apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

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wow. I love it! you have such great lighting and played it up so well with everything. it is very alive!

very nice! mermaid colors in my mind!

I had a hard time voting because I really love your living room but not your bedroom. I think your bedroom would be much lovelier if you cut down on some of the pattern and clutter. I feel the pattern and clutter just don't do all that beautiful color justice. With a little editing that bedroom could be serene.

Your living room is beautiful. I love the sofa and the pottery on the table. I am not a fan of those little nook things on your wall. This also looks like clutter to me. I would prefer to see those cute paintings more centered over the sofa (although - kudos you hung them at the right height. It drives me crazy when people hang their art too high). But the very common West Elm candlestick need to go. Sorry, but it is just too ordinary with the wonderful pottery on your table. That pottery combined with those wonderful paintings and your pillows is just enough.

Please also change the curtain over the door. I realize this might be a necessity, but perhaps a cute screen would work better (and preferably in white).

Keep up the good work. I'm beginning to think I should hire myself out as an editor, I keep harping on people to edit. Sorry about that.

Very nice living room, though I too don't like the West Elm vase or those box nook things on the wall (too over the top and the W.E. is common). Great couch, excellent color, wonderful vase and tray on side table but a little less cushion would be nice.

What's that on the blue wall?

The bedroom, though colorful, has too many styles fighting each other.

Like the living room better than the bedroom b/c the bedroom seems cluttered & busy to me, but if you wake up happy - who can argue? In the living room the WE candlestick w/candle is just too big for there, and the wall boxes don't add anything to the room - maybe you can use these someplace else in the apartment? Can't see the bird very well in the photo - a Waylande Gregory one might work better with the colors in the room. I agree with Peggy, a different curtain would work better. Thanks for sahring your photos!

Ditto Peggy's comments. I do like your place though!

I love the fact that your bedroom makes you happy when you wake up in the morning--that's what our homes should do!!

It definitely made me go wow. ;-)

I really love the bedroom, actually. some may feel it has too much "pattern", but really, most of the pattern is limited to the pillows and the quilt, and not the walls/curtains/etc. so it's not too overwhelming. i like it because it's happy and bright and unafraid, and most of all it's *personal*. it's all about HER personal style, and how she puts her things together, really. and it really doesn't matter where her things come from...even if they are ubiquitous, her way of putting them together is going to differ from the next guy or gal, and it does.

i say bravo.

We have the same comforter! I also entered this contest, but did not submit my bedroom. We have very similar taste, so of course I love your place!

I especially love ALL your pillows, the art on your living room wall (who's the artist?), and the dishes on your living room endtable.

Great stuff!

Dear Garry,

I would live my whole life inside your bedroom if you let me. There will be plenty of time for serenity when I'm dead.

This entry grows on me more and more each time I look at it. What I really like about it is that it has an authentic personality. Some of the other entries are so over-planned etc that they lack personality. I don't agree with what others have said about the bedroom--I like how cluttered and active it is. Not that I think editing would be a bad thing, but this sort of colorful layered look seems to be part of the owners style. I also like the living room (and agree about getting rid of that generic west elm stuff and the door hanging) I am voting this one in contention, because it is refreshing and true to itself.

Cushions aren't clutter, silly wabbits! What do you rest your heads on when you read, flat surfaces? One strategically placed pillow in the center of the bed?

Great wall color in the bedroom, and I love the green sofa.

Mmm! love the bedroom, the colors work so well with each other. It definitely shows your personality and doesn't look like over-stylized. Love the prints on the living room wall, love the pillow on that chair in your bedroom, love the way that aqua dresses *pops* out, love the light playing with the pink window curtains... This is a space that looks like its truly enjoyed.

Hey, is this tasteful bedroom really a guy's space or is Gary just some kind of stage name?:-)

I just love this. It's evocative. Did you do the chest yourself?

Did you make some of those pillows? The fabric on the green-yellow one on the back of the couch looks like something i saw at reprodepot... anyway, great pillows!

I like this entry, but I think the bed needs some more throw pillows. Seriously. ;-D its a great entry.

This is a really, really great entry. The bedroom is a wonderful mix of colors and patterns. Most could not pull this off. It does not look gaudy or busy, it looks fresh and vibrant without trying to hard. The living room is also very well done. Great combination of green and blue.

Get rid of the west elm stuff?? Give Garry2R a break. He/She uses these "commonplace" elements very nicely amid a stylish decor. If they were $1,000 pieces from DWR, I doubt people would make such comments. Besides, this is a contest about color and the palette is very pleasing to the eye.

I love the style of the bedroom; the fuschia curtains, the salmon walls - the combo has got a lot of good energy. The zebra pillow in the living area is very whimsical and cute, too.

This entry made me happy the instant I laid eyes on it.

I'm going to echo what Tulip said about this entry really having personality. I've looked at all of these for days now and this is the first that I've commented on. A few others are beautiful but soooooo planned out and "showroomy" I feel like I've been reading and re-reading the DWR catalog for days.

Beautiful color, cozy, personal. Great entry. I'd also live there if I could and wake up happy. :)

Well I like the door hanging--the colour plays nicely off the sofa--that bit of quirkiness keeps the thing from being over stylized. I'm not fond of the black squares, though.

It's the bedspread. Love every single darn thing about the bedroom. But. The bedspread clashes.

Love this bedroom living combo! Your bedspread reminds me of when I was growing up I think I had something similar back in the late 60's early 70's somewhere in that time zone. I love the way you incorporated it with the rest of rooms decor. Wow, another favorite!! Good luck!

I think you did a great job. I, personally, would just edit out a few pillows, maybe just leaving the orange one on the chair in the bedroom. But that's just me I don't like too many pillows.

Where did you get that striped vase on the top cube in the living room?

I love these two rooms-a visual feast! I agree with Mags post with respect to the items in the room. It shouldn't matter where the items came from/how much they cost, whether it's a ten dollar vase from W/E, a twenty dollar kilim from Istanbul, or a thousand dollar chair from DWR. This is about COLOR and Garry2R has done a great job.

Love it!

Keep that bedroom the way it is. People, it's called "Apartment Therapy" for a reason....

Damm, all of us do not have houses straight out of Elle Decor!!

This is the only entry that I've felt compelled to write about. I think it really stands out -- the colors are complicated, with a lot of nice interrelationships, so that it's harmonic without being matchy-matchy. As others have said, the space feels really casual and lived-in, stylish without feeling designed, and just makes me happy. And it has The Warmth!

This is such an incredibly inventive entry! & really shows an adventurous play of color & texture, & pattern! Wow amazing such energy !

I think this is great. So unfussy and welcoming, yet stylish with a lot of personality. There are many beautiful homes out there that are so carefully "styled" that I'd feel uncomfortable in them, worried that I'd disturb something.

This home looks like a wonderful, happy, inviting place to visit and have a cuppa. Wonderful job.

I love it. I do not understand how someone can comment on your stuff. They are crazy. Your space is warm and inviting. It has personality. BRAVO!

I like it! I would love to see more picutres of your place. From the pictures it's hard to see all the colors that were used in the room. But I bet it's lovely with the sunshine in the morning!! I like the green's and blues in the living room and the colors in the bedroom. I think it's funky and has a unique style, without looking like you tried to make it look like a magazine and I love that. It looks very homy and it certainly looks like it reflects your personal tastes and styles. Good Job!

LOVE IT!

Picture Perfect

Gary2
I love it,great deco
Nancy from Boston

Just wonderful – when ever I'm lucky enough to be invited into another person’s home - I always ask myself - do you want to know this person? - And my answer after viewing this lovely dwelling is yes, I want to know Garry - Energetic, Creative, Bright, Sensitive, - Great areas of controlled clutter with a touch of "common" - Common-in the sense that it all feels real - and not a put on... When is your next dinner party - I’ve got a candy striped shirt itching for a debut... congratz on your lovely home - Duane Paul
C

Fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gary, I hope you win!
Really, this is what this contest is really about. The various shades are all so vibrant - without feeling overwhelming or exhausting. I'm with those that said this contest is about color, not what you own. I too am happy to see a room with spirit! You've done a beautiful job and as soon as I saw the photo of your bedroom, my eyes lit up. I love it all. It actually has me saying, "I wanna be friends with this person."

Did Margo suggest replacing the bird in all seriousness? Really? "You know that vintage porcelain bird you love? Get rid of it and buy a different one that goes more with your couch."

BIZARRE. So not in touch with how actual humans live in their homes.

It reminds me of what I've been seeing in decorating magazines lately: entire bookshelves with the spines turned IN. So the whole thing looks white and thus matches. It looks neat at first, but in real life, how would you ever find a book you're looking for? It shows how unrealistic many designers are, and it's why I LOVE this website instead of Elle Decor!

Love the orange, pink and green in the bedroom. The reason I did not vote for this favorably is only because the stripes of the quilt seem to clash (in this picture, maybe not in real life) with the rest of the colors in a major way. If the quilt were in the color scheme with the walls, it would have been a #1 for me. I voted before I was able to see the living room colors, which I really really like.

I feel that the colors open the rooms up and gives life to what I am sure having once lived in NYC, more life. There is a nostalgia and cleanliness to the pallette. Love it.

I love this apartment. I love the creative us of color, the combination of fun and beautiful art on the walls and new and vintage pillows, pottery and fabrics. It's clear that a warm and creative person has chosen this decor and hand selected and loves each element. I think Garry should win.

I just want to flop down on that bed and read novels and eat bon-bons all afternoon. Love the colours, textures, and relaxed feel of this entry - looks livable, not "done".

WOW! It is kooky to see my place on the "interweb" And I feel a little kooky commenting on it but I have read some of the comments and It feels so great that a room I love can make people feel great too. I just finished my morning coffee and my bed is unmade with a fuzzy dog sprawled out on it-so today is a good day. To answer some inquiries:
*The pillows are from:
Brroklyn Bags/Jonathan Adler(Sample sale)/Salvor They all have websites
*The artwork in the living room is by ALexandra Morrill No Website YET! Soon...
*The Striped vase in th black box is by Johnathan Adler Happy Home
*Though the "West Elm" candle holder is indeed from "West Elm" I don't see it like that-To me it is a cute YELLOW enamel candle holder that I saved from mass market hell :)
*If you are in th bedroom the quilt (Target) does indeed match the wall (it has orange in it)
*The wall hanging is from the indoor market in Instanbul which is were I learned to haggle-I does look a little wonky I wished I had IRONNED it...
Finally Thanks to all who said they liked my place and would like to come over-That is the real reason to use color: To make people feel good and want to be there.

Garry

hi garry.
i love your home, and your sense of color and design. i think i am connected to people's homes when i feel their personality surging through the color and the knick-knacks. yours is a home where everything has meaning and has been collected over time. love you, and i love to see you in this contest. xoxo

Even if the color combination is not to one's own taste, appreciation should be given to Garry's ability and creativeness in effectively utilizing the color palette in such a welcoming manner. If only more of us had the ability to make such a spectrum of colorful shades into a warm and cozy home.
PEACE

I just really, really, want that zigzaggy quilt.

Garry, it’s just like a mojito for the eyes!!

That pink is fabulous.

I'm sure someone already commented, but...I love that the pillows are a sophisticated mix and not all the same. In general, the colors have a more complex relationship in this entry and I like your attitude toward the few mass market objets...lots of cool vintage finds were mass marketed at one point. Wasn't that the point for some of the more avidly collected mid-century designers? In the end, the qualities that you like about it will endure, long after the current West Elm catalog has been recycled.