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How can I add color to a drab room?
Posted: Aug 19, 2012
I've just rented a new condo which I love except for the lack of color. The owner doesn't want me to hang pictures or paint, because it's her investment property.
I may be able to change her mind in the future, but in the meantime what can I do to spice it up? I can't put out any breakable colorful accessories because my cat will get at them. Other than bright cushions on the sofa, what else I can do?
Any suggestions would be most welcome.
;
Not hang pictures? That's ridiculous. - In the meantime, -sm
[ In Reply To ..]depending on the size of the breakables, there is some kind of putty (museum putty? I forget).. that can be put under breakables to keep them from getting knocked over. Lots of people use that stuff out here in earthquake country (Calif.)
I was watching a video at the vet's office the other day, and the owners of some rambunctious cats had a huge collection of porcelain Christmas collectibles.. like an entire town. They put a clear plastic shield across the lower levels of the shelves, so you could see them but the cats couldn't get to them. And double-sided sticky tape on the floor near the base, so they couldn't jump up.
My aunt had a beautiful display case for her collectibles... it lit up inside and everything. The case itself was an antique, too, and very lovely. You could maybe find something like that on eBay or Craigslist for not much money.
You can find beautiful, lifelike fake flowers at craft stores like Michael's, and pretty, un-breakable vases.
If you can't put nails in the walls, you could still hang colorful posters with double-sided tape. I think they make a special kind that won't pull the paint off the walls. Might check at the craft store, or a hardware store.
Bright pillows are fabulous.. you can get them cheap at Cost Plus, Pier 1, or even Walmart.
If you have a plain-looking white or tan rug, or even hardwood floors, you can get an inexpensive, pretty, large area-rug to put down over it. The added advantage is it helps keep the white rug clean.
What about window-dressings? Pretty curtains, or even draping some beautiful, brightly-colored fabric over the ends of existing curtains. Or, hanging a double curtain rod and putting up some pretty lace ones, or even cafe curtains. Or, you could hang some pretty sun-catchers in the windows.
Sometimes wandering through an Ikea, where they have different rooms set up with brightly-colored accents, can give you some great ideas.
If you have a large painting you like, instead of hanging it on the wall, it can always just be set against the wall, like on top of a piece of furniture. If you didn't want it to get accidentally knocked over, you could come up with a way to keep it in place. For instance, if I had the picture frame sitting on top of a chest of drawers, and leaning against the wall, I would rig up a piece of wood, like maybe a 1" x 1" square, across the top of the drawers. A little trip to the hardware store and some brainstorming could find you a way to attach the wood to the furniture without using any nails or screws, so as to not damage the furniture. You could even stain it to match the furniture so it wouldn't be noticeable.
If you can't put thumbtacks or anything into the walls, you could maybe rig up a wire from one curtain rod, across the room to the next... either along the wall, or across the corner of a room. From that, you could hang lightweight accents, or drape some fake ivy and colored flowers, or a bright mobile, or more sun-catchers. From a heavy-duty wire, you could even hang a lightweight ceiling lamp.
I just thought of another accent that could also be used to hang smaller pictures -- a free-standing room partition. You've probably seen them... sort of Asian-looking ones. Some can be expensive, but again, I'd try eBay, Craigslist, or Pier 1 / Cost Plus. I've seen people use them to hang pictures on at art shows. If you like to make stuff, you could probably even build one, and then paint it a bright cheery color.
I know - some of my ideas are pretty offbeat, but at least one of them might work as a way to get around the no-pictures-on-the-walls rule!
Good luck!
You can... - JC
[ In Reply To ..]I couldn't have said it all better than previous poster, but you can also put a cheap retractable rod inside a doorway and hang colorful beads ----unless the cat will destroy that. If the kitty will get to that, just put up the cheap rod and scallop in a flowing manner pretty printed sheer scarf on it, kind of like a valance.
I definitely go with decorative area rug or rugs. Stand-alone painted shelves are nice, too. You can paint them crazy, anything you want.
I would hit garage sales, estate sales, thrift shops, etc., and knock yourself out!
Perhaps a large decorative pot with or without flowers in it, in a corner. Doesn't have to be a breakable one. They have painted unbreakable ones.
Lots of great ideas by "in the meatime." - Just wanted to add...
[ In Reply To ..]I think 3M makes wall and/or picture hooks that stick and can be removed later without leaving marks. Try it in a closet first to make sure it doesn't affect the paint. A nice wreath on the wall (if necessary, hung by ribbon on existing items jutting out) can be switched out with the seasons or your mood. My friends uses furniture covering (slipcovers? blanking out here), and changes those with the seasons.
My house has eggshell-colored walls because I can't commit to a color scheme and it is just easier to color up with quilts, throw rugs, and houseplants supplemented with fake flowers sometimes.
Drab room - op
[ In Reply To ..]Thanks to you all for the fabulous ideas. You've given me a great start to fixing up the room so it looks less institutional. BTW, I agree it's ridiculous about not hanging pictures. Unfortunately, there was a lot of competition for the condo and I wouldn't have got it if I'd argued about this.
I'll bet once you're done decorating your place, it'll - look sensational; you wont miss wall-hung pictures
[ In Reply To ..]:)
Re: Wreaths - great idea! Here's what I do: sm - Meerkat
[ In Reply To ..]I currently have 3 wreaths: Flower, Christmas, and a heart for Valentine's day. (I need an autumn one, next!)
I hang one on the front door, depending on the season. One I hang in a mirrored corner of the living room. The third I put under a glass-topped table in the kitchen. (When I bought that table, it was displayed with a giant potted fern in the area under the glass. Ferns are too messy, so I put the fake-flower wreath in there, which you can see thru the glass.) Then I switch them around at various times of the year.
Fake flowers are great... not (usually) palatable or poisonous to cats, don't have to water them, etc.
You can also get plain wreath bases at craft shops, and build your own. Who knows... if you're really good at that, it could evolve into a little creative side-income, if other people want you to make wreaths for them!
=^..^=
There are several ways - cindy
[ In Reply To ..]First of all, you can buy an area rug that has color to it. Also, you can buy those 3M hooks and use those to hang maybe a colorful wreath or something of that nature on the wall. The 3M hooks do not need nails or anything and do not damage the walls. A colorful afghan draped over the back of a chair or sofa is also another way to add a pop of color. There are also vases, candleholders with colored candles and such out there that are not breakable that you could spread out on tables and countertops that your cat would not be able to break.
It is hard when you rent to put a personal touch on a place while following such restrictions, but get creative, shop at Ikea or browse through the mall one day, I am sure you can find something to make it feel like your own. Good luck and have fun. I love decorating.
Command Picture hooks/hangers - No damage - Bindi
[ In Reply To ..][url]http://www.command.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/NACommand/Command/Products/Catalog/?N=4294553414+5924736&rt=r3[/url]
You can get these at Target, OfficeMart, etc. They allow you to hang paintings, photos, etc., without damage, easily removable. What is also very cool about them is that because they are removable it's very helpful when trying to hang something straight or experimenting with a cluster of paintings.
A word about the landlady... How unreasonable! Unless she is very, very new at this, she should know that any money spent straightening up after a tenant leaves, i.e., patching holes in plaster, painting, cleaning carpet, etc., is deductible.
If link doesn't work (I'm notorious at not doing links right), just google Command picture hangers. At their site, they even have some videos to watch to show you how the product works.
I agree with the command. - I have a rental propery and, although
[ In Reply To ..]the money spent is deductible, I still have to spend it and the deduction never gets me back as much as I spent. I would rather not have to fix anything. That being said, I do not think that hanging pictures is anything more than normal wear and tear, but I have rented a home that had the papered wall board and there is no way to patch and paint over that, so I understood why that landlord preferred that we did not put holes in the wall. :)
Bright accents - Travelin mt
[ In Reply To ..]I have seen the wooden serving trays, like a flat box maybe 2-3" high painted bright accent colors. You can put fresh fruit in them in the kitchen. A vase of artificial flowers/greenery in the living room, cosmetics in the bathroom. Each one can be the accent color of that room.
Baskets in the bathroom with towels rolled up in them. Baskets for trash cans/magazine rack.
Bright funky lamps are inexpensive.
I always get my ideas from magazines or model homes, home improvement shows on TV. Lowes has an online DIY magazine. Just look around you, the possibilities are endless. Try going to thrift stores, you can find some great stuff there without cleaning out your wallet. If you have a Ross store near you, look there for inexpensive finds.
Have Fun!
Thrift stores are the BEST! I now no longer go - to regular retail stores anymore! ;)
[ In Reply To ..]Especially if you like unusual/colorful things. Often those are the first thing the more "normal" (haha) people give to the Goodwill after they receive them as gifts. One woman's trash is another woman's TREASURE!
It's amazing how many compliments I've gotton on certain clothing items I've found at Goodwill. One really pretty skirt I've worn on interviews. Have yet to get the job, but I always get compliments on the cute skirt! (LOL)
I've also gotten large maxiskirts made of expensive fabric, just for the fabric alone, and made other things out of the skirt. I made one maxiskirt into a flirty little miniskirt, and a matching bolero shrug.
Another fave is a sweater with faux fur trim on the front, some kind of a leftover 70's or 80's piece from someone's closet. Nearly brand-new, too! I've gotten so many compliments on it.
I'm kind of hard on cooking utensils... pots & pans and such... I tend to forget about them on the stove and burn them up. So rather than buy fancy new ones, I just replace them with stuff I find at the thrift stores.
There's only ONE drawback to all the creativeness that start flowing when discussing decorating, sewing, or visiting craft or thrift stores: Now I don't feel at all like working. I want to create!!!!!
Color for drab room - Cheri
[ In Reply To ..]I don't know if you watch Nate Berkus but he is a decorator and maybe on his website you can find something about this as I did see a show of his in the past where someone else was in the same position and he told them to past something on the wall--I can't remember what it was but it looked like some kind of wall paper-except when you have to take it down it just peels off and there is no damage to the wall whatsoever!
Hope this helps you and good luck!
Here's a website that can sometimes give - some amazing ideas! (sm)-Meerkat
[ In Reply To ..]It's called "Instructables". People send in their do-it-yourself ideas for everything from decorating to sewing to cooking, and beyond. I love the site so much, I could waste HOURS looking at all the ideas. Yeah, some are kinda dumb, but others are sheer genius! Two that I really liked under "decorating" were a wall clock made from a bicycle rim, and a "painted cement rug"... where someone with a plain concrete floor painted an absolutely darling blue "area-rug" right onto the concrete. What a great idea that would be for a live-work loft... where you want it homey, but still need to be able to hose off the floor! Here's the link:
Sounds like a great place for me to visit. - Just wanted to add.
[ In Reply To ..]I love crafty ideas/items! Haven't checked the site out yet, thanks to your warning ("I could spend HOURS looking at all the ideas"), but will first chance I get. Thanks for sharing.
Color - Sandy
[ In Reply To ..]I got a couple of light weight throw pillows and a blanket in oranges and greens. My furniture are browns and tans. Also artificial flowers in colorful plastic vases that kitty can't break. I have two of them. Hope this helps. Good luck.
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