apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.

Well done!

....and this is good why"?

I like it! It demonstrates you that you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a clean and stylish look.

Wait a sec. Before we applaud Holly's simplicity, let's acknowledge that her place is not all that uncluttered. She makes good use of ordinary objects, such as the caraffe with the flower. But there is quite a bit of clutter and unnecessary stuff. The fireplace opening is full of stuff. I'd like to see that cleared out and maybe a few candles there. There are little frames everywhere. I'd like to see one or two big pieces of art instead of all of these little frames. And there are little plants everywhere. Again, one big plant would be so much nicer and simpler. There are too many shelves with so much media that looks cluttered.

the place needs a little softening. A rug, a vase, a painting and that's it. Clean up all that media and knick knacks and then call it simple.

I'm a little flummoxed by the television cozy, but otherwise I like it -- it feels very calm and peaceful

I love this place!

L

Holly,

Your place is great. I wouldn't be ashamed of that sofa. I actually went through the photos before reading your remarks. As I was leafing through the photos, I was especially fond of your sofa. Clean-lined and comfy.

I think we have a similar philosophy on clutter: a touch of clutter is like a personality quirk. Everyone needs a little quirkiness to be interesting, but not too much or you're just a mess.

Your clutter is confined to a few key points (i.e. the books in the fireplace).

Good work.

I agree with penny. Maybe one large 'modern' piece in the fire place instead of whatever that is in there currently. And the caraffe vase...eh. Maybe something more organic (round squat)looking would be a nicer contrast with the hard lines and pale wood of the frames behind it.

your place is nice and simple, but what's with the kitchen?! i know you like things "clean," but it just looks like no one's moved in yet! "clean lines" doen't mean "nothing".

hmm, sorry, that came across as sort of catty. i guess i just like a cozier kitchen.

Hey everyone, thanks for the comments.

I definitely wouldn't call my place entirely uncluttered. My method of reducing clutter is to reduce the number of things I own, not hide everything I own away where I can't see it or use it easily. In the course of living my life I need to access my books and cds, and I like seeing them and even displaying them too. I bet I could do a better job of doing that, in a way that would be more visually interesting without overly busy. If only book spines weren't all so different, eh? :)

Thanks for noticing the clutter I have become somewhat immune to, like the little picture frames and little potted plants. Can anyone think of a more cohesive way to display these? Perhaps spread them through the apartment a bit more so they aren't all bunched up. I've actually hung some of the picture frames on the wall since these pictures were taken. The apartment is definitely a work in progress.

The fireplace was filled with books by my partner. It amuses him, so I leave it. :) It used to be filled with candles.

The kitchen has plenty of things in it now, but I didn't have a picture of it besides that "just moved in" one. Maybe I should have left out the kitchen picture all together. :)

Holly I could move right in to that yummy place!!

I love it! I don't think it's too cluttered, and I think the couch fits well. I like the plants.

do you cook?

LOVE the green in the bathroom!!

Only one suggestion - give that map on the wall an iron - low setting - and it will look a million times better

You are well on your way! May I ask where you got the bed? I love it!

The physical space is nice, but the furnishings and things some how seem dated and clutter up the place.

It seems that Holly is afraid let things go.

The physical space is nice, but the furnishings and things some how seem dated and clutter up the place.

It seems that Holly is afraid to let things go.

Thanks for all the great comments.

Violetsrose: I actually have done just that with the map since that picture was taken. I then spraymounted it to the foam core board and cut the board down so there's only a thin border around the printed area of the map. It's much neater looking now.

Debi: I got the bed at foamorder.com 's storefront in SOMA. I easily bargained them down a hundred dollars off the sticker price as well.

t: Sure, there are things I'd replace if I had infinite resources. But I don't, so I make choices. I'd rather take a nice vacation than have a new dining room table, for example. I'm really not sure what furniture I could get rid of right now that I wouldn't have to immediately replace with something else to fill the same role.

your place is beautiful. and don't worry about the people who say that you have some "clutter." photographs, plants, and momentos that remind you of the people you love and places you've been are what make an apartment turn into a home.

I really like your bedroom, especially the bedside lighting and curtains. Peaceful and elegant. How about a rug for the living area? Thanks for sharing.

That is a super cute TV cosy, Holly!

-Holly (the decor8 one)

I don't mean to give offense, but I am not seeing anything particularly outstanding or memorable from a design perspective. Many of my friends and family live in similar looking homes.

The apartment has good bones and a nice floorplan to begin with. However, I don't see anything unique to this home. I'm not saying one has to buy expensive pieces to create a signature either.

clutter ? no. I think the kitchen needs more stuff, it looked like a rental ad, kind of a ghost town in there. Fill it with stuff. I love your clean lines and simple style.

Holly
Good for you for posting your pics.
I like to think this is a place where we put our 'work in progress' out there and see what constructive feedback we get from fresh eyes.
Your place has fantastic 'bones'.
That photo from the bedroom to the fireplace really shows that. Great floors, nice doors and framework. Love the fireplace.
Think about groupings, then breathing space.
Strong compositions, then voids of space to enjoy.
eg; the fireplace mantle photos are so square and similar to it, as well as blending in by sitting right on top that the whole composition of 'squares' gets lost.
Raise them up somewhat.
Punctuate the square fireplace opening with something round, organic, and maybe having a hit of color.
This a key focal point.
Using it as storage is an insult to the setting.
You might think about some kind of 'easy access' storage for your 'stuff'.
Scattering the clutter around won't work either.
Again, find some kind of storage unit that you can utilize.
I like the fact that you don't feel the need for an area rug on that beautiful floor.
Thanks for showing us your space.