love the lamp in this room, and the freaky coolness of the, er, soft sculpture.

Yeah; I can't help but kind of like those, too. I ALMOST want to see the side of those boxes nearest the red wall to be the red color, but it's really very good like it is.

i too am now intruigued and strangely drawn to those stuffed animals- i love how you've put them on the little square blocks in the corner- almost like weird modern version of gargoyles or something....

Love the inside out stuffed animals and how they are displayed!

Yay for the stuffed Animals! Kent Rogowski was my teacher at RISD last year. That project is SO cool

Ooo, I love Marcel Dzama!!! I am very jeaous of your drawing.

My friend Jonathan does inside-out animal hybrids as well... his tend to be somewhat dark, with pieces of other animals or baby arms attached. I also really like the ones he does that are mounted on plaques like bizarre animal trophies. (click for link)

I really like this room! I'd love to see a more "whole room" picture to see how it might feel upon walking in to see that giant painting. I love the texture of it. Lovely!

Thanks for all the comments. I'm glad people like the work and the room. I thought that I would get an opportunity to explain more before my submission was posted, but since it's already up, I'll do it now. I've always been a collector, starting with comic books, then records, and now art. I started my art collecting online a couple years ago, buying prints from Ebay and other Web sites, mostly because I was intimidated to approach New York galleries and dealers. After a while, I began to go to the art shows (the Armory Show, the Affordable Print Fair, etc.), and realized that most dealers and gallery owners are willing to talk and sell to young collectors. As for the art in the pictures, John McGarity is a really talented painter and photographer based in Brooklyn. This painting is big, and when we brought it home, we found out that it was too big for where we wanted to put it. So we had to rearrange the living room, which ended up ten times better than the way we had it before. The colors are amazing, but what really attracted me to this work was the textures. Kent Rogowski is also a Brooklyn-based artist. He works in a lot of different mediums, and comes up with concepts that seem simple, but are really very clever, insightful and challenging. After making the bears, he actually photographs them, which take them to a whole other level. I don't think I need to comment on the Dzama, except to say that I love it and need to thank my wife more for giving it to me.

I like the painting -- very cool -- but have to confess that I'm not crazy about the stuffed animals. But that's just me. :-)

I love your living room sofa and that amazing lamp!
Sooo lush! High five on your space!
~Holly

Oh, by the way, if you love that style of art, you'd love my friend Lisa. Her work is AMAZING. I own one , soon to own a few more. I'm going down to the gallery on in a few weeks to pick up one, but I cannot decide which. It's hard to select that perfect item, isn't it??? But, your painting over your sofa is pretty cool. Check out Lisa's stuff, just for the sake of seeing it.

http://www.julesplace.com/Artists/occhipinti/set.html

For those interested, the lamp was given to me by my parents, who I believe purchased it in the 70s. The base is a solid block of marble that must weight at least 100 lbs. My current apartment only has 9' ceilings, but the lamp telescopes much higher. The sofa is also vintage and was purchased from a failed Web site. It's molded fiberglass sitting on a lucite base.

It's OK, but I feel like I've seen this Pottery Barn moves to NYC look everywhere for the last 10+ years.

Elizabeth,

Pottery Barn? Please explain what you mean, since nothing in either picture comes from Pottery Barn.

Your missing my point, it is about the overall look, not about the individual items.

Just go through some Pottery Barn catalogs, you'll see what I mean.

I took a look at the Pottery Barn Web site, and I don't see what you mean. The living rooms shown on the site are all very middle-of-the-road, somewhat modern while leaning toward the conservative. I don't think that describes the overall look of my living room at all.

I'm fine if someone doesn't like my design aesthetic, but I can't help but be somewhat offended by someone who says that it looks like some out-of-the-box corporate home goods store.

I'd be interested in other people's opinions.

Maybe she meant Design Within Reach. :)

Seriously, don't know what Elizabeth is talking about. The sticks in the corner, maybe? I like those, myself. Neither the couch, the lamp nor the very cool artwork are at all pottery barn-ish.

Although now that I think of it, PB may have an Arco Lamp knock-off. However, your parents got there first with the real thing. so there.

Hey, I like pottery barn! Anyway, I don't really see that at all. Nowhere are art pieces of stuffed animals inside out featured...your space is too edgy for pottery barn, have no fear!

I don't think it's Pottery Barn at all. It's a nicely put together living room done by someone who has the guts to spend money on original art.

Love the painting texture and the red wall to bring it together

Edgy ......... come on folks! Edgy is one thing this apartment is not! Edgy design is the result of understanding the basic principles of design, then reinterpreting them, thinking outside of the box. In other words, taking a risk!

I'm glad Martha got my point somewhat. For example Jared, your parents were "edgy" when they initially bought the lamp, but in the interim it has been "blessed" by the design community. Hence it is now safe!

There is nothing wrong with this apartment, yet there is nothing fresh or exciting about it either.

I understand your point, all right, elizabeth, and you are wrong. This isn't a contest to see who has the edgiest apartment. It's about how people integrate artwork into their surroundings.

There's a big difference between someone who can recognize design classics or interesting period pieces and use them to put together a pleasing environment, and someone who buys a suite of furniture from a chain store. So your Pottery Barn remark is uncalled for, as well as being beside the point, and unkind.

You may be reacting to the scale of the room; not too many people can afford the architectural backdrop that turns each piece of furniture into a Design Statement. We work with what we've got.

So when are you going to show us your stuff?

The room is exciting--would love to see more of the place. Good for you, Jared, for collecting art, and you live in the best city to do it. Good too that you're supporting local artists. The sofa, lamp, and red wall work well together. I'm intrigued by the lucite, metal and leather combination; glad you pointed it out cause I wouldn't have noticed the bottom. cz

Good design is all about first understanding scale and then designing a room that works with it. Not just shoving "what you got" into the space!

elizabeth, did you just finish your freshman year at pratt or what? cuz we've heard this stuff before.

Having heard it before and understanding are two completely different issues mcmc.

Isn't your break just about over and it's time to get back to your checkstand at your local Walmart?

To the extent that the McGarity painting is not ubiquitous and is a unique piece, it's fine. The texture and the color is great (how did he do that?) It's an interesting decorative piece in context. On it's own, I can't say I love it.

Have you thought about lighting it with a focusing lens projector, wall washer or a picture light?

Jared, Looks like Elizabeth hit a nerve.

Nice one, elizabeth. A design snob *and* a class snob. I'd be more impressed if you had anything constructive to say.

Elizabeth--

I am tempted to write you a little entry that also features the phrasing "shoving what you got in" (or something to that effect) but I will refrain.

God, what a beeeeee-ahtch. You're just bitter cause mcmc took the Walmart job they fired your a$$ from.

Jared-- Nice stuff, nicely put together.

For those who can afford it, I'm relieved that someone out there is paying more than $60.00 for art or buying stuff on Spring St or West Broadway (but no offense intended to anyone buying or selling there). I think your apt. looks like a great place to think and work. Art is a specialized field so it's good you overcame your apprehension and met some approachable dealers that you like to work with. Would you go to the street to treat a medical condition, probably not, I wouldn't buy art there either.
Some people on the site are buying things at thirift shops and making defacto ingenious installations but that's a different story.

I love it! Do guests ever try to touch your painting?