Name: Michael
Location: SoHo
Size: 450 sqft
Favorite: The privacy and quiet of being on the 5th floor of a 5-floor walkup.
>>Enter Gallery Slideshow!
Michael has a lot of things going for him. He's a great painter, has great taste in home furnishings, a lease on a light and airy Soho one-bedroom, and a grandfather who had a hankering for early Eames chairs...
After living in a Tribeca new construction, cookie-cutter-in-a-tower apartment for a year and a half, Michael was looking for something with 'more character.' He found it on the 5th floor of a 5-floor walkup. "You don't hear footsteps, and you don't need blinds," says Michael when I asked why he liked the 5th floor so much.
When he moved in, he simplified his life and his belongings by putting extra chairs and a long table in storage. What's left is almost only that which contributes to the aesthetics of the space. Michael's home is the antithesis of clutter.
Michael says he is picky about what art he will hang up. At this point one sees a lot of white walls. While he enjoys how the white walls of his apartment contrast those of his painting studio, he does have plans to cover a few. His father has taken a series of photos of the moon and these will be hung in the hallway between the bedroom and the kitchen. Another--a large-scale photo of Thailand taken by a friend--will be hung over the couch.
A recent art school graduate, Michael inherited a bevy of beautiful Eames pieces that his grandfather collected to fill a modern home in Norfolk, Virginia in the early 1960's. One of the chairs still had its original receipt of purchase! Michael has subsequently restored these pieces and enhanced them with his own modern acquisitions. Almost everything in the apartment seems to blend seamlessly.
Tour the house through the magic of video!
Jonya & Brad's Modern A–Frame 
Quick Cleaning Tip: Keep Baseboards Cleaner With Fabric Softner
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Profile Chair by Ma...
Mac and Cheese: The Secret to Making It Rich and Creamy
Summer Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
Comments (15)
some bright sky blue baby blue in that checkerboard bathroom would add some much needed punch but other wize its a nice place - why no comments so far????? boggles my mind...
another comment after viewing again - lovely floors, amazing chairs, and otherr furniture...I would lose the grass on the wall and add some personal touch photos or art work instead...otherwise really nicely done and your pretty cute too :)
handsome apartment! i enjoy the maleness of it. my place has obvious womanliness to it. it's refreshing to see the opposite!
I love the duvet cover -- where is it from? Lovely apartment.
It's conventional good taste.
Why is everyone getting so worked up? I like hearing other people's opinions, even if they're negative. That's why I read the comments. I value AT because it exposes me to so many other perspectives.
And Michael seems like he knows how to handle criticism. If he's an artist he would have been exposed to it a long time ago.
That being said, I'm glad to hear that some color has been added to the walls. I would love to see some updated photos.
I read the old comments and several people were freaked out by the konstantin grcic lamp hanging in the shower.
If you look closely, it is plugged into a GFI outlet, which renders the lamp safe (assuming the outlet is wired properly). That said, I wouldn't put a lamp there regardless... why take a chance.
As for the overall design style, Lisa Hunter (Montreal) nailed it with a nicely diplomatic comment.
Good grief, some of you people are snobs. Nice apartment Michael.
What I like about this apartment is that it is a clearly masculine space but it is much more inspired than the typical "bachelor pad." I think he accomplishes this without it looking like he's trying too hard.
Where the hell is the couch from? That's all I care about?
This...isn't...worthy....
It looks more like an upload to HGTV's Rate My Space than an AT house tour.
I'd love to hear a defense of why AT bothered...because he has the required mid-century modern designer furniture?? Come on AT, branch out already! You're getting boring. Gosh, come do a tour of my place...I have more imagination with less expensive furnishings...my couch has a huge hole from where my cat has scratched it and I still prefer my place over his..mine has character and warmth. His looks like he has just moved in and hasn't really figured out what to do yet...he was lucky enough to inherit some nice individual pieces but doesn't know how to showcase them well.
I have seen this apartment a million times visiting friends and clients...cute, cozy, nice to spend time in..but forgettable.
But I do like the couch....
I would have like to have seen more innovation with shelving and art. And I think the nelson clock should go. And the TV storage area leaves something to be desired. I don't like the mantle/shelf. I don't like the desk area. Don't like the bed area. I do like the componibli bedside area and I do like the bike racks.
Yeah, I just don't get the reason for the post. Just looks like a normal house. Not inspiring enough.
inspiration... to never visit this site again.
no offense michael, love some of your stuff, but its not all holding hands. i'll stop there.
I read that Michael was a great painter. Somebody shouldnt have written that. It made me look forward to seeing some truly unigue and interesting color ideas and what I got was the blandest pallet ever! This reminded me of monochrome page out of a CB2 catalog. I like the few accesories that are in there, but nothing about the place says artfully designed. Borrrrring.
Oddly enough, the artist's apartment needs art. The nice thing about being a painter (I'm one too) is that it means there's lots of original art on hand to rotate around and enjoy. Most people would love to have that opportunity. Strange that Michael doesn't take advantage of that.