Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with decorating

Please tell me about the coziest, softest, and most comfortable things in your home.

lalex — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:55:58 -0800

Please tell me about the coziest, softest, and most comfortable things in your home. After a recent luxury hotel stay, I'd like to make my apartment more comfortable...the kind of place with a sofa that's easy to curl up and nap on, an appealing reading nook, a bed that's ridiculously inviting after a long day.

To that end, please recommend your favorite comfortable home items. I'm looking for great throw pillows, blankets, bedding, really anything that makes you look forward to coming home.

Where can I find funky, fascinating wallpaper for my apartment?

chinese_fashion — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:58:00 -0800

Where can I find funky, fascinating wallpaper for my apartment? I just moved into a new apartment, and I'm really excited to deck it out. I'm looking for cool, fascinating wallpaper for one accent wall. I don't mind paying a bit for it - if I have to look at it every single day, I want to love it.

My tastes tend towards the baroque, ornate, somewhat psychedelic even. I've seen stuff here and here that I really liked. This and this also are in line with my tastes, though I don't want the place to bee too much of a kitschy horrorshow. Quirky for the sake of quirky wears thin pretty quick.

I'm discovering that this is much more of a process -- a lot of web images can't really replicate the look and feel of actual samples, so I'm looking for more to choose from.

Do any of you have any suggestions for places to look?

Thanks so much ...

What's American for 'undercoat'?

holgate — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:56:44 -0800

Can someone give me a primer on translating the British terms for wall / house paint into their American equivalents? I am no stranger to paint. At least, I wasn't until I moved from Britain to the US. Now I go into Lowe's Ace Depot and all the labels read "interior latex" and similar, which presumably makes sense to Americans, but doesn't help when I'm just looking for a tin of undercoat. Could someone with experience of doing paint jobs on both sides of the pond translate undercoat, gloss and emulsion into their American equivalents?

How do I decorate my mirror wall?

unsupervised — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:18:27 -0800

How would you decorate a living room with a mirror wall? We're in the process of replacing all the starter/hand-me-down furniture in our condo and we're at a loss as to how to decorate the mirror wall in our living room.

About the wall: It's roughly 20' long and comprised of four 7 1/2' tall and 5' wide mirror panels. It's the longest uninterrupted wall in the room spanning both the dining room for 7 1/2' and the living room for 12 1/2'. Other than an 1/8" gap between panels and a 3" runner on the floor, it's floor to ceiling uninterrupted mirror. They're in perfect condition.

We've grudgingly embraced them: we have friends in the complex with the exact same condo layout as ours and our unit looks immense when compared to theirs. The mirror wall is also directly across from the windows and we get the added benefit of light and a view on that side of the room. We've never had any idea how to decorate it, though.

What decorating/furnishing ideas could make the most of my mirror wall?

Rochester NY decorating services / help?

14580 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:27:47 -0800

We're remodeling our kitchen and adjacent family room and we need help finding someone in the Rochester NY that can help us pick out and coordinate the colors of our walls, counter-tops, rugs and floors. I've been looking at the web sites of interior designers and decorators and I find them very intimating. It looks like they work on $$$$ projects and we have a modest house and a modest budget. Do you have any recommendations or suggestions?

Help me modernize this old space

pilibeen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:56:06 -0800

How can I introduce some color in my very brown apartment - AND - can you recommend some cheap sources for cool/hip furnishings & paintings? I'm moving into a new place soon with hardwood floors in the living room & bed room, and wood paneling all around. It's very, very brown and drab.

I'm looking for ways to introduce some color into the space, and make it feel less like my grandparent's home and more like one of a 25 year old.

Since painting isn't an option - I'm assuming my only choices are furniture, paintings, lamps, plants, and other decorative items. Unfortunately I'm completely clueless and don't know where to begin looking for (reasonably) affordable furniture and paintings. The selection at the local thrift store and most yard sales seem to just match the current decor I'm trying to get away from.

Just browsing Apartment Therapy - I really like this guy's setup.

Not into the super modern - but I like the funky, hip, vintage stuff which I'm guessing is probably the only feel I could pull off anyway, given what I'm working with.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions....

Fondant Question

PrettyGeekAtx — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:01 -0800

I recently started working with fondant and have made 2 practice cakes now in preparation for making my son's groom's cake for his wedding at the end of this month. I pretty much have the whole rolling it out and draping it over the cake part down, but I can't get it to look smooth & glossy like it does in the pictures and videos I have studied. I am using powdered sugar underneath and on top when I'm rolling it out, because otherwise, it sticks to the rolling mat on the bottom and my rolling pin (one made by Wilton especially for rolling out fondant) on the top. By the time it's on the cake, it's all dusty with powdered sugar, and try as I may, using a soft pastry brush and/or a soft paper towel, I just can't get the dusty look to go away. Water and shortening are enemies of fondant, and while I can sort of get rid of the extra powdered sugar with them, they end up eating into the fondant itself. What the hell am I doing wrong?

I have checked old posts having to do with fondant, but none of them seem to address this specific issue.

Thanks, MeFi bakers!

Scrabble, home decorating edition.

cabingirl — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:40:01 -0800

What can I make with these decorative letters that I bought at a gift shop clearance sale? The gift shop in my building is closing tomorrow and they are having a clearance sale. I bought a pendant which is a framed letter on one side and a fleur de lys on the reverse. It's too heavy and large to really wear as a pendant, so I was thinking of getting more letters and making something decorative for my home. Something like hanging several of them to form a word, or whatever.

So what would you do with these? I'm not the "PEACE" or "HOME" or "LOVE" type, so what are some other words that might be interesting or slightly subversive to hang up? I only bought the one pendant, but they had tons of them, so I should be able to spell most words. If you do something totally different with them, what would that be? I don't have to suspend them, that was just the first thing that came to mind.

I can handle the output.

2or3whiskeysodas — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:35:24 -0800

Seeking free/cheap print-quality stuff online with which to decorate our new home! I have access to several high-end printers, including an oversize inkjet plotter. We need crap to hang on our walls. What, O Hive Mind, are your favorite online resources for free, cheap, legal, high-resolution drawings/photos/illustrations? Got any good Flickr pools? Illustration blogs? What?

Our tastes include, but are not limited to, the typical design-y, crafty, homemade stuff all the kids seem to be into these days. Honestly, anything's worth considering at this point as long as it's lovely. Thanks!

Help me make my small apartment cosy instead of cramped

giggleknickers — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:10:02 -0800

Why are some small spaces cosy while others make you feel claustrophobic? In some small spaces, I feel claustrophobic. In others, I feel lovely and comfy and cosy and safe, like I'm tucked away in my own special little private place. I just moved into a small apartment. It has a bedroom and a living room, a little less than 100 square feet. I haven't moved any furniture in yet, and it already feels very claustrophobic.

Can anyone give me a clue as to what makes certain small spaces feel so cosy instead of feeling like the walls are closing in on you? Why is it that in certain small spaces, I actually love that I'm in a tiny area? Ease of mobility must be part of it. I imagine you would feel cramped if you had to step over and climb over things, but there definitely must be more than that.

Some examples:

- Years and years ago, I used to go to a night club. There was a little alcove there that you could turn into, just big enough for the loveseat there. I loved to go there to talk to someone, because it felt so cosy!

- There are two restaurants in my city that are tiny. One feels cramped and the other feels lovely and cosy. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the cosy one has that the cramped one doesn't.

- When I was in college, I had a friend who had an apartment which I would guesstimate was about 30 square feet. There was literally zero floor space except for the little bathroom. The entire room was taken up by the bed and a long closet across the wall with sliding doors. You had to just crawl onto the bed as soon as you came in or else you would be standing outside the door. I absolutely loved that apartment. I felt so warm and safe as soon as I stepped in.

- Libraries that are arranged in such a way that you can sit in a little nook or cranny to read something while surrounded by books are absolutely wonderful.

How can I reproduce this feeling in my home?

Best office ever?

1f2frfbf — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:44:44 -0800

What office accessories can you not live without? I have finally become important enough to have my own office, now I need to accessorize it. I'm an all-purpose creative type (video, graphic design, etc) in a very conservative field (health care). My computer stuff, a chair and a desk will be provided, but I have a blank slate as far as anything else. I'm already planning on getting a giant white board, but what else will I need/want? I'm looking for anything from the useful to the fun.

Keep in mind: 1) I'll paying for it myself, and 2) I can't do anything too crazy.

(sort of previ ously)

Hack my table, please.

eunoia — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:41:39 -0800

I need advice on changing the color and leg length of an IKEA table. I've had this table from IKEA for almost two years. In my current apartment, I've used it in the eat-in kitchen, but the apartment that I'm moving to has an open layout. Because of the lack of space in the kitchen area, I'd like to turn it, most likely, into a sofa table or, much less likely, a crafts table. For either of those purposes, however, I don't like the [lack of] color or the overall height.

The sofa we will be purchasing is 34 5/8" high, and the table is 35 3/8" high so I'd like to take an inch from each of its four legs. Which would be less likely to leave me with a wobbly & uneven disaster, a saw or a sander? Maybe a combination of the two?

I also want to change its color to something else- perhaps a light-ish blue or green. The table is made of a solid birch wood & covered with a clear acrylic lacquer. Do I definitely need to sand it first or can I just spray paint (or regular paint or lacquer) over the acrylic lacquer? What about wallpaper or a sturdier paper on only the top? Bad idea?

Any help is appreciated!

Help me figure out a window covering/curtain/other for a small group of glass blocks!

bienbiensuper — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:27:29 -0800

We're moving into a new place in a few weeks, and we've got a nice glass block "window" in the bedroom. We love it, but the boyfriend needs darky darkness in order to sleep at night and there's a street light right outside the window. Help me figure out a window covering/curtain/shade/other! I don't have a full picture of the glass blocks, but here's a partial one of the bedroom: It's six blocks high by 2 blocks wide. We've since painted the room slate blue and I'm in the process of making some blackout curtains for the main window to replace the gnarly metal blinds (these curtains will be inside mounted on a track).

I'd like to do something that would allow us to see the glass blocks during the day. The wall around the blocks slopes down, but not enough to fit a tension rod. I'm very handy and can make most things, so if you have any ideas, throw 'em my way!

Oh - and our decor is somewhere between vintage modern and granny chic.

Help me find new art!

quodlibet — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:49:36 -0800

I really like art in the style of Hatch Show Print and Yee-Haw Industries. What other similar great artists am I missing out on? I'm starting to redecorate my bedroom in a kind of vintage/retro style of these two and am looking to add more fun pieces. I've done some searching on etsy, of course, but thought I would turn to the Hivemind also.

Things I already have: Hatch Show's Johnny Cash Show Print, a set of framed postcards (in this style) of all the cities I've lived in, a print by Charles Buchanan, and a photo of the Cahaba Lilies.

My bedroom is Ralph Lauren Claude and I have dark wood furniture.
What should I add?

Free high-res images for my walls?

zoomorphic — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:35:20 -0800

I have access to free printing on canvas paper, so I'd like to find some high-resolution (100 dpi minimum) images of neat illustrations and unusual images to frame. I'm not a cutting edge art aficionado, but I like everything from the poppy fairytale illustrations of artists like Yoko Furusho to botanical drawings, Japanese prints, creepy images from old books, antique maps, Arthur Rackham, etc. I prefer color illustrations over black-and-white because my walls are tall, white, and sterile. For starters, this site has been helpful, though most of the images aren't big enough. Of course, I still plan on supporting artists via etsy.com and various shows, but I have far more blank walls than dollars to decorate them.

Thanks in advance!

Help me bounce in style!

Glitter Ninja — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:39:36 -0800

Where can I find tasteful, simplistic chic seat covers that aren't too plain? The engine in my mustang died- it's a sad day. I just received a '94 camry LE, but no one gave me the chance to totally clean out my car, so a lot of things, including my (cheap but) very effective seat covers and a ceramic flower-embossed disk on a ribbon that you would load up with essential oils is now long gone. It's tied with a red ribbon and came in a gift set- if you remember those, by the way, can you tell me where you got it?

I've been searching the web all night, but the majority of seat covers I see are one-colour, unappealing fabrics, animal print, or camo. I'm still searching amazon without much luck. Is there somewhere I can find chic, elegant, not loud-ugly and not terribly expensive seat covers for my car? Velour-style fabric is fine, but I don't want any fabric that's actually textured, or pink zebra print, or decorated with Tinkerbell. Some things I like are organic and circular patterns with soft coordinated colours- the inside of my car is mostly dark grey and I'd like something to compliment, but not match. Does anyone have a good source for tasteful auto interior decoration? Your help is much appreciated!

It took me three years to decorate the mustang the way I wanted it- I'm hoping it won't take so long this time :)

Flowers in the Attic, without, you know, THAT.

desjardins — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:44:07 -0800

We're finishing an attic to use as a living space. Said attic is ~400 sq ft and has sash windows and skylights, and Mr. desjardins is going to put white beadboard paneling around the walls. The floor is old, dark wood in bad shape, but we do not have time/money to sand/refinish. What colors should we paint the paneling and floor? The walls angle in dramatically so I don't want to feel claustrophobic. Assume I am a complete idiot about paint and interior decorating.

Some ideas about the furniture: The bed is metal and modern (similar). The dressers and nightstands are this color cherry wood. We have this floor lamp. The couch is mission style like this with these color cushions. We have a rug that's roughly similar to this, though I'm fine with scrapping it. I think that's about all we're going to be able to fit up there.

As you've guessed, I like modern and contemporary stuff but don't want to go too far out on a limb.

I Can't Get No Satisfaction

Fairchild — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:39:59 -0800

How to you curb your desire for material goods? I'm pretty good at not succumbing to shopping for things I can't afford or don't need. Lately I have been wanting to buy, buy, buy! I want new things for my house. I want new furniture and artwork and other expensive things that are not in the cards right now. I'm not broke, it's just not in the budget.

My house is pretty nice and I don't need anything. I have a lot of new things that I bought last year. How can I stop wanting to purchase even more new things? I have a problem with never being satisfied. If I bought a beautiful print or piece of furniture, next week I would want something else. If I redid my kitchen I would hate my bathroom, etc.

Can you point me to blog entries, articles, and advice that inspire simplicity? Intellectually I know things can't make me happy but I still want and have anxiety that things aren't as nice as they should be. Bonus for tips and advice to change or improve rooms with very little cash. Thanks.

Help me hang my posters please

serazin — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:37:02 -0800

I have a large and beloved collection of People's History posters. Last year I had them mounted on thin foamcore (thinness illustrated here), thinking that would lengthen their lives, but I cannot keep them on my walls. So far I've tried two systems: 1) I put small nails above and below the posters, holding them in place between the nails. When the weather changed, almost all the posters shrunk or warped a bit, and dramatically fell from the walls. Next, I tried 2) these circles that spike into the foam (like these), and they still inexplicably just fall off the wall, leaving the spikes attached to the wall.

So, what's the best, affordable way to attach these fairly lightweight posters, without excessively scarring my rented walls?

Thanks!

How can I improve these wall sconces?

6and12 — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:44:29 -0800

How can I cover or otherwise improve the ugly wall sconces in my apartment? My apartment has three of these very unattractive wall sconces--two in the living room and one in the bedroom. As you can see by the photo, they look like something you might twist to activate the secret door in the bookcase (no such luck). The on-off knob is the lower one. I've looked online and in hardware stores for shades for them, but I've never really found anything to my liking. Some shades with the wire mounts that go on top of the bulb itself look like they came out of a colonial bed and breakfast (no offense to colonial B&Bs, it's just not what I want at home). Others have a sleek 90's modern look that I also don't really care for.

I also found plans on Instructables for a shoji-style lamp that I could probably modify to cover the sconces, but I'm not wild about that either.

Currently I just avoid using two of the three sconces, and I use the other one occasionally with just the bare bulb (a GE Reveal, which is a little nicer, but still kind of harsh without a shade).

Can anyone suggest online sources that might offer a good selection of sconce shades, other DIY options, or other bulbs that would be tolerable without a shade?

Non-traditional quilts?

JoanArkham — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:12:38 -0800

Help me find a non-traditional quilt! (All my overly-fussy requirements inside...) I'm looking for a queen-sized light quilt or coverlet for summer. I like bold patterns and off-beat designs. Something like this but heavier than a "tapestry". Now for the fussy stuff:

- Must be machine washable. (So most homemade or craft quilts are out.)
- Nothing "Americana" or "country" or overly floral.
- No duvet covers.
- Any colors are fine, but should go with purples/blues/greens.
- Around $100.

Any ideas are appreciated!

Art Deco for the home/home office

jbickers — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:47:22 -0800

My Bioshock obsession has turned into an Art Deco obsession. What are some inexpensive ways to turn portions of my home - specifically, home office and bedroom - into Rapture rooms? Looking for ideas for which items to collect, as well as any specific online merchants to acquire them from. Bonus points for photos of great interior spaces made over into Art Deco wonderlands.

Home decorating suggestions for a belly dancer?

velvet winter — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:48:49 -0800

Creative inspiration for bohemian home décor in a tiny, rented studio apartment? It's time to decorate, and I could use some inspiration! My apartment also serves as a meditation/altar area and practice space for my main hobby and obsession: tribal style belly dance. So I’m facing several decorating challenges:

1) Need to keep the central area completely open so I have enough room for dance practice
2) Can’t paint the white walls
3) Can’t hang anything from the ceiling, because of the radiant heating pipes
4) Can’t hang curtains over my L-shaped corner windows (with standard-issue white miniblinds)
5) No balcony, and precious little storage space
6) Beige wall-to-wall Berber carpet
7) Limited budget – lots of DIY projects and thrift store purchases, though I’m not averse to spending good money for quality

Within these considerable constraints, I'm doing my best to deck the place out in style with a funky belly dance theme, but I seem to have reached a creative block and don't know what to do next.

The look and feel I’m aiming for is nothing short of a sumptuous feast of texture and color – a place that inspires me to dance! Think crushed velvet drapes in rich jewel tones, lots of plush overstuffed pillows, saris from India, Turkish lanterns, Moroccan tea sets, fringed tassels, canopy beds, paisley prints, Persian rugs, beaded lampshades, gothic arches, mosaic tiles, candleholders, and so on. Think cavelike and cozy, with lots of inviting nooks and crannies. (The collections section of this site contains some good examples). I want my home, humble and eclectic though it may be, to be a sanctuary where I can set aside the demands of the mundane world.

To that end, I’m seeking recommendations for blogs, photos, books, and periodicals I could use for decorating inspiration. Even better if they feature meditation areas, altars, tea rooms, or other spiritual themes, or if they offer fresh ideas for dealing with the many restrictions that come along with being a renter.

I’ve checked Apartment Therapy, Design*Sponge, and the LiveJournal Saucydwellings community, and while they’re helpful in a general sense, a lot of the styles are more modern or minimalist; there don’t seem to be too many examples of the kind of style I’m after. Any suggestions? Can I really pull this off while I'm renting a tiny studio, or am I just kidding myself? I love my place, and don't want to move!

Thanks, MeFites!

Home Lighting Basics

bouchacha — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:42:30 -0800

I'm looking for a detailed and thorough guide on home lighting principles and ideas. Where is this source? Right now all I have is the default lighting my apartment came with (this means bright overhead lighting in every room, yuck). I'm looking to spruce things up and making the lighting environment more comfortable and more relaxed and I'd like the basics in accomplishing that.

When should I consider track lighting? What kind of bulbs should I be looking for given the plethora of brands and types? What mounting structures should I consider? What about control mechanisms? etc etc etc

You can't be too detailed when it comes to this and I'm surprised that this topic isn't discussed more given how much of a difference lighting makes. Lay it on me!

What goes with ugly green?

SweetTeaAndABiscuit — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:48:11 -0800

Home Decorating: Point me in the right direction for an on-line tool that will help me choose a new color scheme for my apartment. I've found several that show you paint colors, but none with a certain feature I hope to find. I'm hoping to find a site that will let you plug in a couple of given colors (for example, my ugly green couch that has to stay) and then will show you a selection of color palettes built around those one or two particular colors. I'd love to find some fresh colors that will let me look at my old green sofa in a new way. Is such a thing available?