So inside we go...the apartment is about 544 sqft including the stairs up. It's basically a square open plan. There are many aspects that I love about our home, but if I had to pick my favorite, it would be the light. We have windows on all 4 sides with the largest facing South and West. Sitting on our couch, I can look out the window and feel the sun on my face as I read a book or browse on my laptop. The cats also like it up here. Neil created a passageway into the adjoining house and even though all my books, most of my clothes and other items are there, I would say 95% of our time is in the light filled apartment.
The neon coffee table was made by our good friend Marc Lawrence. I commissioned it for Neil a few Christmas' ago, specifically for here. The orange cubes were ordered from Crate & Barrel and are favored by Chessie. The couch pillows were made by me and the rug is FLOR tiles. The orange side table the plant sits on, Neil also made years ago. There is a matching one in the bedroom. 
The center cabinet was also built by Neil. We designed it as a multiple use divider between the living room and bedroom. The kitchen counters are laminate with a 1.5" thick birch plywood edge. I've always liked this detail and Neil did such a beautiful job on the raised counter.
The cabinets are maple and the floors are actually white oak with a dark stain. If I remember correctly, Neil got a great deal on the floors...about $500 because they were extra from one of his flooring subs last jobs. The lower cabinets to the left and right of the middle drawers are lazy susans. That's where most of our food is stored.
I prefer a single bowl for the kitchen sink and one big enough to keep a pot or two in for a soak. The button on the left is for the garbage disposal, which isn't getting as much use as before, since Seattle is now picking up our compostables every week.
Of course this option for the microwave only works if you are of a certain height, but it's nice not to see it exposed. The hood is from EURO-kitchen which is a great option for a low cost modern looking wall mount.
