Well he's certainly ready for Christmas year round!

An honorable mention? Why?!

This is crazy. How can you select a judge with such poor taste when there were so many wonderful entries? I think she must know him.

It's like someone punching me directly in the eyeballs over and over.

But yeah - way to commit!

I am happy to see this as an honorable mention. I'm not crazy about it as many arent' but what it has is imagination, guts, color, the mood he wanted was the mood he ended up with.

There were numerous posts on this from men who really liked it. There must be something there..

I think it would have looked better with a couch in black leather like the footstools. That way the red wouldn't knock you out.

I keep looking for the casket.

This entry is nothing less than offensive. Alison just wanted some controversy to draw more attention to herself and odd, odd decisions.

calling this entry offensive is a bit much. yes, it's really, really over the top and (for me) unliveable, but it's not an offense. offensive would be this room with dozens of baby dolls strung from the ceiling and several mannequins with a ton of steak knives stabbed into them. i mean, cmon.

Wasn't the contest for skillful use of color? Just because the guy committed to making his house look like a bordello of horrors doesn't mean it's skillful. this is disappointing.

If efforts were enough in the scheme of life, then everyone would be a winner (er, rather, a honorable mention). So not worthy! Never use this judge again for anything. We're not kindergarteners that get awarded for EFFORT!

i enjoyed this entry, but in no way does it demonstrate a skillfull use of color. if i were an entrant in this contest i would be pissed.

This reminds me of a hotel room my friend and I had in Amsterdam. It was over a bar and had carpet squares on the wall, as a cheap soundproofing I assume. Didn't work. We could hear the prostitute in the next room working over her johns day and night.

From Allison Arieff's reasoning, I could smear excrement all over my walls in a go-for-broke effort and she would applaud it. [second comment deleted by editors]

i don't know what all the fuss is about. i love the room; where can i get paul's contact info?

This should be a joke...I can´t believe the judge made this entry as a choice for honorable mention...with a wonderful entries...what a waste...

hahaha, "satan". good one.

Ooooo - now I get it! The contest is a joke. I should have entered photos of the Jungle Room at Graceland
http://www.elvis.com/graceland/vtour/

Too bad all those nice people tried so hard and put up with the vitriolic comments.

Is it an odd coincidence that this woman looks like Hildi Santo Tomas?

I'm amazed how people can't ever look beyond their nose for anything outside their own narrow sensibilities. And frankly, a few of these posts are down right RUDE.

Shall we look at what the official criteria was for the contest again?

"Readers and judges will evaluate each submission to find the boldest, coolest, most colorful room along with all the tips and resources we need to get color ourselves."

Yes. that's what's listed as the criteria. I think this place is bold, cool (in a very tongue in cheek way) and damned if it ain't colorful.

Sorry. Some of the entries that scored high, which truly are skillful, are also...yawn...BORING.

Okay, I've intentionally stayed away from commenting on any of the entries for this entire contest, but... Delia: Is it necessary to insult this judge's APPEARANCE in a photograph because you don't agree with her opinion? Anna: WTF? I can't even begin to comprehend where your comment is coming from.

For the record, I don't think this was top-honors entry but wholeheartedly agree with Allison's assesment of this entry's "go for broke" verve. My first-look response to the entry was immediate; its sheer balls-out audacity really resonated for me. So, yeah, in my mind this room deserves an honorable mention. And the judge clearly stated hear reasons for giving it her nod. Disagree with it if you like.

To the handful of bitches out there: Nice way to take all the lightheared fun out of these contests...

Didn't anyone notice the cool black ottomans?

Agreed that this is supposed to be a light-hearted way to share with the world personal decorating techniques. Everyone has different styles and perspectives and anyone should respect one's own home if it makes them comfortable (even if that means red velour and black leather or cows on your wall with light pink frills). As varied as people's taste are, also to consider is the amount of money people can sink into their material surroundings. No disrespect to Paul's apartment, if it makes you happy and reflects who you are, that is awesome.

My comment is towards the judge. Yes, she has the right to her own opinion but she did not explain herself like the other judges. And that seems necessary when you pick such an unexpected entry. I also agree with many of the other outlandish comments listed on this page. This choice puts into question any respectable quality of this competition. I just hope Alison didn't have too much pull in the final entries and the other judges were able to smack her straight into agreeing on worthy finalists.

Although I admire the gutsiness of this decor, it's not a room that I would feel comfortable in. There were countless other entries that displayed more skillful use of colour, in my opinion.

Of course, I hate to argue with *satan*...

looks like Madame X on houston st!

Okay, try this. Look at the photograph again, but cover up that dusty fake plant with your hand. It looks a little better, doesn't it? It turns the tacky level down a couple of notches.

Gee, terra, you say "gigolo's tacky 70's velour wall-cushioned porn room" like it's a bad thing!

It looks like kind of a fun place to romp, but that's just me talkin'. And seriously, if the room is as small as all that, the continuity of the monochrome thing is a good way for your eye not to have to stop abruptly.

No, I wouldn't want to live there, but a visit might be a gas.

I envision Liberace laying peacefully on that couch....of course with a martini in one hand.

The contest was about the *skillful* use of color, yet this entry gets an HM because of the entrant's *commitment*?

No offense to Paul, but there were other skillful entries that were more deserving. It kind of makes the whole contest look like a joke.

do you think CB2's "special gift" to paul will be red? i'd like to know how paul will incorporate it into his satanic scheme going on.

Looks like a joke entry to me.

hey! I've been posting as johnny and i totally disagree with this other johnny who posted above. I love this room!

To say the judge admires the commitment doesn't mean she is just giving points for effort; this effort shows commitment and it also succeeds on its own terms. It might not be a style that everyone would enjoy, but it still holds together, it is balanced well by the chrome and black pieces, it very successfully plays with a certain language--the comments about this looking like a bordello probably don't surprise the creator. This contest was supposed to be about seeing different approaches, or at least I thought that was part of the goal.

Personally, when I see an Eames chair, I think of cheap waiting rooms and McDonalds. Nonetheless, i recognize that a stark modern interior can work and even when it is not a room i would want to leave in i can recognize that a room sometimes holds together and creates an appealing effect.

It seems that a lot of commentors to this contest are only interested in being nasty though. That is more frustrating and disappointing than any of the confusion about the contest rules.

Congratulations, Paul. You deserve the honarable mention.

follow up, i do have a practical question for Paul:

When you throw parties, do you allow smoking? Even if not, how do you deal with spills? It must be a pain to clean all those cushions.

This must have been a joke - I mean if I want to jump into lack of taste with both feet, good for me, but to win a prize based on merit?
huh?
alison - maybe you know someone in higher places, [partial comment deleted by editors] or do you really like the lack of inspiration to take red and black and paint/carpet/furniture it all over the place - at least if he had picked another color?

this isnt bad, its BAD.
not ugly its UGLY
not a winner.

Personally, I don't care. But if I were the other contestants who had actually *skillfully* used color, I'd be insulted and outraged.

This choice does not spark debate. It instills disbelief and mistrust. Moreover, it reflects poorly on AT for choosing this "designer."

SUCH HATERS! You'd think this "use of color" contest was the contest to cure world hunger or for some other incredibly important earth shattering award!
I mean "outraged", "insulted", "mistrust", "Disbelief", "UGLY"! Holy crap Batman! People get a life!
It's RED!, if you don't like the "honorable mention", too bad! Get over it and move on to the next incredibly important thing you can find to bitch about! Like the new Christmas display down at Target!
PLEASE PEOPLE!

I think everyone who is "insulted" and "outraged" needs to find a hobby. Jeebus, she didn't hand this entry the gazillion dollar CB2 jackpot or the keys to the AT castle. She picked it for HER honorable mention, which is entirely to her discretion. And tells me that perhaps the lady has a sense of humor, something many people on this site sorely lack.

You don't like it? Get over it.

Oh, and LIGHTEN UP. It's only a contest.

Sheesh.

I agree with most of these posts. this entry is not worthy of a prize.

Well, it certainly is RED. I'm sure it took skill to do it right.

So I do not quarrel at all with the Honorable Mention. I think the creator of this room deserved it for going all the way and pulling it off so well. It's outrageous and fun.

BUT -- away from the realm of contests and decorating and 'looks', is this a liveable room? If you read a book on that couch and the cover of the book was green or orange or faded red or blue or a graphic, wouldn't it clash? Could you wear jeans in this room without ruining the effect? It pulls off a look in a photo (whether or not one likes the look, it succeeded in achieving that look). So, fine for an honorable mention in a color contest. But it is not a practical room for everyday living, not for me. Maybe if you only read books with red covers and never wear jeans?

Commenting on these rooms is lots of fun. The outraged comments are kind of fun, too, in a different way. Geez, folks.

Judging from photos cooed over here on many occasions, many of you shop religiously from catalogs. It's possible to visit AT and see one space after another that looks like the last space. Pretty enough, often. But pretty unoriginal, too.

So perhaps it isn't surprising that when you meet a sensibility not found in the catechism of your DWR'd, CB2'd, and IKEA'd worlds, you cringe and cluck like monks around a blasphemy. Poor scandalized dears. Back to the safety of your borrowed taste, now, while the rest of us enjoy Paul's baroque vision.

I'm still looking for an explanation as to why this entry is good. The folks who like it state that they'd like to hang out there naked (m'kay) or rebuke the ones who don't like it for our *perceived* affinity for DWR, West Elm, C&B, CB2,etc.
For the record, I've never purchased anything from any of these stores.
For the folks who love it, What is appealing about this space; this color; the way it is applied here?...besides the fact that it pisses most AT'ers off that it was awarded an honorable mention.

Well, here's one thing that makes it good design --

Look closely, and you'll see that apartment not only has ugly gray industrial carpet -- it seems to have an acoustic tile ceiling. Never noticed, did you? The room makes such a dramatic statement that no one looks at the problems that the red is hiding.

It would be interesting to know what the red tiles on the wall are hiding.

Knock down the plushiness about 10% with some crystal and beaded silk, and you'd have this year's hot neo-Baroque look.

That said, I would have appreciated a real explanation from Ms. Arieff, too -- the "really DO it" explanation doesn't make sense in a color contest, where everyone is doing it.

WSA Deserves an Honorable mention and it should have placed. If this room was all white, you all pathetic people would be all over it because of how serene it is. Red is calming to some people, this space rocks and thank the judge for seeing beauty in the color red.

Way to go Tummy! I totally agree with the "if this room was all white" comment. I'm not a fan of the room either, but they asked for entries that use color in a BOLD way, and this one surely does.

I also agree with wende. This space was probably not appealing before the design, and no I didn't notice the acoustic ceiling or the industrial carpet. I also believe that if that pattern was PAINTED on the wall in the same colors and same arrangement and the floor was TILED likewise, I would actually think this room was great. My problem is with the plushiness. However, your observations make it clear that in this space he probably couldn't paint or tile. I'm sure all of those tiles are easily removed and that the floor is FLOR.

Paul worked with what he had and made a space that he's proud of and feels comfortable in. May we all feel that way about our homes. I know I'm not there yet. Way to go Paul!!

my jaw actually DROPPED when I saw this was chosen as an HM. [second comment deleted by editors]

Nothing like LOTS of carpet to hide the screams.

I like this choice...if for no other reason than all of the twisted panties that have resulted from it!
You GO Paul!!!