Small Cool Contest 2008: Part I

I really wanted to do a timely piece on Apartment Therapy’s Small Cool Contest, but they already have their finalists listed and I just finished looking at all the contestants. So, in the order of how I viewed them, here are my thoughts.

International:

International #12: Ise's London Pad

International #13: DHJ's Honey House This apartment really wasn't ready for this contest but they did have an incredible backsplash worth noting.

Northwest:

Northwest #3: Lana's Coffee Capital Digs Attractive, yes, warm, no.

Northwest #13: David's Designer Digs Nice, but sterile.

Northwest #12: Xing's Apartment for a Wanna Be Artist This guy used four of his five photos to show off: one room with two mid-century furniture pieces and his photography equipment. Besides the acquisition of the furniture, it doesn’t seem as if any design was imposed on this space. It looks more like a separate work studio than his home. According to the comments, I’m not the only one who thought that either.

Northwest #7: Shannon's Sumptuous Studio She has an adorable bed alcove.

Northwest #24: Emmy's Apartment S Nice use of color.


Northwest #1: Ana and Bob's Bay Area Nest I could totally see myself living here, love the very simple divider between the living room and the bedroom.

Northwest #10: Lydia's Leisure Suite Points for the DIY cork divider that I can SO see in a Wary Meyer-designed room, can’t you?

Northwest #14: Allison and Bo's Bantam Roost Cute, and she has a blog about living in a small house!

Northwest #25: Ginger's Spicy Downtown Loft This one is a bit too dark for me but I love how in a one-room space she used her color plan cohesively throughout the whole space.

Northwest #21: Courtney's "The Story of Me" (See top photo) Great objects in cute vignettes. This could have been my favorite; however, she only shows the living room!

I hope that next year they can feature a small photo with each entry on the submission page, making it easier to go back and view a particular favorite, instead of having to remember, first, which region, and then the name of the entry.