apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This made me smile as soon as I looked at it. While she's chosen colors that I never would have considered putting near each other (the kitchen color peeking into the living room), here they work. They do look like gelato! Her use of color doesn't overwhelm, as some do, it just makes the apartment look light, airy, and, well, happy.

I never would have chosen it, but I really like the pale pink entryway against the orange color of the kitchen - good combination!

I love the pillows on the dining chairs - where are they from?

I love this. It really does make me think of candy - like great wisps of cotton candy. I love how light and airy the apartment feels! It's like a fantasy, a good one.

This place is definitely welcoming. Irena's description of the cheering effect of the colors in her place contrasting to the grungy building hallway seems completely accurate.

I really like that you've done alot with color outside of painting the walls. Very nice choice of pattern and accesories in the 2nd pic.

Very pretty, definitely. It's tiny, but she's made the most of it.

So lovely, so fresh, so bright, so beautiful! Love it!!

How delightful! I'm voting Insta-Finalist for two reasons:

(1) Both the colors and the girlier lines are moves that, in isolation, I wouldn't like -- but you've put them together as a room that I really, really like. It has to be the design that's making it work.

(2) You've made that knotty pine furniture look happy and airy and casual, rather than just cheap, and that stuff usually fights back.

Oh -- lovely colored doors, too!

I really like this place a lot, it's so bright and cheery-looking.

I love those thick round cushions on the dining chairs. Where did you get them?

Far too frickin' cheerful for my tastes. It makes me want to kick the cat. It reminds me of a candy store, or an ice cream parlour. A violet door? Jesus.

Sweet cat!

Mmm it's like an apartment-flavored cupcake! I like it.

Love that this apartment isn't trying to be something it is not. It is girly graduate student apartment and a lovely one at that. The cheap pine furniture is still cheap fine furniture, but the the color scheme makes the apartment feel like a cheerful home instead of a starving student crash pad.

Good job.

It also is refreshing to see colors *other* than the sharp shades of green that are currently in vogue (though orange is pretty popular, too..)

kick the cat? yikes!
i lurve this apartment. it's full of life, with all the plants, and the colors are very calming.
i want to know where her bed is though, i'll be moving into a studio soon and while i'm much more of a maximalist, i'm inspired by the editing she's done to this place.

OHH SOO CUTE..

I love this room.. small yet comfy. Really inspires me to decorate my new small studio .. Did I see a green wall on the mirror? You paint your bedroom green?

Cool...

Similar feeling towards Vegas, I want to visit but definitely couldn't live there.

Great job! Your apt. is very "happy" and as a grad student myself I can relate to the budget crunch issue. Needless to say you've done a lot with a little and it works. You have my vote.

If you like it that is all that matters. Though I think that the furniture could be improved with paint. I've always painted my cheap furniture to give it a better feel or texture and it's helped bring a room together. Not-my choice of colors or style I am more minimalist in small spaces.

The colours are too pure for my taste. it sets my teeth on edge. It's _very_ pink, without a third, analagous colour along the colour wheel to provide a little relief from the very, pink, pink. Personlly, I'd be insane within a week in that space.

I really like this design - it's fresh and clean and cheerful. Not the typical AT mid century modern. Nor is it right out the Crate and Barrel or Room and Board catalogue. That is very refreshing. I also like that it is a good, consistent design on a budget - which is worth applauding.
I wish my apartment in grad school had looked this good!!

I would like to see more of the apartment. I realized this is about color but I'm more interested in the overall look

I couldn't live in this apartment, either, but I still vote "Insta-Finalist." Everything is really working well here: colors, furniture, accessories. And the orange, lilac combination was an unexpected pleasure.

Most of all, I love that she did it all on a pretty meager budget. So many times I fantasize about what I could do with my place if I had enough money to give it a full make-over. Irena has worked with what she had, and boy, does it work.

Very pretty! I like it.

Gorgeous and delicious!

There is intelligence in the way the colors harmonize with each other. It only goes to show that it sensibility can't be bought.

I love the second photo! I'd love to live there, it reminds me of a Delia's photo. The combo of pink and orange grates on me though. I'd probably enjoy a light yellow or light blue instead of pink there, or change the rug to one of those colors. But if she loves it everything's good.

This looks like a Wayne Thiebaud painting (he painted still life desserts back in the 60s) - and that is a compliment. Light, fluffy & delicious use of color. And Plants! Lovely!

I love it when someone sticks to their own thing. Irena: If this is a true reflection of you, then you are one happy camper.

I love the orange kitchen and pink living area. There is so much light in this place that I can't imagine anyone ever being sad. The cat certainly looks comfy.

The layout is wonderful. Its neat, clean, orderly, and I think now you should invite a few of us to dinner because I want to sit on those cushions, have a drink and let my creative brain wander. It's a healthy place for a creative type.

I would love to see this apartment during the holidays -- for some reason, I imagine a lot of sparkle and cool sixties-style ornamentation.

This place is so bright and sweet, and I mean that in a good way. I would love to see more of it, as the glimpses of green in the mirror and orange in the kitchen are so intriguing.

DEEEEEEEEEEELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.

Susan

looks very japanese/kawaii to me, too. pretty. i love the pink and orange, but the purple door is overkill?

is that a pale blue ceiling i see?

I think this is great, it feels (as others have mentioned) lovely and relaxed and colorful in a way that feels really natural.

But I ALSO like her color tips and resources a lot, well-written, concise, and inspiring. I hadn't ever thought of plants as adding color (particularly non-flowering plants), but of course they do. And the food comment is so interesting-- she's obviously a cupcake type of person, but maybe you're a roasted vegetable type of person, or a greek salad type of person.

Every time I read a new post on this apartment, I look at the photos again. Yup, sure is a blue ceiling. Lovely. Brave color. And Sally's food type person is right on the money.

I'm now wondering what food type I am. Irena's apartment has generated much, much thought.

Very sweet!

i think it's great that you cite candy as an inspiration.

i don't have anything fresh to add, but i will say this apartment looks like a cute little cake, and i absolutely love it. i would NEVER do this kind of thing to my apartment, but you have pulled it off magnificently.

Candy colors aren't my personal esthetic but I think this fits the contest perfectly and I smiled the moment I saw it... fun, personal and well edited with the bonus of being outrageously budget friendly. The colors are potentent without being out of place.

This entry proves that you *can* make a room look really pulled together with a great eye and little cash.

A seelicious confection, sure to repel grumps.

seriously? i guess it isn't surprising that most of the positive reviews are from girls. don't get me wrong, those are definitely some strong color choices, and i think the apartment as a whole works together. but as a guy, it's just not an apartment i would want to spend much time in. it's SOOO overwhelmingly feminine and sweet and just...cutsy. like a cupcake threw up everywhere. and i know it's a girls apartment, and i'm sure people are gonna get all "maybe she doesn't want you to spend a lot of time there" and i'm not trying to be all "I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany" or anything, but this is just TOO sickeningly sweet for me.

here's an interesting observation: the people who like it are not only girls, but girls who are prone to peppering their comments with exclamation points.

I think that says a great deal.

wow, i didn't realize this was the "Apartment That Best Fits Your Personal Style" contest. or the "Most Man-Friendly Apartment" contest.

people, it's all about color and the skillful use of same. it's not about whether you like the person's aesthetic or not, or whether it's 'too' this or 'too' that. it's about color.

and even though this is a bit more feminine than anything i'd ever do in a million years, i think it's fantastic. because it's not freakin' about what i like or what meshes with my own personal expression of gender. it's about what works. and this does, plain and simple.

i think it's delicious and you can definitely see that you were inspired by sweets,i love it!
i really like the contrast between the orange and the lavender.

i dislike orange and pink walls, but i love how this apt comes together. sure it's girly, but it's not offensively girly IMO (thanks to color tip #1).

great job, Irena!

well if we're going for "does it work?" i'll also question that. What are we saying "works." I mean, we aren't holding a very high standard for "bold color choices" here, are we? Don't get me wrong, it's fine. Congratulations, you didn't leave the walls white. But do you deserve to be applauded for picking some cute colors? no. this isn't an innovative, exciting, or particularly original use of color. I'm more interested in the kitchen, but even then, i'm not that impressed. To be honest, the only contest entry that has done anything bold or provocative with color got ripped to shreds. Look at the contest homepage. "We are seeking the most ingenious and beautiful submissions..." What is ingenious about this entry. Each of the four example images is more interesting than this entry. I'm sorry irena, it's nothing personal. Your apartment is nice. It's fine. I'm not saying my apartment is any more exciting. I just think that if we are gonna have a contest about innovative colors we shouldn't blow our loads over something this banal.

Jonathan nails it. Sean Connery would grow boobs 10 seconds after entering this apartment. After 20 seconds, his johnson would fall off.

Way too girlie girlie. This is the female equivalent of those über masculine, black on black, leather, chrome and glass New York apartments of the '80s, and it's just as uninviting to the opposite sex. It would work as an ice cream parlor or as a child's room, but as the entire living space for adults? No.

I do like the kitchen more than the living area though, and I generally dislike orange. And I think the colors the doors in the entryway have been painted work really, really well. If those colors were carried out into the room to break up the mass of pale pink out there (say, as giant square pieces of wall art), they'd tone down the twee and make the space look a lot more grown up.

I guess it beats leaving the walls white, though.

I'm a girl and I don't love it. I don't hate it either, though, if anything I am reminded of those candy dots, you know the ones that come on a paper sheet and taste pretty good, not great and sometimes they have paper stuck to them.

I do think it took a lot of thought (and time, painting is painstaking work and I assume she did it all herself) and a desire to live in a colorful environment and it is put together neatly, that deserves kudos though not an instant pass to the finals. Utimately, I think the winners in this contest will show a very sophisticated color sense and a good use of color within their environments, not just a desire to use color.

The whole point is personal style - Irena is a woman and this is her style. I am sure if Irena was a man she would have probably been about the leather and beer nut look - but some men don't necessarily like leather. I am not a girly girl, but I tihnk it is nice - and is is NOT all pink. The second picture shows a white wall, and what about the bedroom? I think that for the size of the space, the splash of colour was just enough to not be nauseating - but rather quite pleasant.

I love the food type/ color type idea. I would say that Iam a baked ziti/pizza type person and guess what, I'm surrounded by red, orange and yellow.
The colors in this place are so much fun. It makes me want to dance with the cat and I don't touch cats.

What a CUTE place. I can see why she loves to come home!

>The second picture shows a white wall, and what
>about the bedroom?

No it doesn't. The doors to the kitchen are white - the wall behind the table is clearly darker than the doors, as you can see in the first photo (and from comparing the wall to the trim in the 2nd photo).

It might be a cream color, but it looks very pink in the 1st photo. That could just be spill from all the other pink in the room, though - it's hard to tell.

I like that this entry "dares" to show a white wall, and uses values and intensities of colors a little lower on the Richter scale.

If those shelf brackets are white (which they often are), then that wall is white, too.

i keep seeing all this stuff about how such-and-such entry is not "a sophisticated color sense" etc. etc. and i just can't help but wonder what people mean by that. i think this is a fairly sophisticated use of color. the colors chosen are clearly very well thought out, and the entire space is extremely unified in terms of color values, tone, hue, saturation, etc. it's not just a simple "i painted this wall lavender!" or a bedspread matched to a rug. the colors help her more budget oriented choices transcend crash pad Ikea-dom, and the entire space is extremely cohesive. it's successful at what it's trying to do and trying to be, as a room.

so i guess i just don't know what we're talking about when we say a "sophisticated" use of color -- is that just a code word for "a use of color that i would personally enjoy living with?"

I guess if we are going to get specific about different shades of white, then the cream wall is not white... last I checked it was not pink or purpple or orange either. My point is that this is an individual style and you either like it or not. I think that for her resources and the size of the space she should be an insta-finalist! Imagine what Irena could do with a nice chunk of cash, I think she derserves to win.

What I mean when I say sophisticated use of color is successful use of colors that can't be easily described... more complex colors that are changed by the introduction of complements, for exmple, leaving them not easily defined as "lavender" or "red."

These colors here are pretty "clear", only off there original value by the addition of white (nothing wrong with that, btw).

So to me, while lovely, this doesn't fall in the "complex color solution" category (again, nothing against Irena!!)

that makes sense.

though i should say it's not you i was thinking of -- you generally have well thought out and clearly stated opinions of these sorts of things.

it's people like Colleen (and others i've seen in the other entry pages) who will shit all over something as being "too girly" or "too garish" or "too" whatever, and after all that try to justify their dislike by saying the entry 'doesn't present a sophisticated use of color'.

(Yikes, sorry for the typos in that entry, btw, especially the "there/their" swap. Ugh!)

I love it, the orange and the lilac (or whatever that color is called) compliment each other nicely. An inspiration for a girl in a white walled studio!

FUN! It reminds me of those candy hearts given on Valentine's Day.

Excuse me, Opoponax, I did not "Shit all over" anything, I said I don't love it or hate it, and in fact, I said that I felt it was well thought out and deserved Kudos. You have never seemed shy when it came to expressing your opinion, why is my opinion, which let me say again was not exactly close to the most negative thing said here, not valid? Because we disagree? Or is there another bone you have to pick with me or were you merely reading tone into my post?

I think you are very aware of what a sophisticated use of color is, Opoponox, and I am sure you know that this entry, though sweet and thoughtful, does not exhibit that sense.

Patrick put it very, very well, as he always does; defining that sense is difficult, but to paraphrase Justice Stewart, I know it when I see it.

As my dearly departed Aunt Aida used to say to my mother and me: "Fight nice..."

What a happy, delightful space. I love it and your kitty!

I love your vases. I think the colors here are doing an excellent job lifting you from your dark, dingy hallway. About your cat, I once had a tortie and she was nuts, I thought maybe it was because of the genetic twisting that occurs in torties. Is your tortie a bit crazy?

P.S. Could you give us the names of your various paint colors? Thanks!

I’m not sure if it’s kosher to post on one’s own entry, but I wanted to answer some of the questions that were asked and to just generally thank everyone for all the comments—positive and negative; it’s great to read your feedback.

Now, to answer the questions:
1. The cushions on the chairs are from Urban Outfitters from a couple of seasons ago. Got them on super sale for $5 each.

2. Yes, there is a green wall in the ‘bedroom’ part of the studio. And, for those who do no appreciate my use of pink, I can tell you that it is not carried through the entire apartment, just the area in the photos. I think perhaps a different perspective of the place would have limited the “girly” impression people seem to be getting. With a view looking out of the kitchen, you’d see no pink at all.

3. The ceiling is white.

4. The light-coloured wall behind the table and the kitchen door are a creamy off-white, and the door frames are just plain white primer.

5. Yes, my tortie cat is absolutely nuts. She is trying to eat my fingers as I type this.

6. Names of paint colours: Orange Cantaloupe 90YR 54/440 (kitchen), Frosted 95RB 71/132 (light pink), Spring Willow 70YY 66/265 (bedroom), and sorry, don’t have the swatch for the light cream or the dark pink, which I had scanned from an Elle Decoration magazine.

Re: "sophisticated" use of color...IMHO, using subtle colors or colors that look different when placed with other colors doesn't make the USE of a color any more sophisticated. "Clear" colors, or their use, are automatically less sophisticated? Why? Just doesn't make any sense.

Oh well, I tried. (but I think you are getting hung up on the word "sophisticated" which sounds like it carries judgment, but wasn't intended so...)

My point was that colors with more colors in them (and hence, sometimes indescribeable as colors on their own) are indeed trickier to work with than colors of purer hue.

imho.

But, eh, I'll give you the "it's the usage, not the color" that's the real trick.

i'd love to see a thin chocolate brown pinstriping done in a satin finish over that pink. About a quarter inch wide at 4 or 5 inch intervals. I think it would make it look very rich. Like a box of french chocolates. I also think that would be a little way to make it a more sophisticated look

Sara, what the hell is wrong with you? That was totally uncalled for.

!!!!

What an unexpected pairing of colors. And it works. This is a tough shade of pink to work with, let alone making it a predominant color.

This place is breezy, fresh, feminine and gutsy all at once. And done with minimal fundage. Bravo!

A sophisticated colour, if I remember rightly, is a colour with a great deal of pigment in it, including the complementary pigment to the main hue, (for example a "sophisticated" pink will contain a pinch of green. That's why these colours are generally "muddy" and why clear "gelato" colours don't usually qualify as sophistcated). As well, usually it comes from an expensive, rather up-scale brand of paint.

The sophisticated use of colour does all of the following:

1. Colours chosen create a mood for the room which supports the activities within it.

1a. The colours chosen work with the available light (or lack thereof) to create the desired effect.

2. The colours reflect the temperment and taste of the person who lives there.

3. No one colour is out of place. If any one colour exists in isolation it acts as or emphasises the focal point for the room.

4. Related to 3 but a bit different, it also helps makes things dissappear, like the sofa upholstered in a colour you hate.....It can also help blend contrasting wood tones between the floor and the legs of the furniture, for example.

5. Most importantly, to me, colour is the greatest tool we have to create unity within a room or space.(That's why the mags tell you to use each colour at least three times in a given room.)

However, any one of these five things may be more important to any given individual for any given space at any given time.

And that's my 2 cents. Thanks for inspiring me to attempt the explanation, P(too).

I've had the honour of seeing this apartment "in person." it looks beautiful in the pictures, but it is even more amazing in person. the way Irena has been able to combine the colours and furniture to create a fresh, lively apartment is very inspiring--particularly given her grad student budget!!! I've already got Irena to promise to do my place when I eventually move out!

Now that, Alana, is a clear and comprehensible explanation.

I'd argue that Irena's room fulfills your numbered criteria even though the paint colors are not the sort of pigmentation you define -- but at least at this point, we would be arguing something specific and could point to the relationship between wall and chair (or chair and light, or light and wall) to dispute the point.

Thank you Wende. :)

Alana--
Glad I inspired, but I don't really think your post addresses "sophistication," but it does address how color is *successfully* used in a room.

And I think we are blurring the lines between "complex" colors (which is an actual, defineable term in color study) and "sophisticated color" which wasn't a term I ever heard in any Color Class I ever attended...

I see some colors and they're lovely in themselves (and I bet if you put them all together on a single piece of paper they would be interesting), but the execution doesn't do anything for me. I think sohphistication means that the colors balance each other and work in tandem to communicate something. Maybe a rhythm or harmony. I'm just not getting that here. And someone above defined sophisticated colors as having a certain saturation. I think it's more than that. It's using that saturation whether it's very pale or extremely saturated or dense in a particular way. For me, this is haphazard.

Very sweet and young. I would like to see some bigger wall pieces.

Wow, I think this is the sweetest student apartment i've ever seen. Irena you have done a wonderful job creating a happy vibe!!! You have my vote hands down!!

WOW! You have done an amazing job in maximizing your space and budget. This apartment is inviting cozy and cheeful! You should start a buisness for students looking for decorating ideas! I am sure many would appreciate your artistic talents!

BRAVO!

Lydie

i think this grad student used color to represent her personality. wow, just think what should would do with a BUDGET. . . i think you should be able work with what you have then you can appreciate what you get. touche irena!

i think this grad student used color to represent her personality. wow, just think what she would do with a BUDGET. . . i think you should be able work with what you have then you can appreciate what you get. touche irena!

I just remembered-- This room feels FAUVE, to me...

http://communitas.princeton.edu/blogs/writingart7/archives/2004/11/page_one.html

Hmmm. I concur P(too). Is an extremely skillful execution of something like colour also "sophisticated?" Perhaps not. Nonetheless, in the absence of any other defining criteria for sophisticated, I'd say Irena shows a sophisticated use of colour in her appartment.

Putting the strongest and most intense colour in the kitchen creates a lovely jewel-box effect--like the kermit green closet we saw a while back. It's a jolt of surprise and yet contained so it doesn't overwhelm.
I love how the palette of orange and pink is offset with the lavender--she didn't choose a red-violet (and stay with a strictly analogous scheme) but moved at least one, maybe two steps away on the colour wheel giving us something unexpected yet still harmonious.

I appreciate the varied intensity of the colours. The pale pink is a lovely frame to the orange. The other hits of pink (the rug, the cushions, the vase) underscore it and emphasise it's delicateness. The bright colours on the doors in the hallway brighten up that space considerably, too.

The hits of cool green from the plants and the blue vase tone down the scheme and yet emphasise it too. The white walls are soothing in this context. Placing that pink on all the walls would have been cloying.

(I love the orange and bananas as props too. Gotta love a scheme that incorporates grad student fruit so well!)


I think this is extremely skillful and that Irena has a very sophisticated sense of colour. Well done.

So pretty and clean, how refreshing!

Bravo Irena, awesome apartment. I guess low budget isn't so important when you have imagination and talent. This is inspiring for all students. Thanks!!

i *love* the colors in this apartment. they work well together, and they work well with the space. it's cheery, light, airy, and welcoming. this is the sort of place i'd love to spend some time hanging out in.

This colourful apartment skillfully combines the dualism of bright, flavourful cheer with the utilitarian Bolshevism of Lenin's RSDLP (РСДРП). Granted this "softening" of socialist ideology through colour, lighting and contrast is somewhat crass in its effort, but effective none-the-less. In particular notice the strategic placement of the camera and the electrical cords. This adds a certain credibility to the piece. The cat, which most certainly represents Christ's blood offering in the less-common feline rather than porcine form, represents design insight rarely seen in amateur pieces. This design build is one of the most technical and well thought out I have seen yet. Kudos to this burgeoning designer!

yeah! as a fellow studio renter it can seriously hard to figure out what to do. no 1,000 plus sqaure footage, not able to change the structure of the apartment - not to mention a lack of budget. i mean, renters rent for a reason right? this is fabulous and i hope you win! creativity, use of space that brings it all together and it seems so realistic to do. inspiring!

Very harmic use of color. cheery room. looks bright and confortable.

I meant to say: Very hamonic use of color. cheery room. looks bright and comfortable. P:

wow, your apt is so cute and neat! love the bright crisp colors.

I really like the color combo. The darker color in the kitchen leads your eye to it, while the plae pink opens up the space. It is really refreshing and not overwhelming. Good Job!

Ok the more I look at it the more I like it. There is a great flow to this space. It is open and airy. Yes it is "girly" but a girl lives there. Yes she has cheap furniture but at least the colors and the asscescories make the furniture look like it does in a catalog. This is exactly what a grad student should have. Kudos for Irena making the most out of her resources! (! just for us girls)

me likies!

beautiful. even more beautiful because of the other entries. yeesh.

I love the colour combination. It's extremely adventurous. It make the apartment look so alive and airy and the decor gives it such character.

Sharon

Irena has made her surroundings bright and colourful. I love the look and colour combo.
Debbie

This is the kind of nest I would love to come home to. Chic, airy, uplifting, intriguing use of color, and all with an adorable cat. Perfect.

Felice ~

Wow, i have to say that it looks absolutely fantastic! I saw this place when it was in the process and i never would have guessed it was going to look like this in the end! Good job guys! I'm EXTREMELY IMPRESSED!

definitely lively and cheery.

makes me want to walk around in speedos, aviators and drink orange mocha frappaccinos.

good work.

I enjoyed this. It made me feel like you grabbed hold of the space and changed it to your way of seeing, mostly by use of color (wall and accent objects). (Good thing the cat's dark-colored, though -- you needed one dark accent!)

very nice and colorful, welcoming and easygoing, really like it