I recently purchased a 1-bedroom, 750 sq.ft. apartment and could some
decorating help!  The apartment was constructed c. 1948, with many
original features.  The look I?m trying to achieve is ?Vintage 50s New
York apartment? meets ?Contemporary New York apartment / art gallery?.

I?m doing fine in terms of achieving the 50s look:
- The kitchen has (or will have): brick red walls, butter yellow tile
counter & backsplash with black tile border, mint green sink, and
black & white lino or floor tile.  I will be installing some stainless
steel racks/shelves and new chrome hardware on cabinets/drawers. 
Appliances will be black or possibly stainless steel, if that?s in my
budget.
- The bathroom will also have red walls and black & white floors.  I
will be installing a new clawfoot tub.

I need some help in trying to achieve a more contemporary look in the
dining room, living room,  office area, and bedroom, but have some
vintage accents to match up with the kitchen and bathroom.

1) What style / type of furniture would you suggest I buy??  Direct me
to specific pages on furniture and decorating websites that will
inspire me (10 or more would be great).
2) What colour should I paint the bedroom?  (See notes below.  Right
now, bedroom has light walls and light carpet ? too ?airy? of a feel
for me)
3) What are other things you would do if you were me?  Have fun with this question!

Key things you need to know:
- There are white baseboards
- There are oak hardwood floors throughout (regular stain), except in
the bedroom, where there is a cream coloured carpet
- The walls are a creamy yellow/taupe (I?m not quite sure how to
describe the colour).  I will not be repainting, except in the
bedroom.
- There are white blinds.  I will not be replacing them, but could add
some other window treatments.
- The space is large enough to accommodate full-sized furniture
- I like clean lines and dark stained furniture
- I like this desk: http://vancouver.craigslist.org/fur/42189008.html 
- I like this bookcase in a black-brown finish:
http://www.ikea.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=3&productId=11499&langId=-15&parentCats=10104*10173
- I have some African art I?d like to work in - a few dark-stained
masks and batiks that have not yet been framed (dark brown, brick red,
mustard yellow are predominant colours).
- My budget is in the Ikea range, though I don?t really like most of
there stuff.  I am a bargain hunter and have time to shop around at
moderately-priced furniture stores for a deal.  I check out second
hand places too.
- I can send you photos of the vacant space if you?d like.	

I hope you have fun with this question!!!

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Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 22 Sep 2004 22:27 PDT

Hello kariny-ga,

You've posted a fun and interesting question. I suggest that you
review the Google Answers pricing guidelines so that you can calibrate
your expectations for the price you've set. If you would like someone
to do justice to your question, I believe you will have to raise the
price. Good luck.

http://answers.google.com/answers/pricing.html

~ czh ~

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Clarification of Question by kariny-ga on 23 Sep 2004 08:13 PDT

I'm not expecting to hire a designer for $3.50.  I just want a
creative person with a good eye to send me some links to webpages with
interesting furniture that might fit into the New York theme and
inspire me when I shop.

---

Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 23 Sep 2004 08:54 PDT

Not to belabor the point, but I wonder if you've read the Pricing
Guidelines. The researcher gets paid $2.62 for a $3.50 question. You
asked a complex, multi-part question.

-----------
$2 - $5  
 -- Can be answered with a single link or a single piece of
information. Sometimes, if a researcher is personally interested in
the question's subject, they may provide a longer answer.
 -- Not appropriate for multipart questions. 
 -- Only 60% of the questions asked in this price range are answered.  

-----------

Good luck.

~ czh ~

Check out http://www.workingartistdecorating.com/ ofr some ideas.