apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Wow, what a beautifully put together house.

Great Job! I love the pool area and the house but the overly-staged photo has got to go...

all you're missing is the Olan Mills logo on the bottom right.

This is frakkin awesome!! I can't imagine living with so much white furniture, cuz I'm sure it would constantly be a dirty mess, but it looks beautiful in your place. I think the color accents in the living room are placed perfectly and I love how they liven up the room so much. I'm a big fan of that glossy Ikea (I assume) table, it's just so beautiful and classy. The flowers on top are gorgeous. The black and white room is elegant, but it actually seems cozy as well, which I think is rarely accomplished with that color palette. I'm not the biggest fan of red, but it does look nice in this home.

Oh come on, this just...is not fair! It's beautiful but how can the average joe/joanna compare to this. It looks like a friggin magazine for cryin out loud!

OH MY GOSH.. I THINK YOU SHOULD WIN!!! This place is crazy beautiful. Your sense of color is so punchy and poppy and unbelievably attractive. It looks sexy!

wow.... that bathroom is fantastic! beautiful home!

p.s.-- was this house in Domino Magazine? That shot with the dogs looks so familiar.

yeah i love. this. house.
particularly the white room with the queen pillows! oh and i really wish i had your (roof?)deck!!!

Winner.

Although I can't imagine you'd need to add $2500 of CB2 stuff to a place that needs nothing more.

Absolutely beautiful! Love all the colors and patterns! You did a fabulous job! By the way, the artwork of the poochies is great, did you do that yourself?

Jeez, this isn't even fair! I love, um, everything. And you should win, but I agree with medenver...your house is perfect so I can't imagine what you'd do with your winnings!

i agree it is beautiful, but it's almost overly styled and not very homey.

I KNOW I saw these same pictures in an interview somewhere...

Oh wow! This is really beautiful.

truly beautiful - love that bathroom tile!
Tabitha - http://www.fromsingletomarried.com

can i move in? seriously :)

Of course the average Joe/Jane can't compete - the owner is a professional interior decorator/designer:

http://www.suponcreative.com/index.html

some of his pics are directly off of his website.

i agree, this place is amazing and very well put together, but to put this against an average home? not fair. but thanks for the tour, you're house is beautiful and inspiring.

oops.. your not you're.. duh.

...the striped ottoman..? ::swoon::

Stunning! And cute doggies, too.

I agree with all the comments. everything is put together so well. It's colorful in its own ways without being too much. I'm keeping these pics as an inspiration for my own house. And your dogs are adorable.

Supon's place, while a bit much for my taste, always looks beautiful.

are these all seriously from one place? quite fantastic and well cultivated style.

Looks like he runs a graphics firm, not interior design.

Oh, wait, I see "interior spaces" now.

I have seen this apartment - it was featured in a December issue of Metropolitan Home two or three years ago that featured winners in various "Best Of" categories. That reflection pool on the deck is to die for.

It is a beautiful condo; modern and ethnic. I think of this more as an AT Best Small Space winner; and less as an AT Fall Colors Contest winner. Personally, I like seeing contestants in this contest use colors in ways that I would never have thought to use or would want to use, yet somehow still finding the space visually appealing.

Uh, don't like it. It's trying WAY too hard. Doesn't seem natural or as if someone actually lives there.

no thanks!

NEXT!

Stunning, yes.

That Flor tiled bedroom is to die for, and the rest of the house is amazing, very glossy magazine worthy. But for GOD's Sake: lose the Mao. (Mao Zedong, former leader of the Chinese Communist Party who totally publicly executed 5 million counter-revolutionaries deemed too critical of the government and then totally purged hundreds of thousands more of their human rights and often their lives in the Chinese Cultural Revolution and was one of the worst enemies of free speech and political thought as well as, ya know...mass murderer the world has ever known (http://reclaimingmisshavisham.typepad.com/). What's next? a portrait of Hitler and Pol Pot?)

i'm coming over! i live in dc and i'm your new BFF. please can i have the source of the QEII pillows on the chairs in the living room?

Great house but so obviously professionally designed how is this fair? I know it's in the rules that it is in fact fair but couldn't people submit a house designed by Kelly Wearstler and win then?

It is a stunner.

I love it! Just lovely - I love how you the orange pops against the white pieces in your living room. Jeeze, it puts my place to shame.

Although I would totally ruin your lovely white furniture and spill coffee all over it at the first opportunity. So perhaps my huge brown slipcovered couch is a better fit for me . . .

This entry is stunning! I love every single detail, and the color choices are amazing.

Absolutely should be a finalist. Don't see why his profession should count against him!

wonderful. It's a great inspiration and I don't care that he is a pro. So what? Lots of pros are horrible designers. Nothing he did is something that only a designer could do. His use of colour could be translated for a variety of budgets and sizes.

How can anyone want to put up a portrait/print of a murderer unless he LIKES him? : ^(

Wow. Crazy-beautiful and with a sense of humor.

winner

This house is beautiful, but it's way too staged for my taste. The color use is gorgeous, but the same as what I see on a daily basis in design magazines and websites. It's almost too perfect, too designed, and not enough personal.

I just can't relate to this entry, beautiful as it is. In terms of wanting to go visit a place based on the photos, this one just isn't it for me.

I want to hate this entry because I'm so jealous of the mad $$ it must've taken to put together, but DAMN... it is beautiful.

Still, this is a colors contest. That means anyone with some creativity and a good eye can have a winning entry. Sorry Supon- I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the underdog.

I see this place more as an overall wonderful design that doesn't necessarily stand out in the way of color. The color is good, but it in and of itself is not what makes this place stand out.

i agree that it's not exactly fair. i'm entering this week & i'm a disabled, artist who has to SAVE UP for a can of paint. he obviously doesn't need a cb2 gift card as much as i need a couch. haha HOWEVER, it is only right that he get recognized b/c he has done a good job.

the home is nice. i do think the use of religion for decor is in poor taste not to mention it sort of contradicts the chairman, but whatever. i love the b&w with pops of orange. i especially love that pillow. i don't know how the dog:white couch ratio works. :P

this is why i keep saying there needs to be a separate category for those who own.

all of that said, i trust the people at AT to realize all of that & make fair choices.

ok, this is the most amazing home!!! the colors and style are amazing...please make this the winner and give us a house tour!

I don't care for it. It looks like it was put together for a magazine. I prefer homes that look lived in.

Nice PROFESSIONALLY designed home. Magazine worthy, not AT contest worthy. Sorry.
A pleasant time-out, now back to the real Colour Contest please.

I also agree about the Mao Zedong image... way too controversial to be a trendy accessory considering he represents one of the world's bloodiest tyrants, responsible for well over 70 million deaths during his reign in China from 1949-1975 (factoring in the Great Leap Forward and the terrible famine that followed).
An evil dictator in my books who certainly does not deserve to be idolized on a wall as a home decor piece!
Bad, bad energy!
Feng Shui anyone?

I agree that it is completely and entirely unfair to allow a professional to compete against hobbyists. Of course the pro is going to win...like last years winners had all been previously featured in major design magazines. How can the little guy with a $200 budget compete against the big dogs with unlimited budgets? I personally don't think the rules should allow professional designers, and I know that was also a point of contention in last years contest. Sure, it makes AT look good to say Hey look at our fabulous winner, but it really isn't right.

There should also be seperate contests for owners vs renters, since renters can't do half the things owners can. Having pros compete with hoppyists and owners compete with renters is like having an apple compete with a banana...what do you judge them on? it's just not the same ballpark.

And if I walked into someone's house and saw an image of a murderer...I'd turn around and leave. It's like putting a huge painting of Hitler on the wall, or Gacy. Chills.

Otherwise, a beautiful home...but he knows that already.

This home is beautiful. Everything is well thought-out and the proportions are beautiful. The balance of white with well-chosen bits of color is absolutely amazing.

I do agree with some other comments about the apparent money invested. How can someone on a beer budget compete with someone that has the wherewithal to afford a "georgian townhome" in Washington, DC of all places? This home looks like it belongs in Architectural Digest. I can see why others would be discouraged upon seeing this home that only the very wealthy would be able to afford.

This home is truly beautiful but I have to say that it just doesn't seem to represent the average apartment therapy fan.

Good luck!

Love this home. This is one of my top pics of all the entries so far. Beautifully done.

Show off!!!
Supon just wants the world to see that he lives in an award-worthy home. So? Not AT blog quality. Try a high-end glossy magazine. Evidently, he doesn't need prize $, nor any more recognition seeing he has already been represented via Met Home and his own interior design firm. Too bad, so sad.

http://www.suponcreative.com/index.html

Oh and that dictator image is pure pure evil!! Sickening.

(oops I'm signed in on my roommate's name -- not lynn, it's "Ducky" here)

Come on ATers! I know that you non-professional decorators can easily outshine Supon. Keep the entries coming. I am rooting for you!

A portrait of Mao in the dining room? It would make me throw up. Ugh. I can't believe people have any art work related to people like that in their homes. I would walk away.

The photos of your place are very, very good.

p.s. I can not believe Supon has Mao decor for sale, it's so sad and bad taste, and no hipster ironic theory is going to convince me of the contrary, there is nothing hip about a criminal of such evil proportions.

I'd love to know who made the sofa and two matching chaises...

Also, is the pet dog a Japanese Spitz? Beautiful little fluffer!

"It's unfair how I, mere mortal that I am, cannot possibly win against this guy. Boo hoo, boo hoo, hoo hoo." Where is Ayn Rand when you need her? Look, if main street diane wants to compete against people with style, she needs to shape up or get out. If the past entries really represent "AT readers," then dear god we are in a world of hurt.

"Mao. Eww." Self righteousness, it's a bitch. Why don't you go to China and see what people really think of Mao. But of course, in your world they probably don't count. "The kind of people who always go on about whether a thing is in good taste invariably have very bad taste.”

somedudeinvicenza:

Time for a chill pill! It's only a color contest and MAO is BAD.

P.S. Thanks for the Ayn Rand reference. I think this is the first time I've seen her referenced on this site.

Hi Supon! I love your home, especially the style of furniture, the colors and the cheeky political art. I have the same sofa.

The use of white walls and large furniture pieces with bold color accents is sophisticated and fun. I have been experimenting with the same white, black, orange color scheme in my place (see my upcoming DC house tour) and your entry provides great inspiration. This is a winner! Congratulations. Go DC!

beautiful home.

i could care less about his prior exposure, professional status, or his budget. these contests are both inspirational and aspirational. so entrants, if you've gotten off the porch, expect to hunt with the big dogs.

i'll keep the flor treatment in my mind and my files. the rest is too overly composed and merchandised with consumer goods for me to live in, but i could imagine a great weekend here. very boutique hotel. i'd actually like to see supon sink his teeth into a boutique hotel.

Hey dudeinvicenza--
Righteous is a GOOD thing. Perhaps you abhore it. Right from wrong and those who choose right are righteous. Not perfect but love the truth. In case you didn't know, anyone in China who goes against Communism is put in jail and tortured. Or are you one of those who doesn't believe there is Communism in China? If you do, you are wrong! BTW would you put up a giant print of Charles Manson on your living room wall, or pick another murderer. Communism and those who love it are not welcome in this country. Our armed forces gave their lives to fight and win against it. Oh, but in "your world", "that kind" of people probably don't care about that!

I really like a lot of your choices. Each space makes me want to know a story about you. Very clean and still personal. Nice.

It looks like the love nest for Karim Rashid and Isaac Misrahi. They're trying to "out-barbie" each other. That's it! This looks like barbie's dream house.

Absolutely a winner! Supon is a well-known graphic designer (not interior design)...This home is beautiful....Cant wait to see your home in Dupont Circle House Tour this year! Congrat!

MAO? How could you? I am insulted. I feel sick to my stomach.

I could tell you horror stories of what my Chinese family endured under his reign of terror. I have lost loved ones because of him; my family tree is small and broken. I am crying as I type this.

Definitely a slap in the face.

-- Kim, a Chinese Canadian {using another person's login as i felt compelled to respond}

This is a beautiful home, but right after seeing the first pics i was telling myself, it looks like out of these high-end lifestyle magazines. It is beautiful, the use of color is great, but this home ( at least as shown on the pics ) doesn't look "lived-in".

HI ALL--THIS IS "SUPON". THANKS FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS. JUST WANT TO EXPLAIN ABOUT HEATED COMMENTS ABOUT THE MAO PAINTING.

I failed to explain on my description that most rooms in my home are inspired from cities that I have been to...(from London, Miami, Bangkok to "BEJING"..)

While I may not agree with some of these comments, but we all are very reactive — especially to political imagery. (should I replace it with McCain or Obama?

And just to let you know, my dinning room is no longer look like this anymore. It is now fill with fake Antlers and Stags which inspired from my recent trip from Kenya.

MANY THANKS.
Supon

PS. I am not a professional interior designer ;P

Hello Supon,

You said you do not agree with some of our comments.. which ones would they be?

Yes we are reactive, as we are human beings and God made us that way. But we are not reacting to political imagery, as you say, but to another human being who is a murderer of other human beings. If we were heartless beings we would not care, and we would be like the Communist Dictator Mao. Do you approve of him? You didn't say so. It's not about putting up a picture, it's about what you believe that leads you to do so.

As for replacing it with McCain or Obama--they haven't murdered anyone far as I know, and it is rather shocking that you do not see a difference between them and Mao. We live in a free country, not under a murderous Communist dictatorship and we want to keep it that way. Most people come here because that's what they want, too. I hope that's why you came here.

I've seen this before. It's interesting but too trendy, too clicky, cliche, sterile... I don't see how it relates to C&B or the average person wanting inspiration. The personality, while fun, seems hoity-toity.

Wait a minute.....is this home just a display? Like an Ikea living room in their store or a West Elm shoot? Maybe that's why people keep saying it doesn't look lived in...because it isn't? Even the dogs are too perfectly posed...


I do love the black and white tripod lamp...I have one tripod lamp with a white shade and this would be a beautiful accent...source?

i think people have a reaction to mao the same way people react to seeing a rebel flag or a picture of hitler. i assume if anyone posted a picture like that, people would freak just as much, no matter how pretty the home (& it is). it's not political. the guy is responsible for quite a few deaths. so, naturally, you run the risk of offending people, though i doubt you had that intention.

Chill out people! Bush killed many innocent people in Iraq in the past few years. So are we all killers too? (After all, Bush is representing the people of the United States!) This is a design contest and we all should stop bashing contestants. This is his home and he can do whatever he want to do with his home!

hahaha. WOAH. This is insane!! I love the house, and I love how this guy has no shame. I'm a grad student with no money, but I still think this guy should be recognized.

I love the color palette and the contrast of color against the white, but like many others, my love faded when I saw the Mao painting. It's a choice that sours the positive vibe of the apartment.

I love MAO artwork. Check out EBAY and you can see nearly 1000 items of Mao are listed there. (from famous artists such as Andy Warhol, Steve Kaufman just to name a fews)...This house is gorgeous. Beautifully done and stunning.

Allan...your name-calling is hugely uncalled for. Margie is expressing a sentiment that myself and several others have also expressed. If you disagree, express it in a more cordial way.

DanCharles, yes he is free to do whatever he would like with his home...but he also has to brace for a lashback when he posts a such a thing in a contest. I"m sure it wasn't unexpected and perhaps purposeful, which really makes it a turn off. And while I don't agree with much of what Bush has done during his presidency, I would in no way compare him to someone like Mao! People get killed in war...that is an unavoidable fact...but what Mao did....not even comparable...not even! We have full right to be turned off by Supon's choice of art, and we have full right not to vote for this home because of it... your aggressive responses also make it look even worse than it does already...

Agree totally with Amencc.

HI ALL, THIS IS SUPON AGAIN....

Just a little explanation on MAO art. In fact, I have many pieces of art that are controversial. I do believe that great art pieces should spark good conversation. I do not agree on what MAO did to the people of China or on some subject matters of art works that I have or created. I do like for people to talk about them....These are part of our history and culture. We all can learn from them and they shouldnt be forgot or ignore.

BUT I'm totally disappointed with all these name callings, accusing me to be a bad person and some of you are batching each other on these comments. As of last nightm I have asked apartmenttheraphy to remove my entry from this competition. The reason of my withdrawn has nothing to do with Mao art. (like I said earlier--great art pieces should spark good conversation). My purpose to entered this competition is just to be a part of it. I dont expect to win or get anything from it. But I dont expect that people would be nasty to each others and use this comments board as a battle ground. It is hurtful to read such comments.

In any case, good luck with this contest

Best,
Supon

supon,
i really appreciated your explanation. i still hope you submit a house tour.

Well said on MAO art and ignore those nasty comments. PLEASSSSEEEEEE dont withdraw your submission. I hate it when a few bad apples ruin the bunch.

You home is beautiful and stunning.

Peace!!!

Your home is very inspirational. :)

Supon, I'm sad that there were so many hurtful comments. :(

For what it's worth, I barely noticed the Mao - there was SO much more to see.

I just had to come by and look at this amazing home again....thanks so much for the inspiration

I totally agree with you Amiencc - Good to hear a rational thought after DanCharles comment!...It is hilarious (and ridiculous) when people compare Bush to Hitler & Mao etc...

Sigh. Now I must contribute my two cents on the Mao controversy: I think it is sad and ignorant to use imagery of communist dictators as a hipster décor statement. I would understand if the owner would be compelled by his well thought out beliefs to use these cult of personality reflections on his walls, but this does not appear to be the case. I'm willing to bet this month's wages that anyone who actually lived through an oppressive regime would not use that regime's iconography for decoration. Having lived through a communist dictatorship, I would rather understand the person who builds a shrine to a dictator out of (possibly misguided) conviction, than the designer who ignorantly plasters Mao's face on the walls.

It costs as much to buy a can of beige paint as it does any other color so the whining about profs competing in this competition is really just that...whining.

Beautiful, I especially love the bedroom! Finally, a fall colors competitor that actually uses.....COLOR!

I don't know why everyone has to turn a blog into a personal attack - The places is gorgeous and I love the shrine to the pooches - If you are against the design don;t vote for it - it's a contest people pleeze - he is not running for President..I am sure the professional judges will give him a fair nod!

I'm trashing my Mao t-shirt!

i can't believe that this entry did not get to the next round?!!?!? there are some real haters out there or people with bad taste, either way, this entry should have won the whole thing. i'm sorry you did not :(

Personally, I thought it was a little too FUSSY.

And don't be hatin' on Supon (decor) haters. We have a right to hate any decor we want. We must use our God given talents of good taste and breeding to point out good design versus bad design wherever it is and whether we're asked for our opinion or not.

He didn't win. Now everybody just has to accept it. I hope Supon doesn't send his "pack of tiny dogs" out into the streets to riot and cause mayhem. That would be scary!

Too white, I hate it.

i read some of the posts, and wow, scary bible- thumpers out there.
go mao :)

I believe there is a major misunderstanding in this conversation about the nature of art. Art is not always straightforward; rather it can be nuanced, ironic, humorous, satirical, multilayered, controversial... you get the point. When Andy Warhol made his series of gigantic paintings of Mao, was it because he was a Mao supporter and he was part of a Maoist propaganda wing?

In fact, I am a great fan of Mao-related art, not because I am a Mao supporter, but because I think there can be incredible artistry in political propaganda artwork, and I find it interesting in the way it reflects historical movements, and aesthetically pleasing in its bold graphical approach. Mao's influence on world history was, and continues to be, huge (e.g. the Nepalese government is currently Maoist, and many would argue it is a government seeking social justice denied for centuries to the people of Nepal; again I am not a Maoists). Whether you agree with it or deem it atrocious, there's nothing wrong with recognizing our complicated history along with all of its nuances, and engaging with it in the privacy of our homes.

I've never seen such debates over the fact that we put early American presidents on dollar bills, even though they were involved in the atrocities of slavery..... I'm simply arguing that we shouldn't just try and wipe out all memory of how we got to the place we are, and that art is a relevant and appropriate way to engage with our past -- much more appropriate than flinging insults at other people.

And most of all, shouldn't we be tolerant of other peoples ideas, whether we agree with them or not, and engage with those that we don't agree with in a respectful way that seeks understanding and not quick judgment? Sorry, I know I'm sounding preachy, but I was disappointed in the way that my much loved apartment therapy gang felt the need to simply attack.