Name: Tianyu
Location: Mountain View
Size: 769 sq. ft.
Rent/Own: Owned apartment
What is the advantage of SMALL? Easy to clean and easy to maintain...
Name: Tianyu
Location: Mountain View
Size: 769 sq. ft.
Rent/Own: Owned apartment
What is the advantage of SMALL? Easy to clean and easy to maintain...

What is the advantage of SMALL? CONT'D
...It also forces me to be concise, which also helps me to stay efficient. I LIVE every inch of my space. No part of my mortgage is contributed to storage that I never use or perhaps don't even remember owning.
What's your favorite resource for your home?
I get whatever that catches my eye, wherever it is, locally or online.
What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home?
I get great lighting throughout the day. I like that my living/dining partition prevents a direct view to the living area from the public hallway when the main entry door is opened.
Very basic.
view Lilli K.'s profile
what is the room divider, and where can i find it?
view bethanylemony's profile
I like the fringe-y space divider (just wish it reached the floor) and that black wall. Also, pooch-looking-out-window looks happy.
view holland's profile
I like the big plank shelves & chrome brackets. I think the gauzy room divider is clever too.
view MoJonson's profile
Cute doggie! Love the dark wall in that room too.
view Tiffany's profile
Hey I saw that room divider on Divine Design with (THE GODDESS) Candice Olsen. Where'd you get it?
view rikstah's profile
I wish there was a better picture of the dining area. Other than that, I like the use of the room divider and look overall.
view farleece's profile
Tastefully decorated but stuffed way past the coolness factor. To me, living small and cool is about distancing oneself, physically as well as mentally, from possessions that are not necessary, thereby minimizing the need of space as well as maximizing the feeling of space. It is not about adding as much as possible to as little as possible, as is the case here.
view Gustaf's profile
Certainly better than 'basic.' I think this looks great, especially the bedroom. Did you intentionally stagger the frames above the bed unevenly?
view Nightrain's profile
needs a good edit.
view phaedrus's profile
The bedroom is a standout, simply gorgeous.
view etslee's profile
Thanks everyone for your comment. I'll try to answer all questions. I got the room divider from Bed Bath & Beyond, although I haven't seen it in the store since. I believe I've seen it at World's Market as well. The unevenly staggered frames above the bed are to distract the not-centered bed position relating to the windows. I wish I can post more pictures of the dining room and the bedroom as well, but I was limited to submit 5 images, so I picked the ones that would show the layout of the entire condo. I know if I just change out the carpet and paint the cabinets the place would look less "basic" but then when I have enough budget to give the kitchen a new layout with better efficiency, I'll have to redo the floor. Anyway, I was just curious about how I'm doing on dealing with my overpriced first home purchase, so it's very interesting to see different people's reactions. Thank you all for viewing and commenting!
view tliad's profile
I love the coloring scheme of white wall, black frames, red pillows. Thank you!
view Sujeeth's profile
What a wonderful job on a 769 sq. ft. apartment.
view Rothelle Cooke Photography's profile
That little chunky pup is so darling. He or she and the apartment look very comfy.
view brittanykate's profile
wall-to-wall is never cool.
view buyersremorse's profile
I like your living/Dining room divider.
view desertflower's profile
like the string divider, the dark wall, and the layout.
too much small framed stuff for my taste but nice to group it (the groupings seem off though...particularly above the bed).
the bottles/etc. above the counters are a pet peeve of mine. bunch them into an arrangement or better yet bag them.
view healthyhome's profile
Looks like a nice layout, but I would do more with it.... color, personal stuff, etc.
It's nice and clean.
view Sleek's profile
I liked the dog. :-)
view kerri's profile
Blah. Not your fault so much as AT's but this is another example of a nicely decorated, but average space. Too big to force you to do anything really creative with it but just small enough to look cramped.
view Modfan's profile
congrats on owning your apartment! im not a huge fan of carpets, and i prefer brighter wall colors, but i think youre doing a great job. and i respect the need for a budget, especially after mortgage payments!!
view lemonyc's profile
I think living/dining is really cool. The study is looking kinda plain and empty. Keep up the good work! It takes time to find things you love!
view jacinh's profile