wannabe minimalist's Profile

Display Name: wannabe minimalist
Member Since: 4/16/07

Latest Comments...

I think the Costa Mesa store is the nicest one in LA. Carson is a lot smaller, and doesn't have a restaurant.
Covina and Costa Mesa are newer, and larger, than Carson (which used to be a Stor) and Burbank.


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | Which Ikea Do You Go To?
5/23/08 8:56 AM

This house was in Record Houses a couple of years ago.
One of the (many) things I find appealing about it is that the windows are comparatively small, so that the views are controlled, rather than wide-screen. The house has a more of a sense of shelter than many modern houses, especially minimalist ones.


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | Tolo House: The House of Staircases
5/22/08 12:12 PM

They didn't get the typeface right. Maybe they were going for a hand-drawn look, but it just looks sloppy to me. Not really thought-out.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | Look! Life Size Luxury Tax
5/14/08 10:28 AM

Blogging IS about grammar, because blogging is writing.
Grammar matters - good communication matters.

It doesn't matter if it's etched in stone, printed in a book or newspaper, or online. Writing is writing.


Apartment Therapy New York | DC House Tour: Drew Syd's Fab Rehab in Columbia Heights
5/7/08 10:35 AM

I know I posted as few minutes ago, but each time I see this it pisses me off more. And that the AT blogger refers to this as "creatively reinterpreting" classics is pretty offensive, too.

This is destructive, not creative, and it's evil.


Apartment Therapy New York | Hot or Not? Aalto Doorstop by Tobias Wong
4/23/08 12:01 PM

It's the destroying that gets to me. It seems callous and presumptious .


Apartment Therapy New York | Hot or Not? Aalto Doorstop by Tobias Wong
4/23/08 11:55 AM

I think this guy does have stuff, just not more than he can store. And this apartment has a LOT of storage.


Apartment Therapy New York | International #8: Nicolas' Mini Loft
4/23/08 12:55 AM

A recent entry said the chair in her hallway was for putting on ( and taking off) shoes. So I don't think the stools in the entry are pointless.
I don't get why people say "it looks like no one lives there" - the comment seems to appear whenever some with really refined and specific taste and an ability to live in an orderly fashion shows their home.


Apartment Therapy San Francisco | Northwest #13: David's Designer Digs
4/18/08 11:09 AM

I'm impressed with the variety of spaces he has put into a small frame. It would be a very comfortable home to be alone in - there's always someplace else to go. Cozy!


Apartment Therapy New York | East #21: Eduardo's Recyclables
4/16/08 10:22 AM

I'm voting super cool because I know she will make good use of the prize.
Lots of people with a lot more money don't have an eye like this - the proportions flow really well, even though all the elements are inexpensive. Great taste.
I don't know if she did the "cure", but it seems like a poster apartment for small, cool, healthy, happy.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | Midwest #10 - Stephanie's Simple Sanctuary
4/15/08 11:01 AM

Great-looking place. Pretentious comments from the resident.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | Midwest #5 - M. Cole's Red Yellow Apartment
4/12/08 12:12 AM

This house is in the country, and it's in Scandinavia, so wakling around naked wouldn't be a problem.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | Asserbo Home by Christensen Co
4/12/08 12:03 AM

Wow. Truly weird and really beautiful. The car mirrors are great. This woman must be an amazing person to know.
We should all be saying " this ins't my style" because it's hers alone.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | CHI House Tour: Amy's New Place in West Rogers Park
4/11/08 11:45 PM

Now THAT is small and cool.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | Good Quotes: Andree Putman on Authentic Style
4/7/08 3:38 PM

I'm a pianist, and was brought up to obsess that I was bothering the neighbors. Statements like "I'd give anything to live next door to a pianist" amaze me.
I keep the house closed up when I'm practicing most of the time. I want to "keep 'em wanting more".


Apartment Therapy Chicago | The Lovely Side of Neighbor Noise
4/3/08 9:36 AM

OK, so this is a great-looking home inhabited by great-looking people.
But maybe I'm just grumpy today, but I'm put off by "too lazy to measure". Square footage matters to AT readers. And it's one of the actual rules for contests, and is a normal protocol for tours.
They have obviously put tremendous effort into making their home beautiful, but couldn't be bothered with a little effort to make their contribution here complete.
So I found the whole tour a bit sour. It seems like a commercial for her design business.
Sorry if I'm off base. I'm just responding from the gut.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | CHI House Tour: Jessica Alex's Simple Modern On a Budget
4/3/08 9:25 AM

Superb. Beautiful use of space, beautiful color harmonies, quality not quanity.

To weasel dearest: "kids deserve more space than this"...
I have to think you comment is really elitist. It looks too compact to you, but it seems that the people who live here are comfortable, and it's their call anyway. Hundreds of millions of children and adults would be lucky to live in such luxury.


Apartment Therapy New York | East #5: Family of Four’s “Two Bedroom” Studio
4/2/08 12:00 PM

People. This is not a nut job apartment. It's a real style, with many admirers. There are lots of books on it. The style has acknowledged masters, second tier names who are just as good or better, and amateurs like me whose heart flutters at images like these. Silverstrin is probably one of the masters. He was John Pawson's partner early in their careers.

It's certainly shows the owner's great wealth.

This particular place doesn't do much for me, except for the hallway, which would lift the heart every time you walk down it.

To me the best minimalist places ( like Pawson's house) DO feel like homes, but this one feels like an art installation.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | Kanye West's Apartment
3/28/08 12:50 PM

I find people's comments strange here. Why is everyone suggesting makeovers for what is a very finished design?
It appeas to me that the Intention, with a capital I, behind this house is to be cool and monochromatic. As cool and monochromatic houses go, it may be average or above - hard to tell from small pictures. In the living room, clearly the focus is on framing the view ( in the bathroom, also). The times I've spent in buildings like this - mind you, I've never been in a Richard Meier house, only the public buildings - I've been focused on the light or the view, or the humans.

Sure the kitchen is clean and slick - now visualize the makings of a green salad and strawberries on the counter - they will pop like vases of flowers.

I also wonder what the lighting is like at night - I suspect it feels cozy and romantic, if it's not over-lit.
If the living room were used for a fashion shoot, we would really see the model and the clothes - I think interiors like this are a stage for human life, which is not reflected in the way they usually are photographed.

It's very ship-like , like lots of early modern buildings.Do we think yachts are boring if they're mostly white?


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | AT Asia: The Toilet House
3/28/08 12:24 PM

A buddy of mine called that kind of sofa a "Sports Car Couch". He bought a black one - cheaper than a sports car, he said.

We have a pair of Ikea Poang chairs in birch with the red leather cushions - a bit more muted and earthy than these. They're beautiful and comfortable.

Ikea had a bright red leather Klippan sofa for awhile. I thought it looked great. I think it was $499.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | Red Leather Furniture at Urbanest
3/25/08 9:55 AM