Blogging - Apartment Therapy's Third Annual Color Contest

I'm sure bloggers are buzzing about AT's I've Got Color Contest, but as editor of Creative Influences, I just have to get in on the action. My apartment is currently experiencing color identity crisis so I didn't enter this year. But, I have been following the contest closely.



I didn't feel as blown away this year as last year. Maybe that's because last year it was novel to me, and the omnipresence of chartreuse (one of my favorite colors) last year. This year I got tired of seeing brown and the homes seemed more traditional to me. I'm clearly biased. I like modern decor and I'm snobby about it. Also, I have trouble with homes where each room is simply painted a different color without some sort of integration or flow. I like all the rooms in a home to relate to each other.


The comments were much more tame this year too. I actually missed the snarkiness as I found it very entertaining. I kept my own snarkiness down when I commented.  With no further adieu - I'd like to present Creative Influences' top five winners of this year's contest:



No. 5. Michael and Mindy's Sunny Chicago LoftI've been writing a lot lately about my love of white with silver, and this a fine example of that. And their touches of yellow are pure poetry. Yellow is one of my least favorite colors - then again I used to say that about orange. I find it difficult to use, it requires skill and restraint as it must be done in small does. M&M have done a lovely job with their home. They also did a great job redoing a tired shoji screen. I'm very inspired by this because I'd like to do something with my own tired screen, but I'm not much of a DIYer. M&M - thanks for being an inspiration!

No. 4. Eva's Italian Lesson. I was utterly enchanted with this entry. The presentation was extremely skillful. First, her title drew me in, then the pic of that door. So cute, it made me want to enter the place. Then she wrote in Italian! I loved this mini-trip from my mundane activities. I felt so proud that my favorite blog is worldwide and so diverse. Eva's color palette is beautiful. I got very excited because I have curtains very similar to her orange and pink ones. I had a little trouble with the yellow in her place as it seemed a little incongruous and would have liked to see a corally-orange instead, but like I said yellow is a difficult color. Thanks, Eva for being an inspiration!

No. 3. NinaRibena's Lighthearted & Playful Colour. This was a totally fun entry. I am not usually very taken with children's rooms, but Nina has the cutest play room I have ever seen. In addition, I am in love with that pop of chartreuse in her living room. I love Amy Butler's fabrics, but they are just a tad too trendy for me. However, I have to admit that fabric does look sweet on that sofa. And I am in love with that rice paper lamp. Nina's home is a fine accomplishment. It is light airy, fun, happy, colorful and simple. Thanks Nina, for being an inspiration!

No. 2. Heather's Aqua in Austin. Turquoise is a color I am madly in love with these days and Heather uses it skillfully. I believe with strong color, you don't need much in the way of accessories, and Heather exhibits Herculean restraint in the use of her accessories, letting the walls become the art. She has just the right amount of red pops. And I absolutely adore her art. Not sure what they are - perhaps photos she had enlarged onto canvas. This place totally rocks. Thanks for being an inspiration Heather!

No. 1. Drum roll, please. Creative Influences' winner of AT's 2007 Color Contest is Kemi's Contemporary and Classic Harmony!




Isn't it interesting that my winner also used yellow? It was Jessie from My Mod Style that first got me thinking about yellow, which I wrote about here.  This is one of the finest uses of yellow I have ever seen. Done in small does, with the shocking pink, I am in love. I also love the way she gave us a shot of her entry way so we can see how the color is fully integrated into her place. I adore the Urban Outfitters Chandelier hanging on the wall above the bed, the lights beside the bed and the yellow bedspread. Her place is much more complex than it first appears, because it is clear she decorates with a soft hand and exercises retraint. It took me a second look before I recognized the facsinating multi-layering of this place. It would have been very easy to go over the top with those bold colors, and the addition of the earthy elements, yet her place at once demonstrates complexity and simplicity. Amazing. Also, love the addition of the lucite. Kemi, thanks for being an inspiration and congratulations on a stunning achievement in decor!

Now for my shameful self-promotion. I would love to see one of my paintings in her home.