Name: Brianna
Location: Greenwich, Connecticut
Cohabitation is always an interesting exercise in compromise, and with my husband and I, it has certainly been no exception. You see, I like stuff and he likes space, I like my colors bold, he likes them reserved...you get the picture. When we moved into this apartment in Greenwich, we had freed ourselves from our Upper East Side abode that we were sharing with a roommate. With a space to finally call our own, I had to reign in my urge to make it a mid-century masterpiece or a Hollywood regency palace, instead taking a much more democratic approach to the decorating process.
After choosing anchor pieces for the living room (the couch, the bookcase that we both adore, the coffee table) and the bedroom (the bureau), we chose paint colors that would highlight and compliment our decisions. We also opted to use the same pale pink and green in our bedroom to play up the versatility of our complimentary color scheme, with the accent wall in the living room green, and the one in our bedroom pink. From there, I began the difficult process of compartmentalizing and paring down my love of tchotkes, grouping them in very specific places, leaving plenty of breathing room for my husband.
The result of all of this compromise? A clean and comfortable space that hasn't sacrificed quirkiness or personality for austerity. From a drawing by Charles M. Schultz, to watercolors that I painted, to a photo album of a trip to Paris, family photos, iconic design pieces, and the occasional vintage ephemera, I feel like we've created a space that has transcended "the rental" and has really become something we can call our own.
Thanks, Brianna!
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I hate the color pink but I love your couch, go figure.
view boxerchick's profile
Congrats. It is a lovely space and not a shrine to one style. Looks like two people with great taste actually enjoy living here.
That said the picture over the couch looks too high to me, and possibly lonely. Just me
view hippyvieja's profile
Love that couch!
view bkk's profile
hippyvieja, its not just you...I think the artwork over the couch needs to either be larger or in a group. Its the very first thing I thought when i saw the photo...I do like the couch though
view abc123's profile
I love the couch! Where did you get it from?
view sunrise's profile
Sunrise - I'm not sure where that particular couch is from, but I have one that is VERY similar (maybe a touch shorter and less buttons on the back) from Macy's. They have really good sales sometimes. I got mine at an IKEA price! I absolutely love my couch too.
See it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26487109@N08/3893940945/in/set-72157622150209083/
Lovely home!
view lwarecki's profile
Yeah, the art over the couch is way too small. I think matting it and putting it in a larger, bolder frame (perhaps something a little fancy to avoid repeating the plain rectangles of the couch and coffee table) would help a lot.
view slowdown's profile
I love the soft pink sofa against the light green walls, great color combination.
view Nina79's profile
Great place, Brianna.
That couch looks like the Giselle from Boston Interiors! I just got the Giselle, too, but in a charcoal-grey velvet microsuede. Chic to look at, and super comfy to sit on! Really a great couch; and relatively affordable. They are having an upholstery sale now, actually; BI offers tons of fabric options.
http://www.bostoninteriors.com/shop/product.php?productid=762&cat=578&page=1
view baos's profile
nice place, but the couch needs bigger artwork. i second slowdown - new piece or mat and reframe existing piece.
view the polish chick's profile
I like the coffee table. Where did you find it?
view Tish49's profile
Meh.
view medusa12120's profile
agreed w/ medusa. it's really nothing special. kinda bland really and seem to be lacking any style in particular.
view lunatig's profile
I see these as the "before" photos. It is hard cohabiting. This just needs more. It is a good start though, like the color choices, just needs more/bigger artwork and refining. I dunno. :(
view msjessiemeghan's profile
I agree about the over-the-couch artwork needing to have greater effect....it's lovely though. i do love your couch! and LOVE that corner webby/branchy thing, whatever it is - I can't really tell.
view nikki moore - photography and vintage treasures's profile
Hello everyone! Thank you for all of your comments and constructive criticism! We haven't lived in this apartment long (and don't plan on living in it much longer), so it is a bit of a work in progress which will most likely stay that way. As for the photo over the couch, I agree, it needs a larger, awesome-r frame and some actual matting to fill it out a bit, and give it the respect it deserves as it was a wedding present from an amazing photographer friend of mine, Lauren Volo. (laurenvolo.blogspot.com, check her out!)
lwarecki, and everyone else who asked about the couch, I found it at Macy's. The color had me at hello.
As for the coffee table, after an EXHAUSTIVE search, I found that baby at Crate and Barrel.
And nikki moore, the branches are Algue by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Check it out on Vitra's website:
http://www.vitra.com/en-us/home/products/algue/
view briannashby's profile
The couch is--specifically--the Corona sofa at Macy's. I've been eyeing it for a while in the Café Noir color... there have been several apartment therapy posts regarding the sofa, as well. It's a steal at the price, and is usually on sale.
view Tobiaty's profile
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/seating-sofas-armchairs/corona-sofa-series-029227
view Tobiaty's profile
the side table to the right (in the picture) looks a little far away. would like to see more before giving an opinion but my 1st impression is bland.
view mellow yellow design's profile
Perhaps if the copy of Kenneth Patchen's "Memoirs of a Shy Pornographer" that lives on that side table in question were visible in the photo, it would be a tad less bland. ;)
-Brianna
view briannashby's profile
Gotta love a man who is prepared to sleep in a pink room!!! Your couch is quite similar to my (pink) one and I love it against my dove grey walls.
Nevertheless, your look is TOTALLY different than mine yet wonderful all the same!!! Thanks for sharing!
view EAM's profile