Forget about the art on the walls - I get it. But where's all the furniture. mostly why are those books on the floor (when you have a bookshelf) and why not a sidebar/credenza or seats of some sort?

I like the room as is, but the living room needs some loving.

Although, now that I look at it, I think the living room looks so sparse because the seats are so far away from the sofa...there doesn't seem to be a place to converse with friends except for the floor. I guess you're going more for a loft feel. ok, I guess.

Oooo. . . It's "I lost everything in the divorce" chic!

Put those books on that empty shelf stat!:)

Great space you have here. Have you tried placing sofa away from the wall? I think it'd give a more focused look rather than too bare.

would be cool but there's nothing there! has no personality...just looks like a bachelor pad

Love your kitchen cabinets.
Neat hardware.

Ha! Every boyfriend I ever had, I swear, had this same apartment. In fact, most of my single straight guy friend's homes still look like this. I never thought of it as a conscious style before. This look says to me "lonely boy, never cooks at home, pbr in the fridge, maybe has toilet paper".

Thanks for giving me a smile and a trip down memory lane :)

Love the kitchen cabinets, especially the latches on the top doors.

I say hang some art -- after you make the bed.

I would know where you got the platform bed.

Lawrence, I love how you included the book stacks in your diagram. Priceless.

HOWEVER, you could be using all that empty space as a dance floor. So put your books on the bookshelf, hang a few mirrors, and get ready to disco down! What a great place for a party!!!

Maybe he rides his bike around the book stacks, a little circuit.

housebunny, this is what my husband's apartment looked like when I met him.

Except that he didn't seem to have made such careful choices. So, I would say this is several cuts above the typical bachelor pad, because it looks intentional, rather than haphazard.

books on floor, art? dunno. everything is so stark and open, but it is a definate "look" for sure. it has a 'first place after college' feel, but not one most people care to re-visit.

Oh, I hate being mean, but that is a waste of a beautiful space! I agree, good place for a party... and a PBR. Ok, I guess I have SOME love for this space :)

I just don't get this one at all. It feels to sparse. Are all those books really on the floor like that all the time? This space doesn't feel personal to me. Like... it's a decent start if he moved in a week ago... I do like the view, however, and the furniture.

It has a very spare, and "I didn't know where to put things, so I made them all line the walls" kind of feel to it. Your furniture pieces are lovely, but I think setting them up in a more conversation-inducing kind of way might showcase them better than having them exist as the "lonely ____ against the wall" (insert table, shelf, couch, chair etc. in the blank).

Great views, great bones to the place, and great windows. I'm happy to see you didn't cover those up!

I am, however, worried about the safety of your books... they'll get ruined by dust and any mopping you do, not to mention accidental tripping by inebriated cocktail party guests. Your place looks like it's begging for parties, by the way.

Books on the floor: sure to be controversial! :)

On the whole, the place doesn't appeal to me, although I do like some elements. And, man, I also live in a 540 sq. ft. place and it's hard to believe you have that much empty space. That's a lot of breathing room.

That is seriously spartan!

I'm sorry but I don't get it. It's a tidy room. Why are the books on the floor?

Housebunny is so right. Every single guy's apartment looks just like this..

Put the couch under that beautiful window. Take the two sturdiest chairs and pair them conversationally across from the couch. You can have a small stack of books between them. If you must. Put the rest of the books on the bookshelf and add a picture or two. Then it will be perfect.

Yes, it's lacking a few things, and has bad furniture placement, but I actually kind of like this, I even like the books on the floor.

Come on now.

At first I was like 'hmmm...not really.' But when I looked at it a few more times, it grew on me.

I love the kitchen cabinets as well!

man, i wish the guys i dated apartments looked like this.....not that it's perfect or anything but as far as a 'bachelor pad' this guy is leagues ahead of many others.

couch source? is that one of the urban mcm reproductions?

hey, i love the kitchen too, but something tells me the cabinets came with the apartment.

This is a joke, right?

thepictures,

I was thinking the exact same thing! When I was in dating (pre marriage mode), I would have killed to have a boyfriend with this apartment. It's so neat and clean! But MOST importantly, I probably could've talked him into letting me decorate it. :-)

Ah, nothing like a blank canvas (with a few random stacks of books in the middle of the floor)......

Yes, bepsf, I'm pretty sure that Lawrence is having a good laugh.

Random placement of a Bertoia and an Eames chair does not equal style. Great apartment and great start, just needs some more love.

100% a joke, has to be. "i'm going for a sparse look" hilarious.

I agree with the other comments about it being spartan however I disagree with it being too much like a bachelor pad or that it's wasted space. What is the space being wasted on?
I think this looks wonderful and so peaceful. I for one, like this apartment dweller, like to live in rooms full of light, not stuff. :)

I like the sparseness.

The placement of the books is very personal, although generally impractical. I like it though.

You could group the two chairs and the books together in the middle of the room like an art installation.

No TV?

Here here thorndale!
The only difference between this guy's place and the guys I dated is it looks like he has both a top sheet AND a bottom sheet on his bed. He may want to get rid of one to declutter :)

Of course doing so may inspire "a heated internal debate" but what the hell!

I kid, I kid. Lawrence likes his space and that's all that matters. This place just reminds me how happy I am to be married and not single and dating anymore!

It's a beautiful apartment. When does Lawrence move in?

I see he's gotten a start, and that he has good taste in furniture, but I don't see any energy or life in this apartment.

Blank canvas, indeed.

whatever....... not digging it

This isn't design.

Did you just move in?

i wish i had this LITTLE of stuff! how does that happen?

I like it very much. Looks like a great place.

i like the idea of "quiet" walls. going to think about this for my own place now... thanks for sharing!

haha! i KNEW there would be SO much talk about the books on the floor. to me, if YOU live in the space and it works for YOU then go for it! i have really appreciated how diverse these small, cool spaces have been so far. although i couldn't manage to have so little (i love me some knick-knacks, even if they are collecting dust in a storage closet), it's interesting to see a different perspective.

This MUST be a joke. It's a sparsely furnished, largely personality-free Standard Bachelor Pad. I don't get a sense of Lawrence, other than that he seems to be trying to make some sort of, I don't know, self-conscious/hipster statement, but it just comes off as "I just moved in, this is a bigger place than my old one, and I'm one of those guys who only needs or really wants a bed, a couch, and a TV." Books in the floor in the middle of a room is also exceedingly random, which may be what led me to the self-conscious hipster assessment. Dude clearly doesn't have a dog.

I can't figure out how to make that seem less mean. I think this is a poor fit for Small Cool.

books! i love books wherever they are. floor, shelves, cabinets, windowsills. the more books, the better :)

LOVE the floor lamp in the first pic. Wish I knew where to get that one. I'd put an Edison lightbulb in it, though.

I'm starting to notice something... If you have a space that is architecturally beautiful, all you have to do is not get in it's way with the decor. But spaces that start off architecturally poor are a lot harder to make right.

It looks sterile...does anyone live there?

Controversial apartment!

I think you were going for a minimalist schtick, but it just doesn't quite work. Things look a bit ratty instead of slick? Like they aren't the sort of pieces that can just stand alone.

I actually didn't mind the books in the photo, but in real life if i walked in I would just assume they were just there temporarily, like you were cleaning or something.

But thank you for posting - I like how different your place is to the usual entries

clearly I'm not the only one who's first thought was 'I hope he gets a girlfriend soon'.
However it's quite thought provoking as to how little stuff you actually need - I have more stuff on my kitchen counter than he has in his whole apartment, maybe I should do something about that.

@SQ- Your comment should have a warning label. I spit coffee on my computer.

Lawrence- Your apartment has great bones. Hang onto this space- it's fabulous. It does look a tad bit unfinished at this point, so maybe next year...

Please ignore all of the comments asking if your apartment is a joke- that's just hateful.

And, as far as the 'get a girlfriend' comments, well- if you want a boyfriend instead, that's cool. And, if you haven't found the one, maybe you have a friend that you could bounce ideas off of?

I actually like this apartment, unlike some of the "over-designed" AT posts. It looks a lot like my boyfriend's apartment - including the bike ;) - and his style has influenced me a lot. He tought me to respect the bones of a beautiful apartment with good architectural features, and to invest in a few valuable pieces instead of cluttering the place with too much cheap furniture and decoration.

So Lawrence, I love your apartment, and it looks like a very serene place to live in.

I love this!
please do not listen to the bad jokes people are making.
this is a nice change from the typical places where every inch is filled with typical ikea clutter. People are always afraid of having an empty space.

although I like what you did with your books. I think a nice bookshelf, that isn't too big, would work.

nice fixie-bike btw

Lawrence says:

"In my last apartment I had large paintings up, but here I wanted to focus on the furniture pieces and the views, and just have a quiet space."

And I think that's great. He does have beautiful views, he does have a few great furniture pieces. I get it, I really do. I'm a definite fan of minimalism when it's done well. But here, there are definite clues that make me think "joke" rather than "zen":

1. If you're a minimalist, why pile books in the middle of the floor? Books as sculpture? I don't think so (in this instance). More like dust collectors. Does he have to move them and re-stack them every time he washes the floor???

2. If they're not a joke, those empty shelves are just clutter. If you're a minimalist, why have *empty* shelves? Why have any shelves at all? If you're not going to use them, why would you have them in the room? (My guess is that he put the books back on the shelves after he took these photos.)

3. The fact that he included the books in his floor plan makes me think he was being funny. And it *was* funny.

This is almost like an Unhappy Hipster post:

"Hoping that one day his coffee table would return, he left his books in the middle of the floor."

But seriously, if it weren't for the weird book installation and the random empty shelving unit, this really is (all kidding aside) a great place. It's empty, yes, but it probably is very calming. Also, the kitchen cabinets are gorgeous, the bedroom looks huge, and I really like the green couch and red chair combo. Without some of the weirdness, this probably could have been a legitimate contender.

By the way, I'm giving Lawrence a thumbs up.

Yes it definitely needs a paisley stenciled wall, a hacked Ikea coffee table/desk/kitchen island and a couple of ironic pillows.

Why is everyone so terrified of this place? I'm no bachelor, but I can see how having large windows and a nice view can waive any requirements for matching upholstery. This IS a clean, small, cool place.

PS: SQ wins comment of the day.

I think drapery would elevate the design and actually enhance the minimalism.

This... is awesome.

The titles/subjects of the books would provide some much needed info...

"Housebunny is so right. Every single guy's apartment looks just like this..
posted by Amber Rose on April 8th 2010 at 5:18pm"

That's odd because some of my friends and clients that are single here in NYC, their apartments don't look like this. Minimal perhaps, but a sense of design is not something only left for everyone but straight men.

"Ha! Every boyfriend I ever had, I swear, had this same apartment. In fact, most of my single straight guy friend's homes still look like this. I never thought of it as a conscious style before. This look says to me "lonely boy, never cooks at home, pbr in the fridge, maybe has toilet paper".

Thanks for giving me a smile and a trip down memory lane :)
posted by housebunny on April 8th 2010 at 4:30pm"

So being straight, having good taste and just maybe an eye for design is not allowed? I didn't know by not having toilet paper, would be considered an asset in the parlance of the dating world. I thought cooking eggs and toast and serving breakfast in bed were things women liked. Well, I guess I now know why I am single. I've been doing things all wrong. Or at least as modern society dictates.

"man, i wish the guys i dated apartments looked like this.....not that it's perfect or anything but as far as a 'bachelor pad' this guy is leagues ahead of many others.

couch source? is that one of the urban mcm reproductions?
posted by thepictures on April 8th 2010 at 5:38pm"

That could quite conceivably be the saddest post on here, of all the entries I've seen.

My comment:
Apartment is totally fine. Yeah, and I get it with the books. I'll second others who said putting something over the windows, that's not a flag or a sheet, would do. Go to ikea and pick up one of those shades that allows light through. Not one for each window, but one longer one, which will cover both windows and lower it to the point below the bars. That's it man..

I really like the books stacked on the floor. I'm also a big fan of the lamp by the couch. And is that a metal school chair in the bedroom? I like it. This is a great apartment, nice view, awesome kitchen. I have to admit that I don't love it, but I can definitely see why you do.

you, know? i kind of like the spare look. thumbs up in my book!

"I say hang some art -- after you make the bed."
posted by Mid-C Frank on April 8th 2010 at 4:31pm

Whats with all these perfectly-made-bed-obsessed? I would not even have noticed the little crease. To me the bed is made.

Great Place.

I registered just so I could post about this place.

The neatly stacked, oh-so-precisely-angled books on the floor strikes me as pretentious. It's a substitute for design. Plus, it's bad for the books.

Funny, I find the statement "It's a substitute for design." to be pretty pretentious, too.

Thanks to all the positive commenters, and the snarky ones too. I'm excited to try riding my bike around the 'book circuit.'

"This isn't design." -bemused commenter

"Design is everything. Everything!" -Paul Rand, graphic designer

Definitely a guys apartment but I think it's great. The books remind me of my younger days and if I had the space I would do it now.

Lawrence, I would like to move in with you.

I couldn't decide if someone was moving in or moving out.

I like the airy spaciousness. There is also plenty of room to dance here, when you feel like dancing :)

The piles of books could serve as additional seating?

alright i'm going to admit i like it and would've have given it a thumbs up had i had the chance. i want to kick the stack of books like you ruin a child's sand castle, but other than that i think that sweet bike represents why i like this space- clean and simple, bare bones.

and i'm with perkiplus on this one. perfect for cutting a rug.

What I love about this home is that it feels like a movie set from the 1970s. That sounds odd, but it's compliment. I love looking at the pictures, it's warm and cozy; it's vintage in a real way.

This has got to be a Round Hill Pacific apartment in Cap Hill...looks just like the place I lived last year.

I want to knock down your piles of books as pins with a bowling ball just so you have to rearrange it because you are oh so intentional with their placement on the floor, lol.

There's plenty of furniture and plenty of opportunities. The space has good bones, just not the right finishes. If i could climb through my computer and move that sofa out from the wall, i would!

Lawrence: I like what you've done so far:) I'm jealous because that is a great apartment. You could do so much with it. I'd love to get my hands on it (lol)