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decorating hints wanted!
So, I might be moving into my new digs at EDS as soon as August 1.
I'm excited about it -- almost entirely. I'm also a little sad. Among other things, I'm leaving the first house I've ever owned, and the first place I've ever really nested. We decided to buy this place when every pore of every wall and ceiling smelled like the residue from cooking meth (coincidence? nope.) and the rooms were piled with lovely sights like stacks of well-worn pornographic magazines, Confederate flags, rotting food, and plastic cups filled with mold floating atop leftover beer. We redid the place from top to bottom and made it our own, and it's home.
But I'll be in a new home, and I want to make it as homey as possible.
Alas, painting the new place is strictly verboten, and as far as I can tell, the Buildings & grounds authorities believe in decorating solely in a color I often call "institutional dinge."
I want color. And sure, we'll have art and whatnot -- but I'd really like color on the walls if possible.
Does anyone out there have any innovative decorating tips for such a circumstance?
I wondered even whether it might be worth trying something like dyeing sheets of fabric and stretching them across a wall or two for an accent color. On the other hand, I have never seen such a thing tried, and have little idea how it would actually work.
Any ideas out there? Please don't let me lapse into Beige Living.
July 2, 2006 in Life and Whatnot | Permalink
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Use starch to attach colorful fabric to the walls, and if you decide later you don't like the fabric, you can take the whole thing down and try again with different swaths. Here's how (Google cache... e-mail me if the link doesn't work).
Posted by: Pisco Sours | Jul 3, 2006 1:32:53 AM
When I went back to college at the ripe old age of 40 I lived in a dorm. My secret was poster, lots of hanging fabric, and white Christmas lights. My room looked like the inside of a Bedouin tent.
Posted by: Karen | Jul 3, 2006 1:38:35 AM
Dylan, you couldn't be beige if you tried :-) Hugs and prayers as you prepare to move into the next phase of the adventure x
Posted by: Kathryn | Jul 3, 2006 3:39:41 AM
I've been thinking about this for our kids rooms (since the parsonage life often puts us in a similar situation). Back when I was doing TV work, we would purchase 4' by 8' sheets of foam core board (sometimes known as GatorFoam) and glue fabric to the boards. You coule then attach these with velcro to the existing walls.
One other thought would be to cut the foam board in a variety of geometric shapes and place on the walls.
Posted by: Jay | Jul 3, 2006 5:44:57 AM
See how much the security deposit is, and figure out how much trouble you'd get in for painting... would you get evicted or just charged for the repainting? Break some rules, already! :-)
But, then... fabric swatches are your friend. So that you don't end up looking like you're a college student again, stick with accent walls instead of doing all the walls. Beautiful, handmade quilts make gorgeous wall hangings. If you have a large , beautiful scarf or fabric swatch, try attaching it with tiny brads (little nails that look like killer thumbtacks- sometimes you see them on old couches) at the ceiling. Keep it tight to the wall (draping will make the room feel smaller), and use it as an accent to furniture. You'll be fine.
Posted by: Betsy | Jul 3, 2006 12:19:55 PM
HGTV has a couple of programs on decorating where you can't change the walls - of course once you start watching you will be addicted to it. LOL
Posted by: Ann | Jul 3, 2006 3:58:12 PM
My partner and I may be the primary cuprit of why EDS only allows beige. My partner is an interior decorator. We lived in the one the houses on St. John's Road while I was there, and we went.... well, wild. It was the era of faux finishes-- we made money by hiring ourselves out to do paint finishes for the high end homes of Cambridge-- and we left almost no vertical surface in our school provided housing untouched. When we moved, the B&G folks hit the roof. They couldn't charge us for it because there was no policy about it. Now there is, in so small part due to us. Sorry.
Maybe we should offer free services to you and K for the pain our actions have caused. Oops that's another storyline.
Posted by: rh | Jul 3, 2006 11:07:49 PM
RH,
I love you anyway. +Gene's sermon at GC taught me to do that much. ;) OK, I'd love you even if he hadn't said that, 'cause you're just so dern loveable. But I agree that it would be good for your family's spiritual health to visit us at EDS and stretch some to-die-for fabric installations on accent walls. I'll cook for you both, I promise.
And to 'Pisco, Karen, Kathryn, Ann, Jay, and those who have silently been sending positive aesthetic vibes,
Many thanks for the decorating hints! I'm getting seriously sentimental just about every time I walk into a room of our house, but it's consoling and exciting to think about possibilities -- aesthetic and otherwise -- that will make our new housing a home.
This is the kind of thing for which I started Grace Notes -- it's good to be part of a virtual community of people who listen to my stories and share theirs.
We're visiting EDS this week -- Karen's (my honey's) first campus viewing, and my only other viewing since the arrive-late-crash-overnight-interview-and-jam trip this spring. We're staying in the very apartment in which I'll be living, which is a very good thing, and moving day might be as early as August 1. It will be an extravaganza of room measurement, with the added bonus that we can drop off some of the more fragile accoutrements of our life together and a couple of what will be necessities for August (e.g., powerful fans to use while we try to find someone handy enough and with a strong enough back to install A/C units in the windows). It'll also be a chance to see the neighborhood a little -- as much as one can see in one day, anyway -- and I think that will be a big step in imagining My New Life for the next year.
Posted by: Sarah Dylan Breuer | Jul 4, 2006 9:20:38 AM
OK, here's the thing? Beige can actually be very, very cool. Get some El Salvadoran art, Haitian tin work, and candles and plants around and it can be down right homey. Beige is cool because pretty much any bold color goes with it and the thing that is that bold color really pops. My two cents. . .
Posted by: Popeye | Jul 4, 2006 12:04:26 PM
When I was about to move onto the fourth floor of an EDS dorm the question of pets came up. You bet there's a policy. "One pet is the norm," said the housing person.
We had a fine two years there, me and my dog Norm, and cat Norm, and the other cat. Norm.
Hope it's a great time for you, too.
Posted by: Martha | Jul 5, 2006 10:48:29 AM
Not knowing your exact style, I see a few possibilities.
If you are into shabby chic, you could make the current walls fit in.
Another idea is to use large real split bamboo shades and hang on the walls or, the thin woven grass mats or "rugs" to hang on the walls for a textured backdrop for art and pictures.
As already mentioned, hanging fabric, ie., nubby silk or linen, would give a more finished look.
I am also inclined to go with the suggestion of breaking a rule or two. After all YOU have to live there not the people who made up the rules to torment and make crazy those who do.
Hoping some of this stuff we suggest helps.
Catherine+
Posted by: The Rev. Catherine Windsor+ | Jul 5, 2006 3:51:55 PM
What are the rules about skylights? Light tubes? Having a new one of the former in our living room and a new one of the latter in our hall bathroom, I can attest to their effectiveness. Even on the dullest day they each offer a glow that ranges from peaceful to overstimulating. My point is, why are you looking at the walls, anyway? When the inspectors see the skylight and/or the brazier and/or the fountain in the middle of the room as the focal point(s), how can they wail at the walls?
Louise
Posted by: Louise | Jul 5, 2006 11:46:12 PM
Heh. I call that drabby beige color "old cigarette." Ick. My sympathies!!!!
Posted by: kate setzer kamphausen | Jul 10, 2006 4:47:25 PM
Here's an idea: In cambridge you'll be in close proximity to sailing. You can find used (maybe free) sails that can be quite colorful. I've seen sails suspended from ceilings in loft spaces to cover up florescent lighting.
PS: Came across your blog the other day--linked from another anglican site--and have really enjoyed it. I hope your time at EDS will be aid in your discernment process.
/Mark
Posted by: mark | Jul 11, 2006 11:28:21 AM
