Pretty Things To Hang on Office Surfaces

September 10, 2010 1:20 PM

What's a good and safe substance to use for pretty-ing up boring office cabinets? They've given us new cubicles at work and they're nice enough, but awfully bland. I was thinking that shelf paper or that paper they put on doors at Christmas might work out.

We have these over-head cabinet things with very boring matte metal doors (they look plastic, but magnets stick to them) that I think might be brightened up my color. My big concern with shelf-paper is that anything I do needs to be removable easily and without leaving damage in case (a) we get moved to different cubicles, or (b) upper management decides that decorations are frivolous and forbidden.

posted by Karmakaze to Grab Bag (9 answers total)

Best answer: Vinyl wall decals? They should stick well to metal, but are removable. whatisblik.com is a dedicated seller of these, but they're everywhere, including etsy, so you can probably get something made specifically to your liking.
posted by brainmouse at 1:28 PM on September 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

You can always use those 3M Command hooks. That's what all my office decor is hung up with. I think they make flat type ones for sticking up posters, etc that you could put up. When I was a cube dweller I also velcroed magnets to the back of frames for sticking on those flapper door things.
posted by msbutah at 1:29 PM on September 10, 2010

Pixel art with colored pushpins (eg.)?
posted by codswallop at 2:07 PM on September 10, 2010

I'd suggest magnets, both on their own and as holders for art reproductions, pictures, etc.
posted by bearwife at 3:19 PM on September 10, 2010

Wrapping paper, or better yet, fabric. Cover and attach on the side hidden from view.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 3:20 PM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Don't stick these on things that aren't metal, glass, or disposable: fancy gel window crap!

Lots of them are kind of silly looking, but a nice variety of various rectangles or some dots might be attractive. They peel off easily and are reusable.
posted by Sallyfur at 4:42 PM on September 10, 2010

Best answer: In my office, I inherited awful, ugly and stained metal cabinets. Quite frankly, they were an eyesore and embarrassing when I had clients come in. I used pretty contact paper which was easy to maneuver and will be super easy to remove when I leave. It's sturdy enough to witstand my use, wipes off cleanly from dust and spills, and since I found a pattern like this, I was able to just cut it up into manageable squares and apply (also ensuring that I can remove anything ripped and replace in seconds). Pretty much every day someone comments on how nice my office is, how attractive and Athropologie-esque I've made it. Considering I must have people in my space, I can't imagine how my company thought it would be appropriate to give me less than stellar items, but then again, this is a recession, I work for a creative firm and they likely had expectations that I would find a method to resolve my problem on my own. Either that or facilities just didn't care.

As a renter, I even did this to my horrible refrigerator after I saw how well my office came out.

There are tons of patterns out there and you can definitely butch it up if you need to for making the right balance with your environment.
posted by eatdonuts at 4:49 PM on September 10, 2010

eatdonuts is right - contact paper makes everything better! (I have the same green pattern on my closet shelves)
posted by radioamy at 7:36 PM on September 10, 2010

might could try this stuff or the faux stainless steel paint for appliances for that high tech modern look
http://www.fauxsteel.com/?gclid=CL6vs5blgKQCFQSe7Qod9ECmHg
posted by Redhush at 7:01 PM on September 11, 2010