This place is stunning. I'd love to see the art work you have yet to put up.

This could be a lovely place, only if this was not rent controlled. Having been a Bay area resident, I know how difficult it is for residents to find affordable housing because some very "capable" rent-controlled tenants will not give up their huge space. They don't realize that their four walk-in closet could likely be place where a young family could raise their children. Sorry, cannot appreciate this tour at all as I am in a profession where I am dealing with mental health issue of people who have been undergoing tremendous depression due to their inability to find housing for their family, all thanks to rent controlled tenants who are living life king size.

Lovely, simply lovely.

modern_love, your comment makes no sense.

you cannot possibly put the blame on people's mental health issues on others. that is absolutely absurd.

Wow. In my dreams ... Perfect pitch IMO, and the ease with which the rustic or darker wood works with the light upholstery is in itself impressive. The coffee table and the dining room rug belong in my house.

After 4 trips thru on this tour, the 4 walk-in closet[s?] referred to by @modern_love still elude me. Since my opinion on Sara's apartment being rent controlled is actually no opinion, all I can offer is "life is not fair."

there's only 1 book in that whole apartment?! pretty though. it looks like a nice space that will grow with her as her life changes. very versatile and tranquil.

Just lovely. You had me at the paint.

modern_love's comment *really* makes no sense, because once Sarah moves out the landlord could potentially raise the rent to whatever market rates are, thus making it still unaffordable for that family. The rent is only controlled when one person keeps the place long-term. Everyone makes their own choices and has to take the consequences...if the person with a family would prefer to have a big living space, maybe they should move to a more affordable city. Or not have had kids. Whatever...

Lovely place, BTW...it does look peaceful.

@modern_love, you think completely misunderstood what AT is about.

Modern_Love really? This is not about you or your clients. Having been a renter all my life I've had to move every couple of years just to keep the rent down. It's exhausting and I never really think of decorating, I mean what's the use your gonna have to move anyway. I think rent control is great and wish that it were an option in my city. As a landlord I would think that someone who's going to stay awhile would be a great tenant. I LOVE this apartment, everything about it. I wish it was my apartment.

shoot, I meant to say "I think you completely misunderstood what AT is about".

I was going to say "Does anybody live there?" (although I like the apartement itself) but modern_love's comment took my breath away. So should Sarah email you and offer the apartment to one of your families? What if she is will be getting married and have kids of her own in near future?

modern_love may want to reconsider her moniker, given the comment she's posted. She has no idea how this person lives or contributes to her community, and the presumption in the comment is appalling. I'm exhausted by how rude and bullying people have become because of their ability to hide behind social media. (Btw, I know people whose very lives have been saved by rent-controlled apartments, who were 'capable' and then suddenly lost their jobs; and as someone who's experienced greedy owners shooting rents up in the Bay area it is incomprehensible that someone would begrudge someone else's luck.)

That rant out of the way, I would like to compliment the apartment dweller on her wonderful command of colour and restraint. She's created a lovely home.

@stejeanne - it's in the write-up. It says she has four walk-in closets.

It's really not up to anyone to gauge whether someone deserves the home they have. I'm sorry you see people who are struggling with mental illness, modern_love, but ascribing your feelings to her lifestyle is a fruitless pursuit. San Francisco is a really expensive city to live in, and there are a lot of people who aren't poor and still can't afford it.

You guys are right. My apologies for bringing up this issue in AT. A few years ago, AT had posted a house tour of a restaurant owner who lived in a rent control apartment in NYC. At the time, a lot of posters had taken the same stance that I did. Paradoxically, the whole idea of rent control and its impact on housing was pretty novel to me so I reacted the same way as other posters did here, 'it makes no sense, this is AT and we are about design...." At the time, I didn't realize that rent control is responsible for rising rents due to limited availability of rental units.

Anyways, I do want to apologize again as this is definitely not the forum for talking about rent control issues. For posters thinking of me as a bitter person, I invite you to go to my profile and go through my comments to see if you find anything bitter about any of my comments posted over the years.

OMG I LOVE this place!!! So light and airy... Great job Sara! :)

Nicely said, modern_love. Your apology has been excepted.
I do understand where you were coming from, in the original post. I subscribe to the Canadian House and Home and I feel that they really like to kiss the @$$es of the upper echelon - in spite of regular protests of readers (from the not so upper echelons) and feature 5 or 6,000 sq ft houses. Now that raises my hackles every single time because I find environmentally very irresponsible. But I digress. That's a topic for a forum other than the AT.

@modern_love, all good. Thank you for taking time to actually apologize for it. Other than that, what do you think of this place??

Im stealing your colors to use in my master bedroom / bath. Thank you for the inspiration!! The house is feminine but not frilly, perfect.

Very sterile. Almost boring.

While it s certainly in good taste, to me, the apartment feels a bit sad and impersonal. My immediate reaction in looking at this post is that I would not want to live there. Thank you for posting though as I enjoy seeing different styles. As I am picking paint colors, I can now see that too much gray and white is not for me.

Is the bathroom brown and pink? From the picture it was hard to tell.

The apartment is lovely and bright. I would definitely love to curl up in the bedroom. Your apartment gives a nice airy vibe.

I admit that at first I thought, "This is gorgeous, but there could be a few more touches of personality to liven it up." But then I considered that many young people buy whatever they want, maybe even things at thrift stores that are trendy or cool but not really 'them', just for the sake of having a full home. I've definitely been guilty of that. But the owner's restraint is her strength here: she only displays the things that are really, truly personal and beautiful for her, not just trendy things to make other people happy. I would love to have such a minimal, comfortable space without materialistic baggage, only beauty. In short, well done, Sara. Your home is lovely. (Incidentally, I'm not in any way bashing trendy items or houses full to the brim with stuff. To each his/her own.)

pier723, I just went through the tour.

Darn it, if someone is going to live in a rent control place like Sara, they better be my friend and have a nice and clean taste like Sara so I can visit them frequently :)

Yep, I like the place, specially the color choices. The dining room is definitely my favorite room.

This isn't my style at all, and yet I think you've made some STUNNING design decisions! I love the shades of all the colors, the gray, blue, and brown; in the LR, that sheen of blue on the accent wall is divine! The dining table is just wonderful, and I love the way your light woods go with the gray. Could go on and on... congratulations and thank you for sharing!

modern_love, we have to be cautious to not take part in the divide-and-conquer schemes of those whose greed makes so many miserable. If ya gotta hate, hate the greed, not those who have luckily found a safe haven from it.

I LOVE this place. Well done.

So peaceful. Kisses from greece

accepted - not excepted -

Serene is the perfect description. It is beautifully done home and I love the restraint that lend itself to the airy and breezy feel. The gorgeous deep wood table really complete the place. Well done!

I'll never understand negative comments on a House Tour - she has not asked the AT community for advice. House Tours are not offered up for our approval - they are a peek into someone else's space. It must take a lot of courage for someone to submit their private space for the world to see. I think it's lovely, but if I didn't I would keep my mouth shut.

She has a sophisticated, beautiful home in one of the best cities in the world. And the most important part - she loves it, is proud of it, and clearly takes good care of it. Good for her!

as a grey lover, I LOOOVE IT!

I love the simple color scheme. I struggle with my place getting too visually busy from all the colored stuff like wall art. I think the author had it right when they said "impressive lack of clutter!" Its very relaxing and lovely. What is the trim around the ceilings called? Would that be a plate rail? It really makes the ceiling look high.

Is there an alliteration requirement now for House Tour titles?

A really well-executed space that offers clean lines and a serene palette.

While the color palette is rather limited for my taste, she's done a spectacular job putting it all together. This place is gorgeous. Also, I'm seriously jealous that she manages to keep this all so very clutter free.

Really lovely. A place to come home to after a busy day. Tranquil and calm.

Hearty congratulations to you for conquering, or resisting, the tyranny of *stuff.* If paring down and keeping clutter free are important to you, mission accomplished. These, indeed, serene spaces.

Beautifully done, gorgeous apartment. This is not in any way to knock Sara's work here, but more lately it seems like AT has been featuring homes that, before anything else, just have really good "bones." Lots of light, tall ceilings, etc. Kudos to the owners/residents for finding these places and making them come to life. But I sadly think that even with the best designer I could never get my place to look like Sara's because of light and space issues. I'd love to see more house tours where people have limitations on things like this.

Agree with Gillianne - you do seem to have resisted the tyranny of stuff - and with a great sense of style . . . .

Understated and tranquil. Very pretty. The photography is top notch.

I like the bones of the apartment but (to me) the decor and colors chosen feel cold...

Not my style, but I think the place is beautiful. It's clean, organized, and uncluttered.

I agree with modern love. When you look at someone living in a luxurious apartment, you wonder what rent control is all about. Wasn't it supposed to be to provide low and average income people with reasonable living quarters? A single person living in a huge place with dining room and laundry room. Her landlord has to subsidize this? This makes rent control look like some sort of lottery that private citizens and the tax code have to pay for. Yeah...your taxes are paying for this via the deductions the landlord can take. Ridiculous.

Kind of agree. Why does someone that can buy a 4000$ sofa, 2000$ headboard, $2000 washing machine etc etc etc need rent control? Nothing in here is DIY. Hardly what I tend to think rent control is all about. Another scam or scammer. Surprised AT would put this up. All I can say is...this person isn't honest. Might as well have shown us Ken Lay's Aspen Home and told us why it was so great.

Probably the most asinine,socialist post Ive ever had the misfortune to read.Its a lovely and serene space,pity she doesnt want to rent out her closets to a family though.Geez.

Socialst? Seriously? Isn't it socialist to move into a place and demand the rent be something you can afford rather than what the landlord could get? And then spend about 30k on furnishings...all the while telling your landlord that he doesn't deserve to get a higher rent?

Other than that...the space is boring. Agree with poster that said it reminded him of going to his grandmas house.

I liked seeing the burnt out bulb in the chandelier. It gave the place some character.

Absolutely one of my favorite tours in a very long time. So beautiful. Love the light color throughout

It's lovely although not really my style - however I would kill for those floorboards.

I'm sure her landlord loves her if her place is always as spotless as show here.

Not being familiar with the whole rent-control concept (I'm in Australia) the discussion here has brought some interesting things to light. Is there no means testing or assetts testing involved for a rent-control applicant? If not then I could see how some would view it as unfair. I can also see potential for rorting. And I can sympathise with modern_love if they are dealing daily with distressed people who cannot find adequate housing while others get a lucky break like this renter. Oops... better stop now before I be accused of being a socialist :)

Okay...accidently posted comment before done.... I was going to say that the colors throughout really compliment each other. The whole place is simple and serene and absolutely lovely.

It's sad that modern_love's comment is getting so much buzz. I'm a mental health therapist myself and yes, not being able to have a roof over your head is stressful and high amount of stress can cause mental health issues but blaming this woman on all of that is absurd.

Again, beautiful place Sara!

@portland rules & others: Rent control is not exactly "supposed to be to provide low and average income people with reasonable living quarters." It is first and foremost designed to protect long-term tenants from having their apartments go up in price annually to the point that they are forced to vacate their homes. I don't know how it works in San Francisco, but most places with rent control (and usually only popular cities with sky rocketing real estate have it) when a tenant voluntarily leaves an apartment, the owner is allowed to raise the rent to new tenants at "fair market value." Meaning, the price shoots up.

So rent control is really NOT a boon to people who are moving to a place for the first time. It certainly doesn't allow people with low incomes to live in high-income neighborhoods. What it does is this: Betty and Al moved into an apartment on Central Park West in 1940 for $150 a month. They were crowded, but they loved the place and raised their kids there. By now, the rent would be $15,000 a month. As normal middle-class people and not hedge fund operators, they would have been priced out of their home DECADES ago, but for rent control. That law allowed the landlord to raise the price only a reasonable amount, not what the market would bear. But when Betty and Al die, the landlord won't be renting that apartment to someone else in their income bracket. He'll be renting it to a hedge fund operator.

If Sara's apartment were NOT rent controlled, she might not have been able to afford her $4,000 sofa and $2,000 bed. But if she's only been in it for six years, she's probably still paying a pretty hefty monthly fee. I know I wouldn't be able to live there unless I had moved in decades ago. People can call rent control "Socialist" all they want to. In fact, it will never allow people like me to live in Pacific Heights. So Capitalism is safe and sound, just a little less cruel than it might be.

It's wonderful...

For those of us in areas without rent control, it just seems odd. I used to rent an apartment for $750, 10 years ago. It now rents for $1200 or $1300 a month. My salary probably would have allowed me to keep up with increased rents... but meanwhile, I bought a condo and then a house, and my mortgage is less than rent on a 2-bedroom in this neighborhood.

So... yeah. I guess the rest of us don't understand why, in some places, you can rent a place and then avoid the increases in rent that the rest of us either have to accept and pay, or reject and move to smaller places. And, yeah... rent control does cause the landlord (and taxpayers?) to subsidize housing for some people, while the rest of us have to bear the free market price on renting.

Seems all around a strange system - letting people temporarily pretend they can afford a lifestyle they can't really afford.

The traditional route to consistent payments on housing has been home ownership. Yes, I (and most others) can't afford to buy in NYC or SF. Nothing in the constitution guarantees me the right to a spacious loft in a hopping cultural center. No one dies from having to live in a (gasp!) staid and unchic town.

a master class in the decorative beauty of restraint. the lack of clutter really opens up the view of the light and the textures and the colors, which I think fills up the apartment with interest. it's like being in the middle of a meditative moment. it's really the opposite of my decorating style--I'm just helpless in the face of a jacquard print or anything leaf green or ruby red--so I'm really really impressed by this because I know how totally unable I would be to pull it off!

Sara, thank you for sharing your home with the AT. You have successfully created a very calming environment through your paint choices, selection of furniture and minimal display of stuff. Aside from that, it was good to see modern_love apologize for his/her out of line comment.

It seems folks need a gentle reminder at the top of the comments section to post as if they were standing in the person's home with them..because (with the cloak of social media aside), that's essentially what's happening here. You would never go to a cocktail party at someone's house and comment to them that their livingroom is devoid of feeling, or that the choice of colour scheme in their bathroom is hideous; you would, rather, mind your manners and offer something constructive. (Or maybe you're just rude in real life too, in which case, you're probably not invited to many social gatherings anyway.)

LittleRed4, rannbug and katemc (list not exhaustive) all had good examples of classy criticizing. Thumbs up!

@CR, thanks for correcting me. I hang my head in shame. Of course I meant to say "the apology was accepted" (not EXPECTED). No idea how that happened. I should read what I type. My brain needs a vacation.

The restraint and commitment to the style amaze me. I can barely paint the wall without planning my next vision.

^Agreed.

There are many people who are rude in real life and I've met them. I've had people who I've invited to my home criticize my home, choices or even the foods that I make or they usually don't have anything nice to say and just talk about themselves basically calling attention to themselves and how different their choices are than mine. It always strikes me as selfish and if one is interested in associating with someone why on earth would they focus on differences instead of what one may have in common. I guess I just don't feel so threatened by the choices that others make, especially decorating styles to feel so compelled to one up them. Yes, a lot of people are inappropriate and rude in person too and as you already note they are usually never invited back.

Nice apartment. I am always in favor of light furnishings and minimal decor.

I don't think we needed to know the apartment was rent-controlled because it doesn't affect the apartment's interior decoration. In fact, I wonder why it was even mentioned in the post. Sometimes it is better to keep silent about your own good fortune. I admit I am guilty of not doing this at times but the reaction to this post is a good reminder.

Can't believe AT chose to showcase Sara's place in the middle of color month! After seeing such bold colors in every single room, it's quite a contrast to see this space... it's a bit too sterile for me, but I can see what Sara means when she says it's the calmest place she knows!

If I see a housetour that is not my taste I don't comment.
Anyway my favorite pieces here are the dining and the coffee table.

This apartment has good light, good bones, and the colour scheme and lack of clutter create a tranquil feel. It reminds me of older homes here in the UK.

As for @Modern-love's comment, I don't agree that AT is an inappropriate forum to be making this point, although it's unfortunate that this homeowner was personally attacked. I believe AT started out as a design resource for small-space dwellers and renters, so surely any issues that affect or inform people's design decisions (and I think the possibility of renting a place long term thanks to rent control is a MAJOR one) should be up for discussion?

Love your paint choices!

I do not understand negative comments. If someone has nothing good or positive to say, then don't say anything. It is not about the reader, it is about the person posting her place. She is showing her style and her place, not someone else's. I have a modern, minimalist style, and still can see and appreciate other styles and admire how perfect this place is! I love your place Sara.....looks clean, elegant and sophisticated. Congratulations!

@chaotic: Thanks for exposing me to a fabulous new (non-American) word: RORTING. It's so darned suitable for its meaning, and short-cuts a lot of needless verbiage. (I guess the best we have here so far is "bilking the system." While "bilking" is good in itself, "rorting" requires no other words, and is still more delightful!)

This is a really good one. The two things that stand out for me are the color scheme and how well each color of each room flows visually, and also the architecture of the space shines through and is well considered.

The wording wasn't great, but it was a valid sentiment. The tenants taking advantage of rent control doesn't stick in my craw as much as the landlords who jack up the price of the apartment once the rent controlled tenant moves out. I don't care how nice the wood floors are and whether a washer/dryer is in the unit -- one and two bedrooms running between $4,000-$6,000 is pretty heinous. But as long as there are tech bubble people willing to shell out those kinds of rents for the "culture" of SF, even though they spend 80 hour work weeks down in Mountain View, it's going to stay that way, I'm afraid.

Love the clean, crisp colors and lines and the fact that the apartment looks so inviting and homey. Beautiful job!

Jenini, I agree with your post on landlords jacking up the rent!!! $4,000-$6,000 Is ridiculous for a 1-2 bedroom. When I lived in LA and NYC (where I am originally from) I was always able to get decent, affordable housing. The Bay Area is so frustrating in terms of housing!!! I feel like my income is decent, yet finding a livable place is such a challenge. And unfortunately even out on the Peninsula in Mountain View and San Jose the rents are pretty out of control. I saw a nice one bedroom for $2,500 with an hour + commute to SF and a promise that the rent would go up 10% in a year. Insane... I love this area but am examining my desire to live here!!

Lovely home, lovely curation (even if it's a little bland for my personal taste). I love the interplays between the blues, grays, whites, and browns, with the pops of pink. I imagine for most of us, this level of restraint and decluttering is not sustainable (or even attainable), so it's definitely inspiring.

I enjoyed the discussion on rent control, even if it precipitated by an unnecessary personal attack in modern love's first comment. I agree with @pearmelon that AT *is* an appropriate forum for discussing the politics and policies that affect apartment living. It brings depth to the discussions here that can often be strictly focused on the aesthetic and technical, without the broader social context. To me, the soul of a home is shaped by its bones, history, inhabitants and their decorating/organizing/living choices, and yes -- also how it came to be this home and its place in the wider community. If the discussions can be carried out respectfully and without uncalled-for personal judgments, I think they'd be valuable for AT and would keep me more engaged.

I appreciate the simplicity and neutral colors of this apartment, but it is definitely not my style. I would have liked to see more pops of color here and there. But then again, the woman who lives here probably would not like my house. :)

I do agree with the poster who commented on the the Keep Calm and the For Like Ever art - with as much care as was shown throughout the apartment, it seems very pedantic to showcase this unoriginal art...

@Tania: There is nothing wrong with commenting about one's likes and dislikes when reviewing a home on AT. That's one of the reasons I read the comments following a house tour - I like to know what others think about a particular house or room or design style.

And if the person didn't want any "negative" comments, they wouldn't be showing their house in an international forum. I'm sure that most would rather have healthy feedback than bland and saccarine comments...

Anyone who posts their house/apartment etc on AT must have a sizeable ego if they think their house/apartment whatever is worthy of sharing with the great unwashed (I wish I thought mine was). This ego should correspondingly be able to cope with some negative comments.

An AT with only positive comments would be the greatest bore and it often approaches that when people just gush about the dogs or cats pictured, instead of commenting on the decor.
Long live negative comments!!!
However the rent control stuff I find a bit under the belt. We all get lucky occasionally in life in different ways, whether its through a nice family or friends, or good education opportunities or meeting a nice partner, no need to dump on the poor girl if she got lucky with a nice apartment.
Lovely colours, a bit sterile for my taste though.

There is nothing wrong on commenting....but there is a lot of negativity and lack of respect on many of these comments. She is showcasing her place, not asking about everybody else's taste...she is showing her style, not asking our opinion. There is another forum for that. A person doesn't need to like it, but also doesn't need to be so rude. Thank you.

It might behoove AT to start a separate topic on rent control which would be a more appropriate place for some of these comments, rather than on a thread about design, which is supposed to be about showcasing her personal style. I agree with the last commenter.

I've been on the 'net since early times (well, early 90s, anyway), and have seen this conversation in a million permutations on forums about TV shows, dogs - you name it.
The thing is, comments sections or online forums are open conversations, not edited magazines. Conversations flow where they flow.

I was in a forum once where everyone kept trying to relegate topic X to its own separate folder. (Some folks didn't like hearing about topic X.) Problem was, topic X was of fairly broad (though occasional) general interest, and it often popped up as an offshoot of other conversation. You couldn't legislate that it wouldn't, and I never really understood why anyone would try.

I enjoy the offshoot discussions in this forum as much (if not more) than the discussions about the design of a specific apartment. I learn new words, hear what's going on elsewhere, and in general get to see what people are passionate about. (I knew almost nothing about rent control before reading AT, and now I see the various viewpoints.) I for one would like to let the comments continue to be (kindly) free-flowing. If I find something drifts into an area I'm not interested in, I'll just stop reading. No harm, no foul.

I agree with @Mary B C. The piece specifically states: "Sara's been lucky enough to be in a rent controlled apartment for over six years..." - information that helps us to understand and contextualise the design choices made here. It is perfectly appropriate and constructive to discuss all aspects of this issue here, provided that discussion remains civil.

Congratulations, Sara, on a gorgeous flat. It's just what I would love if I were living in the City. BTW, there's a 2 bedroom flat for rent in my nabe in the East Bay for $2.200.00...

Why would a separate topic thread on rent control obstruct conversation flow? If anything it might encourage more discussion and since the topic is easily gleaned from the subject it could possibly increase readership and also commentary from a wide variety of people who know about the subject and its implications. It doesn't necessarily have to limit discourse, thought, passion or participation. Just a thought.

well said.

LOVE love LOVE your color palette, the soft blues and naturals are just gorgeous together! What lovely home!

More variety of art that isn't blue would probably give a little more vibrancy to the place since there is so much blue.

FWIW, I live in San Francisco and for years lived in a rent stabilized apartment (there is a difference between rent control and rent stabilization) for about 5 years at which point I had saved up enough $$ to buy an apartment in San Francisco.

Keep in mind that there is a dark side to having a rent controlled apartment, which about 99% of the time doesn't override the plus of having stabilized affordable rent in a great city like this, but the landlords and owners of these buildings can be very neglectful and sometimes abusive because they resent the hell out of the law and their tenants who are benefiting from the law.

There were a few comments about a "boyfriend" in this woman's life, and I can tell you from experience I've dated a number of men with stabilized apartments and these guys are loathe to get seriously involved with women. If you move in with them, your name will often be required to be on the lease, and the primary renter wants no part of that because they get very possessive of what they've got. I had one guy tell me point blank they'd have to put a gun to his head to get him out of his apartment, so obviously any kind of long-range plan with him wasn't on the table.

For me, I stumbled into my stabilized apartment by accident and took over a lease from someone who was moving - one of the problems with capitalism is that it isn't a meritocracy. I was under no illusions that I "deserved" what I had and in fact recognized that it was a fluke ending up there. As it was, I was intent to buy so I stayed long enough to get the down payment saved up and then I split.

Yeah, this broad obviously has a good thing going. I'm not a huge fan of Pac Heights (other than the views and the weather) just because it's not anywhere near BART and you're a good Muni ride from downtown or pretty much anywhere, and getting to the freeway isn't so fast in a car either.. I chose to buy on Nob Hill, much closer to BART, the theater district, FiDi, and all the rest of it.

It's difficult to have a conversation about rent control without discussing capitalism and propertarianism in general. But since it was mentioned in the article, why would it be off limits to discuss? It also needs to be kept in mind that capitalist reformist policies like rent control can and are overturned - just look to Berkeley's rent control law to see how that worked out for renters. I know that's not news to anybody, seeing that both presidential candidates want to deep-six Social Security and Medicare. That's the risk you run in a capitalist system. Any gains for workers can and are easily unrolled.

Some good comments here though.

I adore the colors of the bedroom. We have moldings in our bedroom and have been trying to find the perfect color combo. This is it!!!! Do you mind sharing what colors you used for this bedroom? You've totally inspired me!!

Even though I may not be in love with her place, this whole conversation regarding peoples different views on Rent Control actually made this post very enjoyable. For once I read all the comments! Being a long time reader I normally stop reading the comment section pretty early after a dozen or so posts as it soon becomes the same old thing. Thank you Apartment Therapy for not policing the comment section with an ironclad fist holding a banquet of flowers shooting rainbows and positive thoughts.

Love the sparceness and the colors you've chosen. You have room to grow. Particularly in choosing wall art. This is wonderful.

I was breezing through the comments and decided to ignore many of them since they are either off topic or negative, which, sorry, I don't understand. I happen to love the space and feel that it was done with a light hand making it open and light - and, as she says, it reminds her (and me) of the restful colors of the ocean and mountains, so this is a perfect retreat for her from a hectic life. As a person who lives in New York City, I welcome being in a place that is soothing and not overstimulating at the end of the day so this color palette and use of space works for me. I might add more of the color of sand since I am more of a beach person than a mountain lover, however, like Sara, would keep the feeling I like with the use of color (or lack thereof?) without going overboard with kitchy accessories. It is a relief to see a variety of styles on AT like this (not just the flea market finds thrown together or apartments with so much clutter they bring on ADHD).

Right on target. In New York City, rent control has nearly vanished and rent stabilization (which was brought on board later to protect renters) has been nearly gutted as the rent stabilization board has allowed increases that are not easily afforded and that exempt rents above a certain level anyway. For poor families, there are rent subsidies. For regular working people, there are not - and it is not unusual to find people in New York paying 50% of their income for housing or driven out of the city altogether (making the outlying areas beyond financial reach as well). Being angry with Sara for being fortunate enough to rent such a beautiful place and furnish it with nice things seems completely counterproductive - life is unfair (as JFK said and my mother often quoted). This forum is about what people do with the spaces they have - not about the politics of the housing market.

This place has lovely bones--the light, tall ceilings and moldings makes for a charming space and it reminds me of another tour of an apartment in Pacific Heights. I revisted the tour 3 or 4 times and the colors you chose really do evoke a sense of calm and tranquility. I imagine that is restful and soothing after a hectic day at the job. The color choices remind me more of the sea rather than the mountains. I'm not usually a fan of gray as I grew-up along the Calif. coast and recall the fog very well and while it can be very pretty it can also be hard to take for days on end. I don't know if that is a problem where you live, but I tend to shy away from the color, while admiring some of how it's used in other people's spaces. I do think it works here and the dinning room table works well with the colors--in some ways it reminds me of driftwood.

The wood choices are lovely too. I inherited some beautiful mahogany pieces that I would never give up. I do like to mix them and one of my pieces is in a room that is painted a very faded, smoky teal and I love the contrast.

Initially I was put off by some of the negative comments as well--I ignored many and skimmed the rest and then realized that I neglected to comment on your lovely space, so I'm doing so now. If I lived in that space it would be hard to give it up.

Sara, you home is absolutely lovely. I was shocked at how many negative comments there were on this particular post. Although there is constructive criticism in some comments it just seems like many of the negative commentators don't know the different between free speech and being plain spiteful. Especially considering we cannot infer what sort of circumstances led to her acquiring this lovely apartment. Plus, lack of clutter does not always equate to lack of personality. Its amazing how much the modern culture is obsessed with the idea of collecting stuff just for the sake of having "stuff" no matter what their functionality is. I very much appreciate the lack of clutter in my life, especially because I've moved between 3 continents since I was 16! And I'm moving to Germany in 2 months and I still can't believe how much stuff I have, despite my best efforts to exercise self-control. Anyone who complains about the lack of personality in this apartment should attempt to move countries and see how they feel about having so much extraneous "baggage".

Your place is so...peaceful...very quiet and understated...Love it...

Uhm...@modern_love ..I am going to go ahead and assume you were having a bad day the day you posted..because, I read your response twice and each time...thought to myself...wdf?!?!?!??!!

I've bookmarked this house tour & refer back to it frequently for inspiration for my own abode. I think this is the prettiest, loveliest home I've ever seen on Apartment Therapy. It's feminine and clean and bright and airy. It just feels so good. I aspire to have such a light, uncluttered space. Thanks for letting us in & sharing with us!

I LOVE THIS PLACE!! I love that this is RENTAL and it shows that you can make a rental "your own." The three words any girl wants to hear in their life,--"Rent controlled apartment." Good for you! All that work very much paid off. I think many times apartment therapy does great house tours, but they are tours of houses people own. So seeing a rental is always a really great way to get perspective and inspiration. Love the gray colors and I might have to try it myself in my rental here in Chicago. This is my new inspiration!