apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Nice and comfortable, but waaaay too many plants for me.

This appears to be a large, pleasant, modest apartment with plenty of space for two people and something that eats from a bowl on the floor. I see some brave colour choices for a rental - not really colours I like - but evidence of some incipient design process nonetheless (why do the stencils in the bedroom only creep around the one small corner?). I see an effort to furnish and ornament the space with many large plants. What I don't see is any way that the occupants have managed a limitation of space or applied creative design to maximize it. It also appears that all of the art on the walls is small and undistinguished. So, it's cool in the sense of being comfortable, but not stylish or innovative cool in the way this contest requires IMO.

I love the color palette in your living room and bedroom. So unexpected and completely restful.

The living room looks cozy.

I agree with Amed.

Amed hit the nail on the head.

I love your color choices. Your bedroom in particular is gorgeous. And not too many plants IMO.

I'm afraid I agree with Amed. I don't seek the creativity here that we've seen in other places. It's nice but just not my bag.

I really liked this - I thought the color choics and the furnishings were very cozy and lovely. But, I guess I agree with Amed, the place isn't that small and I didn't really see it as being much of a challenge - there's just not a lot of need for innovation here. That living room shot is quite lovely, though, I would totally enjoy hanging out there with that wonderful natural light and all of those pillows on a Sunday afternoon!

I like the feel of it - it feels like a small home for these people. And I like that it is a change of pace: neither mid-century modern or contemporary!

but i wanted to see the bathtub!

Nothing special, nothing jumped out at me that caused me to say, "Wow, that's cool!"

OK, but not what i'd expect to see on AT. also, as said above, no inspiring ways of dealing with a small (-ish in this case) space.

I do love the blue wall of the bedroom; like you're sleeping in water (which may not be good feng shui but would make me happy).

it's bold, but not small. the plants are very nice though.

I thought this had a very soft, romantic feel and also looked very comfortable. While it may not be "small" enough to suit some people's sensibilities, it is within the guidelines of the contest. I think everyone has to accept that the "small" part doesn't really apply as long as AT accepts entries of large spaces.

I liked this one for the color and various elements which were fancy without being too twee.

I disagree with the tenor here, and particularly with amed's pissy critique. Why is it a problem that the stencils "creep around the one small corner"? Plants don't count as design elements? And my favorite--the art is "small and undistinguished". Of the two pieces, one is difficult to decipher, and the other appears to be a French poster of some kind. Please explain why the latter is "undistinguished", or why "small art" is bad. The point of having art in the house is not so that it can appear "distinguished", but for it to provide satisfaction and meaning to the person who lives with it. Sheesh.

I think this apartment has a lovely, painterly effect, and I am giving it a Super Cool.

very warm and such a unique style. I bet that it fits your personalities exactly. Good job.

Nice, but I'm not seeing a great use of space or anything particularly inventive. It seems like an enjoyable place to be but it's not really knocking my socks off for this contest.

Henrietta- I thank you for your rebuttal, if not your ungenerous characterization. I did not intend to offend you or the contest entrant with my comment. It is my understanding that AT solicits comments from contest voters so that we can share our opinions, however divergent, and understand why the votes fall as they do. I will unwisely hazard additional prissiness to try to clarify why I've commented as I did.

The stencils appear only in one corner, not across the larger wall, or anywhere else in the room that we can see. I have never seen this type of corner-detail-only wall treatment before and it has the look of a design project started but not finished, in my opinion. I rather like the stencils and I think extending them along the other wall behind the bed would make an improvement.

Plants are indeed design elements. I never suggested they were not, and it seems perhaps that you did not understand that I praised the effort to furnish and ornament the space with large and attractive ones.

By undistinguished, I mean to say that the artwork is too small for me (even you, apparently) to distinguish what it is in these photos and too small in scale for effective or aesthetically pleasing use of the wall space. I was not offering a critique on the quality or content of the artwork, which it appears the owners have chosen thoughtfully. Perhaps 'indistinct in these photos' would have been a more clear choice of phrase.

Small art is not always bad, but in this case, the effect of the small pieces emphasizes the emptiness of the rest of the wall (rendering it negative space), where larger scaled, bolder art or groupings might make a better composition of positive and negative space - or at least look better in pictures submitted for a design contest.

You liked the entry very much it seems, and I think most members here would never attempt to dispute your opinion or call you names for holding it. My opinion differs - I liked it well enough, but in the context of this contest I feel it's not a strong entry. I commented after voting to both appreciate the strengths (strong colour sense, use of plants) and to critique elements that I feel could be handled better (scale, use of space).

This is a design blog. Many of us are designers and/or artists - if caring about aesthetic issues and voicing strong opinions about these issues constitutes prissiness, then we're all prissy round here, ain't we? Prissy pride! ;-)

Right on, Amed.
These photos are absolutely beautiful and from what I can tell the people who live here are creative thoughtful people. That said, I don't there were really enough pictures of the space itself for me to be able to judge how well they made use of their "small" space. I'm not a designer but I get the feeling something is lacking here, maybe a focal point in each room? Dunno.

ahmed,

Thank you for your response, but let's get a few things straight. I didn't call you names, or even "prissy", for that matter. I did call your critique pissy, and I stand by it. You are also engaging in a bit of revisionism.

If you meant to praise the use of plants the sentiment was so implicit as to be imperceptible. "I see an effort to furnish and ornament the space with many large plants" is rather noncommittal, and in the context of your post could justifiably be construed as dismissive.

You are also backpeddling on your "It also appears that all of the art on the walls is small and undistinguished" remark. Indeed I took you to mean that all the art on the walls is small and undistinguished. "Indistinct" means something entirely different, but that's not what you wrote. A fine piece of art could easily appear indistinct in a photograph, so your observation has everything to do with proportion and nothing to do with whether the work is "distinguished". You used exactly the same criticism in another entry in this contest, and in neither case did it seem to me that the art was disturbingly out of proportion with other elements in the room, but OK, you have your standards.

Yes, I know this is a design blog. I have a history here. Furthermore, for all you know I am a designer or an artist, and I find it hilarious you would presume to explain to me the importance of aesthetics. But you did tap into one of my pet peeves, and that is the innocuous way designers often talk about art. "You need some art on that wall" is a common nugget of advice of this site. Really? Why is art requisite? Why should scale overwhelm all other considerations petaining to art? The irony is that with all these quibbles about stencils and dimensions you seem to have missed the forest for the trees, but... that is a matter of taste and there's no disputing it.

Oh, and I've lived in an apartment about this size, and it felt small. I do agree with absolutmarie that the photographs don't convey enough about the use of space, so I'll suspend judgment on that. Whether or not people agree with me about the merits is beside the point, but given the gushing like Pavlov's dogs over some of the pretentious and overdesigned entries in this contest, I don't think this place is being given a fair shake.

I agree with squidlette... Where's the favorite element, the bathtub?

I kind of love the texture of the blue wall.

Oh I love the photo with the "saz" the musical instrument...

Has an earthy vibe to it to me.

I love the colors & the bedroom wall! But I'm not a fan of the couch or the huge number of throw pillows. It seems like a lot of work. Like you'd have to take the throw pillows off the couch to sit down and put them back every time you left the room.

This place feels cozy, but a little dated and "mom-ish" to me.

I LOVE THIS PLACE! I can't understand why others don't. It's cool. Super cool. And DIFFERENT. I'm getting bored with the mid-century-modern meets Ikea Keep Calm & Carry On -places in this competition.

(I like those too, but this had personality that some trendier places lacked.)

Love that wall in the bedroom. How'd you do that?

Hi All -

I am the owner of this apartment and I can't help but respond to some of these comments. Alas, it seems I stand no chance of winning, in part because my place seems too big to pose a challenge! We moved here from 1400 SF, so if feels pretty small to us!

I really appreciate the support of those of you who love it, and I also appreciate the respect with which less than favorable opinions are being expressed. Although, Amed, my cat would like you to know that she is someONE who eats from a bowl on the floor. ; )

I can appreciate your comments regarding the wall stencils in our bedroom - truth is we haven't lived here long and as you guessed, it is a work in progress. Also, I would like some more art on the walls, although I am likely to keep it sparse in the bedroom as I rather like the "mermaid" feel of the wall as is.

For those who've asked - I didn't show the bathtub because well, we only got to submit 5 pics - it was hard to choose! And I figured, as luxurious as a deep bathtub is to lie in, seeing a pic of it may not be as big a thrill. Now if y'all would give me more "super-cools" I'd be glad to include a tub shot in the next round.; )

The bedroom wall is a Benjamin Moore color called Bavarian Forest, in an eggshell finish. It's just one coat, over primer, applied with a long-nap roller. The texture is just how the walls were when we moved in.

I love that someone recognized the musical instrument!

And I had to laugh that someone critiqued the couch, because my original incentive for entering this contest was that if I won one of those gift cards I could buy a new couch! I'm not a fan of my couch either! That is one of the first improvements I will make next time a grand comes my way.

Lastly - I want to thank you, Henrietta, for your saying that my place isn't getting a fair shake. I love my place, and I must admit I am surprised to have gotten as many "not my bag"s as I have gotten. It feels original, vibrant, and alive to me. Apparently my tastes are eccentric. But it has been fun, whatever the outcome is!

All the best - Sharon

I like your apartment, it feels comfortable, warm and cozy. Not everyone needs to have a minimalist, mid-century or contemporary apartment. This is your style and you've done well. Too bad you didn't get enough super cool... I love your bedroom wall and your "coffee table".