MochiHome's Profile

Beautiful! Classy, modern, fun - kid friendly but not childish. Actually, I would totally love a room like this for myself. I'm partial to the zebra rug - where did you find that?

I'm a big fan of hooks! They are super-convenient, especially for things like PJ's and gym clothes, which you use every day (and are too lazy to fold).

If hooks are messy, you can hide them behind a curtain.

Like this: https://img.skitch.com/20110321-djhfq4ci161gx1gyxp88g9a4kw.jpg

As for sweaters, I agree with the attractive basket/suitcase/storage box idea.

We have the Breck lamps in Charcoal as symmetrical side table lamps on either side of our couch.

They are simple and nice with a 3-way bulb and produce just the right amount of light for everything from ambiance to magazine reading.

Also, the design is plain enough that I think it will last for many years and through many of our decor moods.

We have beech-ish colored cabinets, similar to idea. We ended adding a white countertop and some neutral tiles, which looks really fresh.

I do like your idea of dark gray with copper patina. I looked into doing a colorful backsplash, but in the end, thought something more neutral would last longer and last through style changes.

If you want to quickly test out some colors, I recommend buying some nice colored paper and then literally just taping it up under the cabinets. This will will quickly help you realize if you are going in the right direction.

Also, I installed backsplash tiles myself - you can check it out here:
http://mochihome.com/kitchen/update-kitchen-backsplash-extravaganza/

And here were a bunch of options I was thinking of:
http://mochihome.com/kitchen/tiled-kitchen-backsplash-extravaganza/

I am a huge huge fan of Flor tiles! I have a similar beige floor rug in my living room and just adore it. I can also attest to them being very user-friendly, easy to clean, easy to walk on and my personal favorite: anti-slip. The rubber backing in brilliant.

I also have Flor Fedora tiles in my kitchen (to cover up the hardwood floor in the kitchen). These tiles look really tidy and you can even sweep them with a regular broom.

Flor has some fabulous new colors too and I sometimes dream about adding color via the floor instead of on the walls.

Wow, I love the view! In fact, I think a nice mellow/neutral accent wall would be great. It would bring a little color to the room, but wouldn't detract from the nice view and the greens of the foliage.

I like the idea of gray, but a warm gray. Very neutral and warm, not too dark.

Here's some accent wall inspiration:
http://mochihome.com/living-room/sophisticated-euro-bachelor-pad/

Some tasteful color inspiration:
http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/colors.php
I quite like Stone #4 or #5 for a warm gray.

Good Luck!

I'm addicted to gray! What a great post. It's hard to find the right one though and the variations are so subtle.

Currently, my bedroom is Gray Owl (Benjamin Moore). It's really subtle, with a hint of green. (http://mochihome.com/bedroom/group-design-help-choose-a-wall-decal/)

I also have a bathroom painted Pigeon Gray (BM). That's a nice deep gray with purple undertones. It's very crisp.

I've also done a living room in Tundra, which is on the same chip as Pigeon Gray. It's light light gray, but in bright sunlight has a purplish glow. Very dreamlike. (http://mochihome.com/living-room/eco-friendly-paint-recap/ -- it doesn't match the green couch though!)

You can keep it simple and just paint a nice beige or neutral tan. It will also be easy to re-paint back to white if needed.

Another option is to paint just one bold accent wall, taking a color from your rug.

Check this virtual makeover for some ideas:
http://mochihome.com/living-room/a-coordinated-color-palette-update/

Also, here's one with some accent walls:
http://mochihome.com/living-room/finding-inspiration-kriss-color-stripes/

I love that you are painting your rental, even for just a year. It's so much like "home!"

Good Luck!

I love everyone's ideas. I don't really have any new ones to contribute. However, I will chime in on three things:

1- FLOR tiles. We have the fedora tiles and I love them. Durable, easy to vacuum or even sweep. They stay in place, so no tripping. The grey color is nice, but ALL crumbs (or anything light colored) will show up.

2- Removing cabinet doors is great. I've done it. Just beware that everything gets really dusty out in the open.

3- I've replaced hardware/handles. That's easy, but it can add up in price if you have a lot of doors.

I vote for wall paint! Or, you can even do something fun/dramatic with that ceiling.

Check out all of these options, including paint, tiles, with/without cabinet doors. You can get a good feel for some different options.

http://mochihome.com/?cat=5

Good Luck!

Maybe you could try some pattern.

What if you painted the top part of the wall black (which will fade it out) and then did a hip wall paper on the bottom (which will pop it out). You would have instant style.

I don't mind the white doors, but in the past, I have painted white doors and trim a chocolate color with muted green walls. That was a nice combo.

Maybe you can get some inspiration here:
http://mochihome.com/?p=159

If you want to send a photo, I would love to test out that black with pattern or pop of color. I think that might be interesting...

Good luck!