Name: Maiysha
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Type: 1 BR Rental
Why I use color:
Color is the simplest, most creative, and most significant way of setting the mood you want in your home. Each apartment I've lived in has been a different color, indicative of a different stage in my life, and the energy I want to invite in.
I wanted this apartment to feel both playful and soothing, and for everyone who enters to feel the same. Color energizes me, inspires me, and helps me create a space that's says "me".
2 Good color tips:
1. I think this is a no-brainer, but you should never paint your walls a color you don't look good in, for obvious reasons. If you wouldn't wear it, don't put it on your walls.
2. Also, I like to play with strong colors, so I always buy my large furniture (sofas, etc.) in white or neutral tones, so the wall and accent colors I choose "pop", and I can feel free to change them at will.
2 good color resources:
1. I make my own pillows and window treatments, so
most of my inspiration/ideas for color combinations come from the
fabrics (silks, vintage kimonos, saris, etc.) I use and collect.
2. When in doubt, I wander around a good paint store (Pintchik,
Janovic), collect all the paint chips that appeal to me, take them
home, cut them up, and mix and match -- "playing" always yields new
ideas.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I love it!
Wooo! Love it. And you are so brave to have the white sofas (even with slipcovers.)
I like it, but why the same photo twice? There seems other interesting stories happening in the bit of your dining room that we can see.
I like the layering approach at work here. I also appreciate that this entry's 'look' is truly anchored in color, and not dependent upon show-stopping furniture or architectural details.
Great pillows!
Also, what brand/color is your paint?
Wow. This is a really impressive room. I love it. It's fresh and fabulous. :) Definitely INSTAFINALIST material. You've got a solid vote from me, Maiysha!
This is great! Looks incredibly comfortable, as well as beautiful. I would have a hard time leaving for work every morning. Would just want to lounge with a good book all day long. The architectural details of the apartment look amazing as well. What kind of a building is it?
Do you find having white sofas a pain? I've been dreaming of buying a Jasper slipcoved sofa from Room and Board in white or a linen color (for the same reason you mention, plus, when clean it's just gorgeous). How hard is it to clean slipcovers? Do they stay nice for any reasonable leangth of time?
yes, paint information please.
I like your "no-brainer" tip. It never crossed my mind before to think about wall color that way. ;)
Where'd you get that great coffee table?
looks quite tasty, well done.
best apt by a ford model.
Love it, but would like to see another photo!!
i love your pillows. do you sell them anywhere? can i buy some???
its very cheery. i would change the walls to chocolate brown because it seems like it would be a more up to date combination. i love your pillows.
I personally think this may be too matchy-matchy. I love the wall color and the painting, but there is too much perfect coordination. I would like to see something unexpected.
Manny,
I was just thinking the same thing! Great as this apartment is, I'm WAY too aware of the effort that went into making sure that every last item down to the book & vase on the coffee table fit into the strict 4-color scheme. I would suggest a different painting, or maybe one great wild pillow that has a slightly different kind of punch.
Mary
Am I the only who one noticed how amazing the ceiling looks?
Victoria, no, me too, when I referred to architectural details. I was thinking of the ceiling and the cool windows that start at the ceinling and have a trim. The ceiling is a gem!
I think I would have liked it if the sofas weren't white and maybe a few less, but larger pillows. Excellent paint job though.
Once again, two pictures of the same exact space. I like the blue, but the pinks make me think 80's. No way Jose.
This is SOOOO easy on the eyes! Even with the bright colors...it just FLOWS so well together. My guess is, the energy you are inviting into this apartment is all very positive! Beautiful!! Insta-Finalist!!
This is my first comment so far as its the only one that seems true. Beautiful, colourful AND comfortable! Love it. Congrats. I see many many gatherings here. O, and for some of the other comments, dont you think if the room had something a bit off (unexpected, that didnt fit in), EVERYONE would be pointing that out?
I have a white sofa too that is not slip covered
http://www.comfortsource.com/show/brand/Contemporary+&+Retro/1229943.html
but I bought it with my heart and not my mind. I am a clean nazi though and it makes me happy everyday!
Excellent room, perfect comfort! Congrats again.
i'm usually not a huge fan of light blue on walls (it reminds me of baby-boy-room), but this works for some reason. i wanna hang out there, it looks clean and cozy.
i love it. a find a blue like this is hard to get right. you got it right for SURE. it feels so clean and fresh and airy. I really love all the accent colors with the white and blue. So refreshing. I vote insta
-casey
These are some of my favourite colours but I also find this too "matchy matchy". The pressed tin ceiling is ah-mazing!
I think this is a great room!
This looks very Empty Nest/Golden Girls set to me.
Im surprised it has so much favor among the AT community.
Love the color scheme. Looks comfortable and put together. If it weren't for the resident toddler and the cranky landlord, I'd love to go for all white sofas and Tiffany blue walls.
That having been said, this is all a bit too matchy-matchy.
While I have often developed a color scheme from a piece of art, I can't imagine limiting my art options to ones that fit my color scheme.
(Then again, my apartments have never looked this cohesive, so maybe I'm wrong here...)
Yummy!
I would remove the white rug or replace it with a color that contrasts with the sofas. It practically makes the sofas disappear.
Oh, how I wish, I wish, I knew how to sew. How GREAT to make your own pillows!
Looks great.
In your apartment the use of your paint color and throw pillows makes your apartment an instant finalist. Even the small accents like the blue vase to match the paint on the wall allow your eye to bounce from one area of the room to the other seamlessly. You definitely have my vote!
Wow. thats great, I'm currently apartment searching and could use some tips...thats my cousin, such a special little girl..lol
Beautiful. And I appreciate the different colors for the different stages of your life. Colors wrap you in your own time and space and sooth the spirit.
Why do people feel like it's their job to pick on someone else's taste? I mean, you don't HAVE to like 4 colors or matchy-matchy. But you SHOULD respect her decisions.
I, however, LOVE this apartment! I want to move in right away! Everything about this room makes me happy! The colors, the fluffy pillows, and most of all the comfortable-ness of it! Can we see more?
Fabulous! I'm ready to move in whenever you say. It's plush, comfy, bright, refreshing and eye-soothing. And the condition of the ceiling is icing on the cake!
I love this apartment too. I agree that if there was something 'off' people would complain about that. Now that it's all pulled together and cohesive, people complain about matching. At least she cleaned and staged and took good pictures (although a different vantage point would have been helpful) some entries didn't even do that!
Robin's egg blue has just that hint of green in it that makes it not-baby-blue in a baby-boy kind of way. It's a lighter turquoise and goes well with the bright pink, orange and reds in the pillows and art.
I'm also envious of the tin ceiling and that table is very nice. I like that the theme continues into the dining room, but that it's anchored by the wood of the buffet and mirrors.
I love how Maiysha blends bold and luscious color palletts, she's a brilliant artist and this transends into each aspect of her life. Definitly a winner in my book.
Maiysha,
Now I want to paint my apartment turquoise (just when I finished painting it pink)! Seriously, though this is one of my favorite entries. This place just exudes serenity. I love how you pulled off comfort and simplicity. The pillows are absolutely gorgeous. I also love the vase, is that an Eva from Klein Reid? I want a tour of the rest of your place! Good luck.
Love it! The design and decoration is so creative, beautiful and inspiring.
I think it's telling that so many people found this mix comfortable and relaxing and pleasant and want to hang out in this pad.
Um... that's partially BECAUSE the colors don't clash.
It's the most original display of personal taste I have ever seen. Well done!
bright and cheerful, soft and elegant. i want to dive thru this screen and onto that couch. that room is pure eye candy.
This is lovely. I love the colors, they reflect a homey atmosphere,warm and comfortable.
Pillow overkill. Too matchy matchy for sure. It takes much more interesting artwork than a wall of Ikea mirrors to break up all of this pink, white and turquoise. Even a different accent color such as forest green, red or brown (rather than yellow) could have kept this alive. I hesitate to throw one more log in the fire but the lighting's much too bright. I'm not impressed and also very surprised that this room is so heavily favored.
Maiysha,
It's really stunning. Seems to me you might have been inspired by the shiny white (gorgeous) ceiling and went from there. I really love the mustard color thrown into the mix. Walking into this place must be like walking outside into the most beautiful day.
Will you please come to my place and help me out? First order, getting rid of my college futon. Second, figuring out what colors I look good in. (Though I don't think I look good in quite as many colors as you do. You probably look good in all of them, which is not fair.)
Amy
Really love it! It's so light and bright - such a positive space.
Looks Amazing. It's so refreshing to see happy colors in NYC.
Amazing, you have inspired me to use colors. I swear I would have never ever thought to use it until seeing your masterpiece.
i feel anyone relying on pillows to "make" the decor isn't up to AT originality
Pillows are an option, so to me that comment isn't up to originality.