apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I like the living room's aqua/rust/orange motif. It's very retro but done in a good way. The bedroom I don't get very much. Not sure what to make of that glass-drop shade on the floor...I guess that's the conceal something but this room doesn't feel cohesive with the living room, in my opinion.

I love it...good mix of retro/mod and contemporary. And kudos for using orange in a way that doesn't just scream "orange is trendy".

Love it! Love the living room. Really great use of bright and dark colors, and the space is very balanced and calm.

The bedroom is a little harder to understand. What's the purpose of the necklace-screen thing?
But I really love the paintings of the cat and the dog. Did you do them yourself?

Comfy and homey. I love the pet portraits and can tell that chocolate lab is a real sweetie.

I love the colors- bright & cheerful with personal touches, not too overdone. Where did you get the multicolored/striped window treatments? Really like those.

thank you, thank you, thank you for the nice comments. well so far anyway, i have prepared myself for the bad ones. haha

both pictures are actually of the same room. the second pic is the wall opposite the blue wall.

the prism screen doesn't really serve any purpose. i just love it. it was a gift that a friend of mine made for me.

the window treatments i made with an on sale bed spread from urban outfitters that i cut up and added some blue ribbon to the bottom. and yes, i did paint the pet portraits.

Do you take commissions for pet portraits?? :) I worship my dog, but can't draw to save my life.

Great color choices. Warm, vibrant, restful and cozy.

Adore the living room and I just had to grin when I saw the Elvis Presley door chest in the bedroom photo.

The striped window treatments are a great solution and pet portraits are charming and happy.

I particularly like the fabric of the pillow on the orange sofa and would love more information. Is that a current fabric or vintage?

Beautiful! I think my apartment's next incarnation is going to be turquoise! I love the turquoise with the orange. Great vases, great lamp and I even love the paintings of the cat and dog. Modern and cozy. Great work.

Pretty, pretty, pretty! Bold color choices without looking garrish. I love it.

Like others, I like the blue. Could you disclose the color/brand?

I'm also a fan. Are those letters for knobs on your entertainment center? I got excited thinking they were yours and your partner's initials. But now I see they're not. Would be a sweet (but too mushy?) idea. (The knobs look like E P to me)
Great job!

JenDC- sorry, i don't do any commission work. i'm a science nerd, not an artist. although art is way more fun and sometimes i wish i was!

Maria- the paint was a custom tint from MAB paint. i LOVE their paint. i think the color they based it off of was a martha stewart color.

BethinDC- the initials are actually for Elvis Presley. it was a piece from an Elvis Presley bedroom set that i found on sale because it was damaged. we just adjusted it to fit our tv. and it actually is the initals of a friend of mine, who would love me to give them to her. but i have grown attached :-)

So impressed by the first photo and really let down by the second one.

Your use of color is so tight and cool in the first photo and then the second photo looks like a spare room where all random odds and ends seem to be shoved...(with the exception of your cute dog of course!)

I like the orange and green in the first photo. Also, I love that table lamp.

Funny, I think of these colors as neutrals. The cool blue wall and sofa and the warm wood are neutral to me in the sense that they can be punched up with many other bolder colors, but are certainly more interesting than the neutrals of a beige nature. I like it.

I love the blue. I have been all over that color lately. I have a feeling in next year's color competition everyone will be screaming about that color instead of green. :)

i noticed those EP knobs right away. they're my initials! love it.

too bad about the pet portraits, because i'd love for you to do a commission to. being a scientist also, i agree that i'm sure art is more fun. maybe you should make the leap!

beautiful home. thanks for sharing it.

These aren't even my colors and yet I really like that first picture.

Bravo on the living room, tasteful, soothing and homey all at once.

I too love the first shot of the room but am a little less enthusiastic about the other side... Maybe instead of just having the blue accent wall, painting the whole room that color would make it feel more cohesive. I think it would be cool if you hung the prism screen on your wall, especially considering the nice natural light that you have.

If you think this room looks good in pictures, you should see it in person - when you enter for a holiday or a dinner - the candles, serving pieces and displays blend in perfectly with the decor and give it a homey, special warmth.

Not only can this couple decorate, they can cook!

Oh, and the decorator is very much an artist and not so much a "science nerd", just multi-talented

A proud mother-in-law :)

I want your mother-in-law.

I love the orange couch--where did you get it?

leah- the pillow is new, it's from homegoods.
becca- the couch is old, probably from the 60's or 70's and was my great aunt's.
sela- i am a lucky one!