colorcontestlogo120_2.gifName: Alex (2 weeks)
Location: USA
Color Inspiration: When we began the process of choosing a color scheme for our boy's room, we knew we didn't want to go traditional. We also knew we wanted to make the room fun and personal. To make it fun, my wife suggested orange. We're both huge fans of mid-century modern design and a nice earthy orange felt retro while still feeling masculine enough for a baby boy's room.

Color Inspiration continued: To make the room personal, we drew on my past. I have a twin brother and, even though we're fraternal twins, my parents initially had trouble telling us apart. So, my mom dressed my twin brother in blue (for his blue eyes) and me in brown (for my brown eyes). Since my wife and I love earth tones, we decided that brown would be a nice color to go with the orange.

Using blue on the walls was actually a last-minute decision. When you think boy's room, you typically think blue, so we didn't want to go that way because it's so traditional. But, with that big honkin' 10-foot mural being a centerpiece of the room, we needed a color that would make it pop. I played with different wall colors in Photoshop, but earth tones just weren't working. They just weren't fun. I grew up as a fan of Superman so I comped in the color of his suit. It totally worked! Sure, we ended up with a blue boy's room, but while the color choice sounds cliché, we feel the room is anything but.

Tip for Using Color: We have 2 tips for using color. The first: Less is more. While there's certainly a lot to stimulate the senses in our boy's nursery, when you're in the room it doesn't feel that way because all of the elements are treated in one of four colors: orange, brown, blue and white.

The second tip: Make it personal. So many people we know just flip through a blog or magazine, point at something, and say, "That's what I want." Thing is, that design is someone else's design. Consider asking yourself what you can do to make it your own. Not only will you end up with a more meaningful result, but you'll also have a great story to tell.

One example of making it personal is the mural that's the centerpiece of our nursery. While the buildings represent our love of architecture, every one of them references a place that's significant to us (where we're from, where I proposed, where we honeymooned, etc.). There are also personal references to my huge collection of tin toys (the giant robot), our pets (the flying cat), our love of art deco (The Chrysler Building), etc. There are parts of us in our son. Why not treat his room the same way?

Colors Used: Orange. Brown. Blue. White.

Thanks for your colorful entry Keith and good luck!

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