Name: Dania
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Why I use color:
"Color is the easiest way to give a room personality without breaking
the bank. This was our first "grown-up" apartment. We didn't want it
to look like a college dorm room, but we also didn't want it to be stuffy and austere. Also, because the living room and the kitchen are in the same room we wanted a way to visually separate them but also have them be complementary. Color was the easiest way to do it."
Color Tips:
"Your favorite color may not always be the best idea for your walls.
Try to get a second or third opinion when picking colors.
Don't be afraid of bold, bright colors, it's so nice to walk into a
cheery room."
Color Resources:
"1. Benjamin Moore's online Personal Colorviewer program is a great way to see how different colors may look on your walls.
2. Go to your local hardwarde store rather than one of the behemoth chain stores. Most have what you need and you will be supporting the little guys."
Liked this site much better before this color contest. Painting a room a bright color doesn't make it exceptional- in most cases, just tacky. What happened to all the good design ideas and websites?
Thanks for opening up your home to us. I really like the piece hanging over your dining table.
I like the spare yet warm overall quality you have achieved in your space.
I really like your kitchen tiles and cabinetry.
Many of this week's entries seem less "designed" than the ones posted last week... but I think it's kind of fun to see what people do with their homes. If I want nothing but professional design, I can buy a stack of magazines. A few raw edges here and there add to the fun.
And hey, just because it's here, that doesn't mean we have to like it, vote it high, or copy it. Today's vocabulary word: ANNOYMENT. The emotion achieved when one looks at/reads things one doesn't like, in order to enjoy complaining about them.
I love the backsplash and the way it highlights your espresso machine. Luigi and I are big fans of the Francis Francis!!
I love green so much. But one thing I have learned from this contest is that green can go so bad, so fast.
I am hoping with all the various green entries that it's just the photos not doing the rooms justice.
While I don't particularly care for the green (although I like a whole more than another entry today I cruely stated would win the "i've got god-awful color contest"), I want to applaud your use of different colors. So many of these entries focus on one single color, but you have a nice mix and it looks comfortable - which I think is very important.
I like it...it looks like people live here and enjoy the space, which is important. I'm a big fan of berry or whatever the deep reddish color is in the pics.
I like both rooms---the color combinations in both the living room and the kitchen both work (green and berry, orange and turquoise), although not necessarily together---since the floorplan is open, the colors would work better if they were meant to all coordinate together.
Two things on the living room---
Love the multi-color pillow on the couch. Where did you find it?
They're expensive, but curtains would be the best thing to complete your color scheme and your design. I would probably go for something that blends in with the green, as the berry color on the chairs and pillows are what you're using to draw the eye. maybe a green-gold. Something with texture would also be nice.
The last kitchen photo showcases a nice combination of items with the tile. I may be able to take inspiration to work with my own kitchen.
Love the brick wall in the living room. Reminds me of my French Quarter getaway!
Thanks for sharing!
Cooking Cajun
I covet your apartment--what a great space. While I wouldn't have chosen the green, I like the other colors in the room (the berry, and the scheme in the kitchen). The furniture arrangement is great, too--lots of comfortable seating and good storage while retaining spaciousness and flow.
I agree that better window treatments are in order. With such a narrow window, I find, it is better to extend the rod past the edges of the window frame and hang curtains on each side, as if the window actually were larger.
Dania, I love your kitchen backsplash. Was it painted? Are they tiles? Or WHAT? Thanks.
what a wonderful kitchen! please answer phyllis' question-- i'd love to recreate it (well, at least dream of recreating it...)
Hi,
Thanks to all for the kind words and constructive advice. While I think the "tacky" comments regarding the green walls were a bit harsh, I will say that because I shot it at night, the color of the living room walls didn't do justice to the true color. Also, i'm not a very good photographer and didn't get all the very large, really dramatic b/w photos that contrast nicely with the color.
Anyway, the kitchen backspash is tile, actually very reasonably priced from Dal Tile, the countertop is Silestone (color-coffee) from Home Expo, also very reasonable compared to granite, etc. And we just painted the parts of the wall not covered in tile, the cabinets are Ikea...so all in all this was not a very expensive endeavor.
It's interesting that so may of you like the red chairs, actually have been thinking of reupholstering them.