Finally. After several desperate days without, I am now free to procrastinate all the live long day online.
Actually, it's probably a good thing that we had no internet at the new place because it allowed me time to, you know, UNPACK, and that kind of crap.
So, I'm sure you're wondering how the move is going, or maybe you're not because who really cares about other people's moves? But I am not deterred by your lack of interest and I will happily tell you this that you already know, but forget when you decide to shift house.
Moving blows.
It is a lot of carrying things, and shlepping. There is a lot of frowning as you wonder where to hang that picture. No, not there. Not there either. Nope. Oh forget it. Your apartment is never going to look like those Apartment Therapy pads no matter how you try.
And of course there is a lot of buying.
Yesterday, I impulsively bought a super ugly blonde wood bookcase and file cabinet off of Craigslist. To be fair, they're not actually that ugly. They're perfectly respectable Ikea-esque specimens. And they're the exact right size for what I needed in the office. But the wood definitely doesn't match the rest of our furniture, not to mention the floors. So now, I've been racking my brain trying to come up with ways to make the furniture less attractive.
So far, I've thought about painting, wallpapering, or decoupaging.
Either way, it seems like an awful lot of work.
Did I mention that I am really not crafty?
So internets, if you had boring blond Ikea furniture that you wanted to jazz up what would you do? What would you do if you were extremely lazy as I am? And what would you do if you didn't want to spend too much money?
10 comments:
I second that moving blows! hard.
Can you cover the ugly furniture with a nice piece of fabric? That would be easy enough. Probably not so suitable for bookshelves though.
um, what if the "ugly" furniture could stand against same-colored wall? So that it "disappeares" a bit?
that´s probably a crazy idea.
Don´t get too much furniture. Less is prettier.
bytheway, i´m glad you are writing again. Always fun to read!
(Kai)
Sandpaper and shoe polish has been known to work in an emergency or sponge finish paint where you just use a pair of gloves and a sponge all over said item.
My sister did a nice thing with masking tape - got a sort of tartan look with three tester pots and some masking tape. Paint main colour all over, apply one layer of tape over large areas to make a stripe and then cross hatch with tape and the third colour when that dries. Hers is spiffy :)
Glue on old paper/music/whatever.
Mostly I just live with it until something better comes along. Might I add that nothing matches in my house but it all has its own story and is indisputably mine.
viv in nz
if it just didnm't match the other wood, I would stain it after (very lightly, i hate sanding) sanding. Let dry, wipe with a soft cloth to get any leftovers, one-day project.
But probably I would just ignore it and cover them with books.
If I were really lazy and I wanted to do something with the wood I would tell my 11 year old to get our her paints and let her just do whatever. I know you don't have a daughter, but if you have a crafty friend that could be an option.
The other lazy option would be to paint both peices one soild color.
I second knutty knitter and say just live with it. Nothing in my apartment matches etheir and once you put books on the shelves it really doesn't much matter...
also, I know it's a pain in the butt but moving is so exciting! So much newness!
Last time we moved, I was really tired of moving and did not appreciate it. Now it's been 8 years and I envy you.
I had a blonde oak desk once and I stained it something quite dark. I used way too much stain, had no idea what I was doing, and absolutely LOVED the result.
Choose the brightest / deepest / strongest / wildest paint colour you absolutely LOVE, and paint the walls with it.
Really be risky. For instance, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this colour
and this one here too.
Paint is the cheapest and quickest way to make a room look stunning. Then get some white lace or net curtains (very cheap) and put them in the windows with big satin or velvet bows. It will look awesome, and you can probably do each room for less than $200.
No-one will look at your cheap and nasty furniture. But if you can, get some throw pillows or rugs in bright colours to match or contrast with the walls. Black and white always work well with strong colours.
Also, paint is very cheap and easy to switch, if you get sick of colours. And you can do it yourself.
This is what I'm doing at our home, after I got scared off by $160 a metre curtain material - and three windows in our bedroom to do! *ouch*
Trust me. It will look incredible. It really will. Just go with a colour you adore. And screw moderation!
Good luck. Don't forget to post photos, no matter what you decide!
Oh, and here's an example of cruddy furniture not being noticeable because of a strong paint colour - here
Can you tell I love green? I'm in the process of convincing my husband that our huge bedroom with arched 20 foot ceilings would look *awesome* in Resene Paints - Limeade.
I'll be blogging the colour battle, whatever the outcome. I *love* decorating, as long as it doesn't involve "crafty" horrors!
Wallpaper?
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