apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I so agree with your color tips!

Very happy, very cute, very fresh.

Where'd you get that fab orange rug?

Great reuse of the silk shirts! And I envy the sloped ceilings... makes the room look like a hideaway.

that's an interesting height on the molded fiberglass chair. did you have a custom base made or have i just not seen this particular brilliant application of eames-ville?

also, digging your use of pattern here.

and the yard gnome. also, great posters!

Another great use of complex color relationships.

Do I detect a gnome in that incredible bottom poster? I love that you repeated the motif without it being kitchy. What is its origin?

I must say this is a great example of purposeful decorating and very careful thought with, I imagine, a small budget.

p.s. Adam I love your lamp. And maybe this isn't the place to mention it, but I for one applaud the lack of halogen uplights seen in the student apartments throughout this current contest. Is it possible that my one woman fight against 'future landfill pretending to be a lamp' is catching on?

How exactly is this complex? Not arguing, just want to understand why you say that.

But I'm sorry, those three-light pole lamps are just the predecessor to the dorm-burning halogen uplight. And just as land-fill unfriendly.

these colors don't look very complex at all, to me.

they look like everyday, ordinary, primary and secondary colors. basic color wheel paint box colors. lovely, and used very well here, but i wouldn't call them "complex".

in fact, what i like about this place is its simplicity. it's just basic bold color on a white background. what makes it interesting and sophisticated is his use of pattern and layering. lush, yet also simple.

which, i'm sorry to say, really obscures what you mean when you say an entry is "complex" and/or "sophisticated" or not.

it seems to mean, yet again, "to my taste."

not a big problem with that, but let's be honest here and call a spade a spade. it's ok to say, "i like this, i think it's a fun room and a good use of color." you don't HAVE to use fancy design terms and try to make your tastes sound objective, if none come to mind.

The birds on the lamp are adorable. They belong in this room.

Actually Patrick, the reason I love this lamp is that it has birds on it. And it is not anything like Halogen uplights, which are horrible and a fire hazard. I am certainly aware that it is a 60's throughback that you are thinking of, the ugly metal three cone sticks with wooden finals for directing the light; my love of this lamp has to do with the color and the birds and I am proud of our students who refuse to go with the cheap torchiere that will be thrown out when they move their new dorm next year. You know?

To the Opoponax and Patrick:
I am not going to say anything else about how I view these colors other than this because I don't feel like fighting with you two, I will not comment about this entry again and I will not defend this, this is all I am going to say:

First, I didn;t say complex colors, I said Complex Color Relationships (nor did I say sophisticed colors which these are not). Notice how your eye goes around the room, pink to red to orange to yellow, teal to green to blue. He has used so many colors and your eye follows along, like a circle. Every thing relates to the other without matching yet it is very harmonic.

Just because something is clean and spare doesn't mean that it is not complex; that is really not an argument that any Modernist could possibly accept. In fact, it is the basis of Modern with a capital M. An Eames Plywood lounge chair is practically the poster child for that thinking (the presence of which has nothing to do with why I think this room is successful, byt the way).

Also, he has used gray and white to achieve space; look how big that room looks and he worked with his light instead of against it, which so many people don't understand.

YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. TELL ME YOU DONT LIVE THERE. HOW OLD ARE YOU?....3? JEEPERS ITS LIKE A CHEAP CANDY SHOP MOTEL. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? WHY BOTHER TO EVEN TRY THIS CONTEST. YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME AND THE JUDGES TIME. THIS IS THE MOST FRUITY ROOM I'VE EVER SEEN. YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS JUST PLANE RIDICULOUS AND A REAL JOKE! TERRIBLE! JUST HORRIBLE! I GIVE YOU ZERO FOR EFFORT AND TASTE.

I think she means the relationship between the colors is complex, not the colors themselves. as we've seen in some other entries, bold primary colors aren't always skillfully used in 'sophisticated' relationships.
I think the way he's used a neutral backdrop for all his punchy art and accessories without it looking like a technicolor entry. The skills applied here to put simple, but different, colors together is where the 'complex' is.

btw, I love this room. I love attic hideaways and I wish this becomes a finalist so that we can get more pictures!

I love your gnome! He links with the birds on the pole lamp, and carries the idea of multiple colors in one space.

Opoponax:
I responded before I saw this afterthought of yours that you were stewing on:

---"not a big problem with that, but let's be honest here and call a spade a spade. it's ok to say, "i like this, i think it's a fun room and a good use of color." you don't HAVE to use fancy design terms and try to make your tastes sound objective, if none come to mind." --- Wow, I didn’t realize complex and sophisticated where considered "fancy" design terms; I use words like complex and sophisticated everyday, I guess I sound like a friggin professor over here or something, huh?

First I'd like to say that I am not trying to sound objective, YOU are the person who demanded that I justify why I like something or why I don’t like something. Remember? The Canadian Student, the Lv home (R). Remember you asked for a better explanation of my use of Sophisticated? Remember?

Funny, you seemed to have been looking for well thought out answers then, now when I give those answers you tell me that I am being to cerebral for you. What is it that you want Opoponax, all that I want is for you to be happy because that is all that matters here, that YOU are pleased.

Just so you know, these boards are not designed for your benefit alone, though you seem to think every post is directed at you or here for your comment. I am happy to continue on here and give my opinion (which is all I am doing by the way) and not continue to justify it to you, but you seem to think you deserve to understand everything if it is not readily apparent to you and since you have so little understanding of color and design and are always questioning me, for some reason (Opoponax are you obsessed with me? You are aren’t you?) I venture to help.

Now, let’s don’t call a spade a spade or someone might say what they think about you.

Hey everyone - Thanks so much for the comments thus far. My room is the one space where I can have free rein and I try to make it as fun a place to live in as possible. The gnome and the birds remind me to keep things playful. Life is way too short to be serious all the time.

While the color is bright and concentrated there are lots of areas for the eyes to rest. I have no trouble focusing when at my desks, or trying to sleep. If I make it to the finalists I look forward to showing more photos!

Opponomax: the chair is a variation the Eames designed. It works great with the sloped cielings.

Mama Chilanga: the rug was from Target last year :)

And WC...what a mean thing to say! Of course I live here, I'm not 3, and I would certainly hope that when you say "fruity" you're not making a bigotted comment. Altho if you were it might account for your unwillingness to appreciate other peoples style. If you can't say something nice, or even useful, dont bother.

you know, i'm really not trying to be argumentative or put you on the defensive here, Colleen. comment on whatever you want. i don't really care. believe it or not, i'm not out to get you.

i just think it's silly to couch your personal tastes in five dollar design terminology, and then keep insisting that the rest of us are just simply not educated enough to understand why your opinions are 'correct' and ours aren't.

yes, it's true, simple isn't always simple as it looks. and yes, you're right that there's a lot more going on here than just basic color wheel colors. for instance, the reason so many disparate colors work well together is that they're all at the same level of saturation. the room is also very well balanced with regard to not having TOO MUCH going on. there are a lot of different colors, but pattern is used in moderation. there's also still plenty of neutral space for the eye to rest. so you're right that a lot of thought was put into this composition.

all in all, though, the look is very straightforward. the relationships between the colors here are actually much more simple than in many of the other entries which use shades at a variety of levels of saturation, or a combination of primary/secondary and tertiary colors.

which, by the way, is a good thing. i think we all agree here that the room is great.

you just don't have to get all highfalutin' about it, is all.

This board/site/blog really loses it's worth when the 2 "constants" get overly involved; you'd think it was their on personal sand-box - I just gloss over their comments. And of course, these are the same folks who essentially drove Andree(?) way. Granted I didn't care for 99% of what she (?) had to contribute, but I view this like TIVO, if you don't like the commercial, then ff>.

And yes I meant "constants" and NOT contestants.

Voted for In Contention - would have like wider shots to more appreciate the complex colour relationships.

Great job! The colors are balanced really well, and this room looks like a happy place to be.

Neal: I am genuinely sorry for this, I wish I wouldn't allow the opoponax to bait me, but she did, I should be bigger than this, but I'm not.

I must say, I actually never commented while Andree was here, so I hope you don't site me in her departure (I assume you meant I was one of the constants, though I have been quite restrained until last week). Is there perhaps another Colleen?

colleen, i don't want to crowd the thread by turning this into an argument, but i'm not baiting you.

i responded to something you said.

not everybody agrees with you or loves everything you say. not everybody agrees with me or loves everything i say. let's move on, shall we?

Hi Col
alas the 2nd "constant" is actually someone else whose posts i actually looked forward to in the past...
:(

Colleen,

I think you were out of place to post your second comment on this thread. If you have personal gripes about a particular poster, takes those private next time.

"Just so you know, these boards are not designed for your benefit alone..., but you seem to think you deserve to understand everything if it is not readily apparent to you and since you have so little understanding of color and design and..."

At least the other conversations were somewhat design oriented.

Adam, what a great space! I love this site, but never posted until now; it's really upsetting to see those who can't appreciate the beauty of this room. It's nice to see someone who's on a limited budget but has still done creative and fun things. It may not be as refined as others can afford, but it still reflects your personality with great colors and great taste.

Thanks for representing the youngins who are design savvy but are sharing a third floor apartment. As we say in Boston, "wicked pissa."

And, Colleen, I REALLY wanted to hear you explanation. I was NOT trying to start an argument. Did you miss the part "not trying to argue" in my question? Jeeeeeez.

Well, I DID want to know your opinion. But now, not so much.

It would also be nice to see someone win who could doesn't already clearly have the resources to make their space just how they want it.

If I were a psychologist I'd say "Opoponax" has low self-esteem and feels attacked when questioned because she cannot separate dissention from criticism.

Since she views her "brain" as her identity she is afraid that people will think she is uneducated or not smart and when she doesn't understand something so she bashes and trashes to make herself feel better.

Since we're calling out spades, she thinks she's a genius and is very nervous because she didn't go to Harvard or Columbia (though she’d lead you to believe otherwise) (oh, how I hope Colleen did, it would kill her).

She isn't an artist or a designer and only has a BA and feels extremely inferior and defensive because she has no confidence in herself or her brain and can only feel good if other people accept her (even though she insists that she hates everyone and doesn't care what people think of her).

Trust me, she’s being argumentative and she’s baiting you and she is obsessed with defeating anyone who challenges her.

Sara you know what I mean, don't you?

Adam,

THIS IS MY FAVORITE ENTRY! (I hadn't planned to write in all caps until I saw WC's comment and wanted to rival his volume. Though I assumed he was joking because this is clearly the COOLEST ROOM IN TOWN. I love it, and agree heartily with everything you write. I hope you're voted a finalist so we can see more pics. I love that the colors coordinate well without being match-match, that the room is vibrant and interesting without being oversaturated or oppressive, and that your use of simple, low furnishings and small colorful accents help the small space feel open and airy. Best of luck.
(Watch for my entry in the SF column; my space is still a work in progress but I agree 100% with your guidelines.)

ok, this is getting creepy and fucked up.

i'm guessing "IKY" stands for "I know you". or maybe it's not that creative.

it seems to be someone who knows me off the web. someone who doesn't like me?

but this person also clearly doesn't know me that well, at all, because almost everything you said, IKY, is wrong or a total distortion. and that's being as honest about myself and my faults as i can be. am i a know it all sometimes? sure. do i like to have the last word? sure. that's about all you got right.

IKY also apparently doesn't have very good reading comprehension -- in this entire thread i have not gone on the defensive or felt attacked in any way at all. i have repeatedly tried to stress that i'm not trying to be argumentative at all, just trying to engage in discussion. maybe i wasn't very polite about that? i honestly don't know. sometimes i come off as an argumentative bitch. if anyone has been honestly offended, i apologize. including to you, Colleen.

ok, now either we call the dogs off, or i go away, cancel my flickr account (the fact that i've linked to it here and have photos of myself and my home is really frightening me), and never post here again because i am honestly so disgusted right now that i could quite literally vomit.

Dogs off. You're very smart, don't worry about what people think.

it has nothing to do with what people think, and everything to do with the fact that i've had a stalker before. there were several occasions when, having moved three times in the space of 6 months, the trail was cold and he had to resort to similar scare tactics to the above. as such, that kind of online behavior FREAKS ME THE FUCK OUT, because it reminds me that, yeah, there very well could be somebody out to get me.

so as long as you don't have any plans to come over to my apartment and do scary things to me, frankly, i don't give a damn. i have enough people in my life who are somehow able to transcend the flaws and care about me. the rest can kindly fuck themselves.

also, adam, i apologize for hijacking your thread here. you have a lovely place and after all this i think you deserve one of those prizes.

though honestly, i think it'd be a shame if you used the funds to change anything in this room at all.

Oh, no, no, no, no, I am not a stalker. Don' t be scared, oh, no. Yes I know you, yes.

I was surprised by how inmature and downright nuts you seem on this site, and responded with the same low level myself.

I want you to believe in yourself. Think about what you say, think about your truth and what matters.

Sorry, a thousand times sorry. Please don't fret none.

For me this one is just okay. Nothing to get excited about really (despite whatever all that is up there). I mean it's colorful. I'll give it that. Just seems a little random, or rather the colors are there just by coincidence if that makes any sense.

Its colorful and fun. Read his description about his color choices if you think they seem random. I dont think this room is for everyone, but it certainly seems to be working for Adam. And its nice to see more entries that are well done, and not on a million dollar budget!

Love it! Great ideas executed amazingly!

I love the orange pillow and the green curtains. They brighten the whole room.

Wow, a day late and look what I missed! I voted "Insta-Finalist" because I like the tasteful application of color to the neutral backdrop. Plus, Adam lives in the next town over.

Adam - Insta Finalist! Love the play of light through the curtain.

Mods - Could you delete some of the bickering? Adam's thread has been hijacked & the childish behavior is inappropriate.

I love this! Very bright and cheerful.

Grady - Thanks for your vote! Your blog rocks Boston! Wanna put a link to my entry up? *wink wink*

Camelia - thanks for the props.
Opoponax - I'll change minor things - but only to make it better ;) Thanks for the support!

I would like to say to the rest of the peeps out there. It is a challenge decorating a rented apartment on a budget. I was lucky enough that my landlord let me paint - let alone any renovations. I'd love a place all my own to trick out.

At the end of the day I love coming to my room, reading a book by the window, working on my art, or pulling out the low chairs and watching a movie with a friend. And c'mon...who doesnt smile at a gnome?

looovve it loove it! it's nice to see a real "non-showroomy"look. all the right nuances of color are in place, this inspires me to re-do my guest bedroom!

I like the room, but the posts here are getting creepy!

Can you guys seriously find another forum in which to bicker? It is so disrespectful to:

a) Adam's entry - to have it hijacked by catty comments back and forth

b) the readers, who come to AT to find solutions and inspiration

c) Maxwell and the moderators who created AT

Grow up and move on!

Adam - I love the orange chair on the wire base. Ignore all the bickering. Your entry is great.

you are a gem. what a gem you are.

First comment after months of lurking:

1. Adam, for a guy in the 'ville, you've got such happenin' style! It's fresh, unpretentious, and very attainable by those of us who don't access to the uber-chic goods out there.

2. Style elitism (referring to the snarking on your thread) is to the 00's what double lattes were to the 90's.

Dinnae Ken: you must be a local if you're calling it the 'ville ;-D And if you are Im sure you can testify what its like trying to live in a rental around here: pick an uber chic loft, a stiff, formal colonial, or a cosy...if somewhat worn 3 family style.

My place makes me happy, which is all I can ask for. The rest of the house is painted in blues (hallways), orange (dining room), eggplant (so cozy living room), green (kitchen), and MAGENTA (bathroom). ...ok.. I'd repaint the bathroom. But the house is bright and cozy and a stones throw from the most rockin square in Somerville.

Such colors enlight your mental as vitamins do to your body,
Very good MENTAL STAMINA.

It's no surprise that your room looks like this Adam. Colourful place for a colourful personality! And a big yeay for Boston area entries....

Thanks Athalie! Glad you got a chance to see it. The more I look at my entry the more I wish I had posted a different picture than the top one. It makes my room look only orange, red, and green. There are some great blues and yellows as well throughout the room. In the future the competition should allow 3 pics (IMHO)

Id be thrilled to make it to the next round to show people what the space really is.

I too love the birds and the gnome.

Hooray for an entry thats not all glossy and straight out of the pages of a design mag. Most of the rooms rely too much on "design" or on "character"...nice to see a place that has both.

I like this, but I want to see more of the room. Do you have more pics of your space?

To me, this is a great room for a kid.

It is cute, the colors are well used and the colection of objects are interesting.

i think there is much to love here, and then i think, if i was bringing someone "seroius" home, this wouldn't really do.

i like the modest quality, who needs to spend a ton? but it is really more college student than grown-up real world Living.
i'd love to see your place when that second "real" job salary kicks in.

Not even the Eames chair (boring) takes away the dorm room feel. It's a weird combo of trying hard (but using predictable elements) and not trying at all (what's up with the lumpy bed?) I'd rather spend money on a good mattress than giving it to DWR for status. And I'm all for vibrant colors but they have to be part of a defined palette and not random like here.

Kel: if YOU brought someone 'serious' to MY bedroom I'd be concerned. My living space is an honest reflection of my personality. I'm not a middle aged professional, so why would my space try to portray that? I'm a young artist, living in a bohemian neighborhood outside of Boston. If someone is 'serious' enough to be in my bedroom, they're already going to know me!!


Lapo- some people-like you- view Eames' furniture as a status symbol. I view it as a design interest. (A photo of my bookshelf would reveal that) I dont shop at DWR and my mattress is perfectly comfortable. (conceit: the throw pillows were a bad decision for the sake of the contest)

And sure, the industrial carpet and the lamp give a little of that 'dorm room' feel, but thats why I entered the contest- to win cool stuff from CB2!! Who needs a prize if your space is already perfect?

But seriously, being young (often) means being on a budget. It means living in spaces that are not perfect, and making the best of them -and THAT is more about 'real-world living' than a lot of entries I've seen. Its easy to have a gorgeous house if you've got money.

Oh snap! Apparently being young also means not handling criticism well.
Being young, artistic and "bohemian" often means striving for originality and innovation rather than bowing to cliches, regardless of "design interests." We're not here looking for perfection, but fresh imperfect ideas.
Just my opinion... sorry if I can't join the biased army of fans.

Lapo - there is a difference between criticism that is constructive and criticism that is disparaging. If you were offering some good suggestions I'd willingly take them into consideration.

As for my 'design interests', I'm glad you feel confident enough to write off one of most influential and expansive design teams of the 20th Century as "boring". Perhaps you are right. Afterall...the Eames ONLY operated their studio for 40 years. They ONLY reinvented the way people design and buy furniture. Their photographs ONLY comprise 5% of the Library of Congress' print collection. They ONLY created hundreds of films, ONLY created museum exhibits (stills showing today), ONLY worked with IBM, Westinghouse, Boeing, and Polaroid, ONLY have artwork and items in most Modern museum collections. You're right. I should just... NOT be interested in them because DWR promotes their furniture, and because you think it's cliche.

So, do you spell your last name E-A-M-E-S or A-S-S?

( and don't doubt your frat house buddies are laughing theirs off at this- they seem up for anything- like rampant voting)

Before you spit out the inevitable indignant overkill rant, know this: for making a mockery of a genuine, fun-based, creative contest, complete with curious voting : YOU WIN!

News that'll sting: no sponser awards their cash prizes to ill-tempered, self-indulgent, super-whiners .

Say and believe what you like: THEY AREN'T GIVING YOU THE PRIZE BECAUSE YOU ARE A SORE CONTESTANT.

If you insist on believing any of the above was less than useful ReRead it after you fail to make the cut. And don't kid yourself with some faux-humble-misunderstood-artist-can't they take a joke response , The proof is in your entry reponses which went from reasonable to ego blasts of rage.

In the end the truth is the greatest kindness, even when it comes in obnoxious doses- Just like the stuff you dish out.

Fun response. -"ego blasts of rage" - hehehe... Raving crazy...but fun ;-D

This looks like the room I had in highschool 10 years ago.
I looked through each of the contestants entries and I can't believe this one is even a consideration.

When I first saw this room, my thought was, "Are you kidding me?" But then I looked again. When you get past the bad photo quality, there are some things here that really work well together.

If you're *actually* in a frat, you've got one of the nicer rooms I've seen. (The ones where I went to university all had homemade bunk beds, or stick-on fake marble tile, or stripper poles. For those of you who think about this not being suitable for bringing someone special over, think of the alternatives ... If I were dating him, I'd like spending time here.)

I don't think you don't handle criticism well. I think you handled it with a lot more grace than some people would have. I think the real losers in this argument are those who give criticism but don't make any suggestions on how to make it better. They're basically saying, "This sucks, but though I couldn't do any better, I'm going to bitch anyways."

If I were going to change anything about this room, it would be the curtains. They're fine curtains, and might look good in the eggplant room, but to me they seem a little light-colored for this space.

Now some comments from the peanut gallery:

Nevermind actually. I was going to deal with each of the bickerers individually, but that's going to do more harm than good. I'm just going to say this: There is nothing wrong with having "only" a BA. In fact, theres nothing wrong with having only a GED if that's all you need to do what you love and to support the way of life you're accustomed to. The number of degrees one has on his wall (and the places they came from) is not everyone's measure for success, and is certainly no guarantee of happiness.

wow - great use of color - nice work blending it all together!

Thats a great comment Sara. Where is your room so that we can all see how wonderful and better it is?