Who Lives Here: Catherine plus 2 extra large cats
Location: Somerville, Massachusetts
Size: 528 square feet
What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home? The high ceilings — 9'-6" — are great for someone tall, like me, plus, they make the space feel bigger. It's got really big windows, too, which even though it faces north, bring in lots of light. The floors are fabulous — gorgeous old pine, and I love the color palate, of light grays and white, and how it makes a traditional space feel kind of modern. The idea to paint the back of the bookcase a vibrant red (mostly hidden by books) came from Martha Stewart, and it's great — brings color into the room really subtly.
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What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in furnishing your small home? Trying to get the color/s to work right. I repainted almost every year, until I read somewhere that painting a small apartment all the same color, preferably a light one, made it feel bigger. It worked!
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Comments (50)
Love the colors! Very soothing. Great kitchen, I'm jealous of all that counter space!
I love the width of the bathroom mirror, it really opens up the space. What material are your kitchen counters?
I love the classically styled bathroom! But do you have any other storage there?
i love the artwork over your kitchen sink. i can't read them very well though. looks neat!
What a beautiful apartment! It is stylish, yet has that "lived in" look. The kitchen is fantastic. I love the wooden floor. Would like to see the bedroom.
Beautiful!! Do you happen to remember what paint you used? I love the grey. So soothing.
no picture of the bedroom? pity, because the rest is impressive
I love your house. Very beautiful.
But take the cover off of your chair or get a fitted one!
I love your kitchen and bathroom, but I just wish that slipcover on the chair was tucked properly . . . i think its just me being anal, but its all I can see. Otherwise very nice :)
Fantastic kitchen!
Beautiful! The kitchen in particular is so simple and open and lovely.
I want your apartment for the light, kitchen and wall of shelves!
That kitchen is to die for! Very nice...just one question...where are the extra large cats??
what a beautiful place!
(love the 'extra large cats' reference :)
i would really like to see your bedroom.
no photos?
Love the bookcases.
Love love your kitchen, especially the sink and countertops. What is the counter material? You've done a wonderful job!
Love love love this.
It's hard for me to decide which I like better, the kitchen sink or the bookshelves. I also really like the length of the mirror in the bathroom & open cabinetry in the kitchen. Beautiful home.
Someone else in Somerville, yay! Good job, Catherine.
This is great - hope it gets to stage where we get to see more photos.
The floorplan is a classic "cleaver" shape and you are only missing one and a half areas of the feng shui bagua as far as I can see. I find the long bench in living room to be a bit of a "poison arrow". Add another armchair across from it to give you more balance and maybe add some colorful pillows to the bench, too.
Katy
http://fengshuibyfishgirl.com
i love a horizontal bathroom mirror, but the fun-house photos make it difficult to get a feel for the place
Gosh, I would give this a big thumbs up but I only give thumbs up to places that let me spit in the drain.
This is lovely. I really like the play of full beautiful shelves in the living room and kitchen against the clean spare tables and counters. It allows you to have many of the things you love around you without your home feeling cluttered. Well done.
That kitchen looks so efficient. Very nice clean space.
I've never been to Mass. but I could move in here too. This is the quality of entrant I expect. This person knows what they're doing design-wise.
so well executed
love the kitchen
The whole place is great! What are your kitchen counters made of?
Love the bookshelves and kitchen especially. Hey, I have musician friends in Somerville! Go catch Mike Piehl (drummer) or David Goodrich (everything guitar-like) if you ever get the chance; they used to be with the fabulous Groovasaurus.
Love all your beautiful wooden furniture, none of that molded plastic 70s thrift shop crap the hipsters love so much. Your TV is the perfect size, the wall storage unit is huge but doesn't overwhelm, the bathroom mirror so simple yet surprising, perfect white kitchen with hard-to-spot refrigerator (refrigerators usually being a kitchen's greatest eyesore), heart-breakingly adorable kitchen sink, non-anxiety-inducing wall colors.This is really great.
Your kitchen sink is to die for.
Kitchen sink is beautiful. Where did you get that? I know you say the living room gets good light, but the white and black of the kitchen captures light beautifully. Great stuff all the way around.
I distinctly remember seeing this condo online last year and showing it to a buyer-client who had driven all the way from Binghamton, NY on 4 consecutive weekends to buy a condo for her daughter. Both of them loved this kitchen and loved the whole condo but needed to live closer to Tufts NE Medical Ctr. in Chinatown. Great-looking place, Catherine!
I love the place and what you've done with it. I'd like to see what the bedroom looks like.
It looks so serene. Nice job, Catherine -- I hope you move into the finals so we can see the bedroom, too.
Well done Catherine - looks gorgeous
and where are the XL cats? how could you resist hiding them from us?
Lovely! But I want to see the extra large cats too.
Beautiful place!
My only complaint is not having the XL kitties in a photo.
Looks beautiful, really nice job
Nice work catherine
Great place Catherine! Shep.
I love love love everything! I wish I could keep my kitchen countertops so clear, it just never happens... and that bookshelf is just dreamy...
The kitchen is perfect!
Love it. I have similar size apt. in Cambridge, next town over - provides great inspiration for me. Hope you move into the finals.
Use of wall space for storage in living rea and kitchen is efficient and elegant. Combo of 9'6'' cielings and sheer drapes disperses natural light nicely. Clean lines. Very well done!
I adore the loose casual look of slipcovered chair!
it is lovely and elegant
This apartment is beautiful. It is a crime that it didn't make it to the semi-final.