Name: Josh
Location: Seattle
Type: I live in a rented two-bedroom apartment.
Why I use color:
Because white walls and bland furniture are boring! Because color is fun! Because color choices are infinite! Because without color, my apartment would look like everyone else's, and how depressing is that? Everyone has chairs, but not everyone has zingy chartreuse chairs that energize the corners of the room. Everyone has a rug, but not everyone has a rug in deep paprika so rich that it seems to warm the air a few degrees. . .
. . .Color changes the very mood of a room, instantly. And color is where originality and personality come shining through, especially when you're not made of money. I may not be able to afford a designer sofa, but the persimmon-colored pillows and mossy-hued throws I've adorned my cheap couch with makes it my own design, which is even better! I couldn't possibly live in a space without color. Color is life!
2 good color tips:
1. Personally, I like to utilize powerful punches of really strong colors in a few well-placed areas, and let the rest of the room remain neutral and earthy. That way, the room has a strong, vibrant identity without being cartoonish or gaudy. Unless, of course, that's what I'm going for. You should see my bedroom!
2. I change my colors with the seasons. When spring and summer come, I find the rich oranges and rust colors in the living room are too warm, so I swap out the orange curtains for a light yellow-green, and I change the area rug to a neutral beige. It keeps the room from feeling stale, and it's easy on the wallet.
2 good color resources:
1. Farmer's markets. I love looking at the way the brilliant colors of produce are juxtaposed at booths at farmers markets, all vying for attention. Simply gorgeous. Plus, the natural variations in fruits and vegetables (and bread and candles and soap, etc), can be really inspirational in creating a tone-on-tone color scheme.
2. Fashion design. It sounds too easy, but honestly, the colors palette that makes up a favorite designer's fall or spring collection can easily be interpreted as a design scheme for a room. Even a single outfit can be inspiration enough.
Have you all noticed how many of those orange floral on off-white Ikea pillows are in so many entries? They keep showing up -- in SF, in Chicago and more.
where in the name is that wallpaper from? I see it everywhere and it taunts me like...visually appealing wallpaper.
when i saw the first picture ... i caught my breath and said "love it".... i absolutely love your place. the colors, the furniture, the layout, and the accompanying scenery...love it. relaxed, laid back, not full of uber-design styled furntiure and the colors are so alive and moving. i can almost hear wind-chimes outside your windows. very peaceful, serene...love it.
your blog, tips and resources...wonderful! thank you!
great entry!
thank you for sharing hour home with us.
Well darn it, the two bright colored throws aren't even on the couch in this picture. They're folded on the side table by the fireplace! Oops. Guess I kinda should've noticed that before waxing rhapsodic about 'em for half a paragraph. Just picture the couch half-draped in flame-print orange flannel and nubbly woven green blankets with long fringes :)
Honestly, I can't remember where the photomural came from. I just went online and Googled "photomural" and a bunch of sites came up. I thought it was totally funny, but kinda rad in a tongue-in-cheek, dentist office sort of way.
And yeah, everyone seems to have that darned IKEA pillow. I guess Brad Pitt in Fight Club had a point, yes?
Wow, you are so brave to submit this to AT. And I'm so glad you did. This is a beautiful mess. I just read "The Imperfectionist" in NYTimes, and made a promise to myself to stop trying to match everything, stop trying to get "better" things. You're place is what I envision as well-designed for living without being designed. It's a cozy home.
How have you managed to put a monstrous cat tree out in the open, and make it look fun instead of ugly? My cat is jealous.
Award: Best use of a cat tree in a cool living space!
And love the rugs, all of them! You really show off your floors without it being boring. Did the cat style the drapes? It's all a bit off kilter, and you pull it off well!
Oh, everyone is getting on that Ikea pillow bandwagon: check out Melissa Fehr's take on it:
www.fehrtrade.com/gallery/14/i-normally-hate-ikea-but
Maybe this contest should spin off into another Runway series!
You've used the photomural well. I like how, next to the window, it makes up a full panorama of fake/real views -- and how it's continued by the mirror on the right side of the window.
And your cat(s) is/are so lucky to get to look out the window from up high (while keeping an eye on you at the same time). My cats WISH I would do that for them.
You can tell someone friendly, spontaneous & cool lives here. Probably someone who would jump up & go out for a latte at midnight...instead of stressing about running the dishwasher. Warm colors, and great in a beautiful-disarray-kinda-way (a compliment!)
p.s. not being a cat person, i had no idea what that funky sculpture was until someone said so!? LOL
Is the photomural from Urban Outfitters? I've seen a bunch there:
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/jump.jsp?itemID=303&itemType=CATEGORY&iMainCat=336&iSubCat=303&sort=0&page=5
love love love the space.
I like your place and really like the round rug thing you've got going on... do you know where those came from?
Not quite sure why it works, but, by golly, it does! You can find a large selection of those photo-murals at any Home-Depot.
Why does this place look like it would have a bad odor? Im all for creating a nice place for your animals, but something about this just looks kind of nasty. Sorry.
No, the only thing around here that has a bad odor is your cruelty.
From the first picture I thought this place was a bit overkill. The second picture is a much better first look. I think the difference is that while I really like the photo mural and the cat tree here, there is too much other stuff in front of the mural. Like the coat rack and the mystery thing next to it. It doesn't effect my vote negatively, but I just think it would be better if you had a more unobstructed view of the mural.
P.S. For fun, why not also paint the tv stand dark green to help that blend in too.
Good luck!
Hi Josh,
I like your place. Do you do interior decoration for other people? I am in Seattle and I am looking for an interior designer/decorator. Can you help me? I am serious.
Thank you SO much for all your comments, everyone!!! I'm glad most of you seem to be enjoying it ;0)
Alanna & Heather - The cat tree was such a pain to try and hide, so just sticking it right out in the open proved to be the best solution. Who'd've thunk it?
Heather & Klynnnn - the circle rugs are from IKEA.
Lisa - Here's a close-up of that "mystery object" on the mural by the coatrack, btw:
It's a couple mirror tiles and some orange paint chips. I thought it had this futuristic Japanese quality to it when placed next to the plant and the mural.
Speaking of mirrors, if I'd panned over a bit further on pic #2 you could've seen the other mirror grouping and the orange area rug (jeez, did I mess up getting all the color in the room or what?!?!):
No - I promise you, the place doesn't have a bad odor. There's only one very small kitty living here ;)
Nina - I've never decorated for anyone else before, but I suppose we could bounce some ideas back and forth if you want :)
Whoops, the links I posted to the those pics didn't work :( Here's another try:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035524997@N01/245621134/
Oh good, that kinda worked! Here's the other one :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035524997@N01/245621211/
Cheers!
PS - if you poke around my Flickr site, you'll find some pix of my pink/green/orange/red furry bedroom!
I tried to look at your bedroom pics, but found myself disabled by the overwhelming cute-ness of your cat. You need to submit her pic to Cuteoverload.com.
Dredsista & Lizz (& Poppy & Rudopal) - thanks so much for your wonderful, thoughtful commentary! You made my day ;)
And yup, Alanna, I agree - JJ is overwhelmingly cute!
...And the rest of y'all, Tr, Lisa, thanks, too! I'm just so overwhelmed and I don't want to leave anyone out!
Josh: Your place is so much fun! I love that you're not afraid to use colors...sure is a nice contrast to all that Seattle rain & grey sky, huh? Your home is truly a reflection of your personality. I think you should ditch the first pic of your living room and submit the bedroom pic. Love the quilt!
And JJ is super cute! Seems like she loves to have her picture taken as much as you! :)
BTW...Fred Durst??!! Really? I suppose he is *alright*. Surprised Henry Rollins isn't on the list. ;)
Hey Josh,
Your place is great! where did you get your tv stand from?
thanks
Can I come live with you and the kitty? I'm in love with those orange cutrains and the way you've twisted them to let the light in. And great use of that photomural. I've never seen that done well before. The lighting is great, the space feels cozy and inviting. I love it. I want to laze on that sofa for days.
I sense a great deal of honesty here. How refreshing.
i love this and would love to see more pictures
oh, ikea...
this place looks happy. lots of visual interest to keep you occupied while you wait for the movie to start or have a cup of tea, but not too cluttered IMO. very nice. more my style than lots of the other "hi, i bought everything at DWR & just had my kitchen renovated" entries. while all that is nice too, it's great to see what can be done when you can't afford a $4000 couch.
i love your living room. i feel like it is a great blend of key furniture pieces (even if not designer or expensive) and accent pieces. at the same time the use of color and arrangement of pieces indicate that someone is LIVING in the space. not just residing. and it is very happy!!!
i like!
the bedroom is a bit overwhelming for me...but i love the living room!
and to "no", you suck. i was going to make a more intelligent point, but let's just be honest and get to the point.
Aw, gosh - you guys are great! Thanks for all the nice comments :)
T - I kinda wish I could go back in time and choose my bedroom as my entry, too. Not everyone can live with pink & orange fur on their walls, though, so I decided to play it safe. And, yeah, Rollins'll do just fine!
Tina - I think we got the TV stand from Fred Meyer, of all places!
DJ, Windwolf, Malapert - thanks for your thoughtful comments. You all totally made my day :)
Kat - Thank you!!! If you click on my name at the bottom of this post, it'll take you to my Flickr.com page where you can see more pix.
Jessica & Purejuice - thanks for defending my honor against the likes of "No" up there. What a poop!
You ever "see" a person and think "Now there's someone I'd like to know"?
When these design snobs don't have an ugly room to look down their noses on, they usually turn on each other like a pack of wild dogs. Your beautiful room calmed them! Nice job!
(Henry...mmmmm)
i want to hang out with you in your lovely living room and steal your beautiful kitty!!
great photographer...i would hire you in a heartbeat.
wonderful take on the teenage girl bedroom...i want to add more hot pink to mine now!! i LOVE what you did with the ikea krabbs (wavy mirrors) in the corner...awesome!!
p.s.-if i were a guy and able to grow facial hair, i would totally twist it like that...very hott!
Hi Josh,
I love your room! I have a very important question to ask you... Where did you find your cat tree? I've been searching high and low for a functional, yet aesthetically pleasing tree for my cats and my highly critical boyfriend who is not allowing an ugly cat tree to enter the home.
Thanks, and nice vision... That mural is awesome.
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