Leslie's 300 sq ft Chicago Dream (via @AptTherapy )

This is my 3rd time covering Apartment Therapy's Small Cool contest on my blog, and like always I'm seeing tons of beautifully quaint additions to the 2013 lineup!  Starting things off is Leslie from Chicago. She has a 300 sq foot apartment that would make most people sweat bullets at the thought of living in such a small space... but she managed to make it cozy and cute.

I'm completely smitten with the feminine elegance of her tufted headboard and nightstand, which is contrasted nicely with the warm nudes in her living area. I always get so inspired seeing how creative someone can be with their small space and after living in a 600 sq ft studio for a year, I can attest that it's not as easy as it may seem to decorate.

What do you think of Leslie's space? Vote for Leslie by clicking here.

 

 

Name: Leslie

Location: Chicago, IL

Size: 300 sq ft

Division: Teeny-Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home: 

I am consistently enchanted about the amount of natural sunlight I get in my space. And even though it is a relatively tiny space, it is perfectly sized for me. I love the older architecture of the building, especially the wainscoting detail and also the archways in the entrance and between my living room to work space area. 

 

Biggest Challenge of Living in a Small Space: 

I feel like the biggest challenge for me was finding a balance between feeling homey without overcrowding, and choosing the right furniture pieces that wouldn't block my window and light, but give me much needed storage. How I went about solving this was pretty simple. I decided that I was going to throw out the idea of choosing elements because they fit a certain style or look and just focused on items that brought me joy to look at. This was key because by living in such a small space, nothing is out of sight.

Linda's Apartment Tour (via @nomnomblngblng)

I'm completely smitten with Linda's apartment design I recently saw on Apartment Therapy. I love the idea of saving corks, want to snatch up her gold vase asap, and think her bedroom and office space are lovely. My amazing friend SexyandtheChi sold me her white lacquer West Elm Parsons Desk, so I'd be interested in recreating this look using that as the foundation for my color palette. What are your thoughts? Do you enjoy this space?

Name: Linda, pharmacist and fashion and food blogger of NomNomBlingBling, and dog Mandu
Location: McLean, Virginia
Size: 903 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year; own

Working as a pharmacist by day but a fashion blogger in her spare time, Linda describes her home style aesthetic as being much like her fashion sense: a mix between high and low, elegant and modest. In her one-bedroom condo that she shares with her cute dog Mandu, pieces from Home Goods and Ikea mix with vintage purple suede and lots of shine.

Along with her new neighborhood, home design is another area Linda is looking forward to exploring a bit more. "I'm very comfortable with fashion, but home design is new and seems a bigger, more personal reflection of you."

Within her small space, Linda focuses on the little details and touches to make it feel more homey. Accent pieces and pops of purple and red inject a little energy into the quiet space. Flowers fill vases in every room. "I'm pretty much done in terms of the overall big pieces, but details and little things I'm always shopping around for. Perhaps next season I'll change out the details, like switching out the rugs or pillows. It's winter so I figured I would do a winter palette."

Being on a high floor of her building afforded Linda the opportunity to transform her sun room into a multipurpose office/dining area to take advance of the natural light. "The sun room area is my favorite. Especially taking food photography for my blog, the natural light is the best. It was a major selling point for me." Using her wanderlust as inspiration, she created a sort of a gallery showcase out of her dining room wall, where she displays photos of her travels.

Symmetry is another theme throughout the space, whether it's the two pillows on the couch mimicking each other, the glass lamps flanking either side of the bed, the lined picture frames above the dining table, or striped carpet in the living room.

@AptTherapy New Video Series

One of my favorite sites, ApartmentTherapy.com, is introducing readers to a new weekly video series. With hopes of bringing blog posts to life, the site will feature weekly videos discussing everything from DIY projects to interior design, apartment features, and everything that readers have come to love about the site. I'm hooked on all things interior and am looking forward to watching the weekly videos.

For design lovers, be sure to also check out blogger and designer @NikiMcNeill and her "Design Talk" web series - - another one of my favs!

Michelle's Dream Space: Small/Cool 2012 Entry

Although the ApartmentTherapy.com Small/Cool 2012 contest features apartments up to 900 sq ft in size, I've found myself having a personal bias towards studios under 600 sq ft large. As my apartment hunt comes to an end, I realized that a studio was in my future and I've been strategically seeking out spaces that I can easily be inspired by and recreate.

Michelle's 330 sq ft Upper West Side apartment is no exception. I love her willingness to play with color (teal on the wall, kitchen backsplash, & patio chairs) along with her cozy design and kick ass outdoor space! I'm no NYC expert, but I'm pretty sure outdoor space like this comes at a premium. In my new apartment I won't have outdoor space (womp), but I did nail my desired neighborhood!

If you'd like to vote for Michelle click here.

Name:

michelle

Location:

New York, NY

Square Feet:

330

Division:

Teeny-Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home

The most exciting aspect of this apartment is the patio -- it is almost impossible to find a studio in Manhattan with more than a fire escape as outdoor space. When I was apartment hunting, I was told I would not be able to find an apartment in my ideal area -- the Upper West Side -- in my price range, so it’s safe to say I found my dream space. It has been an adventure transforming this apartment from a basic New York rental into a space that reflects my personality; this is my first apartment, and slowly I am collecting pieces to replace the various hand-me-downs. I love scouring flea markets all the way from Boston to North Carolina to find unique pieces that I hope to keep forever. Lastly, I love the amount of storage I’ve found within these tiny walls. Beyond having the usual excessive amount of clothes that most young women do, I also run an Etsy shop out of this space. My closets and cabinets are full of paper goods and art supplies, including my prized tabletop letterpress.

Biggest Challenge of Living in a Small Space

Small spaces come with small kitchens. I love to cook, bake and entertain, and I refuse to let my tiny kitchen hold me back. My 18 inches of counter space has not prevented me from making homemade ravioli, baking enough cupcakes to feed my entire office, or throwing dinner parties. In a small apartment, you have to work with what you have, and I try to do just that with my tiny home!

Apartment Therapy's 2012 Small/Cool Contest is Back

Interior design lovers rejoice... ApartmentTherapy.com's 2012 Small/Cool contest is back! I'm so excited to log into the site every day and OD on the creative ways everyday people put unique spins on their small spaces. So far I have seen a few that have caught my eye, but I wanted to share my favorite - - Samantha's Organic Love Nest! The 420 sq ft NYC studio is leading the pack in the Tiny division, showcasing the advantages of a square space with good light... and a handy husband.

Name:

Samantha

Location:

New York, NY

Square Feet:

420

Division:

Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home

Once I realized a one bedroom in the West Village was more restrictive because they are often smaller than a queen bed, I knew I had to find a box shaped studio. After viewing over 55 apartments with often angled floor plans, I finally found my blank canvas studio with oversized windows and eastern light. I love my home because I had a vision of an organic, global, Scandinavian love nest. For me that meant designing 6 custom built "stations" which include an eat in kitchen, 2 desk work areas, one of which has a closet built in, a living area, a bedroom and a standard size closet. What I truly love is my husband built much of the furniture, and the result is a beautiful mixture of materials and style, such as recycled flooring as a desk unit and high gloss furniture. It gives me a feeling as if I'm a guest in my own home. I feel like I live in a boutique hotel and truly love it.

Biggest Challenge of Living in a Small Space

The biggest challenge was editing out our items from a 3000 square foot loft and downsizing into a 420 square foot pre-war studio. We knew every piece of furniture had to multitask in terms of storage. For example, we built a desk which serves as a base for a closet attached, and we have a dresser we picked up in Palm Beach for $50 and created a built in Flat screen Display Wall on one side and a full size closet on the other. The entire unit also serves as a room divider, and we dropped the height of the unit to create an airy feel to the small studio. The result is we are rarely in each other's way. It's truly magical.

Smitten...

I'm currently stuck in Hartford, Connecticut waiting for my flight back to Chicago, and what better way to pass the time than downing drinks with my coworker and looking at pretty condos.

I came across this post on one of my favorite blogs, Made by Girl, and was instantly reminded of my love for interior decorating and city living. I'm on the apartment hunt (yet again) and have a few rentals lined up to view this upcoming weekend - - yet another reason why I'm eager to get back to Chicago.

Summer's Lincoln Park Gem

Summer and Josh added a classic touch to their 1800s historical charmer. The Lincoln Park 1 bedroom is gorgeous and a smart mix of classic pieces, pops of color, and fun patterns. Not to mention their effective use of window space! The curved seating is genius!

The chandellier is amazeballs, but I would have added an area rug to ground the living room space, as well as opted for a different wall treatment. Not a huge fan of the wall paper. Still, Summer and Josh have a Lincoln Park stunner. They've successfully inspired me to continue my apartment hunt.

Lauren's San Fran Studio

Once again I'm on a studio apartment kick...

I came across Lauren's San Fransico studio on Apartment Therapy and loved her use of space, color, and overall lived-in feel. The light coming from her windows is amazing, and goes to show the importance of having a well-lit space, regardless of its size. I'm on the apartment hunt and not sure if my husband would strangle me at the prospect of living in a studio lol... (location, location, location!!!), but I'm continuing to find inspiration for small spaces and how to make them work.






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Name: Lauren
Location: San Francisco, California

I moved into my quintessential San Francisco 500 sq ft studio just four months ago. After a few years of bouncing around living with roommates, I was excited to have my own place.

I have always had a passion for history and I believe that comes through in the decor of my apartment. I try to mix a variety of flea market finds with big box furniture. I like when items have character. For example, I purchased the trunk in the middle of the "living room" from the flea market. It has the original owner's name painted on top and traveling stickers attached to the side. I can only imagine what travels this trunk went on before making it to my living room. I almost couldn't fit it into my VW Beetle to take it home but happily I finally squeezed it in the front seat.

Most of my influence comes from turn of the century to the 20s when my apartment was built. If I had to pick one designer who I admire it would be Windsor Smith because she creates colorful and intricate but livable spaces (and she plays with graphic black and white patters which I love).

Check out more of Lauren's style: Live. Happy. Inspired.

Simplistic Loft Living...

Sometimes I surprise myself with the simplistic designs that both catch my eye and win me over. I came across this London loft and was instantly smitten. Maybe it's the zig-zag rug, exposed brick, or natural light... but I'm loving this place. Serious apartment crush happening right now.

While there's nothing spectacular about the decor, the high ceilings and windows are amazeballs! I'm a sucker for all that light - - and having amazing ceilings and natural light is one of the things I miss about our apartment in South Carolina. You can't beat 20 ft ceilings...

If I were to change anything, it'd be adding more of a girly touch with flowers and accessories. The overall design is a little too bare bones for me... and I would opt for the white lacquer west elm desk with a clear chair. God, that West Elm Parsons Desk is still something my dreams are made of.

What do you think?

Name: Philip and Claire
Location: Clerkenwell — London, England

When Phillip's job as a corporate attorney transferred them from sunny Southern California to gloomy London, Claire sought to find the brightest apartment she could. An interior designer, she knew that they didn't want a pre-furnished flat as is common in the UK. They landed in London's design friendly neighborhood of Clerkenwell in an old Silk Factory Loft that was re-purposed for residential use in 2000.

This one bedroom flat with large windows, high ceilings, and an open floor plan living area is not your typical Victorian era dwelling. Claire brought a bright yellow desk for her workspace and colorful art for the living room. The bedroom is done in softer tones of grey and white to soften the urban brick backdrop. Keeping the pops of color in the main living spaces also makes the home more lively for company as they are avid entertainers.