Ladnor2's Profile

Amazing that such a teeny-tiny space is not overwhelmingly claustrophobic. I think the different levels help this Small Cool entry feel more open, like there's room to travel through the space, a huge plus on top of the ingenious flexibility and storage space they provide. (Love to see the use of a large mirror also, my favorite method of "doubling" space!) I can imagine a design like this layout used to convert a very small building, or room within a larger home, into separate living quarters. Or maybe to create a live/work type of dwelling. Good luck in the contest.

I love the "window" you have created with the shelves and curtains! It makes an extraordinary headboard, and almost feels as if there's another room beyond. (Was that alcove once meant for a Murphy bed?) You were so smart not to crowd your space with a sofa; this is so much better. One of my favorite entries, but one suggestion: I think you should keep your eyes open for a long-and-low piece of furniture to replace the many smaller ones under your large window.

Great job decorating what is essentially a slightly awkward layout! You've made it all work together, and I like how you were able to provide unexpected additional space.

The floor plan and furniture placement is great, and so is the wonderfully workable kitchen and dining area, but that's not why I voted for you. It's how you have decorated that most impresses me! Specifically, what a great job you done balancing out the lights and darks in a mostly white room. The black place mats, picture frames, ottoman, and desk all carefully distributed around the room really keep your eye active and moving around the space, which is why your beautiful Small Cool space really "lives large" and doesn't feel small at all. Thank you for sharing, because I feel I can learn a lot by studying your space.

Beautiful room, and it's large enough to handle a deep, rich like Benjamin Moore Mysterious, of course it should be offset by as much white as possible (woodwork, ceiling, window treatments, and bedding). And lots of foliage-type plants. Looking at the color charts, I'd be tempted to choose a color that "sings" a little more: Benjamin Moore Wood Violet #1428 is almost grey but feels much more luxurious. I'd use painted furniture, mostly white, with a few pieces in a silvery green. And then a few bold accents, maybe in red or vermillion. I can envision geometric prints in more than one scale and/or floral pillow covers using the red/vermillion with a little of the silvery green. (I can imagine just a tiny bit of yellow: Cadmium Yellow Medium, like the color of paint used for highway lines.) Natural wood could be brought into the room in the form of storage trunks, and maybe lovely screens or carved doors could be hung on the walls as artwork or used as a headboard.

I'm sure whatever your friend's choice, it's going to be a lovely room. And the finishing touch would be to control the view outside the glass doors and add privacy with a section of fence or a trellis and plants. It could frame a little bistro table and chairs for enjoying morning coffee ...

SWEET! Looks like chair was designed this way, instead of a "fix".

Hi, John. TV placement #2 provides for viewing from all areas of the room, including the bar and part of the kitchen. But my immediate response to your floor plan was a vision of how best to work with the entire space.

My starting point would be a low bookcase or storage unit(s) spanning the entire wall under the two windows at the bottom of the floor plan. You can never have too much storage, and it doesn’t look like you have walls suitable for large bookcases or an armoire. In addition to storage, a low bookcase across the entire wall would give a lovely, airy focal point as you enter the condo and a place for lamps, art, books, plants, etc. in an uncluttered and coherent display. (Consider building some simple DIY shelves if budget doesn’t allow funds to purchase.)

Then I’d place a very large mirror on the short wall that by HVAC, the one that was TV placement #1. (I can see a large mirror in a large frame, maybe sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. Or a cheaper alternative of installing many smaller framed mirrors covering the wall from floor to ceiling, all the same size or an installation with antique frames in many sizes and shapes.) This would reflect light from the windows back into the room and give something interesting to look at in that direction besides just a hall with a lot of doors.

If you are set on purchasing a sectional, look for one in a smaller scale with modern lines and a lighter color with legs showing underneath, NOT a dark leather behemoth like
“sectional” seems to mean to many people. In general, use furniture with relatively low backs so the room doesn't feel too divided. Instead of a coffee table I’d probably use a large “leggy” ottoman with a tray on top when serving food or beverages. With this kind of ottoman, you just might find that your present sofa works just fine, at least until you’ve lived in the space for a while and decide what you really need. (You haven’t mentioned the type of flooring in your condo in your new condo. I hope it is wood … that’s what fits my mental picture. But if the flooring is wood, you may find you’d like an area rug.)

Try turning your dining table 90 degrees to see if that would work better; it might look and feel more spacious, even if one end of the table touches the wall under the smaller window, and it would restate the shape of the kitchen bar. I don’t know if you already have a table, but you might even like how a round table looks in that space.

The final piece of the puzzle concerns how you display your TV. Will it be wall-hung? And is it large enough to visually hold that wall? Will it be on a piece of furniture? Be careful if you choose a piece of furniture for the TV. (I’d probably decide to extend that low bookcase/storage in an “L” to that wall as well.) And while I like white walls, it might make sense to paint that wall as an accent wall in a darker color giving the TV less of a stark contrast.

I love the layout of your new home, so much so that it’s easy to imagine my own taste in the space. I hope you have fun settling in and find just the style that suits you! Remember, you don’t have to do it all at once; consider it “extending the fun” if it takes longer.

Thanks, Apartment Therapy! I needed this, and the feeling of community provided by participating in this project is an added bonus. Keeping the end goal in sight, I look forward to being more creative and productive in a space where I can find things more easily. In our home are two artists, one who is also a musician, and five grown rescue cats (who take up a lot more space than when they were kittens, not to mention their shedding): EVERYTHING is potential art materials so it's really difficult to purge belongings, and there are guitars and keyboards in nearly every room. Like I said, I can use the help and encouragement, so I'll be checking the Apartment Therapy site every day to read everyone's comments!

Hi, Emilie. Really, you're doing great and the space will continue to get better over time as you live there. I like that you're trying to define the space for multiple uses, but I think repositioning your furniture could open up the space and be more attractive and welcoming.

The room feels like the sofa needs to be against the long wall across from the fireplace, for function and traffic area, as well as for massing the dark and light tones within the space. What a wonderful coffee table! If the sitting area needs more definition, you may want an area rug under the coffee table (large enough to fit under feet of the sofa would be best), maybe in a pattern or the red-orange color of your dining chairs. If you have funds for lamps on each end of the sofa, that would be great, or add when you can afford them.

For your actual question: I'd move the sofa table/cabinet to under the mirror and then see if the mirror is the right height. The mirror is great on that wall. I love how it reflects the light while bringing the colors of your dining chairs to that end of the room! But if you really want to keep the sofa and other furniture arrangement as in the photos, you might try a narrow shelf under the mirror. It could be as long as fits within those end walls or just centered in the space. Could be as simple as a picture rail, painted white, would look really nice and give a finish to the room. (I'd be tempted to try to make a shelf that echos the fireplace mantle as closely as possible in its dimensions and color, even hanging it the same height. If you wanted to add a shelf or two under, they could also be made thick like the mantle, or thinner like plywood would work also.)

I tried to give a lot of possibilities, and I hope some of these ideas might work for you. Repositioning the furniture is a no-cost way to start, then you can see what your budget allows. The room is lovely as is, but it's fun to make the changes that fit your moods as well as your lifestyle.

Also, I have to say that so far at least, you're doing really well integrating kid-space in an attractive and interesting way! Doesn't look cluttered and I like the nice bright colors you've used, especially that great little piano. Makes me want to sit on the floor and play with the kids.