apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The slideshow link is broken :(

No slideshows for me either *sniff*

Ditto to what above said.

Yes, the slideshow link is broken.
I really, really, would love to see the rest.
The first two pictures are great!!!

FIXED! Sorry!

Do people actually live here?

whats that poofy blue thing, I want to pet it.

um, whoa.

I can completely see a person living there - a very tidy and disciplined person. I think there is just enough personalization and it looks beautiful to my eye.

Yea! It's fixed! I love the rest of this appartment.
It looks like something from a magazine.

i loves. what shade paint in the living room? is this new construction? may i ask what building this is? gorgeous, serene apartment. just looking at the slideshow is calming!

beautiful

every shot is really beautiful, and it's evident you have great taste. and still i find it difficult to love it. is it the newness of everything there? like it was the result of a shopping spree getting out of hand, resulting in that newly-purchased look. but as said, it's beautiful. but it could just use that little dust and rust to make it feel personal, warm and lived-in. still got my vote.

I'm totally drooling. Your place is fantastic. And your photos? Wow. They're so crisp.

Super double A entry! (no, I don't know this person)

Great attention to detail. Lovely mix of textures and patterns nicely complemented by the artwork. The color themes add to a refreshingly different look. Super cool.

I love this apartment. Where did you get the sofa and bed? I've been looking for something very similar for my own place.

Love the colors and all the furniture choices!

Wow, very high end looking. I really love the horse pictures above your bed.

Mmmmmm. . . . stunning use of color. Can we require contestants to list all paint colors and sources for curtains, furniture, and blue feather poufs? Like the credits in design mags (since these photos look like they could be in one!).

I too prefer a bit more homey-ness and personalization, but the colors here are FABULOUS, and it's clear that this person is a skilled editor of clutter. Congrats on a gorgeous space!

I absolutely love the bathroom, that sink is fabulous!

the bathroom is gorgeous!

love it, but a bit too cold for me.
I know that the bedding, which i LOVE, is from www.amenityhome.com, or at least it is where i first saw it. only thing at $300 is soo out of reach for me.

PS: or at least ist looks like it, im strarting to doubt it... mhmm tgif!

Beautiful! I have been dying to find round mats for photos like you have framed in the living room. Are they personal photos that you had framed, or did you buy them framed like that?

Anyone else know where to get round mats for large frames?

Wonderful, clean, uncluttered space!

Lovely, but it kinda feels like a pied a terre. I wonder if the owner has a house somewhere else? Or maybe just a great storage unit.

While it's quite tastefully decorated, most major pieces appear to be from DWR or ABC Carpet & Home - None of this (including the brand-new apartment) came cheap.

There's also no creative or innovative use of space or materials.

Would I enjoy living in this building with this quality of space and furnishings? Of course.

Does it rate a top score here? No.

::aping Thandie Newton in "Chronicles of Riddick":: ...flawless...

I love the colors in the bedroom, I was thinking of painting my kitchen like this, what was the name of the paint colors you chose?

Ditto to what aad and bepsf said. Even though I rated it cool.

I agree, the space is indeed calming, but I do wonder if the place is really that way all the time. :-)

That said, it does look a tad too new and the colors a little too serene for my tastes but it definitely works.

Innovative? Not particularly, but again, it works.

Nice job.

I love it...I guess I am easy...cause some of you are taking this veeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrry serious and can find something negative to say about these brave people who have welcomed us into their homes.

FINALLY! Super Cool.

Where is that sofa from? I love the shape and color.

you definitely do monochromatic well - the living room is stellar use of color.

I'm voting super cool on this one. It's beautifully styled, and I for one don't have anything against it being immaculate; I'd expect someone to dress up for company!

Beautifully done Colleen, thank you.

your bedroom is fantastic! What a great green color!

What a shocker - everyone is drooling over the super spare, ultra-mod space. It seems sort of cold and overly edited to me. Where is the life in it?

We might as well just call this website moderntherapy. I'm sorry, but it's frustrating sometimes how people lambast someone for having an older-fashioned quilt hanging on the wall, or for using barn-style furniture, or the wrong shade of orange...and then profess their undying love for every entry resembling the interior of a spaceship.

Somebody please help me understand.

I believe the photography is from Lumas. http:www.lumas.com

Beautiful to look at. Wonderful to visit. Not for me to live in.

What subtle and elegant use of color!! One of my favorites.

So, um, when are you moving in?

This is my most favorite so far. It really matches my sense of style (or the one I wish I had). Perfect, perfect, perfect.

is that painting elliott puckette? love.

and love that drape in the first shot

I love it - but, for better or worse, it looks like a showroom more than a home. The bedroom and livingroom are stunning!

Very professionally done, perhaps you are a pro or used one? It's does look high end and nice but it seems a little bit impersonal and there is a lot of underutilization of the space. Lovely place, just not so special.

I FREAKING LOVE THIS! It has been a while since I've seen a house tour here that inspired me AND was actually attainable with a modest amount of money. It's minimal without feeling sparse, and has character without feeling cluttered. The color palette is my idea of perfection!

It isn't very warm and liveable to me but it is undeniably gorgeous. I love the artwork above table with the red chairs. That is stunning.

Clearly one of the best, and most spendy, entries. Gorgeous and serene!

Just to clarify, I am not saying that the particular pieces in this apartment are in my budget, but I can go through all of them and find an alternative that is very similar and in my price range.

Lacks wabi sabi. Very cool paint choices. Wow! Bathroom.

Super cool. A lovely, calm space that is spare and beautiful without being catalog-generic.

It does seem that the world is divided into two groups: people who like to see their personal belongings everywhere (makes a place "homey") and people who'd rather keep those things stored out of sight. Contrary to the belief of some of the posters, it's definitely possible to live without clutter if that's your style.

Especially like the bedroom.

I get the minimalist look, but don't you need some lighting? There is one wall sconce shown. How do you read a book without a lamp even by the bed? I'm guessing there is a huge pile of stuff just out of sight.

Perfect!

beautiful pictures. I like the use of color in this apartment.

beautiful...

Love. The bedroom pic popped up and out of my mouth came "Pretty!". I don't think it's cold at all. It's tidy and serene.

I think the living room and dining room are quit nice, so clean and nice simple colors with nice pieces. What color are the walls in the living room I am having troubles finding my grey.

The bedrm is a bit West Elm ad like and no lamps to read by.

STUNNING!

Love your bathroom and bedroom. Living room a bit sterile/cold, but still nice.

wow i love that painting in your dining room!!!!
and that view :)

Predictable. I'm sure a lot of thought went into this but unfortunately the thought was probably mostly predicated on the idea that Domino is the ultimate arbiter of "good taste." It's well-executed but bland and impersonal.

I think it is time to refine the contest and drill down into categories /styles i.e. Ultra Modern, Antique, Mid Century, Eclectic and so on. I like / love many of the entries but I agree with one poster a few days ago - I am not seeing major creativity, although a lot of places I definitely like. The pictures in many cases are either not inclusive enough to see the whole apartment or may capture a lamp or table and it is out of context so it is hard to understand the space. I have been coming to this site for many moons now for inspiration and that is starting to dwindle and get repetitious. I get there are two camps - Ikea camp and Higher end camp, but not too high end but if submitters are in that category, the comments would be very negative, which I don't understand. Does Apartment Therapy have a "definition"? Is it limited to a budget / design philosophy? Its seems so to me and maybe that has to change or be more clearly stated.

I love the colors of this place and gave it a really cool.
Some comments I don't understand. Ok, so I get it that this site shows 'real' homes, but is this place less real because it doesn't have knick-knack or lot's of stuff in it? And I appreciate the effort that went into the pictures. Some entries that have been shown didn't have very good quality pictures or a good selection of pictures. I understand that not everyone can take good pictures, but I know that if I would enter my apartment I would take the time to tidy up and try to take pictures that show a lot of parts of my apartment.
Another thing I love about this apartment it's its calm and uncluttered look. I know this is not for everyone, but less then judging places based on personal style I gave high ratings to places that have a sense of unity and where the things in it work well together. And here this is done very well.

I think it's absolutely stunning in its color, pieces and detail. Though rather like a boutique hotel feel for me.

It looks like a hotel suite.

Beautiful like a painting or a snowflake: ie something you cannot touch without damaging. I can't imagine someone actually living here, and putting their feet upon the couch, leaving their toothbrush out by accident or draping their overcoat on a chair.

This is the Ockham's Razor approach to interiors - instead of attempting to accommodate a variety of real life activities into a small space, it cuts out the activities. (Or at least, all sign that they sometimes occur.) The fact that there is no task lighting, no television, no computer, no desk, no ham radio, no pencils or pens, no not pad... It is difficult to get a sense of what happens in this home, other than sleeping and sitting, and perhaps some bathing.

Love the framed calligraphy picture (that is what it is, isn't it?) and the mirrored cabinet in the bathroom; where did you get them? (I was searching for a cabinet like that...)

Agree with Millzee and Lauren T. It is beautiful, but missing some signs of life.

It's a bit like a hotel.

While I understand the individuality of taste, I don't understand why some can't simply say something doesn't appeal to them without being vicious. Being cruel does not elevate you on the "taste" or "aesthetic" scale. It only makes you seem small and spiteful. I like this home.

750 square feet for one person in New York is NOT SMALL.

there are a lot of truly beautiful elements to this space, and Colleen obviously has a good ideas and taste, but judging by her brand-new everything and undoubtedly zillion dollar apartment, She might also just have good taste in hired decorators.

I like the space but not necessarily the decor. I'll try not to be spiteful or small (is it too late?) and simply say it has no personality.

But I like the space. 700 square feet!? That's bigger than my place. Good for you. I'm glad you're a homeowner. I'm glad you're not poor. Good for you for being a home owning success in New York City.

Weasel Dearest is Mr. Dangerous

ditto, hotel, too new, too prefab. but that is one luscious and gorgeous bathroom sink. If the homeowner had anything to do with the design of that bathroom, they ought to do this for a living!

Beautiful but sort of boring. I find it hard to believe someone lives here. The eggplants on the table? Cool, but everything feels so staged and cold.

picture perfect. Yet too perfect may I say? I love it and strive to live like that - alas it will never happen as I love to watch TV, browse the internet (here for instance), read in bed, I sew a little bit and have to little yappers (dogs). My place will never look like this.

But good for you. Gorgeous magazine perfect.

The pictures are absolutely amazing. The place is breathtaking.

Money solves a lot of problems, like lack of space and having to deal with hand-me-downs and Craigslist finds. Nothing here is innovative. There is nothing here that I can adapt or adopt for my own space, present or future.

It all LOOKS OK. But it's empty.

Like one of those touched up photos, where all we see is the finished results and think that it must be PERFECT. We rarely see what goes on behind the scenes to make "perfection".

Which reminds me of this film:
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/flat4.asp?id=6909

Real life homes have cords and outlets and lamps and electronics. People have TVs and stereos. People have dressers and more than four books.

And from what I usually see on this site, people are looking for reasonable, realistic solutions for those everyday problems.

This place has less personality than showroom floors, and homes/condos/apartments up for sale with this being a model shown with "decorator accents".

It's the after image posted on the billboard after being tweaked by photoshop, an image of unrealistic proportions that leaves me sad and empty.

Simply because most of us do not live like that, have access to that kind of space or money or interior designers.

And even if we were all GIVEN that very place, it would not remain looking like that. Because it IS unrealistic and un-lived in and unloved.

It shows only stuff. It doesn't tell me anything about a person.

designer catalog city

Love it love it love it

There are so many spaces in this contest that I have fallen in love with and I am gleening ideas from all of them. This space is lovely and I can very easily see myself living in it.

The thing is, some people don't watch television. Some people don't read in bed. Perhaps the owner keeps her computer at work. Perhaps the apartment's light sources are mounted on the ceiling (you know... ceiling lights?) and so we cannot see them in the pictures. Maybe she prefers to keep her less interesting/beautiful possessions in the three closets in her home, or the dresser we saw in one of the photos, or another storage piece she chose not to photograph?

I am reminded of a NY house tour submitted in December of last year: Laura's Pared Down Perfection. Imagine if Laura submitted only five pictures instead of forty-one? What if we didn't see the insides of her closets, or learned that she was a professional organizer? The comments for her house tour read similarly to this submission; some people like what she has done, others refer to the apartment as humorless and "cold", simply because she prefers a particular style of decor.

Luckily for us, she was graceful enough to reply: "[I] realize this decor is not for everyone and i do appreciate all the comments - even the no sense of humor one ;). your home should be a place that you love and is true to what you think it should be and not adding things because you are 'supposed to have it' (including color). that is one thing i like about this site - it's about individual expression and doing what is right for you. i love looking at the house tours to see the wide difference in how people live with their things, their use of color and their creative stretchings of limited budgets." Further, she repeatedly answered questions posed by members of the AT community and soon they/we began to realize that it wasn't just an apartment featured in that tour, but also someone's home.

I bet Colleen is a real person too, and I would hope people remember from time to time that just because you prefer to keep stuff all over your bed, floors, etc. (or are unable to control your clutter) doesn't mean your apartment/house represents the base standard of what a real home should look like.

davidsposted: well said.
great space.

I don't understand this contest.

@davidasposted

Points taken. You are correct, of course. Much like the first Small, Cool contest, there are a huge variety of people and all kinds of spaces adapted to the needs of those people.

I remember one person asking one contestant, "where do you eat?" There was no dining set. No countertop, no cafe table, no fold-out or pop-up table of any sort.

But, that is not what that person DOES in that apartment. They'd catch most of their meals on-the-go. What that person DID want was a great space for watching movies. And so THAT is what the space was adapted for.

Some folks here have to accommodate a serious home office, as they do their work from home. Not just a sleek laptop placed on a spendy-trendy coffee table, but serious computer set ups (did you see that image here recently of Al Gore's office...YIKES?).

There are people that are heavily into music. Or books. Or entertaining a lot of people. They have dinner parties and have adapted their spaces for the best sound, the best library (did you see the cool lofted space or that one with the books in the bathroom?) or ways of making it possible to seat 6 people in a tiny room.

I'm not sure what the purpose of this particular space is, I suppose it qualifies as eye candy. And that's an interest too. There are supermodels and autos that cost hundreds of thousands (to millions) of dollars to have their presence.

And I remember seeing someone like that, a supermodel type in a super auto, who stopped at 7-11 for a beverage. Apparently wealthy people do get thirsty too. Ha!

All us "regular" people stepped aside, gaping, not a word. It was TOO perfect for our little world of 7-11. While she was undoubtedly a REAL person, it was as if there was nothing we could say/do that could possibly relate.

We are, after all, the center of our own universe. Everything IS about us. Each one of us. It's true. So that at the end of the day, we have to consider our own needs first. Our office space or our spouse or our animal friends. Our cooking or lack of. We look to make a space our own, our home.

And each one of these entries are viewed through glasses of our own tastes, ideals, budgets, our own reality. We know that. We're not slamming someone else's tastes or needs nearly as much as we are making a statement about our own needs.

Example:

The cool throw at the end of the bed?

My cat would have that shredded, snagged, pulled, in a ball, on the floor and when tired of disemboweling it (back leg kicking), it might be peed on as the final conquering-the-throw moment.

The feather thing wouldn't last five seconds. And flowers in a vase, I have discovered, provide interesting chewing opportunities. To wit, I find a vase of stems with flower heads on the floor.

David (and Colleen), it's very hard for me to take in a space without wearing all my glasses and applying my own reality.

And I still want to know why there are no outlets. ;)

It is very beautiful, yet it seems completely impersonal, like a high-end condo hotel with the luggage is still in the hallway. It is possible to personalize a home without cluttering it.

This is NOT the Smallest BUDGET contest.

This is NOT the Coolest CAT FRIENDLY BEDSPREAD contest.

And TRUE BLUE, stop painting the AT crowd with your "regular people" brush.

And the "this looks like a hotel" complaint is sooooo three contests ago.

If this is impersonal, why does not EVERY interior, everywhere, look like this?

Highly stylized interiors, like this one, do indeed exhibit the owner's personality. And traits like discipline, neatness, and a highly curated approach to an interior are not bad traits at all. Isn't this what we aspire to, post-cure, things either lovely or useful?

I love it all, and it makes the space calm, curated, and larger than the square footage would bely.

And, if I'm not mistaken, that "high end" throw at the end of the bed is from CB2...

I'm also guessing the "stuff of life" has been successfully corralled in the rather large number for closets...

Very nice. Where did you get the sofa? I would be really curious to see the kitchen too.

There is no fantasy in it for such a large place.
No risk in design, just magazine knock offs.

from these pictures i get the impression that your life is perfect.

Seems like the photos are taken on the move-in day.

I dont see any item from Modcats in this house though (as she mentioned in the resources)!

Ha. The comments are more fun than the entry.

Bepsf - It irks me that someones home will be discounted because they buy things from major retailers. My house has a lot of stuff from DWR - mostly because I'm friends with an employee and get a lot of floor sales. Does that make my house less 'home'?

Patrick says it best: we're all different people, and no apartment is going to fit us all. Colleen would probably be extraordinarily uncomfortable in some of the cluttered thrift-store-styled places exhibited here. I probably would too.

I think Small/Cool brings out a lot of different facets of what it means to be small/cool. Sometimes it means developing OCD methods of storing and organizing your belongings. Other times it means not having lots of belongings. Both are acceptable. I think Colleen has done a stellar job of editing down to precious, jewel-like objects - the Swan chair, the calligraphy painting, the dead feathered muppet on the dresser. Imagine how much less powerful the vase of flowers by the bed would be if there were a pile of books crowding it.

And of course the place looks staged. Colleen is clearly smart enough to hide her dirty laundry from view before taking pictures for a national audience.

N-i-c-e!

Holy crap art! I personally really like your space, and I especially like the art. That piece above the dining table is fantastic!

Wow - beautiful job!

@TRUE BLUE

I do not fault you for viewing apartments submitted for this contest "wearing all my glasses and applying my own reality". My problem with your (and others') comments on this entry is that they assume too much about the owner, to say nothing of people who browse AT, and in a rather condescending way. Colleen's style is not necessarily indicative of her budget, and as far as I know AT has not formally surveyed the average income of its regular visitors.

Further, as patrick (the other one) suggests, this contest is not the smallest, with-elements-most-readily-adaptable-to-the-widest-possible-audience contest, much less the smallest, most representative contest.

Criticism, even of the nastiest kind, goes with the territory in a contest open to public scrutiny. Don't curb it; I would only suggest you consider the implicit assumptions you make in a comment before you post it.

It seems like all the furniture was purchased at one shot from DWR (ie, the Neo sectional sofa, the Leggero bed and Leggero drawer, the Eileen Gray side table, the Jacobsen Swan chair, the Saarinen side table, etc...).

Other than the awesome artwork above the dining table, there's not much here that says anything about the owner.

I voted "Cool", but only because my own apartment could pass for this apartment's twin (same bed, same sofa, same side tables, same Swan chair)---but I actually like and wanted a minimal and slightly "anonymous" modern look.

If that was her goal, I think she succeeded in spades.

Colleen,

I love the colors in the bedrooms. Mind giving out details?

What is seen and UNseen can speak volumes about the owner of the space. Bravo Colleen for creating a lovely home and braving the critical masses.

If I were a sentient android, I would live here. Does compute.

Colleen, your place is brilliant!!!! This makes me want to clear out all my clutter - which I will start to do. Thank you for opening up your home, I do appreciate it. So where did you get the round mats in the LR?

Wow. Wow. I'm going to start with the only things I didn't like - the teal feather thing and the squiggle picture.

Done.

Other than that, my eye bounced around each room with delight, picking up gorgeous little details, spare beauty, touchable textures, and oh the vases. Favorites? How you framed your photos with round mats, everything about your bedroom, the elegant but funky vases, and overall the serenity you bring to each room (how did you make bright red serene?? You're amazing). Wow.

my mouth dropped when i saw the bathroom.

the place is perfect.