Name: Sima and Jon
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Type: 2-bedroom low-rise condominium. Owned.
Why I use color:
We use color because to us, color is life. Colors are empowering; they ignite our emotions, and our feelings. They connect us to our physical world while also drawing us inward to ourselves. We bring color to our rooms to bring the best emotions in life to our home. We use red to be bold and sexy, orange to be sharp, yet playful and green to remain grounded, feel comforted, at home, and at peace. . .
. . . The first picture is a snippet of our orange-infused living room. When we first bought our place, the living room had been painted a dark forest green which made it seem small, dark, and depressing. We wanted our space to feel open, airy, and welcoming. Our bright white walls now serve as the blank slate for the wide array of life's moments that will continue to find their way onto them, from our artwork and our fingerprints, to our photography and furniture. We also needed something to stand up to the punches of color we planned to inject everywhere else, from vases and pillows to plants and school books.
The second picture is one side of our large den, where both of us do hours of studying. As graduate students, we needed a work space that wasn't visually distracting, but we also didn't want it to end up looking like those dark, executive dungeons that home offices often morph into. With comfy chairs, bright artwork, and clean white desks, we feel we've achieved the kind of space conducive to both creative energy and scholarly diligence.
2 good color tips:
1. Bright, bold colors are not inherently or qualitatively better than light, subdued, or blunter tones, nor the other way around. We object that one must choose between the two. Indeed, the best use of color is both in its presence and absence, in how it is used and not used, in both its subdued and vibrant forms. It is this careful, delicate, selective, and thoughtful use of color that we find particularly attractive. It is the dance of clean whites, calm light purples and refreshing slight blues, with punches of bolder, edgier color that make a space beautiful to us.
2. Always keep in mind the quality of the color and the experience it brings to your room and to your lives, not just its quantity in your space. There is no quota; there is only feeling. As much as you aim to achieve a particular "style", be sure it fits with who you are.
2 good color resources:
1. Artwork.
2. Imagination, Emotion, Feelings.
Beautiful. Clean. Mature.
Beautiful side table...who is the manufacturer?
what a gorgeous study
Not very much use of color here.
I would have liked to see a wider view of the living room, but I still like what I see here. It's very tranquil and soothing, but the little "pops" of color in the artwork and plant pots bring it to life.
Funny, it's got a lot of the same elements and colors as Bryan's Demarcation Zones, but doesn't work nearly as well. I like the chair, and the couch, and the wall color in the second photo, but somehow it doesn't come together.
the colors don't come together at all. the answers to the contest questions seem pretentious, which is the feeling i get from the space. but poorly planned pretention. sorry, this is a big no. also completely agree the colors are very similar to bryan's demarcation zones, but don't work here at all. sorry to be harsh, this space gives me a negative vibe.
Feels really univiting, sterile, and uninspired.
What I can see is beautiful. I feel a little cheated because I wish I could see more. You appear to use color beautifully. And from what I can see your paintings are beautiful. Who did them?
Sorry, an after thought. Don't listen to the comments about looking sterile - it's lovely, we just can't see enough if it.
Your artwork appears compelling. I am so intrigued by your artwork, I wish I could see more. Maybe you can rephotograph and show off that art. I especially love the sculpture-thingy on your side table.
Please, please tell me if you are a painter, or where you got your art.
Take away some of the art and the plant and it's beyond neutral. Serene, yes, to the point of blah.
The first picture looks a little bland, but I really like the second picture. The chair and art with the painted wall, it all comes together nicely.
you had me from the sofa art.
p.s. there seems to be an idea here that "color" doesn't mean grey or white or black. that it means a room painted one eye popping color.
please observe entries like this and learn something.
I *LOVE* that little side table! It's the greatest side table ever! Where did you get it???
I think your explanation, color tips, and choices are very thoughtful and far-sighted. Unfortunately, many people here will vote against you for choosing to have neutral walls.
Great, a Canadian entry! Let's break out of the mold...
Love the colors pulled out of the artwork. Serene, sophisticated, and very classy.
Two thumbs up from moi (:
I love the brown. Beautiful, simplistic.