The wallpaper is a-mazing, what a great backdrop for the rest of the space. And that massive light fixture is stunning. However, I feel that the window/room is very bottom heavy, and the vertical space has been left empty.
IMHO, the window just needs something to emphasize the height of the space.

Was the point of the exercise to get as much Bloomingdale's merchandise as possible into one small room? If so, then my congratulations... if not then the only thing that really pleases my eye is the wallpaper.

i adore that leather chair. i can see myself living here, surrounded by books. you'd have to drag me out to get anything useful out of me.

I agree that it's very bottom-heavy - Too much stuff & clutter piled around...
...and the end-paintings are lacking depth - too "Stage Set" - and that wallpaper still isn't working for me.

I don't get the impression of a writer's room as much as that of a packrat.

I'm in love. It's cluttered, but in a carefully edited, masculine way that is extremely appealing and interesting. By far the most successful of the three entries. So glad you're in the lead!

I love that wallpaper. I could also get used to that light fixture for sure. I like the contrast of traditional, heavy leather furniture with the sleek coffee table and modern lighting. I could see visiting this room and being very comfortable.

I love it too, actually. As a writer, this would totally be my apartment if I had a bit more money. Full of books, dark and mysterious but with fun colorful elements. I'd live in here!

I'm not a fan. I like the wall paper and that's about it. This is purely a fantasy room for me, in that, there are so many books and so much stuff going on that it's more a stage set than a room someone could actually live in...unless they were on Hoarders.

All of the furniture pieces work well together. Good job!

Yikes, that rug looks like a muppet hide. I also don't understand where the writer and his female guest will be dining? I'm surprised at the amount of overkill in all three windows. Editing is a key element in design. The Etro jacket and wall paper are the few saving graces.

Too bottom-heavy is right! Odd placement of those paintings on the back wall, and the walls, when placed together, well, why ? The faux bookcases are great. Perhaps if the wallpapered wall was something else it might all work. It's so overpowering! The T O'B fixture, which I think I've seen in person and liked, just doesn't photograph well, unfortunately.

I'm not usually a fan of dark, moody rooms but this really works for me.

I disagree with the posters who say the room is bottom heavy. I think the empty space in the upper area is an important contrast. The tableaux of the table, couch, centered art work and chandelier all emphasise the height of the room.

I would love to visit the person who lived with this space.

It makes me want to curly up, with a blanket and a book... PERFECT!

Very fun to see Maxwell working outside of the style to which we are accustomed!

Faux bookcases in a writer's room? That does not make any sense to me. I love the wallpaper and love the sofa. Everything else seems to be competing for attention. This room needs a Cure. Sorry, Maxwell.

The mention of library and books drew me in and the leather writer's chair and lovely wall paper will keep me there for a long while. Out of all three, your design is my favorite!

All the distracting -- and competing --elements here would give any writer a creative block, not to mention a headache. Seriously, what were you thinking?

I like the look of the room, but as many have said it's too bottom heavy. I'm sure it's different taking in the display in person, but the wallpaper, rug, and books are competing too much for attention. The great elements of the room are getting lost in all the stuff.
It still may be my favorite though...

I'm in love with the designers description much more than I am the actual room itself. I can appreciate what it was meant to achieve, but like some of the other commenters.. fear it missed it's mark.

While I don't agree with all of your design choices (I find the chandelier a little jarring in context), I'm voting for the scene in which I would most like to live. Yours is the only one. Such a depth of comfort - I sigh just looking at it. And the early 20th c. vibe, when the writer's imagination took us to worlds we had never seen. Well done!

Love that big chair and the wallpaper. Yours is my fave by far.

This is so unlike Maxwell's signature style (which I find lovely).

I just don't buy this vision for a writer, no matter how romantic. It's too fussy. Even without the narrative, on a purely esthetic level, I don't get it. I like the wallpaper and the light fixture in isolation, but the overall effect of the room is dizzying. Maybe the photos don't do it justice.

I don't care for the other windows, either, in photographs. So I won't vote unless I can get out there and see them all in Reality.

I really need that out-of-control shag rug...

Better than the Elle Decor window, that's for sure!

While the faux bookcases might be considered an odd choice by some (and it would have been nice to see at least ONE actual space to store and display books) it was a nice risk, and a very nice way for Maxwell to give AT Paint Guru Mark Chamberlain some deserved exposure.

As an aside, I am psyched that last year's three "amateurs" totally held their own against this year's windows...

Curtis and Jane, if you're out there... we ROCKED it! (with the help of the VERY talented Bloomingdale's Visual Team).

I love it. As an avid book lover--this could easily be "home" to me. I think the faux bookshelves are a great touch! I would definitely curl up in that gorgeous chair. My least fav is the wallpaper....but that is just me. Thank you and thanks to all who contributed. What fun!!!

The trompe l'oie is superb. I don't like the wallpaper or the rug. I think the color scheme is dizzying, the scale is wrong, and the showstopper is that Etro jacket which is wastefully tossed over a boring leather armchair. Not bad, but not great.

I love everything about this room, it must have been a great challenge. Great wallpapers!

Patrick--

I see what you're saying - but I'm certain Bloomies have real bookcases in stock for sale...
...and Mark's considerable talents would have been far better showcased by giving him carte-blanche on the back wall.

There's just too much going on honestly. My favorite part is the lamp, and that is almost camouflaged by the wallpaper behind it. And even with so much going on the tonal palette is so narrow that nothing stands out. I feel the same about Eddie's room, especially in that the wallpaper, nice on its own, visually clutters an already cluttered space.

Way too cluttered for me. I have no idea what to look at. Although I adore the wallpaper, I think the room would be easier to look at with a plain background...as it is, it's way way way too busy.

this is such a beautiful room
it feels as if it has evolved
wonderful job

Except for the wallpaper I could very much see myself being comfortable in this room. I like the color palate here, but preferred the grass cloth wall paper of the other entry.

Perhaps I'm mistaken but I understood the faux bookcases as a stand-in for the real thing for this "writer's" room? A slight sense of absent-minded clutter sets the mood for the imaginary "writer".

From the way the coffee table is set up, it looks as if one person would have to hunch over from the couch to eat and the other would have to sit on the ugly carpet. Way too many clashing colors, too.

What I think is so cool is that all three of these very different fictional characters were able to decorate their homes with Bloomingdales furniture! What a fun challenge: create a person, and then give him (or her) a history, a love life, kids, a career, a decorating style--and then take him shopping! I don't think that Maxwell was decorating for himself (which is why the aesthetic is so different from what we're used to seeing on AT), he was decorating for his character! With that in mind, no one could argue that his window wasn't a complete success. This definitely looks like a funky writer's space. Not only that, the room looks like it's evolved over time, rather than over a few hours in a furniture emporium. That couldn't have been easy. I think it's funny that so many people are bothered by the clutter. Believe it or not, there are actually people who like to be surrounded by their "things" (especially books), and this guy is obviously one of them. Clearly he's no minimalist (not everyone is). But as long as he doesn't mind dusting, I think he's got great taste.

This is a cluttered mess. Wallpaper is overwelming and I can't see past the mess to see anything else in the room. I love stuff but there is too too much stuff.
Crazy room and will make you go crazy.

I wanted to like this room. I really did. The idea of a "writers room" is very appealing. But I'm dissapointed in this. As has been stated the wallpaper is oppressive and IMO dreadful. There is too much going on and the colors just don't work. I didn't like the Bloomies room much better, it feels a little too "store window display" cold, but at least I could see myself in the space. The other two just make me want to run for cover.

...Perfect room! Ripe for creativity and romance!Great job,
Maxwell!

Yes, Patrick, I'm out here! And I agree. We most certainly did rock! I like these, too, and now I'm very curious to see them in person, but I feel very comfortable with how each of ours turned out last year.

I like the wallpaper, but that's about it...it just seems too "messy" and I really do not like the rug, sorry Maxwell.

That chandelier is all I can look at, and not in a good way.

As others have mentioned, this room is very bottom heavy. IMO a different rug color would make the all the difference between a somewhat unpleasing design and a very attractive one. The designer does convey the collector theme well.

If I were the guest invited to dine in this room, I would be feeling nervous as soon as I walked through the door. (Sorry, but something about it really creeps me out.) That aside, there's just way too much stuff, no place for the eye to rest. I do like the concept and some of the indivdiual elements (those I can make out); the wall paper's cool, as are the faux bookcases (if they were somewhere else), but all in all, it's just a jumble of stuff and very eccentric feeling.

Having said all that, I still like it better than Eddie Ross's room. I could live in this room if I tossed about a third of it out. Unfortunately, Eddie's room makes me feel ill every time I look at it. (Sorry for the harshness, but I never realized before how much a rooms' decor can physically affect a person's sense of well being.)

p.s. If you live around San Diego, there's a leather chair that looks very much like this one on craigs' list. $100. I so want to buy it, but unfortunately, I have no need or space for it.

Your room is the most inviting among all even if it looks somewhat contrived/staged although isn't that how American store windows are like?
I especially like the trompe l'oeil ala Fornasetti and dislike the rug. Being a foodie, writer, and bookworm, I can see myself in this room with an oushak and less clutter. Great job!

Replace rug, flower arrangement and change ridiculously contrived placement of books to neat stacks on the floor closer to the "bookcases" and this will be a lovely, welcoming room. The back story, however, of the red velvet-wearing single writer waiting for his lady friend is creepy; the particular elements of this room with that guy in it is more evocative of a pretentious English professor about to seduce his young student, male or female. Change the story to that of the writer making an awkwardly but sweet attempt to celebrate an occasion with spouse and the vibe is completely transformed.

"awkward" sorry.

Of all three rooms, this one is no doubt my favorite! I love the wallpaper, the chandelier, big club leather chair & the piles of books everywhere. A room that I could see myself in on a cold wintery raining day... catching up on my reading. And having evening cocktails with my husband before dinner. A look I been trying to achieve myself for my man cave (Den)…Ha! Great job Maxwell!

ewwwww. that's like Oscar the grouches can.

I am truly surprized and disappointed with this window!! Maxwell, why the cluttered over-textured riotous mess. There is no one I can imagine who'd be comfortable in this room. ugg! I'm so disappointed.

You lost me at the rug...

Compiled Haiku From Comments

Contrived can of Grouch
Muppet hide riotous mess
Lost me at the rug

love this room. masculine yet slightly whimsical. I'm liking the rug choice, weird in a good way--kind of gives it a woodland vibe (Mr. Tumnus' cottage).

I'm stuck at someone eating from the coffee table with having to go into traction therapy.

yuck! eck! bleh!

Sorry, but this is my least favorite. Got to agree that it is overstuffed and junky looking. It does resemble a stage set—of a high school play. "Romantic" does not come to mind, but "packrat" does.

Had a good laugh about the "Muppet" rug; spot-on!

Does anyone know the source for the two horses on the dresser?

that rug looks like mold :(

@Melonyjade - The haiku made me chuckle.

Wow, so this is what "pro" designers come up with? I could not comfortably live in any of these.

Meh.

Fyi, I think the voting system is flawed yet again. I could vote multiple times....

Your client, "Amor" is over the top with his love of funk. Sorry but this is a total miss.

Warm and classic. Voted!

@melonyjade

lol, this was great. Everything's better in haiku :)

Ugh. Way too much for me. I would hate this - and yet, compared against the other two entries? This would be my pick. Entry #1 is snore inducing - there's not a single element that interests me. Entry #3 is just hideous, a total absence of taste (in my utterly uneducated opinion).

As for this one...funny, so many commenters only like the wallpaper, and I think that it's the source of the problem for me. I would never be able to relax in this space - too busy, loud, and claustrophobic. I do love the leather chair and I actually own that champagne flute. The room would probably work for me against a more muted backdrop. There's just much too much going on visually, no place for my senses to find reprieve.

This is the only masculine design of the bunch which I think is a big turnoff for some folks whose taste has been cultivated through hours of watching HGTV and some of the design crap that is always pushed on there.

Were those detail shots added recently, or did I just miss them before? They're interesting. I couldn't see those admirable trompe d'oeil bookcases before, either.

Meanwhile I'm indignant that the garish Elle Decor window is beating this one out. Of the three--as photographed--I least dislike Maxwell's.

I love it - it is inviting and beautiful and makes the others look like a total snore.

my favorite of the three but i would also agree about it having just too much stuff. lots of great elements but i would have loved to see just one clean spot, like that gorgeous chair.

I could see how this would be an effective window display because you would want to look. You would need a moment or two just to figure out what is going on because it is busy, once your eyes adjust and weed through all the stuff then you might see an object you would like purchase.

"Yikes, that rug looks like a muppet hide" now that was a funny!

Looks like you tried too hard... or didn't try hard enough.
Either way: fail.

This is a miss, and a mess. The rug is so ugly I can't get past it to look at anything else, especially since the chandlier just blends into the wallpaper. What writer would not have REAL bookcases! WHERE is he writing? There's no desk, not even a laptop for the chair.

Well. Although it has many flaws, I voted for this one because a) the Bloomie's one was a total cliché, and thus totally boring and b) the Elle Decor one was a complete disaster in terms of scale, content, and everything else.

Having said that, I think this room would have been far better without the Muppet pelt (ha) and with the same wallpaper on the side walls. The fake books are too literal for a "writer's" room.

For those in NYC, get to see the windows in person. As last year, they show WAY better that way.

If you go, you'll see that this rug, in person, is a great (and glamorous) steel-gray color. Not slightly Kermit as the pics seem to indicate.

This is a tricky assignment... is it retail display, designed to stop traffic in a city jaded by crazy-ass Barney's surrealism, Bergdorf's brilliant excesses, or Ralph Lauren's hyperrealism... or is it a room to be lived in, voted on by ATers who have decluttered their way through the most recent Cure?

Believe me, that's a REALLY hard balance to decide upon... and then hit.

Whoa, such strong criticism from the peanut gallery. :-)

That said, I will say stylistically, it's not me at all and I can appreciate it for what it is, however, some things did bother me about the room.

First off, I don't think it's as bottom heavy as some say due to the faux bookcases actually go up to the ceiling, but I agree something tall on the back wall to help things a bit.

That said, some of the issues is the clutter that I would've picked up or at least tidied up before the guest arrived, and even if that person is another man for dinner as some of us of the other persuasion need to set some good impressions too you know. :-)

That said, it is commendable to see Maxwell get outside of this usual aesthetic to do this room and another thing, what about a desk if this is actually to be a writer's room? Amor has to write somewhere, doesn't he?

Another thing is the wallpaper and the rug. I like the shag but not in the gray in this room, another thing is the wallpaper is making the room a little too busy for all the rest that's in it.

Otherwise I can see it as an inviting space.

Probably the one closes to my aesthetic is the early 60's vibe room done by I think Eddie and even there, I'm not sure I'd have chosen the wallpaper used though.

All three in fact have their good points here.

Good job.

(I *do* hope Eddie and Eileen get the benefit of additional detail shots, too, btw...)

Yikes, that rug looks like a muppet hide.

Sam the American Eagle, judging from the colour.

I agree that the rug is the room's nadir. However I prefer Maxwell's room over the other two. The chandelier is beautiful and the wallpaper is perfect. The room is masculine and old-world but with some glam furnishings, which make it feel as if it grew out of someone's personality over time, rather than out of a designer rushing around Bloomingdale's looking for nice stuff.

Yeah, except "Bloomingdale's nice stuff" was part of the assignment, no?

Oh Maxwell, you had me at "Nina Crosland Wallpaper"

Maxwell,

Your new detail shots here are totally slimy of you and par for the course in this joke of a challenge. How can you possibly call this fair?

You suck and the world should know.

Patrick,

Yes, part of the assignment was choosing furniture from Bloomindales. However, I'm so much more intrigued when I enter a room and can't immediately identify the origins of the furnishings (especially if said furnishing came for a large department store). Are they antiques? Reproductions? Custom pieces? DIYs? Same thing with clothes. Is she wearing vintage? Designer? GAP??? That's sort of the cool factor I'm looking for. It's a compliment to both Maxwell AND Bloomingdales that this room doesn't look like it was put together in a few hours by a designer rushing around the fifth floor. But, hey, that's just one woman's opinion.

Maxwell,

Your new detail shots here are totally slimy of you and par for the course in this joke of a challenge. How can you possibly call this fair?

You suck and the world should know.

Wow, Maxwell's mom is really unsupportive :)

I like the wallpaper in this room, and the nod to the Studiolo is a definite plus. While I wouldn't want it for me, I think it's great for inspiration or for a person like Amad per the description of him. Nice work!

I think the accessories should of been edited down a little bit, especially on the coffee table and I agree there should of been some larger artwork on the main wall; something to accentuate the high ceilings. But, overall I think the goal of this challenge really was to go a little over the top and I overall love this space compared to the other two.

I love your window Maxwell, and frankly, am a bit disappointed by the others. They lack depth in comparison, whereas yours seems to have captured the essence of a literate, complex and interesting individual.

It's the one I want to spend time in, in any case!

And I find it funny how the wallpaper captures the essence of the Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan imprimatur... In my mind's eye, I can see it in your own space.

Bravo!

Geez, just read a sample of the other comments. Tough no-hold-back crowd!

Amor has loads of places to write -- in the chair, on the sofa, sprawled on that amazing shag rug, at the coffee table.

He uses a laptop, and finds that despite having an office (it's a 2 bedroom), the living room is more conducive to writing.

wgtwnwtd said:

Maxwell,

Your new detail shots here are totally slimy of you and par for the course in this joke of a challenge. How can you possibly call this fair?

You suck and the world should know.

Are you crazy? That Eddie guy changed his pics as well. Pipe down.

I can only imagine the talented designers standing outside shaking their heads in dismay, disbelief- digust. Too bad. Those that can not do-Teach.Stick to product intro and other designer room posts.

I wanted to like this room sooo much, from the theme to the dark/moody/intimate setting. What totally killed it for me was the faux bookshelves. In a writer's room, it just doesn't fly. Although not ideal, I can deal with the clutter as I have a ton of books I'm forced to fit wherever I can so I understand that aspect of it. I don't mind that the art was hung low, but the scale is way off.

The wallpaper is hideous IMO and that rug is pretty creepy.

What I think was done well was setting the scene for the intimate late night dining (after what seems like a date elsewhere). And I love the late 19th/early 20th century vibe. What it reminds me of are those 80s/90s Sherlock Holmes tv shows/movies with Jeremy Brett.

Henrietta--

The poster's objection was about the addition of multiple detail shots, and as far as I can see as of Friday morning, additional detail shots haven't been posted for either Eileen's windows, or Eddie's.

Whatever. It happened last year, too (albeit via links to Flickr pages).

Sally305--

What was Bloomie's window a cliche *of,* exactly?

And your comment, "The fake books are too literal for a "writer's" room." was really funny to me!

Despite my earlier comment that wallpaper is growing on me. In general I'm not a fan of busy patterned wallpaper and might feel differently again if I get a chance to view it in person.

I think it looks great. With all this rain in LA makes me want to curl up on the couch and read a good book. I know a lot of people posted comments on it being bottom heavy but I'm assuming it's because the angle the photo's were taken and if you were standing outside looking into the window you would just be seeing the bottom half as only so much wall space can be seen in a window and I think some people might not understand that and therefore, it appears to be bottom heavy when it might not. I wish I was back East to see these myself.

This might look better in person but as for me, it's a total miss. I'm a writer and I would never be able to create in that space. Everything juxtaposed just for the sake of contrasting modern while trying to force traditional. It's a hot mess.

This one has my vote. I think it has the most personality.

I also commend Maxwell for going outside of the box with his style. From what I can tell this room looks nothing like his apartment's decor.

I love this--it's the most comfortable and hospitable for me. As a writer/editor, even though I now do most of my research online, my space can still end up looking like this in the middle of a big assignment--but with library books, journals, and DVDs. I've also had a great share of lovely coffee table picnics.

Patrick the Other,

The Bloomie's window is a cliché of what a world traveler's home would look like because it is composed of entirely predictable elements, like the zebrawood mirror, tribal curtains, sailing ships, and assorted Asian statuary. It comes across as something from a mid-range furniture store like Steinhafels--I see little real originality in this execution. I am glad you found my other comment amusing. I could have stated it more as a compliment to Maxwell--I don't think he needed to go that far with the "writer's room" motif to get the point across and draw us into the story. The rest of his choices did that really well, in my opinion.

A) That's not a zebrawood mirror.

And a writer's room littered with leather-bound tomes, vintage globe and smoking jacket is less cliché, how, exactly? A modern woman's room strewn with Jackie O and Audrey Hepburn books and a Chanel purse is less cliché, how, exactly?

What you note as cliché are actually just universal tools to tell a story to someone walking past these windows... but EVERY window here is "guilty" of it. Maxwell is not exempt just because your prefer his window.

That said, I actually think Eileen's room is a much less literal, and much more modern, interpretation of her subject matter. She could have gone whole-hog Indiana Jones, and she didn't. Was there room for a little more storytelling? Absolutely (as I noted over on her entry). But like I said there, I think it was choice, not lack of vision or talent.

And I laughed at your comment before because of faux bookcases and your use of the word "literal." They were funny choices, to me, a word nerd. I was not laughing at you.

I love word nerds and there is no printed matter I do not wish to read and reread again someday, so for AT loyalty, and personal resonance, I will vote for Maxwell. Someone said "vomitorium of clutter" in the comments and I will remember it forever because I guess a vomitorium of clutter is my natural habitat. I have a little Eddie that sits on my shoulder and urges me to accumulate more and more tableware, but I am a cluttery old mom, (though not quite so girly/Palm Beachy.) I am not at all relating to the world traveler, it is a pretty room and entirely boring to me. I care mainly about narrative and personal stories. I am not feeling any of the imaginary characters and the contest last year was so much more exciting for me. The windows were really expressions of interesting individuals and I wish I could have seen them. Hooray for Curtis and Patrick and Jane, (last year) they were really inspiring and distinctive.

Patrick the Other--whatever! STRIPED mirror. I am sure I can go to Pier 1 or Cost Plus World Market and they can tell me exactly what it should rightfully be called.

I am not sure why you have to keep commenting on my comments. We all have visceral reactions to things we see. We don't all agree. That is what makes this site so much fun...most of the time. In any case, you are allowed to prefer Eileen's window. I am allowed to prefer Maxwell's. If you look at the voting, opinions are split fairly evenly among the three. You will never "prove" to me that the one you like best is the one I should. As with many things in life, interior design is very subjective. I am sure you realize this.

I was, honestly, just originally and genuinely curious why you thought Eileen's window was cliché... and this one, not. Genuinely interested. I actually wanted to see what you were seeing. And share with you what I was seeing.

And I like "dialogue" on this site. Otherwise it's all "oooh, pretty kitty!" or "Nice Ikea hack!" Zzzzzzzz.

Sorry if you thought I was baiting you.

As far as zebrawood or not, it's a pet peeve, on a design-driven site, when specific terms are used loosely.

And again, you made me laugh... "not sure why you have to keep commenting on my comments". In a comment commenting to me. Sorry, I like irony.

Apartment Therapy is absolutely the best. Sorry BD, but yours is just, yawn. Elle Decor, Ick, is all I can say. AT's is not only warm and inviting, but so much more intriguing!
It has the feel of adventure, and travel, while at the same time inviting one in to listen to those tales of adventure.

oMordah,
Artist/Writer

I love books. I have a home full of them and I am far from a neat freak, but there's just way too much going on here. The full formal dinner place settings on the coffee table, the "artfully haphazard" books and clothing tossed everywhere, the competing elements.... I agree with others who find the room far too cluttered and fussy. It feels like it's trying way too hard. I want to love this room, but I can't.

I also wanted to fall in love with one of these rooms, especially Maxwell's, since I'm usually a big fan of his design work. Love the chandelier and other lighting, wouldn't mind curling up in the chair and am curious about the kind of man who might wear that fab jacket, but otherwise, though the room feels warm and reflects a unique point of view, I felt overwhelmed by a space packed with competing elements.

As a writer/artist, I find it odd to have faux books in a writer's room; most writers have vast quantities of real books, and likely would prefer a more inspiring image than walls painted with fake books. I'd have loved to see Mark's prodigious talents put to use to create an inspiring landscape on the back wall instead. The wallpaper, though lovely, feels far too busy for this space--perhaps more suited to a feminine bedroom than a male writer's retreat.

Also--this challenge might rightly reflect more fantasy than practicality, but a writer is someone who writes, and s/he needs a proper place to do so, which doesn't appear to be the case here. Creative people (especially those in small NYC apartments) tend to find unusual solutions to space constraints, and it seems like a wasted opportunity not to have found a way to use Bloomie's furniture in an unexpected way to create a usable writing space.

All this having been said, I appreciate Maxwell's immersion in the narrative that inspired the design and his willingness to take risks (surprising design is interesting, even when I don't love it). So, although I am not crazy about this room, I'll vote for him.

Can't live with the rug... As much as this is a fictional room for a fictional character, I can't put anyone through the tripping and falling that rug would cause.

Sally305,

Just want to say I totally understand and agree with your points about the Bloomie's window. It looks like the home of someone who pretends to be a world traveller, who maybe believes they are, but if they do indeed travel, stays insulated in 5 star hotels and restaurants without really seeing the country, and thinks the stuff sold at the airport is authentic. My African art history prof used to called it "airport art"; in this case, I guess it's "department store art". Just too '80s and too hotel.

Patrick, the Bloomingdale's window is boring. I would barely turn my head if I passed it. I usually don't comment in the negative but I want to talk about this window contest and what it means to me. My spouse liked it best. Doesn't like clutter, he says.
It looks like a furniture store window. My town thrift store just had a window of things from around the world on auction that was more interesting. Bloomies is a NY must for me when I visit. The Christmas windows a couple of years ago (Red Grooms-ish) were one of my all time favorite NY treats of all times.
I was very excited about the opportunity you and Curtis and Jane had and frankly, Patrick I thought I wouldn't like yours because I thought it would be too conventional for me. But you made that beautiful installation and the way you used empty frames, which I usually hate, was rich and the whole thing had mystery and beauty and it was entertaining and would have stopped me in my tracks.
I didn't even vote because I loved all three.

What was the earlier poster blathering about with detail shots in this one and not others? I believe they all have 5 detail shots. ?!?

Don't like any of the three.

The haiku said it best. As someone who used to give her parents' shag carpet "haircuts", the furry thing has got to go. And in its place, a red carpet, or maybe brown or orange or maroon or wine or saffron, please? Something about that cold grey colour just kills it. While the purple and red pillows invite you to sit on the couch, the rug suggests that you're floating on some furry monster's back (like the Neverending Story maybe?) in the middle of a faux-Victorian room instead of BEING in a faux-Victorian room.

Everything else seems to work, though I'm still looking for the steampunk. There is balance, the walls are fantastic and the books seem at home, strewn everywhere, especially around that statue on the right. Even the table and chandelier, which are decidedly more modern than the rest of the look would seem to dictate, work with the space. Dump the rug and I'd have voted for it.

I think you're a brave masochist - how utterly horrible to be a designer and have everyone judge you. There's no pleasing everyone, so here's my freebie.

For me, the chandelier doesn't work, the pictures are too low /the ceiling too high. I think you've been brave in your colours, but too cluttered - even for a shop window wanting to showcase its wares.

Bloomingdales - tired and uninspired. I know that the 'owner' is supposed to be well travelled, but they're coming off jet-lagged - no love, no quirk, no personality. I feel as though I could have done this room. Ha!

Elle - it's balanced and it's thought out without being too overprocessed... but it SHRIEKS 'annoying-Gen-Y-girl'. This is not an entertainment space for 'sparkling evenings entertaining at home', but I dare say anyone could sparkle on a couch THAT BEIGE, it's making the cushions look confused Bollywood.

I loved so much about this room, (the chandelier, the sofa, the wallpaper and murals) but that fat brown leather chair was too much for me. Really, I couldn't get past it!

All the entries are pretty great.. though it appears that Eddie had the huge advantage of more space. This allowed him more area to pull off his look most effectively.. Bloomies really did excellent on creating the feeling of a great room with good scale in limited quarters, while Eddie's did not. AT was good like so many comments before... you cannot have a writer's room without REAL bookcases. The wallpaper helped create the illusion but the room needed more depth - bookcases would have helped.

Studiolo is one of my favorite rooms at the Met as well, and I run visitors to it whenever I can. I really like your concept and I think it just needs a little Rembrandt lighting - a bit darker with highlights to add more definition to the texture. I don't think there is any improvement to the design, but that lighting isn't giving the best look in the pic ;)

This window is a lot more fun than the boring Eileen Joyce one.It looks like a Housing Works auctions window. I don't like the faux library wallpaper but I do like the Neisha Crosland walls. I am not crazy about the rug but overall it is creative and original even if at times it becomes a hodge podge unlike the Bloomingdales room which is dullsville.

The thing that's better about this one in person is that when you're standing on the sidewalk, looking straight at it, you're kind of looking those portraits right the eye, and the whole "bottom-heavy" issue becomes a little more moot. In the pics that show the entire window, thought, I can kind of see what was meant.

Seriously, there are things about each of them that I like, but I really was a little surprised to see that the books look KIND of like the police had been in there searching for contraband.

The wallpaper looks so very fun, that I just know that some of those books would covers on them that weren't all that old, although I LOVE the look of the old book covers.

I think this one wins in terms of having the best theme idea. My current inspiration for my own living room is very similar to the inspiration for this room, so I may be a bit biased, but I love the idea of working with "bibliophile in the city" and creating an inviting, old world retreat.

However, I don't think this room wins in terms of execution. For that, I definitely think Eileen's room is best - perhaps because she chose a theme that was easier to work with and simpler furnishings (and therefore risks being "boring"). But I don't find the AT room to be well-done, though it is clear to me what the intention was.

I agree with other posters that it looks cluttered. The more I looked at the pics, the more things I did find to like, but my first impression was "too much stuff" and my eye couldn't settle anywhere with the busy wallpaper. I'd have preferred a darker, non-shag rug, a cleared-off coffee table, a simpler light fixture, and different wall paper. I do feel like this room has the most potential, though, to be the room I'd be most likely to live in.

Don't give up your day job Max.
Don't you think that since AT is hosting the contest on its site, that AT should not be competing - it seems like a conflict of interest.
xo xo

Visual Vamp--

As a "design professional" yourself, with a blog of your own, I'd expect you to have FAR more professional courtesy and respect for what's going on here.

If Maxwell were trouncing the competition, your constant whining about what's fair or unfair would make much more sense. Well, *slightly* more sense.

You have gladly accepted the coverage and shout-outs your blog has gotten on here in the past. You can't have it both ways. Biting the hand that feeds you just seems really, really petulant and tacky.

And don't get me STARTED on the "xo xo."

I would've been really into this room if someone had cleaned it first.

I love your design and voted. Great work!

I am an interior designer that appreciates the work of other designers who show a personal connection to the work they do for clients, for themselves or in a competition. Maxwell clearly is that sort of designer, the room he created in Bloomingdales window is not about decorating in the commercial sense. To me the other windows look like they are advertising items for sale, overly styled and devoid of feeling. I may sound condescending or bitter, but too many decorators tend to do rooms that seem to be done to impress a certain class or click.
Some of you have commented that Maxwell's room looks like a stage set or that of a pack rat. To me it tells a story, he's created an imaginary person who is artistic, slightly eccentric maybe, but not at all a victim of convention. There are many items in the room yes, but each is chosen for it's quality and adds to what I think is beautiful about the room. Your given a view inside the person who has invited you to visit them. That person would probably not hire me, I do not have the connection to that kind of drama or decorative art, but I am fascinated when it is done well.
So I say Bravo! I hope these comments will encourage more votes for my winner.
FR Gillette

I'm not sure why, exactly, but in the light of day, I feel much better about this room. There are elements I still don't like (eg. the rug), but overall, it's growing on me. It stands out on the voting page. Maybe that's because the Bloomingdale's room feels sterile and devoid of energy. And there's really not much to like about the Elle Decor window. So you get a vote from me, today, Maxwell. And probably one tomorrow. (Although I'm a gemini, and my likes and dislikes change more often than the weather.) I might not want to eat dinner in this room, but I wouldn't mind hanging out in it. Especially if it had some windows and a fourth wall. :-)

I find this room a little bit full but there is something that charms me about the mix. I really like the wallpaper, although I love everything from Neisha Crosland so that was a gimme. I also really am liking that spicy orange/red color. It always feels very exotic to me and I think it is a really appropriate choice for this room. This definitely has my vote.

Very sophisticated -- nice.

Oh, and the rug is fabulous!

WOW! I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS IN PERSON...I'M THINKING THE ''BOTTOM HEAVY'' IS DUE TO THE RUG. I LOVE THE CHANDELIER...ITS LEVELING......THE WALL PAPER IS JUST BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE THE FURNITURE YOU CHOSE. I SAY I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN PERSON, BECAUSE THE SIDE WALLS JUST DO NOT DO IT FOR ME....THEY ARE SPOOKY! : 0 GHOST WALLS!
YOU SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF ALL YOU DO, YOU HAVE TAKEN ALL OF US APARTMENT THERAPY GURUS TO ANOTHER LEVEL! THANK YOU MAXWELL. BEST TO YOU.
CARRIE

I'd probably dislike the "wallpaper" more if I hadn't seen the photo of it being handpainted. I think it's a beautiful and quirky pair of murals. I also appreciate the irony that all the actual books are on the floor--I read for a living, and read up to a dozen books a month for fun, but my own personal library fits a 4-foot-tall, 3-foot-wide bookshelf (not including my cookbooks). The room also reminds me a little of one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes, "Time Enough at Last" . . . not sure if that's a compliment, but it's fun nonenetheless.

Maxwell -
Fantastic job!

Hope you pull ahead and win, but it's an honor to be nominated, as they say. I mean, what a coup, to be mentioned in the same breath as Elle decor really says something about what you've built here.

Congratulations!

oh no! faux bookcases?? steampunk?? sorry, I don't like it.

I'm not a big fan of wallpaper; however, great balance between masculine and feminine. I could hole up in this room all winter.

I couldn't vote for anyone: I loathe wallpaper.