apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The pink is very Barbie.

Color is personal. Keep the wall pink for as long as it makes you happy, and then change it.

I'm not feeling the pink with the sofa. However, congrats on not being afraid of color.

Two suggestions:

1) Pick a softer, paler pink. Colors always look more vibrant on the wall than they do on the chip. I actually think a pastel pink would look pretty fabulous with your "goldenrod" sofa.

2) Use flat/matte paint on the walls, not eggshell. The glossiness of the paint is bothering me more than the color; it makes it look garish, plastic, and cheap.

BTW, don't worry about "growing up". You can always change the color later if you change your mind! That goes for hair as much as it does for walls. :)

Hi Bianca!
Congrats on the new place. I'm not a big fan of the colour. It also looks quite shiny - did you use high-gloss?
I might try a nice light yellow (like a buttercream) in a matte finish, which will provide better contrast with the sofa, give the appearance of more light, and be happy. If you really love the pink, why not bring it back into the room with some pillows or something?

I think that that particular pink is indeed very 'barbie vomit'. Aside from that, i think it's 'too much' with the couch. Rather than making your couch pop, it makes your walls pop and your sofa recede. (Also, the paint job looks a bit uneven - that alone makes your place look a bit My First Apartment.)

To go with the sofa, i'd recommend re-painting the room a soft sage green.

I've always thought rust and hot pink is a stellar — albeit daring — color combo. Right now you're not really pushing it to its potential, but maybe you could. I would either bring a TON of different colors into the mix here (aim for some lighter-but-not-pastel tones if you do this) and just let it be wild and intense and eclectic-on-speed, which could be quite compelling... OR I'd keep it really simple and just have tints and shades of the two hues. Either way you go, it's going to be intense. But that could be fun, depending on your personality and tastes.

Otherwise, I'd say you should either get a quieter sofa (or re-cover your cushions) or quieter walls. Have fun and good luck!

Here's a pink that I think could work quite well with your sofa:
http://sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com/2007/09/weekend-update.html

Yeah for Floridians! I'm not a pink kinda girl, but hey if you like it then go with it. But like the others, I think maybe a neutral color slip cover for the couch would look better.

i don't mind the pink but it doesn't go with the sofa.
are all the walls in the living room that color? because that would be waaaay too much as well. one bright wall usually looks better.

I kinda like the trippy wall color w/ your groovy sofa - It reminds me of eating Blackberry Sorbet in a Waffle Cone...

...I also like the Aqua Blue hallway in the background. Have fun with your colors while you can since a can of paint is still relatively cheap.

oops, i posted too soon. i agree with twelvethirteen...you can make it work.
a bold bright color isn't always a bad thing. my partner and i have a orange wall that we love and works well:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/2457016055_0bd6b2e7d4_o.jpg

I like it in the "it's so wrong it's right" kinda way... but I agree with posters above, the sheen on the paint is bothering me, it needs to be matte.

Let's say you don't have the patience to paint ooor to re-cover right now. You could try covering a lot of the wall space with a bunch of pictures. You could light pictures with light frames, some colorful pictures and some light pictures with a mix of frames--or just a total mix. If you cover up a lot of the pink with a combination of images that would complement the couch, the wall, and the retro theme (or whatever theme), then it could potentially pull together, even as a temporary fix.

Then again, collecting many images is also time-consuming! You could try a few larger paintings. Again, it's all about how everything comes together.

My bedroom when I was a teenager was that color pink! I loved it for about 3 years and then I painted it green - paint is cheap and it doesn't take too much time to change it. I do agree that the same color in flat would look less plastic Barbie Dreamhouse (though my fantasy was living in the Dreamhouse when I was a kid).

I think wall art is definitely a good idea, to tone down the expanse of pink. It's not such a bad color, and paint is easy to do-over when you tire of it. If you love it, that's great!

Get yourself some funky slipcovers... maybe yellow or powder blue with turquoise piping to tie into that turquoise in the background, or a deep red with some other accent... or ditch the sofa... But that paint is awesome... I like to wear a bright pink shirt to work with a shiny yellow silk tie or a red floral pattern... the same concept could work here.

i love the pink, but your couch might pop more if you went with a much deeper pink (something with a brown undertone) or with a very soft pale pink. you'd be surprised what that does for the psyche and how nice it is.

I'm going to have to agree with rhiana with this one. I think painting the barbie-pink walls a more neutral/earthy color will look better with your couch. The pink you chose is just so overwhelming.

Then I suggest you accessorize the heck out of that room with different shades of pink if you still want pink in the room.

It's always best to have safe-colored furniture so you can use them over the years, and fun-colored accessories to tie the room together.

Thanks everyone! The paint was still wet when the picture was taken, so that's why it's still a bit glossy, it's a lot more matte looking now that it has dried.

My plan for behind the couch is to do a collage of sage green(color pending- the couch has tons of different colors woven into it) empty frames with a few small mirrors to reflect the light that comes in through the wood french doors.

I am an art student and I was also planning, once my portfolio review is done in Fall, to put my graphite drawings throughout the house. They are done on newsprint or Arches buff so the paper is more neutral than bright white.

Recovering is a no-go, I love the sofa :P
Here is a link to a close up of the cushions:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v124/sellyourbeautiful/?action=view¤t=100_0979.jpg

Anna at D16, gosh that color is fantastic...too bad she mixed it herself, I'll try Sherwin Williams or something to find more 'blush coral' colors, behr's looked unconvincing to me somehow.

**I should also add that we put up a few swatches prior, my original idea was Behr's Innuendo, a lilac color, but somehow it didn't look as nice with the sofa so I put it in the dinning room.

Oh wow! That sofa is way more awesome than I'd envisioned from the first photo!

bebetree, more inspiration for you:
http://www.dominomag.com/galleries/paint/slideshow_paintpalette?slide=24

That pink in the back room is fabulous, and it really works well with the coral/orange and mustard!

That is a fabulous sofa -- I say go with the color. It can absolutely work. Have you seen Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love or 2046? If not, the production design might inspire you. He uses lots of color contrast (often reds with greens) in sixties settings.

Its my favorite color!! As long as you like it thats what matters. Your wall collage sounds great - perhaps get a couple of cusions that tie in with the green and then will help bring the whole thing together. If you mix and match a few different cushions together you could get a nice moroccan look out of the whole thing, expecially how the sofa already has mini bolster cushions on each end. Good luck Have fun!
Add a few sheers like the SFgirlby bay picture and you could have your own souk going on in no time!

i can definitely see an earthy, brown-based medium to light purple with that couch.

The pink looks terrible.

Can't really see all the colors in the sofa, maybe soft orange or mango..

i heart pink. i think it's way cute. now that i see your couch, it totally works. orignially i thought it was orange!! :) KEEP IT as is girl! :) makes me smile

I love your daring and I think it can work. You could go with a big piece of art above the sofa, maybe in turquoise, and some throw pillows in yellow and bright green and white.

Love the pink wall and the green in the hall way.

p.s. Your pink reminded me of a pink kitchen in one of my favorite Domino stories (though yours seems to have less blue in it):

http://www.dominomag.com/galleries/rooms/kitchenbath/kitchen/surprisekitchen?slide=25

As I recall, the other rooms in the apartment were teal and turquoise.

I meant to write "complementary colors" earlier, not that yours are on opposite sides of the color wheel, but I think Wong Kar Wai could rock the color combinations you've got going...

I really like the color, but maybe would have chosen a matte paint. The glossiness makes it look a little less sophisticated. If you start to feel it's becoming too much, I would tape off a large rectangle above the sofa to keep pink, and paint the rest of the walls a pretty white. That way you still have the pop and energy of the pink, but in a more refined way. Hang a bunch of fun artwork and you're done!

LOVE that sofa. Before you do an entire repaint...when you do tire of the color, consider painting several color behind it to see which one you like most.

Yeah the pink with that sofa is awful. But the pink itself need not be bad - you could accent it with some bright yellow or white and it would be fine. Well, maybe not fine, but better. If you love the sofa, I'd change the wall.

is this a joke? we are being punk'd...

I know a good company down there with a high power pressure washer, they can come in and just wash everything out...that must happen.

If you plan on seeing a guy (normal male) I would reconsider and halt all work immediately.

Yeah, yeah, personal taste do what makes you happy. The line has been crossed and "barbie vomit"???I can see the paint people at Benjamin Moore scratching their heads in disbelief.

you know, when i looked at the picture of the sofa up close i think it could work with the pink quite well.
and the more i look at the color the more i like it. i think it could look fabulous.

I like pink rooms, but I think they need a lot of black accents to keep from being too My Pretty Pony.

No Annakarina I haven't seen those films, but I have seen Akira Kurosawa's Dreams...his color usage especially in "The Peach Orchard" was particularly awesome! http://video.google.com/videosearch?client=safari&rls=en&q=the%20peach%20orchard&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#

Elizabethy, I really love the idea of taping off a huge pink rectangle later. My main reason for picking such bright colors is because I have always lived in places with pale colors, and I'm kind of opposed to "accent walls" but I think your idea mixes accent walls and more classic colors in a great way.

Shari, believe it or not I bought a ton of quarts to put up swatches behind the sofa: corals, pinks and purples and that was the only one that I felt looked best.

Michaelc, your comments made me laugh really hard. Gimmie the pressure washer's number, I have some wasps nests in my porch I have to get rid of. I think you would be pleased to know that the few guys I am interested in (who have all helped me get this place together by hauling my junk) genuinely think it fits me to a "t." They are all art majors though, so I guess they're biased haha.

Oh and Clairepetrol, I LOVE that photo, the pink was sort of based on it actually! I am going for a Moroccan/Indian vibe for my porch- which looks into the family room- Im going to make a woodblock print of paisleys for some sheers I already own (I think westelm has some similar) and I bought these gorgeous star tea lights that look similar to the light fixture posted today!

Pink aqua blue... how Miami Vice! I had a bathroom painted those colors in college. Just go with it if it makes you happy.

If you wanted the sofa to "pop," you should have painted the wall white!

There's plenty of time when you're older to be tasteful - one of the joys of youth is that it's impossible to be too over the top! I say revel in your kitschy bad taste now and leave the stylishness for the post-college years.

it might have been a little better if the wall was a tad lighter so the couch had more emphasis then the wall. Other then that, I really like the color combination you have. Don't take this the wrong way, but... I think it's kind of ugly in a really nice way. I bet that once you throw some pillows on there and maybe some plants or something it will be great. I wouldn't change it at all until you're actually tired of it. That could take a few months or it could be years.

ps. congratulations on your new place!

Sorry' but I just noticed something else....

I also really like the color in the hall. When you do get tired of the pink you might want to think of bringing in a toned down/dustier version of the wall color from the hall. It seems like the orange couch would look fantastic with that as well.

That sofa is rad. And since color is so personal, then go with the pink! I noticed the bright orange in the cushion right away. I probably would have done an orange (bright orange, like a crayon) wall with sage accents.

Pepto-Bismol !!!

I actually think the pink goes well with the teal hallway behind it.

The two issues I have are:

1. From the reflection of the flash-bulb, it appears you used a gloss paint. That really makes it appear Pepto-Bismol or Barbie plastic. AND, gloss shows off every imperfection in a wall. If this is the color you want, I would highly suggest a matte finish.

2. That sofa has got to go. It's ugly enough on its own, and furthermore doesn't fit on the wall-- it is partially blocking the entrance there. Add the pink and teal and the grotesque orange sofa clashes in a very bad way.

So, go with matte rather than gloss, and ditch the sofa. Then it's a winner.

Congratulations on your first apartment.

The color's a little intense, but there are plenty of other shades that will be vintage-chic. How about a sagey-celadon green, or a creamy banana yellow (which would look awesome with the couch). Good luck!

i think the color is fun and the couch is cool. but the couch seems to big for the space. it's sticking out beyond the doorway, yes? if so, is there anywhere else you can place the couch, perhaps away from or facing the wall? then you could have a chair near the wall instead and some artwork, perhaps.

I think that a nice bright teal might give you a similar giggle to the pink, but go better with the sofa. That said, it KIND of looked like there was some kind of pink the sofa on that close-up you linked us to. If you DO keep the pink, you might want to go with some kind of Moroccan or Indian (as in actual India, not Native American "Indian"), because pink (they say) is the navy blue of India, and you have some sort of curry colors in that couch. That kind of palette might help, just as a general direction.

Love the color love the couch. Love the color with green art and decorations above the couch, for your future repaint (b/c I dont' think you need to now, but maybe for another apartment) can I suggest peach? Our living room is a pinky-peach with one brown (paint name "cupcake", how could we not) wall and we Looooove it as a household of late 20s ladies.

I painted my hallway and front hall a similar pink. I love it! I have had mixed reviews, it is a little too exciting for my in-laws for example. But paint is a quick fix. When you get tired of it, make a change. If you have your heart set on bold, tie it together with some art or fabric that pulls together the theme. BOLD IS BEAUTIFUL