Though it terrifies the sleepwalker in me, I think your sleeping loft is fab.

Love the cloud-white bedroom area. Nice going!

your bed area is so peaceful looking! great!

I LOVE it!! I wish I could spend a week there.

That has got to be the toughest room to furnish I've ever seen - I wonder why the developer put that massive tile box there?

Love the white wood and clean lines on your loft bed. That's the way I would like my room to look like -- plus some silver details here and there. Beautiful.

I love your sofa too, but I don't think you should hide the windows with all that stuff (those they're nice pieces).

Gorgeous! I'd move there in a minute!

LOVE the sofa - would you mind letting us know where it is from? Or anyone out there know where I can find a similar one?

this looks really cute. It made me think of this recent NY Times article about modernist design in dollhouses (the really small & cool).link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/garden/08mod.html?ref=garden

Yes!! So nice! You've got my vote :)

Very Cool!

I love seeing Chicago homes that don't share the same layout as every two- or three-flat building throughout the city.

And like bepsf, I'm really curious about that jutting tile

nicely done! though the two photos of the living room wall are redundant... would have been nice to see the bathroom, or a more direct shot of the kitchen.

Really well done! You definitely made the best of a very odd layout (I'm with the others - why would they put that bit tiled box there? Eats up the floor space.)

Love your lofted bed, and that yellow-green accent wall.

While I completey understand their functionality, those mid-window curtains are bumming me out. But still, great place, great job making it work!

I love this.

Great job! Your loft area looks spacious altho I would need a railing of some sort to make me think I could not fall off it.
Definite thumbs up.

My guess is the tile box hides pipes or heating ducts or something. I like the way it looks. But I agree with BetterBombshell that the curtains are wrong for the space. Matchstick shades or simple canvas roman blinds would be much better, in my opinion.

I can't seem to view your floor plan for some reason. You got my vote anyway.

Cool sofa, cool place.

I guess they chose the curtains for privacy and light-transperency.

my favorite entry yet! simple, well done, efficient and comfortable looking :)

everything about this is absolutely perfect--great furniture and lovely colors!

haha wow! when i was looking for an apartment last year, i was peeved whenever our broker took us into an apartment with a loft like this - i had no idea how to make it work and feel homey but not cramped, but you did a fantastic job! kudos! next time i'll have to be more open minded about the mini loft...

Thanks for all the great comments!! I live in a rental on the first floor of a busy street so the curtains were greatly needed for privacy while still allowing for light to come in. The building used to be a ComEd back in the day....that could possibly have to do with what the tile box's function is/was.

BeachLiving: The couch is from Carson's Furniture Gallery.

I really love what you did to the place - I'd move into that space in a second.

One thought though, the large tiled area where you currently have the TV and the 2 IKEA credenzas - have you though of making this your dining area?

With a few steps up it could free up the eating area below. Take down the curtains and you could have a wonderful dining area with a view... assuming the view is nice?

Even if you don't change it - I love it!

This is really nice. Lots of limitations but lots of inventive (but not wacky) solutions. Well done.

bvitale, now that you've pointed it out, I can see all the buildings across the street from you, but on first glance I absolutely thought this unit was floors up in a large converted loft building. The lofted layout reminds me of the Art Institute's housing above the Border's on State and Randolph.

I see former storefront apartments all over the city and always wish I could go in and see how they've dealt with creating some privacy in spite of their windows (and I utterly realize the irony of my snoopiness). Your curtains seem like a good compromise to see some scenery without flashing the neighborhood.

I think we now know who will win this years contest. I'd be shocked if you don't, Beth. Aside from a handful of other entries, this is exactly what I envision this competition to be. Great space with great architecural features with innovative, bright, simple uses of design. I'll give you a second vote when I get home to my laptop. This place is freaking great. Man, I'm loving that sleep loft area. All white on the white floors. Even digging the copper colored mosaic tiled ledge accented by the green wall. The photos are very much appreciated.

And what is with all the cool girls with totally rad places coming out of Chicago this year?

I am totally digging that sleeping space with those gorgeous white floors!

Verrrrrrrrry Cool....................

My head said "wow, that's a hard space to work with," but my heart said "my precioussss." Well freaking done. To have the creativity in just your little pinkie....

Anyone recognize the desk/bookshelf combo?

Yeah, this is seriously cool. I love everything about it. It feels like such a bright, happy place. I really love that lone green wall. Perfect. I also love the sleeping area (bed, bedding, painted floor...), but I'd be afraid to sleep up there. What if you rolled off of the bed? Arrgh! I'm giving myself a panic attack.

That is the most challenging space I've ever seen. Well done!

Excellent.

BEAUTIFUL!! I am inspired to try something similar.
What is the height of your closet and the height above the bed? Did you just use 2x4s with plywood on top for the loft support?

THANKS

You've done a fantastic job with an extremely challanging floor plan, bravo!

you mastered the tile box with the cabinets! thumbs up!

Wow, that is a very unusual space. I am not sure how I feel about what you did on that built in step or caibnet or whatever it is that your TV and white cupboards are on. Like that is truly a design challenge! Just not sure if those cabinets on either side of the TV would look overwhelming if sitting on the couch?

But either way, it looks like you are making the best of a very tough layout. Well done

Oh! I love this space. Reminds me of my loft living when I was a newlywed. The sleeping area is just perfect. I loved climbing into bed every night and never once thought about falling off (though it is probably because my husband slept on the outside!) I too lived on the first floor and hung heavy curtains to keep the New York noise out of the space. You have done a marvelous job!

Brava! You did a wonderful job and you get my vote. I even know where you could get a long narrow diptych painting in white that would look perfect on your long wall over your loft bed without taking away from the spare clean look...

Does the building have other apartments with identical or similar layouts? What neighborhood is it?

The place looks great Beth!

It's open airy, bright and seriously chic. I love it.

I too have a loft bedroom/sleeping area and looking for a latter similar to yours...any suggestions?

I saw this apartment (or very similar) posted as an advert on Craigslist.

I love the colors and light.

Very small cool. Just wondering how high your ceilings are... Can you provide a measurement?? And how tall is the sleeping area? Thanks!

It's so rare in the design world to see a sofa that actually looks comfortable. I love how you balanced out the bulky sofa with all the other lighter pieces. And love the green accent wall. And the loft! I included you in my favorites here:

http://www.mrspottsthoughts.com/2010/05/stylishly-small.html