What should I do to make my "aquarium stand" look nicer?
October 2, 2012 8:34 AM Subscribe
I'm in the process of setting up a planted aquarium and I'm trying to figure out what to do with the furniture it will be sitting on from an aesthetic standpoint.
I live in an apartment that I've done my best to decorate to my somewhat quirky taste given its rather outdated trimmings. [Pic--please forgive my bad photography. You're free to make fun of my stuffed owl pillow.]
On a lonely wall I have an old (Queen Anne?) desk that belonged to my parents that has nice lines but is currently finished in a deep cherry stain that I'm not fond of. [Pic--sorry for the flash, I live on a glacier in Central New York with shite lighting.]
On this desk will be the 6.6 gallon aquarium with black substrate, green plants, a rock or two, and tiny red fish (Bororas brigittae, if you're curious.) On the wall above the aquarium I will be hanging a Moby Dick postertext.com poster with a white matte and skinny black wooden frame.
The obvious solution would be to paint the desk black, but I've got a lot of black going on in that room and I'm looking for opinions on alternatives. I don't want to distract from the aquarium, which I'm envisioning as the focal point. My only other idea is to glaze the desk with a silvery finish over black, but I'm not convinced.
I live in an apartment that I've done my best to decorate to my somewhat quirky taste given its rather outdated trimmings. [Pic--please forgive my bad photography. You're free to make fun of my stuffed owl pillow.]
On a lonely wall I have an old (Queen Anne?) desk that belonged to my parents that has nice lines but is currently finished in a deep cherry stain that I'm not fond of. [Pic--sorry for the flash, I live on a glacier in Central New York with shite lighting.]
On this desk will be the 6.6 gallon aquarium with black substrate, green plants, a rock or two, and tiny red fish (Bororas brigittae, if you're curious.) On the wall above the aquarium I will be hanging a Moby Dick postertext.com poster with a white matte and skinny black wooden frame.
The obvious solution would be to paint the desk black, but I've got a lot of black going on in that room and I'm looking for opinions on alternatives. I don't want to distract from the aquarium, which I'm envisioning as the focal point. My only other idea is to glaze the desk with a silvery finish over black, but I'm not convinced.
Best answer: Could you do it in a soft grey colour instead of a hard black. You could even distress it a little.
Like say here.
Benjamin Moore does some beautiful greys, you can get warm or cool ones depending on what matches your decor/tank.
Another option would be to paint it a bright colour as your room looks very monochromatic say the same red as the fish. A nice shiny red with the black and the green of the plants would look great together.
Also I love your owl pillow.
posted by wwax at 8:49 AM on October 2, 2012
Like say here.
Benjamin Moore does some beautiful greys, you can get warm or cool ones depending on what matches your decor/tank.
Another option would be to paint it a bright colour as your room looks very monochromatic say the same red as the fish. A nice shiny red with the black and the green of the plants would look great together.
Also I love your owl pillow.
posted by wwax at 8:49 AM on October 2, 2012
Came in to suggest a bright color that coordinates with the fish, but I'm liking the tablecloth idea too. Much less work and you can change it out easily if you get bored.
posted by brilliantine at 9:42 AM on October 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by brilliantine at 9:42 AM on October 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I would go with a tablecloth if the legs were straight, but I think with the curved legs it might look a bit odd. I'll test it first, though. For storage I was going to look for an ottoman or trunk from HomeGoods to slide underneath.
I like the the idea of a warm French grey, though red is quite tempting. It's a very good idea to get a top cut, tablecloth or no--thanks for the suggestion.
Thanks, guys. :)
posted by xyzzy at 4:28 PM on October 2, 2012
I like the the idea of a warm French grey, though red is quite tempting. It's a very good idea to get a top cut, tablecloth or no--thanks for the suggestion.
Thanks, guys. :)
posted by xyzzy at 4:28 PM on October 2, 2012
Red or grey, is good, though I personally would be tempted to silver (aluminum)-leaf the table.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:40 PM on October 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by oneirodynia at 4:40 PM on October 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
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posted by Michele in California at 8:43 AM on October 2, 2012