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Name: Praveen
Location: SoMa — San Francisco, California
Size: 705 square feet
Years lived in: 4 — rented

We first saw Praveen's Home in Small Cool 2009: Praveen's High Ceilings. Praveen took his love of innovation and injected his playful personality to create a space where technology, art, and color play well together. By choosing a simple color combination of two primary colors these elements work together to complement his style.

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Praveen's apartment was like a blank slate with its neutral walls and floors and he needed more color. His inspiration began with a bright red shower curtain. It was a purchase of necessity, which turned into the base for his color scheme. He was nervous at first about his color choice of red and yellow but he feels he has just the right balance of each.

Once he knew his color scheme he purchased pieces that excited and inspired him. Most of his pieces of furniture he chose because of their innovative design. Some of his favorite pieces include his yellow desk, the coat rack which looks like a lamp, and the red and white couches. Because he could not paint his walls, he covered them in art. His collection from many different genres softens the punch of the bright colors just enough.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: Definitely playful. There's nothing serious going on. I obviously like very clean lines and solid, bright colors. But you have to break it up somewhere. A little black here and a little rococo there harmonizes the place.

Inspiration: The bright red came from my shower curtain I bought in a hurry when I moved in. It just took a life of its own and took over the apartment. Of course, the shower curtain is no longer there, but its effects certainly are. I do have a couple classical furniture pieces, but I don't want to live in the past — I want to push bounds. When people see something and say "Oh, awesome!" you know you've done something right.

Favorite Element: Definitely the art. It's hard to say which one is my favorite, but Audrey Kawasaki has the privilege of having the most pieces on my walls.

Biggest Challenge: I have a lot of small artwork, which makes it hard to work with very large walls. Splashes of paint could do wonders, but I'm not able to paint my walls. I'm desperate to get some bold color action. Maybe the constraint is a good thing. Just maybe it would be too much. Maybe…

What Friends Say: One friend said it was like walking into kindergarten. I like that. You should smile when walking into your own home. On the other hand, another person has called it "grown-up". I don't know what to make of that.

Proudest DIY: Getting the black bird mirror in the bathroom to adhere non-permanently to the mirror.

Biggest Embarrassment: Or so I thought. It fell down and knocked over an entire bottle of Blackbeard's Beard Dye (from 826 Valencia) which soaked into the grout.

Biggest Indulgence: Definitely the Jens Risom Lounge Chair. Thanks to Apartment Therapy for posting about it. :) It's an indulgence because it feels like a museum piece in my home. And I'm very conflicted by that — a home shouldn't be a museum, it must be enjoyed, and enjoyed heartily.

Best Advice: If you have a color scheme that you or someone else thinks may clash, it probably won't. You can make it work. Or maybe I'm just living in my own bubble.

Dream Sources: Propeller Modern
Roche Bobois

Resources of Note:

ENTRY

    • Yellow Coat Rack: CB2
    • Large Clock: CB2
    • Entryway Bench: Propeller Modern (by Scrapile)

LIVING ROOM

    • Work Desk: Heckler Design
    • Yellow Recliner: DWR
    • Red/White Couches: Roche Bobois
    • Jens Risom Lounge Chair: Monument
    • Yellow Side Table: IKEA Trollsta
    • Bookshelves: Room & Board

DINING ROOM

    • Dining chairs: DWR
    • Red Dining Table: DWR

BEDROOM

    • Yellow Bench: Furniturea
    • Orange and Yellow Ottomans: DWR
    • Bedroom Dresser: IKEA Hemnes
    • Nightstand: Propeller Modern

Thanks, Praveen!

Images: Lilias Pettit-Scott

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