Post: #1

I really like contemporary urban style like this:




where do I get shit like this for cheap? Alternatively, are there other styles besides the new minimalist sleek urban that looks cool? Are there books on this stuff for men?

Post: #2

I've bought lots of books but to be honest they never help. Check out Dwell magazine. Also there's a blog Apartment Therapy which is great for this kind of inspiration. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

I think the #1 thing is don't have clutter. Throw everything away and live a disposable life. #2, shop at the Container Store.

Post: #3

Find out where interior designers shop go there and pick up a chick. Start banging her then get her to redesign your place

Post: #4

One of my interests is actually interior decorating.

If you're going for contemporary urban your mantra is less is more.
The balance you should look for is sleek metal with straight lines coupled with raw natural wood tones.

The things on your walls should either be framed in metal frames (posters, signs, newspaper headlines, etc.) or without a frame (just the canvass hanging up).

In terms of accessory pieces, I'm personally of the belief that everything should either have a story or a purpose. A humidor or a absinthe water drip are a great addition to a man's apartment.

As gay as it sounds, go to a Michael's Craft and look around and think of combining man made objects with natural objects. An orchid in a glass jar filled with pebbles really makes girls wonder who the fuck are you.

Candles are your friend. Get a variety in different sizes and have them placed in crucial areas where their shadow will add ambiance to your apartment.

The truth is that you're apartment will probably be way better looking than the majority of girls' simply because you're thinking about it. Always make sure that your bathroom is clean and I'm a fan of having a sexually themed picture/photo/poster hanging in there.

Post: #5

What are the common male interior decoration styles besides the urban minimalist look?

Post: #6

the cheapest style is minimalist

Post: #7

(10-08-2012 07:52 PM)HiFlo Wrote:  What are the common male interior decoration styles besides the urban minimalist look?

mahogany and leather. kind of like a cigar/scotch lounge.

Post: #8

My apartment is similar to some pictured above. I put a lot of thought into and decided I wanted something modern but with an organic feel. I also wanted everything bright and airy. I don't like the stark coldness of minimal design. My carpet is white and my couches are off white. I have a large white shag carpet in the living room floor. Tables are a combo of wood and metal. All the artwork on the wall is mine. Photos and a large wood hanging piece I made.

Yeah most women these days can't decorate for shit(same with cooking or housekeeping). Women are blown away when they come inside my apartment, and there are way nicer designs out there than mine. My place is better than almost any chics place. Many women will just not be used to the ideal of a guy having great style in decor and maybe even think it's strange.

For guys your place usually falls into the modern look, the rich cigar lounge look or the don't give a fuck fratboy look. Most guys are in the last category.

For advice, as a guy I'd avoid a lot of bright colors. Avoid flowers or anything flowery. More masculine would be dry plants like decorative cacti and snake plants. I have some tall dry decorative grass in a tall vase which is a nice accent. Use rugs to define spaces and "root" tie in your furniture to that particular room. Put a nice rug under your dining table and your living room table. I get compliments on my living room rug all the time. It's made from shredded t-shirts, it's this one except the larger 7-foot version. Got it online for $130, not bad at all for a full-sized rug. My dining room "rug" is actually made from dark bamboo. And provides some contrast from white rug in the living room and the white floor. Get some nice mats for the bathroom floor too(you can even get some decent bathroom stuff for cheap at Target these days, that's what I did) and keep the bathroom clean at all times.

Post: #9

Byc-

That's some good advice. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

Post: #10

It seems all modern looks require hardwood floors. What do you do if you have wall to wall carpeting to get a similar minimalist look?

Post: #11

If there is a design school in your city just go there and talk to students (take some photos of your apartment). If you want cheap furniture then try garage sales in middle and upper class neighborhoods. If you're handy, you can try making some of your own furniture especially things like tables and stands.

Post: #12

(10-08-2012 09:45 PM)HiFlo Wrote:  It seems all modern looks require hardwood floors. What do you do if you have wall to wall carpeting to get a similar minimalist look?

Depends on the type of carpet. Most apartments have that standard ugly shag carpet in that oatmeal color or light brown. Unfortunately not much you can do with that, it's just ugly. Some apartments have a nicer quality carpeting. There are lots of varieties of carpet, some more luxurious and better suited to stylish decor. But that caramel colored standard shag carpet is wack.

Post: #13

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Post: #14

(10-08-2012 11:32 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

(10-08-2012 09:45 PM)HiFlo Wrote:  It seems all modern looks require hardwood floors. What do you do if you have wall to wall carpeting to get a similar minimalist look?

Depends on the type of carpet. Most apartments have that standard ugly shag carpet in that oatmeal color or light brown. Unfortunately not much you can do with that, it's just ugly. Some apartments have a nicer quality carpeting. There are lots of varieties of carpet, some more luxurious and better suited to stylish decor. But that caramel colored standard shag carpet is wack.

loooool. I nearly moved into an apartment that had that exact carpeting. And they had *just* put it in, after the previous tenant vacated. I sort of knew the building manager, and asked her why she chose that exact nasty color, that taupe-ish brown color. At first she tried to bullshit me that she 'liked Earth tones' but then admitted 'it was on sale.' These apartment managers are such cheap fucks they make an apartment look terrible just to save $50.

The real estate industry has some of the dumbest, most annoying fuckers in its ranks. Bad restaurants go out of business, but bad landlords will just keep hauling in the checks. I've never dealt with any other customer-facing industry that had such consistently bad customer service.

Another style is the 'rustic' style. Lots of natural materials, exposed rough cuts of wood. Still, I also have trouble finding stuff that's above Ikea quality and not exorbitantly priced. Probably better off buying a few really nice items, and making do.

Post: #15

(10-09-2012 01:19 AM)basilransom Wrote:  Another style is the 'rustic' style. Lots of natural materials, exposed rough cuts of wood. Still, I also have trouble finding stuff that's above Ikea quality and not exorbitantly priced. Probably better off buying a few really nice items, and making do.

You might want to check out Plummer's Furniture. They have a modern look, but the quality is way better than IKEA, yet not crazy expensive like one of those boutique designer furniture stores you'd see on the west side. It's a good middle ground: http://www.plummersfurniture.com/

I also got stuff from more ordinary mom and pop furniture stores in Culver City. I got a decent, wood dinette set with a dark brown modern looking table and four chairs for like $200.

Post: #16

If you have the stomach for it

1) 343 Sales - i.e bankruptcy sales - lots of office furniture gets picked up that way. A lot of modern look is taking stuff from a commercial setting and putting it into a home setting

2) Build the wood pieces yourself - There's more than enough information on how to source the lumber and do all of the wood work yourself.

But you can't really buy "Design within Reach" on a Valuecity budget.

Post: #17

I think a visit to IKEA will do the trick on the cheap

Post: #18

Anyone have any tips or images of designs with wall to wall carpeting? The carpeting is light beige and not too shaggy but I still feel it kind of limits what I can do with the place since everything contemporary has hardwood floors, especially all the coolest minimalist options.

Post: #19

If you have wall to wall carpeting, you want it to remain a neutral element in your apartment.

Ideally in a minimalist option you use the hardwood floor to act as both function and form. What I mean is that you can get away with having the bare necessities since the wood brings warmth and texture into the room.

You can still pull off the minimalist option, but you're going to want your floor pieces to be darker. Stay away from white furniture and accessories. So tan, dark brown, or black are your best option. You want to place a contrast between the floor and your furniture.

Using pillows as chairs is a good idea as evidenced by this picture.
http://homeklondike.com/wp-content/uploa...eranda.jpg

Include wood as much as you can. I don't know what your budget is, but this looks beautiful and is minimalistic using carpeting.
http://thedesignhome.com/wp-content/uplo...-Bed-1.jpg

For the nighttime I recommend getting a few rice paper style lamps. They provide a nice warmth to the room and they're perfect at obscuring the impact of the carpet on the rest of the room.

Happy to help.

Post: #20

Before I forget, if you can't use wood blocks or can't find them.

Antlers above your bed.
Get them as big as possible.

Something to also consider is framing your windows using wooden or rice paper styled blinds. This will bring attention off the carpet and add more warmth to the room.

Post: #21

I'd rather style my house like Chuck Norris. A real man cave.

Post: #22

I always thought it would be bad ass to have some movie prop replicas.

I want this full of alcohol.


Some of the naked mannequin tables.

Post: #23

Byc, is it OK to mix & match furniture types (ie chrome stools near wooden couch)?

Generally, how many pieces of artwork should you hang on a wall (800 sq ft apt) without it being too bare or too spacey? What type of stuff do i hang on the walls?

What are these wood blocks you mentioned in post 20? Giant wood blocks to elevate a couch or something different? Or are you talking about a table perhaps?

Post: #24

HiFlo

In regards to wood blocks, I meant it used in this way: http://thedesignhome.com/wp-content/uplo...-Bed-1.jpg

I personally have found wood properly varnished and held as close to its natural form to look beautiful.

When it comes to artwork I'd say to go with what speaks to you. You are going to spend the most time in your place so you want it to feel the most comfortable to you. I remember when I first started decorating my place I had a box of crayola and a coloring book on my coffee table so that I could use it as a "comfort building" prop.

Got older and realized that my place should not be done with the females in mind, but rather what works for me.

I have vintage cardboard advertisements hanging up. I have an old New York Times headline from Kennedy's assassination framed and hanging. The reason they're on my wall is because I like the way they look, I appreciate their history, and because I stole them. I also have a vintage WWI Red Cross propaganda poster hanging up because it spoke to me when I first say it. Have a few pieces of artwork I really like and other knick knacks hanging.

That's me, perhaps these pieces would not inspire you. Treat your apartment as an extension of yourself. Surround yourself with things that "speak" to you. Just know that less is more.

I knew a guy who had an entire wall filled with framed photos of him on his trips. He enjoyed the reminder to constantly be traveling. Do what feels the best to you.

You can definitely mix and match furniture. I'm guessing you're on a budget. However think about the overall look of the room. You don't want to buy things because you got a good deal on it. Think of how everything will work with each other.

Ex: http://blog.vastudc.com/wp-content/dropb...-Chair.jpg

How much artwork or wall pieces you put up is up to you and the layout of the apartment.
Something to think about is putting up mirrors to make your apartment look bigger.

If you can't figure out what to put above your bed, a mirror is boss.

Post: #25

One more thing to add. I think the most important thing to consider is symmetry and balance. That's what I think takes things to the next level. It's not like my apartment is full of expensive furniture, but the placement of things is very well thought out. I even took measuring tape to make sure a picture frame was exactly in the center of a wall.

Always think about space relationships and how things line up together. That's what gives people the wow factor when they come in.

It's clear when someone has no taste for design. The spacing looks haphazard, nothing balances, clashing styles such as mixing modern couches with an antique style coffee table. Colors that don't match well.

It takes some time to learn this stuff. If you want a shortcut, just browse some decor magazines or sites, find a few looks you like and hire an interior designer. Maybe even a student looking for experience.