An Eclectic Colombian Home Has the Cutest Painted Details in Its Rooms

For the past year, Marina has been renting this three-bedroom apartment in Bogota, Colombia, with her husband and son: I am Italian and moved to Bogota a year ago with my Spanish husband. We live with our 2.5-year-old boy. I’ve been renting homes for a long time now as I have lived in many different countries, and I have perfected a strategy to make a rental feel like home: when I first moved into this apartment, it was so brown. The wood floors are a beautiful rich brown, but the ceilings are not super high and the brown was just everywhere: doors, curtain rods, floor molding… so I knew that at least in the living area, I wanted to paint these fixtures a greige sort of shade.

My next project was the fireplace wall: I added shelving and hand painted the wall a gorgeous shade of olive green, adding a diamond detail as well. I was looking for warm colors in this space: burnt oranges, terracotta, and olive green. In the dining area, a huge table was key: I designed a sculptural table and had a local carpenter build it for us, as well as the chairs. We are so delighted with how everything turned out! The rest of the apartment we kept really simple: the bedroom is huge and I tried to keep it airy and open while still adding some color.

The room where I went a little crazy is the entry bathroom, which I painted an orange shade, with apple green cabinetry and a tropical mural that I hand painted myself. It’s definitely the most controversial room of the house — it’s gotten loads of praise as well as a lot of skeptical eyebrow raising.

I am an illustrator, and love a soft palette when it comes to colors, especially for interiors. I’m definitely creative and I like spaces that are a little different and unique, so I try not to follow trends too closely though I am certainly influenced by them (I know that I will regret my living room chairs a few years from now, but I just couldn’t resisted the striped look).

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: European, colorful, cozy, eclectic, unique

What is your favorite room and why? The living room is where we spent most of my time, in front of the fireplace with a book, a glass of wine, or playing with our boy. But I do love our dining area just as much — the colors complement each other in a really fun way

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? Colombia is famous for its woven artisanal baskets, so the orange basket I placed next to the chimney is a recent addition.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Don’t be afraid to experiment with colors, even clashing colors can work very well together.

Thanks Marina!

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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