Stanley Unwin would call it "Improvvers the Domicilibode."
The friend I visit teach said something Tuesday night that made me say DUH in a big way: "If it's ugly and you can't do anything about it, then work on top of it so it looks like you did the ugly stuff on purpose."
Why didn't I think of that years ago?!
I've griped to everyone at one point or another about my kitchen. I live in a one-bedroom flat in SoCA, and I've been there for almost thirteen years. The kitchen is spacious and has lots of cabinet and drawer space, but the color combination is not one I would have chosen. The cabinets are ancient (the silverware drawer is falling apart) and varnished a dark-but-bright orangey-brown color. The counter tile, on the other hand, is a bright baby pink. It's like putting a bright pink sweater on a Weasley; you just cringe. The landlord, lovely man that he is, did a ton of plumbing, carpeting, and painting improvements to the flat a year ago, so I don't want to antagonize him by asking for new cabinets in the kitchen just yet. (Maybe when the silverware drawer finally does go the way of the Hindenburg.) For thirteen years (sans two and a half months), I've been kvetching about my rusty-orange and pink kitchen. Fortunately, the ceramic floor tile and the walls are all white, so the cabinets and counter tile are all I have to kvetch about.
But my friend has opened my eyes! Now I'm thinking of things I can do to transform my ugly kitchen into a harmonious kitchen. My first thought was to paint a tree with pink blossoms on the wall. I've had some experience with painting, so I think I could manage it. Friends suggested posters to bring some energy into the kitchen; I think the old-looking French posters by Toulouse-Lautrec and Theophile Steinlen's Le Chat Noir would work. They're all kind of parchment-colored and old-looking, so they'd go with the cabinets, and one of the posters I like even has a few flashes of pinks. I'll have to see how they look. (I can get them really cheap at Amazon, so if they don't work out, I'm only out a few bucks for each one.)
And then I looked at my shower curtain. I fell in love with it a couple years ago and bought it, matching towels, a matching liquid soap dispenser, and a matching trash can all in one go. It's a color block design from Martha Stewart's line at KMart, and the colors are too deep to be pastels, but they aren't really bright, either. If I cut the shower curtain in half and sew a dozen buttonholes with some interfacing to reinforce them, that shower curtain that has pink and beige in it would bring the colors together. But it wouldn't really go with the posters, so it'd be back to the drawing board when it comes to the main kitchen wall.
I visited a buddy who I've known since preschool back in 2003, and I was amazed at the way she decorated her condo. Wow! The living room was half red and half white with a wallpaper border along the horizontal dividing line and gold fleur de lis against the white. Very Ren Faire, and it was gorgeous. The back bathroom was bright blue with white bubbles painted onto the walls and rubber duckies scattered around the room. Every room was a revelation, though those two were my favorites. She was not afraid to use color, and I went gaga over everything. So she's a source of inspiration as I start to make a few plans for the flat. It'll take years to follow through with all of it, but I'm looking forward to all of it.
BTW, who's Stanley Unwin?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=323kQis2zbM
It's English, but it just isn't.
Why didn't I think of that years ago?!
I've griped to everyone at one point or another about my kitchen. I live in a one-bedroom flat in SoCA, and I've been there for almost thirteen years. The kitchen is spacious and has lots of cabinet and drawer space, but the color combination is not one I would have chosen. The cabinets are ancient (the silverware drawer is falling apart) and varnished a dark-but-bright orangey-brown color. The counter tile, on the other hand, is a bright baby pink. It's like putting a bright pink sweater on a Weasley; you just cringe. The landlord, lovely man that he is, did a ton of plumbing, carpeting, and painting improvements to the flat a year ago, so I don't want to antagonize him by asking for new cabinets in the kitchen just yet. (Maybe when the silverware drawer finally does go the way of the Hindenburg.) For thirteen years (sans two and a half months), I've been kvetching about my rusty-orange and pink kitchen. Fortunately, the ceramic floor tile and the walls are all white, so the cabinets and counter tile are all I have to kvetch about.
But my friend has opened my eyes! Now I'm thinking of things I can do to transform my ugly kitchen into a harmonious kitchen. My first thought was to paint a tree with pink blossoms on the wall. I've had some experience with painting, so I think I could manage it. Friends suggested posters to bring some energy into the kitchen; I think the old-looking French posters by Toulouse-Lautrec and Theophile Steinlen's Le Chat Noir would work. They're all kind of parchment-colored and old-looking, so they'd go with the cabinets, and one of the posters I like even has a few flashes of pinks. I'll have to see how they look. (I can get them really cheap at Amazon, so if they don't work out, I'm only out a few bucks for each one.)
And then I looked at my shower curtain. I fell in love with it a couple years ago and bought it, matching towels, a matching liquid soap dispenser, and a matching trash can all in one go. It's a color block design from Martha Stewart's line at KMart, and the colors are too deep to be pastels, but they aren't really bright, either. If I cut the shower curtain in half and sew a dozen buttonholes with some interfacing to reinforce them, that shower curtain that has pink and beige in it would bring the colors together. But it wouldn't really go with the posters, so it'd be back to the drawing board when it comes to the main kitchen wall.
I visited a buddy who I've known since preschool back in 2003, and I was amazed at the way she decorated her condo. Wow! The living room was half red and half white with a wallpaper border along the horizontal dividing line and gold fleur de lis against the white. Very Ren Faire, and it was gorgeous. The back bathroom was bright blue with white bubbles painted onto the walls and rubber duckies scattered around the room. Every room was a revelation, though those two were my favorites. She was not afraid to use color, and I went gaga over everything. So she's a source of inspiration as I start to make a few plans for the flat. It'll take years to follow through with all of it, but I'm looking forward to all of it.
BTW, who's Stanley Unwin?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=323kQis2zbM
It's English, but it just isn't.
Sounds like a good plan for redecorating. They also make great decals that you can put on the walls.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we hated our bathroom wallpaper and we made a collector's wall of clippings, comics, etc that interested us.
I got a book from the library that had some gorgeous ideas, so I'm going to see if I can manage to upgrade at least one room in the next few months.
ReplyDelete