apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

super awesome. :-)

Go Kalamazoo!

I lived there for 5 years, and just recently moved away for a job

Definately not boring - but where does he sleep?

While it's not really to my liking, you have fulfilled what you set out to do, which is really all that matters. I am curious about one thing though: where's your bed?

Cute place. I would have voted "Super Cool!" had I not read your following, myopic statement:

"I have seen far too many taupe houses with tan carpet and beige furniture, owned by people who are apparently terrified of any vague sort of artistic expression."

Some of us work in very stimulating fields or environments and appreciate more restful backgrounds in our homes. I don't really want to be "punched in the face" and how exactly can "punched" be accomplished "pleasantly?"

I'm assuming that's a futon for M. Cole to sleep on? I like the interplay of red and yellow, but there's a bit too much red in that main room for me. I really like the effect of the red wall behind the stereo and records, but behind the futon it's too much for me in that small room--did you consider just painting one wall of the main room as an accent? All the patterns and colors are visually complex, and while I don't necessarily like all of the combinations personally, I think this entry is notable and commendable for providing counterpoint to the minimalist design philosophy that pervades the competition.

I can only assume the oversized closet in the floorplan is where the bed is kept...am I right? That works for me. The red is just too darn red for me, although maybe I'd like it better in person. If you're happy with it, though, I can't find fault in it. Nice place.

Go Kalamazoo!!

I'm guessing they sleep on the sofa/daybed.

"pleasantly punched in the face by my living room" - that's a great description, and I think you've done that in a very cool way.

Have you thought about getting a coffee table and some lamps? I like the bright wall colors, but the lighting seems harsh to me. I currently live in a beige-walled house, but someday it will have color!

"pleasantly punched in the face by my living room". That's definitely one way to describe it.

All the color is too much for me. I love color but I don't like to be overpowered. Otherwise, I like.

I think the red didn't photograph well. I definitely like the approach to collecting and creating a home.

I DO like the black and white stuff in there. Meanwhile, my sister had one of those record album cases when we were little! What a gas!

I love it. The color is superb because it's unique. In fact, the whole space is unique, and I bet the transformation from drab rental to this was pretty cool for anyone who saw the before and after.

I agree with Downeast Suzy.

While I love your vinyl setup, these colors seem garish - the red and yellow in that top photo have the "resonance" of a fast food joint. Did the colors photograph true?

And no bed shot but a closeup of an alligator toy (art piece?)? I know we've been complaining about vignettes with each entry, but it would have been nice to get a better idea of the space.

I like that you went for significant visual impact, but this one missed the mark for me.

(It appears my previous comment on this entry was deleted. Now I can't remember exactly what I said.)

While not quite for me, I admire the work that went into creating this home, and there are elements I like. Having had red walls in previous homes, I can attest to the "pleasantly punched in the face" line. The yellow is also lovely, but be warned, it will be much more difficult to paint over than the red. I love the upholstered Eames chairs.

love the record collection/storage, but the complete explosion of vibrant colors is a bit too much for my taste.

Nice bones of an apartment and very exciting colors.

BTW That closet looks like it was for a Murphy bed, but only the entrant can answer where he sleeps.....

Now this is a rock 'n roll apartment! It looks like a place where some kickass latenight afterparties go down... Lots of cool, cheap finds, records & a whimsical selection of furnishings.
I'd much rather see places like this than another spare, industrial, high-end furniture gallery.
Bravo!

No worries, your home isn't boring, but your assumption that people who decorate with neutrals are terrified of artistic expression is just plain wrong and insulting. I could never live with those colors, but if you can, more power to you.

I am so SO jealous of your thrifty designer finds! However, I'm not jealous of the garish red and vibrating patterns. I'm sure plenty of people will agree with me that showing a little restraint in our homes doesn't mean we're afraid of artistic expression. In fact, many of us make a living "expressing" ourselves "artistically" in fields of design, art, and architecture.

while I love your commitment to color and "artistic expression" there is no focus, just a bunch of stuff with no relation to one another. The color combinations and mixture of pattern (i.e. the rugs) leave the viewer a little tense and uneasy.

Thanks for showing your space, and props for Kalamazoo, have family that lives there!

In the pictures at least, the colors are 'too much'. The furniture is nice, but I feel it would work better in a more quiet surrounding, instead of being overwhelmed.

I think there may be too much going on here, and not enough tying it all together. Just needs some tweeking.

I voted cool.

I don't "get" that red and yellow equates with the fast food, I take the combos on a case by case basis, especially when that yellow is a completely different shade than any particular arches. This place looks like a cool pad. I like all the rugs, I like the painting in the bathroom. I liked it very much, but when I walk in, I get punched in the face with the crate. I know they are useful, they're handy, cheap, just the right size, but they're dormy. I'm also curious whether the toilet parts have contrasting "trim" - on purpose or "on purpose" by default of replacement. Iiiit's interesting. :) So yeah, should be easy enough to use the crate somewhere less obvious, a little bit of a challenge to find a stylish and adequate and cheap replacement to contain the records or magazines right inside the door, but it looks like you're up for it. Good job.

Way to sound patronizing M.Cole to all the people who wish not to live with a "hotdog on a stick" colour scheme in their homes.

That pirate ship is awesome, where did you get it?

I appreciate your bold color choices but, unfortunately, McDonald's uses the same pallette. I kep looking for a Happy Meal box during the photo tour. Some humble advice: If you decide to use BOLD wall colors, then everything else needs to get very quiet and/or monochromatic. That includes furniture and flooring. LOVE the nod to Gursky's 99cent store, but why isn't this print framed? Pinning it to a wall turns your space into a college dorm. Just some thoughts.

I hate that you've found such cool stuff at thrift stores in--out of all places--Kalamazoo, yet I find next to nothing here in Ann Arbor. Sigh.

Damn. I guess i won't bring my elephants over to your place for drinks then.

I'm dying to see Edina-Rose Monsoon place, anyone?

I love the red wall behind your incredible record collection, but the red on all the other walls a bit overpowering. The yellow is definitely bright, and not a color I would choose, but I admire your boldness! Your place reflects who you are and I applaud that.

Well then Edina, feel free to enter your home to show if the entries aren't up to par with your exacting standards!

I can guarantee everyone will be just as warm, encouraging and constructive with their comments as you are, my dear!

Fast food advertisers almost exclusively use red and yellow for marketing purposes because it evokes the "freshness" of food (as opposed to blue which most people know is not to be used around food - in dining rooms, etc.). People equate red and yellow with fast food because of this marketing (think of every fast food restaurant you know...almost all red and yellow, and I'm not just talking about the Golden Arches).

Anyway, I do love the thrift store finds, but the colors are too much for my tastes.

I’m your competitor from New York. I love the first photo and I thought you did a great job. Your furniture choice is very tasteful. I like mid-century furniture too. It’s a cool apartment.

I think what the entrant was saying by "beige boxes" is not necessarily a dig against those of us who use neutrals, but against the bland cookie cutter houses you see being made over on HGTV. Both neutrals and colors can be used very well..and very, very badly.

Cool place, and I like the scrounge aesthetic (mean that in a good way). The most sustainable thing you can do is keep something from the landfill!

HEY!!!

i saw references to an Edina comment but became confused because i didn't see one from her. so i figured her comment must have been removed by the staff. then, i looked in other tours where i knew she spat and discovered her comments were missing from those posts too!!!

WOO HOO!!!

thank you, AT.

just hope she doesn't create a new username now as a way to continue her campaign.

I see people's knee-jerk responses to certain color combinations and just have to disagree. That's a much cooler yellow, first off, and if you can't tell, then... that's how much I think of your sense of sight. I think green is fresh, yellow and red is warm and I just see everything else going on around it, I don't have an immediate snobby reaction to the decor, mostly because I didn't see a mansard roof and fake brick or anyone in a paper hat. If M. Cole has a shake machine or asks you if you want fries with that, or greets you at the door dressed in a yellow striped jumpsuit and big red shoes, then you may have a point. I am looking at the whole piece and not just looking for the drive-thru. It looks like an apartment, and it has a color scheme. I don't look at colors of any space as a detriment unless they are.

all that vinyl and all those op art record cases are definitely drool worthy!

I love listening to vinyl and I love the color red! Are there shrimp on your wall and a gator trying to hijack your ship?! You just got a super cool, my friend!

Super Cool! I'm new to this site and this is my first small cool. I have to say though that what I love the most about it is people's VARYING tastes. This is something that I would never do in my own home, but I can certainly appreciate it. I really love your sense of fun and your bargain hunting skills. Good luck! :)

mommy, i'm scared.

That little gator grabbed my attention, I have one that my grandparents brought me from their FL vacation in the middle of the last century when I was tiny and frightened of it, even hidden away in the closet. It is a pitiful thing that I have to keep forever. Yours goes nicely with the ship. Yay for scavenging, Yay for Kalamazoo (fond memories from the 80's)and congratulations on making your home suit your own tastes. I don't find anything patronizing in your comments.

I think I would have a headache if I stayed in this flat more than an hour. I hate the shades of paint. It reminds my of McDonalds.

Great-looking place. Pretentious comments from the resident.

First5times, they (fast food joints) use it because it triggers feelings of HUNGER. Not "freshness of food".

Thank you for using the right word, wannabe minimalist. I realized that my responses to Apartmenttherapy's questions might sound pretentious when I was writing them, but I decided to just go ahead and say what I thought(think). I still feel that my responses are wholly appropriate, and too truthful to actually be pretentious. My opinions are supplied to convey the identity of my space, and it is perfectly fine if these ideas aren't agreed upon by their entire audience. This is a forum for declarations, mine and yours, and I will make no apologies, so judge me as you will. After all, if I feared your judgement, my apartment would look completely different, and it wouldn't be posted here. Thank you everyone who has bothered to vote and comment!

Dynamite! Love it!

So, M. Cole... where *do* you sleep?!

I sleep (surprisingly well) on the daybed.

wow. just wow. Trying to appreciate it... but a little too fun-house and jarring for me.