apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

really great, except for the stencil.

it is colorful. i maybe would have emptied the trash?

This is fun, and just what a first apartment should be.

Awesome! This place looks so *happy* - I love it. The energy is fantastic. Vibrant but not unsettling. The yellow wall with the silhouettes is my favorite.

I'm intrigued by (what looks like) the flowered couch at the end of the hallway. Would have liked some full room views. But it's looking pretty delightful. I'm not sure about the chandelier stencil or decal. But maybe it goes with the rest of the room. It also might be cool to paint the door in the kitchen black and paint the molding around it the same green as the window.

I love the stencil. This has inspired me to paint my apartment. I just renewed my lease for another year and it can't be that hard to paint white again if I use lighter colors. I love this, it's so awesome!

I like those fish. They look 3 dimensional.

yay! happy happy fun time!

Wow! I usually HATE theme rooms with a burning passion deep in the darkest park of my soul, but I saw that picture of the fish hallway and thought it was so whimsical and fun. I need to embrace my inner child more often. Very cool.

Great job!!

colourful and fun looking, but, like some other entries, I found the photos too tightly cropped to really get a sense of how the colour works in the space.

Hello! This is Emily G, who lives in the above house.

Thanks for all the nice comments! I didn't take pictures of whole rooms because I sort of entered on a whim and the house looks... well, like people live in it and most of the other entries look like they're right out of a catalog.

I did recently clean a bit and if you'd like to see some photos that aren't close-up, I made a flickr album here:

http://flickr.com/photos/greenstripes/sets/72157602390672759/

Also: please keep in mind when judging me against all the beautiful perfect catalog houses that I'm 23 and can't even afford IKEA.

ALSO! Very important. The curtains in the living room used to be a fitted sheet belonging to a former housemate, and another former roommate of mine had the same set. Neither can remember where they came from. Anybody know?

Okay... same as posted above - lots of color but the photos are too tight to see how it fits. I love the fish theme - almost did it in this bizarre blue hallway I had at an old house, but I would have gone green or yellow rather than stark black.

And posting a link to other photos is cheating.

Damn, I really want that fitted sheet now as curtains!

I made my daughter a dress and a kimono out of that same sheet. I bought two sets at two different estate sale and passed it up at a third. It must have been a pretty popular pattern in its day.

I disagree. I like the idea of the stencil, but I think they usually end up looking cheap and straight out of the Urban Outfitters catalogue that they might have come from. But, in this case it looks clean and quite cute.

My favorite part is the book boxes on the wall. A far cry from the wine-crate decor I sported in my early 20's.

I must agree I would've liked to have seen more of the rooms instead of the tight shots. I've never been a big fan of yellow, but I like how it came out and I also like the stencils.

A really fun apartment, perfect for a 23yo. You obviously have a good eye for design and color. Love your sofa!

Doing all that you've done with less than $200 is impressive. Goes to show that vision isn't limited by dollars. This place has a great vibe. It conveys a sense of home. It's far more appealing to me that the high design spaces in this contest.

what an awesome space. and holy cow, that looks incredible for cheap. totally can relate to the "doesn't look like a catalogue" syndrome. :-)
insta winner - you rock color, even if you can't be choosy about furniture. the yellow and that seat? genius. looks intentional instead of "ooh, look, free furniture on the lawn!" ;)

I love it, especially the shot of the armchair with framed sillhouette array.

love your ability with color....but it really isn't fair to link to more photos (see contest rule #5)

Like it a lot, especially those book boxes. Did you make those? And if so, how?

Oops, yes, I'm totally breakin' the law, breakin' the law. Didn't intend to. S'not looking like my place is gonna win anything, though. I'll keep in mind to clean first if I enter next year and take better pictures... god willing, I will have a new couch by then. And I'll have had another year to work on stuff (I started prettying the house up about two months ago).

That kimono is awesome, though. God, I need to get my hands on another set of those sheets.

And I made the book boxes out of drawers I took from a bureau someone had out with the trash. I took off the front bit, spraypainted the sides black and the back colors, screwed them into the wall and bam, bookshelves.

I an surprised that you spent $200 on your "renovation". I would have thought it was much less

You're completely right, Edina. I clearly should have followed your example and blown my spare 200 on something more useful, like a night class at Raging Cunt Community College.

Thanks for the feedback!

Emily is living up to her entry's name. She should be disqualified immediately. Not for using the "C" word, but because of her use of garbage and floating fish as decor.

Oh and Emily the next time you have an extra $200 to spend, spend on getting rid of that dingly carpet in the "fish room"

Don't be shocked if someone calls you out with the "C" word (the writing classes at RCCC would tell you that using quotation marks all the time sounds crazy pretentious) if you're behaving like one. If you have criticism that is in any way constructive, I'm open. If you're just being a big old axe wound, I'll take your input with a grain of salt.

Don't take it personal, Emily. Edina Monsoon (I'm still trying to figure out why her parents named her that) was probably abused (with a broom handle) as a child. Forgive her (or him?). For she (he) knows not what she (he) does. The worst critics are the one who live in mobile homes. Edina? Do you live in a home on wheels?

TO ALL: Click on Edina Monsoon's profile/comments. She's not prejudiced; she hates just about everyone.

Hey, let's have a contest to come up with the best comebacks for Edina. We'll call it: The Annual Mean Edina Contest.

Here's one: "Life's A Bitch. So Is Edina."

I go away for a day or two and come back to this. I am grieved. Colormyworld is upset because I criticized his "theme room". I was actually being kind. His apartment reminded me of one of Mrs. Ropers caftans. ooops, I am giving away my age.

colormyworld, if thats your real name, whether or not I live in a trailer park is of no moment. I have not submitted my home for review in hopes of getting swag. You and Emily G have and have both done a right pathetic job at that. Don't shoot the messenger. Shoot the person who sold you all that horrible furniture.

one more thing colormyworld, I don't hate anyone. I just hate bad design. I hate ugly colors and ugly furniture and the ugly rooms they inhabit. Consider my criticism a favor. I hope it will make you and everyone else with no style and design sense work harder and do better.

Edina Monsoon (aka, God of Style) has spoken.

Where were you the past couple of days? Registering for class (of which you have none) at RCCC?

If it's not a comment about interior decorating, don't post it. Anyone trading personal insults is being destructive to the community and missing the point of why we're all here.

That out of the way, I think the photo with the yellow chair and framed silhouettes is fantastic ... could be in a fancy-pants magazine. I'm not so keen on the fish, but if you're having fun, go for it.

I apologize angorian. You are totally right. This forum has turned into a insult match. I guess I got angered by Monsoon's comments; not only directed towards me but others as well.
I will cease with the personal attacks.

Edina, I apologize to you as well. You have every right to voice your opinions, however harsh they may come across.

i think a person has a right to defend herself (or himself) if someone is being purposely (and needlessly) antagonistic. but yes, getting to the point... i'm not big on brightly colored walls and all that stuff, but i LOVE the fish in the hallway! it reminds me of fun afternoons spent in one of those tunnel walkway aquarium things. so creative!

i totally love the chandelier stencil!

very cute place. I know how it feels to want to express yourself in your home, yet not have the funds you'd like. Every piece in my home has a story about how I got it on sale or somethng to that effect.
You've done a great job.
And I love you ripping into the monsoon. So funny!

Oh, NOW I see how you did the bookshelves! I was not mentally turning them up and backwards, minus the facade. Ah.... I love it, great job, I might have to steal that idea. Sweet job, esp with a tight budget.