It’s Thursday afternoon, lovelies! We’re almost there! Before I blow your minds
with some innovative decorating techniques, let’s all send good thoughts to
sweet little Murray as he is getting shots this afternoon. And to J,
who has no stomach for such things. In our daily
email correspondence that gets us through the endless hours of work
she remarked “I must focus on happy thoughts so as not to pass out at the vet’s
office. That would be awful, and I would probably end up covered in dog hair and
cat pee or something equally terrible.” J makes me laugh.
Alright, down
to business. Some of you have remarked that decorating blogs are great, but what
if you rent your space? As a former renter myself, I understand the
challenge. And, since I aim to please, here is my attempt to address the
issue.
A common decorater-residing-in-a-rental complaint is that
they can’t paint the walls. First of all, wall color is just a small part
of decor. AND, don’t knock a classic white wall. Here are some photos I dug out
of my inspiration folder that showcase very stylish (in my opinion) rooms with
neutral wall colors. I have no idea where I found these, I saved them before I
knew I would be a world famous blogger
There are many other ways to bring
color into a room:
Hang curtains over cheap rental blinds
Throw
pillows
Paint a piece of furniture an unexpected color (see the coffee table
and barstools in the second photo)
Hang photos on the walls in colored frames
(spray paint works well on wood frames). You can add an unexpected twist by
covering photo mats with fun scrapbook paper.
Table linens
Hang colored
plates on the walls in your dining space or kitchen
Another issue renters
encounter is that they do not want to sink a lot of money into beautifying
a space that they don’t plan on occupying for a long period of time.
Understandably so, and bonus points for good money management! However, I don’t
think stylish decor has to break the bank. In fact, I have spent very little on
any of our decor. This is the method to my madness:
Flea markets and
secondhand shops are great spots to find unique furnishings for your home. Make
it your own using slipcovers or paint.
Don’t buy items intended just for your
current space. Purchase things you love, and they will fit into your decor for
years to come. Trust me!
Stick to neutrals for items that are expensive
to replace (sofas, rugs, sets of dishes) and introduce
color using other pieces (see the suggestions above).
Don’t
want to pay a pretty penny for artwork? Me neither! My favorite ways to dress up
a wall (other than pictures of myself and my darling husband…we are very good
looking….part time model status for sure….) are to stretch pretty
fabric over a frame using a staple gun and to print favorite
movie/television/inspirational quotes on cardstock and frame them. Like
so:
Now, I am by no means a professional decorator, and these lists are not
exhaustive. Let us know – what are your favorite ways to introduce style and
color without changing wall color?
vir: http://homageblog.com/2009/09/10/apartment-decorating/comment-page-1/#comment-282
