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Beth's Kind of Blue Living Room
Room for Color - North #2


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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)....

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Kind of Blue



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.

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Comments (85)

I love that blue. It looks like the ocean on a stormy day.

posted by aaakid on October 2nd 2009 at 10:17am
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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!

posted by erinpearce on October 2nd 2009 at 10:20am
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I tried to give it a "thumbs up" but it says it's closed.

posted by mattab on October 2nd 2009 at 10:23am
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mattab - please try again - voting is active now

posted by janel on October 2nd 2009 at 10:24am
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Love it.

And love Neko Case.

posted by terrafaith on October 2nd 2009 at 10:28am
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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.)

posted by everythingistaken on October 2nd 2009 at 10:28am
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like the side chair in the living room. vintage?

posted by greybreaks on October 2nd 2009 at 10:28am
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Very nice room - cool, calm and cosy.

posted by Gallivant on October 2nd 2009 at 10:31am
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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.

posted by luna on October 2nd 2009 at 10:35am
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Love it. and the poster. :) and the newspaper art!

posted by Limeliteshines on October 2nd 2009 at 10:35am
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I love the shade of blue. It's very similar to what I have in my dining room.

posted by solbeam on October 2nd 2009 at 10:36am
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i second luna's comment. normally accent walls make me twitchy. somehow, this one works wonderfully.

posted by the polish chick on October 2nd 2009 at 10:37am
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This shade of blue always makes me think of Boston designer Frank Roop.

posted by Aaron on October 2nd 2009 at 10:44am
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I love this room- the color blue is fantastic and the furniture! wow...

posted by lorijo on October 2nd 2009 at 10:45am
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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

posted by mariegael on October 2nd 2009 at 10:46am
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Fantastic!

posted by racheloncegentry on October 2nd 2009 at 10:49am
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Love the blue!

posted by Geezees Canvas on October 2nd 2009 at 10:50am
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Absolutely great use of color! The blue is simply gorgeous. Your cat is humongous!!

posted by GreatFriend on October 2nd 2009 at 10:52am
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I have a wall that same color behind my bed. It's Behr Lagoon, and it's gorgeous.

posted by tequila red on October 2nd 2009 at 10:53am
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Great wall color and sculpture. And poster.

posted by jen_g on October 2nd 2009 at 11:16am
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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!

posted by ande2994 on October 2nd 2009 at 11:23am
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that cat is awesome

posted by sunan on October 2nd 2009 at 11:33am
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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.

posted by kelleyk on October 2nd 2009 at 11:37am
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great place!

posted by JetKatDesign on October 2nd 2009 at 11:39am
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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 :)

posted by beckestra on October 2nd 2009 at 11:57am
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Gorgeous blue.

posted by insanity_pepper on October 2nd 2009 at 12:04pm
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Really really nice.

posted by anonniemuss on October 2nd 2009 at 12:16pm
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Ah! Ah! You have an Alana Bailey poster! Love! Love!

posted by TVsJessica on October 2nd 2009 at 12:53pm
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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

posted by TVsJessica on October 2nd 2009 at 12:55pm
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No overkill or grandiosity, it just works. Lovely and inviting. Nice sewing machine :).

posted by lcat on October 2nd 2009 at 1:14pm
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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.

posted by tara1979 on October 2nd 2009 at 1:32pm
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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.

posted by cliokitty on October 2nd 2009 at 2:31pm
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AWESOME! Love it!

posted by sallyhanson on October 2nd 2009 at 3:54pm
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"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.

posted by Gatita on October 2nd 2009 at 4:02pm
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Beautiful color. Cool Neko Case poster.

posted by emellemiko on October 2nd 2009 at 5:29pm
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LOVE your toss cushions. So cute!

posted by Cashew on October 2nd 2009 at 5:52pm
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I love everything in this room except the curtains. Why are they so awkwardly short?

posted by heatherdazy on October 2nd 2009 at 6:08pm
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I love this one--it's sophisticated but fun. And I'm a huge fan of the Neko Case poster!

posted by annishbat on October 2nd 2009 at 7:05pm
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Love the room...just wished you would have gotten longer curtains. Chi-town represent!

posted by tremicka2 on October 2nd 2009 at 7:19pm
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what a beautiful blue... ! love this.

posted by aad on October 3rd 2009 at 7:21am
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I adore this.

posted by RLB on October 3rd 2009 at 9:19am
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I love the newspaper art. I wanna know more about that!

posted by MappingKat on October 3rd 2009 at 9:52am
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I'm in love with that color! I wish you could remember the color - it's beautiful.

posted by E.I.F. on October 3rd 2009 at 10:09am
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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!

posted by renovprof on October 3rd 2009 at 10:35am
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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

posted by Reavel on October 3rd 2009 at 11:16am
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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. :)

posted by bfioritto on October 3rd 2009 at 1:30pm
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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. :-)~

posted by SMrF on October 3rd 2009 at 4:18pm
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Favorite so far - love the room. Everything seems so well-placed and comfortable (including the cat!)

posted by hillde on October 3rd 2009 at 5:18pm
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I could stand to see more of this place. :)

posted by carlitadee on October 5th 2009 at 9:08am
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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?

posted by enlukes on October 5th 2009 at 10:03pm
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I tried voting for this one, but I got a message that the thumbs up entry for this one is closed :(

posted by enlukes on October 5th 2009 at 10:04pm
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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!

posted by smoothsailing on October 6th 2009 at 3:02pm
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I love that wall and the effect on the room. Great job!

posted by elleaycee on October 6th 2009 at 8:31pm
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I am absolutely in love with the art piece over the couch.

posted by CynthiaCda on October 8th 2009 at 8:03am
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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.

posted by bfioritto on October 9th 2009 at 5:17pm
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this is a great space & when you consider it's a rental, it makes it even more amazing!

posted by timmy jr. on October 11th 2009 at 11:11am
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To husband, fantastic reup. job! I love everything about this home. Please post more pics. Where is your blog?

posted by lulu6299 on October 11th 2009 at 3:58pm
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LOVE IT!

posted by colleen2009 on October 13th 2009 at 2:59pm
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I really like the newspaper thingy... and would really like DIY instructions!

posted by muffybrown on October 18th 2009 at 4:43pm
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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?

posted by christylu on October 20th 2009 at 9:51am
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And you seem like really nice people, too!! I hope you win!

posted by GreatFriend on October 20th 2009 at 1:52pm
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How did you get the kitty to pose like that!!?? Beautiful apt. used a similar teal blue in my kitchen in NC

posted by dfioritto on October 28th 2009 at 8:37am
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In my opinion this one deserves to win the whole thing!

posted by brennan on October 29th 2009 at 6:42pm
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Love the color of the wall it's bold and makes the room funky. The room is fun yet classy. Love it!

posted by arollan on October 30th 2009 at 1:49am
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Also love the poster - have it in our apartment, too. Hope you win!

posted by distractionboy on October 30th 2009 at 9:04am
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Holy cow, I remember a lot of this stuff, including the cat!

posted by wildcadz on October 30th 2009 at 1:08pm
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Go Beth!

posted by iradik on October 31st 2009 at 1:30am
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Like many others, I would love to hear more about the newspaper art....! How did you do it?

posted by www.bethfredeinteriors.com on October 31st 2009 at 8:36am
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Classy

posted by Antonucci on October 31st 2009 at 5:20pm
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Stiff competition you have.
All my best.

posted by Brad of colorTHEORY on November 1st 2009 at 6:53am
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love the apt. can i ask about the blue chair? i am looking for something similar...

posted by adenise27 on November 1st 2009 at 10:02pm
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LSG Mojo FTW!!!

posted by Ima_Nonymous on November 2nd 2009 at 9:56am
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I love the blue accent wall!!! Awesome sofas, and what a beautiful cat you have!!

posted by ryumama on November 2nd 2009 at 2:39pm
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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.

posted by ptbrennan on November 2nd 2009 at 4:17pm
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Ok, I tried to vote too. Boo for closed voting. Very pretty apartment though!

posted by amandaiscool on November 2nd 2009 at 4:35pm
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Wait, I thought your cat was real. :(

posted by anonymousandrew on November 2nd 2009 at 4:49pm
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CONGRATS!!!

-KPL

posted by Klaslavic on November 2nd 2009 at 4:51pm
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Um, let's ignore weird creepy comment. The cat is real.

Thanks KPL.

posted by SMrF on November 2nd 2009 at 4:54pm
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very very nice. where is the tv stand from? it looks like ikea?? i am looking for something like that for my place.

posted by erciliah29 on November 2nd 2009 at 7:44pm
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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!

posted by Tara Emelye on November 3rd 2009 at 12:25am
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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.

posted by aychihuahua on November 3rd 2009 at 2:44pm
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CONGRATS!

posted by colleen2009 on November 3rd 2009 at 3:43pm
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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)

posted by bgball on November 4th 2009 at 6:48pm
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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!

posted by reubenrock on November 11th 2009 at 11:13am
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Love this.

posted by Kris0218 on November 24th 2009 at 5:31am
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