Name: Leslie Bamburg, Adam Polakoff, and Alex Trebek the cat
Location: San Francisco, CA
Size: About 650 sq. ft.
Years lived in: 6 years, rented
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Leslie and Adam first became friends while attending UC Santa Cruz. After their college days ended they split ways, but eventually Leslie, an interior design consultant and Adam, an attorney, reunited in San Francisco and decided to share a home together. They, along with Leslie's handsome cat, Alex Trebek, have been in this Bernal Heights two-bedroom since 2002. And although Leslie can claim credit for most of their apartment’s overall look, Adam’s personal sense of design is noticeable, especially in his own bedroom and in the art works hung throughout the home that come from both of the friends' collections.
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Leslie is the brains behind LABEXPERIMENT. She started the medicinal-themed design company about two years ago, as a side business from her day job as an interior design consultant for high-end residential homes. Leslie's personal style is minimal, yet comfortable, with vibrant splashes of color that help tie things together. Adam’s style -- as we can see from his purple and brown-striped bedroom -- has a flare for more vintage and quirky sensibilities. While their styles differ, somehow their apartment has a feeling of continuity throughout, and while Leslie winces when their friends call their home “cozy,” this might actually be the most apt word to describe this comfy home for two close friends.
An interesting fact -- the apartment is actually their landlord’s childhood home. He is not only the handyman who fixes any problems that arise in their building, but continues to add ornate exterior detailing to the outside of the house. Check out the first photo in the tour, to see what we mean.
The following survey was answered by Leslie.
AT Survey:
My/Our Style: I’m mostly interested in industrial steel, simple Asian design, and making clean look comfortable. Adam’s style is more 60’s mod mixed with Neoclassical patterns and details. We both have a great appreciation of bright colors and menswear fabrics.
Inspiration: I get inspired every time I go to someone’s house. I try to remember the little or big elements that I liked, or the feeling that I had there and recreate it at home in my own way. Adam’s room was inspired by the movie Umbrellas of Cherbourg and the restaurant Weird Fish. I’m also always on the lookout for new color combinations, mostly in clothing catalogs.
Favorite Element: My bed. I could stay in it all day, especially when Alex is feeling cuddly.
Biggest Challenge: Having too much stuff. I’ve lived here longer than in any other house, and I used to rely on frequent moving to force me to throw things away. Anytime something new comes into the house, there has to be some shuffling around and purging of old things, which can be exhausting.
What Friends Say: I get the word ‘cozy’ a lot, though I always think that is just a nice word for a really small place. I think people find it comfortable, and no one is rushing out the door.
Biggest Embarrassment: It’s a toss up. Either the gaudy ceiling fan in the living room that our landlord installed, and I haven’t been able to get rid of because we do find it useful; or the eyesore of a cat tree where Alex Trebek spends 80% of his time.
Proudest DIY: I don’t really do home projects that often, since I don’t want to have half-finished projects around after spending all day working on other people’s homes. But we just painted Adam’s room with a rather ambitious design, and that turned out well.
Biggest Indulgence: I’d have to say the vintage 1920’s steel dresser I bought at Past Perfect. It was a great price, though the drawers are hard to open and I’m probably being slowly poisoned by lead paint on my clothes. But I love it. Adam’s biggest indulgences are his artwork, in particular paintings by local artists Ivy Jacobsen and Freya Prowe.
Best Advice: When you find something special and you love it, get it. I’ve missed opportunities to get great things by being scared that they won’t coordinate or were too expensive. But the things I love most are the ones I found when I wasn’t planning, and just bit the bullet. They do seem to all look great together in the end, and if I have to stop going out to save the money, at least I will like being at home!
Dream Source: I love Past Perfect on Union St. Whenever I go in there I find something amazing. If I could afford it, I’d shop at De Sousa Hughes at the SF Design Center.
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Resources:
Furniture: Sofa from Crate & Barrel, coffee table from Cliff’s Variety, kitchen table from Therapy, chairs from Design Within Reach, bed from West Elm, dresser and bedside tables from Past Perfect, most everything else is either from IKEA or vintage/ hand-me-down.
Accessories: mostly from little stores in San Francisco, gifts, or picked up while traveling. Some items are from CB2 and IKEA.
Lighting: West Elm, CB2, vintage
Paint: Kelly Moore, but I can’t remember the original names. I’ve made up my own: cucumber mint, green tea ice cream, orange sherbet, and cocoa powder. As you can tell, I like food names.
Window Treatments: Target, Crate & Barrel shower curtains used as drapery
Beds: West Elm and Dwell bedding in Leslie’s room. The Company Store in Adam’s room.
Artwork: The majority of our artwork is by our printmaker friend, Nathalie Roland (www.headphonerecord.com). Adam’s artwork includes pieces by Ivy Jacobsen, Freya Prowe, Oswaldo Guayasamín, Vietnamese photographers and printmakers and three Toulouse-Lautrec prints his grandfather bought and framed at least fifty years ago.
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(Thanks, Leslie!)
LOVE this. It is also great to actually see the residents in the photos -- love that photo of Adam with the uke. Thanks!
view arroyo's profile
this could have kicked-butt in the small cool contest. i always jump to the photos first and then read the details - i was amazed that this was only 650 sq. feet - it looks HUGE even with all of their amazing stuff.
the character in this apartment seems a perfect fit for the residents personal style. love it. love it.
view creative*type's profile
creative*type, i totally agree!
this would've been an instant win for me. what an amazing place. i just adore it. wow!
view abigailbelle's profile
lol, alex trebek
view chusmabilly's profile
Loved the purple room. Loved the Coltrane poster in the kitchen. Other than that, ho to the hum (IMO).
view ShellyinMSP's profile
I love the use of colors in this apartment, each room has it's own character. The apartment looks modern with a comfy old fashioned appeal!
view willow70's profile
what a wonderful yellow in the kitchen!
view mdevans's profile
Also love the yellow kitchen!
view LizzardtheBlizzard's profile
Love that sunny yellow in the kitchen.
view PhillyLass's profile
i love the kitchen table. i realize you said you got it at therapy. would you mind sharing how much it cost and if i could find it anywhere else besides that store.
love it!
view smileygirl's profile
Charming like your cat too.
view hrhprincessfiona's profile
Not a fan of lavender in general, but LOVE the green night stand!
view hooksies's profile
Bravo!
view Selavy Rose's profile
The kitchen might be my favorite, but I'm looking for just that stony brown wall color for our dining room. Any chance, Leslie, you can chime in with the paint color?
view kajr's profile
Thanks for all the nice comments! I'll look up all the paint colors and post them tonight.
-Leslie
view labexperiment's profile
You guys must be ace shoppers....you have some of the best decor items I've ever seen! The dining room chairs are exquisite.
view baileyb's profile
I am jealous of your 6ths - Wasps Nests 7" box set. Showoffs! :-) Love your place!
view HollyinDC's profile
very fresh--inside and out. I love the exterior so much, especially the garage doors.
view bcthree's profile
I want giant fake flowers in my house!! Better than small flowers, because they're bigger! And I won't have to toss them when they start looking sad!
view teeze's profile
Very eclectic, love how you mix old and new and all the vintage stuff, great idea hanging your art in a horizontal line on the walls!
view colleen2009's profile
Ok guys, here are the paint colors, all Kelly Moore:
Kitchen: Dreamsicle
Living room: Creme de Caramel
Green bedroom: Pick of the Meadow
Purple bedroom: Purple Possibility
Smileygirl - I don't think Therapy carries diner tables anymore, but my table is a lot like this one:
http://www.americanchairs.com/stovta.html
And yes, teeze, the big fake flowers are always better than the small ones.
view labexperiment's profile
love the felt bright colored pistol that was hung on the wall, where is that from??
view Mini Cooper Kate's profile
Cheerful, attractive, unpretentious, welcoming. I dig!
view thewolley's profile
I love that each room looks different, but with the doors open looking through your whole house, your colors still work together so well! Your styles are great, the kitchen is awesome and I love Adams room! I can't believe the square footage... It looks huge and my apartment is bigger than that! It's amazing what furniture and layout can do for the feel of a home. Amazing job.
view Lafferteezy's profile
Oh and I'm confused, is there a 2nd floor?
view Lafferteezy's profile
I shall post in the form of a question.
Category: Awesomeness.
What is Leslie's cat's name?
view SJwashere's profile
I found a table similar at http://www.barstoolsandchairs.com. They also carry the hairpin style legs if you want to convert your current table top into a retro table.
view mrshopper's profile
Anyone know the source of the vertical alarm clock on the nightstand?
view Liana's profile
Love the colors, thanks for posting them!
view neutopian's profile
SJwashere--that's what I was going to do! I'll take 'Best-Ever Cat Names' for $200.
view sally305's profile
Very cool you guys! At first when I saw the 2 beds I thought "awesome! a couple who each has their own room!" but then I read that you guys are just friends and was instantly sent back to wondering if there are any other couples on AT (besides me and my husband) who sleep separately.
I love the purple room! And all of your decorations are stellar, they really make the space!
view Erin Lang Norris/Yellow Canoe's profile
I'm puzzled by the arrangement of the bed in "the purple room," why it's in a corner with the head pointing toward a window...and a desk as a headboard, but with the desk turned away from those wonderful windows. It's a fairly confusing arrangement, but I guess if it works for the tenants, that's all that matters.
view 39520expat's profile
Ooooo I LOVE the yellow kitchen!
view jesscon0202's profile
I love the apartment, I have the same table you showed in your link, the one from American Chairs in blue as shown I love it in white though!
Very nice colors in general.
view Lolita's profile
This is amazing, I can't believe you can fit all that into 650 square feet! Is that possible? My fiance and I are trying to buy a house right now, and we feel like we can't go below 1000, but these two seem to have everything beautifully arranged in a much smaller space. I guess we're just not creative enough... :)
view itsakitty's profile
Love this place! Its so bright and cheerful. Great mix of furniture. Nicely done.
view suzy8track's profile
You guys have the fanciest sharing arrangement I have ever seen - well done!! It's really great.
But greater still is to hear that Alex Trebek gets to hang outside.
Was that his tree shown by the back passageway?
view EAM's profile
Your oversize flowers are amazing! I love decorations that play with your sense of scale. Leslie and Adam, are they available somewhere I could purchase them? Or can I craft them? Please, do tell...
view McSwu's profile
I ditto McSwu question.
Do tell!
view callbob's profile
McSwu - I paid far too much for those flowers at the SFMoMA Frieda Kahlo exhibit. But Adam found them at a store on 24th St. in SF for a much better price:
http://www.casabonampak.com/gifapaflsipa.html
EAM - Alex is in fact, terrified of outside. His carpet-covered cat tree is visible in the reflection in the mirror in photo #8 of the slideshow.
Liana - The alarm clock was made by Tokyo Bay, but I don't think they make it anymore, since I couldn't find it online.
A couple notes about the square footage - the generous wide lens makes our rooms seem bigger in the photos than they really are. Also, the way our place is laid out, there are no hallways eating up square feet. And our bathrooms are tiny (one is a converted closet).
view labexperiment's profile
Oh and MC Kate - the pistol is by artist Sarah Applebaum:
http://www.sarahapplebaum.com/
view labexperiment's profile
I love your place especially the colors. I have the exact same coffee table and ancient marantz receiver!!
view sfgirl's profile
Gorgeous home... love the oversized flowers! Do you recall where you bought the subway sign?
view FlyGirlLAX's profile
The subway sign is from antique store - it's a fabric roller sign from a subway car. But I've seen them on Ebay.
view labexperiment's profile
Beautiful home! Real and quirky details. Great use of paint color and artwork throughout. Interior Designer and Lawyer, a real life Will and Grace? Thanks for sharing your amazing space, one of the best I have seen.
view suitcasey's profile
Nice use of space, though it seems like a large collection of 'just OK' objects.
Looks bigger than 650 sq feet, which is amazing.
view LuvModern's profile
I am loving the baby grand vinyl storage...hard to believe it's only 650 sq. ft.....nice joint.
view scootergirl's profile
I have the CB2 lamp in living room as well, I love it it goes so well with it everything
view absOsteele's profile
I loved the giant plasic flowers in the first picture!
Where are they from?
view SillyBug's profile
The exterior of the house would stop me in my tracks, if I was walking by. It's so adorable! Great job with the interior...colorful, fun and interesting!
view junklover's profile
Omg--I love the bookcase! Where can I find one like it?!?!?!?!
view adina27's profile
I'm not sure which bookcase you mean - in the living room the cabinet is built-in. In the purple bedroom I think it is an old piece from IKEA.
view labexperiment's profile
Oh you guys I Love your place!
Soooooooooo Cool. Please tell me where you got the orange pillows in the bedroom from. Those are my colors, I've got to have at least four of them. Thanks for sharing!
Gabrielle~
view gabriella's profile
Gabriella - sorry to disappoint you, but the numbered pillows are actually red. I got them at a modern economy sample sale.
The orange pillow in the middle is a custom-made pillow I got from my office.
view labexperiment's profile
Hey Labexperiment,
Thanks for responding. Oh darn, I'll have to look for fabric and pull out the the sewing machine. :) Thanks again!
Gabrielle~
view gabriella's profile
Hello,
this is a lovely home.
It might seem like an annoying question, but I'm based in France : the black poster with the metro lines on it, where did you get it? Is it very usual or not?
Thanks very much.
view Orouni's profile
Hi Orouni,
The subway sign is from an antique store, but I have seen several for sale on Ebay. I'm sure you can probably find a French metro one there. Good luck!
Leslie
view labexperiment's profile
I'm late to the party, but I've been looking for those kitchen chairs EVERYWHERE. Source, please?
view Texaninexile's profile
love the kitchen and aspects of the first bedroom...
but am I the only one who is wrinkling my nose at the way the frames are hung in the living room? they're all on that weird too-high line, wrapping around the room. it looks very odd to me.
also, I don't get the purple room at all. the color, the stripes, the way everything is pushed up against one wall...not to mention the bed with a desk as a "headboard", all kinda covering a door? yeah, sorry...just don't get it.
view my little apartment's profile
This is a cute place with fun color, but I'm not really seeing why this is getting such rave reviews (as in that it should have won Small Cool). Too many photos of floral arrangements, must be a strategy to attract attention away from cluttery groupings of objects that border on messy.
The brown wood louvered screen on the kitchen door has got to go or change. I really wish it were white or a funky color instead of such a heavy element in that otherwise airy kitchen.
view Glasgow Jewelbox's profile
Texaninexile-
The kitchen chairs were from Design Within Reach many years ago. They don't have them anymore, and to tell you the truth, they are not super durable. Though I do love the way they look!
If I were doing it again I'd probably get chairs from Kartell, since I'm sure they'd last longer.
-Leslie
view labexperiment's profile
Leslie - Thanks so much! You're a sweetie for responding so late after the post. Sorry to hear they're not sturdy/durable, because they are fantabulous. I have no place for them in my house, but the design is just so clean, I had to find out more.
Marguerite (Texaninexile)
view Texaninexile's profile
Love it - great job Leslie.
view roguedesigns's profile
I absolutely love everything in your house! You have great taste - I love that green nightstand.
view turningviolet's profile
this space is so cute! nice job! :)
kindly,
vintagedress
www.vintagedress.etsy.com
view vintagedress's profile
Nice space, tasteful and original. My only major objection is the "railroading" of the wall art in the living room — it looks forced and cramped. As one whose business is, in part, home art installation, I'd love to get my hands on those pieces.
view aRticulations's profile
your house is the epitome of all things i adore. fantastically well done. im so jealous. my favorite is the way the bookshelf and above art work are set up in your grey living room. it looks interesting and makes your space feel so personal.
view rmhct's profile
i love your decorating, with all the beautiful colors and mixing the old with the new. could you please tell me if your bed is the elm west classic low slung bed frame and what color, chocolate or the acorn color? also, could you tell me where you got your white duvet cover and what brand. i have been looking for a duvet like the one you have. thanks so much!
view riverridge22's profile
Hi riverridge-
Thanks!
The bed frame was indeed from West Elm years ago - and I think they were calling it something else then. But it's definitely the chocolate color.
The duvet cover isn't white - it's natural linen color (hard to tell in the photo). That was also from West Elm. However, they now have a washed linen duvet in white that might be just what you want!
http://www.westelm.com/products/b474/
view labexperiment's profile