apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think I wish the wood panelling had been painted. And no pictures of kitchen or bathroom?

Keeping with the "lodge" design philosophy, I liked how the rustic touches I saw (especially the panelled walls) meshed with the more urbane design elements. However, there just wasn't enough of this contrast to keep me completely interested in the entire space.

The bedroom is so lovely and fresh. In keeping with Nevis' comment, I wish the panelling were painted out too. Maybe I'm just anti-lodge?

Is the 2nd picture above really for this entry?
It doesn't seem like it matches at all, and I feel like I've seen it before.

Never mind, it looks like the pic has been fixed.

hi jennifer- yeah- the image that was under cut was mistakenly left- it has been switched out- thanks for catching that-

I love that portrait ("Calpurnia") in the first picture - did you do that yourself?

I really like this one. I generally dislike wood paneling, you see, so when I see a place that really makes wood paneling look great, I get all excited. It almost makes ME want wood paneling!

The decor wouldn't have the same impact without the wood. I'm glad you didn't paint it and had the imagination to take advantage of it.

I like the color elements of this place that works with the paneling which would normally be seen as oppressive.

The furniture layout of the living room doesn't work for me though. I'd like to see the sofas facing each other for starters.

i want to know about Calpurnia as well. Who's the artist? And where did you get the blue blanket on your bed? Love it.

I love that you have art, and not Keep Calm & Carry On.

I like your layout of your place, but I wish you had pics of the bathroom and the kitchen to get more of a feel for it....but I liked what I saw. I used to live with paneling and I too decided to live with it...mainly b/c it's such a pain to paint. You made it look great, well done!

I love this one. Maybe I'm a sucker for wood paneling, and maybe I just like the lodge theme, but it looks great. I think the colors you chose to complement the paneling are perfect. I'm sad you aren't getting more "super cool" votes, but I think this is one of the very best entries.

funky - super cool from me - maybe just because it's a bit different from many of the others. Looks comfortable.

ooooh, you're a girl after my own heart with antlers and wood paneling!

i loved the wide shot of your living room, but loving one room really isnt enough to judge an apartment...

I'm happy to see panelling in someone else's apartment. I've been trying to figure out how to deal with the panelling in my own apartment for years, my landlords won't let me paint it because they figure it's maintenance free as is. I like how you used bold colors to stand up against the wood tones.

I couldn't vote on this one. THREE close-ups and only two room shots isn't enough. I like the wood panelling and the bold colors and artwork, but I kept wondering about the rest of the house. And maybe 800 sq ft is small in Texas, but...

I love the paneling and the use of bright color in the living room and the bare windows look great...
...but the bedroom looks pale in comparison - like it's in a completely different house.

I'm also seeing another "Rug-Island": Rugs need to be under at least the front legs of the sofas/chairs in the seating area - it's one of the basic rules of decorating. This rug is clearly too small and needs to be exchanged for one of a larger size for this furniture arrangement.

There's a surplus of IKEA here - including two IKEA sofas of different styles (I initially thought that this was an apartment with roommates who had their own furniture) Lack tables everywhere, an underscaled IKEA lamp next to the green sofa, and too many itsy little tchotchkes and things on the shelves. (DVD's and CD's over the sofa? Why not in a drawer under the TV/Stereo?)

It's a nice beginning, but needs some editing and refining.
(But I'm so glad you didn't paint the paneling!!!)

Looks like it could be cool, but hard to tell with only two photo's of the room... next time around there should be a rule that each entry much show a picture at least the kitchen, and the bathroom, if possible (although I admit that this can be difficult in some apartments.)

Love the 'natural' paneling and the use of colors (couches, carpets, art work) IMO, painted paneling never looks good - if you really don't like it replace it with drywall.

Love the art and bold colors!

i'm glad you didn't paint the paneling too. i wish i had more pics from which to judge better... i do think you should have entered the art contest-- calpurnia and the piece above the bed are gorgeous.

Don't paint the paneling. You've made it work.

Thank god for color! And art! And people who look like they enjoy owning stuff!

I also love the paneling, but even if I didn't -- people, it's a rental. She can't just go paint over someone else's wood, if she'd like to see her deposit ever again ...

I wonder why the phone and ashtray are "displayed" on the bookshelves...they wold be fun to discover on one of the lack tables. Pull the furniture away from the wall! I love the colors!

To those who were curious, the "Capurnia" painting is by Christa Palazzolo.

I really like the blue rug, but its too much combined with the blue and green sofas. If you neutraled out the sofas the rug becomes the focal point and you can add touches of complement colors around the room. Bebsf has some good points about scale. Everyone has some Ikea somewhere in their lives, but it should be out of necessity, not a lifestyle (despite what their catalogs tell you!)

I really like this, especially some of your art. For once, I don't hate wood panelling! I do wish however, that you'd included less vignettes in favour of showing us your dining area.

I really like your style, but I voted it down because 800 sq ft for one person is not small.

I like your accent pieces, like the vases and the phone!

I usually despise that paneling but you have managed to somehow make it look quite interesting with your furniture and color choices.

People who think wood paneling should be painted watch too much HGTV. There's nothing wrong with wood paneling, as it's warm. Plus, it will probably be back in style in another 10-20 years.

I really like how you used the cool colours to contrast with the warm wood paneling. Not a fan of wood panelling, this place seems even nicer to be in how well you were able to make it an asset. The play of light on those walls and floors must be wonderful.

I thought everything would be white! :(

i this this is a lovely space, i voted super cool. I'd love to see more.

I *think*, I mean, not 'this this'... A bit early for me, still!

I love the antlers! My gripe is more to do with the storage -- it seems like those little bookshelves display a lot of clutter and don't really provide creative storage in a small place. Still very cheerful, though!

I dont even remember what I voted when I first saw this, but the more I look at it the more I like it. It has a fun, unique character that I'm definitely digging. And it's not (ironically, given the name of the entry) sun-drenched white-on-white, which I'm kind of getting bored with. It looks like fun!

I imagine that you can't do anything about that horrific paneling since you are renting the place... But some of your selection of objects and furniture reveal good taste. "Cool"

I agree with Martita. It's amazing anyone's sense of personal style can shine against wood paneling. The landlord needs some re-education. But since the vote is on what I saw, I voted not my bag. Your style need another canvas to shine.

i really liked the TWO photos of actual space I saw. :(

I really like it when I see a successfully done style-challenge.
This period theme looks great with the strong colors.

Maybe pull your living room seating away from the 'walls' at least a foot or 2.
Onto the rug a bit would be ideal.
A new, bigger rug would be better.
Cool place.

Bravo on the neat apt. Love it--
by the way, I'm a Laura from Austin, too!Glad to see Austinites on apt-thrpy