Tres Chic!

Nice job...the black definitely works!

I agree, and I especially love the closet

Uh...

I like the dark wall concept, but I think black is too, uh, black. Dark brown, gray or dark blue would have been cool.

Look better with hardwoods and not carpet.

Nifty

At one time, it was considered very cool to paint a room black ... people got over it.

I like the corner of the room in the first photo. Perhaps some new window treatments though?

Yes, yes, yes. Instant chic.

You painted the Buddha white to match your new black room?

You must not be very religious. :/

I liked the first shot, but further pictures started to make it seem too stark with black and white dominating. The main issue with black is that you have to work hard with everything else to provide contrast. I think some more color may have made it seem less stark.

Mrs. Mack - I did not paint the Buddha. I have more than one Buddha in my house. I have traveled to 60 countries have the utmost respect for religions regardless of my own personal beliefs.

Hope 4- I wish I had hard floors! It is the typical rental carpet. : (

hejiranyc - I have one wall that is dark chocolate linen and I like the contrast. I painted the kitchen dark gray.

Orchid64 - I have lots of "pops" of color that are not apparent in the photos. I have fresh orchids that are bright pink and cool silk screens. It was also taken at night with a bright flash so looks even more stark! I arranged my books also to add more color. Any other ideas?

AustinSarah2 - I didn't realize that I was in a "cool" contest. I am not getting over what I like even if other people already have.

The black and white combination comes across too strong, especially with the grey carpet. It reminds me of my dream house in the late eighties, actually:) Anyway, my tastes have changed, irrelevant considering that you are showing your place as a matter of pride.

But really- while the opportunity to respond to a commentor's questions can be nice for the responder/original poster, and appreciated by the recipients to whom such responses are directed- try to refrain from responding to people who have comments you deem negative.
Anonymity of the internet often permits a more honest forum, but if you can resist the urge to engage in defensive last words and such, your grace will be noted instead of your reactive antagonism.

After all, you did join the AT forum (when submitting photos of your abode) for the entire audience to view and freely respond. Tough skin? Don't submit!

LOVE your Sputnik light - where did you get it?

mischief7, I don't think any of Meredith's responses were defensive. She was just clarifying things for other commenters. There's no harm in that.

I bet this room looks way more amazing in person. On camera flash is pretty harsh and evil.

Love the black! You are very brave and it turned out great!

hmm... I'd say the anonymity of the internet makes people act more of an ass. You can dislike a space, and express your distaste, without getting snarky.

I do think that more pops of color would look great. However, though I love the contrast, there's just now way that I could do black walls.

I do love your closet though. It's very punk-y

It looks great! You really did a nice job. I'm so jealous of the fabulous closet!

Wow, I love it. I think it turned out really nice. I also like your buddha and zebra rug.

If I were you, I would paint the inside of the bookcase a bright pretty color. (I would probably do pink or turquoise) I think that would be one of the easiest ways to add a pop of color without being obnoxious.

I really like your closet too. I think this was definitely a change for the better.

Meredith, you haven't gone far enough.

Paint the ceilings and the trim black too.

I've done my entire apartment black (or very dark grey). I started as you did with a few walls, but the more I did the better it looked.

Your white ceiling, pale floors and white trim look awful alongside the black.

Go all the way!

Once you've gone black you never go back.

Meredith,
I am with the CCWC (Committee for Cool Wall Colors), and I have to say, you may have lost points in the cool contest with Austinsarah2, but We have made note of your fabulous response to her. We regret to inform you, however, that
she is WAY in the lead in the Pretentious Snot contest.
Mischief7? He's just got some stick up his butt. Some well-designed, expensive stick, no doubt...

"Black walls and chocolate linen" sounds terrible -- but it looks wonderful. I love it. I appreciate the white ceiling and trim, too; total-black would be too oppressive for me. As it is, it's a nice combination of refreshing and soothing.

In before and after photos, I wish that people would take them from the exact same angle. It's so hard to get a good visual of the "before" when you can picture the room in the same way.

That said, it looks good. However, I couldn't live with black walls. I think my mood would follow suit very quickly. I'm all about light and black is the ultimate light swallower.

I meant when you *can't* picture the room in the same way.

How did you make your jewelery "do dad"....I'm assuming you made it. I've been looking for a good way to store my jewelery.

Nevermind. Reread the post. :)

Talk about bleak. It looks like something those horrible designers from Bravo's "Top Design" would throw together.

All theme, no substance or comfort.

A living room is for "living," not for looking like a furniture store display designed by a depressed emo window dresser.

I would definitely like to see it without the flash. I like your accessory wall, very fun!

Why are people acting so awful? This is not my personal style, but obviously a ton of thought and hard work have gone into it and it looks good. I really like the black map. The attitudes of some commenters here make me reluctant to EVER share our space-- AT needs mods who actually step in an delete comments that are not constructive and are just mean! Why on earth would you just tell someone "your home is awful!"??? It's unhelpful and rude and defeats the purpose of the AT community.

Why is it not okay to paint a buddha statue?

yuck

I love it! Very brave and I wish I could do it! But, I too feel reluctant to share my space with AT readers. Harsh! Constructive criticism would be much more polite and helpful. Who says yuck about some one else's space?

Super glam! What paint did you use, it looks semi-glossy in the last photo but that could be just the flash. I like the idea of making it lacquer-like. If you can make that kind of transformation with paint, I think you should ask your landlord about ditching the beige carpet. Even if there's no cool hardwood beneath, some of the laminate options these days are really cool (my neighbor put in a wenge-color laminate floor a year ago and I'm still jealous of how great it looks).

Where have the comments gone?

Arttarte - I used satin paint -- not sure which color. I asked about ditching the carpet because there are hardwood floors under, but was denied!

rouquinne - I got the Sputnik at In Your Element, an Italian design boutique in SF. They have amazing sales.

I think it all looks fabulous and I have have never been drawn to the styles of black/white, modern, animal print mode. Stylish, yet cozy and functional all the way into the closet. Exceptional job, congratulations.

It's too bad you have to keep the carpet, because hardwood would look amazing in here! Otherwise, it's a great looking room, and I love the transformation! The only thing I'm not particularly fond of is the mirror... only because it reminds me of a spider web, and the Dharma Initiative from LOST! And I love the accessory wall! :D

Great job. The black really looks good in the space.
Nothing worse than knowing there is a treasure under your carpet and yet not being able to do anything about it. Sucks.