What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home? My apartment’s L-shape meant that there weren’t a whole lot of places where I could put my bed other than the alcove. Thing is, I did not want to have to see the bed while in the dining/living area. The week before I moved in, I was browsing through the local Salvation Army where I found a beautiful vintage Biedermeier breakfront. I put it at the foot of my bed where it hides the bed from the living area and enhances my eclectic mid-century decor. I put several globes on top that almost touch the ceiling so that it not only serves as a bookcase/display case, but also acts like a wall between the two areas and makes my apartment feel like a true one-bedroom.
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What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in furnishing your small home? My kitchen cabinets were my biggest challenge. They were a hideous dark brown fake “wood” veneer that looked cheap and shoddy and were impossible to live with. Unfortunately, my building management would not let me paint or replace them. My solution: to cover the cabinets with a silver contact paper that make them appear to be stainless steel.
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Love the headboard, how did you do that?
I agree with parrishnut, please share!
Nice small space solutions, especially regarding the breakfront divider. The layout is reminds me of my first apartment, though I wasn't quite as mindful of interior decor back then. Excellent job.
Love this indeed. I love the general layout of the space and the breakfront idea is great, would've loved to have seen that.
I love how you did the kitchen with the graphic touches on the blue walls and I love the George Nelson Ball clock, Excellent choice.
And I love how you used art and furnishings to bring in color to the space so it looks less like a rental and more like a condo done on a stylish limited budget.
This is my favourite of all the entries, it just all comes together beautifully, well done!
Love your style and use of color. My favorite!
Very nice - quirky and fun.
Salvation Army? vintage Biedermeir breakfront? Isn't Biedermeier circa 1815-1848? Then you don't include a photo of it?
The living room reminds me of a movie set.
I like the bedroom though. The blue is very blue.
I LOVE everything, especially how the dining chairs echo the shape of the side chairs in the living area.
I wish there had been a picture of the breakfront/globe combo to show exactly how it works in the space.
The best apartments are the ones that get beautifully creative on a budget. The contact paper in the kitchen (awesome) and so is the headboard.
Simply beautiful.
Wonderful Place! I have the same mio culture wall tiles like the ones you have by the door, except in brown cardboard. What kind of paint did you use to color them? They look great!
I really like the credenza that the tv sits on and the blue color of your kitchen walls, though it looks like your artwork is hung too low (esp. above the tv). How long have you lived here? I'm curious if this is a place you brought together all at once or over many years...
I don't get the layout. Why is there a TV in the dining room?
Love the graphics and art and on the walls! Your headboard is fabulous! I disagree that the art work is hung too low - it's actually one of the new trends in home decor. Cute kitchen! But, I would love to have seen pictures of the mentioned breakfront, though!
Ah, Dy Kelly, I missed out on that new trend! Scary! I'd be afraid of people hitting their heads or leaning against artwork when it's so low... What was the old rule? All the tops should be 5 feet above the floor or they should all be on the same horizontal line? I forget. I like it high, especially when it's expensive.
I don't understand why you wrote about your favorite element in the apartment, but then didn't show it. I'd really like to see the breakfront with the globes, especially since I have no idea what a breakfront is.
Love!
I really like the lighting in your place! All of it!
Well someone from a museum posted on a thread like this once - he claimed the center of the painting should be about five feet off the ground. That is more than likely eye level for most people - that's what we go by.
I totally disagree with Clopes--the artwork is hung really well, unlike in many places I see on AT.
ChrisGal, I wouldn't go with what a museum curator suggested because in a museum the walls are blank, there's no furniture within view of each piece, and the art is made to be viewed from a distance. The important thing in home decor, in my view, is to create vignettes throughout the home. Artwork should relate to the furniture (and windows, and lighting, and everything else) below or around it, not to some abstract sense of space that applies in museums but not homes.
This is so sexy, and well thought out. Great vignettes for a small space. Too hotttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the breakfront is on the right side of the last picture - it would have been nice to see more of it though.
Nice place!
Love the lighting. Fantastic.
smart, chic and fun
I really didn't think it was possible but seeing this plan made me a believer: You CAN have a smart and sophisticated Manhattan apartment, even in a tiny space.
Hey, thanks for all your kind words about my apartment. I'll try to address each of your questions....the headboard...I wanted a headboard, but didn't want it to take up too much space in my shallow alcove. I got the idea while visiting a retro store in Soho that was going out of business. They were selling these tiles at a dollar a piece - I arranged them randomly and attached them to 1/4 inch plywood, then attached that to the wall behind my bed. I then hung several of them next to the bed to hide a smoke alarm and electrical outlets.
I did all the art myself....I love mid century art but didn't want to pay what it'd be worth, so I bought canvasses and paint and created all the work you see in the pictures.
Sorry for not including a picture of the breakfront but with only being allowed to upload 5 shots, I chose pictures that would give a good sense of the layout....if anyone can tell me how to upload more pictures, I will do that. Thing I didn't mention is that several of the globes have lights in them and create beautiful ambient lighting.
I painted the mio culture wall tiles with latex wall paints that I had left over from other paint projects. I then attached them to the wall with mini-men tacks that I found at Crate and Barrel.
Any other questions? I'll be happy to answer.
Best, Craig
This apartment is only 500 ft?! All the great decorating techniques make it appear so much bigger. Fabulous job!!
Craig--your apartment is darling! I love your use of color. Your limitations seemed to have unleashed the creative mother lode within you. Brilliant!
Love it! Can you tell me where you got the silver contact paper?
awesomely awesome, weird and cool. i love it. i dont even love MCM and i friggin love this apartment. really, really good job on everything. what do you do when you want to watch tv? can you just pivot it toward the couch? i'm always trying to think of ways to keep my living room from being a glorified tv room but with my boyfriend and his gigantic tv it's kind of tough.
C'e magnifique!
To answer your question about the TV - I purposely bought one that swivels so that I can watch it while I'm sitting at my dining table or while I'm on the sofa. Craig
PS - I found the contact paper at Home Depot of all places!
Your eye for blending color and textures is incredible. Few people could pull if off with such a great balance. I really love your furniture also.
sally305 -- I try to go with proper, but yes I do hang art a little higher or lower depending on the furniture. But if it's more or less a blank wall (or part of a wall) I try to get it right.
I just love the headboard tiles!
So Craig....Great job - very creative, very fashionable....I think the blue pops out pretty nice
1 question, are those Plexiglass tiles hanging on the side of the bed? Where did you get those, I like em'..
The Miracle on 42nd Street!!! Nice job, Craig:)
Too much to maintain...
Rather than create a headboard, try a strip of wallpaper border.
Space-saving ideas:
Replace books/shelves, tv/cabinet and alarm clock with a handheld computer.
Replace bureaus with pull-out underbed baskets.
Store bedside items in a basket under the bed or in a tote bag on a hook.
Store towels and cosmetic baskets on open narrow shelving over the toilet.
To provide privacy around a bed:
Suspend curtain rods and long curtains from the ceiling.
Cover one, two, three or four sides of the bed.
Try sheer, lace or solid fabrics of varying shades or colors.
To enlarge the living room:
Omit the dining room set.
Eat/entertain with your plate in your lap – while sitting in the living room.