apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I want to see more of this place! Is is a flat-pack house? Very cool!

Where did you find those 2 narrow awning windows just under the cupboards? Who made them? We were searching for some until last week, when we finally gave up, and went with a different window configuration.

i think the orange looks great as a counterpoint to the lush, green view.

i think the green is an interesting complement to the lush, green view.

together, though? it's just kind of off, somehow. i think it's the minty pastel green vs. the ubersaturated orange. an issue of tint and hue rather than the colors themselves. a more yellowy green would have moved this into 'hells yeah!' territory for me. or a supersaturated strong turquoise blue rather than the orange...

keep in mind that the eye, the camera, and the monitor can be subjective, though. maybe this works better in person than on film?

True orange and sandblasted glass green--two of my favorite colors.

Brilliant counterpoints, really nicely done!

I'd also love to see more of this place....

wow, i was surprised to log on and see our kitchen! Maybe it's too early to reply to questions but what the heck:
1. We just asked a custom window company to make them in the sizes we wanted. They were not expensive. You can probably even go to the window desk at Home Depot. They do crank open, upwards.
2. The cabinets aren't minty-colored at all. that's definitely a distortion from our cheap camera. It's a mossy green. I made the cabinets myself using plywood and Formica Grasshopper laminate (with a microdot finish, so it kind of feels like a basketball). I cant remember the exact color of orange, though it looks a little deeper that basketball color and is from the Ralph Lauren color palette. I think it has the word "Hot" in it.
3. I only sent in 2 pics cause I think that's what the rules said. But it's not a FlatPak house; it's the LV Home which can be seen at www.rocioromero.com. We just finished building it.

It's working for me because of how the color scheme blends with the light through your trees, so this exact color combo may be very location-specific.

Sorry guys, but my fav colour combo is bright orange AND bright green a la Bennie MooreÂ’s Margarita Green - this particular shade/hue doesnÂ’t work for me - that being said, I think itÂ’s great that you're being adventurous with your choices - now you just need some yellow accessories to wrap it upÂ…

Gregg - is this you?
http://www.rocioromero.com/LVSeries/testimonials/Gregg.htm

ah, well then. my mistake. it's probably my monitor rather than your camera, as everybody else seems to be enjoying it. the space itself looks lovely -- i have to say, you're living my pre-fab cottage in the woods fantasy life...

Too sterile and flat for my taste.

Not feeling the colors at all and it seems very bland to me, jmho.

Martine

An incredibly sophisticated use of color. Using color takes guts, but using color well takes true talent; well done fellas.

i love it. but i'm a sucker for orange, it's my favorite color! and also a dream of mine to have a prefab vacation cottage in the woods (or beach) or by a lake. fabulous!

The orange is great but I'm not feeling the green too much.

I really like the green - though sounds like I am not seeing it right - I see it as a pale minty seafoam. Very relaxing and makes sense in the setting. Overall, a sophisticated and peaceful look here (who would think crazy orange would look peaceful?).

I love it! Can I come visit?

sorry, these colors do nothing for me, nor is there any sophistication in the use of these colors here. it amazes me that people here think the use of a bold color is a mark of color skill. sometimes this may be the case, but here the orange is merely a bold distraction from what is otherwise a bland use of color.

same comments apply to the other entrant before this one... ie. one dimensional use of color. can we next see a project that displays the talents of someone who knows what they are doing with color. that would be nice. thanks

r

I definitely want to see more of this place!

Yeah, I'd need to see more of this space I think. Also, would like to get a better idea of what the colors really are, as the green looks minty on my computer screen. (sigh).

BUT, as I'm VERY interested in prefab homes, particularly since my research thus far seems to indicate that LV homes actually seem to be less expensive than others, would love to know how your experience was with it.

Oops, sent my post before adding:

I'd love it if at some point Apartment therapy put out a call for folks who have gone the prefab route and their experiences. Instead of a post here and there.

I couldn't agree more with Shari. How about info about prefab homes and what real people living in them think of them and how costly and time consuming the whole process is?

I love the place shown. The colors are bold and I think they look great.

Ditto Shari and Reef. Need some more info on prefab.

As soon as I saw those kitchen windows I know it was the LV Home by Rocio Romero. I like that you knocked down that wall between the kitchen and the living room, otherwise it would have been a really cramped kitchen. I'm hoping to build one of those for my mother, when my ship comes in.

Please post your photos on the site.

I want to see a view of the trees from the kitchen, not the orange wall. It feels closed up from the view...unless there's something ugly going on back there...or a corridor behind the wall...

another quick question: were these photos taken before you moved in, or do you not use the kitchen at all, or what?

because one HUGE color challenge in a utilitarian space like a kitchen is how to coordinate in a sane and liveable way all the various stuff you need to have into an overall design or color scheme.

which isn't to say the lack of that stuff (or lack of a strategy for that stuff) makes this a poor use of color, i just wonder what the space will look like when you factor in the usual array of dish towels, knife blocks, spice racks, etc. which are in open storage on counters and such. and all of which bring their own color signature to the space.

Let me add my voice to those chiming in with interest in prefabs. There are some really gorgeous models out there, and green options too. Would love to know what it's really like to live in, and build, one.

And I'll try and stay on topic just a little bit... That glassy green is my current amour and I love it paired with the orange. But the blue wavers between surprising and slightly jarring for me.

Gregg here...thanks for the comments. As a long-time lurker I feel like I'm meeting celebrities when the regulars post comments. Anyway, to address the comments (at the risk of getting outside the realm of the use of color)--

Yes, I understand that a seemingly unused kitchen looks stark and sterile and cold. The fact is, I entered the pics because I thought it was an interesting use of color, and did so despite the fact that it's not even acually finished (you can even see a cabinet panel on the floor up against the wall). We just finished the house, so while there are dishes in the cabinets, I know it looks unused. (We've spent 1 weekend there and haven't even used the oven or dishwasher, which are both in the island). We don't plan on keeping it looking like a museum -- trust me, I'm a total slob and Joe can only do so much to clean after my wake and our pets' messy ways. We'll probably put up art and stuff too, which will no doubt cut some of the stark feeling. We do tend to be more minimalist but admitteldy have our share of clutter. We just havent totally moved in.

I'd be more than happy to share pics, etc with apartmenttherapy if there is an interest in prefab and the LV. It actually is a very warm inviting place despipe having clean lines. We used a lot of simply-cut wood and some less-modern finishes to keep it looking cabin-y. One commenter stated she wish there were views rather than an orange wall; one entire side of the LV (opposite this wall) is windows. Trust me, you can see views from the kitchen. We put everything in the island facing outwards so that we'd always e looking at the views, even when cooking. Our LV construction pics are indeed linked to by Merideth above (you can see the views) and I've promised Rocio some more interior pics.

So basically, I'm a fan of the site and thought the colors (grasshopper formica cabinets, which can be seen at formica.com, hot orange wall, and slate blue concrete) would probably not appeal to everyone,and certainly wouldnt win any awards, but would at least be interesting. I'm glad to get to contribute to the site.

And please, r-- it's a fun site with a fun contest aimed at amateurs. It's possible to be critical without being insulting. AT contests work because people like us and the other entrant you belittle contribute. Caustic remarks like yours cheapen the fun. Lighten up.

Thanks--G & J

Sorry, it's just not enough for me. It is a beautiful red orange color, though, nice job. I'm just looking for a more complete colorful living environment.

hi g & j --

i didn't want to imply that the kitchen was stark, at all! i think it looks lovely and warm, a great place to putter around with a glass of wine.

my question was more about color and all the dribs and drabs of clutter than are necessary for a kitchen unless you plan to be completely meticulous. for instance, i think a combination of stainless steel and stark white appliances, utensils, dish towels, etc. would really help the oranges and greens pop. on the other hand, there are so many appliances and gadgets available in that green color. and bringing in some dark blues would be divine...

also, one of my own kitchen color strategies is to incorporate all of that stuff (the spice jars, the mixing bowls, etc.) into my general 'use of color' for the space. so i guess i was wondering what your approach was.

one of the best things about this space, even in its 'work in progress' stage, is how warm and individual and lived in it feels, even without that workaday clutter. so i don't think warmth and homeyness will ever be a problem for you guys!

The colours seem revolutionary, at least in the context of the LV - it's the first LV interior I've seen that wasn't all white!

PLEASE, post a tour of your LV! Flesh it out with tales of tricky financing and weird construction challenges, and finish with an ending about how happy you are with it! Give those of us who dream of owning one a little hope...

BTW, SMALL SPACE, BIG STYLE (?) this week had an ep with Rocio Romero in her LV, the first one which explored the LV as something more than an architectural oddity.

Finally - so much of people's responses to the homes shown on AT comes down completely to taste; I think this is probably an even bigger issue when it comes to colour. I'd be too afraid to show my apartment here because I like it and would be offended by the naysayers - I'd never want to have to justify something I love.

However, my apt isn't perfect, and I'd love to have helpful input rather than rude dismissal by arrogant fiat. I thought you dealt very well with the insult-y posters, Gregg - I admire your poise.

Now post some more of that LV! Please!

Love the kitchen design. Also, I like each of the colors, but the color combo makes me think 70s.

This is the perfect entry for me because I am hoping to build an LV home someday when I have the $$ (well that of one of Lot-ek's CHKs). However, the color just fell flat for me. I love the lines and everything else though. I can't decide if I want more contrast or less. I definitely like the orange more than the green.

i can't believe the critics of this one. i am a graphic designer, and i think it is one of the most sublime color combinations; yet brave,- yet classy. more is not always more...this is rich, saturated and purposeful. not to meniotn adventurous! love it.

I see now that I too have the minty green distortion. Hey, one of the other LV homes is somewhere near Richmond too, isn't it?

The more I look at it, the more I like it! (And I liked it when I first looked at it, too.) Even though I'm not seeing the green as the mossy green that Gregg says it is, I like the seafoam color I'm seeing against the orange (I think I'd like the blue counter top better if I was seeing the mossier green, though, like blue sky and green trees. With the seafoam sort of color I'm seeing, the blue doesn't seem to work as well). I like the way the green inside echoes the green outside, and the orange seems to compliment it. Well done, Gregg and Joe.

Looks fine but it's too trendy for my taste.

Well said, Gregg--I hope you'll become one of the regular commenters, and I think your new home is beautiful--I'm sure you and Joe will enjoy it.

Gregg, what a beautiful home. You should send in pictures of the whole home for an AT tour sometime - I would love to see the inside and setting of your LV home. Way to take a risk on color!

I, too, would also love to see a section on modernist Pre Fab homes. There are so many beautiful options and, even with sites like Fab Pre Fab, information is scarce on realistic pricing and process. And while this is "Apartment" Therapy, I think a pre fab retreat in the country is becoming a very popular second home for Apartment dwellers in cities everywhere.

I really, REALLY love this.

I think the warmth of the colors is a very interesting foil to the sterile sparseness. This really is a case where I hope that a later step of this process will include more photos, when they're more settled in, so there will just a little bit more to go on, and to take in.

VERY nice job, and I love the idea of gorgeous pre-fab housing.

I think the color combination is progressive (I mean this in a positive way) though there is perhaps too much of it. It would be nice to warm it up a little and break up some of the swathes of the two colors with a third or maybe some organic elements. Wood? Maybe if you have wooden mixing bowls or cannisters on display on the counters that might bring out the lovely wood floors and break up some of the colors.

I agree that comments can be constructive without getting negative. We should try to remember that this is supposed to be fun.

And I'd like to chime in with the others about interest in prefab. Maybe house tours of prefab?

I think the "not finished yet" entry is hard to judge, and somewhat deceiving.

The overall effect of the color and space is too stark for my taste, but the color combination is simply brilliant. This is a great job of pairing a bold color with a subtle one, and I've seen others try their hand with pairing similar oranges and greens with less success than this. I love the retro feel of these colors and this is a space I'd love to admire in person, as I'm sure lighting in the photos distort the nuances of the colors.

Would never have thought to put those colors together but it looks very pleasing to the eye

Ah! Gorgeous! I think this one is my favorite. It looks so refreshing and crisp.

This is wonderful. I would love to see it at night lit up. I love the minimal look, proving that minimal can be colorful. I would love to see the rest of your house. Orange is a new favorite of mine. I love how simple the place is. Truly zen. I have a pretty blue vase that I think would look beautiful your counter, with only one cala lily in it. What time should I be by tonight?

This is by far my favorite even if its not necessarily taste. I bet this is one of the few if any in the whole contest which is really bold and daring. In other words, it uses color and not just design to make a major statement. And if youve ever seen pistures of LV's, it's literally the only color Ive ever seen in any any LV. Way to go boys.

I absolutely love it! I am no designer, but I think the color combination works perfectly. For how nit-picky people can with these postings, I'll bet that most of them would be very impressed when seeing this in person! Please post more pictures - I am saving these in my "Future designs I hope to emulate when I've got the money" folder on my computer. Well done!

I just read somewhere that the LV home is the cover story of the next Dwell. Looking forward to it!

i really love the color choices. they work beautifully together - and being familiar with the design of the LV, the orange and green are sure to warm up overall sleekness of the homes aesthetic. bravo!
being yet another AT fan who is interested in taking the pre-fab plunge... once you're fully moved in and settled, please let us know what life in the LV is like.

Do the LV homes go down in value with time like manufactured homes? I'm in love with their style, but I'm wondering if they're considered an investment, like a regular home. I looked on the website and couldn't find any information.
Thanks for any info.

i just don't see the effort being put forth here. ok it's minimal...which i do love minimal to an extent. i do enjoy the color choices but the room just seems unfinished. i want to see a nice pendant lamp or some plants, something!! it's hard for me to buy that anyone lives here. there's not even friggin soap on the counter. too too minimal.

Why would it go down in value? It's just like any other house.

I love how the color of the cabinets work with the view from the windows...beautiful choices! I feel like I would want to see more, when it's finished...but I'm glad you shared what you have so far.

love it, my husband and I want to get the sunset breezeway home so bad we can barely stand it. But, we have to first move to a place where they can ship it... wah-wah. Love the house, though. I know you already heard this, but throw in a an ancient wood piece, or strange sculpture. Anything earthy, and tribal, or rustic - to be the antithesis of the sterile modern look and it will be FAB!

I love it, it is very soothing.

kenji, funny you should mention, we bought a very old rustic sideboard for under the cabinets. Its really cool looking. paul, i never viewed it as a design contest, which is clearly what it wound up being. I submitted based on our use of this color combo in a house that is almost always decorated all white. The decorating wasnt and isnt done, but the colors were. we did post more pics of the lv (unfinished and not decorated) to flickr; you can search theschultzy, rocioromero, lvhome, or prefab. thanks, i thught the contest was fun and liked a lot of the entries.