Small Cool 2011

Love the shower curtain, where do I find one? Charming space, love it.

Nice job. I've always had the out of sight, out of mind problem. Thanks for showing me a great way to deal with it.

Aaron, for someone who has no design background, your place is amazing! I applaud you.

That dark blue color reads wonderfully in pictures. It's truly stunning. Any idea of the name and number of the color?

It's a dark gray, behr ultra, "antique tin" UL260-21

This is great! I love the chair and the plants in the old crate :)

love the pops of orange.

Thanks S.J.P. Shower Curtain:

http://www.izolashower.com/pelounshcu.html

I think another entry also had a subway map shower curtain...

Love this space and love seeing a fellow Minneapolitan on AT!

Love your bedspread! Where did you get it?

Nice job - did you stash stuff for the photos or do you really have that much empty space on the kitchen shelves?

Too bad about those cabinets - a rental?

@Truhle: Douglas and Hennepin!

@mime: Target :). It's a thin woolrich down blanket.

This is my absolutely favorite apartment so far. What a sweet space. Love it!

@ts: Nothing stashed, but yeah, the cabinets are unbearable.

You may not have design background but you do have an eye for it. I love how you've found a designated spot for everything--even your shoes!

Nice spot!! Love how you stored your bike, what did you use to hang it??

@amy. Thanks for asking, because: NOTHING. It's nestled accessibly between the expedit and the wall, leaning on the pipe and kept in place on the floor by the radiator valve. I put a LOT of holes in the wall before I looked at the corner and had that epiphany.

I am really inspired by what you said about finding a place for everything but, out in the open. I think this might help me with my ADHD. Thanks and great job on your place!

I also love the subway shower curtain. Thumbs up for a good job in a difficult space.

GREAT place... really love the orange and grey!

I love this gray color. My husband caved to gray but insisted on Valspar paint, so we got "Vessel Gray" 4005-2A. I've had it for awhile, and your photos make me want to just drop everything and finally get it done. Beautiful. Wonderful use of space, too. Thanks for the inspiration.

The shoes tucked underneath your Tylosand actually look like artwork. Nice job.

This is a sweet apartment. I love everything from the layout to the stuff you have. It seems to function very well - despite the size. It makes me think that we could downsize and make it work!

I also love your colors and the distinct spaces that still flow together.

Definitely my favorite.

Beautiful place. It is not overcrowded with furniture and has airy vibe.
I also love it because in my own place I used orange colour to brighten up the place and recently i decided to buy shower curtain such as this. It came as a really pleasant surprise seeing the last picture of this apartment and knowing that I'm not the only one who loves the idea of it.
The best part is the way the bed is positioned. Creative and looks great.

Beautiful space. I love your use of color, with pops of orange and red against the soothing grey.. The way you stopped the grey behind the couch and emphasized your art is great. The pile of books on the radiator kind of makes me scared for the bottom book, though. Also, what a strange kitchen layout. How unfortunate.

"K!"
is what I thought when I saw the Radio K magnet on the fridge! (hee, hee--fellow Minneapolitan)
Love your place! I wish I could be as efficient with the space I have.

@Giadig: Live dangerously, sleep dangerously ;) In the winter the books sit on my shelf below the guitar. The kitchen is terrible. But considering my rent, great management company, and amazing location... I'll take it.

I love the hockey stick coat rack! Did you put that together yourself?

@Hannie: I won it, actually, at a middle school mixer when I was 13 (!!). But hey, if the shoe still fits...

I love the chair in your living room? Where did you get it? Is that a slip cover, or what?

@Jaymie:

It's a chair by Alphaville-- they have a whole assortment of furniture in this style that can be mixed and matched. And for the record, you can get it a lot cheaper through other channels.

http://www.alphavilledirect.com/alphaville-downlow-chair.html

Who needs a design background when one has such amazing taste!

love your space !!

Love the maps in your toilet/bathroom! :) What a clever idea! haha.. Where did you get that curtain (or was it DIY) and which city is it of?
Great use of color & design! (I'm not a fan of grey, but even grey looks kinda.. nice here!!)
I hear you on the kitchen, the poster is lovely and great use of dark blue color!

Thanks Layla! The shower curtain is from: http://www.izolashower.com/pelounshcu.html

Love your apartment... the shelve in the 3rd pict, the hockey sticks.... but what about the coffee table: where it comes from? Love the hairpin legs.

@mp-mtl: Thanks for the kind words! The hairpin legs are from ianmaclean.com. The coffee table top, as you may have guessed, is IKEA lack

Aaron: yeah that's what I thought about the hack. Thanks for the hairpin legs' cue. I'll probably do the same!

If I could, I'd vote for it twice!

Fantastic job, clean and stylish.

@iLayla: The shower curtain is a map of the London Underground.

Thanks for all the positive feedback, guys. I wish I could share the positive changes I've made since I took these photos! In any event, I'm going to use these comments as motivation to clean the apartment this evening...

Love the use of speaker stands as plants stands instead. Cool space.

Very cool room. I love the use of color!!

I waited for all the entries to come in before I posted my comments about some of the apartments featured here. I'm always amazed how some of these apartments make the cut, I noticed you said you had no design back ground and it clearly shows. This apartment is by know way hideous, but it looks very "collegey" for lack of a better word. The bed pushed in the corner, the orange bean baggish chair, the shoes under the sofa (@rajaune—no that's not art!), the over usage of IKEA shelving and that dreadful kitchen! please for the love of God take that stool from atop the fridge—Yikes! I think you would have been better off just leaving the kitchen to our imaginations. What I DO like is your paint color, nice. Also great job on the floor plan image, maybe graphic design should be your passion.

@scandesign, thanks for having the guts to speak your mind. I dish it out plenty and I can take it. Frankly, I felt the same as you about my apartment (too collegey, ugly kitchen, too much ikea-- and actually, I hate the dark gray walls) but I saw so many apartments posted that were below mine, I figured I'd enter. When it was accepted, I asked AT to let me use different photos, but its against contest policy. And as for the stool on the fridge, I'm way ahead of you....

Love your apartment.

Okay. I wish everyone would stop ragging on Ikea. I love that place. Not everybody can afford high end designer furniture or even quality vintage. Also, love the way people display their bicycles like sculptures. Makes me miss mine.

Not only is Aaron a natural with design, but IKEA also has the cheapest knackebrod and tealights in the Twin Cities. So there. ;)