you win.

David Bowie Purple=perfection

Details on the grey pretty please.

thanks!

the paint is "feather gray" from benjamin moore. they actually have little two ounce samples in their stores, if you want to try it. the paint itself is actually american pride brand.

Samantha and/or Jacob have a lot in common with me, it seems. The difference? They can afford to buy the things on my list. But they haven't read my book on digital photography.

i happen to be a professional photographer. i just shoot people, not interiors. it's hard, since the wall with the sideboard and blue chair faces a window, and the largest reflector i own, 72", wasn't big enough to block the window light. for the purposes of these photos, the light in our apartment happens to be incredibly bad. it's a very well-lit place, just hellish to shoot.

I love all your medical teaching charts! May I ask where you bought them?

victoryvintage.com once upon a time had them on their website. they had four, we bought two. the glove mold and teeth model are from them, too. they might have the other two left. i just called/emailed them and asked if they could ship to san francisco. try contacting them. i believed i talked with a nice woman named leigh.

I love your green globe floor lamp. Where might you've found that?

craig's list, about a year ago. i can't find a name on it, sorry!

Wow this is one of the few in this contest that I've really loved. I don't know if it's the decor or the color, or just that it works so well together. I would have never chosen that bright blue but it works! Love the floral pictures, almost everything on the wall actually, the cushions, it all works very well. Great job! (I would just get rid of those blinds above the dining table)

tiffany--oh my goodness, thank you! that's very sweet of you to say. we've only been in the apartment for about two months, so we're certainly not done. duly noted about the blinds. suggestions?

also, i checked out your blog. oh. my god. seriously? that's one cute dog. i want one. i'm hoping that will be our next "apartment modification."

--sam

love the gray walls! i want gray walls, but i'm afraid it will look drab, i may try it now that i've seen urs.

like the david bowie photo, but not so into that wall color there -- lavender? light periwinkle? but this is one of the few entires where there seems to be more thought given to what art (and art color) goes with what wall color. the 2 framed paintings with the black backgrounds on the blue wall -- that's really nice. they pop from the wall and the flowers stand out. also the restful grey in the first image too.
most of the other entries are more into slapping some bright color on the walls without any thought for how their art and furniture go with those colors. and kudos for picking an environmentally friendly paint.

furthermore, the blue really plays off the warm tones of the hardwood floor.

I love this place. I have the same AC/DC album framed above my couch. Very cool.

I have a personal loathing of that shade of blue because it's a colour that must have been on sale super cheap in Montreal at some point, because I've seen a zillion apartments with a wall or two in this colour. And it was this horrible low quality stuff that has a revolting finish and blisters when you paint over it, even with primer. I'm sure your paint is nice, but it just hits a squicky spot for me. It's surprising how much we tie in emotions with colours.

I do think the ceiling needs to be more complementary with the blue. I find that with all the light furnishings and a light ceiling, there's a lot of contrast against that blue, which leads to a busy look to my eye. I think the part where the dark works best is with the dark botanical posters and what looks like the edge of a dark couch.

two months! can you come over and make my place look as lived-in...i just live down the street. Nice...very nice!

It takes balls to paint your living room Screaming Supergrover, but it looks fantastic with your sideboard and botanical/medical prints. Only downside - I wonder, does it shrink the space a little? No matter, it's still worth it I think. I'm not so nuts about the periwinkle but it does go well with your artwork. And I'm drooling over your ivory Eames lounge. Adding it to my wishlist right now...

just wanted to say that i'm glad you decided against painting that gorgous green globe lamp - i still have serious lamp envy

i love the artwork in your home...

I agree with angorian, maybe a pale blue ceiling would help the blue a bit. I think it's well done and a rare find to see such a strong blue color, many times we see grays and greens these days as that is more of the trend now. You definitely pulled it off though! Works well off the wood floors.

Do think about the lighter blue for ceiling though - it think it would send it over the edge in cool! :)

Also, I LOVE THAT SILVER LAMP ON THE SIDEBOARD!!!!

I love it so much, I think I may dream of it tonight. Wait... I KNOW I will.

I agree that the ceiling needs color. The lavender from the kitchen would work well.

first off, thanks everyone!

that's an interesting thought about the ceiling. depending on the lighting and time of day, the walls adopt a really nice peacock teal color. if i wanted to bring that out, should i go for a light blue with a touch of green in it, or go for a purple-blue to emphasize the green that's in there already? i initially went for a neutral white to balance the "screaming supergrover" (benjamin moore should TOTALLY change the
name of the color to that, btw), but the idea is growing on me. what do you guys think? bowie's lavender for the ceiling makes me a little nervous, but then again, my living room is insanely bright, so that might not be an issue.

and now, for something completely different. well, not really, i just wanted to address everyone personally.

plasticransom: sure! i'll bring brownies.

zimtzucker: yeah, i like the greens, but since the lamp is vintage, there were a few chips i wanted to cover. however, i'm the klutziest person on the planet, so i would have probably accidentally destroyed the poor thing if i attempted to do anything to it.
lolax: thanks! the color in the kitchen is technically "crocus", and depending on the light and time of day, it ranges from a warm pinky-lavender to almost gray.

krisn: we heart ac/dc! i think i'm dressing as angus young for halloween. obviously, music is a big deal to us. for each of the five framed LPs on the wall, there are three in a closet. the beatles, REM, and queen go up later.

angorian: thoughts on a specific shade of blue for the ceiling?

jess2nola: thanks! it's really important to us. i have to take credit for the photos, though.

annaland: will do. specific color suggestions? the idea is really growing on me. also, i now have a mildly amusing image in my head because of you: my lamp shooting out of a swimming pool with a red bikini tied to it, then flying through the air in slow motion.

psymonetta isnoful: first off, great entry! good luck! i like that suggestion of bowie-purple for the ceiling. the paint you used in your office area looks remarkably similar to our blue chair. what color is it? if we used it on our ceiling, would it look too matchy-matchy?

Hi Samantha,

The paint in our office is from Devine Color and it's called "Rain". They have a whole palette called "silver skies" that has similar blue-violet colors. I'd have to be in the room to tell what color would work from that palette, but they do sample pouches and large 8x10 paint chips that are sprayed with real paint. So, it's easy to narrow it down. My initial gut feeling is that the Skyline would be good, or the Tempest if you wanted to go dark and be dramatic.

Samantha,

what is the real name of the "screaming supergrover" color? I love it.

"laguna blue" from benjamin moore. (and thanks!)

LOVE THIS
(esp. the last photo)
If I could have voted it would have been insta-finalist.

samantha: I would take the blue that you used on the walls and add a bit to white (or maybe get the paint store to do this) until you get a suitable shade for the lighting that the room has (both natural and artificial). Even just a slight shading can make a big difference to the contrast; the idea isn't to have a dark ceiling, just one with a blue undertone. You might consider using it on the trim and the white door, too. I wouldn't go with a different colour (like the pale purple) because you might be risking a circus-y effect.

very nice! love the botanicals and the blue paint. and the bowie print just gives the place some theme music.....nice

love this.

I keep coming back and looking at these pictures. This is the fourth or fifth time I've looked! They are inspiring. Thank you for entering so I could see them. Your home is the perfect blend of color, personality, pretty, and cool.

oh - you could also improve your dining area by a LOT if you switched those horizontal blinds for something nicer (matchstick or wooden).

your apartment looks like you read sfgirlbybay. i love all the vintage posters.

So cool. So colorful. =)