Did you ever want to start over?

I've been following Apartment Therapy's Small Cool contest. This year the entries were very diverse. There was an entry from a trailer, a tent and Buddhist monk's dorm room. I am always more interested in real people's home, and am especially intrigued by the creative uses of small space. And, as my readers know, I am in love with minimalism. Even though my place is not currently looking minimal, I swoon when I see a great minimalist room.

This year my favorite entry was Arzee's Urban Jungle Oasis. Arzee's abode is a mere 295 feet and is aptly named. It is serene, peaceful and done with a carefully restrained hand. Nothing is out of place.

Now, normally the Nelson Marshmallow Sofa is too iconographic for my taste, but somehow it works in this space. Maybe because it's white. Maybe it's the geometry. Or maybe it's because the room is simple. I'm going to pretend the animal rug is not there. My readers know that I do not condone the use of animal rugs, but I am looking at this room as a whole.

I absolutely adore his paintings. Turns out he is the artist, and he has carefully allowed these paintings to evolve. The one over the bench is not complete yet. I would love to follow its evolution. I love the use of large paintings in a small place. It's so much more cohesive to use a few large pieces rather than a grouping of small pieces. I am not a great fan of groupings. I've experimented with them (see previous post here), but I think they tend to look too cluttered. His lighting is too fab, and I want that acrylic coffee table! I adore the way acrylic tables look in a small place.

Arzee is gifted with words as well. He says that he "moved to Manhattan because it is a dense urban jungle saturated with signs, images, graphics, tons and tons of visual noise and I absolutely love that but I also wish to escape it."

And what a great escape he's created. Makes me want to start over. Great job Arzee! Thanks for being an inspiration!