Name: Jane Catherine
Location: San Francisco
Type: 750 sq. ft. studio + alcove (Tenancy in Common (TIC))
Why I use color:
Once upon a time I had the luxury of having a garden, and lived surrounded by natural beauty. Since moving back into the city, I need a certain color quotient filled each day to keep some kind of mental health (kind of like needing to eat colorful food to keep physical health). My place is what it is: studio basement apartment with low ceilings – and I believe in "less is more" only when it comes to things, but not colors or textures.

My choice of colors is simple: what colors make me feel the best – of course getting there is an adventure AND is never finished – started experimenting with a blue gouache of the bathroom ceiling .

2 Good color tips:
1. Get outside: walk in a garden, go to a nursery, shop at your local farmer's market – let the colors sink into you. Inside – go to library, go to museums & galleries, go to bookstores & look at art books.
2. Go to paint store & get colors & keep close by – put by your bed, desk, put in your pocket & look at them while you are waiting for the bus – and then experiment on the walls.
Favorite type and brand of paint:
As I go for texture in my small place: Ralph Lauren's River Rock collection; Tobias Stucco with a gouache of Benjamin Moore's Latex Paint.

What a great find: a basement apartment with floors like that, exposed brick and wood beams, those kitchen appliances and that bathtub! Unfortunately, the styling doesn't work for me.
view st@cy's profile
Sweet. Is it really only 50 square feet plus alcove?
view Downeast Suzy's profile
i love it!!!!
view christie's profile
I think that may be a typo...looks more like 500 feet. Either way, what an amazing find that space is!
view cranberrybobbie's profile
Looks bigger than 50 sq feet...
Anyways, it's really brilliant, love it, especially the rugs and the stable-like wooden door!
view giorgia's profile
Sorry, lost the 7 while cutting & pasting. Corrected!
view leslie's profile
A basement studio? Props to you sister, the place looks great!
view ChrisToronto's profile
I love your purple kitchen, red floors and orange door....considering this is a basement apartment, you have really captured the light.
view polkadot's profile
Lovely. What are the floors? Is that the tile color, or did you paint the tile?
view josie's profile
I love every bit of this place.
view Kuri's profile
Thanks for the comments. This is not the contest for before & after, but believe me it was dismal. I have never regretted putting in the orange/red ceramic tile from Galleria Tile in SF. I designed the space - it's my "hobby." Jane
view jane's_world's profile
I could definately live here. I like to think of myself being a guest in my house and I could be a guest here for sure!! Enjoy!!
view DAVIDTHOMSEN's profile
Wow...love it.
view lililouise's profile
Love the wooden door. Homey and interesting.
view Kate (NC)'s profile
I love the barn door! Does that move so that it can cover the kitchen or the bedroom at separate times?
view Lisa from VA/lsaspacey's profile
the barn door and the purple paint color are awesome :)
view mmadden's profile
love it! i love how complimentary the colors are on the walls next to each other.
view katishome's profile
This is wonderful.
view Lifeinvector's profile
OOH look at the lil stove. CUUUTE!
view SoSpunky5's profile
ok ok - i like the purple, i love the kitchen, love the barndoor and the exposed bricks... but the orange does a weird thing with the bricks, and the reddish orange floor looks bad with the purple (i know you installed it yourself so i'm sorry).
i could not live here, but you've done a great job especially with a basement apartment.
my suggestion would be to replace the orange with a cool color from your asian rugs & accessories.
view ange_lune's profile
Really love this -- especially the dining room. The mix of colors on adjacent walls is really striking and very well done.
view samsd's profile
Really sophistocated in a Euro way...reminds me of the country homes of Italians...with very, very old elements (stone, timber) mixing with bright, burnished colors and modern furnishings...when all the other trends pass, this home will still look fresh!
view aweekinparis's profile
hippie is the new modern.
view plasticransom's profile
I'm not totally won over by the purple - I think maybe another hue of purple could work perhaps (or blue?) with the color of the floor tile, or with all the other warm colors used in the space. But I would have never guessed this was a basement apartment - there are many great features here.
view ace's profile
The orange in the living room seems to clash with the brick.
Great home though! Love your boldness.
view Alana in Canada's profile
I love all the textures here... that barn door, especially! Also, the brick/stainless/lilac, and the orange door/taupe/brick... nice use of color and texture.
view 2nd DC Christine's profile
I want that claw foot tub!
view jigglyphurbs's profile
I appreciate the "hippie is the new modern" - one of my nicknames for the place is hippie crash pad cave. My first decision on the place was the floor - I had to try the red/orange tiles. The walls were all the Tobias Stucco yellow, a green/grey & sandstone. And then time for a change (I imagine no further explanation needed regarding that urge). I wanted to live with the orange for awhile. I agree with Ange - not the best match with the floor - but, hey - I can always repaint - wanted to go all the way with the color. And the purple - who could resist a color with the name "bark plum" - and with the Ralph Lauren River Rock Collection, a lot of it is the texture (velvety & pepply) , which does not translate in a photo. Everybody: thanks for all the comments - more than likely a year from now all the colors will be different! Best, Jane
view jane's_world's profile
It looks very warm and inviting, and I am so jealous of the stainless steel in the kitchen!
view kimskitchensink's profile
Wow.. that purple really works with the brick and the wood. How unusual it was to see so much wood in the first image. It's not something I've seen much outside of furniture in these entries. Glad to see it incorporated so well into your space!
view islek's profile