Industrial and lofted spaces may have an edge— exposed brick and heavy beams practically beg for decor with a functional bent, which is one reason why Johnny and Stacie's bike collection (Photo 5) looks perfectly at home dangling above the living room in their Super Sweet Loft. For more delicate and run-of-the-mill spaces the look can be a bit harder to pull off, but thankfully it's not impossible with a few design tweaks that make the bikes read as part of the decor such as...
• Photo 1. the green Imperial Trellis paper in Chloe Sevigny's East Village home's entrance, designed by David Cafiero, which provides the perfect backdrop for the green bike.
• Photo 2. Or in the new home of former Apartment Therapy contributor, Rebecca Orlov, where her orange bike picks up on the oranges of a nearby accent pillow and provides a pleasing contrast to the serene cool blue walls.
• Photo 3. A similar tactic is at work in the serene bedroom of Diana of Jewels of New York (featured on Design*Sponge) where a simple black bike with a vintage vibe fits in perfectly with the black window casings and spare old world feel off the rest of the room.
• Photo 4. However, even without a vintage-y styled frame, all decor hope is not lost. In Preston Bailey's home, road bikes are hung on wall hooks next to a huge mirror of a similar height which balances the visually weighty objects. Not a perfect chameleon blend, but a pretty practical solution for sure.
How do you make your bikes blend with your decor?
Images: 1: Francois Halard for House & Garden, 2: Rebecca Orlov Love Living Small, 3: Design*Sponge, 4: Jill Slater for Apartment Therapy: NY, 5: Johnny & Stacie Slocum for Apartment Therapy: Chicago
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Forget the bikes -- I love the swing hanging from the beam in Johnny and Stacy Slocum's space!!! I wish I had suitable ceiling support to install one.
This is why I love my Brompton. It fits nearly everywhere. :)
the only two storage ideas I see here are hanging on wall or hanging from ceilings. The others are just cute bikes (which most aren't) sitting next to the wall.
Forget the bikes -- where do I get the sofa in picture #2? I've been looking for just that one.
We have five (!) bicycles in our Brooklyn apartment. We have a large-ish, open living & dining area, which makes it easier but, still, that's a lot of bikes. I think we manage to keep them out of the way and not the focal point of the space.
Here's one photo of two of the bikes integrated into the space:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/listenmissy/4840262155/
Here are the bike stands we use, which are sturdy and, relatively speaking, inconspicuous (especially against a brick wall):
http://www.amazon.com/SportRack-Universal-2-Bike-Stacker/dp/B000UUEF7E/
I agree with ckeys. If you have the space to just lean a bike against the wall, it's not a small space solution. You're just leaning the bike against the wall.
These examples seem more to do with making your bike fit in with your decor. Luckily, I think my road bikes are pretty, so I don't care if they fit in. :-)
Cant' stand seeing/walking around bicycles in the apartment...
...but since I must, a folding bike such as my Strida which fits within a closet makes the most sense for me.
Thanks, listen missy! I'm moving to a new aparmtent soon and have been interested in finding a storage solution for my bikes. This is perfect!