Name: Catiaelizabeth
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Type: Two bedroom, with roommate
Why I use color:"Because white walls make me anxious! I've moved houses a lot, so I associate white walls with moving and being unsettled. I usually have paint on the walls before I move in my furniture. That way, the new place instantly feels like home. "

2 Good color tips:
"Painting, of course, is the easiest way to get color. Because I don't tend to live in places very long, I don't like to waste time painting samples on the wall. So, when picking paint from chips, I've learned to go against my gut and pick the shade that looks duller. The brighter chip colors tend to look garish on the walls, but the duskier shades look much nicer. "

"As a fairly recent college grad, I don't have the budget to start my design from scratch. I have to use what I've got- hand-me-downs and things found on super-clearance. When it comes to developing a color scheme to work with these things, I find keeping the colors in the same family (ie, blues and greens) makes the hodge-podge of stuff seem deliberate. "

Favorite type and brand of paint:"Since Benjamin Moore is out of my budget and Home Depot is a short bike ride away, I use Ralph Lauren or Behr."

Comments (37)
Are those piggy candlesticks?! Adorable.
Love the red chandelier against the blue & green wall. I would never guess that this is the apartment of someone recently out of college!
Very elegant on a budget! Its only in the first picture that I feel like things aren't very cohesive - too much switching between the reds and the blues. I'd say with such a strong blue in the painting and the rug keep the table all reds.
I love your entry nook. Most people would ignore this space, but you've made it something very special.
very well done. it feels much more deliberate than a hodge podge. hand-me-down furniture just means you get more time to really figure out what you want.
What is that above the dining table, is it a fabric wall hanging or canvas or something? I've been looking for something along those lines, where did you get it?
you've made a great space on a budget and it looks much more coherent than hodge podge.
the red accents work everywhere in your home. love the foyer. great job
I completely agree about the going against your gut on the paint colors...I always end up picking the color that's too bright.
Your mudroom/entrance area is just too cute. Also, I really like the fabric thing that you've put on the door in your kitchen to cover up what I would imagine is a funky window with bars or something. I had one of those windows in one of my kitchens before, and it totally ruined the feel of the place. What a clever idea! It's also cool that it's the same fabric as your couch throw pillows.
oh, i love the striped entryway! very nice.
I love the painting in the entry way, as well as the splashes of red that pop up here and there.
Very nice. I like every room very much.
Elegant landing strip!
MCNicole- The canvas in the dining room is one of those tapestry/bed covers from Urban Outfitters, stretched over a frame. It's 5 or 6 years old though, so I'm not sure if they'd still have anything like it.
Everyone- Thanks for the compliments!
And I want to know what the squares on the wall are in the bedroom? Decals on canvas? Paintings? Fabric?
I LOVE how you took one fabric and put it in the kitchen (curtain), the dining room (chair cushions) and the living room (sofa cushions). Brilliant way to unify different rooms. Also, sticking to varying degrees of yellow (or so it seems on my monitter) for the walls in each of the rooms is also a great unifying idea.
Your kitchen table and chairs are to die for.
Holy moly! I love it! This is one of those places that leaves me wanting to see so much more. LOVE the bedroom.
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! As a recent college graduate with my first blank canvas to do with as I please, I've been striving to understand and define my own individual style, and upon seeing your pictures it all crystallized! Excellent job!
very sophisticated for a young person. as a fellow young person, i approve. i'm loving the red chandelier in the first picture - did you paint it yourself? also, the (purple? deep blue?) curtains in the living area look SO rich. they really dress up the space.
Alana in Canada- Those are paintings on canvas in my bedroom. I blew up the pattern on the duvet, traced them on the canvases, taped off the parts to be white, then painted each with blue, brown, and orange, in different orders. Also, the living room and foyer stripes are actually green, but the kitchen is yellow (all the colors are in the fabric). As for the kitchen table, it's the one thing I can't take credit for. The set is my roommate's- I helped her find the vinyl to recover them in though!
shenanigans!- The chandelier is one of those contractor cheapies my parents had lying around that I painted red. The drapes, which are slate-y blue velvet, are actually on loan from my mother, who found them on super-reduced clearance. I love them so much- I don't think I'll give them back!
Ok, it wasn't until reading the comments that I noticed that 1) that same fabric was used throughout the apartment, and 2) the paintings in the bedroom mimicked the duvet cover. Every time I come back to this I see something new! I can't believe you've put so much time into it, if only I wasn't so lazy . . .
I really like the yellow stripes. They look great with the white frame.
Thank you Catieelizabeth. You're so clever to take the design from the duvet. Seriously, I think they're fabulous. I almost would hate to see you come into more money for decorating. All your little handmade touches are so welcoming. Keep that, OK?
I am digging the bedroom
Great job! Has a cozy and comfy feel to it.
like the use of red, blue, and yellow -- especially how red objects pop against the other thigs
Now I want a yellow living room too! Clever use of color. Very cohesive without seeming too "done". A very warm, inviting and creative space.
I could happily move in here!
Lovely job. This is much nicer than the apartments we all had when *we* were just out of college. None of my friends had as much style ;-)
I really love seeing people frame the room rather than framing around the furniture. Those canvas blocks in your bedroom look great sprawled out along the wall, rather than just safely above the bed. It's such a small detail that opens the room up and completes it.
I'm not overall crazy about the home, but I love the cohesion. I think the colors just aren't up my alley.
I am, however, about to come over and steal that so-very-cute dinette set. ;)
Love it! All it needs to be complete is a cat named George curled up on the sofa.
Beautiful! I especially like the somewhat unusual combo in the dining room.
wow, that pattern over kitchen door looks 3-d! i thought it was wavy blinds at first. i kept staring at it until i realized that it was actually a patterned fabric used throughout your place. fabulous.
looks like a lot of time and effort went into the place. the red candle holders are FAB.
Wow! This is wonderfully cohesive without looking overdone. It's pretty, whimsical, and welcoming. Painting the contractor chandelier red was a VERY good call.
The stripes in the entrance/foyer -- so Queer Eye for the Straight Guy/Thom Felicia.
The kitchen is lovely. Love the chair in the foyer.
Bedroom looks a little to Home Magazine/staged house for sale.
who invented placemats and why?!?!
With the exception of the entryway, I really like this entry. The art above the bed is simple but adds great dimension to the room.
ahh... I love everything about your apartment!