apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

AW MY GAWD!!!

Are you serious? Eww.

With all due respect Allison, are you for real? I think you owe ATers an explanation of why this deserves an honorable mention.

Pete is right. There were so many wonderful entries this is kind of insulting. I think she must know Paul.

Wow.

Hm...

I've definitely been giving AT & its cronies waaaay to much credit.

Wow.

Hm...

I've definitely been giving AT & its cronies waaaay too much credit.

I try not to jump in and say anything if I have nothing nice to say, however ... this time I have to agree. I feel like this one needs explained. It's a total eyesore. And even if you don't think so ... if you like it, I still agree that there were so many more great ones than this.

I'm going to try really hard not to say anything nasty. Kudos to Paul, if he loves his place and is enjoying it then more power to him.
However, there were so many fabulous entries that I can't wrap my brain around how this won an honorable mention. I think the judges should issue, at the very least, a brief statement describing why they chose what they did. Alison's statement that he had a "go for broke" attitude hardly qualifies as good use of color in my book.

I like it. I like it alot. I like the colors. I like the effect of the room. I feel like I could wrap myself in it. I like the creativity of putting carpet on the wall and what could pass as fabric on the floor. I like the black. It anchors the room and keeps it from floating away on a lake of reds. I like the mesh of all the rouges and I respect the fact that none clash. I like the lushness of the room. I admire the slight of hand of taking a small room and making it hugh. This is a tiny toy dog in full throat. And believe it or not, this is hard to do. And as an added bonus, I bet this was done on a shoe string. Great designers don't need much money.

My eyes are darting about looking for at least a temporary respite from all that scarlet plush, but even that little potted plant looks grey and terrified.

Art has always been in the eye of the beholder. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. This is a beautifully constructed room from a tightly focused designer. Look at it this way, don't take points off for tacky, which is clearly what you are seeing. Instead of judging the room, does the room have good bones, can you see the vision of the designer?

This is very Bobby Trendy.

Wow! I'm speechless. This looks like a joke to everybody that has follow the contest.

I think AT has just reached a new low. How very disappointing.

Granted this is an unexpected choice for honorable mention, but it is much better done than a lot of the truly dreadful entries that were given heaps of undeserved praise, especially when the owner would whine and cry about how he/she felt picked on with criticism. Not my personal taste, but I can understand how it would be singled out for some non-prize category praise.

THIS is what I was expecting from Honorable Mentions... something really extreme, that succeeds color-wise in one big way, but perhaps not all.

I love the audacity of this entry, and the audacity of its selection as an Honorable Mention.

But peggy's ascertation that Paul knows the judge is really just sad.

I love this pick as an honorable mention. And all of you all insinuating that this is nepotism in action are deluded. If you want predictable and hipster-approved, go read Dwell.

regards,
trillium

Totally agree with patrick's post.

While this entry is not my style personally, I can imagine this space would be a fun place to entertain a crowd. There is a certain sexiness about the whole red thing. Definitely retro-lounge-y, in a good way.

Congrats Paul.

This is so sad....I thought AT had style.

Might I suggest that we look at this space through the lens of the principles of the book Apartment Therapy? That is, it appears that the entry has stuck to a budget, cleared clutter, and by Jiminy he has chosen and stuck to his hues. He has a vision, it is definitely uncluttered and doesn’t have that look of a decorating project slapped on top of a bunch of old crap. He did not stick to the 80/20 color idea and by the books standard has ‘too much color’ and for ‘Light Therapy’, he has designed a room that would benefit from more light, so he didn’t necessarily ‘listen’ to his home as much as impose a vision upon the space. But, the lamps sure are perfect for what he is going for here. As for the ‘Sacred Space’ well, if your sacred space is a vampire whorehouse, well then I say you go on with your bad self – there certainly isn’t an exercise bike in sight. And it sounds like he uses his space to entertain his butt off. Now since this contest is all about color, and as this example turns the recommended approach to color in the book on its head, it would be weird for it to win, sure. But to single it out as an achievement worthy of notice, of mention, say even *honorable* mention… well I think it is acceptable. I know a lot of people on this site have excellent taste and are even professional designers and decorators, but the book AT isn’t written for designers, it is written for people like me who want their homes to be the perfect place for them, and need a little help getting there. I think this apartment is inspiring on that tip, even if it isn’t a place where I would want to live. But what do I know.

ok, first off i'm not a hater or a a troll, BUT to think that this is a honorable mention and that the two spaces i really think should have been finalists (the lime green wall with white sofa and the room with the red wood desk and mod black chair)

this room is totally freaking ugly, its not the idea that all red is bad , but velvour walls that match the rug? the urniture,
this is soo tacky
why even?

i think the judges should be the website visitors cause we have better taste than the judges, sorry..apaprtment therapy but you scare me

I'd love to be naked in this room.

Me too. The room is evocative.

"If you want predictable and hipster-approved, go read Dwell."

Um, perhaps Allison should have consulted a copy of the beast she helped create!

I agree with her reasoning, but don't think her analysis or selection is inspired (or audacious). I thought this entry was quite flat color-wise... unique, but flat. No harm done, IMO.

Well this was unexpected. 'Bout all I can say.

Can we go a *little easy* on this guy? He already got slammed pretty hard on his original entry thread... let him enjoy his honorable mention!!

Over the top. Treat this as a problem room and see what you'd recommend for it - short of a hand grenade. Much as we see some visitors asking for how to add a splash of color, this room needs the opposite - some things to tone it down. Some off-white cushions, light white tone art on the walls, and an off-white throw rug or floccia rug in the foreground would all help begin to soften the red assault. Hope this helps someone fix up their life too!

Now this is a creative use of color. I wouldn't necessarily want to live in it, but I'd sure love to visit and have a glass of (red) wine surrounded by all that velvety ruby warmth. Too many of the other entries were nice but kind of boring.

WTF?

Hillary:
How great that you found a nice thing to write. And true, even cranberry juice probably wouldn't show.

Like p(too), I expected the Honorable Mentions to be entries that were more "out there," possibly because that's what happened with Smallest, Coolest. This room is definitely "out there." It's reminding me of Edward Gorey, which I like as literature... so hey, live the dream.

What bothers me about Ms. Arieff's justification is her statement, "If you're going to do it, you might as well DO it." There's a tone here that suggests she's skeptical about using color, but this is a COLOR contest. Everyone is doing it.

Paul is two steps ahead of the Neo-Baroque trend, though, and will probably be an icon of style in 2008. (But put the plant in a more dramatic pot, please!)

i like neo baroque :)

The more I look at this, the more I like it as a night-time party hang-out. (For morning tea on a sunny day, no.) If I could write a large check for the resident, I'd ask him to spend it on replacing the floor lamps with ones with chrome or clear glass bases, switching that plant to a much more over-the-top dramatic pot, and mixing up the pillows with some in the same color but a more slubbed satin texture, maybe with some beads -- basically just a touch more smoothness and reflectiveness.

But this is the kind of room you can only try in a small apartment. Surely some of the fun in "living small" is being able to try looks that would be impossible or tedious at a larger scale? If being "tasteful" *only* means reproducing high-end, big-apartment looks in small, that seems depressing, and all about limits rather than possibilities.

I give it a definite thumbs UP - I really like this room, for the same reasons as TeamDecor, and agree it WAS worthy of Honorable Mention.

Wow, I can't believe this room got a honorable mention. So far I really agreed with the others placed in this category (although the first honorable mention was an "insta winner" to me). I thought that this room had color, but was over the top and stylewise didn't offer much, just lots of red. Also, my favorite rooms had color and would be comfortable to live in. I don't think my retinas could take living here...
It's a shame that some truly lovely rooms will get passed over.

I see myself partying in this place with a bunch of hot guys, drinking martinis, and chillin' naked on the bed in that "Justify Your Love" sorta way.

My my my....how a difference of opinion really brings out the ugly in this board.
Love, hate, or somewhere in between, why can't the style Nazis here appreciate diversity?
There is life beyond West Elm and DWR afterall.
This board gets more hateful by the day....

welcome to the internet :)

contennta--
You're not really helping the "hateful" situation by refering to the poeple *you* don't agree with as "style Nazis."

You have got to be kidding. You're kidding, right? Cause that's one hideous room. ::shaking head::

I decided to read Paul's original entry. It is interesting that men, in particular, seem to prefer the space more than women. Plus, the original comments from people who have been to the "The WSA" suggest that the place looks even better if you were to actually visit it.

terra writes:

... some 70's gigolo's tacky velour wall-cushioned porn room!!!!
I am sorry!
On the plus side, however, it is almost nearly child proof...

So, Michael Jackson's bedroom, is what you're saying?

I certainly can't fault Paul for having guts and being bold with color. Isn't that what the contest is about?

Back when Michael Jackson was a little boy with a big afro, I was a mousy, timid teenager growing up in the tobaccolands. I made my bedroom into a lair of red, gold and fake leopard where I listened to records and imagined my grown up life, filled with arty, creative people and someone to passionately love me. It all came true. Thumb your nose at conventional and boring. I say Yes to this room, yes, yes, yes, oh yes.

this is NOT a contest on good taste in design....which is SUBJECTIVE btw! it is a COLOR CONTEST. why is everyone commenting on how tacky the room is? it's not about whether or not it fits YOUR taste so why don't some of you people get over yourselves already. go flip thru your west elm catalogs and bring yourselves off the ledge.

go paul! to me this contest is about being gutsy with color and i think you definitely deserve the honerable mention!

I think people are forgetting that "Honorable Mention" is just that... an entry that did NOT make it to the finals, but that is "worthy of note."

And this in just ONE judge's "worthy of note." Don't freak out, haters!!

But where are all the people who totally slammed ANYTHING not uber-technicolor now, defending this entry?!

I think it fun in a highly personal way, but of course not everyone's cup of (RED!) tea.

But congrats and thanks to Paul for the entry.

Amazing how much debate this room sparks; it is FUN! Not a place I'd want to live, but it would be great to have it for a night. It is meant to be entertaining, and should be viewed as such. I'd much rather hang out here than in one of those nauseating pastel places bedecked with enough cutsie accessories to make a six year old vomit.

Totally agree with whoever said it would be fun to hang out naked here.

I take it that the West Elm comments are meant to be insulting?...m'kay.
Is use of color is the only criterion for the contest? Has this room inspired anyone to apply this to their own space? If so, I'd like to hear why. That's really all I'm asking. A simple explanation!

Pete is right. This is not skillful use of color. Just because there is a lot of it and it was done with reckless abandon doesn't make it skillful. It does not deserve honorable mention, I think the judge must have been at one of the naked beer parties everyone keeps referencing.

This is highly-offensive especially since there were so many beautiful entries and because the people at AT and the judges hold themselves out as experts. Even though she helped found Dwell, she must have never read it.

Wow. I bet Paul is having a blast with all the attention his room is getting!
I imagine his personality is just as eccentric as his room is.
This room would not get an honorable mention from me, but hey, if we didn't have this type of unique-ness in the world, how dull it would be.
Hey, if we didn't have this entry, then we wouldn't have all this to talk, argue, scream, debate about. Right?

the red room looks pretty cool :)

unless someone's room looks like it fell out of a home decor catalog, most of you will slam it. sad really because it just shows that you're all a bunch of mindless sheep. heaven forbid someone decorates outside of what is widely accepted as aesthetically pleasing.

maybe some of you should spend less time bashing somebody and a little more time finding out how you can be a judge next year. put your money where your mouth is....

This room looks like it fell out of a bordello. Even the people who like it haven't been able to properly defend it. I think honorable mention should have gone to one of the good entries instead.

i'm so glad that someone that gets so much talk for their space is an honorable mention! booo to all of you that shun this space! picture perfect is not the look everyone goes for. it's not like the contest doesn't have those oh-so-pretty varieties. there are enough. christ, i'm so sick of seeing those who spend of tons of money on spaces or with some complex formula on how to use color thinking that's the way. good for you - designer of this space!~ good for you:)

LMAO @ "this is so Bobby Trendy" ... too true.

However, it IS a bold statement .. tacky or not. I have to agree though this is a bit of an insult. If I had entered the contest and got passed over for this entry, I'd be royally pissed.

Um...Is that a dusty plastic plant?