Name: Pong C. & Gatsby the dog.
Location: Rittenhouse — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Size: 568 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years
You may remember the Pong's Restraint entry from this years Small Cool 2010. I just couldn't resist paying his Rittenhouse digs a visit and I'm sure glad I did. There's nothing more inspirational than a well decorated small space — restraint is key.
Not only in restraint a key to the success of this space, there's also color. Pong has exhibited the perfect pops of color throughout his small studio. He picked up the yellow that was originally found in the pipes going up the living room wall. He ran with the yellow and the result is refreshing and youthful.
Pong was lucky to score such a fantastic studio with many great architectural details. The floor to ceiling mirror in the living room opens up the whole space and makes it seem much larger. The big windows certainly help too, especially with all of the sunlight that fills the space. Brick walls are a much sought after feature in older cities such as Philadelphia — just another reason why his space is such a gem.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
How would you define your style? Mid-century random.
What is your greatest inspiration? Architecture, film, travels.
What is your favorite element of your home? The floor to ceiling mirror. It’s pretty unique and really opens up the space.
What is the biggest challenge of your home? Avoiding a space cluttered with tchotchkes. You should see all the "cool" stuff I have in storage. Sometimes I feel like a curator because I live in a small space that requires a lot of editing.
What do friends say about your home? Can you come Pong shui my place?
What is your home's biggest embarrassment? My kitchen’s appliances are pretty outdated.
What DIY projects are you most proud of? Side table under the stairs. Best friend and I stole the neglected piece from my fraternity. We refinished the piece and added a tile tabletop. It was my first time refinishing anything, so it was great practice and the precursor to many of my unfinished projects.
What is your biggest indulgence, when furnishing your home? In terms of furniture, I don’t think there’s a single piece that is over $300. I prefer to find steals and brag to friends about it. I pay good money to make my bed the most comfortable place in the world though (memory foam = sweet dreams).
Best Advice: Forget about what other people think and just make your space a place that you are comfortable and love.
Resources:
Furniture: coffee table (Drexel declaration — Craigslist find); credenza turned tv stand (Martinsville — DIY refinished); concrete dining table (DIY); dining chairs (West Elm); bookcase turned winerack (IKEA); sofa (IKEA with legs changed out); desk (eBay find).
Rugs and Carpets: Angela Adams, CB2.
Accessories: A lot of vinyl toys (various sources).
Artwork: Ryo Takagi, Nate Duval, Eliz Lovett, Peaceful Traveler.
Lighting: Floor lamp (IKEA hack); Pendant lighting (DIY via ReadyMade).
Thanks Pong!
Images: Kristen Lubbe
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Comments (29)
Stylish! :DDD Love it!
wow, love that dining table!! great job! and i agree with you about the bed.
It is SO nice to see such a little tiny space in a house tour! I also love how lived-in this place looks.
Cool place. The dining table is lovely - I like the pop of yellow. :)
The red bricks look good.
That dining table is amazing. I must figure out how to make one...
LOVE the dining table!!
WANT. All of it.
um...why was this posted again? We saw this tour a few months ago.
confused!
@aprilheartsaaron A few months ago we posted Pong's entry for the Small Cool 2010 contest, which he did really well in! So, we decided that we would pay him a visit ourselves and take photos for a full house tour. That way, we could share more than double the photos than he was able to submit for the contest :)
I'm loving the yellow gerbera daisies framed by the empty yellow frame.
I think it's time AT covered the "empty frames" trend. I'm a big fan - I think it's very "zen" :-)
Here are some images of this trend I collected so far: http://pinterest.com/ania/framed-space
VERY cool small space! I love how you enlarged it with that tall mirror - where'd you get it?
Post a step by step and resources of how to make that dining table. Love it!
The tall mirror next to the window is truly brilliant,
Love the 'so many cool things stored' comment. That's me. I can't pick a style. I just buy what I love which seems to work well but I just have to keep it down to a minimum, lol. Love it all with a specific 'wow' to the high ceilings and that mirror! :)
Love this place !
Like a few others, I am a fan of your DIY dining table with the yellow legs. I would appreciate it if you could provide more information about how you made it.
Its a great space.
I just don't get why there are SO many photos of the same corner of one room. There must be a dozen that show just the TV hutch and facing chairs from a dozen different angles, and then above. Yikes.
I have to say, it looks like a great raw space that the occupant has really done nothing remarkable with. Especially if, as I suspect, the tall mirror is built-in rather than an addition.
I would love to know how you were able to swap out the legs on your IKEA sofa. Love their sofas, but can't get over their plastic-looking feet!
where did you get the yellow frame? i LOVE it!
I feel like half of the tour shots showcase the exact same portion of the place.
I love those little blue clouds.
I spy saw horses from home depot as legs for that dining room table. Here I thought I was the only one who saw their genius as a table bases...
like it but it seems familiar for some reason....
he made it his own home, and I think it is lovely. I am proud of anybody who cares about the greatest place on earth=HOME. sincerely, mary
The little blue clouds are too perfect! Something sublime about them. Yea!
The coffee table & fluffy clouds are divine!