Name: Anne
Location: Reno, Nevada
Type: I live in a 3-bedroom, 2-bath 1970's house in Reno. My husband bought it several years before we met and since we married in May I have started fixing it up a bit (he hadn't done anything to it except necessities like proper windows and roofing).
Why I use color:
I use color to create a livable atmosphere. This house is by nature a bit on the dim and drab side so I have been trying to lighten (and liven) it up. Since I often work from home I wanted my office to be comfortable and be a place I wanted to spend time. It also doubles as the guest room for our frequent visitors, so I wanted to try and make it look clean and inviting to others and not just have it be my private area where no one else would venture...
I picked a light and bright color since all my accent colors were already present and none of them were enough to carry the little white room on their own. I also tried to play off of my favorite color without being too obvious about it, I feel like it really ties the room together. I think my taste by nature is a little bit random and the clean color just unifies it all.
2 good color tips:
1. Look at the things you love. I had already had the green rug for several years and just got married in a chartreuse wedding dress. I was looking for light and bright and this color perfectly fit the bill.
2. Test swatches (and be patient). I had a lot of people come look at my walls before I finished. My first choice was too pale, my second too minty. The chartreuse was the clear winner in my mind as soon as I put it on the wall, and looked even better once I let it dry.
2 good color resources:
1. I like looking at photos online, places like sunset.com and ivillage.com have before-and-afters and "inspiration galleries" to give you ideas and help you think outside of what you'd normally be inclined to do.
2. My other favorite thing to do is go on walks in neighborhoods I like and see what other people have done with their houses (early evening is best, people often still have their shades open and lights on). As odd as this may sound, it is always inspiring to see someone with a plain white lamp against a cherry red wall or beautiful blue tilework in an old soft orange adobe-style house. Looking at what other people have thought up without necessarily having the designer look of a magazine can be amazingly inspiring. Even seeing what's blooming in other people's gardens can be great, my friend just planted navy blue and soft sage green buddleias behind her cream colored roses and I am loving the color combo. Just keep your eyes open!
I like the wall color but the art is too small to provide any contrast to or connection with it. The couch helps a little.
your instincts seem right, but I say go even bolder. The quilt on your couch is full of great, bold contrasty color--I'd draw inspiration from that! Good advice about using the world around you, I like the idea of going for inspirational walks in the evening -- used to do this myself, and should do it again.
Whoo! I think you have a point about the art over the couch, it doesn't quite fit with my new color, maybe I'll move it and put the quilt up there! Now, what to do to cover the futon...
I like the first picture, but the art needs to be bigger. The second one the colors don't mesh at all and the look is cluttered. Maybe move the quilt to the wall, or increase the size of the art. I see that quilt working better with white walls or a warm color scheme.
Yeah the art is all that's in my budget right now. I really wish it could be bigger because I love it. But I love the idea of putting the quilt on the wall! Anyone know how could I hang it without damaging it?
Anne - believe it or not there are such things as quit holders. The best place to find them is to ask at a local quilt shop. Although subtler than the other entries, I think this is a good example of creating a mood with color. Of the entries so far, this is the only one I can envision living in. Thanks for sharing your house with us!
I love quilts. If the quilts not in good condition and an heirloom, though, you may want to think twice about hanging it. Though it looks to be in good shape. Make sure you don't put the quilt where it'll be in strong light or too close to the kitchen or a litter box. (Quilts pick up smells).
You can either hang it in all it's glory either by adding a sleever or specifically purchasing a quilt hanger. Of course, if you have more than one quilt, you may want to think about displaying them together. (I consider quilts as works of art).
I'd suggest doing some research online for your displaying options. Trust me, quilters have an online presence, you'll find LOTS of info on the topic, as well online stores to buy from.
I like this entry. But I have a question for everyone - what's up with all the sage-y green? I may be imagining things, but it seems like half the entries are some variation of green? (Sort of split between sage-y green and lime-y green)
Did I miss a memo or something?
anne, i think that would be a great idea. you should create an arrangement of art with all four pieces. this will give them more visual impact. in fact, even doing that without moving the quilt will be a big improvement over scattering smaller art over a wide space.
sorry, but I think that nothing looks pulled together. The paint color choice does not reflect or interact with anythng else in the rooms. Your art and furniture pieces seem odd. maybe instead of the uneven art arrangment, you could add more photos and maximize their impact with a strong horizontial line
maybe try some large vynil wall graphics...they are much less expensive than art prints and are easy to remove if you don't like them. it might be nice to break up all that green and give your space a bit more style. .checky out blik wall graphics or stickers by dVider.
It doesn't make sense that the winner of the contest, a person who already has everything skill and money wise to design an awesome room with color, should get the most money. The loser should get the most money! Because they obviously have the interest and a need to change their space but don't have what they need.
At the very least, take the quilt off and put all the photos in a cluster together.
Yeah I think Stu has a point. Maybe I should have mentioned that I am still a grad student and this is all therefore done on a very low budget. I have been accumulating this stuff for a while. Hence the small art and quilt made by la madre. Table and lamp by el padre. Probably should have given credit where credit was due. Hence their oddness. Predominantly homemade, Target and Ikea are the themes I've got going here.
And Mary, when you say take the quilt off, do you mean get rid of it or put it on the wall? I didn't put all the art together because I didn't think it really matched, might have to get new frames for the smallest ones.
Anne, I feel your pain. At first I was pretty dissapointed by your entry, but then I was thinking, wait, This is what my entry would probably look like because I don't have the money to do all the cool stuff I really want to do and that's probably where Anne is coming from too.
It is a very lovely livable shade of green, and why not try an eclectic mix of framed art and photos? A big group of different frames will make a much more interesting statement. Especially since those two above the quilt are so small and similar in value to the paint that they get lost and almost disappear on that wall.
Yeah, I agree with hanging the quilt on the wall, that would really brighten up your room.
I like the green on the walls, and I would suggest making or buying cushions for the futon in a darker shade of that green. You could get a dark green sheet to cover the futon too. I bet you could find some decent candidates at target or Ikea. I think you're headed in the right direction.
Oh yeah, and I couldn't get it in the picture but the rug is dark green with lighter bits that match the green in the quilt. With more dark green on the futon do you think that would be overkill?
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO PUT THE QUILT ON THE WALL.
have it nicely draped or folded over the back of the couch, or tucked over the back and seat.
putting it on the wall stretches it, first of all; it takes it out of the touchy feely universe and into the stuffy arty universe, which since your mama made it for you, it was never meant to be. it's for curling up with. DO IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!!!!!
or you could drape a cheap table round and put the quilt on the top of the drape. i don't even like that too much; i like quilts used as quilts.
i think somebody should give you this poster for christmas. it's a lot pinker in person.
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=809666549&c=c&search=24586&GCID=s15100x100%2DArtists&KEYWORD=%5BGauguin+Posters%5D
another good gauguin that goes with your colors is the white horse.
party on. love love love the chartreuse.
Hmm, I will try the quilt over the back of the futon only. And I couldn't get the poster link to work, can you tell me the name of the Gauguin? I will look for the white horse one.
Hang that lovely quilt on the wall and give it another go using that as your inspiration. I feel like a darker, mossy green on the walls would match the intensity of the quilt better. Nice start!
anne, the gauguin is called "tahitian landscape" and the repro at this address is the nearest to the real thing.
http://www.globalgallery.com/enlarge/024-31872/
some of the other repros are really bad and don't convey the tenderness of the pinks and reds.
Sorry, but the quilt on the futon is like trying to hide the elephant in the room by draping a blanket over it.
Sorry, hon. I applaud you for entering, but I don't think that color works with the couch, for one. The rest of the stuff looks messy and ill-thought out. Though I think the wall color could be fab with different accesories and furniture.
joke? prolly.
Wow. Harsh. The quilt is on the futon because that was the best way I could think of to display it. My entry was not a joke, mostly I was looking for feedback. Perhaps I should have specified. Also that I am a grad student on a budget with no IKEA in town. I was just proud that I had the guts to paint my room any color at all. Also, the pics wash out the color. A lot. And I don't get the elephant in the room comment. We own a futon. It's a fact. I feel silly coming in to defend my room like this but I really was hoping for more useful feedback. Also, found some awesome bigger art for over the futon and I'm really excited about it - the small pale pics went in the hall where they fit in much better, that was a good point.
Clearly I didn't realize this contest was to bash my taste, I just wanted to show off my new color that I was excited about. I'm trying to add color to my whole house on a narrow budget and this was my first baby step. I appreciate the tips a lot but I wish the harsh people would back off a little. I didn't realize my room was supposed to look like a DWR catalog page. Thanks so much.
But seriously, more tips, esp. futon-related ones, totally welcome. Please.
I hear ya, Anne. Would that my place had looked this good when I was a grad student! I love the shade of green on the walls...most of the greens in this contest have been too lime-y for me, this one soothes me. And the quilt is gorgeous. My inclination would be to drape the quilt at an angle over the futon, like a throw. Sort of casually, you know what I mean? But still so you can see the patterns. Then pick up the green of the quilt in dark green pillows on the futon.
This room makes me feel comfortable and relaxed. This is a good thing.
Wow, some people are nasty on the bulletin board!
I think the color is relaxing and I like it with the white trims and wood.
The quilt is beautiful, and my mom and I hang ours up using straight pins and a small hammer. Start at the middle and work your way out-you'll need some help!!
Test swatches (and be patient). I had a lot of people come look at my walls before I finished. My first choice was too pale, my second too minty.
frosted window film
view frosty2's profile