Name: Tricia W.
Location: Chicago
Type: 2 bedroom condo, owned
Why I use color: Color is an easy way to dress up a room, to convey a mood, to complement a piece of furniture or a picture. When I sit in a room with a white wall, I think about how the room would look in a different palette. What if the wall were yellow or red or green or blue? It's amazing that you can put a green vase with an orange gerbera daisy on a table in a room and suddenly the room looks entirely different than it did before. Color is an easy way to let other people into my mind and see, at least a little bit, what I see when I look at a room.
2 good color tips:
1. Find inspiration in everyday things. I designed an entire room off of the beautiful palette of a piece of dryer lint.
2. Don't be afraid to mix colors. All four walls don't have to be the same color. Woods don't have to match (put a light birch with a dark walnut). It's easier to notice the individual pieces when the colors complement rather than blend.
2 good color resources:
1. Benjamin Moore paints. Benjamin Moore uses very rich saturated pigments and there are tons of color choices, from traditional to very contemporary.
2. The Interaction of Color by Josef Albers. An authoritative text on color.
really nice! especially the way the dark blue gray fire place grounds the brighter colors. i even didn't notice the tv the first time i looked at the picture.
How lovely! I know quite a few ATers are sick of green, but I love it. I also like that not all the walls are painted the same colour and the woods don't match.
Great job! Agree with everything above. I also love whatever color that is in the back room.
i like! the dark color grounds the room ..sometimes brightness feels cheap but not here.
Nice contrast of colors!
Really successful!
I would paint the inside of the tv nook the same black/grey so as not to unnecessarily highlight the tv.
I love this. I love the slate gray with the lime green. Can you share these Benjamin Williams colors with us? Beautiful!
this is the nicest of the many greens we've seen so far.
brava!
Nice! I am about to paint my living room gray and green too! Love your choices.
love this.
sunday night i had a dream that i painted my bedroom a lovely shade of apple green. no, really.
i blame it all on you people and your green rooms...
it was a lovely dream, though.
it's the only one i've truly liked so far. i just said "ooh - ahh" when the screen popped open. the colors work but so does what i can see of the entire design. it's both soothing and pops.
i would LOOOOVE to live in this house! this is so my style; bright and fun while still classy and cohesive. my personal fave so far.
very nice! now this is one that is colorful and i also feel like i could live very happily in this space.
what is that beautiful color above the fireplace? i have a flat panel tv that i am trying to conceal and that might just do the trick on the wall behind it.
well done!
Love how the color is used to add depth to the house. Very nice. Great colors
Perfection!
The bedroom in the back looks interesting. Could we see some pictures of your bedroom?
Devine! I wish I had done this room. The only thing I'd change is to paint the TV niche to match the hearth so it fades away.
What a cool pad! Love the color blend. Love the mix of woods. Warms up the gray. Very nice!
Nice space. Where did you find the rug?
one of my favorites so far, though I don't like the 2 different greens together. The grey and the bright green it really hot. The neutral green semms a little out of place. I'd make it a lighter shade of the same grey. Anyway, love it.
I like this much better than any other "color" entry I've seen so far. We need to see much more of your place; please do a house tour soon!
love it. i've used the same green in my living room, but i wish i'd also used that slate grey as well. it's a beautiful compliment.
Yes, please tell us the colors. I've used Benjamin Moore in Tequila Lime in two apartments myself, in both cases to contrast with exposed brick in traditional brick red. This green looks similar so I'm wondering which green it is. The charcoal fireplace looks amazing with it!
fireplace wall, is that like a prussian blue? very nice. i'm a sucker for those acid greens, and the prussian/robin's egg just rocks it. thank you.
really nice! I'm considering a similar palette in my open floor plan apartment and was feeling timid and you've used it all in one room! Thank you for sharing.
PS - I do agree with the comment about the inside of the TV nook.
Hi:
Thanks for the great comments. I'm going to have to rethink the TV nook.
The Benjamin Moore colors are:
Eccentric Lime (bright green)
Ashwood Moss (grey)
Kentucky Haze (blue-grey)
Bavarian Forest (in the bedroom behind)
The rug is a TJ Maxx special from San Diego. You never know what you'll find.
I think the bright green color looks good. It's strong, pops, pleasant in a room, goes with a lot of other colors... but I'm seeing so much of it on these AT entries and I know we are all going to be so done with it soon enough. But that's the beauty of paint. The trend can live and die without too much expense or trouble.
And, yes, my JCREW cashmere sweater, the one I'm wearing today, is lime green.
WOW. Beautiful.
I know alot of people are sick of the green entries- but how can you dispute the gorgeous-ness of this colour?
I love how you mixed in charcoal and a lighter seafoam-y sort of tone as well.
Beautiful!
I like this. As kyd said above I like that it is bright and fun but still classy and cohesive. Its a good match of showy and lived in. I like that the use of the bright colour doesnt look cheap (for lack of better words) which I find some bright spaces can end up feeling.
Well done!
I love the dark and bright together, very nice.
Great room. Would love to be there on a cold November day watching football. Very contemporary and chic! My daughter loves it!
Hey, come paint my house for me!
I am so inspired by this pallate that I might use it in my apartment! Awesome!
Um...why are there such a large number of no way jose votes? The comments are mostly positive. I find that weird and hope no one is trying to sabotage this entry.
VERY nice .. looks very "designer-ish"! Love the use of color and the combination. Clean and classy .. love it! Insta!
Wow, it's really surprising to see all of the various shades of lime/apple green in all the various entries on the site (and on AT itself, at least in Chicago). It just feels so fresh and clean to me, I stick by it, I love it. Who wouldn't on a grey Chicago day?
Random, question back to the thoughtful folks who post here, if AT runs this contest next fall -- do you think you would still see a lot of lime green, is it the avocado of the 00's? and if not, what do you think we will see?
Your room is beautiful. The view of the bookcase in the second photograph is particularly impressive. What a welcoming entryway. I, too, like that you've used green but find your shade much easier to stomach than some of the others in the contest. It is certainly bright but is properly weighted with more neutral colored walls and furniture. I will, however, have to agree with everyone who's suggested painting the interior of the TV nook. What might even be more interesting is a beautiful fabric on streched canvas that could be hung to cover the television & electronics when they're not in use.
Again, good job.
This has been done. In a Westelm catalog. Yawn. Boring
This looks very fresh, serene and eclectic to me. Nice use of cool colors. This entry should be in the finals, without question.
I've had the pleasure of seeing the room in person. It's a really pretty, comfortable room. Also, what you don't see in the pictures is the dramatic, unobstructed view of downtown Chicago. Breathtaking! It's an awesome space.
I really think this color combination works well. I've always shied away from bold colors and am envious of those who make them work together as you have done here. Bravo - well done.
Wish are place looked this good.
...Wish I could spell as well
Great color combo. Love the light blue background.
I remember the place having much darker colors. This is a great improvement.
It's striking. And for this reason. The contrast is great, the blackish fire place section, sets a lively feeling of contrast and makes the room come alive.
Super cool and urban chic. Love it!
Can you come and choose paint colors for me. I suprisingly have the same colors in my home, but need to get the courage to paint the walls. Awesome room.
the dark color next to the bright green is fabulous! is it benjamin moore; could you provide the name/number?