Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with interior

What is this awesome wall treatment?

Spyder's Game — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:09:26 -0800

I was watching THIS video that someone posted on Facebook the other day. I was really struck by the brown wall treatment in this guy's home. Best examples are at :40sec through 1min. I have been looking for it for some time. Pretty sure it's NOT Venetian plaster, as the texture is right, but Venetian plaster is glossy and slick looking. This look is textured, but matte finish, not glossy in any way. Can any of you interior decorator/designer types help me identify it? I would love to get this look in my house.

How can I fix/prevent damp car interior?

srs airbag — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:45:16 -0800

It's a 1999 Honda Civic Hatchback. Apparently cars of this type and age have a tendency to develop a leak around the tail lights. This leak was fixed recently but the car either hasn't dried out from that yet or is damp *again.* The windows are perpetually fogged up and often need towelling and the seats (fabric) are suspiciously cool. How to dry it out and keep it that way? Thank you!

Interior advice: What do I do about these yellow walls?

thebots — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:32:59 -0800

My apartment has ugly yellow walls and I can't do anything about the color. How can I make them less bland? I'm switching units in my building (from a studio to a 1-bedroom). The building is great: perfect location, affordable, well-maintained. I just HATE the color they've chosen for the walls of the suites. I've asked the landlord if there's a possibility of switching it up (painting to white or a light grey) but apparently the building owners are pretty adamant about the color. He said he could swing painting the kitchen white, but that's all.

The walls can look really nice when there's sunlight (here's a photo of my current apartment in sunlight), but they look dreary and washed out otherwise (not my apartment, but something like this). I live in Vancouver so sunlight isn't really a common phenomenon, plus this new suite has more shade.

SO: any advice? I was thinking I would just get some huge canvases and painting blocks of complementary colors to break up the yellow. Anything else you can recommend to make my apartment less bleak during the rainy seasons? Lighting/decorating/anything tips? I trust your taste and skills, MeFites.

Next up: how can I, at 5' tall, put up wallpaper without suffering a nervous breakdown?

halogen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:50:15 -0800

Bought a house, hence the DecorateMyBedroomFilter! DYI: how do I put up a curtain rod for a window whose corner meets a slanted ceiling? Décor: what kind of wallpaper should I put up on a single accent wall of my otherwise very white and neutrally furnished bedroom? What is the best way to put up curtains on the big window in this picture? There is no room for a rod bracket on the left side (plenty of room to the right, including enough room to pull the curtains out of the way). There will be cream roller shades mounted on the inside of the frame – I just want to add an extra layer of white/ombre/gray? curtains to soften up the room and add texture, but I don’t see a way to put up a bracket on the left other than drilling a hole in the ceiling and letting a curtain rod rest in it on the left side. Is that a terrible idea?

Regarding wallpaper: the walls are textured and painted a very bright white (hard to make out in the photo) which I like. I do, however, want to put wallpaper on a single wall, the one behind the headboard. The staging furniture and art will be gone, the reading lights will stay; this is my bedroom furniture. I don’t like bright colors in bedrooms and will most likely repaint the balcony that can be seen on the outside in a blue shade (indigo? go bold with cobalt?).

So far, my favorite wallpaper is Spiro by Kreme, but (a) it is very expensive and (b) it might not look that great with the very white walls, which I do not want to repaint. Since the floors are so dark, I should probably stay away from dark wallpapers, right? On the other hand, the space is not small at 15x15’ with vaulted ceilings and there is additional daylight on the other side of the room, so I probably shouldn’t worry about making it look cramped or busy? But would anything but a subtle-ish design that incorporates bright white (Curves Ahead by York) look good there? Any suggestions at what I should be looking for?

Thanks!

Double, Double, Toile and Trouble...

erstwhile — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:05:21 -0800

InteriorDesignFilter: I have three 22x28" baroque frames that I need to fill. I'm not looking to fill the frames with pictures; I'm going more for a modern design aesthetic, heavily leaning towards a geometric, damask or toile pattern. Loose requirements: black/white/gray in color scheme, larger patterns to be more visually striking and distinguishable from a 10-15' distance, and preferably under $100 in total cost for all three 22x28" frames. Material is not too particular; I know how to mount paper or fabric. These requirements aren't dealbreakers and I'm interested in any suggestions.

I've looked through some wallpaper websites and few fabric websites. Pretty much everything leads me back to Graham & Brown, which is fine. I'm just curious if my Google-Fu has me missing any interesting options. I love the Jeff Lewis wallpapers, but they're quite expensive and it doesn't even look like he's selling them on his website any longer.

I am also entertaining the idea of an interesting toile pattern. Apparently Waverly is the king of toile, and again, pretty much every website I've come across is using one of their patterns.

I'm curious if any of you with an eye for design have any other websites or stores you'd recommend? I'm getting bored with website after website bringing me back to the same wallpaper and fabric manufacturers.

Want to jazz up my cube with fabric panels, but clueless about fabric

lovingkindness — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:31:10 -0800

I want to spice up a couple of the panels of my work cubicle, tastefully. I have something like this in mind but I'm looking at different fabrics online and realizing I have no idea what type of fabric to go with (there's printed cotton, faux silk, linen, wovens) or even what category (sold for quilting, apparel, interior decorating purposes etc.). Does anyone know what I should go with? I'm happy to go to a physical store but I want to make sure I know what I'm even looking for in terms of look and feel. I don't necessarily need/want advice about pattern, just type of fabric. Thanks!

Frameless LP jacket wall hanging?

mediareport — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:29:24 -0800

I want to hang some LP covers on a wall, and remember years ago seeing a cheap little kit that was something like four pieces of clear plastic for the corners, connected by an elastic string X-shape in the back that could hang on a nail. The result was a neat frameless effect that I liked, but I can't find it again. Does anyone know what that kit was and where I can buy it? I've seen this thread but none of the options there are what I'm remembering. I don't want a record rail like this, where all the covers are on the same horizontal line; I'd like each one hung separately, but not have a frame. The default is to use inobtrusive nails and set the LPs on them, but I really like what I remember of those clear plastic corner things and am hoping they're still around.

Help me "Wow!" Santa

vignettist — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:44:18 -0800

What are some good resources to learn how to decorate for Christmas? We always have a tree, and I have a few very eclectic Christmassy items. I have gathered these items slowly over the years, getting things that I thought were cute at the time. There is no cohesive theme whatsoever, and the overall effect is pretty underwhelming. I would like to create some wow factor.

I don't have a particular style or theme in mind (our regular decor is pretty minimal to begin with, so I can't build on our existing style). So that's where I would like to start, with some resources to help me define a (Christmas) style, and then learn how to implement it in our particular space.

How do I work with an interior designer?

zagyzebra — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:51:23 -0800

Have you worked with an interior designer? I have a unique residential home that has to be furnished top to bottom. I don't have the time or resources to do this myself, so I'll be hiring an interior designer.

I'm just wondering about the experiences others have had working with interior designers. Were they good? Bad? Lessons to be learned? What you might have done differently had you only known? Funny stories? Useful tips? Did you interview them? How should I screen them? What should I try to find out before I hire one?

I've never worked with one before, so this is all new to me.

American contact for motor home innovation?

Tullyogallaghan — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:21:18 -0800

I know this is a next to impossible inquiry but I'm doing it for a very kind Australian friend who requested I do research in this area for a friend of his who, also, lives in Australia. It seems that this man has created a very innovative and clever new design for the interior of a motor home (they do a lot of "caravaning" in Australia) and he would like to be able to find an American contact so he can come to the U.S. and exhibit his design at motor home/caravan shows here. Where would I begin to look?

Stained or Painted?

odayoday — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:45:23 -0800

Baseboards - Stained or Painted? My boyfriend and I are buying a house, and the builder has installed lovely paneled wood interior doors. He said that he would like to stain them to match the cabinets (a medium stain called "spice") and will also stain the baseboards. I love the look of the stained doors, but am concerned the baseboards might look...I don't know, old fashioned or something. Does anyone have stained baseboards, and do you love or hate them? Also, if we later decide to paint them white, how much of a pain is that?

How to get curtains for a large odd window arrangement

cmm — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:53:14 -0800

Are there like curtain engineers or something? My house has a very tall vaulted ceiling with windows going all the way up and in the late afternoon the room is completely not usable because of sun. This is a (bad cellphone) picture of the backwall:
Picassa Link

The peak of the vault is 25 feet. Looking at it, I have no idea what I would do to get curtains or blinds something to be non-obtrusive when the sun isn't peering in but easily available when it is and we want to use the room.

Need interior designer in Los Angeles

zagyzebra — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 17:12:08 -0800

Do you know of an interior designer in Los Angeles? On the offhand chance the MetaFilter community, with its infinite contacts, knows of an awesome interior designer in Los Angeles, I'm posting this question. Price is not as much an issue as quality.

Related: If you don't know of an interior designer, how would you go about finding one? Have you ever had any experience working with one/advice to offer? How much do good ones generally charge?

I've got a 1,500 sq ft home that is in need of complete restoration, and furnishings.

Here's a joke: Knock, knock. Who's there? A dairy goat. A dairy goat who? A dairy goat who ate all your paint. hahahaha

librarina — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:42:37 -0800

Not a joke: What kind of paint do goats prefer? ... and I don't mean to munch on.

Getting some dairy goats this weekend. They will be living in a shed that was here when we moved in, which has bare wood inside and out -- I think it is cedar. There is a window in the east wall, but the shed is in the woods, more or less, so it's pretty dark inside. We will be putting artificial light, and opening it up during the day and whatnot, but I thought it might be good to paint the interior white, as well, to reflect what light there is. But I don't want to make them sick from the fumes when they arrive in 4-5 days.

Anyway, the goats are just for context; obviously you are not required to be a goat expert. I am looking for paint that is low-odor and/or non-toxic, easy-to-clean, reflective?, preferably mildew-resistant, and quick-drying if possible. We would like to be able to spray it on with a rented paint sprayer, too, for faster application. It would be best if we can hose it down and possibly scrub when we muck out the shed. We are OK with reapplying every few years or whatever if needed.

(I know nothing about paint, obviously. This is outside of Seattle and it is supposed to rain for the next several days. Will this affect drying time? We can certainly leave the window and the top half of the Dutch doors open for it to air out. Should we put a fan in there or something?)

How to buy new carpet for a 2-bedroom house?

caveatz — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:52:03 -0800

I need to install new carpet in my 2-bedroom house. I know next to nothing about this. Sorry, we're not looking for wood or vinyl floors at this time. I just want to hear from people who've been through this experience. Got one grade-school age kid, one dog and one cat. What type of carpet deals with this traffic, resists stains and still looks good and is moderately priced? Also any advice on trying to learn how to install this yourself vs. professional installers.

Decorate my apartment for me, please!

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:13:48 -0800

Decorate my apartment for me, please! Intro: I make a good living now, but soon I'll be going to med school, and thus will be broke. Within the next month or two, I want to move into a small (studio/1 bedroom apartment) here in Charleston, SC, and I am aiming for something cheap, since I'll want to be able to afford it for the next few years.

My question: What's the cheapest way to get someone to tell me what furniture to buy, etc.? In short, can I find a cheap designer?

My initial thought is there should be someone online that takes your floorplan and a bunch of photos of the place and just says, "Go to IKEA and buy X, Y and Z" for a small fee.

I don't really own any furniture now, so it's no problem buying all new stuff, and since I make a comfortable living now, I'm not afraid to spend money. I just want a cool, well thought-out apartment and I really don't want to wrack my brain trying to figure it all out myself.

Dome Light Stuck On

DU — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 07:58:47 -0800

My car's dome/interior light won't go off. Toyota Camry, I can't remember the year. First, let's dispense with the obvious: It has a switch with 3 settings, ON, OFF and DOOR.

When I set it to either ON or OFF, it is on. When I set it to DOOR it is not only on, but the "door ajar" light on the dash comes on. No doors are ajar, although I will admit a door sensor (including the trunk) could be malfunctioning. However, I assume the light must be causing the false ajar reading and not vice versa because otherwise the ON and OFF settings would leave the light off.

The next most obvious problem could be the dash brightness control knob. On a previous car I had, that knob, if cranked all the way to one end, would override the dome light switch. The camry's switch doesn't work like that.

One person I described this to mentioned that her car left the light on for a while and then shut off. Mine doesn't do that. When I go out in the morning it's still on from 14 hours ago.

Nothing in particular happened to the car just before this that I know of.

I have a remote starter (Viper brand, no alarm system) installed that's been there almost a year. I changed the low batteries in the remote to see if it could be some kind of reverse-remote alert. I also went through the remote start manual to see if there was some function that might turn on the light and found nothing. I tried various random "auxiliary functions" to no avail.

It hasn't been particularly draining my battery (deep winter here and the problem has existed for a couple weeks) but it's kind of hard to see out the windows at night so I'd like to get it fixed for less than N*$100.

Can you recommend home design repurposing/hack resources?

mintchip — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:53:47 -0800

Can you recommend home design repurposing/hack resources or ideas? I'd like to learn more about how to repurpose things in creative ways. For example, sometimes I see something really amazing at a garage sale but I don't buy it because I just can't imagine a good use for it and I don’t want it to end up as clutter.

Are there any books or websites that you are aware of that focus on this topic? I'm seeking ideas similar to ikeahacker.blogspot.com but with less of a focus on making/buidling and more on using things in creative ways. If not online resources, are there any general principles for items that are always going to be useful/reusable for other than their original purpose?

Looking for sleek, classy, non-tacky interior design inspiration from the 1970's.

lovableiago — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:03:28 -0800

Looking for sleek, classy, non-tacky interior design inspiration from the 1970's. I am moving from a studio to an apartment with actual separate rooms soon(!) and am ecstatic at the thought of being able to create an actual design scheme (the fact that I've recently started an interior design program doesn't hurt either!)

I have a vague idea of what I want to go for but I can't quite fill it out in my head.

First, I finally inherited a piece of collector's art from my mom that I coveted for years; you can see it here*. (For anyone that doesn't know, Chez Panisse is a very hip, famous restaurant in Berkeley and basically the birth of California cuisine). Anyway, it's from 1973 so I kind of want to shoot for that.

Also, when I was little we had a really amazing giant arc lamp that was kind of 70's-ish too so I'd like to incorporate something like that as well (similar to this).

I think "1970's design" prompts horrible images in most people's heads, but I just know there is a way to make it look cool. I want to avoid the whole neon thing (I associate that more with 60's anyway but maybe it's just me)--going for more of a muted palette. I've tried to look to period films for inspiration--"Blow" had some good ideas, as did "Boogie Nights" (although I'm trying to avoid the whole Asian motif that was popular back then--nothing wrong with it, just not for me).

Design websites with an emphasis on the historical would be awesome (I've pored over my usual go-to blogs and such but haven't found anything yet)--as would pointing me in the direction of more 70's-era movies that maybe I haven't thought of/seen....Really, anything. I've tried Googling stuff but haven't had much luck. Thanks in advance--let me know if you need more info!

*This particular piece is actually sort of in the Arts & Crafts style, which followed, and was inspired by, the Art Noveau movement (my favorite!!) so if anyone can find something that melds A&C/AN AND the 1970's you will get 10,000 bonus points!!

Please help me find more art with a surreal, ocean-related motif.

lovableiago — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:58:50 -0800

I'm looking for a specific kind of art involving people facing the sea...examples inside. This is kind of hard to describe. I've now come across two paintings (here and here) from two different artists, periods, and styles but with a nearly identical motif: A man, scaled to look quite small in comparison to his surroundings, pensively staring out on the ocean. It would be neat to find similar art and do a clustering of some kind. Any help is appreciated!

Decorating help in Chicago?

Mid — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:39:30 -0800

Decorating help in Chicago? Do you have any recommendations for decorators/interior designers in Chicago?

Bonus for:

+Young-ish and cool-ish tastes (because that's the way we roll);

+Some sort of sane hourly compensation rates, not a commission on every last pillow.

Thanks

Crowdsourcing interior design?

rtgoodwin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 09:49:31 -0800

Is there a precedent/community for crowdsourcing interior design? Like many geeks, I lack the proper gifts, and wonder what resources could be thrown at it. This is my first Ask, so feel free to gently slap me around if needed!

Crewel Cartoons

Ambrosia Voyeur — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:13:01 -0800

Please suggest images I could convert into crewel which are cartoon modern in style, but not depictions of characters. I have The New Crewel and plenty of can-do spirit, and I want to do a crewel project for my home. A pillow, perhaps.

I love the look of "Cartoon Modern," and have some Eyvind Earle art at home, so while I thought of imitating his style, I don't think that would serve my crafting goals best.

I'd like to get ideas for cityscapes, landscapes, space scenes, machinery, or other background-level depictions that I can "trace and color" myself with crewel yarn and creative stitching. I'm not much good at starting from a blank slate. They should be colorful and not incredibly complex. The image linked above is a good level of complexity, but I don't really want an office with some dudes as decor.

It seems like the web is full of hip artists whose work would be suitable for a little tribute like this.

Any ideas, guys?

I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas

sourwookie — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:56:14 -0800

The house I am preparing to move into has a "cosmetic" fireplace. It looks like a fireplace, it's built into the wall, but can't be used as one. What clever decorating ideas do you have for it? I'm game for anything--funny, functional, stylish, classic, clever, funky, hell--even some sort of tasteful heat retrofit--just anything that doesn't involve putting a fire in it (that would probably result in death).

Art Deco Switchplate

allelopath — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 14:51:54 -0800

Where can I find more switchplates like this? It's metal, something heavy, so not aluminum. Kinda art-deco style.