Adding Color to Your Blank Canvas
Painting Not an Option? Here's How to Personalize Your Space Anyway
Erika Ward
May 17, 2011
Getting your first apartment is truly a liberating experience. Whether moving from a dormitory or from your parents house, the feeling of having a place to call your own gives you a sense of accomplishment. I had this very discussion with new college graduate setting out on her own for the first time. She barely had taken off her cap and gown before she signed a lease at one of the premiere apartment complexes near her new job. After pouring over images on houzz, she dreamed of a paint palette for the entire apartment long before she read the property's policy. No painting permitted. She was crushed.
This ideabook is for her and many others who become discouraged when painting is not an option where they live. Decorating encompasses more than painting a space, it's about injecting function and personality into your new digs. This ideabook gives eight reasons to love a blank canvas and provides smart advice that prevents your decorating plan from becoming a dream deferred.
This ideabook is for her and many others who become discouraged when painting is not an option where they live. Decorating encompasses more than painting a space, it's about injecting function and personality into your new digs. This ideabook gives eight reasons to love a blank canvas and provides smart advice that prevents your decorating plan from becoming a dream deferred.
Add color to casegoods. Make a hand-me-down piece feel like new by adding a coat of paint. This entryway sets the tone for a vibrant, energetic home with its painted console, coordinating chandelier and dhurrie rug.
Warm it up with brown. If white walls bring a chill to your bones, add warmth to your space with brown. Rich, aged leather and warm wood furniture evoke a cozy atmosphere and is one of the quickest ways to make a sterile environment feel like home.
Examine your place in a new light. Installing new lighting is generally permissible as long as you replace the original lighting before you leave. This dining space boasts a pair of industrial brass pendant lamps and a complementary brass wall sconce in the background. These metal fixtures borrow tones from the neighboring brick wall.
Place emphasis on fabrics. Choosing a high-contrast color palette will make you forget about your limitations with paint. A yellow coverlet lets the sunshine into this bedroom while the high gloss black furnishings add polish and sophistication to the space.
Choose investment pieces wisely. It's true, you get what you pay for, so invest in the best sofa you can afford. Everything shows against a blank canvas, so put your best foot forward with quality furnishings.
Work that brick wall. I admit I've never met a brick wall I didn't like — unless it prevented me from getting to something I wanted. Play up this architectural feature by making it a focal point of the space. Its variation in color and its texture add interest to the space, free of charge!
Place emphasis on window treatments. There are an array of options for dressing window from blinds to shades, draperies to valances. Cornice boxes paired with sheer panels provides this bedroom with a custom look unexpected in an apartment setting.
Display a piece with impact. If you are lucky enough to have a least one great piece of art, your work is done. Keep other fabric and furnishings low key to prevent your eye-catching piece from fighting for attention.
More:
White is White, Right? Not Quite. How to Pick the Right White Paint
More:
White is White, Right? Not Quite. How to Pick the Right White Paint
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Fantastic ideas! When you can't paint, what can you do for color? Bringing color into your home can be a daunting task, so thank you for the ideas in this article! Another idea for color is a painted canvas floor cloth from Bernsen Arts, which can be used as an area rug or as wall art.
Contact via email at MarianneBernsen@gmail.com