apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Unfinished...

I think that in theory, this is super cute. I think if I did this myself, I might choose a paper that was a little more subtle against the wood.

What I REALLY want to know is what paint they used for the distressed finish- I need it!

The dresser is hideous, looked better before, but I like the pop art print!

Not doing it for me. Maybe do the bottom drawer, too, and buy creative knobs?

I love the concept...just not crazy about the particular pattern they chose.

Cool idea! I think it's a shame that pretty patterns are usually limited to throw pillows alone.

I do like the idea of the paper, but I think it's just very incongruous with the overly distressed parts, for my taste.

This entire photo just looks like visual diarrhea to me; sorry. The idea sounds interesting, though I hate the execution, and the styling of the scene just makes no discernible sense.

I think this is the furniture equivalent of multiple personalities.

Will you stop finding things, please?

Is "Aggresively ugly" a legitimate style?

lol, KTG. I like the idea but frankly I would rather pick a subtle pattern and do all the drawer fronts. oh, and i really hate that faux distressed crap.

Really laughing at mxjohnson - "aggresively ugly" is brillant.

Does anyone else love that chair? I think I need it!

No on chair. Yes on lamp.

Looks cool to me and i am not really into all that wallpaper, modern stuff.

Wow K T G, nothing is ever cool enough to impress someone as tasteful and stylish as you...

Your house must be *amazing*

The result isn't up to the idea.
And personally, I don't find the painting "contrasts" with the paper at all. They just don't work together, two different things put in a same space don't necessarily form a contrast, they just don't match.
A better choice in paper, or a "distressed" paper to match the chest, or a non-distressed chest, but honestly here something isn't working, even if the multi-patterned chair is placed in front to make it look like it is.

this what i would do if somehow one drawer was damaged and i wanted to cover it........

atlurker - I'm sorry if I find something awful in this spectacular mess. I'm glad you got some satisfaction picking me out to make your first comment instead of the topic. I comment on things that are posted like and dislike both, but seeming nonsense gets posted all the time, including this series of random crap that was almost never meant to be found, called Look!. I think it's great the admins allow the community here to have a balance of sometimes strong opinions and criticisms and dialogues about articles instead of vague cheerleading likes to like everything kind of blog found elsewhere. We learn things this way.

This is a hispter's senior thesis. He or she must be stressing about grad s'c(h)ool.

@K T G

Sure, it was my first comment and directed at you, but I am a long-time reader and I'm familiar with your snarky, arrogant attacks on AT writers and readers.

I'm all for dialog, strong opinions and criticism about the *content* of posts and ideas. But you seem bent on personal abuse and attacks.

It's easy to be negative and even easier to be an internet troll.

It's difficult to be creative, either in doing a project and posting it on Flickr, or in writing about other peoples ideas and designs. If you just want to rag on other people start your own blog and attract your own readers.

The category is called "Look!" not "Look, Here is the Best Idea in All of Design History!". Give it a rest KTG, look and if you don't like it -- move on.

It's one thing to be eclectic or to mix and match a few patterns, but for heaven's sake, this whole scene is a mess. Seems like they are trying to hard to be different.

mxjohnson - "aggresively ugly" is a fantastic description. My first thought was "contrived chaos".

obviously the setup is contrived to create a nice composition for the photo. individually, I like all the items (not a style for everyone, but I think it can be appreciated), and they could work well together in some rooms. I don't, however, like the choice of paper on the drawer (as others have said). I think the white is too bright and distracting. a more neutral color scheme for the pattern applied to the dresser would be better. I'd love to see some other takes on this idea.

I agree that the paint job and the patterned paper don´t match, but I still like it. It looks like a fun home. I was surprised by all the negative comments...

thanks danielle for this post.... I love what I do , and appreciate it when others take notice ......... xoxo

I love everything in the picture EXCEPT the dresser. I agree that the pattern is a fun way to jazz up the dresser but by just putting it on the one drawer and not balancing it anywhere else it just makes it look unfinished and awkward. I think maybe if you painted the bottom drawer one of the colors from the pattern that might help? It might be as easy as doing something fun with the knobs on the dresser. Anyway fun idea in general.

Strangely, both arms of the chair are the same color.

Please please please let me know the artist of that painting. I love it!

It's Cassia Leigh. I follow links when they're provided.

Sorry, but the contact-paper-on-furniture thing is about as entry-level, grade-school-design as you can get. Not really worth posting about.

My two cents... that dresser had its own tatty dignity before, and if it had been left as it was it would have contrasted interestingly with the rest of the scene in the "after pic" -- especially with the pop-art print. But the addition of the wallpaper/contact/whatever it is just makes the scene look cheap and busy. There would have been enough contrast, and a serious/interesting one, between the print and the ageing tatty shelving unit. If you'll allow me a dodgy musical metaphor, the sombre, all-brown dresser would have provided a single quiet note in between the two "crash/clash/booms" of the painting and the wonderfully crazy chair. Adding the wallpaper just interrupts this rhythm.
I hope it won't be construed as a "personal attack" if I observe that it's weird that some AT bloggers are so consistently oblivious to such basic aesthetic things.

I don't like the chair OR the dresser (sorry to the owner, but I don't).

What bothers me about the dresser is two things. The paper is very smooth and new looking and the finish is very old and distressed looking. They should match.

The dresser is dark and the paper is light. If you really want to use the combination of the two, I think the paper should be closer in tone to the finish. Maybe not the same color, but at least as dark.

You might get around this by using a brown antiquing gel on the paper to tone it down and get it closer to the wood tone. Or replace it with a darker pattern.

Or, for your room, since you do (obviously) like mixed patterns, find some scrapbook paper or something that more closely resembles the patterns in your chair or pillow. (If you did the upholstery yourself, and you have some of the brown and white fabric left, you could have it color photocopied and use that.)

(If it were mine, and I were assigned to do my take on this project, I'd paint the dresser glossy black and use a rich dark red and gold origami paper on the drawer front. Maybe gold leaf the knobs...)