Bachelor pad design... what would you do?

apartments are generally rented, condos owned. more freedom to customize a condo.

+1 on carpet
its an apartment. and pretty small. get something comfortable and get it over with

Re: Bachelor pad design... what would you do?

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Are you planning to entertain there?
Who do you plan to entertain there?
Get something that is in sync with your personality - if you are perceived as a "pretty average, nice guy", getting something too slick may be a little discordant to your future guests.
On the other hand you have a S&M vibe that is pretty obvious, get black leather, black spandex, smattering of whips, pulleys on the ceiling etc.

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^Don't go cheap with the pulleys. Trust me.

Okay. Telling you carpet sucks isn't being helpful. Truthful, yes. Helpful no. So I would maybe start with buying a large solid black area rug and putting it in the middle of the apartment to take away from the nastiness of the carpet. Something like this but dark to create contrast.



Then I'd remove the blinds on the window and put them in the closet for the duration of your lease. They're cheap and tacky. Then I'd paint the walls white or grey if possible. Then I'd buy a large 48" x 48" minimalist oil painting to put on that wall. Feel free to make one of your own if you're cheap and rip off Ellswroth Kelly or Franz Kline. Get a sleek frame on a thick gallery style canvas.



Then I'd look at some large scale black wooden bookshelves from some modern furniture store. Nothing too revolutionary. Just simplistic and sturdy.



Then I'd check Overstock.com and get some Le Corbusier or similar modern leather chairs for a good price. Look for a chaise lounge or loveseat too.


http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden...0/product.html



Maybe add a really high quality modern floor lamp.



Then add some spots of color or weird things to your liking for personality. Normally your taste in books for music on the shelves works to achieve this personality, but I like model ships too.


No beer signs or vintage Italian pasta posters please.

Aim for this.

Originally Posted by StephenHero

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Apartments with soul and apartments with carpet are mutually exclusive.

I tend to agree with this statement, unfortunate though it may be. It's just extremely hard to pull off any kind of cool, "soulful" look in an apartment with carpeting. Midcentury modern is the only style I can think of that would work well with carpeting, but even that style looks better on hardwood or polished concrete floors.

How long are you planning to live in this apartment? If you're looking to invest in expensive furniture to own for the rest of your life, this isn't the soil in which I'd plant their roots, so to speak. If I were you, I'd just get something mid-range and in the style you described as "contemporary." Think Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and what have you. You can put together a pretty stylish look using pieces from those stores, and it won't cost you too much. Mind you, it'll be a big step up -- in style and in price -- from dorm room Ikea furniture. But it'll last you a few years, and by the time you're ready to move on, you'll have enough money for the kind of place a serious collection of furniture deserves.

Originally Posted by StephenHero

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Aim for this.

As badass as that look is, his apartment just doesn't have the bones to pull it off. Modern is a style that really looks terrible when compromised. I'd rather live in a tastefully decorated contemporary space than a half-assed modern space, were I in his apartment. But that's just me, maybe.

Having lived in a variety of apartments and houses over the past few years, let me just say that modernism is almost never going to look as cool in practice as it does on paper. Unless you've got a sexy loft to begin with, you won't be doing the look justice. It just won't work in a generic apartment space.

Originally Posted by StephenHero

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So I would maybe start with buying a large solid black area rug and putting it in the middle of the apartment to take away from the nastiness of the carpet.

A rug on top of carpeting?

Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard

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A rug on top of carpeting?

I know, but I think it beats the alternative from the landlord's perspective, which is ripping the carpet out.

Originally Posted by StephenHero

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Aim for this.

Waiting room of plastic surgeon or divorce attorney?

With that carpet, a modified 'cigar lounge' is your best option.

Or you could try to cover up a large amount of the carpet with a variety of rugs. From there you may have a 'base' to do something more modern, contemp, vintage-vibe, retro, etc etc etc.

I've had three dwellings with the standard-issue beige carpet, and one with green.

Two words: Beer Mirror.

/Thread.

Originally Posted by dkzzzz

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Waiting room of plastic surgeon or divorce attorney?

Home of architect and philosopher Bernard Tschumi.

Don't stick to a style or aesthetic. Buy what you like and can afford. Mix and don't match. Will always be better IMO than any perfectly matched and designed interior.

I like this http://www.100living.com