A self-confessed "restless decorator" who loves to revamp the color in her space with each new season, Karen lets Apartment Therapy readers in on how she cozied up her home while still adhering to the 80/20 rule. What do you think she did to overhaul her already lovely, well-balanced living room?
The Color Cure: How long have you lived in your home?
Karen: 4 years
The Color Cure: When did you overhaul the space?
Karen: June 2011
The Color Cure: How long did it take?
Karen: One weekend, with lots of breaks
The Color Cure: Where did you find your color and design inspiration?
Karen: The inspiration for the strips came from the Old Lucketts Store "Design House" event in November 2009 in Lucketts, Virginia. (I found out about it on AT, by the way!) They had painted black and ivory stripes in the stairwell and hallways throughout the house, and I just loved it; it felt whimsical and a little bit Parisian to me. The black and ivory created more drama than I wanted, but I love the lightheartedness of the strips, and luckily that comes through even with the contrast taken down a few notches.
The Color Cure: How much planning did you put into the project?
Karen: After the Design House, I tried painting stripes on one wall of a short hallway at home, just to see, and was amazed at how it brought the space to life. Still, it took another year and a half to work up my courage to do the whole living room. I waited until my boyfriend went out of town for a week so that if it looked terrible, I could paint over it and he'd never have to know!
The Color Cure: What was the most challenging part of the project?
Karen: Choosing colors for the room was so hard for me. I don't even want to think about how many paint samples I went through. I've always been drawn to rooms with a lot of texture, and I wanted the flexibility to change colors and accessories with the seasons (I'm a restless decorator), yet it was hard to get over the notion that sticking to neutrals was a cop-out or compromise. People equate "beige" with safe and boring—it's so stigmatized! But I grew up near the beach in Maine, where the colors of the landscape are subtle and serene and all the most beautiful things are time-worn. An endless stretch of sand is the landscape of my heart!
The Color Cure: Did you learn a new skill during your home improvement project?
Karen: Figuring out how to get the lines straight and perpendicular to the floor was a challenge, and there's probably a more scientific way than what I came up with...
The Color Cure: Are you happy with the outcome?
Karen: Deliriously happy.
The Color Cure: What, if anything, would you do differently next time around?
Karen: I wish I could have shortened the decision-making time, but I guess it's all part of the process :)
The Color Cure: If you had one piece of advice for Apartment Therapy readers, what would it be?
Karen: No great philosophical words of wisdom, but I can share a good tip for painting with a roller: Cover the tray with a plastic bag from the grocery store, pressing it flat into the corners (it usually fits perfectly). Tape it in place underneath and on top where the open edge of the bag meets the tray. When you're done, remove the tape and peel off the bag so it ends up inside-out with the wet paint inside. Easy cleanup! You can also use plastic bags to cover your brushes and rollers while you take a break.
Do you have a Before & After or a Color Inspiration Story to share with The Color Cure? Go ahead and get your entries in soon. We can't wait to hear from you!
The Color Cure, Week 1: Color Families
Week 1 Video: Color Families
Color Hunting: Inspiring Color Families
Color Research: Find Colors You Love All Around
Before & After: Monica's Color-Filled Living Room
Color Quiz: Which Color Family Are You?
The Color Cure, Week 2: Warm and Cool Colors
Week 2 Video: Warm and Cool Colors
Add Color to Your Kitchen Even if Your Backsplash is Tiled
Before & After: A Kitchen Overhaul Complete with Painted Cabinets
Color Quiz! Are You Warm or Cool Colored?
Before & After: Two Living Rooms Transformed with Color
The Color Cure, Week 3: The 80/20 Rule
Week 3 Video: The 80/20 Rule
Color Tip: Accent Your Entertainment Space with Colorful Dining Chairs
Color Prescription: What Color Would You Choose?
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Wow, not a huge change but the stripes really make the room appear much larger! Nice work!
Holy prep work, batman. Nicely done!
The room has so much personality now!
This is nice, though I'm not sure it's a great example of the difference a shot of colour can make. However I'm very glad the extremely depressed looking plant in the first picture has gone to a better place :)
I can appreciate the balance, the color, and the effort but I am personally not a fan of stripes like this.
The stripes are well executed, good job! I would say, however, that I think there are two many colors of beige in the space, all with the same value or tone. An improvement might be choosing one color of beige and using varying tones to create depth and interest. Also, I'm pretty confused by what looks like a pinata-style lamp. I don't think it matches the rest of the space, and including it competes with the predominant style of the room.
I kept going back and forth between the before and after in search of the 20%.
NICE! I love the new wall!
And this is one of the best things I read on AT.
"People equate "beige" with safe and boring—it's so stigmatized! But I grew up near the beach in Maine, where the colors of the landscape are subtle and serene and all the most beautiful things are time-worn. An endless stretch of sand is the landscape of my heart!"
The stripes are nice.
I love the stripes! Also the switching out the gold picture frames for black ones. I love when there is contrast between light and dark. The only thing I don't like in both the before and after picture is that weird balloon looking thing. But if it makes you happy then that is all that matters. Just curious though...WHAT is that? :)
I love this transition, well done.
I love stripes and neutrals. Very nice!
Love the stripes, I have the same thing in my foyer!
vertical stripes make me dizzy , don't know why
Neat!
Seems like a lot of work for not much change. Sorry.
The stripes look fantastic and I love all the neutral colors...seems to keep the space looking so light and sunny!
I like it! Have you thought about painting the ceiling the darker color?
The stripes are a wonderful addition to this room. Well done! The colors are well chosen: the beige/white combination really opens up the room (darker colors tend to 'insulate'). Stripes always add energy and interest, but with these colors they don't dominate the room. A marvelous job....
The stripes look fantastic, but I have to agree about the brightly-colored paper lamp-- it just doesn't seem to fit.
Very nice change...but what happened to the awesome midmod tension lamp that was in the corner? I want it! :-)
I hate stripes usually but these are amazing! I can't believe such a simple trick created such amazing results!
I like the balloon thing.
I don't like beige, or stripes, but am impressed with this set of photos. Wouldn't work for me, but it does add pizzazz to the room.
I love the chairs!!! Can I ask where you found them!???!
Thanks so much for all the great comments! About the crazy lamp ... it's a "tulip lamp" with acrylic string or "spaghetti" shades, ca. 1950s. An unusual choice for the room, perhaps, but my boyfriend loves it with a passion -- and since it's his living room too, well, what the heck. The happiness it provides more than makes up for the ding in our decor score. And it actually looks pretty cool at night. :) - Karen
Gentry, thanks! The chairs are Crate & Barrel "Metropole," special-ordered with linen upholstery instead of leather during their custom upholstery sale last year. - Karen
I do agree with emilybeth! While the newly painted room is very sophisticated, the lamp draws attention away from all of the wonderful qualities in the room. It seems to create multiple focal points, and clashes with the overall theme. I love the vertical stripes! Maybe try a celing to floor curtain as well, it will create more of the open space feel you're advancing towards.
I rather like the 'tulip lamp,' it's like a boutonniere on a lapel, or a colorful beach umbrella: a splash of color in a field of warmth and tranquility. The spaghetti shades 'pop' nicely against the striped walls; they play nicely off each other. That's the magic of these stripes; they enliven the 'sound' of the room: the 'bass notes' of the rich black frames; the dark, abstract dashes in the large painting.... Terrific.
Love the stripes.
Karen, did you give the tall tropical plant to someone who can take care it? It looked quite sad in the -before- photo.
What is the 80/20 rule? I think the stripes add so much to this room, in a subtle, classy way. It was bordering on boring before (for me, sorry) and now it's LOVELY!
I loved how the room looked before I didn't know what she'd do to change it but when I saw it I loved it! It's perfect for that room.
80/20 is the pareto rule and I believe it means that she only did a little amount (20%) but it changed the room's feel a whole lot (80%). I know I'm on to something, someone correct me if I'm wrong.
@alyssasteffes - Not even close. According to the Week 3 Color Cure video on the 80/20 rule. It's 80% neutral and 20% color. That's why the title of this post is so ironic.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/color-cure/week-3-the-8020-rule-the-color-cure-152601
I was expecting a bigger transformation. The beige stripes look rather bland and dont really make a huge impact. Perhaps if they were a darker color?
The only thing I really love is the vintage lamp. I think I liked the red pillow better.
The changes are subtle but they add up to a big impact. Everything (except the lurid lamp) is very Ralph Lauren chic.
Surely there's a mancave somewhere in the house for the so-awful-it's-kinda-wonderful lamp?
i love that tulip lamp, will be keeping an eye out for one! the stripes are nice not my thing but I know how hard they are to paint, this was a lot of work and i credit where credit is due. enjoy your new look!
The stripes really liven the room. It's like the graphic effect of a nice striped rug--but on the walls!
It looks fantastic, but god, it's giving me flashbacks to the time I painted stripes in my bathroom. What I thought would take a few hours ended up taking me DAYS to get right.
Just not digging it. Without the photos side by side it's hard to see the changes except for the stripes. At least now I know I'm definitely not a fan of stripes. I guess it reminds me of about a dozen rentals on a low budget where I wasn't allowed to paint so the only way to add color was furniture. If it works for them cool...but I'd find it very depressing when the weather outside turns grey and dreary.
Sorry, but I'm not digging it. I appreciate the enormous amount of work that went into this project and that is very well done. However, the room would have changed enormously just by de-cluttering the wall on the right-hand side. I wish there had been further de-cluterring, because I'm not digging that trio of hats or whatever it is.
Really, the room needs some curtains in a shade darker than the couch, and it needs to be cleaned out a bit. The clutter is distracting.
Most of the time, less really is more.
Nice. But bring back the red pillows. They are happy.
Sweet Room.
Good work. I think AT probably just picked this room randomly to stick this label of 80/20 on it. The label shouldn't detract from all your hard work even if it isn't following the so called 80/20 rule.
That lamp needs to have an accident while you are cleaning.
Nice work, and I am with you, I love beige and sand, lots of it :)
I do like the after just as much as the after. My feelings for the two are tied.
What I meant to say was...I like the after just as much as the before. My feelings for the two are tied.
I love these pjictures very much !Especially the one a dog in it !