tara76's Profile

we just went there for our honeymoon in june.... it was absolutely divine. i highly recommend the "house of the carpenter"

Well intended, but overdone to the point of monotony. I'd say, remove at least 1/3 of all the powder blue stuff and replace it with white (e.g. the couch, the rug, the artwork) or, if you feel confident enough, another contrasting or complementing color.

I know everyone seems to love this powder-blue-and-chocolate combo, but I actually think it already looks dated. You've really got to introduce some other colors (or one, at least) to make it look fresh and give it some personality.

Great job! On a budget no less. Love the yellow desk. And I would have never picked out that orange salmon color but I think it really works in that space.

The yellow color in the bathroom is PERFECT.

I do wish you would lower your Hockney print about a foot, maybe just 8 inches, but that's just a pet peeve of mine.

Your exposed pantry is truly amazing - I'd love to see a shot of that head-on just to see how you did it (and try to emulate it myself).

And thanks for reminding me what a difference flowers make - headed to the florist right now...

side note: if you know and love your book collection (as I'm sure most of us do) and you organize it yourself, according to whatever system you choose, then you should be able to find and retrieve your books easily. so why not group them by color? it sure looks cool.

This place definitely appeals on a level of being unconventional, especially for such a classic house, but I can't help finding it a little gloomy. The dark dining room, for example, feels very Miss Havisham to me. Actually, the whitewashed furniture (which I know is a shabby-chic trick to bring cohesiveness to otherwise disjunct furniture elements - and I appreciate that, I do) in this setting is just making it feel, to me, like an abandoned mansion that's had white sheets draped over all its furniture, and someone's come in and selectively uncloaked some of the pieces.

I find myself wanting to color in some of the whitewashed objects, or even just see some more wood tones or something. I do love the accent pieces - the candle holders, the bedside lamps - but they're not doing enough to lighten the mood of this place. And that kitchen - something about the dull blue and overly tall cabinets makes it feel too masculine, almost like an office kitchen, despite the valiant effort by the kettle and kitchenaid to make it feel more like home.

Even the maize color in the hallway feels a little dim, although that could be a photography issue. The only place where color isn't a downer is in the sitting room with that cloying coral - though it could just be that I'm having trouble disassociating it from the saggy chintz couch - maybe with a different couch, say in a gray or slate, the coral might work.

I hate giving criticism without being constructive, but in this case I think our styles are too different for me to offer anything of real value - I would have taken a different route entirely. However, I commend you for color choices that are certainly not timid - and it is clearly a fabulous house that you have made your own, and I congratulate you on that.

The only shot that shows a cohesive color story is #2, although I find the Jekyll Hyde ceiling colors a little jarring, not to mention the DIY textured paint (I really wish that trend would die).

The yellow stripes are really cute, but I think the room could be greatly improved by painting the trim (I'd paint it white, but another color could be fun too) and replacing the curtains with ones that are either solid or a larger, bolder print.

And the bathroom: definitely Simpsons, good call Djlucky. Which is great, if that's what you're going for.

Over all I have to say that, while I wouldn't necessarily emulate your style, it does look like a fun, comfortable, and very well-loved house.