apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Midwest #36: Sally's Stripes

sally101608.jpgName: Sally
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Type of Home: Studio Loft

fallcolors2.jpg
What inspired you to use color? I LOVE color, but have been in a dilemma about how to add color to my walls. I didn't want to paint the whole long and narrow wall that practically makes up our whole apartment just one color, so I decided to paint it six colors! This was a great solution, just one color would have been too over bearing, and the stripes really brighten our (sometimes dark) space. Most of all, these colors make me happy every day.

 
 

Color Tip: Just like with clothes, horizontal stripes make your space appear larger!


fallcolors1.jpgWelcome, everyone, to our Fourth Annual Fall Colors Sharing & Contest. We're looking for the most beautiful & colorful home in the world and sharing all of the great ideas we get with our readers. This year we're amping things up and hoping to do things better than ever. There are two basic phases, the Sharing Phase and the Voting Phase...

1. Sharing Phase - you comment, judges decide

The 40 best, completed entries will be posted on a daily basis for three weeks. You can view them all at anytime via our new, improved contest pages under ALL ENTRIES. During this time your comments are VERY IMPORTANT as our six judges will be choosing 16 finalists from each region based on comments and their own colorful opinion.

2. Voting Phase - you vote til you drop

Starting October 20th, finalist voting will begin on a daily basis through our new bracketed voting system, which will pit our 16 finalists against one another until only one remains. Sound exciting? We hope so.

Best, Maxwell


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Fall Colors 2008 - Midwest

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Comments (33)

I LOVE this space. LOVE IT. I am over the moon about the stripes! BRAVO! This space is one of the happiest and most gorgeous homes I have ever seen! I wanna live there. :) lol

posted by tikilicious on October 16th 2008 at 10:21am
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I love mid-century modern. Personally, this is not my type of mid-c taste, in that it feels a bit too cluttered for me; HOWEVER, her use of color is commendable. I would probably rank this among my top 5.

posted by david on October 16th 2008 at 10:25am
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nice one sally! i grew up in g'raggedy (but now live in chicago) and always love seeing awesome design pop up from there. and your tiny La Grande Vitesse breaks my heart. where did you get it? keep up the excellent (design) work.

posted by rebecca_f on October 16th 2008 at 10:26am
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this is a really fun space. i would love to see more pix

posted by Kat1 on October 16th 2008 at 10:32am
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the stripes are charming...love! I also love your white vase collection...looks awesome with your lighting and the green stripe that appears to make them look as if they are floating

posted by hanako66 on October 16th 2008 at 10:40am
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loooooooove! i am in desperate need of that sofa in the first photo. i've been looking for my perfect living room sofa for way too long and that is IT. where is it from?

posted by thekatieway on October 16th 2008 at 10:40am
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Love the space! It looks so fun and whimsical.

posted by noah* on October 16th 2008 at 10:41am
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I love the colors you picked for the stripes. They remind me of summer.

posted by jamiealyse on October 16th 2008 at 10:41am
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I absolutely adore your use of color!! What a fun space! Awesome blue couch. My favorite!

posted by halloweencupcake16 on October 16th 2008 at 10:45am
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Sally, quite simply, you rock. To me this is the complete embodiment of really using color!

posted by kirstenm on October 16th 2008 at 10:49am
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i would have liked to see more of the actualy space instead of just the things on the walls!

posted by terka27 on October 16th 2008 at 11:15am
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I would like to see more pictures of the space, as well. The walls are great, but I think I'm curious to see how the space around it compliments the walls, or vice versa.

posted by Kimber on October 16th 2008 at 11:36am
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I love the color palette you chose. you're my new winner.

FUN!

posted by racheloncegentry on October 16th 2008 at 12:01pm
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No one has commented on the boob pillow.

posted by sarahisaghost on October 16th 2008 at 12:26pm
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Stripes are one of my dreams.. I have also a long room (10meters longer) And when I see your colors I'm sure you did the good choice!

And when I see your taste about objects and toys I'm smiling because we are very far and we could like the same stuffs :)

More pics!

posted by MadameBidule on October 16th 2008 at 12:36pm
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i like that you continued the stripes onto the window trim. your couch is awesome. also, i'd like to know what you used to suspend those sheers.

posted by mariegael on October 16th 2008 at 12:39pm
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LOVE IT. LOVE THE STRIPES. LOVE THE BOOB PILLOW. in the words of brittney spears: "gimme gimme more!"

posted by mrahhh on October 16th 2008 at 2:21pm
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am i the only one who is having flashbacks of the apartment on 'welcome back kotter'?

posted by miss sparrow on October 16th 2008 at 3:46pm
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can this please win, it's just fantastic! this is making me miss michigan. wooo go midwest!

posted by RalphEMole on October 16th 2008 at 4:38pm
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we have a winner!

posted by LaDonnaNichole on October 16th 2008 at 5:03pm
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It's so cool!

posted by rhiana on October 16th 2008 at 5:10pm
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Okay, I don't have to look at any more entries. Nothing can beat this. Sally, you are my hero!

Also, Kotter's apartment was my dream "house" when I was a kid. I thought it was so clever that the closet had the word "closet" written on it and I still secretly want to paint that in my next apartment. Haha.

posted by Errin on October 16th 2008 at 5:56pm
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I LOVE the stripes, totally reminds me of one of my favorite sitcoms in the 80's too close for comfort. Those girls had the rainbow stripe on their wall too, i thought it was the best thing ever. Yours are great because the colors are modern and bright, keeping the room light and long. GREAT idea, especially if it is a smaller space.

posted by jennafura on October 16th 2008 at 7:40pm
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i too want more pics of the space. i've seen matrushka dolls before and the interesting thing is how you've made the space work - like for example (no one's mentioned) your awesome low shelf system/bench!! very cool. more pics of that please!

posted by Joan in SB on October 16th 2008 at 8:47pm
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Stunning apartment! I love the boldness and creativity... not many people would have been able to pull this off but you have done it so well... and in such a unique, coherent and stylish way.

Your home looks so happy... so happy that I wish you were my best friend and I could visit all the time. :D And you have the best collection of memorabilia!

(i registered (finally after 6 mths of lurking) to comment on this - thats how much i like it!)

posted by little chimp on October 17th 2008 at 7:29am
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soooooo cool and fun!

posted by mansi on October 17th 2008 at 8:40am
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sarahisaghost, how did we miss the boob pillow? hahah

posted by Kimber on October 17th 2008 at 9:08pm
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did you make the log pillow? i've been looking for one/considering making one for a fake fireplace i have. where'd you get yours?

posted by saltyc on October 18th 2008 at 9:59am
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I know I'm in the minority here, but it just doesn't do it for me. Sorry. It might be because I'm having a hard time connecting all the individual pictures to see how the stripes really work throughout the house. And the amount of stuff is a bit distracting. I applaud your sense of adventure though! Since the stripes continue onto the window frame, maybe the gray above it should cover the frame as well.

posted by bernoulli on October 19th 2008 at 1:09pm
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after reviewing the midwest entries, this made my top 4.

posted by mariegael on October 19th 2008 at 1:37pm
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If you wish, VIEW MORE PICS OF MY SPACE HERE:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31602613@N04/

Thank you everyone for your nice comments! It is so great to get feedback! I had just finished painting the stripes when I discovered this contest. I have to admit that I got kind of lost in the endeavor of painting the stripes and was starting to second guess myself.

Click on the link above to view more photos of my boyfriend Nick and I's storefront/studio/living space. It is a small and long space that we try to utilize as efficiently as possible without it feeling completely utilitarian (I insist on having loungy areas!) We are both entrepreneurial artist/designers. My log pillow can be found at sallyenglanddesign.etsy.com. (Nick owns a company that makes sweet messenger bags out of recycled sailcloth: teamworkbags.com). The blue couch is a vintage hand-me down from a friend.

Thanks again everyone! Happy voting!

posted by sallyenglanddesign on October 20th 2008 at 6:37pm
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Not to be a pain, but I thought you weren't allowed to have your entry linked to more photos elsewhere.

posted by classical22 on October 23rd 2008 at 4:50am
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YES, i had to do a double take but i think that is a BOOB pillow.

posted by Stephvixen on October 23rd 2008 at 11:52am
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