How Can I Enhance My New Apartments Inherent Qualities?
October 9, 2011 5:57 PM Subscribe
How Can I Build On My New Apartments Innate Features?
I'm moving to a new apartment in Salem, MA in November, and the layout is fantastic - the ceilings are 9 feet tall, and the plan is designed in such a way that each room feels like a separate apartment, i.e. a great deal of privacy and individualism. All rooms are off of a small, central hallway.
I'd like to have the apartment's copious natural light, feeling of great space and comfortable mystery heightened, and to be able to play up the feeling of coziness and separation.
Any suggestions on space, or online color palettes, etc. are welcome. The house comes with a baby-blue and coffee/beige wall interior that we can't paint over, sadly.
I'm moving to a new apartment in Salem, MA in November, and the layout is fantastic - the ceilings are 9 feet tall, and the plan is designed in such a way that each room feels like a separate apartment, i.e. a great deal of privacy and individualism. All rooms are off of a small, central hallway.
I'd like to have the apartment's copious natural light, feeling of great space and comfortable mystery heightened, and to be able to play up the feeling of coziness and separation.
Any suggestions on space, or online color palettes, etc. are welcome. The house comes with a baby-blue and coffee/beige wall interior that we can't paint over, sadly.
Best answer: Take advantage of the height and fill the walls of at least one room with art! Like so, or so.
To highlight both the light and feeling of space, place mirrors where they will reflect windows.
posted by ocherdraco at 6:58 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
To highlight both the light and feeling of space, place mirrors where they will reflect windows.
posted by ocherdraco at 6:58 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I would have suggested painting/decorating each room in a different 'theme' but, if you can't paint the walls, this will be harder. However; you could still decorate each room so that it is completely different from all the other rooms, to get a similar effect. In one or more room, you could heighten the different feel by blocking a lot of the natural light with heavy curtains/blinds.
Hard to say much more without photos, to be honest.
posted by dg at 7:27 PM on October 9, 2011
Hard to say much more without photos, to be honest.
posted by dg at 7:27 PM on October 9, 2011
Best answer: You can build each room around a clear purpose: eating, socializing, sleeping, working - whatever is appropriate for your needs. If you have enough rooms, you don't need to have your desk in the living room or the bedroom, for instance (my dream home would have a distinct living room, office/library and bedroom, for instance). One room that is unmistakeably meant for a specific use will feel different to another room clearly used for something else.
Think about different textures for the various rooms. Sheer curtains, bright colors, and spare furniture in one room to play up the light; heavy drapes, plush upholstery and deep colors in another to take advantage of the fact that lots of natural light helps you get away with darker living spaces. And while natural light is wonderful, think carefully about artificial light, too. Lamps allow you to create and control different zones of light within a room, and creating furniture groupings around light sources adds to a sense of coziness.
Specific color schemes will depend on how your blue and brown work together, but purely theoretically, I'd start looking at a range of shades of red and yellow for colors that you like and that work with your walls.
Don't neglect the hallway, either - art and mirrors and (if you have the space) a small, functional piece of furniture like a shelf or table will help the hallway feel like part of your home, not just something to get through to go somewhere else.
posted by EvaDestruction at 10:01 PM on October 9, 2011
Think about different textures for the various rooms. Sheer curtains, bright colors, and spare furniture in one room to play up the light; heavy drapes, plush upholstery and deep colors in another to take advantage of the fact that lots of natural light helps you get away with darker living spaces. And while natural light is wonderful, think carefully about artificial light, too. Lamps allow you to create and control different zones of light within a room, and creating furniture groupings around light sources adds to a sense of coziness.
Specific color schemes will depend on how your blue and brown work together, but purely theoretically, I'd start looking at a range of shades of red and yellow for colors that you like and that work with your walls.
Don't neglect the hallway, either - art and mirrors and (if you have the space) a small, functional piece of furniture like a shelf or table will help the hallway feel like part of your home, not just something to get through to go somewhere else.
posted by EvaDestruction at 10:01 PM on October 9, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Chairboy at 6:34 PM on October 9, 2011