I've Got Color! Contest: Doug's Personally Pleasing Red Room

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Name: Doug M.
Location: Washington, DC

Why I use color:

"I use color to brighten the mood of a room and reflect my personality. I don't decorate to please anyone but myself. Whenever a friend sees my place for the first time they are never surprised to see what it looks like. There is a lot more work I want to do in the room, but the walls were painted before I moved a single item into the room."

Color Tips:

"1. Be brave! Anyone I have ever spoken to that truly loved a color selection has said they were afraid to use the color. Often it was a book or someone else that made the suggestion and the person just went for it.

2. Don't overdo it. Bold colors in particular can overwhelm a room. Pick an accent wall or two and see how they work before painting the entire room.

3. Accentuate the colors. A room with beautifully colored walls is nothing without the accessories. Make sure you include items that compliment your color choices. If you can't color the walls, do the same with large pieces of furniture and their accessories."

Color Resources:

"1. Web Design. I do web development and I therefore spend a lot of time looking at websites. In putting them together I use resources such as http://colormixers.com/mixers/cmr/ and CSS Zen Garden to visualize color combinations and gain inspiration.

2. Advertising. Television, print, whatever the medium, advertising is specifically geared to getting your attention and pleasing the eye. A lot of time and effort is put into something as simple as the colors in a two color logo. Pay attention and you can steal a lot of great ideas. "

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Comments (11)

Haven't we seen this room before (before the contest, I mean)? If so, it looks as though you've made some significant progress with some of the things you were asking about.

You have. Although I don't feel I've made much progress. :) I posted it in an open thread which was then moved to it's own post.

It does look more together now. I especially like the turquoise chair against the red wall. I remember also you were asking something about the built-in bookcase (or maybe someone was suggesting something without your asking!)--you've changed it, haven't you? maybe just painted it differently.

I love the series of prints against the red wall above the sofa and the fact that you've reflected similar colors in the pillows and throw below. The colors in the prints really pop against the red.

I like the red, the color blocking, and I agree that the turquoise chair really pops.

And you get points for cute cats -- and even more points for not painting it orange.

Thanks everyone. My plan is to take the color of the prints and pull it into the rest of the condo. The bright blue is already in the bedroom. The prints may move to the hallway as a unifying factor to the color once the other rooms (hallway and kitchen) are done, but I haven't decided for sure.

For anyone interested, the prints are from: http://prints.deviantart.com/

The cats didn't want to stay out of any of the pictures -- I had to reshoot a number of them because they were about 4 inches from the lens. A lot of the elements (such as the white couch and chair) are temporary, but the contest came up now, so I went ahead and threw my hat into the ring.

Joan -- The bookcase hasn't changed at all. :) The only difference is the furniture in front of it. I have a grand scheme for a buit-in entertainment center, but I think it would cost a few thousand to build even if I tried to do it myself. That would eleviate some of the bookcase crowding (it would include some bookshelves of its own), but things are probably about the same as when it was posted before. I think the reduced cluttering on the mantle and the change in furniture is the difference.

I really like those prints. Can you narrow it down more? Deviantart is such a big place to look around.

I also like the prints. What stayed with me is the white couch with the colorful pillows appears as a transition with the last colored pillow "sprinkled" on the adjacent white chair as the eye moves to the white wall with the windows. Nice bookshelf and pass through.

Mahalo for sharing.

Cooking Cajun

I absolutely love that turquoise chair. I want one. Where'd you get it? I agree that it is perfect against the red wall.

That kitty on the white couch has some serious laser eye action.

The turqoise chair was found in my grandparents' basement. I got hold of it after they had passed away (my father inherited the house) so I am unaware of it's origin. I would imagine it is several decades (at least the 70s) old.

You should have seen the orange kitty in the bookcase photo.. I cropped him out because his eyes were 10x as laser like. :)