Who Lives Here: Erica + husband + basset hound, Oliver Location: Park Slope — Brooklyn, NYC Size: 690 square feet
What is your favorite element of your Small & Cool home? Definitely our kitchen! Our cabinets go up to the ceiling, and we have more storage than we know what to do with (ok, don't hate me, but I actually have some EMPTY space in a few of them). I also love that because we are in an old building, the apartment was laid out for function; therefore, almost every inch of our place is usable space.
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What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in furnishing your Small Cool home? Our apartment faces our building's courtyard, so we don't have a ton of light coming in through our windows. We decided to paint our floors white to bring in some additional lightness, and I'm so glad we did! We also used 3 different shades of white paint (wall, ceiling, trim) to layer the light feeling. Because we are in a small space, we also made virtually every furniture and decor decision with storage in mind. We have one large walk-in-closet in our bedroom, but we knew that that would not be enough for us, so we converted that closet into a utility closet (installed IKEA Billy bookcases for quasi "custom" shelving) and then put Pax Wardrobes all along our bedroom wall. I love that they almost look built-in and again, we have so much space there for all of our clothes. The banquette in our breakfast nook (ordered from Ballard Designs and covered in one of their chocolate velvet fabrics) also has storage underneath the seats in each bench! We added custom shelving to our front coat closet, as well as a little broom closet in our kitchen, and we have tons of space in the white wall unit in our living room. Truth be told: I've never lived in an NYC apt with so much storage space and I gotta admit: it pretty much rules.
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love your apartment, BUT I LOVE YOUR DOG MORE! You should really submit photos of him to the AT dog thing.
Very nice, has lots of light and the kitchen is beautiful! Love that sofa too!
does anyone else want to move that vase on the table just a bit to the left?
love the b&w striped hallway...
kitchen looks cool, wish i could see more to the right in the photo. for whatever reason, i want to make all the photos wider so i can see more of the rooms. maybe because most of your photos are vertical versus horizontal.
Such a well done apartment! Love the strips in the entryway. Also, coveting the black lighting fixture in the living room. Is that vintage or new?
The corner dining nook is perfect. Where did you find the seats? P.S., cute dog!!
I don't know what it is about this place, but I find it so warm and cozy. How did you pull that off with the stark white floors??? Fantastic.
(Is it just me, or is every photo improved with the addition of a darling doggie?)
Lots of style in this apartment. It's nice to see things not seen in every other apartment (the art looks original, the two sofas are unique, etc.). Nice!
One thing that bugs me is the niche behind the bed. Must be awful feng shui, and it brings the room to its knees. I would move the bed to another wall at all costs.
LOVE the black & white striped hallway! (Obviously, lol).
Also love the "Art" Art over the dining area ... unexpected!
Something about this entry just has a different feel than every other one I've seen so far...in a good way. I can't pinpoint it, but I love it. Great job.
i love the bed in front of that shelf and the kitchen nook and the floor.
Love everything about it!!!!!
I am in love with these floors.
I'm disappointed this space doesn't have more thumbs up!
This home really deserves better photos- it would show beautifully with proper exposure, focus and white balance.
love it!
where did you get that great, black hanging light?
Thanks for all your rad comments everyone!
@Coletta: the light in the living room is Jonathan Adler. We didn't realize until we had an electrician come by to install that there was no switch in our living room! (a fan had been there previously and there was only a string to pull to turn it on); so we actually now have to turn it on and off with a remote control. Slightly weird, but it works at least!
@Isa: you're sooo right! I'm a new amateur photographer and def have a lot to learn...but I'm working on it!
@anniekins: the banquettes are from Ballard Designs. We used a chocolate velvet fabric on them, and they've held up quite well.
I'm now regretting that I didn't have Oliver in EVERY picture :)
Also, re: our striped hallway: it's actually not paint. I was going to tape it all out and go the painting route and then I discovered vinyl wall decal tape. OMGZ, this stuff was a life changer! I think it was called Wall pops...waaay easier than painting and it really does look fab.
Beautiful, stylish and so fun to see! I love Oliver's digs ;o)
It's so chic, I LOVE it!
Oliver is a badass.
I love your place, and the curved lines of that couch actually made me gasp. Was especially happy to see my favorite basset make a couple of appearances. YAY Oliver! YAY Erica! ;)
very cool and Oliver is so wicked cute
I love your breakfast nook! I've been looking for a banquette for my round kitchen table for ages now. Can I ask how you like yours from Ballard?
My only question is, why didn't this place get hundreds of more thumbs up??!
Oliver is so adorable. Love the striped hallway.
@leahgreen: It's been over two years now and I absolutely still love it. It's held up super well and the storage in the benches is so insanely awesome to have! I also love that you can choose your own fabric to upholster them with. I would def recommend getting samples sent ahead of time though (if you choose one of Ballard's fabrics), as some of them do really read differently on your computer screen or in the catalog (I ended up changing my mind after I saw the fabrics up close and personal).
I never thought I would be saying this, but I love the (zebra?) wallpaper on the back of the kitchen cabinets!
The rest of the apartment pretty much rules.
Your house is beautiful & emotional. Your first shot of the round table with gorgeous flowers is a true WOW! So glad to have discovered today. Thank you