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Northwest #26: Tianyu's Recently Owned Silicon Valley Apartment

Name: Tianyu
Location: Mountain View
Size: 769 sq. ft.
Rent/Own: Owned apartment

What is the advantage of SMALL? Easy to clean and easy to maintain...

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What is the advantage of SMALL? CONT'D

...It also forces me to be concise, which also helps me to stay efficient. I LIVE every inch of my space. No part of my mortgage is contributed to storage that I never use or perhaps don't even remember owning.

What's your favorite resource for your home?

I get whatever that catches my eye, wherever it is, locally or online.

What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home?

I get great lighting throughout the day. I like that my living/dining partition prevents a direct view to the living area from the public hallway when the main entry door is opened.

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Tags

Small Cool 2008 - Northwest

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Comments (23)

Very basic.

posted by Lilli K. on April 25th 2008 at 12:25pm
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what is the room divider, and where can i find it?

posted by bethanylemony on April 25th 2008 at 12:26pm
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I like the fringe-y space divider (just wish it reached the floor) and that black wall. Also, pooch-looking-out-window looks happy.

posted by holland on April 25th 2008 at 12:27pm
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I like the big plank shelves & chrome brackets. I think the gauzy room divider is clever too.

posted by MoJonson on April 25th 2008 at 12:33pm
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Cute doggie! Love the dark wall in that room too.

posted by Tiffany on April 25th 2008 at 12:53pm
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Hey I saw that room divider on Divine Design with (THE GODDESS) Candice Olsen. Where'd you get it?

posted by rikstah on April 25th 2008 at 12:54pm
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I wish there was a better picture of the dining area. Other than that, I like the use of the room divider and look overall.

posted by farleece on April 25th 2008 at 12:55pm
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Tastefully decorated but stuffed way past the coolness factor. To me, living small and cool is about distancing oneself, physically as well as mentally, from possessions that are not necessary, thereby minimizing the need of space as well as maximizing the feeling of space. It is not about adding as much as possible to as little as possible, as is the case here.

posted by Gustaf on April 25th 2008 at 12:55pm
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Certainly better than 'basic.' I think this looks great, especially the bedroom. Did you intentionally stagger the frames above the bed unevenly?

posted by Nightrain on April 25th 2008 at 1:02pm
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needs a good edit.

posted by phaedrus on April 25th 2008 at 6:59pm
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The bedroom is a standout, simply gorgeous.

posted by etslee on April 25th 2008 at 10:04pm
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Thanks everyone for your comment. I'll try to answer all questions. I got the room divider from Bed Bath & Beyond, although I haven't seen it in the store since. I believe I've seen it at World's Market as well. The unevenly staggered frames above the bed are to distract the not-centered bed position relating to the windows. I wish I can post more pictures of the dining room and the bedroom as well, but I was limited to submit 5 images, so I picked the ones that would show the layout of the entire condo. I know if I just change out the carpet and paint the cabinets the place would look less "basic" but then when I have enough budget to give the kitchen a new layout with better efficiency, I'll have to redo the floor. Anyway, I was just curious about how I'm doing on dealing with my overpriced first home purchase, so it's very interesting to see different people's reactions. Thank you all for viewing and commenting!

posted by tliad on April 26th 2008 at 12:20am
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I love the coloring scheme of white wall, black frames, red pillows. Thank you!

posted by Sujeeth on April 26th 2008 at 5:31am
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What a wonderful job on a 769 sq. ft. apartment.

posted by Rothelle Cooke Photography on April 26th 2008 at 8:21am
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That little chunky pup is so darling. He or she and the apartment look very comfy.

posted by brittanykate on April 26th 2008 at 9:34am
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wall-to-wall is never cool.

posted by buyersremorse on April 26th 2008 at 1:15pm
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I like your living/Dining room divider.

posted by desertflower on April 27th 2008 at 8:48am
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like the string divider, the dark wall, and the layout.
too much small framed stuff for my taste but nice to group it (the groupings seem off though...particularly above the bed).
the bottles/etc. above the counters are a pet peeve of mine. bunch them into an arrangement or better yet bag them.

posted by healthyhome on April 27th 2008 at 12:15pm
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Looks like a nice layout, but I would do more with it.... color, personal stuff, etc.
It's nice and clean.

posted by Sleek on April 28th 2008 at 8:28am
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I liked the dog. :-)

posted by kerri on April 28th 2008 at 8:41am
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Blah. Not your fault so much as AT's but this is another example of a nicely decorated, but average space. Too big to force you to do anything really creative with it but just small enough to look cramped.

posted by Modfan on April 28th 2008 at 9:37am
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congrats on owning your apartment! im not a huge fan of carpets, and i prefer brighter wall colors, but i think youre doing a great job. and i respect the need for a budget, especially after mortgage payments!!

posted by lemonyc on April 28th 2008 at 9:39am
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I think living/dining is really cool. The study is looking kinda plain and empty. Keep up the good work! It takes time to find things you love!

posted by jacinh on April 29th 2008 at 10:34pm
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