Small Cool 2011

Nice place and I'm loving that bathroom!

Your kitchen looks GORGEOUS. I was mad that ikea got rid of their wooden cabinets that didn't look like veneer, but this solution is perfect.

Ooh, I want to see the bed down!

Amesome bathroom. Millwork heaven.

Great apartment. Really love the colors you used and the bathroom is really cool! thanks for sharing.

your home is beautiful!

I love this entry-ALL of it...

Love this place... comfortable and homey.. it needs more splashes of color here and there.. but it has my vote.. :)

Where was this entry hiding? Quite stunning! love the kitchen and the simplicity of it all. Great job!

I hope you don't miss the 2,500 sft loft because you live in 400 sf of absolute glamour! I really enjoy when someone doesn't let the size of the space dictate the level of taste. Size issues aside, this could be the refined Manhattan duplex of an heiress.

The *only* change I would make is to replace the small, round mirror behind the sofa with something grand and over the top. I wonder if you've considered that?

Anyway, a top fave without a doubt. I adore.

this is simply stunning, stellah.

Lovely! Great that you have such fantastic materials in your wonderful little home. The bathroom and kitchen are fantastic; I too would have liked to have seen the bed down. Beautiful!

Thank you so much for all your great comments!

A little background for the curious...

When I bought my apartment (summer 2010) it hadn't been touched in 40 years and it was a total wreck albeit one with tons of charm and potential.

I've loved being able to completely design the space according to my needs. In the process I got to work with a wonderful contractor (http://diamonderaconstruction.com) and a talented architect who helped with the drawings to realize all the mill-work and bathroom details. We managed to achieve the look I wanted on a very tight budget AND we are all still speaking to each other now that the project is done!

To see the before pics and the bed down, I've posted a gallery here:
http://tinyurl.com/3exbelb

I love the colours, and that bathroom is ridiculous! (read: freakin awesome!)

Also, I love the white dog statue :)

Where is the "Love" button? Oh.. wait. This isn't facebook. The world could use more Stellah style. Please put your stamp on the hotel world & start a product line next. Bravo!

Your place looks darling, what do you use the bedroom for when the bed disappears ?

Agree with everyone so far--this is beautiful. I'm a little confused by the murphy bed, however. Why did you choose one since you have a separate bedroom? Also, what do you use this room for when the bed is up? I didn't see any furniture besides the side table/dresser and chair to denote a function. Regardless, it's a gorgeous room.

agree with @scandesign - where have they been hiding your entry!? Your place is amazing! I'm a Brooklynite living in a tiny space too, submitted my entry about a week ago but still no post... how long did it take them to post yours?

In love with your entire apartment. Kudos.

Alex, I submitted my entry on 04.20, it's taken them 2 days to process... Hopefully yours will be posted today?

Good questions! In answer, I installed a murphy bed because:
1. edging around the bed to get dressed in the morning is a drag
2. my room becomes a place to meditate when the bed is closed
3. I love to cook and throw dinner parties, so on the weekends, I drag the drop sided table in from the living room and voila! the bedroom becomes a dining room with enough space to seat 8 (in a pinch).

I NEED that white dog statue in the living room!! Source??

Also this is incredible. Methinks your idea of a tight budget and mine are miles apart, but your style is still impeccable.

Also, is the bedroom lined with closets? Is that the thinking behind the murphy bed (ie. so you can open the closet doors)?

Oh my god, just saw the transformation and can't believe that you saw the potential for this in that! I would see potential but never to this extent. Incredible!!!

(I do agree with the poster above about the mirror above the couch but that is the ONLY thing)

It becomes the dining room! Again amazing! So insanely impressed!! This is totally what this contest is about too!

Great job! I would love to see a House Tour from your place!!!

I like the way the living room mirror echoes the shape of the lamp.

And thanks for the explanation about the Murphy Bed - that room would be awesome as either a meditation room or dining space.

Ok, a bedroom that doubles as a dining room is amazing. Especially because that room is decorated/has the vibe to serve both functions (which I can't imagine happening anywhere else).

Like your ideas on how to use your bedroom when the bed is put away. Like so many others I would like to have seen a picture of the bed down. Beautiful place!

azaleasmoke, I bought the dog statue in Paris over 10 years ago now... He's made of silicon and I've never seen another like him... I agree about the mirror, I'm thinking something venetian and etched, still looking for the perfect one!

Wow, I am SO impressed/jealous! That transformation is incredible, and I couldn't be more envious of your location in Brooklyn Heights. You've got my vote.

Wow. Seeing the before-and-after makes this place even better. Great vision and space planning and beautiful, timeless stuff. I wish there were categories for Favorite, No Really Favorite, Super Favorite and Extra Uber Favorite. Maybe in future contests have a rating system of 1 to 5 Eames Chairs or something?

impressive

here's a pic of the bed when it's down— http://tinyurl.com/3t8wjfw

wow! super cool flat. I wished I could see more of it.

Amazing! I'm sooo impressed!

they should definitely make a house tour! love it!!!!

To the chorus of well-deserved ooohs and aaahs, let me add mine... this is truly amazing! You have a magician's genes combined with an intuitive ikebana master's taste.

Unbelievable! Well done Stellah! I loved the colors you used in each room...so soothing and sophisticated. Fantastic!

Wow. You and your contractor did an AMAZING job. I love our bedroom / dining room/ meditation room.

very nice!

looove the grey in the bedroom - what color is it?

This is just my style. This is what I planned to do with my home. Who made your murphy bed?

What is the paint color you are using for the kitchen. 5 photos is really not enough. I need more.

I love it all! I checked out the before photos and the transformation is impressive!

This is one of my very favorites. You did a wonderful job. But I do have a question: What do you do with the bedroom when the bed is put away? Kind of looks like there is not much going on in there, which makes me wonder what the point of a murphy bed is?

Oooh pretty grey and pretty flowers!!

Very impressive! Lovely use of style and rustic/modern mix. Beauty!

I registered on this site just to comment on this entry. It is beyond fabulous! Just looking at the bathroom makes me want to book a spa day! Where can I see the before photos?

That's beautiful!

Love the bathroom. The kitchen is a bit narrow, but those countertops are great.

I really loved being able to see these photos bigger. I wish ALL the entries had a way to view the photos at that size (click through?) because it's amazing how much more detail you see.

Love, love, your home! Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for posting the site for the before pics and the bed down. The work you've done is impressive. Congrats!!!

I like your reasoning for the murphy bed. I love how the room is decorated so it doesn't look like your typical murphy bed. Great work!

Such a nicely refined space. I love seeing homes that clearly have a lot of thought behind the design.

I thought this space was wonderful before I saw the before photos! You did such a fantastic job getting this place to perfection! I am 100% impressed and stunned! Everything is so beautiful and flows very well. It is both calm and refined. I love it!

That bathroom is beautiful! And I really like the choice of using "wet pavement" grey. That color really makes any accent color pop.

So tasteful!... I agree about the small mirror. I would take it down altogether until I get something more suitable. But everything else is styled perfectly... and à la japonaise, especially that bedroom with the hidden bed and closets.

Love this place. A sure winner. I want to see the bed down.

love the place. hate the dog and wow that is a creepy picture in the living room!

The finishes are phenomenal which makes this space incredible.

Very elegant. Love the whimsical little dog and I can't see the picture.
Getting this kind of quality on a tight budget seems like a miracle.

Stunning...agree that mirror in living room is wrong scale and makes the room a bit bottom heavy. Would swap it out w/something w/more presence for balance.
Bravo!

This is unbelievable. What a masterful transformation!

wow. this is such a great place.

Seriously, what you've done with 400 sq ft is amazing. Great job.

Where is your storage??

Living room is so well edited and put together. Definitely an example of less is more.

good job! best small cool so far! cheering for you!

Hi Stellah,

It's funny, I live about 3 blocks away from you, and recently bought a small studio - yours is such an inspiration! I'd love to know the name of the architect you worked with... also, could you kindly let us know what the paint colors are that you used throughout the apartment? (Bedroom, kitchen, etc?)

I wish AT would interview you about your remodel...

I was trying to figure out where storage is too. I think the wall opposite the bed must actually conceal a closet? Anyway, it's a very impressive remodel. Only in NY is real estate valuable enough that it makes sense to sink that kind of dough into a 400 sq. ft. apartment!

I used zero/low VOC paint throughout the apt and used an eggshell finish for it's durability & subtle light enhancing qualities... The paint colors are as follows: Kitchen- Pratt & Lambert Accolade in Nickel (eggshell finish) Living Room- Benjamin Moore Natura in Marscapone (eggshell finish). For the Bedoom I also used Benjamin Moore Natura, I believe the color is called elephant hide. Ceilings are all Benjamin Moore Ceiling white. For the little hall the color is called night shade and its matte (to hide the imperfections from my attempts to strip off the 50 coats of old paint) Benjamin Moore Natura again.

All the tile came from the BuyTile.com warehouse in Brooklyn they have the the best prices but really weird hours.

My other favorite source is build it green (www.bignyc.org) and craigslist - the entire poliform kitchen & appliances were bought off there.

The Murphy bed mechanism came from www.outwaterhardware.com - it's a good spring loaded mechanism and cost around $380. they are to the trade only & my contractor had to place to place the order. All the millwork for the bed surround was custom made for the space. Hope that helps!

TinyBrooklynHeights, my architect's name is Cornelia Sterl, contractor was Dave from diamonderaconstruction.com- I reccomend both highly.

Holy sh*t.

You got my vote !

Incredible! I seriously am having countertop envy. Was wondering if you had a bathtub or just a shower? Liked the addition of the nooks in the bathroom too keep the seamless quality but to add storage. Really would like to see the bed down & or bedroom turned into a dining room for 8.

Love. this. place!

FANTASTIC! Total envy, not just for the end result but for your VISION!

so i look at all of these and think about adding to my favourites but with this... it is indeed ridiculously awesome.

i am an architecture and i love a good murphy bed. the surface materials of this space are what make it. the mixture of textures. just so well curated! i want to live here.

What a coincidence! We remodeled our bathroom last year and chose the exact same colours as you did. Is that the Winckelmans anthracite tile in the shower?

wonderful!

Stellah,

I love it! You do have a great eye for esthetics, hope to see you soon.

Matthew Pope

Hinke, the bathroom floor tile is vein cut limestone in Chenille White from Daltile (http://tinyurl.com/veincut). I love the way it resembles driftwood and merges nicely with the bleached/pickled white oak floors elsewhere in the apartment...

The wall tile is a full body porcelain - I was obsessed with the mutina tile range called tekno but couldn't afford the $40 a sq ft price, I managed to find a much cheaper version at buytile from Cotto in Grey. It's made in Thailand instead of Italy and was around $4 a sq ft.
see http://tinyurl.com/cottotile

I'd love to see a pic of your bathroom!

It's nice, but most of the style comes from the architecture, not the decorating. And I don't understand why the Murphy bed if you have a separate bedroom area with nothing else in it?

The smallest, coolest apartments are in Brooklyn.

Come on, Stella! I keep looking at your gorgeous space. I don't Do you work in your bedroom when the Murphy is put away? It's a great room. I think I would write there. I cannot believe how homey this is while sparsely but perfectly put together. I'm very, very inspired. Thank you so much for sharing. Tres beau!

Whoa! Homeowner Stella+Architect Cornelia+Contractor Dave= Sheer Brilliance. You three really should go into business together, Stellah.

Not only could this flat win this year, a different tenant or homeowner moving in there later could also win a future Small Cool contest because of the great bones that have been sculpted out of nothing here - it's hard to go wrong on decor if the spatial 'armature' is made right.

Congratulations on a transformation very well done.

Leilanitexas, funny you should suggest going into business-- see www.theoiseau.com :) - it's in Beta (read, still getting built out) but you get the idea. We're about to start work on a new design/build project in the west village!

Love the Scandinavian look

I'm drooling over the bathroom. Stunning.

Would have loved to see the bedroom with the bed down. Veyr cool apartment though, the kitchen and bathroom are to die for!

sweethomesweet-- there is a pic of the bed down along with some apartment before pics here

http://tinyurl.com/smallcoolest

I love the bathroom and the black drawer... but where is the dining table?

I remember how it looked when I saw it under construction. It is now a wonderful little garden hide-away. A Brooklyn treasure. Enjoy. Very inspiring.

Ahh a little bit of Melbourne in Brooklyn. Simply perfect. But where is all your stuff??? That editing must have been hard. Maybe that's what I need in my life!

I love everything about this place. There must have been a really talented architect who worked on this.

They did a great job on your place but I'm really confused by it. I don't know where your storage is, you don't seem to have closets or even storage furniture. I like the murphy bed room but why isn't in multipurpose - it just seems like an empty room when the bed is up, which is a waste of space in a tiny place. And finally, there is apparently no dining area. It doesn't even seem like there is much seating if you were to have people over. I think if I was going to spend a lot of money on an architect remodel, I'd want all sorts of clever solutions to the lack of space like some other small condos I've seen.

Who would think that a 1 bedroom flat could have an empty room? Even I would sacrifice my bed lounging and napping habits for the sheer luxury of space to meditate in. Lovely.

Fiat Blanco, I know, my apartment looks tricky. In the bedroom the entire paneled left wall in the photograph (10'w x10'h) is closet space-- we even built in seasonal storage beneath the flooring panels. I've also got storage closets above and beside the murphy bed which is where pesky things like my vaccum cleaner live. Personally, I find having the room empty a gift, but everyone is different.

I installed a storage closet in the bathroom too (6'hx20" w) and there is a medicine cabinet behind the bathroom mirror for girly things.

As for the seating areas- There is a breakfast counter that seats 2 in the kitchen and there is a drop sided table in the living room that can seat 6-8, I move that into the bedroom when I have dinner parties (I keep extra chairs in my basement). Hope that helps to clear up your confusion!

Hi stellah,

Thanks for all your gracious answers to questions and the link to additional pics! I would love to see Apartment Therapy do a post on your renovation process and show more of your beautiful apartment.

Bedroom/dining = genius!

The use of earth colors in the living room against the white is a stunning contrast. Otherwise, so elegant!

I love it! Now, I know, being home happy, no matter what the size is always a great thing..but to have gone from 2500 sq ft to 400 sq ft...such a big, no, huge adjustment! But I am sure you are where you wanna be and you did good- very good!

LOVE that your bedroom serves as a dining room when needed!! i did the very same thing in an old apartment i had in seattle (also had a murphy bed). the process of editing from a such a larger space to this one must have been challenging; you did a great job.
jordan

I will be very, very upset if you don't win. Here's why: the versatility of your apartment is astounding. You figured out how to make the place work for numerous functions, and yet, it's not crowded in the least.

Everything is just perfect.

I do like many other entries this year, but yours is the best in terms of imaginative use of space and most versatility.

I'm very envious of your talent.

It really is too bad that because of the way the contest is set up this year this entry likely won't have time to "catch up".

OMG you tease, you! I was staring at the non-bed going "There's THAT huge an entryway in such a small apartment?!?"

Everyone, thank you so much for all of your kind words-- please help by sharing the link to my entry with your friends. Only a few voting days left...

thanks for passing along the link to the before pics. i love your space even more seeing that...

love it all.

but what about that couch? if it's comfy, where's it from??

RtU- the couch is a vintage Harvey Probber piece. It is comfortable, I bought it from a vintage store in SoHo that sadly is no longer there...

LOVE your place, Stellah. If I wasn't in the contest I'd vote for you, for sure. :) Is that the Gianni rug from C&B, btw? My sister needs a rug for her family room and that's one I'd recommended. Looks great in your space. I want her to get a pouf, too - CB2?

Would love to know that paint colors you used, too. Beautiful.

Jayro-- I still voted for lots of folks in the contest even a couple in my section ;). if you scroll up I listed all the paint colors I used as well as other sources. Rug isn't C&B, pouf is CB2, well spotted!

Stellah,I have been in the contracting business for over 20 yrs and have worked for over a 1000 clients.It was very exiting working with you,turning your ideas and visions into reality.Your creativity alone wins my vote

Camel and grey. I love the color combo. I think Murphy beds are genius. I wonder why more people don't use them. As for me I spend so much time lounging on my bed that it would not be practical to put away my bed but turning a bedroom into a dining room is a great idea especially since I love to cook and entertain.

Incredible use of space; an illusion of size, potential for multiple uses, color selections and that stunning hallway vignette all make me wish I had such an innate design sense.