Help me decorate my apartment, please

October 10, 2004 9:46 PM

Help me decorate my apartment, please.

I live in NYC so I have access to many places that will sell me stuff to decorate with, but I have no idea how to do it. I don't want anything like you'd see on TV like Trading Spaces or Queer Eye. I can't paint the walls, I'm just renting. What are some things I can do that can make my walls less barren; that can give my apartment a little verve. All suggestions are much appreciated.

posted by adrober to Home & Garden (8 answers total)

There's a blog called apartment therapy run by a guy that specializes in helping folks in NYC decorate their apartments without them seeming stuffed with junk.

Probably a good place to start. I'd also suggest maybe looking at some magazines for ideas. I personally love the magazine Dwell, mostly to see what the interiors look like.
posted by mathowie at 9:50 PM on October 10, 2004

It's been mentioned here a million times, but there's always the rasterbator for filling your walls.
posted by fvw at 10:21 PM on October 10, 2004

Cool, thanks...those are good starts. I'm now seriously considering the purchase of a fake tree. Stay tuned.
posted by adrober at 7:20 AM on October 11, 2004

You may be able to paint your walls as long as you paint them back when you leave.
posted by kenko at 8:53 AM on October 11, 2004

Would painted walls make you happy? Worst case, you lose a piece of your security deposit (though if you do a good job and choose a non-hideous color, they may not even notice/care). Maybe it's worth it.
posted by sad_otter at 9:09 AM on October 11, 2004

Fake trees are the bomb. They really do make a huge improvement.
posted by kindall at 9:41 AM on October 11, 2004

Oh, and blik.
posted by sad_otter at 11:07 AM on October 11, 2004

You can probably paint, unless it's specifically forbidden in your lease agreement. It's probably the cheapest and easiest thing you can do for a start that will make a big improvement. Generally, you'll have to plan on painting walls back to the original colour when you move - though talk to your landlord - many apartments paint as part of the standard prep when someone moves out, so he may not even care. About the only thing you have to really remember is if you use a dark colour (e.g. paint mouldings or baseboards black), make sure to prime them with a coat of Kilz when you move, so the original, lighter colour can be repainted easily.
"Real" art can be expensive, though photography and "amateur" artists sell works online - sites like deviantart and photographers like Heather.
I've also found that sometimes things work well on walls even if they are not traditional "art." Check out flea markets and ethnic stores for stuff like small hand-woven rugs, small architectural plaques and fragments from China, metalwork from Latin America, or things like a small grouping of brass candle holders from India on a small shelf.
A small framed grouping of old postcards is another very affordable and cool to add some visual interest.
posted by sixdifferentways at 12:24 AM on October 13, 2004