apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Wonderful! I love this bright place!

Great, well organized (lots of things, but not cluttered) and bright!

Also love the artwork, but would like to see some more, esp over the bed.

I'm glad that you aren't afraid of color I'm not really seeing any cohesiveness in this space.

lots of color, lots of bikes--mondrian meets merckx!

It hurts my eyes! I love the yellows and reds, but I'd struggle to live with so many primaries. Looks great though...

Part of me would like to see an area rug on top of your wall-to-wall carpet to better define the seating area. Just a thought...

Eek, flash photos!

The color is fantastic, though. I love the space. I think a rug under the sitting area would help, too.

Love ALL the colors! It great to see that you are not afraid of them.

I love the bright colors, but the living room seating looks uncomfortable.

Yeah, I was having a hard time with the lighting - the flash was a mistake.

i love the 1st & 3rd picture. & the colors are great.

the middle picture seems a tad empty though. i'm not sure why. maybe using more of the verticle space would work. maybe you just need to move stuff around. i don't know.

the place is great though.

GOOGLE!

There's something about primary colors...

You'd have to try pretty hard to feel gloomy in this apartment. Really great selection of pieces. I like the carpet and the way the sliding door looks on the bedroom wall.

The only thing I'd change is the TV.

Stellar job!

It seems very empty and cold for somewhere with so many bright colours.

i second (third? fourth?) the rug to separate spaces - you could even hang one of your bikes diagonally in the empty space around the tv...or something. but that space definitely needs something. or paint another (or two) big circles of another color. But it's awesome.

love it! i love this apartment! my favorite shot is the first one -- i like how the bed frame evokes the spokes on the bike and how the bike wheels themselves reference the casters underneath the furniture (which, as we know, is another great idea for small spaces). i also see the theme in the turntable, the doors on the cabinet underneath the turntable, the wall hanging in the entry, the magazine stand, and the other bikes.

the space doesn't look nearly as boxy as the floorplan and it looks like you made that happen in a cool, understated, and practical way.

hey gene from seattle: can you come to nyc and help me to decorate my studio?

First, kudos for rocking the brights and primaries. Second, I liked your first photo, but your last two gave me pause.

In your bedroom photo, the colors are bold, but it works because you have that one partial wall (which visually opens the space upward) with a small bookcase set at the bottom (which visually balances the wall by grounding it). I'd love to see a bit more of what you've done in your bedroom, particularly since your bed itself has a sterile feel to it and your other pieces (like a nightstand) might make it look less clinical. However, it looks to be a good size for the space, so bolder sheets or some interesting art above the headboard could really pull it together.

It's odd that with all the bright color, your living room doesn't quite have the same warmth to it. And, this will sound dumb, but it's also stark and cluttered at the same time. Looking at your photos, it appears that you have lots of small, low furniture which is out of proportion with your space. Your eyes keep getting drawn downward because almost everything is low, low, low. Plus, so much of that furniture has splindly legs or long, thin lines that it's incredibly visually busy. The thinness and smallness of your furniture also makes it feel spare and so it doesn't really have an inviting, comfortable vibe.

Two things that would help your space immensely would be a calm space for your eyes to rest on and something to draw the eye upward. That might mean you get a more solid-looking piece of furniture or an oversized piece of art or a taller lamp or even that you have some vertical hangings to break up that long wall. I think you have a good start here and I love your boldness. You just need some work to make this place a contender.

First off: Seattle representing!

However, I agree with harlie. In the living area there is nothing to anchor all that wonderful bright color. Consequently, it kind of hurts my eyes. If you don't want more art, perhaps some color blocks in a complimentary color like you did in the hallway?

Love the first photo! I like that the bikes are part of your decor, but don't overwhelm your space and make it look like a bike shop. My husband and I are struggling to find a good way to store our 6 bikes in our apartment and I'd really like to see more pics of your bike storage.

There are some interesting things going with many of furniture finds and color choices, but unfortunately I have to say this looks like a KinderCare classroom. I would suggest buying a couch and, perhaps, a love seat to balance with all of the plastic furniture.

While the first photo made me almost salivate, I somehow can't get behind the rest of the pictures. While there's not that much "stuff" in the room, everything looks cluttered - lots of small pieces everywhere.

I see where you'd want lots of bright colors to contrast the dreary Seattle grayness, but the primary colors, the quirky plastic chairs, that greenish wall light and the low-pile carpeting scream Montessori primary school.

Love the colors! How great that you don't have to worry about your cat ruining everything.

Love the first photo, and how you've integrated the bikes. The second picture does look kind of empty and spiky, but I think some large comfy seating would help a lot, as well as getting something to break up that expanse of wall on the left. A DWR voucher would probably help finish this place up nicely!

i love the first photo - but the living room actually looks to open and empty. i think you need larger pieces in that room instead of so many small things.
i like the green and the blue walls but that yellow one.. just overkill really.

I totally understand the criticisms, and I would have the same thoughts looking at that photo of my living room. But really, I took an awful photo and it completely distorts the space and the colors. I used a flash and a wide angle lens trying to get as much of the room in the photo as I could. Big mistake. Ah well.

I'm not a fan of primary colors unless they're complimented by earth tones. You have a very neat place though. :)

gene100,
I know, it's so frustrating. Your room is OBVIOUSLY better than what the flash-photo shows. It seems to me people should judge the apartment, and not the photo. Hard to do.... but not impossible. Everyone knows flashes flatten out the space and colors.

Once again, you probably wouldn't have been driven to such extremes in photographing if you had been allowed more than three photos! You had the right instinct to try to include as much as you could (see the many comments on other entries screaming for wider views), yet in this case it might have looked better if you had gone in a bit closer. Which you probably would have done if more photos were allowed. Drat that photo limit! I don't like it at all.

Thanks, Sea, I appreciate your comment. Yep, it was the 3 photo limit that prompted me to use the wide angle -- but using the flash was totally my fault. To get the view of the living room I had to shoot toward the window, which was really bright, and so without the flash the room was coming out very dark. But the flash looks awful.
Honestly, the colors in my place are much more subdued than they look, and the space really isn't cold or cluttered. I am sure it wouldn't be everyone's taste, but it really doesn't look like that photo.

The bright colors and the very simple furniture reminds me of a hostel. Looks like an easy space to come and go from, but doesn't have the warmth.

It's great to see an entry done on a budget. Just paint, bikes, and small flexable furnature pieces. And of course the cat.

Yes your first shot is quite dramatic! The bold colors are actually complementary and calmly grounded with the white wall between. Definitely cool! Is there a reason the barn door is only on the far side? Looks like there's nothing to really close off the bedroom on the approaching side where it would be expected and more useful. :-[

I must agree with Loosetooth that the main area does not have the warmth or inviting feel of the other areas photographed. It is much too hodge podge, yes, kindercare-ish, lacking a sense of design to the grouping or a substantial furniture element to hold it together. Perhaps relocating your unique translucent shelving unit to the opposite end of the room, nearer the entry would help define that space.

Fabulous inclusion and display of your bike collection, with the painted circle and the circle graphic print around the corner. Even the texture of the credenza seems to fit.

Looks like an elementary school classroom. Less spartan furniture, esp. in the living room, would help with that.

White Nelson Ball clock... nice.