Name: Siouxzi
Location: Chicago
Type: 2 bedroom apartment, rented
Why I use color: Color is such an important tool in design. It controls the emotion of a room. It allows me to overcome challenges such as renting, budget, and the merging of households. I can choose a theme for a room or an apartment but that theme can manifest itself in so many different ways simply because of the color palette used.
I like to use gray for a base, almost every room is painted a different shade of gray (or grays) and then use bold color to make a statement. It creates smooth transitions between rooms, it makes it easy to change a room to suit our mood, and since we rent, it won't be as hard to repaint.
But I don't leave color to just material or boldly painted walls, I use color lights too. Blue LED's and, yes, black lights set for up-lighting behind white drapes gives our living room a wonderful cool relaxing feel. Of course, it’s also great for turning it into a club setting when I want to rock out or throw a party.
2 good color tips:
1. A bold design is a great way to tackle a big wall. It works even better when it pulls a color from another room. While painter's tape is handy, a painter's edge is critical to getting your lines clean and crisp.
2. Really look at your room from places you use. Where your seating is, where you stand when working in the room or even where you sit in a room adjacent. A good color choice and design really will carry through your entire home.
2 good color resources:
1. Your personal interpretation of an intangible thing, or even a tangible one can be a great starting point for choosing your theme and palette.
2. Everyone says "use your surroundings", but try stranger places and delve deeper. When something makes you look twice, explore the components that really make it what it is, examine how its different shades and tones made you look at it and see if you can make them work in your space.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Not something I would do, but I can definitely appreciate it.
Wow. Your wall is beautifully done. Not necessarily my thing either but certainly well thought out, well done, and I like the red and blue. Should make Chicago a less grey place this year.
I'm enjoying seeing colorful objects in these entries that aren't the usual "thing", in your case the huge exercise ball.
I think your furniture placement and balance of primary color is very good (and that bit of yellow in the second photo)
The wall op doesn't work and the furniture arrangement is trying too hard to be against the room axis. Put the red pieces back together and make a more formal shaped sitting layout in front of the FP along its axis, paint the FP wall a brick color like the rug and get a flat TV for over the FP
I feel that the stark grey walls and the bright flashy furniture is overshadowing that beautiful wood work. I like the blue & silver pattern on the wall though. Maybe it would work better for me if you took out the red and focused on hints of that electric blue as your bright spot. But it doesn't have to work for me, you love it so it's cool. But about that blue & silver on the wall, you should TOTALLY continue that down onto the radiator! Click on my name to see how amazing it looks!
i agree with jessica!
Outstanding composition!! I love the wall design and the way you have carried the color through out - even to the windows. Your use of red moves the eye around the room. A very skillful blend of bold and bright yet very calming.
i like it that you're trying to break out of the normal order of room setup. when you're stuck in a box, it's hard to do something different.
Thanks for the comments everyone.
Jim - you have some fair points.
That side of the room is already precariously close to being a dark cavern. I tried 2 different colors before settling on the silver. Everything made it heavier and darker still. The silver echos the circuit board design nicely and helps brighten that side of the room.
We were doubtful of the angled layout at first, figuring it wouldn't work at all but after trying a few different placements, we were thrilled when we saw it. In the end, it does an excellent job uniting the rooms and opening up the flow of the space. This set up allows us to really use and enjoy all the great features of the space. As for getting a flat screen - who wouldn't want one, but working on a tight budget means some things you have to live with and without.
Jessica - I love that radiator! Looks great and I really wanted to paint ours, it would have absolutely completed the look. Sadly it wasn't allowed by our landlord, that and the woodwork were off limits.
Jessica & Jennie - Regarding the gray, it isn't that stark really, more of a cool purple-gray, which reacts wonderfully to light and dark. If I could change anything, it'd be the fireplace brick to slate or a mosaic tile which I think would really allow the wood to stand out more. But then... we rent, so I'll save that idea for when we own.
i LOVE that red chair!!!!!! it's so awesome!
Ew. That reminds of the stuff the couple I babysat for back in the 70s -80s had in their bedroom.
Very Mork & Mindy!
Very hot!!