Name: Maya & Michael
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Type of Home: Rented Loft Apartment

What inspired you to use color? We have huge, south-facing windows that let in tons of light, which makes saturated colors look great! In fact, we used color to mute our bedroom and make it more cozy and tranquil.
Color Tip: Our apartment has a [mostly] open plan, so we've become really aware of peripheral color relationships. The colors in a home don't need to match, but they should all work together because they're all part of the same spatial experience.
Colors Used: Littleton and Wolf's Run from True Value
Welcome, everyone, to our Fourth Annual Fall Colors Sharing & Contest. We're looking for the most beautiful & colorful home in the world and sharing all of the great ideas we get with our readers. This year we're amping things up and hoping to do things better than ever. There are two basic phases, the Sharing Phase and the Voting Phase...
1. Sharing Phase - you comment, judges decide
The 40 best, completed entries will be posted on a daily basis for three weeks. You can view them all at anytime via our new, improved contest pages under ALL ENTRIES. During this time your comments are VERY IMPORTANT as our six judges will be choosing 16 finalists from each region based on comments and their own colorful opinion.
2. Voting Phase - you vote til you drop
Starting October 20th, finalist voting will begin on a daily basis through our new bracketed voting system, which will pit our 16 finalists against one another until only one remains. Sound exciting? We hope so.
Best, Maxwell











Nomade Express Slee...
Really lovely home. LOVE the coffee table!
I love your place. It looks great, but livable. I really, really love the sofa. What is it?
Okay, THIS is how it's done. They've used color in a way that works seamlessly with everything else and plays up the furniture.
Too many other entries are just "Look, I painted a turquoise accent wall."
Stunning! I love all the plants!
Well said Lisa. Lovely space. THIS is well edited.
I adore the green walls and small red pops. They work beautifully with the wood tones to make a cohesive space which is tough with an open plan. I adore your big blank office wall of 'latest inspirations.'
Handsome
On a lot of the apartments the color seems to either be the only focus or is so over the top that it makes the small rooms feel cluttered. I love how they weren't afraid to put items in the room and on the walls and the color makes the items look better instead of taking away from them. I would love to lounge in that loft.
I love the green wall and the plants - they bring so much life in space.
So unique! What an amazing combination of shape and color. I've yet to see anything else quite like this entry.
Incredibly habitable, but strikingly original.
Lovely, great job using just the right amount of color. Plus I love the hanging pendent!
It all works together. Well done.
I love it! It's incredibly well-edited put together with just enough bright and muted colors in all the right places. The home office looks like such a fun and inspiring place to work! Cute cat, too! Is it me, or do all the great entries feature cute animals? It must be a sign of greatness.
thats a nice avocado
Pea greens, yellows, and oranges are so harmonious together. These colors relax me, and so do the images of this house.
Your home is extremely inviting. I love the color combinations and the pendant above the dining table is beautiful!
No colour zaps you but they blend to attract and warm the viewer's eye. Thanks for the tour!
awesome
I really love this space. The colors are fantastic and the layout is perfect.
Love the green and the whole living room. A definite winner in my book.
This place is great! There's an abundance of color but it never overpowers the furniture or artwork, and it seems like a very comfortable, lived in space. I love all the art on the walls, especially the Charley Harper print!
I find that lamp curious yet irresistible!
do Siamese cats come in saturated colors?
this place is a real treat. the collection of art and furniture is entertaining and personal. dig that crazie lamp. I could be real comfortable here. show more!
really lovely - i'll move in next week. could you mention where the kitchen table was purchased?
I hate the couch the cushions are flat and should be replaced. Avocado again why?
Thanks, everyone, for your comments! Some answers:
Superbeetle, the couch has a metal label on one of the leags that says "Indiana National Corporation." That seems to be a previous owner and is the only mark I've found. We have a matching armchair.
Yul, yes, we're both designers!
JBrahms, Siamese cats don't come in very saturated colors, but their saturated personalities are plenty for us!
Zoo, we made the dining room table ourselves, by painting a piece of MDF and attaching legs. It was a simple DIY, and we love to idea of one day switching the top for a different look [or a different size, if need be].
Gail.gaby, we're really happy with the color but also open to changes. We like the couch, so that stays -- any ideas for a different wall color that could work in the space?
Maya
well done! I love the coffee table too and the bench by the green wall.
Great place! Love the green and all your furniture. I have the exact same armchair (the tan one with the wooden arms and legs). My husband and I found it on the street in our neighborhood and had it refurbished and recovered. Do you know anything about this piece?
This one is my fav of all, I am painting my walls this colour green this week, thanks so much for the inspiration!
Mishmiranda, our chair is unmarked, and we got it for $10. One of these days, we'd like to reupholster it, but there's no rush -- the tan is sort of boring, but it's in perfect condition.
Beautiful.
Really gorgeous. Love the avocado color especially and the way the wood tones really glow against it. Can I ask if you know anything about the lamp on the bedside table to the right? I have the same one in turquoise and absolutely adore it but have never seen another.
I'm so disappointed that this home lost to one that used very little color and didn't do a whole lot with the color it did use. This home has color and uses it in a great way!
Still life mercantile, both of the lamps in the bedroom are by Jane and Gordon Martz for Marshall Studios. I love their work! You can learn more about them here:
http://marshallstudios.net
I would really appreciate you adding a photo of your lamp to this Flickr group I created:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/marshallstudios
gail.gaby clearly has not sat on flat cushions such as yours. Invite her over - she'll convert. Your couch is woooonderful!
Maya & Michael - Beautiful house, I love the corduroy look of your couch.