Fall Colors Northwest Finalist #1: Derek's Earthy Blank Canvas

Here is the first of our 4 northwestern finalists. Our judges are making the final decisions, but your comments can help them out. Remember, everyone is a winner at AT ;-)...

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Name: Derek
Location: Portland
Type: Owned 2 bedroom apartment
Go to: Derek's original entry

Enter Slideshow

Derek's favorite OTHER entry:

My favorite entry is Nathaniel & Keith's Blue Period (#9 on NY)

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Tell us about your favorite colorful object in your home:

My favorite object in my home is the tree stump turned garden object outside on my balcony. I bought the tree stump in a small logging town in southern Oregon, hoping to make it coffee table. It didn't look good, though, in the space, so I put it out on the balcony, trying to figure out how I should get rid of it-- sell it, give it to a friend, etc. When I put it out there I sort of liked it, but it still was missing something. Since I'm on the 25th floor (no greenery up there) and plants seemed the obvious thing to do, I opted for a little different-- fake grass. This really works for me, and it gives life to my balcony from inside my place.

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To Contest Page with All Entries & All Judges

Comments (16)

This is one of my favorite entries. The choice of design and colors is rich and thoughtful.

I love this place. I think it's beautiful, peaceful, well styled but not overstyled... Not to mention that the bathroom is to die for. And I know there are those who will argue that this palate of mostly neutrals is indeed colorful. But it's just not, to me, the type of color use that I envision this contest celebrating. It's a gorgeous home, for sure, but colorful? Not so sure.

Gorgeously done. What is that grassy sculpture piece in pic 11, and where did you get it?

Beautiful, great textures and materials overall, and yes, natural color is color, but putting it together doesn't require quite the same sort of eye I imagine the contest recognizing.

This is a gorgeous home. I don't know that it belongs as a finalist in a color contest, but I love it. I think if there were a contest for using nature inspiration/natural elements in a home, this entry would be a shoo-in!

Derek, I'd love to know where you got that headboard. And the stuffed owl on the bed makes me smile - perfect accessory.

This entry reflects the true colours of Pacific northwest nature where greens, browns and definately grey dominate our landscape. It's not in your face colour, but it's rich natural colour, I love it!
Can you tell us about the circles on the wall, is it one piece or ? How wide/long is your bathtub area? I'd love to do something similar in our bathroom. Last q's, did you build the bed platform?(love the 'firepit')

Oh my god! Will you marry me? Shoot! I'm already married! I love everything about this house. I am in love, love, love with wood slab furniture AND modern designe elements.

This is my dream dining room set:

A table like this -
http://hudsonfurnitureinc.com/2007/

with these chairs in transparent
http://dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=2583

(sigh)
Someday...someday

This is a great example of how well wood and white work together.

It is a beautiful house, but I really don't think of it as a stellar use of color. I know neutrals are colors, but it just feels so safe and uncolorful. More of a winner for a straight design contest or something that is about textures. I don't understand how it got this far.

BIG PUFFY HEARTING all the concrete/wood creations! Did you do these?
And please, info about those light fixtures in the kitchen!

A downed grove of NW trees for this? I thought green/eco/sustainability was in...so much for APT judges.

With all due respect to the last comment, I would be careful to make blanket statements. This is Derek, the one who owns this place.
My top priority for this place was for it to fit in with its pacific northwest surroundings and be as environmental as possible. The wood floors you see are engineered, which means recycled/reconstituted wood. The counter tops are a recycled composite concrete--a lot more $$, but I made the choice for environmental. The floors in the bathrooms are all natural linoleum. Both cabinet and floors were purchased at ENVIRONMENTAL BUILDING SUPPLY-- a local Portland business.
The wood furniture you see was handmade by local craftsmen from various small logging towns within Oregon. I found these people on a drive I made from Los Angeles to Portland and met each person that made anything for me. I like to support local small businesses, and trust me, these people are not the ones destroying forests. You can count on large building centers for that. I don't think these people make enough to afford a dentist.
I tried my best to do as little purchasing from any chain store as I could, and I think I did pretty well in that.
So why don't you look around your own house, PLASTICRANSOM. How much of your stuff was made by someone you actually met? Or was it made somewhere like China-- a real environment wonder.

A blanket statement and irresposible...i apologize. Good luck!

ps...my home is mostly reclaimed american and european furniture, with a litte china thrown in.

Without question the best-looking home in the contest. I live very far away from the PNW (another country, actually), but I suspect more than a few readers from that region would like to know where in Oregon these craftsmen operate?