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Midwest #2: Rachel's Bungalow of Bright Ideas

rachelentry093008.jpgName: Rachel
Location: Springfield, MO
Type of Home: Rented Bungalow

fallcolors3.jpg

What inspired you to use color? We couldn't paint and had a tight budget to purchase items to fill our new home. This lent itself to buying inexpensive pieces and painting them. I love the clean backdrop that our rental beige provides to our pink metal locker.

 
 


Color Tip: Don't be afraid to paint inexpensive furniture or accessories to match your quality pieces. Pillows don't have to have all the fun.

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Fall Colors 2008 - Midwest

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Comments (59)

yay springfield! :) the best and only place to live in missouri

posted by animalhouze on September 30th 2008 at 2:17pm
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this is super cute! i love the last image and the first. great idea to hang that tray and use magnets to clip notes :)

posted by my little apartment on September 30th 2008 at 2:22pm
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I'm so glad to see the painted dining table with wood chairs. It's something we've been considering and have been flip-flopping on. Thanks for the inspiration!

posted by pxlchk1 on September 30th 2008 at 2:23pm
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I love how she uses so many bold colors, yet the house isn't overwelming...just the opposite. It's very calming. I'd love to visit, or better yet...live there.

posted by Kimber on September 30th 2008 at 2:32pm
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Those pillow covers are gorgeous!!!

posted by anabelle on September 30th 2008 at 2:32pm
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I've run into this house tour on several blogs lately, and I love it every single time! Such a balanced use of color and a huge source of inspiration!

posted by selena on September 30th 2008 at 2:40pm
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Amazing! Everything looks so fresh, clean, and inviting.

posted by kellylc on September 30th 2008 at 2:41pm
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I'm hoping you can help me out here... I've seen your coffee table a number of times (both on here and in a friend's apartment) and don't know a thing about it. Does anyone have more information on the manufacturer/where I might find one?

posted by santamonica on September 30th 2008 at 2:44pm
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Eclectic, cozy and gorgeous!!

posted by ilovebc on September 30th 2008 at 2:49pm
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I like this so much, it is such a beautiful home filled with happiness and good vibe - and colour, of course!

posted by La loca on September 30th 2008 at 2:52pm
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this is amazing - you took a beige situation and turned it hot pink. really inspiring for the rest of us! thank you!!

posted by Joan in SB on September 30th 2008 at 2:53pm
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Santamonica,

The tables are by Lane. Not sure what year. Can anyone else help us out with the collection name?

posted by racheloncegentry on September 30th 2008 at 2:55pm
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Oh, and they are vintage so the best places to look might be craigslist and local vintage shops.

posted by racheloncegentry on September 30th 2008 at 2:57pm
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Love. Love. Love. Everything. Love.

posted by jessibee on September 30th 2008 at 3:05pm
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@santamonica and racheloncegentry -- I'm pretty sure the coffee/side tables are from the "Acclaim" line. yes, by Lane. early 60's I believe? They pop up on ebay pretty often!

posted by selena on September 30th 2008 at 3:19pm
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I can confirm: the coffee table is the Lane Acclaim Series Dovetail coffee table. I recently nabbed one off of Craigslist for $100 bucks in perfect shape. I love love love it.

Here's a great website about the line:

http://www.jetsetmodern.com/lane.htm

posted by RedEngine88 on September 30th 2008 at 3:30pm
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thanks for your help everyone!

posted by santamonica on September 30th 2008 at 3:58pm
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This is the cutest place! I love the colors and especially that it is colorful but not overdone. I think walking into this home at the end of the day would just put me in a great mood.

The turquoise paper lanterns are a great idea.

posted by sar3j on September 30th 2008 at 4:04pm
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i think this is great! love the pops of colour throughout and the neutral background makes it very live-able. i also love the mix of new and vintage.

posted by kiwi on September 30th 2008 at 4:29pm
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I love it!

good job on introducing colors, lots of them to your home without actually painting the walls.

posted by Emmm on September 30th 2008 at 5:00pm
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simple and gorgeous! I love the chalkboard as backsplash =)

posted by lovelyrita on September 30th 2008 at 7:45pm
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Love the colors! Retro minimalism!

posted by ekoshyun on September 30th 2008 at 10:49pm
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Beautiful. The pink locker is great!

posted by f.in.eur on September 30th 2008 at 11:30pm
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This place is seriously brilliant and full of inspiration. I loved to see how older pieces could be brought to life by painting them bright colors. Really progressive design philosophy. Thank you for sharing!

posted by absolutmarie on October 1st 2008 at 2:12am
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Gorgeous! I'd add a rug to the living room, under the coffee table, though.

posted by visualingual on October 1st 2008 at 4:24am
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great job with the colors. It looks like the perfect place to hang out on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

posted by Signe on October 1st 2008 at 4:45am
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Love it. A lot of inspiration for fellow renters.

posted by gquaker on October 1st 2008 at 5:43am
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Beautiful!

posted by CGfromMN on October 1st 2008 at 5:59am
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Fun! now I want to run to the hobby store and see if they have paper lanterns on clearance...

posted by whytephoenix on October 1st 2008 at 6:05am
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I like the paint by numbers painting in the first shot, the coffee table and the bedroom dresser. The rest -- not so much.

COLORWISE: you need more color.

posted by Mr. Dangerous on October 1st 2008 at 6:43am
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Love it. It's colorful without being look-at-my-turquoise-and-apple-green-walls colorful.

posted by Lisa Hunter (Montreal) on October 1st 2008 at 7:21am
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The lanterns are AMAZING grouped together like that! They look like a bouquet of birthday balloons.

Are they actually functional as lighting though, or just decorative?

(I'm stealing that idea either way!)

posted by VLM on October 1st 2008 at 9:08am
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Love Rachel's home and her blog!

posted by stlellen on October 1st 2008 at 9:31am
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VLM,
The lanterns on the back porch are just decorative as we have no outlets near enough to make it work. We're thinking candlelight in the evenings! More romantic, right?

Thanks everyone for all the feedback!

posted by racheloncegentry on October 1st 2008 at 10:01am
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This is a great example of how a home can be colorful without painting a single wall. In fact, with the way you've put everything together I'd say painting the walls at this point would ruin everything!

Nice job & thanks for sharing!

posted by amazonikon on October 1st 2008 at 10:21am
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So cute! Your home seems very cozy and bright.

posted by heps on October 1st 2008 at 10:31am
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wow, love it. one of my faves so far.

posted by greengelato on October 1st 2008 at 4:34pm
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love the pink wardrobe!
love the tea kettle!

posted by mariegael on October 1st 2008 at 8:17pm
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Not fair! You have my favorite house ever! I love the curtains in the living room and the pops of pink and turquoise everywhere. So cozy, livable and perfect. Love it. You win.

posted by carlac on October 1st 2008 at 8:45pm
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Really charming!

posted by Swedish Fish on October 2nd 2008 at 9:26am
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Hi Rachel,
Congrats on being featured here. I love this website. I haven't lived in an apartment since college, but we're moving to Mexico in a couple months and will rent an apartment there-I'm looking for inspo here-thanks for giving some some!
Ciao, d.
(cococricketsmama)

posted by cococricketsmama on October 2nd 2008 at 9:40am
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This is supercute, fresh, cozy, and fun. Love it all. (And I'm going to steal your tray-backsplash idea.)

posted by Cassis on October 2nd 2008 at 12:12pm
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What a cute place! I really like the Chinese lamps that are hanging in a cluster.

posted by JigsawJones on October 2nd 2008 at 4:41pm
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Very nice place. In terms of the color contest, the hot pink wardrobe really makes this place.

posted by particlebored on October 3rd 2008 at 10:52am
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This is my absolute favorite!

posted by theresaclare on October 3rd 2008 at 1:46pm
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I adore your cute little bungalow. I am in Springfield, MO too, so I really enjoyed your post. I am wondering which one of the Universities you are near, I know that has to be in one of the historical districts.

posted by B&DMama on October 3rd 2008 at 4:06pm
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coffee table and matching teak pieces are actually rip-offs of Scandinavian furniture from the 50s people, do your homework.

posted by designMaster on October 5th 2008 at 5:47am
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Ah, yes, designMaster. But they are correctly described as Lane pieces. We aren't claiming much else.

posted by racheloncegentry on October 5th 2008 at 6:35am
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very cool. i like the globes, too.

posted by jag80 on October 5th 2008 at 2:11pm
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Very cute place!

posted by suzy8track on October 6th 2008 at 5:16am
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Thank you thank you thank you for entering this gorgeous place! The colors are amazing, and yet they're subtly and beautifully proportioned and place. And of course, I love the paint-by-number painting in the first picture, hee hee.

posted by Curtis on October 7th 2008 at 5:02pm
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Wow Rachel, WOW! I wasn't even going to comment on any of the homes I viewed but your's...I can't hold my praise back. First, I love how it seems that you used the paint-by-numbers picture and old globes to lead you color palette. It's soft yet bold and never overpowering. And second, I can't believe no one gave you a high five for how you took a standard five shelf bookcase and tricked it out to make an awesome boys closet. The wood grain paper in the back and the addition of a crossbar! You are a genius and your place looks great!

posted by sugarmac121 on October 7th 2008 at 5:37pm
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Thanks, sugarmac 121. You made my week with those specific compliments. I'm blushing a little.

posted by racheloncegentry on October 7th 2008 at 6:28pm
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yes to the coffee table and the funky danish style chairs in the kitchen!

posted by Sylvia K on October 8th 2008 at 7:29pm
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Love it! It looks so sweet, livable and comfortable. Beautifully done.

Tell us more about how you use the clipboards in the sewing area.

posted by vtthrifter on October 11th 2008 at 8:37am
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I use the clipboards in lieu of an inspiration board because it gets so messy when I'm working on projects and I didn't want more confusion on the walls. I keep two or three of them as strictly work clipboards to hold invoices for my three Etsy stores as well as deadlines or to do lists.

Thanks for asking.

posted by racheloncegentry on October 11th 2008 at 11:11am
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This is so nice! I love every corner of your home.
I wish we could see more pictures!

posted by Danijela on October 15th 2008 at 4:35am
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Okay not to be rude but I did not like this design. It reminds me of a vanilla cone with colorful sprinkles. I understand the limitations of not using color on the walls but the design lacks warmth. In the middle of winter I would not feel cozy coming into this space.

posted by gail.gaby on October 17th 2008 at 5:18pm
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I love the shapes that were created to give intrest and draw your eyes in. I'm borrowing the idea of the message board behind the stove I love that idea! Great use of wasted space.

posted by atheneum on October 20th 2008 at 6:32am
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