Small Cool 2011

That poor deer. When will it stop being OK to hang dead animals in homes?

your place was great...and then the deer head....

Will, this is a super cool pad. I love the "repurposed" deer...
Your place definitely has my vote.

the cowhide, the sheepskin, and then the DEER HEAD?! how could anybody vote for this?

I'm hoping a deer will submit "its" small cool apartment with the head of a gay guy that works at Design Within Reach over the fireplace. That would be very cool.

Having said that, I still find this place very sexy. Oh, the conflict.

Ooooh moody, sexy, and masculine. Love all the textures and large scale artwork. You have my vote. Now vote for my tiny entry! ;)

http://community.apartmenttherapy.com/contests/smallcool/2011/entries/1988

The size kind of reminds me of a dorm room, but a magnificent one.

very clever use of space =)

I really love your space. Is your bed a full or a queen? Very cozy!

I find no humor (or irony) in the comment about the taxidermied head of a person, gay or not. Let go of the anger.

Where did you get the painting of the tree? Absolutely LOVE it! Your apartment has great style and you can really tell you took thought in choosing furniture. Very nice!

This is very professionally done. ARe the walls black? I love black walls....it always adds sex appeal.

I love the tree painting as it adds a nature touch.

Wow I wouldn't want to have a deer head only because people on the AT site are constantly complaining about those. Do your friends come over and say anything about it?
WEll I guess if you are inviting them over for dinner they wouldn't mention it except to maybe ask"so what's this meat in the stew?-"

Wow!...Great use of space and the vintage "RL" look is what gives it that cozy feel..."wicked". Love the dark walls with the POPS of white. As odd as the deer head may seem...I love your out of the box thinking (most people would be afraid to push the limits).

Wow...I put up a comment about not liking a shade of paint and that gets deleted, yet someone else here can spew all sorts discriminatory nastiness and it's apparently ok. Whatever. This place is gorgeous and if you don't like the deer head, don't put one up in your house.

I wish there was a closeup on the deer so we could see if there is a tiny tear in the corner of his little eye. I'm sure he was roaming a meadow thinking about Plato's cave or researching a cure for cancer when he was cruelly shot with a high power rifle for the sole purpose of winning a contest on Apartment Therapy. Please tell me that is pleather on the couch...

Love your apartment. How many points is your buck?

A good example of dark color working in a small space. Very sleek, love the bed, and the zebra print chairs, like the deer head too.

I like the deer head to- this from me, a former vegetarian. My family all hunt and fish, and honestly, deer meat is healthy, and has kept many families I know sustained through winters in (my home province) Nova Scotia. I figure- if the animal is used for meat and the other parts repurposed, I'm all for it. I love the look, anyways.
I love love this entry, I'm just outside of Toronto. This seems typical of Toronto condos, but I think it would be one hell of a pleasant surprise opening the door onto this! :D Very dramatic!

Oh heck people...get over yourselves with the deer/fur comments. Each person decides these issues for themselves and don't need your "help". It looks like a very (admirably) tidy guy space. It seems a little dark for my taste, but you've done a great job!

I'm very torn by this apartment... I just adore the artwork and the (I freaking hope that's leather) couch, the color-scheme is gorgeous... but the panther-bedding and zebra-chairs are sooo tacky!
I'm in lurv with the deer head! Hoorah for dead fauna!
[/troll]

I love the leather couch and the sheepskin. The zebra chairs are no problem here! (I want to do a zebra cushion on an entryway bench... when I have a real entry).

My favorite things are probably the large scale artwork and the dark walls.

I have no problems with the deer head. That's not that uncommon where I come from. A good friend of mine has a deer head - the rest of the deer went to food (and deer are vastly overpopulated in my state).

Love that you have such an awesome bed in such a small space! And folks, animals die. I wouldn't want a deer head because we have so many I can't stand the sight of them any more, but if I lived in Manhattan I would certainly think it's a great idea.

I love everything about this small space - great color choice, beautiful sofa, and great artwork (including the deer). Your place shows that small and dark can be beautiful.

Very sexy and chic. I am always impressed by those who can get that luxe Ralph Lauren thing to work for them. When I try to pull it off it just looks like a crappy hunting lodge. Good job!

bshields: you'd be amazed at the number of deer heads in Manhattan. Deer die, yes, but this deer head trend will not!

Gorgeous!

I love it!!! Normally I'm not a fan of dark colors, but it really works. Beautiful.

Wish we could see the kitchen!

Love, love, love it!!!!

I love your space. It is sexy and classic. I love the artwork juxtaposed against the dark walls. My favorite is the furniture choices- regular scale, lush, comfy- no teeny tiny apartment furniture- Love It!

beautiful space, love the colors and mood.

'Please tell me that is pleather on the couch...' seriously?? out of curiosity, what are your shoes and belts made of?

That comment about gay folks was completely uncalled for and uncool.

I like this space, though I don't like the rolling rack in the hallway. It seems cluttery.

Will, what a warm, enfolding environment.

I am sorry that people have to make this post be all about environmental politics, but I am going to respond to that aspect anyway.

I'm with melissacj. What exactly do you people want to happen to the taxidermied heads that people have made as trophies for hundreds of years? How about the hides of the animals slaughtered every day for your hamburgers and lamb chops? Do you think that it is more respectful to throw them in the dumpster? I don't. Will's trophy treats the animal with much more honor. Also, why is there such widespread outrage against hunting, but not against meat eating in general, when most animals are raised in miserable conditions? At least the wild animal has lived a good life, and all you're complaining about is the moment of death. Furthermore, what exactly do you people think would happen to the deer if no people hunted them? We as humans living in sprawling communities have already put them in danger by our very lifestyles. You can't have a large population of deer and a large population of humans in the same space. It just doesn't work out. Those deer crossing the road to eat your neighbor's flowers aren't in safe, endless wilds of the untouched new world frontier.

Hear, hear, Gaidig! I couldn't agree more.

But back to the topic of the apartment... it's terrific. I love the use of dark colors in a small place. It's a bold move.

@Gaidig Thanks for pointing out the hypocrisy inherent in the negative comments about the deer head.

Now THIS is a mancave! Love it!

Very tidy and fashionable! As a vegetarian, I'm freaked out about these animal head wall pieces. Brrrrrr.

Great floor plan. The brooding wall color is wonderfully contrasted with the use of animal patterns, nature art, and traditional elements. I get the same excitement from your pics, that I experienced from apartment sets in movies like Bad Company and Sea of Love. The detectible silence of controlled intense energy.

hubba hubba. foxy diggs

With the exception of the deer head (WHEN will that trend finally die???), I love it. Very stylish, masculine, tidy, and well-edited.

This place ROCKS. I love love your bed. I'm late to the party so you probably won't tell me where you got it. I am not a fan of animal heads...aesthetically but thats ok because I still like this place.

I have seen a lot of small chic New York City apartments in my day, but this one is by far the best one I've seen in a long time. The way the designer was able to accurately capture the essence of classic Ralph Lauren in every square inch of this place is spectacular. If this designer doesn't have his own business, he should or better yet his own Bravo TV show!

Love this place! Dark, soothing, and peaceful, yet still minimal to the core. Don't like the deer head but just for aesthetic reasons - Gaidig pretty much summed it up. I don't object to hunting as long as you eat the meat. Using the other bits just makes it MORE reasonable.

Hi This is Will. Thank you all for your comments.

I would like to address some questions that were asked. The deer head is about 25 years old. I didn't kill it myself nor do I hunt or kill animals. It was given to me by a neighbor who was moving from the apartment complex I lived in at the time. The paintings were done by me. The wall color is black it's Benjiman Moore's "Black Jack" # 2133-20 in an eggshell finish.

I hope this helps. Thanks, Will

Love it!! way to go! even the deer head....then again..I'm from Texas!

@ delg23. Thanks. The queen sized bed was purchased on sale at Bloomingdale's about 4 years ago. (It's a Ralph Lauren knock off) I had it stored (still in the box) in a friend's basement. When I moved to NY from D.C. in Dec. 2010 I brought it with me. I figured it deserved to live in the greatest city on earth!

I like the way you married the colors of the sofa and bedding...it makes the bed almost an extension of the sofa. it's cool.

Good grief... I have an almost totally vegan diet and I don't wear/use leather, and I love animals more than anything, but even I can't see the point in making a rude comment about someone else's deer head on an online forum about apartments.

Anyway, very nice place, especially with *such* a small space. I love the painting behind the TV, and the strong lines of the metal bed. If you're going to have a full-size bed in a place that small, you may as well make it bold!

I'm impressed that Will could create such a rich, luxe decor in such a microscopic space. Everything is beautifully chosen.

This space is wonderful! I absolutely love it.

The deer head is just about the only thing about this space I don't like, but purely from an aesthetic viewpoint, not a PC one. Everything else---gorgeous!

I love it, too. The deer head makes me feel right at home. The dark colors make it feel very dramatic and sexy.

I love it. I'm more into shabby chic (what a terrible name) but this is just spectacular. Warm, Dramatic, inviting. And I do love your book stacks.

Love it.

This chick would love to live in this "man-cave." Very bold use of a dark color in a small space - bravo.

And if you want to put a deer head on your wall and have a leather couch (gasp!) do it - and if you don't - DON'T. Jeez people.

The same concept that protects this person's right to hand a deer head in his home also pertains to MY right to post my opinion. It's called a COMMENTS section because it's where readers post their COMMENTS. And the gay part was made by my very gay friend who thought it would be funny if a deer had an apartment with his head over a fireplace. Posters of Mao, Che Guevara etc draw gret wrath from readers and no one has the guts to defend that, although it's just as offensive to some. Peace.

By the way, i eat meat and am not opposed to wearing leather shoes or having leather seats on my car, I just find the use of dead animals as decor cliched and macabre and not attractive. That there is a design comment, folks!

This place is amazing!!! I love the black paint, it defies the idea that you can't use dark paint for walls in a small space. Great job, I would however named it "Urban Lodge" Is the bed Ralph Lauren?

So happy to see the deer head has a happy home!

Great studio, very genteel and stylish. Hang a deer head if you want, it is your house after all.

If Will reads the post again, I would also like to know about the great lucite campaign chairs

Beautiful! I think the deer head rocks in this space.

Where did you score the leopard sheets!?! Love. And been hunting for a set.

@P- The lucite chairs are vintage purchased from a thrift store in Washington D.C. about 5 years ago. The seats were covered in hot pink vinyl when I purchased them but the pink didn't go with my color scheme. I recovered them with zebra print micro suede fabric. @NorNor. The sheets are from Bloomingdales I think they still sell them.

Will

i love the bed...its seems ridiculous to have in a small space but is actually amazing.

Although I'm also not a fan of the deer head, I do agree that the space is dramatic and sexy. Normally I'm not a fan of open closets, but the men's dress shirts and ties just help emphasize the manly vibe of the space and I love it.

Your place is fantastic!!! I love the chrome bed. It adds a nice contrasting pop of shine with all the texture throughout your home. I also love how your books are stacked perfectly on your floor. I too am a neat freak! ; )

...by the way people, if you eat meat then what's wrong with putting a deer head on your wall? As long as you are EATING THE ANIMAL then I don't see the problem and if you're a vegetarian, sorry. To each, his own. I'm just saying.

I applaud the effort, I think it is very dramatic and sexy as others have said. However, it is way too depressing to me. I will never understand why people paint thier walls black, especially in such a small space. I love all the peices in this place though, the lamps on the wall, the chrome bed, the round mirror, I just wish the walls were brighter. It's like a cave.

I enjoy the wall color. Bold. I wish I was brave enough for black. Keep the deer, he is lovely.

cvgmiami: I love your comment! Cracks me up.

I kind of like how this entry has caused a stir. He has definitely made a few polarising choices, but that just makes things interesting!

The zebra print is definitely not for me and it cheapens everything in my opinion, but otherwise I love the bed.

I would love to have seen a photograph of the space in daylight, I am sure it looks totally different and maybe tones down that sexy man cave thing a bit that might be putting people off?

Slick job though overall

Will - you know I have always gotten "life" off of your aesthetic!!! I loooove your new place; however small - its soooo sexy!!!! Hope you win!!!

Hey Will, GREAT interior design as always! I'll be sure to put it on my MUST SEE list whenever I return to my home state or in the area visiting my son...

Will, this place is breathtaking! I would never guess that you don't make a living in interior design. I am highly impressed.

Ab Fab darling!
Loved reading people's comments ... funny how hung up people got on Herbert. Hope you win!

Will....place looks great. Usually, a photo can make a space look smaller. Not the case here and that's very impressive considering the dark color choice.
Love it

wow...what a gorgeous apartment...so sleek and stylish just like its owner.

I love the deer head...and everything else! Go Will.

You should have seen what Will did with his office at the Washington Post...

Nice Will! Very sleek and stylish!

Just outstanding!

I like the couch and the coffee table and the bed, and hey, even the wall color. It's like a vintage vegas lounge where you never know what time it is outside. Here's my beef. Half this room feels drenched in scotch and pulled out of a ralph lauren ad, and half is either really tacky or belongs in a girl's bedroom. The white desk and picture frames? Not for this setting. Zebra and leopard skin? Tacky. And I'm really sorry, but that painting above the TV looks like someone flung poo.

Will,

I never comment, but your space is BRA-VO. It speaks to me deeply. So much so, that I actually voted.

Good luck to you.

Wow.....some REALLY harsh and I'm-hiding-behind-the-safety-of-my-computer critiques on here. Keep in mind peeps that someone lives here and has put lots of time and effort into making it "theirs". If it's not your style, then say that, but no need to go on and on. and on. Better yet, enter the contest so we can all see your "perfect" space.

Will - tremendous job! Nice mix of colors, textures and elements.

And I thought *my* man-cave was sexy... you just won. Nicely done, Will. Off to buy a knock-off RL canopy bed for my studio, it's brilliant!

I dig this pad and I mean really dig it. You dig? Nice job bringing this together. Hope you win -- you're a winner.

Nicely configured utilizing every inch well.

I absolutely love your decor! The colors work extremely well together and the pieces that you have selected are made for each other. Impressive!

SWEET!!!/ Really Nice...You should win this!

Sweet pad dude! New Yorkers are so creative!

Will, your paintings are gorgeous. I was admiring them and wondering where they came from. Your entire place is fabulous, coherent and moody.

This is by far the coolest, most modern and attractive of all. Even though it's one of the smallest, the coordination IN COLOR and decor makes up for the space. LOVE IT!!! Very Cozy!

Extremely cozy feel that jumps out of the pics. Great job... I live in a small apt/loft in dc...you have given me some ideas for my place...with your design aesthetic you sure you wanna stay in fashion retail...you might wanna consider the field of interior design... could prove to be a beneficial move in the long run.

This one has GREAT potential–with just a few minor fixes: 1) lose the vintage zebra chairs I'd go with a pair of light colored high back club chairs in the same position as to not block the TV. 2) Nix the chrome coffee table and get two small round tables as coffee tables. 3) Get the books off the floor, I'm sure they're important to you and space is a concern put them under the bed or something. Other than that Great color scheme! LOVE, LOVE, Love that bed!

Brooding and Masculine, love. You get my vote!

Will, love the painting you did of the tree!

This place is freak'n awesome!!! I want to marry that bed and make sweet love to it ;), Seriously, love everything about this space. Digg'n the black walls. Is the hallway wall lighter in color or is it just the lighting that's making it seem that way?

Well you have done it again! I continue to be amazed and inspired by your ability to transform any type of dwelling into the most cozy, warm, and aesthetically appealing living environment. So clever, so creative, so trendy... so you! You are AMERICA's next best interior designer!

Take a true genius to make a black room look spacious…..but it actually adds comfort! Style and class exudes from every corner of this unit. Sex and the City reminiscent space but with a masculine twist!!!! Absolute clever use of “fabulousity”!!!!!

i love this space. the deer head is amazing. and to all the people complaining about it, some people eat meat and (GASP!) eat deer meat. i think it looks like a man's pad!!! LOVE IT!!!

People need to get over the deer head. Hunting is a fact of life and feeds people. Please. Great place!

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME! I still need you to come and make my place sing. PLEASEEEE!!

Nice matching of colors and textures (though personally I stay away from animal prints and taxidermy) and overall the place is not bad.

However, the furniture is too big for the space, there is no balance of proportions, things are overcrowding the tiny room. The bed poles are not helping either. I'm sorry, but the design comes across a bit pretentious for such a small apartment.

Hi. @nleedesign. The hallway color is lighter it's Benjiman Moore's trout grey. Thanks for the comments. I love my bed too!!