Name: Rebecca E.
Location: Merrick, NY
Type: Basement 1-bdrm apt, owned (not by me!)
Why I use color:
Life seems so black and white sometimes...I need to counter that in my personal space with bright splashes of color. This was a basement that was finished in the 1950's. After visions of a contemporary, colorful loft-like space running in my mind, this renovation is the final result.
2 Good color tips:
1. When choosing a color palette for a house or apartment (especially one with an open-floor plan) try to consistently use touches of one specific color throughout the area. This will help unify the look, even if your main color choices are very diverse. For example I tried to use a splash of red in every area, even if it was just a bowl or flowers or a pillow.
2. Go with your gut! Believe it or not, your first instinct is usually the best. I firmly stood behind my choice for a green kitchen!
2 good color resources:
1. This may sound strange, but I used the packaging of a soy candle as inspiration for my bedroom color palette (sorry not shown). It caught my eye as a gorgeous and bold mix of colors- orange, green, and deep red. Everyone doubted that you could live in a pumpkin orange bedroom until they saw my results!
2. Textiles are a great source of inspiration, whether it comes from a pattern on clothing, furniture, or curtains.
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
I think it looks great! Wish I could see it in person!!! Maybe soon???
WOW! What a beautiful apartment! I love it! :-)
Elle, Juliet, Melissa and others- THANKS because I tried so hard not to have this look or feel like a basement- these are actually less than 7 foot ceilings that I had to work with!! The aspiring interior designer in me was pretty satisfied! And the green is Spring Moss from Benjamin Moore. The living room color does not come off as yellow in person, it is more of a neutral which is why I felt it could hold its own with the other colors.
You're on your way Becca! Looks like an instant winner....I hope you win!!!!!!!!
I love, love what you did with your basement. The color combination is superb, so is the division between kitchen and living area. Very well done!
GORGEOUS! A bold and beautiful use of unique color combinations, which the second picture really shows us well! Congrats!
Vivid!
Are those Ikea "Varde" cabinets that you've painted green?
KA-POW! i shall worship at your altar of Color Bravery. i adore this look. and i've done the orange bedroom and loved every waking (and drowsy) moment spent in it.
yes, IS that an Ikea kitchen with paint? I love this acidic green with grey.
is that a pool table in a chick's apartment? or is it a well-disguised bed?
Wow, I ABSOLUTLY LOVE your kitchen. It's gorgeous! I'm wearing a sweater of the exact same color! Love it.
I really like your kitchen, too. I must have missed the memo that Acid/Kermit green is hot! So many entries feature this as their dominant color.
I really like the use of the frosted glass dividers hiding the cabinet and at the same time diving kitchen and the other room elegantly..It not only lets the light through to the other adjoining room but also adds style as toom divider..
how was that accomplished..
I'd like to know more about those panels dividing the kitchen from the living area. It looks like an idea from the "Home to Go" show. Did you make them, Becca?
Love the kitchen colours!
I really like the color combination you've used. I agree that the frosted panels are very stylish.
dang the competition is really on now. i love it! did you design it yourself or did ikea do it for you? love the backsplash!
Yes, please; I'll take two. Such beautiful colors, and such inspiration. And the green!
*is speechless*
That right there, is my dream kitchen. I love apple green and grey together.
well played, my friend. well played indeed.
Wow. Bold is correct. I know the camera makes some colors appear more vivid, but even still, I'm not sure such a saturation of color works. But as always - if you love it, do it.
The colors are fucking gorgeous! This is very well executed. Insta-finalist.
Thanks for all the positive responses! Yes that is a pool table in my apartment...and yes those are Ikea free-standing kitchen units that I painted to match the walls. I designed the kitchen and searched everywhere for that subway style backsplash tile at minimal cost(I love the grey/green combo myself). I came up with the panels for a divider idea. Needed a seperation without taking up too much space and the bf is in the glass industry soooooo...
thanks everyone!
I drew it and had a carpenter build it and presto...
Hello there. It's my first time posting here. I love your kitchen and the color combination you chose. Are you appliances compact size? And if you bought your cabinets at IKEA, did you get your appliances there too?
eggcellent! this is the best use of my fav green for any of the entires so far! of course IF it were my kitchen i would wrap it up w/ orange accessories!
I usually hate basement apartments, but the layout and color in this one are gorgeous and the place doesn't look all dark and basementy ;-)
This has to be the winner so far.
Freaking brilliant. But then again- I could be bias. That is my favourite colour green.
And aside from the great use of colour you've managed to make this basement apartment look nothing like a basement at all!
Beautiful! I would have never considered that green before, but look at it, it's great.
Can you post more pics elsewhere, please? I would love to see the pumpkin colored bedroom!
It's the first basement apartment I've ever seen that, a) doesn't look like it's a basement or like it's in the basement, and b) I would live in!
Love the color, love the window room dividers, those are genius. Nice job!
PS Where do you store your pantry food? Is it out of the picture, or do you just eat out a lot?
I love, love, love. This is my dream!
One comment though: the framed picture in the 2nd photo looks too high. Are you trying to match the windows???
The whole dang thing is wildly gorgeous, and those room dividers are wonderful.
Rrrrroowr... Love it!
And I never would have guessed that painting Ikea cabinets could look so good.
How funny that your inspiration for your bedroom was a candle wrapper... the color scheme shown was reminding me of decorative candles (in a good way! something in the tint of the colors is saying "soothing aromatherapy" to me rather than "acid green! run for your life!").
Amy in Richmond, the memo on bright green seems to have been from Jonathan Adler. I'm not one of the green fans, but I really like how this green is grounded with the gray and wicker tones, rather than competing with equally intense colors.
This is color smart. You get my vote. Would like to see less of the pot and pan area. How able adding a small plant.
This is color smart. You get my vote. Would like to see less of the pot and pan area. How about adding a small plant.
zingy. sleek. shiny. the shiny black patent leather tile and the acid green and the clean white grout grid are just....tangy. the translucent panels separating the kitchen from the living area are the icy touch of real assurance and coolth.
maybe they'll let you post pix of the orange bedroom. love to see it.
thank you.
Absolutely brilliant. Well done.
Wow. I usually loathe basement spaces-- the lack of light, the general claustrophic underground feel-- but this is fantastic. *bows down in respect*
I like the kitchen. I don't like the red near the yellow next to the green. Sorry. The kitchen is brillant. The room dividers are great. Those three colors in combo remind me of a traffic light. You should win for the kitchen alone, I mean your working with a basement apartment, which does not look like it.
Melissa
This is a BASEMENT?? I don't know many people with main floor space that looks this good. Way to kick it!! I read through other posts and did not see mentioned...I think one of the reasons this works so well, is teaming bright wall colors with a much less brilliantly colored upholstery. You can't have both, and a lot of people just don't get that. I LOVE the Ikea cabinets. Saw them painted turquoise in some magazine a while back and thought they looked great, too. You did a great job. OUTTA-SITE!!:)
Love it!! Becca, did you use a primer on the ikea kitchen cabinets? I have tried to paint them before and the paint either peeled off or stayed sticky. what is your secret?
Oh my God! This entry has it all. And how about that lighting?
Who owns it? They should give you the entire house.
It is truly wonderful.Thank you for sharing and I hope you win.
This kitchen is the thing to beat, a real breath of fresh air!
whoa, this made me perk the heck up! Kudos on painting the ikea varde freestanding units!!!!! That's fabulous! You should send this to ikeahacker.com
:)
LOVE IT!!!
that's brave! and very very nice.
Damn girl - I do see the light ;) Lovely, lovely, lovely - you're SO talented.
- Jessee
I'm really impressed. I'm originally from Merrick, NY, a Long Island suburb, and I've never seen such a well-designed space in that town. AMAZING.
Absolutely beautiful. Took a lot of guts and originality to go this way, but, 'WOW" it paid off. Fantastic. Good luck!
I find your apartment amazing. The fact that this is a final product of a 1950's finished basement, blows me away. The sun-filled houses that have been entered into the contest are nice, but they don't seem to have to overcome some of the challenges that a dark, cramped apartment offers.
The installation, doesn't look inexpensive, with the recessed lighting, stainless steel appliances et al. I'm assuming that you either were offered very low or no rent for your renovation. So I'm wondering, if you could share some of your design tips and if they were in-, middle- or very- expensive to achieve? I can't tell if you painted or carpeted the floor. Do share.
Your renovation is really crisp and clean. I love it.
Love the color! Email me if you'd be interested in being on HGTV's Small Space, Big Style - nicole@brainbox.tv
Hi Samantha- the "secret" is to lightly sand the cabinets first, then prime, and then paint. And try not to bang the cabinets or the paint may chip!
Elizabeth- the floor is carpeted in the living room and bedroom and tiled in the kitchen and entry hallway. It is a family owned property so I had free reign to develop my design and use my interior design skills! Hope this helps, thanks again for the positive reinforcement...
I want that stove. Badly.
Becca,
Love the kitchen. It looks great! This is the winner by far. You have my vote 10x over.
Michele :)
Becca,
I want my next home to be a basement with YOU as my decorator! Your home is beautiful! It's a winner in my book!
Lindajl
The place is absolutely stunning! I would love for you to decorate my new place! I'm not as ballsy as you with those bold colors but maybe with your help, I can learn to be.
You win, without a doubt. AND YOU NEED to go on that HGTV show that girl wrote to you about!!!
Good LUCK, they'll be crazy if you don't win!!!
Becca,
This is truly a winner in my book.
I lived in a basement in the 50's and it looked nothing and I mean nothing like your beautiful
home.
I would love to hire you to decorate my home.
Lot's of luck.
Richie
Becca,
I don't know you but I received an email from one of my VERY BEST FRIENDS (probably my only friend) Jazz P at your job and she asked me to support you. Any friend of Jazz's is a friend of mine! Good job it looks great you've got my vote.
I am completely in love with your kitchen. The boxiness, the saturated green, and especially how those brown tiles work so well with the green. Where did you get the tiles? This somehow creates almost 50's maine country kichen vibe with the boxy cabinetry, but the paint brings it up to 60's and contemporary modern. Its not so typically from one era and thats why i love it. Good job! Its so bright I had no idea it was in a basement until reading the rest of your entry. But the great thing is that its not screaming bright. I can picture this in kate pierson's motel and it looks fun to cook in.
i LoVe iT, i LoVe iT, i LoVe iT! i NeVeR aPPReCiaTeD GReeN uNTiL You BeCaMe aPaRT oF THe TeaM! (HeY THaT RHYMeS..) BuT iN aLL SeRiouSNeSS, i LoVe WHaT You DiD WiTH THe PLaCe.
I love what you did with your place it looks fabulous. You are fabulous
The vibrant color is exactly what a basement apartment needs. The color is well balanced with the neutral furniture. The lighting is fantastic. LOVE it!!!
A real contendah!
Amazing use of color! Bold, brave, inspiring gorgeous! can you do mine????
Very cute!! i love the space and use of steel. The back-splash is adorable. The cabinets are bright and I love it!!!Good luck!
Hi Lissi- I purchased the tiles at a store on L.I. They were on closeout (discontinued) and I scooped up all that they had left to complete my backsplash vision, or else I would give you the store info. Sorry about that! They are actually a metallic gray, not brown...but thanks so much for the mix of eras compliment ;-) That does me proud! And it IS fun to cook in, & that is important for me as I am not much of a cook!
Smashing color design!
Channels the '50's exactly!
I love the interplay between the stainless steel and the green.
A lively, warm, welcoming space!
"Insta-Finalist"
I have never seen such a great mix of colors. You have a very creative eye. Well done!!!!!! I think you should win.
Hey Becca. Congradulations!
Question, where did you buy your cute table in your kitchen? I am looking for one just like it.
Thanks.
PS. I live in Queens.
when i first saw the pix it was hard to believe this basement was originally finished in the 1950s- it seems so modern, vibrant, and alive with color. still, i believe its age if only because the over-all look is a total classic without seeming the least bit dated. i guess i'm saying it's timeless. a great choice and miles ahead of the competition.
i don't know what yer talkin about- this opinion is completely neutral and un-biased.
Your vision and style is wonderful, but your creativity and bold stand on what you like is to be commented more. This is an apartment that you would never want to leave. YOU GO GIRL!!