apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Whoah. I'd love to meet the person that lives in this space. Is that a pinball machine in the bottom right corner?!? Not nearly my style but jaw-dropping nonetheless.

yeah, and is that an astroturf backsplash?

i don't think this is a particularly phenomenal use of color, but it should get serious brownie points for awesomeness.

this is what I always thought an acid flashback would look like.

Does someone need their Lithium prescription refilled?

Well, it's got personality and I actually really like the kitchen area--love that crazy face! But the general chaos makes it so hard really see the place. I think with some editing and more consistent color use, it could be a cool space. But for now, I am voting No way.

i think my lasik just broke!

I had a sweater (cir. 1989) that looked just like that apartment.

i think i saw this house on hgtv, no? the sculpture in the kitchen looks a little familiar.

If Dr. Seuss were alive today, this is what his apartment would look like and that is not an insult. It's fun interesting and different, although not my style.

Oh My....

There is way too much going on here. It looks like a scary clown's apartment. Anyone see the movie "Killer Clowns from Outerspace?" This is their apartment.

Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!

Having just spent an evening with The Domain Book of Intuitive Home Design -- one of those personality-typey bookies -- hooboy! this is the quintessential Adventurer home.

The handling of the color scheme in the kitchen is really cleverly done. Not my style at all -- just looking at it makes me nervous -- but I'll bet visitors comment on how it's totally Beth.

Is this a house (apartment) or a playground?

Isn't that the set for Laugh-in? Or Peter Max's swinging pad? Whoa -- way to relive the 60's -- fun, but I couldn't sleep there without lots of bongs!

These pictures made me smile (in the good way). Looks like such a fun place, even if it is a bit more than I could handle, personally.

That's right, cs. It looks like "The Lorax." I couldn't live there, but I don't and she does and since she loves it that's great.

i think its awesome that beth is keepin' it real, but i wouldnt last and hour in that loft.

Insta-headache.

i meant "an" hour.

The Lorax, yes! totally in a good way.

actually, looking at this again, i think the use of hot neon pink in the kitchen against that astroturf green is particularly inspired. i'm voting 'in contention'.

I saw this house on HGTV too.

*runs screaming*


Sorry.

Opoponax, did you just have a bong hit? if so, pass it this way

sorry - no...just...no

Sorry. There is just way too much going on here for me. The loud color combination and crazy graphic elements would make me very agitated, if I had to be in this room for more than a few minutes. I don't see any sophistication or skill in the use of color here.

In a word, adolescent.

This is just "use of color", not "skillful use of color", which I think should be a pre-requisite for this contest.

disregard the first photo of the living area and concentrate only on the kitchen.

mentally repaint the far wall white, and get rid of that blue and orange thing drifting into the bottom of the photo.

you would have a potentially winning entry.

MY EYES! MY EYES!

sarah in boston!
I had a sweater that looked like this in '89 too - maybe we bought it at the same garage sale?

Ugggh.
I think this is "regurgitation of color" (every one imaginable at the same time), not skillful or even "aesthetically tolerable use of color".

Blecccch.

Welcome to Pee-Wee's Playhouse boys and girls!

opoponax - what is the point of mentally "re-imagining" the color scheme in the photo. This is a contest, not a "what if" scenario.

No way this entry wins...

WOW It looks like a Hollywood set. Sometimes I think I use too many colors together. I feel so much better now. My pepto bismol walls and lime green draperies (drape is a VERB) look so tame now. I think this apartment is fearless, and I like it. Does anyone else think this looks like the 60's?

I'd love to be invited to a party at this house. So many things to look at and talk about.

Sure, this over-the-top decorating is not going to be popular among the group here, but at least it's individual and for that I think it's great.

egads! Its a lot of color, and a lot of colors that I like, but I wish they had been a little more judiciously applied. Less is more, but since I'm dishing out platitudes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Down with beige and all that.

That said, I do dig the green countertop in the kitchen and the b+w checkerboard floor complements the whole thing nicely. This is probably a fun space to entertain/be entertained in.

i'm not mentally reimagining the color scheme. the only reimagining i did was of the far wall in the kitchen. my other suggestions amounted to not including that other room (not every room in my house is a sublime use of color, either) and keeping that indistinguishable blob out of the frame in the kitchen photo.

basically, what i'm saying here is that if she'd composed her shots differently, the response would be radically different. i also never said she should win with this submission, just that i could see it happening if her entry had been done just a tad differently.

For some reason, when I saw that first picture the first thing that came to mind was cat toys. You know, little felt mice or dangly bits of things on the end of a stick. All brightly colored, of course.

While I commend Beth for being ballsy in her decorating, I can't help but be reminded of the "Buck Rogers' Bathroom" from that late 80's game show on Nickelodeon called Finders Keepers.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finders_Keepers)
Colorful, yes. But no thanks.

Isn't this the Joker's hideout from the late 60's Batman TV show?

Killer Klowns from Outer Space? I thought I was the only person who saw that movie. Wow.

It's cool that this works for you, but yeah...

It's crazy. I like it. It would be fun to have a party there. Now I'm going to duck behind the fuzzy blue Muppets-in-outer-space chairs while you all throw things at me. :)

This reminds me of Gaetano Pesce on the cheap. It is not to my taste and I don't feel it is in contention, but it is certainly ambitious.

This is not my style (my eyes would cross) but I absolutely applaud your boldness and your insistence on NOT following trends. If you can't express yourself in your own home where can you?

Okay, I only saw the first photo and my thought was "Do clowns live here?"

This is the set from K!ds Incorporated right?

Nothing personal, but this reminds me of everything I hate about Haight Street.

I love this!!!

I like it!

Yikes! Acid flashback? How about acid reflux?

Love it!

If I had to wake up to some of the colorless, barren, static rooms that are often featured here, I would slit my wrists. Now I have hope that I'm not alone.

Reminds me a little of Luna Parc, Ricky Boscarino's house. If any of you are in the NJ/NJ area, I think he is having an open house in November:

http://www.lunaparc.com/lunatour/index.htm

Is anyone else here from Seattle? Because the first thing I thought when I saw this was "Fremont"!

Too. Many. Colours.

The first thing that came to my mind was Beetlejuice. It looks like Beth had a blast decorating this place. And it is for her, after all. But I think it will grow tiresome after a fashion. But then she can create a totally new look. And can you imagine the yardsale she will have?

Kudos Beth. Enjoy.

I applaud the fearlessness and see the lorax-ness/freemont-ness, but the living room makes me want to sneeze... waaaaay too much shag which is so tough to clean. I just see the potential for so much dust.

I wouldn't want chairs I'd have to brush!

To anyone who ever said "The only way to introduce wild color to a space is by painting the walls," say hello to Beth.

I commend your bravery in going after your vision. This obviously stimulates you and that is what every house should do for its occupants. But I'm afraid most people are not drawn to this much contrasting color. There is no place for your eye to rest, no examples of restraint. Everything is competing for your attention at once. I used to do the same thing - when you love color you think more is better. I think the beauty of color is much better shown off when it has a backdrop that supplements it, rather than distracts from it.

on the one hand: let your freak flag fly!

on the other: make it stop. my eyes hurt, i'm not joking.

yes there is color, and yes, it is godawful!

Ow, hurty.

Not to put a damper on the exuberance, but i have a major nosebleed after looking at this!?

I'm sorry, but this looks like those early development toys for infants...what are they called? Just too crazy, and I love color.

(note: my 8 yr old daughter wanted to comment! she really typed this herself, her own thoughts)

if you take away the giant head with the snake hair in the kitchen and replace it with a calm painting
i would not have night mares !!!!!!!

The minute someone steps out of the box and does there own thing instead of something prescribed to them you uninspired design freaks have a cow. You are as dull as dish water. I love this site in general but the insulting unconstructive comments sicken me. I don't know how many people said it was to "much for them". It wasn't FOR them. It's Beth's apt. I love Beth's place cause its her's. What happened to originality. It's no wonder this society is so fucked up. Everyone is so scared to be different...they might stand out. You might think I'm reaching here but everything is connected, especially design and architecture.

I'm wondering if professional photography might be more flattering to these rooms?

I still like it, so ha ha!

(I also like the Skokie entry, which is about as far from this as you can get. Both are good at what they're trying to do.)

awesome! love the colors, very fun & playful, and totally original!

"We are seeking the most ingenious and beautiful submissions" This line is from the contest page, this entry is neither both. Why do Maxwell&Co insist on subjecting readers to S**T like this?

If anything, it's true to the 1980's/Memphis style. However, it just doesn't strike me as a skillful use of color. Not that there have to be rules or anything. It just doesn't have any balance for me.

Look at how much attention (numbers of comments) this is getting though!!! My impression: Ouch.

I like outlandish but this is too much. Very daycare.

Some of the pieces in a less chaotic setting would be very very cool. Just too much too fast too close to each other, ouch.

GOOD FOR YOU JAMES!

1980's indeed.

i mean no offense by this, but it says to explain.
i love using color, but i think moderation & balance is key. a furry blue chair may not be such a great idea.

that being said, IF IT MAKES YOU SMILE WHEN YOU COME HOME, DO IT.

This is like a rainbow of ugliness. Hopefully a rain of acid will wash this bad dream away forever...

Memphis-inspired, but not exactly quite...

But I think the (non-Memphis) blue chairs could be totally fabulous... in a slightly different setting.

Funny, though... I don't find anything that really clashes... and the color values and intesnity kinda work... there's just A LOT of it.

Bravo, Maxwell, for including this extraordinary example of ... I'm not sure what, but it sure is a gutsy aesthetic.

And brava, Beth, for the boisterous conversation you've inspired (provoked?). Isn't that at least partly the point of the contest, of the website, of the 'community' that AT means to be?

Gotta admit. I love this place. OVER the TOP.

But I REALLY think given the..uh...how should I say this..."bustling of color", better shot composition and lighting might've shown this a little better. Still I don't think it would be mosts folks cup of tea.

But there are some strokes of genius with color use here. Not ALL the strokes are genius, but some...that would probably come to light with just a teeny bit of judicious editing

I'm putting it in contention. I go for bold far more than going for safe.

It made me want to go in and get comfy. Made me happy thinking about getting to hang out there, like it's a fun place.

It's a bit much for me, but it's NOT for me. As many others have said if it works for the person who lives there, then...let live. I do like the checkered floors and the green wall.

Thanks for sharing Beth!

As I understand AT, the main objective is to come up with a design for our space that fits us and gives us joy. Beth has achieved that for herself. That being said, it doesn't do it for me (I'm a different Beth, definitely)... I can see possibilities, if there were just a few of the color elements at play, but with it all together it just seems agitated somehow. The eye can't rest anywhere and enjoy the effect of the color. If it was pared down to perhaps three colors, it might be easier to see it as a contender. Anyway, I'm glad Beth's having fun with it.

Team Decor, it does look like a Hollywood set. I instantly picture Parker Posey in that movie "Party Girl," although I think she actually lived in a run-down tenement.

I think the person who lives here must be really interesting and a total character (and I love characters), although I couldn't do it.

the space definitely shows that its inhabitant has a stand-out personality, however, the colors kind of hurt my eyes to look at. the astroturf is my favorite part.

Posted before I read the comments.

Folks this is not so much the 60's but SO 1980's. And though I haven't been to the Haight for a few years, I don't get JeffreyK's comment. I'll have to check it out over Thanksgiving.

LOVE Patrick (the other ones) wall color comment.

Applaud James.

Oh and Lisa of the "Posted by lisa at 10/03/06 9:47 PM" feel free to piss off at anytime. I LOVE that Maxwell and company include submissions that don't fit within everyone's little comfort zone. Just because your narrow mind can't see anything folks might glean ideas or inspiration from, doesn't mean creative people won't. And is your own sense of design/style SO tenuous and thin that you're THREATENED by this post? If so, I'd say you're holding onto something very stale and rigid.

p(too) quoth: "I don't find anything that really clashes..."

That's because there isn't anything that clashes. There are only about five colors in the kitchen (pink, black, white, green, blue), and they have compatible undertones.

The design looks busy because all the colors are almost neon and there's a lot of pattern, thus a lot of visual movement. It's LOUD but it's carefully coordinated, and there's a visual logic to the color arrangement on the cabinets.

Definitely not everyone's cup of pomegranate juice, but artistry and planning clearly went into it.

You must like to live like this, so more power to you. This room makes me think you have nerves of steel and that you thrive on overstimulation.

Not for me, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Beth, hats off to all the obvious love you put into your place! Not my cuppa, but you obviously thought out what you wanted to do and went and did it.

However, I must admit that the joker face in the kitchen gives me the heebie jeebies. =:O I'm a wuss though.

This took personality, guts, and a lot of work--kudos to you! The kitchen may be busy, but it's a well-done, deliberate sort of busy. Of course, apartments like this (i.e., that are very original and creative) always make me want to meet the people who live there....

This made me giggle - A LOT!

I love it!!!!!

S.

How fun and wild.

Definitely full of the energy that Beth wants for her home.

Love those fuzzy blue chairs.

How fun and wild.

Definitely full of the energy that Beth wants for her home.

Love those fuzzy blue chairs. They're absolutely crazy and made me smile.

While this is definitely not my style, I give Beth credit for doing what made her happy.

Isn't that what your home is supposed to be about?

I really like that big face in the kitchen with the wild metal hair. Who made that?

If this picture was accompanied by tunes I'd pick "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About". it is more lively than what I would choose to live in but intriguing to visit.

I want to go live there!!!!

It's like being in an episode of the Beetlejuice cartoon! I adore the various black and white patterns.

I can understand how this is a "either you love it or you hate it" kind of place.

This screams personality and for once doesn't look like a page torn from a catalogue

Clown pants. Totally.

While it's very funky and fun, it's not quite what I had in mind for this contest.

So happy this contest is on again! I have to say the snark level seems toned down a bit from last year. Very happy about that.

Thanks for the lunaparc link. It reminds me so much of Gaudi.

This entry bring home to me the importance of clearing your space of clutter when you have a lot going on with color and decor.

I can see lots of great ideas in here to use myself. Its like a color/creative mini-workshop. I realize I need to use astroturf somwhere in my home now. Thanks for the inspiration!

Props to Beth for having really large cojones!

Personally, it's not my taste, but it's interesting and fun and visually intriguing.

Wow! Farout! Not my cup of tea though.

Wow wee! I wonder what its like to be in there with a hangover?

sorry, but this is just really tacky.

i dont mean to be mean, but with all those different colors and surfaces and synthetic textured materials, it seems kind of dirty.

This is a visual feast! I love it! (I wouldn't have the courage to do it, though)

This also reminds me of Sticks furniture.
http://www.sticks.com/catalog_pages/

What makes Beth "feel alive" makes me feel epileptic. I couldn't handle getting up every morning and having to face that mess. Just because you love electric pink doesn't mean you need to plaster your whole house with it.

Well, I'm glad to see something thing wild, although it really looks more like something I would have liked more about 10 years ago or so.

I love the fact that this contest is going to include some wild and some mild.

But seriously... this entry is NOT out of control. Careful choices were obviously made, and yes... even... I'll say it... restraint seems to have been in play -- much more than some of last year's entries.

I think it's a lot of fun. The decor is perfectly suited for a restaurant or a coffeehouse but not an apartment. So I don't think it's really right for this contest.

Unbelievable. Inspired by a McDonald's toy?

I find this place inspiring - if you can't do what you love in your own home, then where can you?
There is a lot of color going on, but there isn't a lot of clutter and the seating is laid out well for conversation. There is certainly a lot of energy here!
I also want to reiterate what The Opoponax said about lighting/staging. I've seen awful places look fantastic thanks to professional photography, and fabulous places look mediocre because of lackluster photography. I bet this place reads differently in person than it does in the submission photos.
No, this place is not for everybody, but it doesn't have to be. It's for Beth. And I'm willing to bet that Beth is a fun-loving person who is full of life and that hanging out with her is rarely a dull time :)

Horrendous. Why was this even allowed to be an entry. What standards are the judges using with respect to entries? Its juvenile and silly.

Hey Shari: BITE ME!

CHOMP.

Gak! There's something very Sesame Street meets Studio 54 about this. And not in a good way. Color should soothe and energize...this just makes me wanna run.

Oh...my...god.

Wow.

Have I said "wow"?

Absolutely fantastic! I've been to this place and I can't wait for more. It's my favortie place ever. It's energizing, inspirational, fun-loving, ingenious, clever and over-the-top-wonderful, as is Beth. She has a great sense of color and if this is too much for your poor eyes, you all need to get out more!

as i've always said, there's often a great big yawning gap between creativity and talent.

Beth,
I wish you lived in Texas, I know that we would be great friends.

1st, where did you find the beautiful purple curtains? At least I think that's what the fabric is being used for - just love it. If I could find the right items, I would give that woman that has her entire house done in purple a run for her money. :)

2nd, bravo to you for decorating your home the way you want it, and not the way the catalogs or magazines are trying to sell this month. I love getting the magazine and catalogs - I get them ALL and I read all the books - but at the end of the day I (and you) live in our homes.

I vist friends' in their mcmansions that have been decorated by the best in the Houston area and I am afraid that I'll sit and make the couch or chair look lived on. :(

I remember a show that was short lived but it had a couple of people go in and snoop around a home and then try and guess what the people or person did for a living, what personality traits showed and what hobbies they had, etc. Sometimes they didn't have a clue.

3rd, I would imagine that you wake up and smile because "yeah, this is home." I know that you will take the constructive criticism posts and even just the plain rude and insulting ones in stride - it shows in your style.

And finally, if you've made it this far :), how exactly did you decorate your kitchen cabinets? I have been toying with doing something new with mine and I curious if the papers are on there permanently and if they are, with what?

Thanks for entering the contest and I really would love to see the rest of your loft,
Paula

Wow! What a brilliant mind. It is obvious that a great deal of thought went into using all of these colors and textures together so that it did not come out chaotic. I saw this on HGTV. She made the giant mask from the hood of a Volkswagon. Genius!!!

This place is fun, creative, uninhibited & absolutely ingenious! Love it love it love it!

Every time I step into Beth's place, I get new ideas as an artist. You can only be there in person to really experience the inspiration that surrounds you. Everything put together is almost a "controlled chaos"; each item might seem out of place, but together they form this beautiful pallete of objects, colors, patterns, and textures.

Good design doesn't always have to be single colors and simple modernism, and Beth should be applauded for her individualism and creativity, not insulted for straying from the sometimes stiffling norm.

No pictures can do her wonderful home justice.

What a bunch of pretentious weenies! OK, first admission: I used to regularly take breaks from my own home construction projects to watch Pee Wee's Playhouse at 10 AM on Saturdays. Not because I wanted to live there, but because it was cool. It was sometimes tough to go back to my substantially blander style later that morning.

Beth's place is cooler by far. Sure, I am not sure I could live there, but that is true of most every museum or gallery I have been in as well. The good news is that you can enjoy it at an emotional/exploratory level, and then go home to your beige walls and Home Depot shoe molding.

For Beth, it is not about just the tints and hues. It is really about her attention to detail. Every single object in here is meticulously considered for its individual function, its shape, its color. There are many surprises: bouncy ball counter tops, truck hood tables, the long line of yellow and black munchkin foot manikins. Each object works uniquely at its own level and vibrant interplay with those around it.

And what is wrong with clowns and the circus?

Jeez!

Think too much is going on- it confuses the eye..very creative though

I LOVE color and lots of it, but I must say this is not my idea of good color use. Just my little opinion.

Yuk. I've really tried hard not to critize anyone's taste because a home is such a personal cherished place. But this is truly awful. Looks like someone threw up in a Doctor Suess novel. C'mon honey exercise some retraint. You've got a couple of interesting pieces. Tone it down so they don't get lost. Edit! Please. Objects should not compete and clash with one another.

WOW, fresh and edgy. It certainly expands your palette, but its better than all of the formula concepts we see so much of. If I see another monochrome room with the patented accent wall, I think I will self-induce color blindness. Keep it up, its wild!

Beth's place is beautiful, vibrant, fun & refreshing, just like her. It's an experience in color, texture, & wonder. Her attention to detail draws you in on a journey that delights and inspires. Beth decorates outside the box, colors outside the lines, and all of this culminates in a fabulous world of magic, whimsy and excitement.
To the nay-sayers, I say, remember the Impressionists? the Cubists? the Fauvists? They were ahead of their time too. Of course, we could all just play it safe, and design another brick mansion with tone on tone taupe and off-white, being forever inhibited by the prospect of re-sale. Then we could all run to the Gap to buy khakis and white collared shirts.

Beth, you certainly are creative... But, OH MY GOODNESS...

I've been to this place. It is 6000 sq ft of astonishment. It is absolutely invigorating. I always come away thinking that I have just visited the output of one of the most creative minds around. These two rooms, are just teasers.

Yes, it was on HGTV. and yes that huge face on the wall in the kitchen is a Volkswagon hood!

You should see Beth's car!

I always appreciate individuality, it just makes me think that is where Chuck E. Cheese goes home to, with his loving partner Peewee Herman.

It's more than color. It's much more than color. It's (for instance) the home of a person who would never ever vote for (fill in blank ....) Congratulations, Beth. You're truly free. And, dammit, I'm 'jealous of your freedom'! :-)

i understand youre trying to be "fun" but its just ugly. sorry.

Remember Diane in the small space contest and the beatdown she took cause her place wasn't DWR and crate and barrel. Don't post here unless you subscribe to the formula!

oh it pains me

good enough to poop on

I sense a scream passing through nature. I painted ... the clouds as actual blood. The colour shrieked."?
Edvard Munch, on his painting The Scream.

LOVE IT! DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY! - and dont listen to the pretention that drips from some of these postings.

I love the kitchen- the stainless steel and collage cabinets are fantastic together. And I like the big blocks of color in the living room. However, I do think that, as someone else noted, some editing is necessary. There are some decorative items that move this from kalidescope to "dollar store". The pointy green thing on the cute mod round table, the weird sprouty things in the left corner of the living room photo, the huge spidery lamp, possibly the fur chairs. Keeping the color but making the room more sleek would make the impact of the color more delightful, less funhouse.

Psychedelic!

Who lives here? H.R.PUF'n'STUF?

I have to disagree with many of the people who love this place. I can see that Beth is creative, no doubt about that. But isn't she trying to prove the point a little too hard? This place is downright ugly and makes me want to barf. And I am trying really hard not to be mean.

Beth, paint your place white. If anyone needed white, it's you. Scale down. Keep the wonderful Suess-like hat lamp. And start painting. Put all this creativity and energy into large paintings. Then they will pop against the white walls. Also if you put that creativity into paintings you'll make a fortune. I'd probably buy one.

The only problen with this room is the color of y the walls. The shade of purple is too cool to warm the room and leaves one feeling put off by the rest of the decorum. Another warmer color choice would bind all of this chaos together beautifully. But seriously, who's still reading after all these comments?

if i lived in this apartment, i would kill myself... unless the color-induced seizure i would have gets to me first.

BILL COSBY had a sweater (cir. 1989) that looked just like that apartment.

I'm all for color, but it's like Walt Disney's brain exploded in there. I couldn't live with the chaos, but Godspeed!

No holds barred. Excellent!

trip, trip, and trip some more, maybe mix some shrooms with some acid and take a few hits of e and run around this apartment touching things, drooling, with huge eyes, then try to fall asleep 15+ hours later. ...Have I been there before? No, only in a freaky dream perhpas. Good luck, babe. That is crazy as hell. Let your freak flag fly high....

Wow. Some of these comments are so hurtful. How can you live with yourselves? How bad do you feel about yourselves that you have to be that nasty and critical when all Beth is trying to do is to make a better world for herself and share it? She is amazingly creative and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. Please go back to your white walls and beige couches.

Reminds me of living in a Dr. Seuss book.

Ok, I know that there is a lot going on but I effing love it! I mean seriously this is by far the coolest and most original apartment on this whole stupid thing! I think it rocks! And for those of you who say that all her stuff doesn't go together. I say Randomness is a pattern.
RockOn!!
Gracie B

IN A WORD "AMAZING" LOVE THE CREATIVITY AND INDIVIDUALITY! I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE REST OF THE HOME. IF IT REALLY IS ON HGTV LIKE SOME OF THE COMMENTS SAY, I WILL BE WATCHING TO SEE IF I CAN CATCH A GLIMPSE.

I think ths would be a fun place to live :) But I'm nocturnal and prone to lazing too much in calming spaces anyway. I think I'd have a blast living/lounging/cooking in a space like this. So what if it looks like a coffeehouse? I'd spend less money if staying home felt like going out. :)

I like this a lot!

Teehee! I have to agree with the beetlejuice comparison.