Small Cool 2011

You did a fantastic job. I love the layout of the place. It's very well thought out.

Very nice, clean & bright...and anyone with a Corgi gets my--& my Corgi's--vote:)

Love your space! But that's why we elevated our bed. Our corgi can't get up there, only slobber on us from the sides, which is funny.

It is very cute! I also love the layout and the distinct living areas.

I really like the entertainment unit in the living room... but that could very easily be because I have the same one. :D

This reminds me of a Crate and Barrel store, but in a good way ... lovely colors and clean, comfortable organization.

Excellent, also, BEAUTIFUL DOG!

I love how it just feels so clean and radiant.

Very nice space. Well put togeter.
A definite thumbs up.

Very calm and clean. I love the dog. There is a space near the entrance that looks like a home office (at the diagram), I wish it was in the photos.

oh my god... I love your bedroom! It's so beautiful, calm and serene. You've got what I like to call the "luxurious zen spa look" right down ;) so inspirational. I want to redo my bedroom now!

I'd love to see more of your place. House tour please! :)

Love the dog. We have a red and white Corgi, too; when its thundering outside and she really needs to be on the bed with us, we push the ottoman that normally lives under a table in the bed, up against the bed, and up she jumps.

The bedroom is definitely my favorite room here; the color combinations are so pleasing.

Nice space but wouldn't cheap solid vintage furniture be more in tune with your willingness to lead a greener life than big-box-store pieces?

To all of you, thank you! I can't believe some of the wonderful things said.

To all the corgi lovers: His name is Dexter, and he's a two-year old red-headed tri. He's really small for a corgi (15 lbs) but I don't think our apartment can handle much more :-).

ElectricKatie - Actually, that's one of my least favorite parts. I call it the "wall of black"; it sucks the light out of the room. Great for storage, not so great for sunlight.

cremedela - funny, b/c I don't anything we own is from Crate & Barrel. But I do wish I could live in one of their stores, so it could be subconscious.

hotpaprika - sorry we didn't include the office area. It's a typical Apartment Therapy office: Eames knockoff chair, white Parsons desk, antique camera collection, etc...

waterlily - I'll pretend that the "luxurious zen spa look" you speak of is intentionally what I was going for... lol

Very nice!

Very neat, very clean. Seems to have a lot of personality

I have the same furniture in my bedroom. It may be IKEA, but I do really love that Hemnes!

Beautiful color combination in the bedroom! Overall, your place looks so cozy! Would you mind sharing the paint color you used in your bedroom? Thank you

Allegra M - I completely agree, and we're slowly trying to find used vintage pieces to replace the big-box-store pieces. When we moved it, our only goal was "Get furniture" and the Reuse-Recycle mentality didn't hit us until later on. But in my defense, most of the furniture, even the IKEA pieces, were bought used on craigslist. So you gotta give me some credit :-)

Xenia - the bedroom paint is Cafe Latte by Glidden.

Your apartment is beautiful & so is your darling corgi Dexter. Love your kitchen. Very cozy, clean & well organized. Also, I have the same IKEA bedroom dresser & love it!

Lovely home! And my very favorite part - your pup's reflection in the full length mirror. So adorable! Good Luck to you!

I love it! My most favourite favourite so far! :)
I love your puppy too :)

not sure why my comment was deleted. i do like this space but it really does look like a page from the ikea catalog.

rlmesq - Not sure why your comment was deleted; I was going to say that I agree with you, that almost all of our big items are from IKEA and as I mentioned in the blurb at the top, we've been trying to slowly replace these pieces.

divellent: I know exactly what you mean by lots of stuff but no furnishings. I really felt like with all the big ticket items I needed in the 1 week i had between school and work (bed, desk/table+chairs, sofa, dresser), my budget only stretched to IKEA. It's not like I even had hand-me downs as my parents lived on the other side of the country. It does look Ikea-ish but you did a much better job than me of making it look good.

"typical Apartment Therapy office" --> hilarious

I love the corgi!

Love your bedroom!! Great job with the decor.

I think this is a lovely use of space created with easy-to-find furnishings.

There is more to being green then just depriving yourself of stuff

jettsam - I couldn't agree more. I only commented on the design-related actions we've taken due to lack of typing space. But during this time we've also set up a large-scale compost bin, taken a no-new-plastic pledge, reduced our landfill waste to less than one bag per week (we're aiming for one per month), tried to keep more than 90% of our food in the unprocessed/organic/local/pasture-raised spectrum, eliminated all toxic chemicals in the house (cleaning, makeup, etc...), and have begun the search for a single-family home that we can renovate to be completely "green". And the list goes on from there... but like I said above, we still have a long ways to go!

I love how calmly inviting it is - well done creating such a lovely atmosphere with the light and the colors! P.S. I have your same Hemnes bedroom set - love it!

I really like it--it looks like such a perfect place to come home to every day!

I especially like your kitchen - so clean and bright! And I'm impressed by your commitment to living as green as you can. Do you have an outdoor space for your compost bin - and some place to use the dirt?

Love it! To solve the bathroom through the bedroom conundrum, have you considered closing off bedroom door and making new entrance through walk in closet wall just inside front entry door? Then, as you walk through that new door, bedroom door would be to your right and 'new' bathroom door would be directly ahead. Close off 'old' bathroom door and make entire wall of closets from next to window to 'new' bedroom door. Would give you more wall space in living room, more privacy in your bedroom, enable others to use bathroom without traipsing through your bedroom AND reduce 'bathroom' noise in your bedroom. Seems like it could be done easily with just drywall and studs....just a thought......

Your apartment is cute, but it can't compare to the dog.

Very nice ,and gorgeous dog!

Your place is gorgeous! But really you got my vote just because of Dexter the Corgi ;)

videofromscrach - we put it out back by our apartment's dumpsters. It's hidden so the tennants that don't want to participate don't have to see it, but large enough that anyone who wants to contribute in our building is able to.

michpam - nice plan in theory, but I doubt our landlord would be cool with us rearranging the layout. Your plan though is exactly what I would do if we were allowed to do a little demolition.

I like what you have done, I don't mind the ikea things... right out of college you need functional things at a nice price. Maybe you should paint the expedit? Maybe a fun bright color...then it wouldn't be a sea of black. But I think you did a great job... you should break down the price of the pieces and then total it for everyone:) I would love that!!

Your place is absolutely my favorite. Hands down. I love it.

I'm in a similar situation--a few years out of college and trying to incorporate IKEA with more traditional pieces. I think you've done a great job.

Where did you get the shelf/storage unit in the fourth picture? The one under the window?

Also--the storage/microwave/counter top thing in the kitchen. Where did you get that?

Beautiful home.

I think that if Ikea items make a space work the way the homeowner needs it to, esp on a budget then there's nothing wrong with Ikea, we all learn to use them differently and that's the fun. I really like your space, very homey and comfortable looking.

Fantastic color combination...Clean space and amazing space management.

I especially like your kitchen: clean white with fun pops of color.

love the place! love the colors! where did you find the fantastic red leaning shelves?? thanks so much for sharing!

The bedroom is the scene stealer of this entry.

Jessica Jeanne: the storage/counter top in the kitchen is hand-made by us using an IKEA desk top ($5.99) and an IKEA metal shelf ($39.99), screwed together with some brackets. It's the best $46 we ever spent!

laura sponaugle: the leaning shelves are from JC Penney. I don't think they have the exact kind anymore, but these are similar.

I love that you don't have a giant television dominating your bedroom. It adds to the serenity and I hope you keep it that way. :)

@laura sponaugle. The leaning shelves are so cool! You can find them at Crate and Barrel, too.

Doggie!

Or if you didn't want to paint the tv stand it may look cool to wallpaper the inside to add some brightness. Love your kitchen and your home!

I think you should be penalized for the unfair advantage: an excrutiatingly cute Corgi!!! :)

LOVE the Corgi!

I LOVE this apartment and everything about it. Wouldn't change a thing!I've 'favorite'd it and bookmarking it for inspiration :) Also, love your Corgi, we have 2 and thinking about getting a third :)

Beautiful space...especially the bedroom...I have the same dresser and I love it! ;)

I love your layout and, man, am I jealous of your true 1 bedroom layout.

I too have loved the greener aspect to living in a small space; it really makes you prioritize your life and belongings. You've done it in a beautifully chic, yet casual, way. Kudos!

I love this. My favorite is this

"So when we moved in together it was a challenge to avoid just turning the apartment into an IKEA catalog. We're still trying to incorporate more classic pieces and less big-box-store pieces, but it's a slow process."

I can so so so relate.

Love Dexter! Can you let me know the source for the green bedding?

mminsf - The green quilt and shams are from Target - Chrysanthemum

Corgi!
-Sorry, I had to!

I love your place. Very cheerful and bright, like the use of colors. We have a Corgi too, he's red and white and he can jump on the bed anytime although we keep the door shut to keep the "dreaded" cats out! Does your Corgi have any cats? Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed seeing your space.