apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It's nice to see another contestant with a 'homey' home. Some of the others have amazing places, but they look right out of a catalog, kind of sterile. This place looks comfortable and cheery.

I love how the seafoam green color schemes in the first and fourth picture changes based on the accessories you have in each room. The first picture looks 'pop'-like with the orange and red pillows whereas the fourth looks more restrained and elegant with the pink flowers.

I'm not a fan of the yellow-white kitchen but perhaps because its just a question of some more well placed decorations to flesh out the colors in the room.

I would be interested in seeing a contest based on inventive/economical solutions to spaces. Perhaps, being able to change color schemes without repainting would be one such solution.

Thanks for your comments so far! I just received a new (hand me down) set of three coffee tables, and they so far, they're working out great! And the addition of the tables let me take the square one and put it in the reading corner, making it ever so much cozier (and allowing my mini-feng shui fountain to not sit on the floor)!

Does anyone have suggestions for rugs in the bedroom? The hardwood is going to be cold for bare feet in the winter, but I have no idea what to do about a rug since the bed is open on three sides -- three small rugs? One giant rug that goes under the bed?

yikes. Looks like an 85 year old lady lives there. And WHY on earth would you take a picture of fruit next to a book? Please tell me how that shows your homes colors....Anyway, this is A DEFINITE longshot!!!

What a rude comment. Mean-spirited and unnecessary.

This is her first apartment on her own, and she's succeeded in making it cozy and bright.

I really like the yellow and white kitchen, it looks so clean. And I am wondering what in the world is wrong with taking a picture of tomatoes next to the cookbooks? I suppose radishes next to The Magic Mountain would take some explaining, but tomatoes and Joy of Cooking?

Anyway, I wouldn't get three little rugs for the bedroom. They'll never be where they're supposed to be and they will look spotty, if you know what I mean. I'd say either one medium-to-small on the side where you get in and out, or one big one. My 2 cents.

Nice place.

I like your apartment; it's amazing you've only been there three months. I too, am tired of overdecorated, staged apartments. Where's peoples stuff? Your colors are soothing and flattering to people. I hate rooms with such bold color schemes that you have to be careful about what you wear when you go to visit. But maybe these people just sit alone in their perfect apartments. Show us what you've done in the next couple of months.

You've done a tremendous job in creating a warm and comfortable home!

the mint green is beautiful

It does look very comfy, and normally I would say something about vignettes not showing the true character of a place since we can't see the whole room but that tomato shot has great color and I kind of love it. It shows your character and that you really live here and I like that. Definitely full of potential and thanks for sharing it with us!

Also, juice2, do you have any kitchen decor suggestions? I've looked into tin signs--so far that seems like the best solution (there's no fan above the stove, so I can't do anything that would be damaged by steam). The kitchen is smaller than it looks in the picture and I don't want to clutter the walls too much out of fear of making it seem smaller!

What about using a vivid and cheery fabric for a curtain in addition to or rather than your blind. That'd be a good way to bring in another range of colors.

I'm not keen on metal repro signs. I do think there are a lot of nifty small works of art to be had on etsy that would be charming.

Yum! Heirloom tomatoes!

Seafoam green and yellow...I've been drawn to these colors since forever, specifically during grad school in Berkeley. The photo of produce in the kitchen struck me as brilliant. I find that I put lemons or yellow squash in yellow bowls, and the like, and credit photographer Anita Calero for the practice.

I love the colors you chose. Well done! (And a far cry from "drug" grey on the walls!) I voted "insta finalist" because I'd love to see you get the prize...I think you'd do so well with it.

For kitchen art suggestions--what about either real or repro fruit crate labels? I have one for oranges and I love it. (check out this site which has a gallery of them
http://www.fruitcratelabels.com/gallery/gallery.html

Even originals aren't super expensive on ebay, but you could probably even find some online to print out or in a book to photocopy, to keep it inexpensive. Then, put them in those clip frames and voila!

If you want to follow up on the curtain suggestion easily and cheaply, I'll give you my kitchen curtain solution--colorful tea towels. I put up a tension rod in the window frame with "clip" curtain hooks and put the tea towels (inexpensive, from Target) up. I also used s hooks on top of that to store my utensils--everyone who comes to my kitchen compliments it and asks me where I got the curtains!

Thanks for all the nice and supportive comments -- I will definitely post more pictures as I add (new couch tomorrow!). Already since I took these I've put up a few pictures on the walls and added some festive gourds in lieu of flowers.

I love the idea of a curtain in the kitchen! In fact, I would love to do curtains all over...right now it's just boring blinds. :-)

Its cute and bright. Particularly in the tiny kitchen, having a luminescent color such as pastel yellow brings in and holds a lot of light. (pastel yellow as opposed to hi-gloss schoolbus yellow, which would be bright, but terrifying)

the sea foam color of the living room walls does well to complement the varying woodgrains in your furniture. having a wall color with no ready hardwood partner (muted oranges and reds go well with cherry, bright reds tend to offset ash and white oak well) allows all the woods to communicate with the walls in a comfortable manner. As someone who tolerated cheek-blush pink in a room with a similarly eclectic hardwood selection for a decade, i can vouch that a neutral tone is essential! your selection is as well-balanced as it is relaxing.

I really liked it.

I have a very similar yellow on the walls of my kitchen.

*high five* :)

I love the yummy mint green walls. It reminds me of my favorite ice cream flavor! The oak floors contrast well with the light colors. The sunny yellow kitchen is cute and looks functional too. I like the photo of the tomatoes and the cookbooks because it looks like you really use your kitchen. In fact, it looks like you really live in your apartment and enjoy the colorful coziness. I hope you win because I admire the fact that you are starting out on your own and making a home for yourself!

I think your place is adorable. I am tired of comments like melanieyellow's above...the prizes for winning contests like these are almost always gift certificates to buy NEW furniture and design pieces....it's ridiculous to REQUIRE that all the entrants have perfect modern homes filled with pricey modern furniture, especially if this is their first apartment. This is not the "Who has the most Eames chairs" contest. She used color to transform her space. That's the point.

I love the look of this entire apartment. You can tell a person of real warmth and spirit lives here. The juxtaposition of family or inherited pieces with the modern colors gives the apartment a personal feeling. Hey, what is wrong with cookbooks and bowls of fruits and vegetables together? Check out gourmet magazines, they feature that all the time.

A real winner, love the colors.

I would love to know where you got that drop-leaf dining table-- it seems very hard to find a pedestal table that doesn't have a really chunky base AND has drop-leaves...