apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

killer space–you guys have a deft touch. love the painting over the desk :)

I love it. You married vintage with modern very well. I love the art in the first picture, where did you get it?

I love the artwork, and the way you hung it. Love that rug!! Looks great with the black sofa.

Love it. Wonderful restrained use of colour.

oh my god, no not green. how could you.

haha, just kidding. i love green and 2 of my rooms are different shades of green. this room looks beautiful. i am a huge fan of mixing vintage with modern. looks fantastic!

Check out those ceilings - the tin, the height! [drool]

This is nice; you have blended your furniture vintages and colors well. Love the black leather pieces. While you have a lot going on visually nothing is jarring or garish; this is indeed skillful use of color. Well done!

Very nice! Love the tin ceilings. This looks like it was once space above an old store.

Just gorgeous.

Of course- the ceilings- amazing- but the use of colour is really wonderful as well....not totally expected and yet not jarring in the least either.

Really fresh and fun...and sophisticated all at the same time. Which is not an easy thing to do.

I love it! I feel inspired! Are those Flor tiles?

And check out the glossy wood floors, double drool! Love the tin ceiling.

Go Grand Rapids!!!

I absolutely love the way you hung the artwork in the top photo. How is it done? Imitation is the highest form of…

I absolutely love this place, but I don't see how this is an insta-finalist compared to some of the other entries in terms of color use. Stop voting just because you like the aesthetic of the home.

"Stop voting just because you like the aesthetic of the home."

Good lord! What is this contest about if not the aesthetic use of colour?

ok, so I worded it poorly. But this is almost the exact same green as the bedroom with the crib...which is a no way, jose. this already has almost the same votes for insta-finalist. i just think people are voting more for the trendy vs. traditional furnishings.

Gorgeous! Yes people; my aesthetic senses are happy looking at these pictures of color-use combined with their "stuff." Geez. What else, after all, is the definition of design and does it aim to please?

I too NEED to know what the art is! Of course, I don't have the ceilings to carry it - but still....I love it.

Thank you in advance.

Courtney just inspired me to vote insta-finalist. Don't tell us what we can and can't base our vote on.

Beautiful rooms. Simple but elegant, and very pleasing to the eye. I love the green walls, do you recall the exact color? Thanks.

Courtney

Wha?? Are we voting on how much we like the paint color?? This contest is about the USE of color. This entry used color to create a fantastic room, hence insta-finalist. Maybe you should stop voting until you get the rules straight.

LOVE it. Yes, this green is very similar to a lot of other entries but the way it is paired with the other colors (in furniture, floor, ceiling, decorations, paintings, etc.) is fantastic. I understand their color point of view - regardless of how much I'm drooling over the rolling record storage under the desk in the 1st pic. The space is skillfully color coordinated and unique and expressive. They understood what their space needed and executed it through color. There are a lot of other entries who have similar furniture but were unable to pull it all together using color in the right places. Yes, the green makes me want to puke green pea soup by now, but you can't deny an excellent use of color. Look at where they placed splashes of yellow (stool, curtains, small painting), so well done. And the red - I dislike red with green because it can look to Christmasy - but this. is. fantastic. I have to stop writing because I could go on and on. I'm impressed you were able to use "tired" colors and make them look uber fresh.

The art on the left side is a collection of covers from Seattle's weekly rag, the Stranger. Each cover is in an inexpensive frame, drilled and strung together on cable wire with metal crimps and spacers. We hung the whole structure on a well-secured sprinkler pipe. This allowed us to easily hang the piece without drilling a ton of holes in the concrete wall (we're renting). By spacing it off the wall it really gives it a strong presence in the room.

Yes Ileana, those are FLOR tiles.

loving the art -- is it record album covers? Can you tell us how you did this?

You answered my question before I had time to post! Thanks!

Good colour choice for the trim - much better than the ubiquitous brilliant white. Nicely done.

another reason to love the Stranger!

If I was voting based on which paint colors I like I would have sunk Peggy's pink place (pink is absolutely revolting to me) instead of giving her high marks for her great furniture and overall aesthetic. Who gives a flip if this is the same shade of green as another entry, it is about how well the colors are used and the attractiveness of the total design.

Michigan, woo hoo!

Love the art above the sofa.

Awesome. I would live here in a second. Love the color & design.

aw. i'm in love. maybe I should move to chicago.

The light, warm color and use of art is very inviting. I seems real and actually lived in. I love the art piece in the first photo. Very unique - I wish I knew the artist.

Spare without being stark. Proving that less IS more. Love the use of multi-colors. Fun but not cartoonish. I want to live here. Let's trade.

Hanging the wall of 'The Strangers' is a nice and personal touch. Great colors, excellent light.

Comfy couches.

High-five for the entry from GR! I grew up there. How cool! Do you live downtown? Looks like a converted/industrial loft or something. Amazing light and such high ceilings...

And fabulous job arranging your space! Everything works so well together. Lots of nice punches of color that stand out from the relatively restrained spacial design. As everyone else already pointed out, the artwork is the highlight here (among many other cool touches). Nice entry!

Great space!

What is the hanging device for the 3 prints above the sofa if you don't mind sharing.

I really like this. The colours are very strong and bold but used sparingly it all works well together.

Love the colors. These guys have always been excellent at coloration with bright palets.

Congradulations and good luck.

I *thought* those were covers from The Stranger! What an awesome idea that I may have to blatantly steal! To this day I wish I had kept their 9/11 cover which was the best graphic representation of that day ever and so worthy of framing.

Overall, I love the interplay between the greens/yellows/reds. And let me agree with the other posters in that, it's not about the color you paint your walls, its how the room hangs together. Other green rooms were bright for sure, but this room is cohesive and interesting to look at.

Fabulous!!!!
Great job with color and the art work - we'll definitely be up for a visit!

Well what can i say. oh yes!

Fabulous color! I wish I was there. The photography?, is it professionally done....magnificent!

Your hanging mechanism is ingenious! Personally, it is a little too much black leather for me in close proximity. I think it would have been fun to mix it up a little.

The hanging device above the sofa is a simple cable display system. We found kits online but we wanted something with a greater span and found we could do it cheaper at the hardware store. We use binder clips to hang artwork and change it out as needed. My girlfriend Anna created the illustrations in the photo.

This is a wonderful room. (Although I didn't think we were looking at ceilings, just use of color).

I love the walls and the way the art is displayed and the way the color scheme gives such warmth to the place.

Very nice.

Pleasing to the eye. I could live here. And that's an INSTA FINALIST vote from me!! Great job you two!!

Great use of color coordinating an electic mix of objects. Love those yellow vintage bar/soda shop stools!

Oops, meant eclectic.

this is a very pretty space.

I love this. the art work looks great against the green. love the floors look fabulous.

My favorite space so far. Great use of so many colors! Great way to display diverse artwork without looking cluttered.

I love this space!

Hell yes.

I love everything about this room. I agree with others that it isn't about what color the wall is as much as it is about the harmony that is created by all the color in the room. We have seen this green a lot and I dare say this is the best example so far. I love the little wheel-y cart for your records, did you build it yourself?

Yes, I built the record cart myself from salvaged aluminum, black vinyl and leftover casters.

I'm torn on this because I love the space, the high ceilings and the way you've hung the artwork. I'm not as crazy about the second picture and I'm afraid if I only saw that I wouldn't vote you in. I'm going with in contention, although I love the green wall with the warm oak floors.

Let me say how much I love the hard wood floors. I perfer wood over carpet any day. I also love the idea of mixing naturals with color!!! good job.

Looks like a fun place for scrabble.

wow

FUN TO SEE YOUR GREAT NEW APARTMENT. DOES IT ALWAYS LOOK THAT PERFECT? REALLY LIKE THE LOOK.

I love how the artwork is hung and how the color blocking within the room echos the artwork. Well done!