relate to needing DARK to sleep. They look luxuriously thick and cozy. My dream house will have guest bunks, for privacy without adding a ton of sq. ft.
Lisa
view housefulloffur's profile
FJ, that was very well put. Scandinavians definitely have a knack for clean, eye-pleasing-and-interesting aesthetics.
view furrina's profile
i love the way you covered your armchair with the white fabric, i guess because its original color and style is not matched the overall color and style of the area?? i will adapt this wicked idea in my home too!!
view mirint's profile