Name: Sary
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Type of Home: row home
What inspired you to use color? Having lived in either college dorms or rentals my entire adult life, I was so excited when I bought my own place and had the freedom to do whatever I wanted without asking for permission. Although it was a major fixer upper and required a lot of work before any finishes could even be applied, I knew exactly what I wanted from the very start! I wanted the color scheme to be high contrast, dramatic and to incorporate two of my favorite colors: pink and green...
Color Tip: For a small apartment/house, use one general paint color thoughout. This will allow the spaces to flow seamlessly and make the house seem bigger than it actually is. Use accessories, rugs, artwork, and accent walls to add more color.
Colors Used: Sherwin Williams Lazy Gray and Eider White
Fall Colors Introduction -------------------------------
Welcome, everyone, to our Fourth Annual Fall Colors Sharing & Contest. We're looking for the most beautiful & colorful home in the world and sharing all of the great ideas we get with our readers. This year we're amping things up and hoping to do things better than ever. There are two basic phases, the Sharing Phase and the Voting Phase...
1. Sharing Phase - you comment, judges decide
The 40 best, completed entries will be posted on a daily basis for three weeks. You can view them all at anytime via our new, improved contest pages under ALL ENTRIES. During this time your comments are VERY IMPORTANT as our six judges will be choosing 16 finalists from each region based on comments and their own colorful opinion.
2. Voting Phase - you vote till you drop
Starting October 20th, finalist voting will begin on a daily basis through our new bracketed voting system, which will pit our 16 finalists against one another until only one remains. Sound exciting? We hope so.
Best, Maxwell

what a lovely home....fantastic use of color!
view hanako66's profile
I would kill for a bare brick wall... Lovely place.
view Sol's profile
I am with Sol, love the exposed brick wall. Love your space
view DreaMichelle's profile
finally a cohesive entry
view LaDonnaNichole's profile
Stunning! Glamorous and comfy.
view racheloncegentry's profile
You can tell each element of this home was chosen with thoughtful care. I love the brick backsplash in the kitchen that ties in the exposed brick in the living room. Beautiful.
view ashbadger's profile
Fabulous! The best entry so far! Great choice of colors. Sheepskin rug on the dark floor, brick wall and bluish-gray color are my favorites.
view mk7529's profile
This is the FIRST entry that I've actually enjoyed. You have a beautiful home that looks cohesive, comfy, and inviting.
view atlantadesigner's profile
LOVE IT! Great colors. The wallpaper in the bathroom is great!
view cmccabe's profile
This is the epitome of urban glamour! I love how she used color in both a classic yet contemporary way. I love all of it--the wallpaper in the bathroom, the exposed brick wall, the cool blue gray with bright pops of red. Fabulous!
view kkov802's profile
This place has real class, it is beautiful, I love it.
view Margiefriend's profile
can i move in? every detail is gorgeous and this will definitely serve as inspiration for my first condo!
view shminta's profile
Gorgeous place. Looove how you pulled it all together.
view danze's profile
This is fabulous, and I love the cohesiveness of it. The cool colors and hard edges are balanced out by the warm neutrals, bright red accents and soft-looking materials.
And the b/w wallpaper is awesome. When can I house-sit?
view cmp215's profile
My favorite thus far. Absolutely Beautiful.
view my umi says...'s profile
Beautiful home.
view Nephthys's profile
yay i love seeing all these philly entries!
beautiful home!! narrow philly row homes are so hard to decorate (trust me, i know!) so i give you extra props for this!
view Bobbycat5's profile
Oh, this is gorgeous!!!
view gordon's profile
I absolutely love it:) Good job! You deserve to win. The colors are beautiful.
view kcfrizz's profile
I love your place! What a beautiful home!
view jlb3848's profile
Stunning!! Love the cool blue grey with all the pops of color. The houndstooth covered chair and the wallpaper are gorgeous. And she has a chandelier in her bathroom.....beautiful!!
view dmm's profile
This design in phenomenal. Very city chic & by far the best entry I have seen.
view jaylee27313's profile
Nice to see another Philadelphia entry! Fantastic use of colors! I'm totally jealous of your beautiful brick wall! You have a beautiful and elegant home.
view suzy8track's profile
Stunning and sleek! Every room carries the theme of bold colors and patterns paired with glam feminine touches. Very airy with the clear and mirrored surfaces. Love it!
view lique06's profile
Really well done. One of the few entries in which I like everything!
view Emmm's profile
Great job--strong vision.
view jen_g's profile
You're place is so beautiful! Great use of lighting and colors! Well done!
view curlyq19's profile
Very nice. That ottoman is fantastic.
view GirlInATower's profile
Very Vern Yip -- a splash of red in every room. "Few colors make a statement like red does"
view ilovebc's profile
Mazel tov, it's gorgeous!! I love your home it's how I'd love to live. I'm looking for a kitchen light fixture and I'd love to know who makes yours.
view coco's profile
very glam. i like the black floors & steps.
view mariegael's profile
I can see your reflection in the window :) Gorgeous place...you just totally intimidated me into maybe not submitting my place after all because I think you just blew everyone out of the water!
view amiencc's profile
wow. love it! my favorite so far!
view jenniejenjen's profile
Well! I WAS going to enter this contest but after seeing the beauty of this place, I see I should refrain.
view *heather leaf*'s profile
very very well done! you have a gorgeous home and i love the colour scheme.
view kiwi's profile
I love Sary's house! I always feel welcomed because the furnishings are beautiful but livable, and the color scheme balances warmth and sophistication.
view flipfloppin's profile
Wonderful! I am SO happy to see another PHILA entry! Love your kitchen. It's one of the best Philly rowhome kitchen rehabs I've seen. Thank you for sharing! We NEED AT in Philly!
view peppermint-lover's profile
first entry i like; way to go!
view formosagirl's profile
thanks for all the lovely comments! and to answer coco's question - i got my kitchen light fixture from www.lightinguniverse.com. thats also where i got my powder room fixture from too.
view sary's profile
i love the bathroom!
view Waleigh's profile
Awesome job at this rehab. I love the use of the patterns and textures throughout. You created an elegant sanctuary that is still very welcoming. Great curtains!!
view CAZ's profile
I am so impressed with this place. I love the use of color here. Love the bathroom.
view dar's profile
I love the contrasting textures and full attention to the 3-dimensional space; the smooth black floor/ fluffy sheepskin rug, the rough brick/ soft dancing light, the matte surfaces/ sparkling accents (mirrored coffee table, lamp bases, clock) and the black and white patterns throughout (houndstooth, wallpaper, zebra upholstery and curtains). Elegant, sexy, classic.
view karenat's profile
Heather Leaf - you should enter this contest regardless of the fact that this is such a primo entry, because MOST of the point of this contest is to show us a HUGE bouquet of colorful homes, and if yours shows color off in a way that makes you smile, you won't be alone, and we want to see it!
Meanwhile... this one really IS making me smile a lot. The use of black-and-white with the colors makes the colors look even better because of the absoluteness of them both.
view Curtis's profile
This is indeed a beautiful home with glamourous finishes and stylish touches that I would love to have for my own home, but I don't think it should be the home that wins because it seems that she has everything she needs. I think there are some other homes in the category that use more colors in more clever ways and could use the prize to ad the final finish.
view sugarmac121's profile
Ya know, that could be an interesting twist to the contest....to have someone win who is really leaning in a great direction and shows a lot of promise but just doesn't have the funds to finish it off. Then, come back and show us what was done with the winnings! Do a house tour with a before and after!
view amiencc's profile
Heather Leaf, I agree, go ahead and enter anyway! I just submitted my entry last night and I have been debating with myself everything from "I shouldn't have entered, I"m going to get totally flamed!" to "Well my furniture pieces may not be anything special, but I love my colors and want to show them off!" to "My place is cozy and I love it and maybe I can give someone else on a tight budget some inspiration!" Whats the worse that could happen?
view amiencc's profile
This contest isn't for the best unfinished space so i don't think it's fair to disqualify someone who seems to have everything they need.
With that said... I like the contrast between the warm tones of the exposed brick and the dark floors with the cool tones of the blue walls and the metallic/mirrored furniture & accessories. The space is very inviting but the the but it still has a modern edge.
view e-rock's profile
Its curious that people are assuming that this space is finished just b/c it has a well-designed living room, powder room and kitchen.
We haven't seen the other areas of the house, and I have no doubt that the prizes would go to good use in this entry, especially seeing what she's done so far! Someone who addressed these areas so thoughtfully and thoroughly is very deserving.
view kkov802's profile
LOVE this. all the colours flow so nice and I love how you have mixed all the white and black with the brighter colours. Excellent job, colourful without being over the top and I like textiles used.
view TheoJ's profile
This is so beautiful. Please tell me where you got the pillows on the sofa with the silver on them.
view CLB's profile
CLB - those pillows are from West Elm - I bought them two years ago, though, so I don't think they sell them any longer.
view sary's profile
two of your images are what drew me into this entire fall colours contest. i spent an hour trying to find that image #8 above, blue wall with white red matted frames houndstooth ottoman. love the contrast in that and in bathroom. you keep black red white from being predictable, heavy or stark.
view avianmission's profile
i adore the powder room black and white wallpaper, the whole house seems warm and cozy, just what u need for fall colors. insta-win!
view zhenpoo's profile
Awesome apartment!
where did you get those mirrored coffee tables?
view crewtag.com's profile
By far my favorite place!! The exposed brick, the lighting, the colors.... all so beautifully done. I also love every single accessory, especially your lamps. Where did you get the red one, with the glass base?
view kmenaker's profile
The BEST-LOOKING of all the entries. The color scheme is highly contrasting and draws maximum attention to the rooms in your house. The red has high visibility so a little goes a long way...
view keo 's profile
Lovely home! One of my favorites so far...I loved your kitchen and bathroom...I wish I had a bathroom so chic like this at my home...
Congratulations:)
view erika_ees's profile
kmenaker, the lamp is from marshalls!
view sary's profile
Swanky loungy apartment. But there is not much color here. Granted there a a few pops of color and lots of neutrals but I wouldnt be using this apartment to showcase effective use of color. Sorry.
view Trumystique's profile
this is tres' elegant! please tell what the grey/gray/blu wall color is.I'd very much like to put it on my livingroom walls.Thank you for introducing it!
view breadqueen's profile