apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You definitely made it a happy home. Good job!

awwww. this IS happy. :)

What great midcentury finds you have!

Gorgeous and NOT clown-like at all. Your colors are rich and sophisticated and I love them all.

What brand of paint did you use? I see you listed the names but I would love to know what brand.

Gorgeous, looks great.

Love the blue kitty.

I love this entry. I have a very similar color in my living room and was planning on getting a dark wood coffee table, but I like it better now with your mid-tone pieces. Where did you get your clock? :)

Bright and fun, but still sophisticated. Definitely inspiring.

What a bright and happy home.

I really really like this!!!

love the clean lines and colors

gawd, LOVE. love love love. You pretty much sealed the deal on helping me select my own color palette.

well done!

Thanks so much for the kinds words! The paint brand is True Value. The clock is the Vitra reissue of the George Nelson Ball Clock. I purchased mine from Highbrow Furniture.

I love the colors. I'm surprised that jerk that said my apt looked like a clown lounge didn't come on here and trash yours too...I think your place looks awesome. I love the Rosenthal Netter cat.

i think this is the best so far. the blue counter & orange took guts & it works.

Fun! I like it a lot!

you should market this as a non-medicinal anti depressant!!!! it will lift people's spirits for sure!!

lovely! can you tell me where your corduroy ottoman is from? i love it!

I was so inspired by the paint colors I stopped by True Value today to get that awesome green/yellow I assumed to be celery root. Celery root at TV is actually a light brown color...so I'm wondering what the name of the color in the main photo actually is....

Hmm, it was three years ago, so possibly they've moved on to different paint names....ok, so I just called my True Value store in Portland and had them check the paint color--according to the super helpful clerk who helped me, color #3342, Celery Root, is a light-ish yellow-green, which sure sounds like the chartreuse I bought in 2005. The other paint color, Celery Seed had more brown in it. Hope that helps.

The ottoman is part of a set with a great swivel chair-got it at Dania Furniture a few years ago.

LOVE.

LOVE your home!

LOVE this. it's colorful without seeming like easter eggs or a daycare as seen in some other entries.

Incredible! The colors bring back memories of Howard Johnson's. The uncluttered spaces, the careful choice of accessories and the use of existing architectural details make this my favorite BY FAR! I covet your home.

Is that a McCobb serving cart?

Color me jealous!

What a happy, fantastic home you have!

Nope, not a McCobb, it's a Salton Hotray Buffet Server. Has a fold-out tray, a pull-out drawer and....a drop-in warmer for the the finger food one serves at a 1962 cocktail party. Pigs-in-a-blanket anyone?

Bew. Tee. Full!!

One of my very favorites so far. Please tell us something about the artwork?

Sculpture on wall is C. Jere Raindrops ($15 yard sale find!!); Circle painting is an Ebay find signed Letterman (lots of graphic pieces by Letterman from 60's and 70's); large wrapped canvas above credenza is from IKEA; blue abstract fish, circa 1971, by Gorgi, again Ebay; litho in guest room is early 60's vintage, not sure of artist, estate sale find. None of the above cost me more than $80, usually far less.

**steals the blue cat**


I looooooooove the kitty! Beautiful home!

WOW! Great place! I'd love to know what the little orange lamp is in the last picture. :)

Ok, yes, you've convinced me, I am painting some walls orange in my home.
Awesome stuff!

Living room looks relaxing...too relaxing...that rug is gonna spring to life and eat you alive when you've finally achieved the state of sluggish.

Love it ! Happy, beautiful color-tones and not "over-"colored. Well done !!

That guest room or bedroom looks so inviting.

Excellent job. Be proud.

The orange lamp is just an inexpensive task lamp from Target, quite a few years back, one of the "college dorm" items they introduce each summer usually that have a more interesting design and color palette.

This is just beautiful! I love your choice of Danish furnishings, the way you decorate is fabulous, and it all looks just so sleek and classy. The living room is FAB, and I really like the little white table & chairs set up by the large window with that cart in the background. I also love how you took that turquoise counter top in the kitchen and used the orange on the walls like that--what a great idea! Great job!

Aww... it's so soft and beautiful!

Love it! The aqua and orange are so great together and of course the mcm furniture is fabulous! Nice job!

happy colors indeed. a rainbuster that is much needed!!

Love the colors - these are the same ones I use in my
apartment!

I have the Nelson Ball Clock and the birdcage print fabric
curtains, also.

I bought the birdcage print at Urban Outfitters as a
bedspread and cut it into curtains for my patio sliding doors.

Also like the blue cat - I have a great blue and green owl.

Danish modern clown is kind of the perfect description of the colors (and I mean that in the best possible way). What a great phrase, and what a gorgeous place!

Love the setting w/ the gold lamp & black shade...great composition here. Lamps are so important - they can make or break a space and this one definitely made it. Even the thermostat ties in with the beige/brown/gold accessories theme. Good job!!

GREAT PLACE!
Just the ticket to counteract the greyness of the Portland winter (...and spring, and fall, and sometimes summer).
My fave!

Fantastic! Love all the colors you chose! You have some great pieces of furniture...I'm jealous! Definitely one of the best entries I've seen so far!

I love this entry. It shows a lively sense of color, but sophistication and good design sense in the furnishings and accessories. Very liveable and shows a lot of personal style.

I am not sure what Danish Modern Clown Colors are, but I like your color palette. You used warm greens and oranges to tie into your wood cabinetry.

Well done, but again, not my favorite.

Well, this is my favorite! I just bought a ranch from the 60's in Portland, and this house is an inspiration and has given me tons of great ideas. The colors are bright, but not overwhelmingly so, and would definitely cheer me up on a dreary day. The furniture, artwork, and all around decoration is very danish modern, and being a lover of that era can respect the time and energy spent finding all those pieces. Bravo!

Sorry, not my cup of hideous. Thou I do respect, "to each his own." "Mid-Century" as you folks call it was of my generation, and too much of it makes me gag. A well made piece here and there to offset some other style is great. I just can't see it spread all over the place indiscriminately.

BTW, do people who have rugs in front of their kitchen cook?

This reminds me of my home in Florida--you've got my vote!

mm i love this so much! what is the fabric on the bed/window in the last shot? i have been looking for kitchen curtains and this encompasses every color i currently have going on in there - plus it makes me smile!

Wow, so to answer the above "query", the rug is there for comfort when I do my dishes-after cooking :) Plus, they're ikea $9 rugs and quite hardy.

The fabric is from Urban Outfitters. I had a very talented friend use the tapestry fabric make a semi-slipcover for the bed. I love the birdcage fabric immensely--it makes me smile as well.

happy happy--I love the blue counter with the orange backsplash, as well!!

I'm totally impressed by your home Sandi. It's warm, colorful, and inviting without being crazy. You've done a fantastic job of carrying the color scheme throughout your home without it ever being dull or exactly the same in any room. Great job. Oh and I love the little Trojan horseman and chariot on your end table.

This is the absolute best entry by FAR. It is a magnificent collection that you have carefully curated over time. You truly are visionary in your work on your home. Did you acquire your collection before or after you purchased your home? Your taste is almost identical to mine. I'd ask you to marry me if I weren't gay.

AWWWW!! How soft and beautiful!

Shucks pyrexman, you've made my afternoon! I bought my wee little ranch three years ago and have really been building my collection for about 8 years. To here such praise for my work is wonderful. I've done the kitchen, the bathroom, the walls, the floors, the yard, the doors (and hence taken few vacations!) since I bought, all on the tiniest of budgets, albeit with the biggest of ideas. There's a small room in my garage that holds pieces that are cycled in and out as editing is key, but oh-so difficult.

This is wonderful. The walls of my rental are the exact same color green. The bright blue and orange accents compliment it wonderfully. Fantastic inspiration, thanks!

I am good friends with Sandi, and have always enjoyed visiting her fabulous place! The cozy and inspiring feeling you get when you are in her house is a unique and wonderful thing. Colors are in harmony, eclectic and interesting accessories, and a very live-able layout of the space. Her front yard is a dream too! Very southern California inspired, and compliments the house completely. I am always happy to brag to people that I know someone with such a cool pad, and have enjoyed a drink (or two) and some fun times in her ranch. I think she should be for hire to help zazz up more homes in the NW!

What a nice place! It's just lovely.

If my home was built at the time this one was, I would mean to, try to, strive to, and probably die and kill to make my home look like this. This is Mid-20th Century heaven.

But you've made it work so well for right this very minute AND meld the best of a couple of adjacent decades from yesteryear. You are a rock star.

A final comment and a bucket of gratitude to everyone who's shared kind words! Contest or no, this has been just super and the feedback is better than any gift certificate could be. I always felt like the place was a work in progress and could be loads better. I'm going to rest on my laurels for the evening. Thanks guys!!

I can really appreciate your eye for color. But also, your home shows a real knack for balance and proportion. Also, what is really great, is that it's inviting; it's a very distinct, gutsy style, but not overwhelming.
Really: Well done!

Most of this house was really well done. Sandi has a great eye for mid-20th Century accessories, and I compliment her on the collection and on her decision to keep it well-edited.

I also loved the Bird Cage fabric on the bedspread and matching curtain. Very, very cute.

For me, the bright orange, turquoise countertop, and green wall was just a little too much in the kitchen.

Although I was unenthusiastic about the kitchen, I did like the dining area. The relatively small splashes of turquoise on the seats of the dining chairs worked a little better for me than the broad expanse of the turquoise in the kitchen countertop. Was the turquoise color of the dining chair cushions slightly different from the color of the countertop? If so, I thought the shade used in the dining area was a little more appealing. It may have been the light.

I lived through the era of mass-produced metallic wall sculptures and could have lived without them then. When I was a child and walked into a house with one, my heart always sank. For some reason, they always made me feel like my surroundings were depressingly limited. The fact that they are now vintage hasn't warmed my heart any since then.

Hey, Sandi, everyone's a critic! Overall, you did a great job, and congratulations!

AustinSarah, thanks for your well-articulated thoughts. The chair seat color is a more green, counters more blue. The same reason you didn't respond to the kitchen is the reason I love it...I searched hard for a bold splash of turquoise blue for the countertops. As the backsplash is paint, I always have the option to change up the mood. The Jere scultpure was the find of my year. I grew up in the late 70's and 80's surrounded by a sea of white walls and beige and olan mills family photos as the only wall art--have been recovering ever since. Variety, and the opinions they engender are the spice of life!

And, hey, you should hear what my mom has to say about my place!! For a brief moment I thought she was the click212 poster :)

My apartment wanted me to ask your house if she's interested in a girl's night out sometime. We'll buy the first round of Gin Rickeys!

Sandi, you should be so proud of curating such a lovely home. I only regret not having the chance to see the boudoir as I'm guessing that's also a finely tuned, well decorated space.

Thanks for sharing and p.s. I want your furniture. Please.

Thanks!! Right back at ya. I have more photos on my flickr and should get some of other rooms up soon, lucitebox, if you're curious.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandiv999/

Thanks for the extra photos. Your house is great fun.

Sandi: You've done an absolutely fabulous decorating job! Wish I lived in your house. Hey, can you tell me the maker on your big furniture pieces, the 2 buffet/credenza matching pieces? Robin

Hi Robin, the credenza set is a Distinctive Furniture by Stanley. Probably early sixties--on my flickr site a few people commented back on collecting other pieces from that line. Must have been a very brief blip on Stanley Co's manufacturing radar.

This came out very well, and I find these colors a challenge.

the kitchen totally reminds me of the brady bunch -- in a good way!

i love when people are not afraid of orange. for some reason, it frightens most people. well done :)