apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My favourite thus far! Brilliant... warm, cozy, and eclectic! Perfect representation of the season wouldn't you say?!

I just love bright, brilliant colors to contrast a room or design. I custom designed these pillow covers to welcome fall and liven up my living room. So fun and inspirational!

wow! jesse has amazing taste. can i visit?

I am IN LOOOOOOOOOVEEEEE This is definitely the RICHEST MOST LUXURIOUS entry yet. It looks like every little detail was made to go exactly where is at. Just FAbulous!!!

post script- wanna get married, jesse?

Love this house. LOVE.

Fabulous! This is the kind of space i want too see on AT! fantastic mix of Traditional Modern and Mod

So want to steal both pairs of the huge lamps also I need them! :)

This is a rental?! Color me impressed.

Wow. Jesse, I bet you are one cool fucking cat. I'm blown away! I have an inkling this will end up in a magazine or two at some point.

How do you all get such great pictures?? I had a heck of a hard time just getting my pictures to be halfway decent (if my entry ever even shows up!!), much less fantastic like these!

Gorgeous! A killer mix of styles. I think this is the first entry that actually gave me the "wow". I LOVE the yellow door opening into the dark entryway. It's all so sophisticated and rich. Layers upon layers of awesome!

Beautiful and sophisticated entry way with that great chartruesey olive door. Love the painted kitchen bureau. You didn't say which brand paint (ralph lauren)?

The picture hallway is the most successful part of the apartment for me. After that hallway, the bedroom needs to ramp it up--just not formal and pow enough. Even in that small a space, it could be more dramatic. I love everything, but I think the space is crying out for some great prints--on the sofas, pillows or the bedroom curtain. That curtain should be bolder, because Jesse obviously has the panache to pull it off.

Love it! Looks rich and cozy.

This is wonderful! This is my favorite by a landslide. It's adventurous and very artful. There are things going on that could be technically considered "wrong" like the living room drapes overlapping the artwork, the yellow lamp (and dresser) in the kitchen, black walls in a bedroom with that 70s swag lamp, and yet, you make this work so perfectly. Way to go, Jesse!

You have such quirky taste and you ought to be proud that you've been able to express it so boldly in a rental. Few of us do that. It's inspiring. So little of your style is my taste and yet I keep coming back to look at it. Every time, I see something I didn't see before. That's the kind of house I'd like to create.

Your analogy of color to music really does much to describe how I'm "hearing" your home. I love it. It just sounds right somehow--fresh and totally idiosyncratic.

Stunning.

love. Love. LOVE. in my top 3 of this contest...quite possibly my fave! house tour please!

WOW! Winner.

This one should so win!

YES to the green door and the white kitchen!

Finally! This one is by far the winner. Though other entries may have met the criteria of using color, this one actually used it in a smart way, and with GOOD DESIGN!

It's so good to finally see someone who deserves to win and isn't already established and has a ton of expensive and designer pieces in their space. I bet you anything if you were to ask Jesse where he got most of the items in his space he will have a story to tell you about each piece, he'd also probably tell you he found them at a local thrift store, esate sale, or that it was simply an heirloom family piece.

Perfection Jesse.

I'll be moving in after the home tour!

Oh and a color tip I can ACTUALLY use!

Great place!

And I really like your bedspread.

If I saw these pictures and didn't know what they were for, I wouldn't guess they were an entry in a colors contest. They're so subdued yet work perfectly. What a beautiful home!

WOW factor indeed! Titillating in so many places -- my senses are applauding with approval! Nearly orgasmic... is that a term I can us here?

Its borrowed, its creative, its moody, its peaceful and you decorate well. Good decoration is an art form and you have it my friend.

The most visually pleasing so far.

Jesse, you are truly talented! These colors are amazing and flow so naturally through the space. So sophisticated, but so lived-in looking. And I feel we can really see a lot of your personality. This one deserves to win! My favorite by a looong shot.

Oh the green door is gorgeous! And I love how Jesse uses green to frame the white/black door in the hallway, it's the most lovely hallway I've ever seen.

Can anybody kind enough to identify the 2 black-shade-chandeliers for me? It's soooooo moody & elegant !

you have an amazing eye for color. i think this entry will definitely be a finalist, and will probably win. have you ever considered a career as a colorist or an interior designer? you obviously have a gift here. wow, just wow.

Are there any words left to describe how utterly, superbly opulent your taste is? Excellent, marvelous job. Bravo.

This place is amazing! Very elegant and beautiful! Lovely choices of colors too.

geez - how I'm supposed to compete with this?!?

AWESOME style! I'd love to see an entire hose tour....but I'm still so jealous :)

This place really rocks! And you do, too.

oh my goodness-what a gorgeous home you have created...LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

genius! I love everything about this!

absolutely gorgeous.

I love to see a fellow Dallasite here! Nice to see someone from my hometown doing something other than ranch/tuscan/bordello fusion! It's gorgeous, but still looks very functional for real life. You have great taste!

I want to follow that fluffy dog tail through that green door and see everything, beautiful!

I wish I had the cash to decorate a house like this!

This is beyond inspirational. Also, thanks for the tip. Good advice! :)

-Eleazar
http://www.blogazar.com

Fascinating and gorgeous space. Thanks for sharing it with everyone!

This is definitely worthy of a magazine.
I love this!!!
I am saving this in my inspiration file.

I'm not a gusher but I do like the place. Good job! At this point you're my number one pick.

I'm in love.

The duplex is nice, too.

great eye

Jesse, your home is lovely. It's a true masterpiece!

I wish I could see a floor plan, but oh man, the envy!

Absolutely fantastic. Just, wow.

House tour, please!

Where is that cool yellow pendant light from??

I love that it's eclectic and beautiful, chock full of interesting ideas and looks LIVED IN. Yes, I second: house tour.

More than color wow, I give this house major points for the mixture of styles and use of traditional elements in nontraditional ways. Very fun.

I mean no disrespect to the other Fall Colors participants, but this is the only entry that has really excited me. GORGEOUS. Adventurous and welcoming at the same time (a hard combo to pull off, I think). One of my ALL-TIME FAVORITES, I think.

Couldn't say it any better than bclynn. Jesse, are you in the market for a girlfriend?!

I'm in love with absolutely everything about this guy's place
(and that's rare for me...)

This is the only submission where I've felt color is part of the design of the whole space rather than someone thinking "I hate my white walls, red is may favorite color, so let's paint the dining room wall red!". Absolutely lovely! Fantastic writing on the philosophy behind choosing colors for your home.

love it.

Loooove this place.

OMG. Jesse. Will you marry me? Seriously. I'll kick my boyfriend out - he doesnt have nearly your style.

Winner. Stop the contest now.

very very very pretty!

I'm glad you posted, the place is brilliant. Not a bad idea to start thinking about what you're going to get at CB2 :) Good job!

oh em gee.
i love you jesse!
marry me?

;)

Wonderful space, so warm and inviting! Can I throw my hat into the proposal ring as well?

Jesse you are a NATURAL! You're not a professional designer? I LOVE your place. That kitchen is SO great! And I love your hallway with all those pictures. And the living room. It's all so cozy and classy and I love the way you've chosen your furniture and everything, and just the knack you have for it, and for arranging it all-- really awesome! I'm with modfan-- Winner, stop the contest now!!

Okay, ladies (and MODFAN) calm down. You're all one step from the gutter.

Jesse,

Thanks for sharing your awesome place! You definately deserve to be a finalist, if not a winner!

truly inspiring!

these comments are great...you're making me blush...haha

seriously, Thank you all for such great feedback.

I think it is so important that great design is accessible for everyone. Nothing in my home did I pay amazing amounts for and yes it was found at neighborhood thrift stores, mom and pop antique shops, and the side of the road. It feels great to go home with an inexpensive item that you know someone before you cherished that will be special to you and completely unique.

This IS a rental and in all my years of renting I never expect to get the deposit back. Life is way too short to not feel completely at home whether you are renting or not.

Ok a few questions...the bedspread is actually an old chenille one I found at a local thrift store a few weekends ago for 9 dollars...I was quite excited.

The black shade/crystal pendants in the hall are actually from Hobby lobby believe it or not! haha.

The green/yellowish globe is from Lula B's my favorite local antique shop with tons of 50's, 60's and 70's treasures.

Well thank you all again for the truly awesome comments...

Fellow Renters-

...don't take design or your home too seriously....stop worrying about that damn rental deposit...and take risks in heapfuls...

Cheers,

Jesse Ryan

i completely agree w/ sketches of a twenty-something. this contest should be about what a normal person can do. this place is called APARTMENT therapy after all. this is one of the only places we have to go for inspiration where every solution isn't knock out that wall, tile this, & spend this$$$$$. this is why people like this should get more attention than pros who own their spaces. judges, please listen to what we've been saying on this subject. WE WANT ATTAINABLE BEAUTY!

i love the black hall. you had me by the 1st picture. very hot. i love nerdy boys. ~_^

stunning!

wow! super comfy and beautiful. this looks like a magazine.

floating shelves ... can't be ikea because they can only hold 5 pounds. can anyone identify them for me, please?

Wow! I've been pondering colors for my north-facing entry way. I have tons of prints to hang, so maybe I need to go for it and go black! Or even charcoal. Great inspiration!

This space is spectacular -- my favorite by far! The color makes this place sing.

The more I see other spaces (which can be colorful, beautiful, curated, expensive), the more I appreciate Jesse's bold choices and interesting mixes/ideas. This is most likely my vote for winner.

This is amazing! Love it. Also, how did you hang the floating shelves to support the weight? I would love any tips on this subject.

Nice colour harmonies & mixing!
Some of the rooms make me feel claustrophobic (I hate negative posts, I'm sorry), but that could be the photography, or maybe I think you could use like 20% more open space to visually balance things. It's jam packed with great details.
I really do love it!!
Good luck in the contest Jesse.

Love it. This is my pick to to win!

Fantastic place. You have a great eye for color and arranging objects (the mantle, coffee table and floating shelves above the bed are perfection!) I'm totally inspired to do some more thrifting here in Brooklyn.

I inherited a lamp from my great grandmother that looks almost exactly like the one in this bedroom. I love it (everyone else hates it) but now I have some ideas on decorating around it!

What an inspiring place.

As many others have said, this is one of the only entries thus far that made me -stop- and really take my time clicking through.

There is a consistent thread tying everything together here - but not necessarily obviously. Other contestants may have one or two superficial color applications, whereas this place seems designed through and through.

Awesome. Wow. Great job.

After all the raves, I am uncomfortable saying this but I think it is kind of cluttered and a little dark. I'm thinking with the style, less might be more.

Wow, I'm with lillyrose on the cluttered and that sometimes less is more. It feels almost manic to me and I wouldn't be comfortable here. I'm also with Mr Dangerous. The ladies are just a step from the gutter. I also think it's a little shameless to put a picture of yourself in. I don't think I've seen that in any of the other entries. A lot of the comments, including this one, are about you. The contest is supposed to be about the spaces and what folks have done to them. Putting your picture there, cute as you may be, or think you are, is not what this is about. Of course, you knew what you were doing when you put it in. I guess they can't disqualify you. I hate to put a damper on the party, but not a winner in my book.

I am glad this owner, as well as MANY others in this contest, posted pictures that included themselves. It is fun to see who created the space. How is that shameless or conceited? It is sad to see that for some this contest seems to be turning into an outlet for jealousy and a way to bring people down.

Your aesthetic is amazing. Love the idea of a lamp in the kitchen!

Miss seeing a headboard in the bedroom but overall great use and commitment to color. Eclectic style seems somewhat disjointed and missing a key element to tie everything to together.

Gail.Gabby-
Miss seeing a headboard?
Obviously the shelves behind the bed are the visual "headboard"..... seriously GG?
Eclectic style is suppose to be somewhat disjointed. Right? He pulls it all together with the arrangement, composition and use of scale (lamps framing the fireplace, artwork in hallway). It is executed perfectly (and I am a minimalist).
This is one of the best (if not THE best) homes in the contest.
If you want to see headboards and cookie cutter- go to pottery barn!

after reviewing the midwest entries, this made my top 4.

one of my favs!

How wonderful is this place? Let me put it this way - I was so thrilled to have my space picked for the finals. Then I said (out loud to myself) "Aghhh, $%*#%! They put me up against Jesse!" Love your space. I think I'll go put a lamp in my kitchen!

By the way, I always painted my rentals as well.

This one is my absolute favorite!

Brilliance meets passion for it! I feel everything looks like it was made to be placed in its exact location. It works wonderfully and inspires me to rethink my own decor. Very well done.

Jesse, I agree that you have a wonderful home. I was hoping to get some information about your coffee table. It looks like it would be perfect for my front room.

This space, while beautiful, looks more like a museum or something than a home. If I were a guest here, I wouldn't feel comfortable sitting down, or walking down the hall for fear that I would muss the pillow placement, or knock one of the frames off the walls. It's a very homey palate, applied over a space I can't imagine feeling at home in.

Which isn't to say that I don't think this space deserves to win. I've seen catalogs, storefronts and decorators both amateur and professional try to recreate this level of style and fail. You've got my vote for sure, but if you ever invite me over, can we just chill on the patio?

Cheap shot, Jesse.

If you had not posted the photo of yourself, I don't think you'd have so many comments. You do have a nice rental space that you have very creatively designed, but based on the comments above...

I think you got a lot of votes from voters voting for your cute and coy photo, not your space.

DanishMod,

He really isn't that cute in person, believe me that his work speaks for his magical talent not his looks....

j/k

Thanks for sharing Jesse's space. He has really good taste and has been busy collecting classical pieces, mixed with other eclectic and modern lamps -- great editing job, Jesse.

Very inspirational. Keep up the good work.

As someone who's also in Dallas, Jesse, I'd be curious as to which other antique/thrift shops you recommend - that is if you don't mind the shopping competition...And I agree, Lula B's is amazing!

I am going to bust Jesse's bubble just a tiny little bit. I preface this by saying I have voted for Jesse's place both rounds now. I kept looking at the first picture and thinking it looks so familiar, like I'd seen a designer do it, and then I remembered... I did see it. In Domino! Domino's top 10 designer, Mallory Mathison, had an almost identical foyer picture.

http://www.dominomag.com/galleries/2008/04/domino_ten_two6

Its okay though...who doesn't copy a designer look every now and again. You've made a great home nonetheless.

Oh, to SRW, Again & Again consignment on Henderson Ave is AWESOME for both style and prices! They refurbish onsite as well.

I knew this contest was about color. BIG color! Not afraid to jump off the high dive color! Great to see a home that meets the contests criteria. Love the personality of your home. Beautiful, fun to look at. The dresser in the kitchen took some chutzpa and works. Do you want to sell your bike?

Yay I'm the 100th comment!!!! :-D

I agree with DanishMod. This is a nice home, but it really doesn't do much with color per se, and the first/main photo has nothing to do with color or with interior design, and everything to do with pandering to your audience for votes. Hey, it worked!

I would definitely be comfortable living there. Love it.

I crave the red door in the first picture. Good work with lamps...but it must be real trouble to keep all those frames level!

Sorry Jesse's space is one of the best I seen in this contest... truly amazing, a little discouraging that he copied a bit from the Domino page, but who doesn't take ideas from other places, all artist have a foundation on others. I love the red curtains with the brown couches it looks totally inviting, you might be quite jealous not to feel like taking a nap there... specially with Jessie around...
The bedroom is nice, I wouldn't have put the Ikea Lack shelves on that wall, just a feng shui suggestion, nothing on top of your head, but they look great on top of the other mounted on a dark wall.
Also love the disco floor and the round table.
It’s a perfect mix on antique and modern lofty; you have my vote dude to win!!

I hate to see that Jesse is running behind right now because his creativity is far beyond any of the other places. If you haven't voted yet, be sure and do so! Loved your place Jesse and was inspired by each room. Hope the voting picks up and puts you in as the winner!

Jesse, It has been a long time since I have seen you in person. Hopefully we will get to see you this Christmas. I think you have a wonderful apartment and I certainly think you should win.

I'm pulling for you Jesse!

and not just because I'm bitter Arno beat me last night (j/k)

Love your place -- if you don't take it all it's a travesty!

Jesse,

It was a great battle and you are now the winner!

Congrats!

Arno

My GOD.

At the risk of sounding a bit forward, will you perhaps marry me?
Up in Canada, we're totally down with that kind of thing.
Haha

Congratulations on a crazy awesome space Jesse!

Jesse- I can't believe they paired us up against my FAVORITE house!!! If I wasn't so biased towards our house winning, I'd say you are the clear winner! I would not shed a single tear if we had to lose to you! SUCH a wonderful house! Totally innovative in every room!!!

Totally honored to compete next to the best!

Congrats Jesse on making it to the finals! And seriously, I just put two lamps in my kitchen. Thanks for the inspiration!

I think this space is great, but I hate the shot of him on the bike. Please don't show me the people, esp. posed all cute.

Hey, people, relax about the occasional shot of an apartment owner. Jesse's not trolling for attention. If he was, there's a lot better sites to use. It's interesting to me to see the guy who decorated the place.

Jesse, I liked the entryway, although it was somewhat dark. I imagine it's not that dark in reality -- just hard to light for a picture. It's kind of an European concept, but you made it work in a small hallway in Big D.

I loved, loved the black and white kitchen with the detailed chest of drawers. Very original. Then I saw the two lamps on top of the chest of drawers and thought, "What? Was he moving one to another room and forgot it there?" With all the great lighting choices out there, relying on two conventional lamps with shades sitting up against one another just didn't make sense.

Then I got obsessed with all the obsessively paired lamps in the place. Table lamps, unless they are really beautiful and unique, should be background, not foreground. These are too obtrusive.

Refreshing mix of styles, and if you're doing all this from thrift shop finds, you really are styling!

Pretty well decorated for a dude.

I really want to know how to buy color-changing paint -- love that red/chartreuse front door!

I still think the photo's annoying. It's so adorable. But the other house is an eyesore, with supergraphics, so Jesse had better win.

diyordie- It's a duplex so the front door down stairs is red and my entrance door upstairs is the green. Sorry no magical paint.

Thank you everyone for the comments and votes!

I've been trying to figure out the floorplan, and just realized why I'm confused. The couch in picture #4 should match the couch in picture #5. But they're different couches, no? Which is there now, and which did you get rid of? Just curious!

Ha! That explains it -- thanks!

And just for the chartreuse front door to your actual domicile, you get my vote :)

Hey Schoolie, it is the same sofa in both pictures...

picture 4 is a view from the sitting room to the bedroom.

picture 5 is a view from the bedroom to the sitting area.

so yeah they are just reversed views.

We figured they were reverse views. Thanks for clearing it up. On our monitor it looks so much like the couch has a rounded back in pic #5, a straight back in pic #5. Must be our old eyes! Thanks, and good luck!

Did you paint the front door to your building?

Awesome place Jesse! I just voted for you and I hope you win!

Hey Jesse!
Thanks for the comment! You're place is great, especially inspiring as it's a rental and yet you've still made it your own. Congrats and good luck!
Dave and Melanie

Your style is amazing.
Though everyone has different taste,
I think your lighting trumps all of the others.
Hands down.
In my eyes you've already won.

That's a hot mess Jesse. WIN IT!!!!!!!

I love everything about your place! It has inspired me to make some changes and beautify my world! Thank you!

i loved the shelves in the bedroom, but they would look nicer if the distance between the 3 was equal same as the last shelf and the roof. the colores in the kitchen are nice but it's so crowded. but jess's designs r the best i saw so in this site. sorry everyone but i come from a country that really apreciate interior design and i am a DECOROHOLIC.

I'm in Dallas too! I want to know where you duplex is and if there are any more for rent! Love it! :-)

Simply elegant.

Well done.

Thanks for sharing.

You are truly one of the most talented people on AT ever. I think your house is perfect, it's an actual home and I am so happy you posted this! *winner alert