apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Holy CRAP!

I'm guessing that reaction isn't to the pretty green bowls....

LOL! As usual, rr, you crack me up!

i'm not incredibly keen on either of them, but the first one looks interestingly wierd, while the second one looks like a hotel room.

Can't wait to see more entries. I would love to see more bold, yet harmonic use of color.

rasil--
Since hotel interior design is at its all-time high right now, and the best hotels are designed to be interesting but restful and peaceful sanctuaries that still fully function, then yes, Enrique's place does indeed resemble a hotel.

I like both rooms and the use of color. Would I live in either? I don't know. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate someone taking a chance and making their home their own. Life's too short to play it safe especially in a space as personal as home. But I do wonder what comments Karen's Fab in particular is going to generate here. Given the grammar police, etc., things could get, uhm, heated? p(too), your thoughts, O wise one?

Mom taught me "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it."

Steel Magnolias taught me "If you don't have something nice to say, come sit by me."

I am, needless to say, torn. ;)

But, I would remind folks that even anonymous nastiness has a real sting to it, and these entrants are welcoming us into their homes, and believe enough in their solutions to enter them in a contest... and remember, this is not a "I Need Help and Want Unsolicited Advice and Catty Remarks" contest...

(but the ultimate answer is: If she/he loves it, that's all that matters. And true zest, of any form, is really, really refreshing. Whether it yields minimalism or, um "maximalism".)

Indeed, anonymous nastiness has a special sting to it.

But every time I look at that first room, I like it better. The specific colors wouldn't be my choice, which held me back at first, but I do like the over-the-top feel.

Hotel vibe? Yup, I'll 'fess up to hotels--and other commercial spaces--as influences or inspirations! I have no problem with rasil's observation. In no particular order, here are some influences that immediately come to mind... Standard Hotel (Sunset Blvd location, W.Hollywood), Ace Hotel (Seattle WA), Doug Fir Lounge (Portland OR), Bigfoot Lodge (Atwater Village, L.A.). Other influences? Wong Kar-Wai movies, music videos (esp Kylie Minogue from 2000-present), all the commercial-space interiors in Sex and The City. My goal was to create an environment inside a room that wasn't a nod to one particular style or another, but more a hodge-podge of things that resonated with me.

p(too). I'll probably keep giving unsolicited advice because that's what I've done for every contest. Sometimes it's good, but more often it isn't. But I see nothing wrong with providing a different perspective or "set of eye" to the contestants. The entrants can choose to take the advice or not. As long as it's done respectfully and without malice, what's the harm? We're all adults here, right? Yes, be respectful and cut the snarky shit. But all of the entrants did open up the spaces for scrutiny--myself included. (I must be some kind of masochist/egomaniac to have opened up almost my entire apartment except for possibly my underwear drawer! Hmmm, but if there's a contest for that, who knows...)

My comments were just a reminder that entry in a contest does not necessarily mean people think they have something to change/improve. And, receiving 20 or so "helpful suggestions" (even the most well-intentioned and/or constructive) can be daunting or downright devastating if people were expecting to get glowing reviews.

My own credo (here and elsewhere) is that unsolicited advice should be couched even more diplomatically than advice offered to those who solicit it, like posts that end with "Help me, please!" which I don't believe we've seen in this contest so far...

Plus, not everybody understands "constructive criticism" in exactly the same way.

I'm just saying tread lightly is all.

Agreed! Point taken.

I congratulate the entrants on their verve. My own apartment is all beige and white, mostly because I need to keep my stress level down. Thus, to you who can live with all that color and pattern--I tip my hat.

Yet I remember having more color around in Mexico--violet, pink, green, etc. and it worked there. Of course, I'm speaking of thirty years ago.

PS TO ALL
This discussion is so much nicer than the one which produced the Roberto Williams debacle. I'm so glad we're keeping comments positive.