Those white hands at the stairs are creepy but everything else is really awesome.

love the kitchen!

Awesome space. Wish i could keep my house that clean and organized.

Love the kitchen sink and your kitchen. However as I'm clicking through, pictures 3, 4, and 5 seem like a different house than pictures 1 and 2.

Very fun and bright. Love the kitchen and all the colors!

I love the hands

The hands are creepy, but funny. And I love the bright colors!!

This is my favorite house on Apartment Therapy.

Is that a dishwasher to the right of the kitchen sink? So tiny.

Great colour choices!

this is darling! especially the kitchen.
great use of color. i envy your boldness.

Adorable kitchen!

I love the kitchen. And the kids room is fun.

You are not afraid of color, eh? Neat home. My favorite is the kitchen sink, too. One question, where's your fridge? Also, do you really have a music/lounge room? Such a luxury use of space with kids. (Also, Ikea is almost a necessity with kids, no no points off for that) :)

can i ask the make of your teeny dishwasher?! thanks!

Wow, you love the color red! Understood. I'm most drawn to your kitchen though, I love that blue and that is a beautiful sink.

@scarlethue: good, that didn't throw just me!

I like the hands, though I wish one were a right, so it'd be the same person taking the oath while crossing the fingers. It looks like there's not any additional counter/cabinet/workspace in the kitchen -- HOW do you manage that? *feels guilty about her loads of both, despite poor layout*

The hands are creepy and not wild about the color choices in most of the rooms. Do like the kitchen though - i don't think it is odd you enclosed the dishwasher - looks like you had no choice and the freestanding sink looks vintage. Nice that you have that pantry area. NYCwife - the fridge is in the pantry.

Thanks everyone for the kind words and constructive feedback!

My kitchen is really a love hate relationship. I love the sink, but as a renter I really am unable to make permanent changes. My landlady wants to sell it to me, and If I bought it, I would definitely make some changes to the layout. I love to cook, and I have found that my kitchen is not as practical as it could be. As far as having the sink open on the bottom, I actually like that. It is very easy to clean, and I have lots of room for recycling and composting in the summer.

My dishwasher is a Danby and it is so tiny, I almost don't see a point in having one: http://www.zbrands.com/Danby-Mini-Dishwasher-Danby-DDW1802W-18-Inch-Built-In-Dishwasher-P1356.aspx

My family is very musical, so we decided it would be best to have a dedicated area for that. My children can play throughout the whole house, so I figured my girls could share a room since it is really only for sleeping and time-outs. I grew up sharing a room with my sister, and it was not a huge problem.

As you can see, I really LOVE color. I wanted my kids to have a vibrant and interesting home to grow up in, and I actually let my 5 year old help me with many of the design choices. It was interesting to find that my daughter's favorite book to browse through before bed was the Ikea catalog. She was really proud of some of the things she helped me with, and I think it brings a level of comfort and realness to our home.

The hands are a gift from my sister, and I thought they gave a whimsical feel to the stairs. As one of you mentioned, I also wish that i had a left and right hand rather than two of the same!

I love the color in the home that is balanced by the wood floors. I imagine the brightness of the colors is quite reflective of the personalities in the home! I very much appreciate how much warmth and individuality your family, as renters, put in the space. Thanks for the inspiration.

coming closer to actual "cool"...

I like your kitchen, too, Catherine. And, since you mentioned your love/hate with your sink:) You could always add a fabric skirt around it to cover the pipes, it would also give you extra storage. However, I like the exposed pipes, too. There are many "modern" lofts that have exposed pipes, and people prefer that look.