Name: Vince Stroop
Location: Flower District — New York, New York
Size: 700 square feet
Years lived in: 4 years — rented
There is a magical place that exists amongst the grit and hustle of New York City where the scenery demands you take a breath and stop to smell the roses. It is sweet, fresh, and totally unexpected. Walking down 28th street you find yourself strolling straight into New York's garden district. It is one full block of street gardens where greenery and flowers eschew from storefronts and flowers lace the sidewalk. This is the doorstep and daily dose of green for Vince who, in my opinion, maybe one of the luckiest people in Manhattan.
Vince is an architect at A2 Studios-art+architecture. So, we all know how much space along with a functional and beautiful environment matters to him. He may be the luckiest person in the city because he gets what everyone else wants; a continually updated and tended garden (for free), central location, great clean space, and of course all this with a view to the empire state building. Can you say heaven? Upon getting the lease to this apartment from a friend he didn't have too much to update. It was an open floor plan with great light and generous proportions.
He was able to spend most of his energies on furnishings and expressing his style. One word to describe Vince's style is Clean. When I visited his space I couldn't wrap my head around where he kept his things. It was so open and uncluttered. Sure, there is a mile of dressers running through his living room but seeing how much it made sense in his space it was hard to see it as anything but an architectural statement. He also knows the value of good design and how to make pieces work for him. Like his firm's motto says Vince understands cost effective impact. He is invigorated by the notion that the basic fundamentals of function and cost can be translated into sophisticated spaces, elegant details and environmental sustainability. Gosh, that's music to my ears! No matter if they are from Design Within Reach or Ikea his curation is fluid and cohesive.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Eclectic minimalism – modern & simple.
Inspiration: Ideas inspired by travel and the "city".
Favorite Element: Wall storage system.
Biggest Challenge: Creating privacy in an open environment.
What Friends Say: WOW, beautiful or sophisticated.
Biggest Embarrassment: Spilling charcoal paint all over a white shag rug.
Proudest DIY: Creating and installing wall storage system by myself.
Biggest Indulgence: Dining table.
Best Advice: Live in it for a while, collect images of things you have seen or like
and then try to find things that make you feel good.
Dream Sources: Hudson Furniture, Design within Reach or Piet Boon
Resources of Note:
Furniture
- • I like to check out some of the sleek expensive show rooms and then find similar pieces or concepts at places like room and board, Design within Reach and dare I say it....IKEA ..... you just have to be willing to mix it up.
Accesories
- • Similar to furniture, I look around for simple things or bring things back that are part of a travel experience...however being a minimalist I don't have a lot of "stuff" around.
KITCHEN
- • Wine opener + wine glasses.
LIGHTING
- • This is very similar to furniture and accessories. I like architectural lighting.
ARTWORK
- • I love oversized graphics, modern imagery and pieces that have been done by up and comers. I like to hit events in the city that feature young artists as part of a charity event, or to rummage through flea market piles and then re-frame them in simple modern frames. Photography is also another great way to mix
things up.
Thanks, Vince!
Images: Gregory Sparks
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oh dear, I love it.
Those are Stolmen wardrobe posts and drawers. I thought about doing drawers and shelves, but they would have been too deep for my narrow inset wall, so I went with open shelving that fit flush instead. I do think the Stolman would look better with display shelving and not just drawers.
Another option that might have looked cleaner would be installing drawers or cabinets directly to the wall, such as the Akurum cabinets. It would be a lot more work, though.
I love the floors and the dining table, but it looks like the apt has a great bedroom zone but no real living area, besides one sofa at the end. These narrow, long apts are a challenge.
Several very recognizable Ikea pieces, yet it doesn't feel like I'm looking at an Ikea catalog.
FYI, the word eschew means avoid or abstain from.
Lovely and serene home! Looks very comfortable and inviting. Where is the bed from?
Lovely and calm. But I'm aching to turn the couch 90 degrees.
I love the Stolmen dressers, and I love the bathroom.
I agree, though, that the single "couch" as living room looks lonely. The dining table and chairs are fantastic, as is the office area, but they leave the living area looking skimpy.
Love times a million :-)
This is gorgeous, Vince!!!
Wow! Great use of IKEA
I should add here that I love the color, the arrangement of most of the apt, and the glass desk and ghost chairs. I'd love a larger artwork over the couch. It looks slightly off-center because of space constraints and the tripod lamp (which is lovely). I don't have enough design acumen to recommend alternatives. Maybe a cantilevered or standing lamp with a single base? Eliminating the last drawer would provide room for two side tables and table lamp.
Still lovely, and so uncluttered!
Beautiful space and decor. You can tell he's a designer.
Please tell me where that table is from!?
Great use of the space. Would love to know where the artwork is from (especially the framed pieces).
Thank you, goldfish13, it was bothering me too.
I think the use of the Stolmem dressers is brilliant, adding the shelves would just clutter the look and make it a bit ordinary. This still gives you lots of storage and display area... but then you knew that already... Well done.
Another person who has to comment on the great use of stolman units! I have this wild fantasy of using them to make a crazy kitchen someday. This is doing nothing to quell those ambitions!!
Fainting.
Even though this place is obviously not huge, the use of the space is genius and I'm totally in love. <3 Superb job!
There is a problem with the tour; after the first photo, I get a page that says "Bad gateway". Please fix, I want to see this place!
This place is very neat and clean. No clutter at all. How do you manage?
wow, just wow!! Vince, your place is gorgeous!! so clean and airy and flowy. Well use of space and the splash of colors work very well together!
Have I mentioned "wow"?!??
Gorgeous and well thought out. Don't change a thing. Your design sense is right-on. Turning that couch would create a tunnel and totally crowd the dining table. The repetition of the Stolmen is brilliant. I also love that the sparse walls give the eye a place to rest. Your lighting is spectacular. I could go on and on... Ditto to the Wow.
The polls threw me off at first but once I looked through all the photos I no longer see the polls. Its just beautiful and so simple. I agree leave the sofa alone. Really nice job!
Very beautiful place. However, I am having a little difficulty with the poles. Why are they there? Are they supports for the dressers? I dearly love the dressers lined up like that.
I've looked at the slideshow a couple of times, and I am in love with your space planning - except for those poles. They are really a distraction for me. Almost like prison bars. Otherwise, fabulous place.
I'd like to know where the bed is from. I think it would look great in my son's bedroom if I could afford it...
Yes, 'eschew' was a stumper, until I finally figured he meant 'issue.' That was just the most confusing of the many errors in the post. Gregory's eschewing the comma where it could be useful made for an awkward, though understandable, read. Guess editing is a lost art.
As to the apartment, the couch being off center to the two windows would drive me nuts. I would have centered it in front of the two windows (and have done so in similar apartments), and not have started the Stolmen dressers so close to the windows, if necessary. Not that I'd have used Stolmen - I think there are nicer looking options at that price.
Otherwise, nice place. I fnd it refreshing that a large dining table was used, instead of more living room furniture with no real dining area. Neglecting to include a dining area seems to be common today.
Yes, agreed, stunning. Major overhead lighting envy. But I would love to see a layout. I am trying to figure out where the kitchen and bathroom are in relation to everything. We have a somewhat similar space and also struggle with living/dining/office/storage issues.
I agree with mon_truc_en_plumes about the layout. Am wondering whether the kitchen might be off the bedroom? Which would be odd...
Impressive.
Gorgeous!!! Love the simplicity and colors. The ONLY thing I would change are those poles.
nicely edited apartment. wouldn't mind 'borrowing' a few ideas for my own place...
Love the grey accent walls! What brand/colour paint is it?
Also love the curtains partitioning off the office nook. What sort of track system did you use? And where can I get them?
Thanks!
Love it! especially all the flowers, the storage sistem, the poles...etc!
It won't be the Flower District for long. Many of the flower shops in that neighborhood have moved to cheaper locations and the remaining ones probably won't be there much longer.
But before it was the Flower District, that block was Tin Pan Alley, where many of America's great songs were written. I wonder what tunes got their start in Vince's apartment.
I'm frustrated that i am also getting
"Bad gateway error" when I look at some of th episc.
But from what I saw- I am impressed. The rug placement in front of the coach is driving me crazy but the use of the curtains to separate the office space is genius.
Let's not forget that this is a rental, so Stolmen is a great choice for the likes of us.
I feel silly that I'm so attached to my TV bc it rarely makes a place look better.
Who is the sofa from?
LOVE this place! (from the few pictures before bad gateway appears).
Where is the dining table from?
Vince! Kudos to you... Such a great space. I will definitely be using this as a source of inspiration for my next apartment.
A Life Designed - www.randysloan.com
Just yesterday, I was wondering how those chairs and that table would look together. The look great! I also love the set-up of the furniture. I do have one question, are there any tables to put things on when you're sitting at the sofa?
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! I think this is my all-time favorite post! Thank you for sharing!
Stunning! Every single inch. Love it!
Although, living on 28th in the dwindling Flower District is sort of a nightmare.
Beautiful and soothing environment they have created here..
All I would need to know is "is there a closet or two somewhere"? Otherwise, hands down, this is the most appealing (to me) place I have seen on this site.
Ditto "Brilliant"!
700 SQF is a big apartment and I do not think he used the space to the full advantage it could have been. Yes its a "modern" or in my opinion "post-modern" design, but it doesn't feel dynamic.
I do enjoy the large wooden table with the Lucite chairs, but is that really a necessary use of the space? And to have nearly all the furniture so long and low when there seems to be such high ceilings? Why not do something to draw the eye up so that one doesn't feel how narrow the space is. And for all the talk of art work I only see what two pieces? Art is everywhere and money is no obstacle to finding cool work in NYC.
Overall it is another bland male space with minimal personality.
OMG! I LOVE the Flower District. This lovely apartment is my West Side fantasy. Kudos on on creating a soothing and sophisticated home.
Like the dressers, hate the poles, are they to stabilize? I would have not placed the 1st one so close to the livingroom couch. And it looks lonely in there. Good use of space, but the office is the only place that shows any personality.
Beautiful! Amazing use of the space.
Nice! I love it...I just love what you have done with this space...well appointed!
I like the cleanliness of it and clutter-free zone. But one question. Where's the tv? It is always great to snuggle on the couch with a loved one and make it a movie night. But here you would be sitting on the couch looking at the dinner table.
Wow! Really loved your space! You did such a great job putting it together. I also have a dark dining table and was having a real hard time finding a set of chairs that goes with it and the decor. May I ask where you bought your chairs from?