Name: Lisa & Tony
Location: Sonoma County
Type: Very modest 1930's bungalow-wannabe house; owned
Why I use color:
As a couple of artists, colors are our tools, our materials. (Those are two of Lisa's paintings in the dining room photo.) We like to think about using color in our environment -- from the walls of the house to the garden -- in the same way we might use color in a painting.
2 good color tips:
1. Don't underestimate the ability of fabrics to create relatively inexpensive color 'shifts.'
2. Paint on furniture! As many of our things are flea market variety, a coat of colorful paint can really spruce 'em up. . .
. . .and if you possibly can, buy original artwork that you love!
2 good color resources:
1. Nature. She rarely makes a bad color combination.
2. Magazines. I'm always tearing out pages of color & texture for possible use in collages.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
The first picture is color perfected to me. I love it. The second one is cute.
wonderful. So warm and mature.
Really? It feels like too much to me. I don't see mature so much as out of control. I've never seen a room with as little actual stuff in it feel so overpowering. This is what I don't enjoy about decorating with color. I realize that's just my taste but I don't feel maturity and warmth at all.
I've been following this contest all along, and I got to say that this is the first entry that just totally wowed me! I love the way the texture on the wall works with the paintings. I love how fearless and ballsy this room is.
I like the painting against the yellow background -- it really complements the art -- but I don't understand why they didn't paint the whole room. That white wall is really distracting.
This is great. I would take away the curtains at the door, as well as the small rug, and replace the big rug with a monochrome one because the paintings have so much going on in them and they should be the center of attenion and shouldn't have anything distract the eye.
I love the art and the rug, and the colors, but I don't love the faux finish on the yellow wall. I think it would look 100% better if you just picked one of the colors and made it solid. I think it competes with the art on the wall too much.
I love this space. It's not my taste but you made me love it anyway. The faux finish yellow wall is a perfect backdrop to your painting .. it almost creates a 3D affect that works very well.
Your color palette is warm and flows well. I especially love the HUGE art pieces. The room becomes almost whimsical as if you could step inside the art and be transformed elsewhere.
Very nice. I love the imagination shown in the room, however I'm not sure if I would consider this a 'bold use of color' as the contest dictates.
Very colorful and fun decorating! I feel right at home - very artsy and inviting.
I felt a leap of joy and a "wow" when this entry appeared. Fantastic.
Lisa, so talented you are!
The trim colour doesn't work for me... too MOR... commit to something. The walls: beautiful. (talking first picture) Some amazing things... in contention... not insta finalist material though. The second picture is fine... nice.... Good luck!
Beautiful! Don't change a thing.
This room is so warm and inviting. It really looks like a place for friends and family unlike some of the other entries which appear to be more about achieving a look.Love your paintings Lisa.
I didn't know you were artists when I first saw your rooms but it was the first thing I thought.
I had to say no. I can usually still appreciate something that's not my taste, but I just can't here. For one, I think the the yellow wall blends too much with the art. The wall looks like it was sponged or has some kind of texture, so it's almost like the art itself. And I don't like that off white color on the other wall, it just kind of looks dirty. And next to such busy big pieces of art, you have the patterned curtains. The eye is all over the place and everything is kind of clashing. The art is really pretty, but you barely notice it b/c there's so much going on.
I think a light less busy rug that you could tie in with plainer curtains would help a lot. I'm not usually an advocate of white walls, but if you're going to keep everything else, I'd paint the yellow wall something neutral. Anyway, that's just my personal opinion based on my own taste, if you like it, who really cares what I think.
Lisa, your paintings are beautiful! Wish I had your talent!
I love how you incorporated the colors of your art into your interior space. I would love to see that white wall painted a shade of blue, like the colors in your paintings.
Also...would love to see the rest of your place!
Definitely too much something. The paintings seem nice, but they are lost somehow.
This is one of my favorite rooms so far. I notice that you placed the darker painting againt the lighter wall and I think that these wall colors balance so well. This is one of the few rooms that I find to be both stimulating and friendly and I bet that your dinner guests really enjoy themselves.
Lisa and Tony:
your house looks amazing and beautiful. I think your paintings are GORGEOUS! It's nice to see someone around here with some taste....
Chrisy (Northwest #36)
Santa Rosa
This room is very rich and warm. It feels like an open garden setting, like the paintings might bloom right out of the walls. Great inspiration on painting old furniature.