Living room needs color, landlord says i cant paint.. help!?
Question:My entire apartment is a creme color. I hate it, but the landlord says i cant paint.
I am a colorful person, i want someone to walk into my living room and be happy and relaxed, not think to themselves "I wonder who stood in the middle of this room and smoked a million cigarettes"
Also, the walls are plaster, so i dont think hanging BIG paintings is even an option... and behind one wall is a brick wall
I'm at a loss, please help!
Answers:
Well, that's a tough one. I have a plaster house...the walls are so tough that it bends nails! But there is an option to hanging a picture, or big painting, it's called anchoring with a screw. It's almost the only way we can hang anything in our home.
Now about the paint, since you can't paint, I'd suggest a colorful screen that you could use as artwork...also you can take it with you when you leave, paint you can't. So it's a good investment. Try Pier 1, Macy's, a home store, Crate & Barrel, or a furniture store. You can also do a modern thing if you don't have kids or are clumsy. You can prop paintings against the wall for a modern feel...I've seen that on HGTV.
You can always hang an interesting, colorful fixture in the dining room to accentuate.or a colorful floral display. If you're really into it, you can hang fabric from the walls. It's not my 1st choice, but it could help.I've seen that too on HGTV.
I guess just open your mind to other options! good luck...
You could use fabric to add your color. You can get inexpensive curtain rods and put them close to the ceiling, and hang fabric to the length that you desire. It is a great effect and it helps add a bold statement. It's easy to remove and you can change the fabric out with the seasons or if you just want a different color. If you go to your local fabric store they always have bargain bolts of fabric that you can get real cheap. I did this in my bedroom on the wall where my bed is, and I love it. I had the same problem, I have egg shell colored walls but the landlord does not allow you to paint the walls. Even if you don't want to do this colorful fabric on pillows and your furniture will bring lots of color into a room.
on your window wall, do wall to wall, ceiling to floor drapes. you can add a big punch of color that way.
Fabrics! Dress up your couch with colorful throw pillows, add accent pieces to your shelves and tables, and use colorful curtains and area rug. You might want to consider hanging a picture rail (strip of decorative trim or wood attached to wall used to hang pictures from) like they did in Victorian times. Then you can go crazy with the funky art work. If you paint the picture rail the same color as the walls, your landlord should be okay with you leaving it there when you move.
Good luck!!
How about a light projector that throws color on the wall? You can get them to show solid color slides, or patterns, or alternate.
If you use the right anchors, you should be able to hang large frames. Or you could try tapestries.
Fabric might also be a solution. If you get some lightweight fabric you could hang it with thumb tacks. You could also use paper and hang it the same way.
Buy a lot of fabric you really love, and use liquid starch to apply it to the wall like wallpaper. Application is a bit messy, but you can pull the fabric right down when you move, and there's no damage to the wall at all. You could do one accent wall like this to really add personality to the room. There are many sites online with specifics about this project.
Another option is to build a large wooden frame from light wood, and stretch panels of fabric over the frame, attaching to the back of the frame with staples all around. Or use a full-sized piece of plywood, cover it with batting (use spray adhesive to attach the batting to the surface of the wood, and use staples to fasten it around the edges to the back of the wood. Then stretch fabric over the entire thing and staple around on the back. You can hang pictures to this with nails (I don't recommend screws--they tend to bind the batting as you screw them in) and hang the whole thing on the wall using heavy-duty screws, or just lean it against the wall. You can also frame this out with decorative molding for a more finished look. If you want it to really look upholstered, drill holes in the plywood before covering it, then use an upholstered button making kit (cheap at your fabric store) to make matching buttons and fasten the buttons through the holes in the wood using wire, which you stretch over each side of the hole and staple down.
Find a fabric store and wander around browsing through the idea books there...you'll see that you can do more with beautiful patterned fabrics and some creativity than with paint, and if you love it, you can take it on to your next place, leaving your landlord happy.
wall paper... get the house wall papered in a day... economical, washable and even removable when u vacate your house.. the landlord is satisfied plus u also can choose your colors.. great right.. !
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