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Decorate around what you hate: boring walls

November 20, 10:58 PMLA Budget Decorating ExaminerTara Etienne
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Many renters can appreciate the unique predicament of being surrounded by boring white walls.  You’d like to fix your rental up, but at the same time it is a rental and you might not be allowed or willing to make any major alterations to the space.

But if you plan on staying put for a while you’ll want to make your place your own.  For a person who loves color or who desires to put his or her personal stamp on things, try short-term solutions to do away with white walls.  

  


Group artwork together to add energy to white walls

Art:  One of the easiest solutions to bare walls is artwork.  Unify your photos and artwork with frames of a single color.   To capture the feel of a gallery group black and whites together and create a separate vignette with color photographs.   Add professional polish to your photographs with mattes.  You can create your own with heavy paper stock and a craft knife.  Take it a step further by tying your artwork together through theme: urban landscapes, nature, people or famous landmarks.  The possibilities are endless. 

 

Shelves create architectual interest

Architecture:  A floating wall shelf is a renter’s best friend because it adds architectural interest to rooms that are commonly void of any real character.  A floating shelf also frees up the floor space typically taken up by display tables and floor shelves.  The trick to this look is to keep your accessories simple and mix up their heights.  If you’re not sure what to display or how to display it, use a theme or color: antique cameras, glass vases, vintage perfume bottles or anything blue.  It’s all about what you like.

 

Anchor your room with a floor screen

Floor screens are also another way to inject personality into a lackluster space.  They have a dynamic effect on a room because they instantly change its physically lines.

 
 

Paper:  Wallpaper is usually off limits to most renters.  And because of the time and expense, traditional wallpaper isn’t a good option for a place you don’t own.  But you can still get the cool look and pattern of wallpaper by creating your own.  Just take your favorite paper sample or photograph down to a copy store and have them blow it up onto larger sheets.   A staple gun is an easy and quick way to mount the paper to the wall but you can always experiment to find your own method.   Keep in mind that a paper pattern with dark colors will best disguise the staples.

Fabric: Curtains can be used for more than just windows.   A wall of curtains makes an interesting backdrop for your sofa or bed.    By choosing the soft lines of fabric in favor of hard white walls, you will instantly make your space more inviting.  You can hang your curtains using inexpensive wire cables from IKEA or a home improvement warehouse.   Lightweight sheets or fabric will also work—it’s all about finding a print you like.  Just use iron on fabric tape to create a pocket to slip the rod through and to hem the fabric.  Check out the fabric shops in Downtown LA’s fashion district for variety and affordability.  
 
Another way to play with fabric is to adhere it directly to the wall using liquid starch.  The best thing about this option is that the fabric is completely removable so you can easily recreate this look if you should move.  If the fabric you like is on the pricey side or you just want to simplify things or spend less on supplies, consider doing just an accent wall.  Click here for step-by-step instructions and a demonstration video for this project.
 
And remember: measure twice, cut once.   Now get to work tackling those walls. 
 


Photos by Tara Etienne

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