I can't paint but I'm sick of the white walls. What can I do?
Question:I live in an beautiful old heritage building and I cannot paint because it's a heritage building. Any renovations including painting needs to be approved by the heritage commitee in the city and I already inquired and I can't because I'm renting. I just think white walls are boring even with pictures covering the walls. I was thinking of getting a giant piece of materiel and covering the main wall in the living room from top to bottom. How do you think that will look or can you suggest anything else that won't be permanent?
Answers:
I've decorated with lengths of fabric a couple of times and it's worked well. There are a couple of looks you could consider.
If you like a tapestry look, check out stores that sell upholstery or drapery fabric. You can get some nice looking brocade or embroidered fabric (stuff that does not look like Aunt Mitzi's old sofa), or you might find some designer fabric. The fabric store will sometimes give you a deal on end pieces (called remnants) that are 2-3 yards - which would create a floor to ceiling panel about 60" wide. Some people use sheets, which are cheap and cover a big area, but I think that ends up looking like, well, a wall full of sheets.
I've made simple hangings by sewing two casings on a nice length of woven upholstery fabric, one casing along the top and the other at the bottom. (To make a casing, fold about 2" of fabric to the wrong side, make sure you've folded the fabric evenly and tucked under the raw edges, then stitch with a sewing macinge.) Run a nice curtain rod through the top, and get a heavy wooden dowel (from a hardware store) to put in the bottom. You just need a few hooks near the ceiling to hold the curtain rod in place and the dowel keeps the fabric from blowing around.
You can also hold the fabric in place by getting strips of soft wood and nailing those horizontally to the wall close to the floor and ceiling to make a frame. (If you are covering a big space, you might need some vertical strips as well.) Then nail the fabric to the strips of wood. If the fabric isn't going to be too heavy, you just need a few small nails. But check with your landlord in case the idea makes him/her nervous. (When I did this in a previous apartment, the walls were seriously crummy and the landlord didn't care.)
I've heard of people using fabric to cover their walls.
You could try that. It might get a little expensive if you were planning on covering an entire wall with fabric. i can see hanging strips of it though. What about playing with colored lights? Plants are a good way to bring color and life into a room. I hate white walls too...I cover my walls with interesting and bright paintings. You can find some really cool art at garage sales or goodwill stores for cheap! I also hang things from the ceiling.I have crystal balls and orbs..multi coloured teardrop glass ornaments, and lanterns!
I just recently saw on a home design show where the designer used curtains and curtin rods on the wall. It looked like a nice piece of art because the curtains were so beautiful. Then he put framed photographs in between the two curtains. So it took up a whole wall, but didn't cover it completely.
More Related Questions & Answers...