
thumbs up
Name: Beth
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Type of Home: Rental Apartment
Color Inspiration: I love the blue in this poster I bought last year, so I used a similar shade of blue for the accent wall (just one wall, so it's easy enough to repaint when we have to move out)....
Give Beth a THUMBS UP if you think this room belongs in the finals!
Thumbs Up Voting is only activated for 48 Hours — so don't delay!
Colors Inspiration continued: It's pretty utilitarian: I don't have a huge budget for decorating, so I stuck to shades of blue to go with what I've already got.
Colors Used: Behr, don't remember the name.
Color Tip: Don't sweat it: I actually painted this wall what I thought was a lovely, barely green deep sea blue, but it ended being a vivid, intense dark teal that looked absolutely awful. So I painted over it. Just try it out and see if you like it: it's just paint.

Ready to join in? The entry form is up through October 12 on our contest page.
I love that blue. It looks like the ocean on a stormy day.
view aaakid's profile
i love this shade of blue, we are wanting to go with something similar in our family room!
where is the bird poster from? its awesome!
view erinpearce's profile
I tried to give it a "thumbs up" but it says it's closed.
view mattab's profile
mattab - please try again - voting is active now
view janel's profile
Love it.
And love Neko Case.
view terrafaith's profile
I like the blue, but I LOVE the wall art! Is that something you made or bought?
(I also have the same tv stand. I love when I see it in cool looking apartments, it makes me feel better about my own apartment.)
view everythingistaken's profile
like the side chair in the living room. vintage?
view greybreaks's profile
Very nice room - cool, calm and cosy.
view Gallivant's profile
I don't even like blue OR accent walls ordinarily, but I think you've just won me over to both! What a lovely choice.
view luna's profile
Love it. and the poster. :) and the newspaper art!
view Limeliteshines's profile
I love the shade of blue. It's very similar to what I have in my dining room.
view solbeam's profile
i second luna's comment. normally accent walls make me twitchy. somehow, this one works wonderfully.
view the polish chick's profile
This shade of blue always makes me think of Boston designer Frank Roop.
view Aaron's profile
I love this room- the color blue is fantastic and the furniture! wow...
view lorijo's profile
that blue is really nice. blue is a difficult color b/c it tends to feel kinda cold. this one works. i wish you remembered the color.
my only suggestion would be to bring that curtain rod to the ceiling & extend the fabric to the floor
view mariegael's profile
Fantastic!
view racheloncegentry's profile
Love the blue!
view Geezees Canvas's profile
Absolutely great use of color! The blue is simply gorgeous. Your cat is humongous!!
view GreatFriend's profile
I have a wall that same color behind my bed. It's Behr Lagoon, and it's gorgeous.
view tequila red's profile
Great wall color and sculpture. And poster.
view jen_g's profile
Gorgeous shade of blue. Love the bird poster. The newsprint art is fantastic -- was it purchased or DIY?
And the cat is beautiful -- could almost be artwork itself!
view ande2994's profile
that cat is awesome
view sunan's profile
Please, please, try to remember the color!
I like your combination of modern and traditional pieces as well. This is a look I'm trying to accomplish.
view kelleyk's profile
great place!
view JetKatDesign's profile
The shade of blue is wonderful; the overall effect (pillows, arrangement) is so peaceful and cozy. And the wall art just confirms my sense that this is a room for reading :)
view beckestra's profile
Gorgeous blue.
view insanity_pepper's profile
Really really nice.
view anonniemuss's profile
Ah! Ah! You have an Alana Bailey poster! Love! Love!
view TVsJessica's profile
Phew, sorry, I was so excited I couldn't form a sentence. Here's a link to the Neko Case poster:
http://www.gigposters.com/poster/102003_Neko_Case.html
view TVsJessica's profile
No overkill or grandiosity, it just works. Lovely and inviting. Nice sewing machine :).
view lcat's profile
Very sophisticated. I think this is a good example of blue paint done very well. I'm not usually a fan of accent walls, but this one I like very much. Your artwork is nice, too.
view tara1979's profile
I am in love with this color blue! I must agree with Sunan; that is a beautiful (regal) cat. I would sit in this room all day to watch the color change with the time of day.
view cliokitty's profile
AWESOME! Love it!
view sallyhanson's profile
"It's just paint"
Love it! The one who takes herself the least seriously happens to have the most (as far as I've seen) thumbs up.
view Gatita's profile
Beautiful color. Cool Neko Case poster.
view emellemiko's profile
LOVE your toss cushions. So cute!
view Cashew's profile
I love everything in this room except the curtains. Why are they so awkwardly short?
view heatherdazy's profile
I love this one--it's sophisticated but fun. And I'm a huge fan of the Neko Case poster!
view annishbat's profile
Love the room...just wished you would have gotten longer curtains. Chi-town represent!
view tremicka2's profile
what a beautiful blue... ! love this.
view aad's profile
I adore this.
view RLB's profile
I love the newspaper art. I wanna know more about that!
view MappingKat's profile
I'm in love with that color! I wish you could remember the color - it's beautiful.
view E.I.F.'s profile
This is close to the colour I picked for one of my rooms! I love it! Such a relaxing atmosphere! Way to go!
Did you make the newspaper art? Like MappingKat, I want to know more about that too!
view renovprof's profile
Those are the same colors Im using for my living room/bedroom. The blue is turquoise so the whole color scheme is turquoise gray white & black still haven't painted the living room cause after painting my root very body loved the colors and left me without paint :)
Hope this one wins loved the whole room :D
view Reavel's profile
Thank you for your incredibly kind comments! To answer some questions, the paint is Behr Regatta Bay (550F-6). The chairs and couch are vintage, which I reupholstered. Thanks for linking to the poster: I'm glad you're all as big of fans as I am. Most of the art on the walls is my own (except for the Blockparty/bird poster and the Chicago neighborhoods poster, obviously). I totally agree with many of you about accent walls: laziness really won out though, since I know I will have zero motivation to paint back to white when I leave. And I agree the curtains should be floor-length.
Oh, and my cat weighs 15 pounds, and yes, he is awesome. :)
view bfioritto's profile
Hey wait now, doesn't your husband get any credit for the reuphostering project? She says it as if it were just a breeze or something...
P.S. I'm the husband. :-)~
view SMrF's profile
Favorite so far - love the room. Everything seems so well-placed and comfortable (including the cat!)
view hillde's profile
I could stand to see more of this place. :)
view carlitadee's profile
Wonderful color! It works so well with the outside colors. I love whaqt the lamp light does to the color. Your wall art is spectacular. Do you also sell art?
view enlukes's profile
I tried voting for this one, but I got a message that the thumbs up entry for this one is closed :(
view enlukes's profile
The colour on your wall is stunning...a wonderful room to relax in..I think the only think I might change is the rug..something a little brighter and more modern, but otherwise, a lovely area!
view smoothsailing's profile
I love that wall and the effect on the room. Great job!
view elleaycee's profile
I am absolutely in love with the art piece over the couch.
view CynthiaCda's profile
I don't sell stuff like the newspaper thingy or the drawings, but I do sell screen printed pieces on etsy: I am still gearing up, so selection is limited, but please check it out:
bethfioritto.etsy.com
Everyone seems to love that newspaper thingy (I am in danger of making "newspaper thingy" the de facto name of this piece, I think.) I actually almost threw it out a few years back: it's sort of a project from college converted into wall art. Maybe I'll post a how-to on my blog or something. It's extremely DIY-able.
view bfioritto's profile
this is a great space & when you consider it's a rental, it makes it even more amazing!
view timmy jr.'s profile
To husband, fantastic reup. job! I love everything about this home. Please post more pics. Where is your blog?
view lulu6299's profile
LOVE IT!
view colleen2009's profile
I really like the newspaper thingy... and would really like DIY instructions!
view muffybrown's profile
agreed on that blue. and the furniture style.. wheree did you find that? and the art too. i need some good wall art.. maybe you sell?
view christylu's profile
And you seem like really nice people, too!! I hope you win!
view GreatFriend's profile
How did you get the kitty to pose like that!!?? Beautiful apt. used a similar teal blue in my kitchen in NC
view dfioritto's profile
In my opinion this one deserves to win the whole thing!
view brennan's profile
Love the color of the wall it's bold and makes the room funky. The room is fun yet classy. Love it!
view arollan's profile
Also love the poster - have it in our apartment, too. Hope you win!
view distractionboy's profile
Holy cow, I remember a lot of this stuff, including the cat!
view wildcadz's profile
Go Beth!
view iradik's profile
Like many others, I would love to hear more about the newspaper art....! How did you do it?
view www.bethfredeinteriors.com's profile
Classy
view Antonucci's profile
Stiff competition you have.
All my best.
view Brad of colorTHEORY's profile
love the apt. can i ask about the blue chair? i am looking for something similar...
view adenise27's profile
LSG Mojo FTW!!!
view Ima_Nonymous's profile
I love the blue accent wall!!! Awesome sofas, and what a beautiful cat you have!!
view ryumama's profile
I love the softer touch of the ottoman, as opposed to a coffee table. If I get bored sitting on the couch, I could just pull up to a corner of the ottoman and let it it slide along my scrotum.
And the stuffed cat is brilliant. Right when people get the feeling that this is the kind of place where you would sprawl out naked and relax, you have those beady little fake eyes staring at you, like "you did this to me."
Did you reassemble the cat on your own with that sewing machine, or just use a local taxidermist? Either way, it looks great.
view ptbrennan's profile
Ok, I tried to vote too. Boo for closed voting. Very pretty apartment though!
view amandaiscool's profile
Wait, I thought your cat was real. :(
view anonymousandrew's profile
CONGRATS!!!
-KPL
view Klaslavic's profile
Um, let's ignore weird creepy comment. The cat is real.
Thanks KPL.
view SMrF's profile
very very nice. where is the tv stand from? it looks like ikea?? i am looking for something like that for my place.
view erciliah29's profile
This was a strange process, as I saw all the one's I really loved fall out of the running. (I still can't forget the Richmond, VA home with the overlapping bubbles of color!). I got an education in color and in the downsides of the popular vote. Maybe run-off voting next year?!
That said, I loved seeing all of these home, and everyone is really a winner, and both people have nice places. Congrats!
view Tara Emelye's profile
Huh? Sure, this home is lovely, but it pales by comparison to many other entries; not the least of which is Michael's stunning home in Laredo. Now that was a color tour de force.
Strange process...indeed.
view aychihuahua's profile
CONGRATS!
view colleen2009's profile
I'm confused, this room won!? I see a bland builders beige rental with one wall painted blue...thats it!!
It's very lovely, don't get me wrong but not exactly creative, inventive or inspiring!!!(sorry)
view bgball's profile
Hey wow, that's the same color accent wall I have in my bedroom! I love it. The wife and I agonized over picking a color, but once we splashed some of that stuff behind our bed... we were in love!
view reubenrock's profile
Love this.
view Kris0218's profile