topic Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT in Home

COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Oznell — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 19:50:08 GMT

New Year, I thought it would be fun to see a knowing, admittedly "maximalist" approach to small apartment living. This "House Beautiful" effort has things I like, and don't like!

I am so sorry-- am having a hard time lifting still pictures. Just watch the video tour. It's much better to give you a complete look, and a flow through the apartment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG45veO98oo&list=PLRUAmsRjYTsXMcR8jSJsTdGiGqmGD4Rv4&index=6&t=0s

Top like: Their bee-you-tee-ful coal black kitty-- he or she is a total star and sweetie!

Interesting, given the square footage, they went with navy walls in the living/ dining room. Do you think there is enough clearance between the dining chairs and the couch?

If they have a lot of dinner parties, I could see wanting to do a full blown dining room like this, but it does eat up space. I might have compromised with a drop leaf table or bistro or something that would "retreat" during daily living.

Love: inlaid floors, art, storage built-ins cleverly book-ending that lacy bed, interesting light fixtures and lamps, unexpected lavender doors in hallway, gorgeous gold banded porcelain collection, bold use of accessories. The owner is an unapologetic maximalist and collector, for sure. Also like the cute kitchen and classic bath, and the bath has a window! A rarity in a small N.Y. apartment?

Not caring for: Sprawling wall paper in aforementioned hallway. Maybe a small scaled one, for interest. But competes too much with those lilac doors, just too much I think. As much as I love collections, I'd cut down about a third or a quarter of those in this place, just b/c it is a bit small.

The teeny second bedroom is cute! If they didn't need a second bedroom though, I would have made it into an office that perhaps had a pull-out couch for the occasional guest-- better use of limited space?

The apartment to me is sort of "jewel-box-meets-cottage", with a colorful English gloss. Perfect for a single woman in the city (and her adorable feline).

Here's a link also to House Beautiful's analysis, "11 Surprising Ways to Use Color":

https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/house-tours/a26767482/kate-reid-colorful-manhattan-apartment/

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Kitlynn — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 19:56:57 GMT

I think it is stunning!! It would be great for a single person. I am not a cat person at all (beautiful cat though) so put a Bichon in there instead of a cat and it would be perfection!!!

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Oznell — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 19:59:50 GMT

Forgot to add in my "likes", the lush curtaining throughout. Just because you live in a small space, you don't have to sacrifice items like this if you want them. (And I say this as one who has only rather austere shades in living and dining room-- but curtains like those in video sure bring drama.)

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Oznell — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 20:01:34 GMT

@Kitlynn, "bichon people" approved and welcomed!

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Vivian — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 20:02:17 GMT

Ideal if you cannot walk between furniture and walls.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

nyc1 — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 20:05:00 GMT

@Oznell Thank you for sharing. Took most of the tour. Some very beautiful things and smartly done. They made use of every inch of space. Not everything is my taste, but I do appreciate the attention to detail and the concept. The perfect space for one! Lovely.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

CelticCrafter — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 20:28:55 GMT

I don't like it, too many colors, too much stuff, too little space to move around in.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

faeriemoon — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 22:26:39 GMT

I will study this more later, but I will say I don't like dark walls.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

stevieb — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 22:27:47 GMT

There are things I'd change and a bit too much grey for me, but overall, it's wonderful. I love what they've done... The feline is precious too... I could only wish HB would feature more neat homes in their magazine, which has not fared well, as far as I'm concerned, since the purges that brought in new editorial staff.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Patriot3 — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 22:39:21 GMT

I didn't care for it because I think they had too much cramped in the small space. Hardly room to move.

It looked so cluttered to me with all the stuff on the walls and the open shelving in kitchen and bath. That drives me crazy.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

GingerPeach — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 22:52:57 GMT

This place makes me smile, @Oznell

I have some favorites here:

the glossy cat!

the freshness of that pale blue in the kitchen

the outlined wood floor in the kitchen

the nautical print in the bedroom

the overall richness of all the color

the excellent use of open shelving to feature pretty things like perfume bottle, or attractive liquor bottles, or other bits of decor

the navy walls with the buttery yellow curtains

the lilac color on the decorative closet front

the orange tulips

that happy flamingo

the homage to cats in the artwork and the tiny planter on the window

I'm sure the more times I watched, the more I'd see that I like.

I recently read somewhere that the "one wall" in color is going away in favor of multiple walls or whole rooms in bolder colors, along with some other things that are cycling in and out of favor (open shelving; open space floor plans, etc.). Out with the "old," in with the "new," ad infinitum, with "old" and "new" often extremely interchangeable!

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Desert Lily — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 22:54:43 GMT

@Oznell I agree with your assessment.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

ECBG — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 23:13:07 GMT

Very interesting and full of personality!

Color can be used to define space which we often see in department stores. Navy walls define the living space and the lavendar is red and blue mixed, which make the two colors automatic matches. The orange tulips brighten the space up and are opposite on the color wheel making them direct matches.

The couch takes a lot of use and it was kept clean with the little stools across from it for unity and to provide brightness.

The dining area had blue-green and red-violet, both terciary colors that are pleasing to the eye and auto matches which go back to the light red violet side char next to the couch.

The red violet doors repeat the color of the couch.

I like the wall paper with the very pale violet background. The print is at least two centuries old and often seen in Charleston and a variety of the print has been used by Waverly Fabrics for decades.

I don't care for the built in chests.

I don't care for the feeling of over accesserizing in shelves.

The yellow used as an accent is the complement (guaranteed match) of violet (in this case, red-violet).

I'm just not fond of gray. I only use it in a very few cases when the item grabs me and there wasn't another color choice.

Working with color in housing and clothing is no different. Everything revolves around a color harmony that has been taken from the wheel.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

AuntG — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 23:15:52 GMT

@Oznell that dining table takes up a lot of real estate. I agree a drop leaf or something that could be made smaller when not in use would be more practical. I'd also get rid of the guest room bed and opt for a pull-out loveseat.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Oznell — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 00:36:36 GMT

@stevieb, I'm so interested to hear you say that about "House Beautiful" magazine, since like me, you've been a big consumer of shelter mags. over time. H.B.'s decline has been my sense too, although I haven't seen it much since I dropped my subscription. But, from afar, their issues look like "thin pickings" compared to how they were in the past...

Even "Architectural Digest" and "Verandah" to my mind haven't been that good recently. (Well, A.D. always has been uneven, but is it my imagination that they're getting worse over time). Occasionally I'll still pick up "Elle Decor"...

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

stevieb — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 01:15:54 GMT

@Oznell For many years, some of these magazines enjoyed editorial continuity but in the past few years, changes at the helm have been repeated and have come fast and furious.

After many years, I cancelled my subscription to HB because it just seemed so paper thin, (and, as it were, was printed on such thin paper...) while, at the same time. their new 'editorial director' seemed intent on going in directions that lack interest for me. They still have some nice pictures, but it's more like a blog than a magazine, which I think was part of the intent... It also reminds me of a slightly more upscale HGTV Magazine, which holds little appeal for me...

Clearly, we're no longer the target audience. Those of the 'short attention span generation' have replaced us... No need to look for articles or stories and no need to expect to see a 'home' presented as an article, because it now seems to be all about vignettes, captions and snippets...

Veranda (part of the same organization) has also had a change in editor and while I like her aesthetic somewhat, again, articles with a focus on actual homes and real substance seem somewhat meager. Moreover, whereas magazines used to produce 'theme' issues perhaps a few times a year, it now seems to be a monthly thing with both of these publications... If you're not interested in the theme, then you've wasted your money... I'm considering a subscription to Veranda but will need to see a few more issues before making a decision...

I've never cared much for Elle. With few exceptions, their features always seemed too few and the focus too often on the esoteric and contemporary... I have't picked up an AD in ages, though I used to subscribe...

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Oznell — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 01:35:01 GMT

That analysis rings so true for me too, @stevieb . Bummer!

I sometimes find on newstands the "old style" decorating mags. that are sort of specialty ones, like "Flea Market Style", or "French Cottage Style" or something. Some of them are good, quirky, detailed-- but so pricey, at $9.00 to $12.00 a pop. Gack.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

stevieb — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 01:57:31 GMT

@Oznell Magazines, like newspapers, are falling victim to electronic media. Those that still offer real articles are, as you note, creeping up in price and have minimal advertising, which is nice, but still, those prices are limiting. At the same time, magazines come and go. Over time, I've picked up an issue here or there of magazines I've found very pleasing, never to see more than a few issues and then never seen them again. Similarly, magazine 'stands' in supermarkets and drug stores that used to offer such a wide variety keep getting smaller and more limited and bookstores, where one might still find a nice range of magazines, are far and few between. It's a shame because while I do utilize electronic media, I prefer to sit back and flip through the pages of printed media.

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

spiderw — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 03:07:45 GMT

I was sold when I saw NY apartment! I have had that dream since I was a teenager!!!!!

In general I love the design and style of the rooms. I really like the pink printed wall paper and the pictures on the walls. I see very few changes for me. Very nice!

Re: COMPACT NEW YORK APARTMENT

Pantsonfire2 — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 05:42:03 GMT

I could move right in and be happy ...