apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love what Gary says about living small brining him a sense of "clarity" by living with only what he needs. His home is beautiful.

Possibly my favorite so far! I like that everything is neat and pared down, yet you still have room to show off your prized possessions (like the guitars). Love the Swan chairs; love the "warm underbelly" floors!

Looks nice, but it would have been good to have seen the bedroom also. Like what you have done with the living room.

I love the first shot, but then seeing the wall with bookshelf and guitars totally threw me off. I'm voting "cool" because does guy really need more designer furniture??

Sorry to say, but this one is a bit boring. Lots of beautiful pieces, but not a lot of creativity. Nicely photographed though.

These are the type of photographs everyone who enters this contest should be taking. This apartment has a good sense of minimalist style.

This is my favorite entry to date, by far. Beautiful light and space, furniture that makes sense and looks as comfortable as it is elegant. Best of all, the desk, bookcase, musical instruments (and so on) give a real sense of warmth and personality to the place. Can't wait to see the bedroom!

Those pillows. I like those pillows.

You get lots of SUN!

Not thrilled with that strange nude statue on the coffee table but outside of that I'm with you Gary.

looks great Gary, but be prepared for the onslaught of people complaining about how you didn't have a photo of the bedroom and how you have "too much money". just a warning ;)

i think it's a fantastic entry-- great job!

No bedroom pics? I would have liked to see pics of the entire space to get more of a feel of it. Other than that I liked what you have done with your place. Very nice.

"Concrete cell" isn't the most welcoming of descriptions, even if there is claim of a "warm underbelly." Nice space, but the semantics of this entry crack me up.

that first picture sums it all up. very pretty really. a bedroom shot would have been nice though when allowed five pictures.

Nicely done. How long have you had your LC2 bathing in that pool of sunlight? Even with commercial grade leather, I am worried about damage to your upholstery. Do you condition the leather? Please advise: this is the only thing that makes me feel uneasy about your space. Everything else is "just right."

Its classy but not pretentious. You have museum quality pieces without the showroom feel. Your priorities are very clearly articulated by the space. It seems very personal even with so many design icons.

okay... i'm not much of a conspiracy-theorist normally, but watching the contest progress, seeing the lack of over-all pictures by nearly every contestant, it looks like they are blackmailing us into voting entries up just so we can see more when we voted them into the semi-finals. please...

With the exception of the last photo (with the guitars), this place looks like a high-end furniture gallery... or Patrick Bateman's apartment. Yikes.
Expensive furniture does not equal "super cool." It just equals "super expensive." I'd rather see personality.

Great windows and I like the display of musical instruments. However, I agree with Button in that the apartment seems to be lacking in terms of creativity. My first thought after viewing photos was that what the owner lacks in original style he makes up for in having a lot of money to spend at Design Within Reach (I counted 6 stereotypical reproduction pieces). But that's just me and judging by the other comments it seems I'm clearly in the minority on this messageboard, so well done in being a crowd pleaser.

I see a space that has a ton of great items and the layout is hot but is lacking the color to put it over the top for me. i guess he is going for Bachelor pad vibe but there is a lack of creativity here. NO COLOR on the wall and minimal color in his furniture to offset the fact there is no color on the walls.

Very masculine.
One of my fave's so far. Voted "Super Cool".

This is nice, but too sterile for me.

Really, I could care less if the space has designer iconic pieces, repros or the originals or something else, what counts is how it's put together and how it "feels" overall.

I like how he has sculptures and other personal elements within a spare color pallet of blacks, dark browns and off white along with the gray tone of the concrete to add that "other" element outside of modern. It's those "other" elements that to me keep it from being too spare and lend a personal touch to what would be a nice, but somewhat bland space. If anything, I'd love to see more accent colors in amongst the black and something to shield the space during the bright daytime hours at least partially if the unit is exposed to the direct sun, especially to the west or the south.

Overall, I like what Gary has done with the space although I'd like to see something other than the counter for an easting space and I'd personally utilize the wall across from the kitchen for a wall full of shelving for books, albums, CD's etc and down near the living area, a table that can somehow fold out when needed for dining.

Very well done overall I think

I voted super cool, but I think he's got an unfair advantage because that condo is so *awesome* (IMHO) that he could have just had folding chairs and a card table and I would have loved it.

Many thanks for your comments.

I did indeed, make an error in not including a picture of the bedroom. Ironically, my number one goal on moving in last year was making sure that there was nothing under the bed, which had become the default storage are in the last place. Photographic evidence would have made for a rather interesting statement.

In answer to your question Raven, the LC2 is in Y leather which is little more supple and probably would degrade quicker under the direct sun than the contract leather, hence the automated mechoshades, which are my favourite indulgence.

Like most Architects, I am hopelessly addicted to 'the Classics', but I've tried hard to balance the familiar with personal objects/art that I collected through my travels through both the world and life. Depsite the mimimialist aesthetic the space is actually deeply personal.

Thank you again for your comments.

LOVE THAT KITCHEN !!

first photo great. well placed iconic pieces. but then you lost me. nothing unexpected and a lack of vertical contrast.

your tribal mask is screaming for companions on the kitchen wall (or replace him with a much bigger piece).

better yet, hang your guitars there. some stylish, functional, and cheap supports now exist to showcase them, get them off the floor, and still permit use. This will take the alley feel out of your entry path.

and buy a cactus for your deck in a nice pot. an architectural pottery reproduction, an asian cistern, something.

This looks like a warmly decorated ANDO structure, nice job, I love the use of interesting tribal art to offset the cold rough concrete, personally I like "Gary's concrete cell" its witty!
nice job!

This apartment does not say "ecologically responsible" nor "liberating" to me, but rather "money gets you what you want"....disappointing, and so depressing.

Hello DWR Showroom. Man I am BORED! Being an architect I would think you would have more creativity than just the standard MCM Classics. Whoop-D-Do. There are sooo many beautiful and creative contemporary pieces you could have had in this space. I would think most architects would be up with all the latest furniture designs and not so stuck with all the icons of the past.

Not only that, the space is huge, and nothing jumps out and says to me, "hey thats a very creative use of a small space."

Did you do anything creative with the walls....Nope.
Did you do any creative window treatment....Nope.
Did you do anything creative with the kitchen...Nope.

I am sure the kitchen came that way and all you did was put a mask at the end of that wall. So what exactly is so special about this place?

I hate that my comments have to be so negative, but I see no creativity here. Maybe the bedroom/bathroom would change my opinion.

p.s. Props for the didgeridoo.
p.p.s. Just trying to be honest, not rude. This contest is for laying everything you have out on the table and getting honest anonymous feedback from the internet in return.

Could be the nice light flowing in or the display of string instruments, but it's a lot warmer than expected from something called a concrete cell.

Gary,
Can you share a photo of your bedroom. My husband loves this style of decorating and the moment we are redecorating our bedroom.

Mmmm.....exposed concrete.... (salivating!)

Wow, EricMeeks. You're impressively miserable.

MCM affinity concrete could have led to unrelenting, sterile uberdesign, but your space is surprisingly personable. The curved chairs, lush plant, quirky nude & musical instruments humanize the space. The "music wall" seems kind of busy - maybe disperse some of the more interesting instruments around the space, especially the digeridoo. At present, it's kind of propped up like an afterthought, but with a stand could be a focal point because it's beautiful. Congrats on the abundance of light :-)

p.s. should be MCM plus concrete - plus sign symbol didn't post.

I love how people moan and whine when someone actually has good enough taste to use the 'classics'. They're classic for a REASON! Lord knows if I didnt have a cat I'd love a swan chair or two! Awesome space! I could totally live here (except I dont play guitar :( )

I love the female nude sculpture on the coffee table. Who's the artist?

Maybe he has those pieces of furniture because he LIKES them.

Thanks again for the input

The nude female sculpture and the mask (Sophia and Eric) are both by the same artists which I came upon while working in Haiti. They are simply beautiful objects and seem almost kinetic. The art/objects are constant reminders of experiences some recent and some long gone which constantly remind me of my own path through life. They all have a story to tell.

I didn't really do much with the vertical surfaces because the sunlight across that concrete wall seems to be very quietly all that is needed.

All by my self admission I love the classics, I did try to pull from all eras and not just MCM. The LC2 from the Bauhaus (1920's), Eames/Nelson/Jacobsen (1950/60's) and LEM Pistons stools from this century.

Ironically, the most beautiful aspect of the apartment is the light. The way it falls on the concrete changes constantly and provides it's own commentary on the day. Simply sublime.

Great floor plan.
You bought a very functional place.

Gotta give props to EricMeeks for his forth-rightness.
I concur somewhat.
I'm dismayed at the lack of constructive criticism and the nudge to take a place a little further in these reviews.
Are we afraid of offending one another?
Or maybe just not in the mood to critique.

But on the other hand,
nothing beats that sofa (okay I have one too)
for it's sheer scale and way of enlarging a small space.

Think up something that your natural light will bring alive for that kitchen wall.

Slick drapery panels framing the windows wouldn't hurt either.
Will warm the place up a bit too.
:)

Sorry, but there isn't really anything special about this place. It looks like someone went and bought a few pieces modern classics, threw in a few artifacts, and called it a day. Its such a great space that was wasted with a lack of effort an creativity.

This place is poetic and charming. I would move in in a heartbeat (and start learning how to play guitar, or maybe didgeridoo)
I disagree completely that this place has no color or creativity. Color does not just come from a can of paint or a fabric store. Color, the best kind, in my opinion, also comes from nature. Those reddish brown wood floors are a beautifully colorful composition -- they unify and energize the whole place. The yellowish woods of the eames desk and bench are a nice contrast to the floor and add another hue. The kitchen cabinets and the silvery reflective stainless steel add more. And best of all is the golden sunlight that floods the whole place. Sunlight *is* color! It is all the additive colors mixed together, which is why it makes everything look great! When you have that kind of stunning palette from nature, it would make no sense to go slapping up some red or purple paint up on the walls, or rolling out a bright orange rug. It would be overkill.
As for creativity, the most important part of *creating* any design is knowing when to stop! Gary's careful choices and editing result in just enough visual interest and expression of his own personality and interests, I think.
These are rooms that don't look "decorated." Instead, they look like they're actually to be lived in, make music in, cook food in, think in. You don't need a bunch of patterns, colors, trendy ironic statements, etc. when you have the foundation right.
Congrats Gary on a super cool place!

nwlane: Not impressively miserable, just impressively critical.

Just for shits and giggles I went to dwr.com and typed in every piece of furniture that I could see in these photos and WOW to my amazement, they were all there. I could put together this entire apartment from the comfort of my laptop and internet connection (minus the cool art and artifacts, which I do like a lot, but in my opinion are not enough to make this a serious contender).

So here we go (from dwr.com):
Bertoia Diamond Lounge Chair with Seat Pad: $877
LEM Piston Stools: $660 each
Swan Chair - Classic Leather: $5702 each
LC2 Petit Modele Three Seat Sofa: $7100
Nelson Platform Bench: $699
Eames Aluminum Management Chair: $1129

So someone show me what makes this space creative? When you say: "the most beautiful aspect of the apartment is the light." I am assuming you mean the light coming from the window which is great, but that isn't YOUR creativity. (Not saying that natural light CANT be creative, just that you didn't do anything particularly with the natural light other than what the architect intended it to do.)

Katrina58 said it best.

p.s. I love the classics too, but they are at this point sadly cliche'

Tough crowd round these days.
I love this apartment with those concrete walls. Perfectly placed furniture that is just the right scale. It may be too nice for some.

I appreciate BrooklynRob's commentary which succinctly narrates the design objectives. I'd like to suggest that the creativity is in the understatement. There are no power moves here, just subtle choices of natural hues and textures, beautiful furniture that is classic for good reason, art and craft formed by hands from all corners of the globe, all bound together by the beauty of the Southern California light. I claim it to be no more and no less.

i'm becoming further and further put off by the contest not from the lack of great entries - this one included, so kudos to you Gary! - but due to the sheer lack of tact some commenters seem to have. there is nothing wrong with not liking an entry but can these commenters at least have a bit of tact? what is the point in pricing someone's belongings to post? that seems rather classless to me and i cringed a bit at the site of it. sorry, i usually don't acknowledge these kind of insulting posts but i find them more than abundant this year.

perhaps the reason there has only been 21 entries so far is because people are unwilling to subject themselves to the share rudeness that some "e-ballers" exhibit. you'd think we are all mature enough to leave constructive criticism - i guess not.

lovely space Gary, I for one, liked the way you chose to display you're guitars - like accessible art - but agree with one poster who commented that they would also look cool hung up the wall - perhaps in a grid pattern?

Didn't we all get enough of this debate when it was over Arthur's Chicago place?

Nice pieces, very nicely designed and built apartment especially the kitchen that probably came with it when you bought it. I like the play of light too but I like the play of light even better when it is interacting with some colour, even subtle choices, on the walls and in the funishings. just not that impressive.

Some people have more money to spend than others, it's a fact of life. Would you guys really shop at IKEA or rescue broken stuff out of the trash if you could afford to buy what you really like? (And I'm saying this as someone who is on an IKEA-sized budget herself!)

There is some expensive furniture in this apartment, but it doesn't feel like a DWR showroom to me at all. Imagine someone looking at these pictures who knows nothing about MCM classics and how much they costs - for all they know, swan chairs can be bought at IKEA. Would they think this apartment looks like a showroom? I don't think they would. It's simply a comfortable home that has been put together very well, and in which everything just "works".

There are a lot of personal touches in this apartment, the books, the art, the guitars, I see some plants, throw pillows on the sofa - all the things AT readers like to see in a home. It looks like a real home, and it's "super cool" to me.

firecracker: thanks for you comment, I hadn't seen Arthur's house tour before and I went and looked at it and read the comments...I must say WHOA what a thread.

Again I feel I should put a disclaimer on my comments, that I intend no malice in what I say, but merely to bring up thoughtful discussion of "what makes good interior design?"

My intent at posting the prices of those pieces was NOT to say, "hey this guy is rich and I hate people who can just buy whatever they want." It was however intended to say, "WOW with that kind of money imagine what ELSE he could have done rather than flip through the DWR catalog."

Here is a question for you all, would you hire this person as your own interior designer? (Yes yes I understand that you probably wouldn't hire one at all, because we all here design our own spaces) But just for the thought of it, would you hire him? I mean, what would he do for you, just flip open the catalog and say, "your apartment will be delivered next Tuesday morning between 8 and Noon."

I wish this discussion could be detacted from the current competition because I don't want this to be personal, I just would rather people not be so amazed by trite, overused, under-creative, cliche' design all bought from a single source. I could put this apartment together in a day.

[As a side note, people need to not be so concerned with the feelings of the submitter, it is a contest, and we don't HAVE to go around patting each other on the back if we actually don't like the space right? However, I recognize that there can and should be a line drawn, that line some would call "tact" and if I am offending people, I sincerely apologize.]

EricMeeks

First of all, I'm not offended and definitely not rich. I understand when you put it out there you've got to acccept the wim of the crowd so don't be worried; I have a thick skin.

Most of the classics are vintage, and have been with me before DWR was a glimmer in Rob Forbes's eye. I've restored, recovered, rechromed most of the pieces, and much like the art they each have their own story to tell. The eames chair, specifically is from the 60's and the same one I was interviewed on for my first job when I emigrated from England 16 years ago. So yes, it can be bought brand spanking new on line, but it wouldn't have the history and it certainly couldn't be 'delivered on Tuesday between 8 and noon.'

I enjoy the counterpoint though, and isn't that what a forum is all about?

Gary--I just want to say that I think you did accomplish something great here. I think it takes A LOT of willpower and certainly some artistic abilities to push against a consumer culture that says more is better--you invested in quality pieces that will last you forever, you had an eye for an amazing space, and you are letting that space be what it is. So many people must live in very "standard" looking home without an architectural elements--they NEED lots of things, walls painted bright colors, etc, to draw attention to because the canvas isn't much (I have certainly had to do this!). But when you have a beautiful space--beautiful light, bones, and that amazing concrete and wood and the way the naturalness of it just works in a way few rooms do--and then to "dress" it in a way where you can actually see all those elements and have it still look personal and lived in--I think this is truly beautiful.

And no offense--but I don't think you could find much use for the prize!

oooh your floors are so shiny! i also really like your coffee table.

You know what? When they're not all designer pieces, people bitch "Boy that's a lot of Ikea." Can't please everyone; just please yourself. This is a great apt.

Some of these harsh comments sound a bit uneducated. Do you avoid reading classic literature because it is too cliché? There is something to be said for a design that does not wear out or go out of style. Especially items that require as much energy and material to make as furniture.

It's great that DWR makes these pieces accessible (easy to find) but they are not the only dealer that offers them.

It's like having a classic black suit that fits perfectly.Trends may come and go, but you can always count on the classics. Calling it boring is missing the point.

Before I owned "good furniture" I was skeptical of the prices too. It can be hard to justify spending so much, because a photograph can't explain why that sofa costs 4 times more than yours. You have to sit in it for it to make sense.

Definitely my kind of style.

This is what I aspire my place to look like (some day), when I buy a home....or condo.

I have to agree with Eric Meeks.

I'll be honest, I neither hated nor loved this apartement. And I wouldn't have even commented here if there hadn't been such an initial outpouring of adoration and amazement at this apartment, which I found incredulous.

Gary should be happy that he's such a crowd pleaser (or has a lot of friends), however, I totally agree with Eric in that the point of this competition is for people to consider - what actually makes a good interior designer (even if an amateur)?

Yes classic pieces are inherently wonderful and are classic for a reason, but that doesn't mean assembling a bunch of them into a single minimalist setting constitutes good design in 2008. Of course that concept was new and fresh 50 years ago - but not today. Today, that look can be effortlessly bought and consumed by anyone with a credit card and internet connection.

IMHO, great design inspires people to create in their own lives - it doesn't just inspire people to go out buy copycat looks. So is Gary's apartment stylish? Sure. Is it great design? Absolutely not.

Gary - you seem like a nice guy judging from your responses. No doubt you probably rock out on the did didgeridoo as well. But I hope you will take on board some of the construtive critiques on this post, particulalry since you are an architect and do this for a living (!).

[BTW - I'm curious if you designed the building itself? If so, I could understand your point of view about the interior a little bit more.]

Peace, Alexie

Alexie

I think you really put it rather well.

I didn't design the building, but I'd like to think it could have sat very well in my own portfolio. I'm really a shell designer, and although I'm completing my first significant residential project in our wonderful city (which I'd really like the opportunity to show case on AT in the next couple of months) most of my career has been spent firmly entrenched in the corporate/commercial/civic realm designing quietly cool, neo-modern buildings.

I think I took a great space and filled it, rather tastefully hopefully, with wonderful things. Your right, my intervention was one of complementing the hard work that had already been done rather than adding what I think would have been unnessary layers. If there was an excercise, it was one of restaint.

I love living in this building, and I really love the apartment. The way the light comes in through the meckoshades and creeps around and through the acid etched sliding door into the bedroom in the morining is worth the price of admission alone!

And yes...of course I rock out on the didgeridoo!!!!!!!

The design on the pillows is super cute!

What kind of flooring is that?

Uhg! I am so sick of reading comments that think people with out junk have no creativity!

I really love your place. Clean, simple, beautiful. I love the concrete, the exposed duct and the floors. And the guitar collection. Very nice!

I have junk. And lots of creativity. But mostly junk. ;)

Ever since magazines came out with images of completed rooms, people have sought to emulate those rooms.

Notice that most of the comments in each and every thread, people want to know (and perhaps BUY) the identical object or paint or artwork or rug that is shown in the image.

It doesn't matter if the image is from a Swedish site and none of the site is in English, people want THOSE CHAIRS.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/outdoor-furniture/before-and-after-deck-makeover-from-colorama-047682

The worst offense is to want a specific color shown in an image, without considering one's own monitor adjustment, the possibility that the image does not have true colors, and that their own home lighting is probably different.

On the other hand, tons of sites are using the "if you like this, you'll probably like this other thing" sales technique. Including buying two books together for a small discount. Or telling you, the viewer, that people that looked at the book or product you are looking at right now, they also looked at these other things.

It IS predictable for many people. They don't have a lot of junk. They have developed a certain style or taste or preference. Some people like the look of leather. Some like the feel of leather. I like the smell of leather and I would be more likely to sniff the sofa and be in heaven if it had that nice leathery smell.

"What are you doing?"
"I am smelling your sofa!"

Really, did anyone expect to see country geese with ribbons around their necks in the kitchen? Or maybe Gary didn't show the bedroom because it looks like this:
http://www.tryrye.net/mediac/400_0/media/Flower$20canopy$20bed.jpg

No, I'm sure you don't have that, Gary. You don't, do you?

Maybe it IS the predictability that people find to be off-putting sometimes. Like a comment one time was that "Is anyone else disappointed that the sofa and chair match?".

They sell sets in stores. Some people LIKE matching sets. But not so much this crowd on AT. Whether it came from Brueners or DWR or IKEA, if it looks like it ALL came from one source, fitting into any single mold, it seems to disappoint.

I don't think it's because of the COST of the items, if they are very expensive originals or available in 50 countries all over the world for a reasonable price. It's the predictability.

This other one is still my personal favorite:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/east-9-roxys-room-to-grow-047182

A tiny room. That has been made into a home. While I know where some of the items came from, some others are a mystery. The creativity for one, was using those LACK bookshelves under the bed.

Using nature as inspiration, and yet I realized it's NOT chock full of plants, it just has the colors and shapes to suggest the forest.

I would never have picked out that green on my own, and it's perfect. It's absolutely perfect.

Yes, we do all have to get our stuff somewhere. At a store or on the internet or at a garage sale, antique auction, or next to the dumpster near you.

But the idea, I think, is that people don't want to see homes that appear to be bought from one source. Or dug out of one dumpster, as the case may be (in my apartment).

People here seem to want that creative edge. That "WOW, what a great idea" (and then we all run out to do it, making it a trend). The stuff that is shown in THIS home (of yours, Gary), it is already a trend. It's sort of like it's nothing new. The same pieces with the same arrangements.

There's nothing WRONG with that, of course. Because with the usage of the bookshelves under the bed, and if everyone does that, it will become part of the same pieces used in the same ways thing too. But right now, it's NEW and DIFFERENT and a creative use of space.

Gary? Why do the pillows move from one end of the sofa to the other?

And do you stand while playing guitar? Or sit on the metal stool? Because the chairs don't look like they would be very comfortable for guitar playing.

For Weasel Dearest: That is the Eames Dot pattern on the pillows. Here is a blurb on the pattern from the Library of Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri107.html

Here's the fabric by itself:
http://www.eamesgallery.com/cart/detail_prod.php?id=84

Curtains:
http://www.newyorkpillowsanddrapes.com/show_item.php?item_id=437&cat_id=59

Here's a pillow someone made out of four colors:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9984581

Another pillow:
http://www.design-museum.com/shop/index.php?sid=x&shp=oxbaseshop&cl=details&cnid=Pillows&anid=20161210&tpl=&lang=1&listtype=list

You can even find the pattern in a pen, pencil, business card case and apparently shoes:
http://www.thisnext.com/item/1A709AD9/9373E415/Commonwealth-DC-shoes-GATSBY

It's a great pattern. It looks good on just about anything.

on second thought...
scratch that suggestion about the drapery panels.
It's awesome the way it is.
Cheers!

Nothing I haven't seen before, but it is indeed lovely.

Nice tonal and great natural light, very cozy pad.