I LOVE this living room. I've always hated black and red together--reminds of team colors. BUT, who knew you could make it work by adding brown!!!! Truly, I'm in love with your color combination.

By the way, I wish I had your problem with too much light. I'm SO envious.

Actually, it's the brown, and the wall color. What is that wall color, like a yellow beige? I really like it.

What's the scoop on the bent ply dining chair? It looks like the base is metal and plastic; is it vintage Ikea?

OH MY GOD! I have that same 1970s chest-of-drawers! Mine still has the original mirror, though, so I use it as a vanity, and I flipped the panels around to the green side instead of the yellow. AAAH, amazing! It's the first time I've seen it anywhere else!

There is no reason I should be this excited but I TOTALLY AM. You can kind-of-sort-of see it in this old pic of the apartment I had in college, wayyy over to the right: http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a288/rudebega/myroom.jpg

Found a better one. Apologies, I'm a total '70s furniture nerd: http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a288/rudebega/DSCN2226.jpg

Colour palette is really working for me. You have a lovely space.

it is very lovely! on another note, what's going on with the contest page? am i the only one who doesn't see any of the entries on the small, cool page?

To Marthalulu. No it's not only you. Hope they fix it soon.

I love the living room.

Love the colors in the bedroom, but too many pillows on the couch. Regardless, thumbs-up. What's going on with the submission site? I thought it was open until Midnight tonight? "All entries are due by 4/19/2010 by 23:59:59 PST." Anyone else successful?

a BIG thank you to everyone! i've got a sickness for constantly moving my shiz around. furniture illness....

majority of what you see came from thrift stores, craigslist or etsy.
here's the scoop on the bent plywood chairs. SCORE GALORE here...
http://exclusivegenerator.blogspot.com/2010/01/meet-my-new-friends.html

the walls came a light beige color when we rented the place. it's a nice neutral background for all.

too funny rudebega that you have the same dresser! i picked it up at a used furniture store...w/ mirror for $70. i'm going to hang the mirror horizontal at the end of my dining table to reflect the light from the living room. it's heavy as hell so i'm still on the hunt for the proper hooks.

xxx
http://exclusivegenerator.blogspot.com

Oh man, what a steal! I picked mine up at a "vintage" store, and it cost $200. They had the full bedroom set with desk, twin-size bedframe, and a wardrobe, too. I honestly wish I'd scooped it all up, but for what they were asking, it would have destroyed my bank account. SO gloriously retro, though, and I love the reversible panels. AWESOME idea to use it as a credenza, too, and it fits your space beautifully. Good luck hanging the mirror! I know all too well how heavy that sucker is, you might have to use those heavy-duty drywall anchors to mount your hooks. (Ew.)

WHAT?!?!?!? reversible panels?! what have i been missing? i'm checking this baby out NOW.

If yours is like mine, take a look at the little metal panels from the inside of the drawers. They should be in kind of a slot, and they'll probably have that eye-searing lime green on the reverse side that you can see in my pics. The panels on the mirror are reversible, too! If you undo the drawer hardware you can flip them over and slot them back in so that the green is showing, but I think the yellow works just fine in your space. :D

OH I just thought of this, but I bet you could slip those panels out and re-paint them a custom color, if you wanted. Let me know if yours is set up the same way as mine! I'm agog.

I gotta say... file cabinets in the (guest) bedroom, NOT sexy. There have been so many file cabinet makeovers here on AT that it should be a cardinal sin to leave them looking like that! At first, I thought that was your master bedroom. I think changing the order of the pictures would do wonders for your score - especially since that is the one that appears in the thumbnail.

i agree heather. BUT instead of faux painting them or adding a stencil to the side which would really make them stand out more...i decided against. this is our office and well, file cabinets live there. in the front of each drawer where a file card would go, i've added a square of blue design from the inside of different security envelopes. adds some color and not the normal blah.

the bf is a teacher and realtor so the guy needs files.

... And I found an old pic of it in the vintage shop before I'd decided to buy it. I took a picture of it and dithered about it for several days, you can see some of the rest of the furniture set it was a part of: http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a288/rudebega/chest02.jpg

(Sorry I keep harping about my chest of drawers. It was the first real piece of furniture I bought for myself when I moved out, and I have major sentimental attachment to it. Clearly!)

Where did you get that bed? I'm trying to find the perfect platform-style bed, and I just love this one!

the living room is way too cluttered, with competing styles. it makes my eyes hurt, i have no idea what to focus on. i think it would look much better if the rug were swapped for something simple -- then you wouldn't have all that pattern competing with the couch cushions and the shapes of the chairs.

with that being said i love the bedroom & dining room. they're quiet, cozy, and well-edited.

Beautiful place. And, I disagree about the file cabinets. I LOVE old school metal file cabinets. Don't touch them!

"Placement of art pieces where chosen in either darker rooms (our bedroom) or walls that did not receive direct light"

if you have art that can be framed try using UV Glass - you can't tell the difference between the UV and regular glass at all and it protects from fading. We have used it on pieces that receive direct sunlight without anything fading - I really recommend it! of course that doesn't help your furniture or non-framable art... :)

Nice home but my only suggestion would be to get a smaller coffee table. Such as one or two cubes. Your living room looks too cluttered and difficult to walk in (let alone vacuum) with the couch, 2 tables and those 3 large lounge chairs. Even replacing the square table that is in between the red bentwood chairs.

Those 'stay calm...' signs are really getting annoying. Almost as bad as "Live, Laugh, Love". ugh... but, great place.

that living room rug ruined it. it just does not go with the style!

Oop, I made a mistake; just checked my dresser when I went home. The slot is on the SIDE of the drawer front, not the inside--look and you should see a little opening, probably on the right hand side.

A couple more things now that I've looked at your home again:

--I don't think the LR rug Ruins the space as some have said. IMO those types of rugs can be fine in a moree traditional or contemporary setting.
--The FP looks too stark white. Try placing some birch wood logs in there for decoration or some candles. It needs something. Checks AT's posts about unusable fireplaces.
--lastly, I am a proponent of hanging artwork lower than most people think is ok. However, your ABC poster in the LR seems way too low (as if it has slipped.) There's more artwork on the otherside of the window and it is so much higher! Try raising the ABC poster about 5 inches or so.

thanks to those who gave the CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. i welcome it. when i took these photos i was waiting for a new living room coffee table which i finally picked up today. i agree in part about the living room rug making the entire room look busy. it wasn't until i too was looking at these pictures that i noticed that as well. i've decided to flip flop our dining rug with the LR rug and it looks fab. i'll post a link later to the new after shot. thanks!

the ABC poster is actually leaning on the built-in shelving behind the couch. there is plug half way up that wall which is super odd and ugly so i've put the poster there to cover. unfortunately i can't hang it because the lamp is plugged in there and the frame wouldn't hang flush. tricky spot.

and to the haters, keep on hating. it gets you nowhere. post up YOUR house pics!
♥♥♥

Love the dining area. Great use of color.

freshUNI, take all comments, criticism, and suggestions with a grain of salt. You know what you like, so trust your own instincts. (Plus, I hate to say it, but there are a lot of people out there who not only don't share your taste, they might not even have good taste. And you're right, if they don't post their own house pics, how do you know who you're listening to? Scary thought, right?)

By the way, I like your ABC poster exactly where it is. I wouldn't raise it an inch. Although, how do you know I have good taste. ;) Trust no one.

WA-LA
http://exclusivegenerator.blogspot.com/2010/04/edit-edit-then-edit-some-more.html

great job with all the color.

Two things.

1. Switching out the rugs in the LR and DR and the new coffee table totally brings the LR together. Love it!

2. I never in a million years would have thought of using the Lerberg shelving unit to hold computer components. You've inspired me and I think mine is going to move from the bedroom to the computer area today. That will completely declutter my desk area. Thanks!