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Marie-Gael's Icy Hot Living Room
Room for Color - East #3


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Name: Marie-Gael
Location: Charleston, West Virginia
Type of Home: 1920s deco studio rental

Color Inspiration: As an artist, there are many things that inspire me but mostly mundane things like the shade of a wet sidewalk. While designing my apartment, my main focus has been to bring attention to my paintings.

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Icy Hot



Color Inspiration continued: Because I need to see true colors while painting, I kept the main room white. I have chosen my painting,"Blue", as the focus in the main room. The color of this piece has been carried throughout the space by painting small sections of wall, using a vintage chair, & my vintage bike. The entryway was inspired by my bike & Tide boxes. I've used the same blue in the closet, but because I added greens, it feels cool & balances some of the warmer colors used seen in the rest of the room.

Colors Used: blue - Valspar Frosty 5006-9B
orange - Valspar Ripe Mango 204-5
white - Benjamin Moore Decorator's White 215-04
gray - Bher Dark Granite 780-F6

Color Tip: Consider what colors you will be able to see from each room. Doing this will draw your eye out and make the room visually continue past its actual space. Find the oddities in your home that make it unique and highlight them with color. An odd shape can become a beauty mark, instead of an eyesore.

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Ready to join in? The entry form is up through October 12 on our contest page.

Tags

Room for Color 2009, fireplace, pastel, West Virginia

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Comments (41)

So lovely, I like white walls with colorful accents.

posted by majulek on October 2nd 2009 at 11:02am
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Just gorgeous! Great job!

posted by akzrm on October 2nd 2009 at 11:03am
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I absolutely love this studio. The details are amazing. Great job!

posted by nicnic540 on October 2nd 2009 at 11:11am
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Wonderful!

posted by jen_g on October 2nd 2009 at 11:14am
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Love the color choices. Love the stacked books in the fireplace. And love the over the mantel artwork!

Erin
SYL: Slipcover Your Life
http://www.slipcoveryourlife.com

posted by Erin Stanton on October 2nd 2009 at 11:21am
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I like this because it proves that you can have a colorful room AND have white walls.

posted by redbeard on October 2nd 2009 at 11:37am
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thanks guys!

posted by mariegael on October 2nd 2009 at 11:52am
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Indeed, nice choice of color, what is the turquoise color, you don't list that but do list a gray but I love the two blues, the orange and the white in this space, it works very well.

I love how you used the accent colors to draw one's eyes around the room, like the turquoise in the entry for instance.

The overal design just works with the space and I love modern pieces mixed in with pre-war buildings.

I can also see going totally 70's mod in that space as well. :-)

posted by ciddyguy on October 2nd 2009 at 12:16pm
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ciddyguy-

actually, the turquoise & blues are all the same color (frosty in flat enamel). it's one of those colors that seems to change in light & according to what you put next to it. when i picked it out, i spent weeks, holding it (& countless other samples) in different light & putting it next to both warm & cool objects. it seems to work with everything.

posted by mariegael on October 2nd 2009 at 12:24pm
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Yes, please share that turquoise color! Yay fellow WVian!

posted by Minyuette on October 2nd 2009 at 12:25pm
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I love the way the color pops in & out and framed color its like art on its own. I agree with redbeard's comment so true.

posted by LoriSF on October 2nd 2009 at 12:25pm
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minyuette-

read the comment above yours. hehe i think i answered the turquoise question at the same time you asked it. :P

posted by mariegael on October 2nd 2009 at 12:30pm
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Fantastic. I really love it. The colors are brilliant and delightful, yet inviting. So much excitement in a such compact space.

Shelia G.

posted by shelia1952 on October 2nd 2009 at 12:52pm
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Beautiful colors and careful photos. I'm torn though, because it's hard to get a whole picture of the room in mind. I can't tell what it would be like to be in this place.

posted by lcat on October 2nd 2009 at 1:20pm
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yeah, that's difficult with 5 photos. i just tried to follow the instructions & have a mix of wide views & vignettes. that considered, these show 3 of 4 walls. thanks!

posted by mariegael on October 2nd 2009 at 1:33pm
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Love your paintings! Do you see any of your work on etsy?

posted by urbanchic on October 2nd 2009 at 1:43pm
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i have a shop under a diff name, but we're not allowed to give links to sites during the contest. if you message me after the contest, i'll give you info. i don't want to be deleted. :)

posted by mariegael on October 2nd 2009 at 1:50pm
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So pretty! Love it!

posted by Pragya on October 2nd 2009 at 2:14pm
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Lovely.

posted by Henrietta the Terrible on October 2nd 2009 at 2:15pm
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I love that fireplace. The colors make the tile look three dimensional. Great job and great color choices!

posted by cliokitty on October 2nd 2009 at 2:26pm
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great job ! I love the warm and cool colour combinations, and it just seems like a room thats great to hang out in!

posted by grace09 on October 2nd 2009 at 2:42pm
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I love the way things tie in with what I assume was the existing fireplace tile. Also, adorable cat :-)

posted by michpc on October 2nd 2009 at 2:53pm
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yes, the fireplace is original. i've seen the exact fireplace in a few of the buildings in the area from the teens & 20s. it must've been done by the same man. at first, they scared me b/c they are such a strong color. now, i love them!

posted by mariegael on October 2nd 2009 at 3:01pm
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Hope you make it to the finals!

posted by Doubtful-Della on October 2nd 2009 at 8:53pm
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Beautiful! Your hard work and talent are obvious, good luck to you!
lovely kitty.

posted by sassydo on October 3rd 2009 at 2:38am
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yeah, this is the type of submissions that make the color contests inspirational :) thnx. upvoted of course.

posted by aad on October 3rd 2009 at 7:39am
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in view of the recession & everything i just wanted to point something out. my apt is only $400 & nothing you see in these photos cost me more than $60 (usually way less).

you don't HAVE to have crazy amounts of money. for me, that's what i've always found inspirational about AT contests. & that's the main reason i submitted. ^_^

posted by mariegael on October 3rd 2009 at 7:46am
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Beautiful

posted by wish4awave on October 3rd 2009 at 9:06am
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Just absolutely beautiful ... like looking up to the blues!

posted by wedijohn on October 3rd 2009 at 2:55pm
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THis entry suffers from the fact that Marie-Gael's photos were taken/chosen by somone exercising an artistica sensibility, rather than someone documenting a room. It's like she's chosen two "vignettes" (as so many ATers call them) or views (as she discusses above), rather than showing us the room. That shifts our focus and changes the contest. Better to fully document the roonm.

posted by kushkush on October 4th 2009 at 3:04am
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-kushkush-

first of all, you realize that when people look at your profile, they can see that you have trashed almost every place you've commented on, right?

second, i have chosen 3 wide views & 2 vignettes. if you were to enter, you'd see that when you pick your photos, that's exactly what you are supposed to do. that is not changing the contest. this is a contest about using color, not in showing the exact layout of a room. if it was, we would be required floor plans like in small cool.

third, when you live in a small studio, your shot can only be as wide as the room seeing as how you can't back up further than the wall behind you. since you're having trouble looking past my "artistic sensibility", i'll try to help you out.

in the first photo you are looking from 1 side completely to the other side.

the 2nd photo is looking at the wall directly across from the fireplace, & it is wide enough that you can even partially see into my kitchen. the kitchen is on the same wall as the bed.

the 3rd photo is a vignette to show how i've used color to bring attention to an odd corner & perk up the entryway.

the 4th photo is yet another wide picture showing the middle of the room, showing the space between the 1st & 2nd photo.

& the last is semi close up in which you can even see the other wall in the mirror.

if that confuses you, i'm sorry, but i'm going to take your insult as a complement even though we all can see plainly that you are flaming.

posted by mariegael on October 4th 2009 at 7:31am
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mariegael,

LOVE your color choices. also how you've incorporated contemporary art pieces, vintage accessories and furniture perfectly. and props for not being afraid of working with the colors in the fireplace. overall, perfect balance in a seemingly small space. really great job. you have my vote.

also - can you share where you got the white chandelier in the hallway (or maybe it's the bathroom)? have been looking for one just like it!

posted by vesaria1219 on October 4th 2009 at 5:49pm
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-vesaria1219-
thanks, the art is all mine. & yes, it is a small space! hehe other than the bathroom & narrow kitchen, that's the whole apt! that bed is a murphy. lol living in a studio is a challenge, especially moving from a larger victorian, but i love that it pushed me to try new things & prioritize. i think living in a small space kinda forces you to get to know yourself.

the light in my walk through closet is from urban outfitters.
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=10&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=12635769&parentid=A_FURN_LIGHTING&sortProperties= subCategoryPosition, product.marketingPriority,-product.startDate&navCount=15&navAction=poppushpush&color=&pushId=A_FURN_LIGHTING&popId=APARTMENT_FURNISH&prepushId=

posted by mariegael on October 4th 2009 at 8:31pm
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love it as well

posted by Haunted_Studio on October 5th 2009 at 2:47pm
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seriously wonderful use of colour. All those strong colours work so well and do indeed put the focus on your paintings. love how it's not crammed with stuff but is far from minimalistic. Where did you get the metal mail sorter on your wall?

posted by TheoJ on October 6th 2009 at 5:17am
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i got it in 2001 from pb clearance. i think it's discontinued.
& the magnet sorter thing is just an ikea knife magnet. i use it to sort mail as well.

posted by mariegael on October 6th 2009 at 7:35am
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Finally, one of the few postings (my view) in the contest of colour that really is representative of the contest. Wonderful use of colour combinations that make this room come together perfectly...not just a mishmash...well put together and beautiful to view!

posted by smoothsailing on October 6th 2009 at 2:44pm
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I would love me a room with that tangerine-aqua combo. So vivid and, yes, icy-hot!

posted by wigglebutt on October 7th 2009 at 8:05pm
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Wow. Very daring and original. What an eye you have.

posted by spotonriver on October 15th 2009 at 1:43pm
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thank you!

posted by mariegael on October 15th 2009 at 7:37pm
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beautiful use of color and I adore the accessories!!

posted by sunny on October 22nd 2009 at 1:31pm
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