Midwest #43: Dawn and Erik's Atomic Ranch

Name: Dawn and Erik
Location: Owatonna, MN
Type of Home: 1960 Ranch

What inspired you to use color? I wanted to highlight the coved ceilings in our dining and living rooms, so I needed a contrast color against the white ceiling. I used a pale blue the Top Design winner utilized last season--White Smoke by Pratt and Lambert.

Inspiration continued: I then used the same color on three walls of the guest room and the middle stripe on the master bedroom. I find that the pale blue color relaxs my body and mind.

Color Tip: If a color turns out too bright, use it as an accent. I painted my foyer lime green, and it was so bright it looked electric! I limited the color to the built-in shelf and the trim between rooms.

Colors Used: Valspar Lime Mousse, Benjamin Moore Hale Navy and Van Buren Brown, Pratt and Lambert White Smoke

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

- To Contest Page & All Entries -

Comments (11)

Cute house. It is similar to mine especially the bathroom. Where you have a full height wall at the end of your tub we only had a half pony wall, which is dumb for the end of a shower. We installed a big piece of tempered glass there, which looks kind of cool, especially when I have to pee and my hubby is in the shower :-)

I like the way you did your built in shelves in the dining room great idea

great space- i like the vibe in there

despite the black bath, this house is soft and cute
i like the stripes in the bedroom... subtle colorful

This is so very nice! pretty, calming and unique!

Eh... it's cute, and headed in the right direction but it hasn't made it yet. The colors are a little too soft (at least in the photos) so the feeling between them and heavier pieces -couch, dining table, piano, drapes - is very stark and gives the house a cold feeling. Bringing just a little more vibrancy to some areas will really tie the space togehter.

hmm... audrey helpburn art has become so tacky and overdone. you may have a genuine love for her, but her image has been ruined by frequent flea market vector art attempts (exactly like the one you have).

sorry!

i must commend you on the excellent staging of your home for these photos - it looks its absolutely best, that's for sure!

I have been trying to figure out what that Top Design blue was since last year's show. Thank you so much for the info!!!
I think the house is really cute. I'd think of adding a touch more of warm color here and there-the orange vases on the lime-background shelving looks great.

Very nicely done and i think the classic Audrey pic is great! Obviously you like her as do I, an icon, and our homes are not showrooms, we surround ourselves with things we love. I have one kind suggestion.....some of your art/pics etc are hung to high. I am not in the room but people tend to hang things too high and it looks like that. Then the piece appears "floating" and not "anchored" on the wall. For instance I think the center piece above the sofa could be much lower which would also break up the straight line with the pics above the lamps. Just try it and you may like it! Hang things at eye level, so the center of the piece is at eye level. Thanks!
Catherine

This could be a contender in the Small Cool contest, but not the Fall Colors. There isn't any real mastery of color shown here. You have nice taste in furniture and a good sense of proportion, but if anything I'd say your use of color is the weakest link here.

File these photos away, then resend in six months or so when Small Cool comes up.

And stick a burnt orange rug under that dining table.