apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think the intensity and value of the colors are enough to tie them together. This room (to me) is about color, but also about shape, most notably the blocky kind (in a good way). When the rest of the room is this extreme, I think you only need the tiniest of deviation to make it all purposeful, and I think the organic nature of the silhouettes provides it. And the shapes of the lamp "talk" to the silhouettes, etc. I think anything else brought into the room needs to be more of the same... vast expanses of single color, but start to push the shape more. So perhaps a white headboard could have an extreme pagoda shape?
ps: Anna, thanks for indulging us in our suggestions, since you've not actually asked for any advice! :)

And while this room is fearless in its use of color, it also gets most of it right (imho). For those of you lucky (?) enough to catch the awards episode of The Christopher Lowell Show, particularly the "Best Use of Color" winners, there are examples out there of "fearless" use of color that don't pull off what Anna has. As I said before, some of those rooms look like My Little Pony ate too many Skittles and exploded... and the result is sappy and sacharine, neither of which this room is.

But, while this is surely an extreme of color scenarios, I also hope color will be represented in this contest in other ways. Can't wait to see more!

The art does not have enough visual impact to balance against the rest of the room. Hence my earlier suggestion of tying them together with another color block on the wall behind them to tie them together as a larger single element, a sort of visual "head board". Framing them together could work also. Ditto the lamps seem out of scale.

Would like to see how color is used elsewhere in the apartment and how/if it works together.

Thanks for commenting, everyone. What doesn't come across in the photos is that our bedroom is a little nook off to the side of a larger room. I think the color would be too much in an enclosed space. The left side of the bed is almost entirely open to the bigger room, which I didn't show in the pictures (it wasn't clean).

The colors don't seem quite as psychedelic as they look in the pictures. My flash blew the colors out some. At night, with the lamps on, the orange and fuchsia just look sort of warm and cozy.

We rent, and our landlord only let me paint one wall in the whole apartment. So all the rest of our walls are white and have to stay that way.

I agree with the comments that we need larger lamps (I was actually eying the CB2 ones). I would also love to have a larger piece of art, but I have trouble finding large pieces of art I like that aren't expensive.

PAD is an inspirational, fun book, i bought it a few of months ago. I dig the orange on the wall. What color paint is that?

I'd be interested in seeing the rest of the room.

Score 15 points for fresh, brave, effective use of color.
Deduct 15 points for saying "beige, taupe, and brown just seem blah and boring."

i like color as much as the next person, but this would give me a headache, pass the advil

I have to agree with Luigi here -- this is a little too much, in my opinion.

Just send the Advil this way when you're done.

I do bright colors in my dollhouses to compensate for being a blah-and-bland beige person in real life, but I think Anna's color scheme has blasted past even the eye-splitting living room in Xander & Topher's lighthouse: http://wendefeller.com/smallersf/xandertopher.html

On the other hand, it's sure not boring, and she won't see the exact look in the window of Macy's. There's something to be said for really splashing your own identity on a place.

Yowza, talk about your vibrant, brave use of color! That you love it is really the most important thing, but I have to ask, do you sleep well in there? (This is an honest question, I really am curious.)

I think it's terrific. I just think you should consider larger scale lamps, preferably in yet another bright color. Like the very vivid turquoise lamp that keeps popping up in the cb2 ads on this very page, for example.

Me (the first one), yes, the colors are bright but I beth they don't glow in the dark. =o)

bet, I mean.

Anna. Good for you for going balls-out on the color if you love the vibrancy! My only suggestion would be to introduce some texture--probably with the beddings. You could either go with a bold pattern or graphic (wide stripe, modern interpretation of a Regency pattern, Marimekko floral or geometric, graphic illustration, etc). Definitely something bold and not a pattern that's too intricate or detailed (like a Sari pattern). It feels like blocks of color need to be broken up with pattern. Right now, it feels as if all the color blocks are "floating" as separate elements and aren't as cohesive as they could be with the introduction of a bold graphic element. Martha's suggestion of larger-scaled lamps is a good one--look for one with an interesting, sculptural shape!

I agree with Enrique. It needs layers to tie everything together. I hate beige too and go by the motto "khaki is tacky" but this is one of those moments where the color is boring. Get some funky thrift store 70s glass lamps. Maybe some pillows. Thrift store art, maybe? It's a great base and has lots of promise.

I think Enrique nailed what most bothered me which is that it doesn't feel cohesive. It doesn't pull together, but if this is an alcove part of a larger space perhaps that makes a difference. If you love living with these colors and they make you happy that's great. An additional suggestion to those above would be perhaps to pick another bold color (or one already in the space) and do a large color block on the wall like a matte behind the silohettes to tie them together more.

nice...i love colors.. but not sure i will be able to handle it in my bedroom.. :)

I think white linens, or at least white pillows, would make the other colors pop more.

Fun, but I'd have trouble sleeping, I think!

i'm a little scared to submit my room for this contest, i commend Anna O. for sharing her room.

I think it could use some more personal touches, it doesn't feel quite lived in, the colors don't bother me all that much but i agree that a textured and neutral or pure white breadspread would ground the room better.

minh (working up nerve to send in my submission!)

I feel I have to come to your defense...mainly because I too have superbright colors in my bedroom. I can't paint my walls, so they're beige, but I have bright stuff elsewhere...and I sleep fine, because I don't sleep with the light on...dark is dark. Only advice I'd give is to maybe add some pattern with the colors to tie it all together!

Ballsy and fun, Anna! I agree with Enrique about the texture, though.

I like the gutsy use of bold colors. I don't see why it would present any problem sleeping. An all white room can be exceedingly bright with the lights left on, but I am assuming most folks sleep in the dark.

I agree with the suggestions for larger lamps to balance the scale a bit. I'd also love to see a large artwork over the bed that combines a variety of the bold colors you love perhaps on a neutral background. Personally, I'd go for something with a Kandinsky vibe.

The drawer on the right nightstand is open a bit (which is the only non-symmetrical element, down to the angle of the lamp cords).

I'd like to see the rest of the room. Are the side walls white or lavender?

I think I came off mean and I don't want to seem that way. I love when people use color. I celebrate it. I'm so J because my new apartment doesn't allow any paint jobs on the wall. I can't wait to see more entries. I love the orange and hot pink combo btw.

Anna. Here's a bedding option you might be able to live with, but it might be too girly for the BF.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=2-6/qid=1128979487/ref=sr_2_6/602-5795578-7903804?%5Fencoding=UTF8&asin=B0006Q9CZM

One more thing and then I'm shutting up... Re the great artwork, which is so personal and special to you. Why not really feature it? Large scale ornate white lacquer frame, and the two images matted underneath a deep blue matte? It will give the silhouettes much more presence in the room.

One great thing about such striking colors is that at night when the lights are dim they take on a completely different character.

I remember visiting the club Joe's Pub right before they first opened and being surprised at the hot pinks and oranges they were using on ottomen (ottomen?? Is that a word??) and some banquettes. By candlelight at night, though, the colors were completely different and quite attractive.

Mmmmmmmmm, makes me crave sherbert!

Um, I'm pretty sure Brooklyn is east of the Mississippi.

i like the orange and pink combo -- it is rather cozy & indian to me. (navy is a nice contrast, but the lime green is extra imo.)

(the isaac mizrahi bed set that was linked -- quite nice.)

I agree on pattern/texture comments from above - this room is a great foundation for experimentation in that area. Even a vase of something like winterberries, willow or maple branches if you can find them locally would add great texture and color contrast with the wall.


Just curious about the silhouettes. How were they done? Is the white portion die-cut and then placed on top of squares of blue that are panted on the wall? Or are the blue silhouettes painted directly on a white background? It's playing tricks on my eyes...

I think it would be great fun to rotate a set of die-cut patterns on this wall, changing them as the mood suits you. I know I have seen die-cut curtains at Moss, but someone must be making wall decals of the same nature by now, right?

I love that orange color.

I kinda like that it is vast expanses of solids with no gradations or fussiness of pattern (though those pillowcases are patterned, no?). True, not all could live here, but I love the gung-ho commitement, and the theatrical, semi-surrealist result. Makes me REALLY want to see how you and the boyfriend dress, and what the rest of the apartment is like.I'd love if this space adjoined an all-white bathroom with Paul Smith striped towels.

And, talking about the power of accessories/art... those silhouettes MAKE this room work.

Grown-up bedrooms need headboards, though. Another opportunity for another jolt of hue? Turquoise, maybe? Or the ever-popular white patent leather. ;)

What are the floors? Where are you from originally?

A couple of things... I agree with various comments made above. This is a super-happy pop room, and I do like it, but I think there are ways you could make it even better.

First of all, I like the general idea of these colors, but in this case, they don't feel integrated. I would consider losing the fuchsia bedspread, or the orange wall (paint it fuchsia). I like the suggestion of a white bedspread; I've done something similar myself. Otherwise, have the pillows and bedspread the same color: navy, on a fuchsia wall. (I just think it'll work better than navy on an orange wall with green tables and no fuchsia.)

This is basically a "Caribbean" scheme minus its neutrals. Add white, or add light-to-medium wood. Better Homes and Gardens put out a book called "Style by the Aisle" that is pretty mediocre (review in my URL link), but does work a lot with these colors in a way that is a little more integrated.

I also agree very strongly that you need artwork on a larger scale over your bed... that's a lot of blank wall. The silhouettes are great but I'd like to see them at 4x that size, or a little bit further apart so that they're either each centered over their half of the bed, or each over a nightstand.

I love PAD too... got it when it first came out. It's more practical than it appears at first glance. I heard that Tom Bliss (he of the intricately-patterned carpeting) redid his place, though. I've had good luck with all the book's projects that I've tried. The "buddha flame pit" filled with glass pebbles is a great easy gift for a certain kind of person who needs a centerpiece.

(This contest bums me out a little. It would seem to me that it's the *losers* who probably most need the CB2 store credit.)

One more thing: the last picture is the least friendly to your case. In the first two, you can see that there's at least one white wall, probably two. Seeing this room from various angles at the foot of the bed is probably a totally different experience to being in it, and you may not need as much white or neutral brought in as I previously thought.

Might, however, consider painting in some white around the orange so the orange doesn't cover the whole wall, just the area directly behind the bed. Then the tables would be on white... and wait, the lamps would vanish into the wall. You could try fuchsia lamps, though I think the white ones look cute. Etc.

Good point, everyone, about it being dark when we sleep. I guess I just automatically assume that other people also read or write or watch tv while in bed, before sleeping. I think my heart rate would be racing from all the color and I would then be unable to sleep. But that's me, and I'm the I-can-only-sleep-in-white-sheets-and-a-peaceful-environment type.

I noticed those white walls too, but the suggestion I thought of making was that anna might want to paint them some bright color! I don't think you can label this room caribbean or anything else--anna's way outside the box. My guess is she doesn't _want_ bleached wood or white bedspreads. She wants to push it, and she has.

I think gigantifying the silhouettes might look great, but I also like the look of a small piece of art adrift in a big space.
In my office at work I have a 9"x12" painting alone in the middle of a seven foot long wall. It amuses me whenever I look at it.

No, it's not Caribbean at all (and I doubt that most rooms in the actual Caribbean fit decorators' concept of "a Caribbean scheme"). But it might be worth looking at some of those themes where these colors are used a lot in these combinations, to see how they're tied together. In spite of the fact that I'd never choose these colors to begin with, I really like Anna's room. I just think it feels marginally unfinished.

As far as the art... I think it is too small, full stop. Particularly to be placed in its current arrangement. I'm not really speaking of gigantifying it, just... if it seems to be what serves for a "headboard" in this room, then make it bigger. Patrick's suggestion of a slick white headboard isn't a bad one, but I'm not sure how it would all fit together. That wall needs *something* else & I can't quite put my finger on what.

And... Wende's dollhouses are awesome! Much love.

"As far as the art... I think it is too small, full stop."

well, maybe you're right.

Oh how I wish I could paint my apartment walls... I am sooo jealous!

ALso-- bad grammar alert:
"The silhouettes over the bed are of my boyfriend and I."

"boyfriend and I" is wrong.

should be "boyfriend and me". Objective case.

The colors are okay, but it looks flat.

meeeeeeeeow

"ALso"

typo?

Anna. I was at Target this morning and saw larger scaled lamp you might like (frosted white base, simple soft-white fabric shade--Thomas O'Brien Large Silhouette Table Lamp). Here's the link. Unfortunately, the website doesn't currently have a picture up but they may update it soon.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-11/qid=1129134776/ref=sr_1_11/602-5795578-7903804?%5Fencoding=UTF8&asin=B000ASASLS

My favorite feature is the contrast of the rich blue silhouette artwork with the surrounding white and orange.

Thanks for sharing!

Rachel: The period in "should be 'boyfriend and me'." goes inside the quotation marks, not outside of them. You've ignored the first rule of public-copyediting karma.

Interesting room! It's not as cohesive as it could be, but I do love the use of color.

Lots of vivid colors can give people the heebie-jeebies and make them flee in fright, but this room is done with such assurance and sense of proportion that it's a triumph! Ordinarily, I'd agree that some texture would be a good thing, but here I think the purity of consistent texture (or lack thereof) is brilliant--an excellent element in itself! Sheer genius, the whole thing!

Au

Honestly, the grammar critics should go play in traffic. Or stay inside but each get a life. \

Or--I know!--Let's see your bedrooms!

Au

hello!
nice bedroom!ver colorful, just the way i like it! i have a question to ask. you mentioned that byou were looking for a painting to go in the bedroom. i am a young artisit and I have 2 very beautiful but costly pictures that i have begun painting that are very large, colorful and very beautiful. i was wondering if you or anyone would be interested in seein my paintings or if anyone would have any info on how i could show my work and sell it.
thanks a million

I actually do like these colors together and think they would work well together in the right place and space, but not in a bedroom. However, she did nail it on the head with the outcome being lively. But for most of us, I think we want a bedroom area to be calm, soothing, sensuous, and perhaps even visually seductive. That being said, we each have our own tastes. Maybe she wanted a room that would tap into something more stimulating for when she and her mate wake up in the morning. But I do love the silhouettes of her and her boyfriend over the bed. What a great way to add a distinctively personal touch to a private area such as a bedroom! And best of all, you could do that in any color you like. Splendiferous!