My husband and I live in a rather neat little apartment in Southern California. I mean, it's not going into "Architectural Digest" anytime soon, but it's definitely the second-nicest apartment we've ever lived in. (Out of 4. The best overlooked a state park and had exposed dark wood beams in a cathedral ceiling. But we switched cities. C'est la vie).
So, the current neat little apartment, it has been decided, will be our home until we buy a house in a couple of years. Once we decided on this, I started really looking around my home. I've also been reading a LOT of decorating blogs lately (it's been slow at work) and now I have some serious feelings of home inadequacy. Currently, it's DEFINITELY not perfect. It's not even "perfect".
At any rate, I made a list of improvements to make around the apartment. Chief of which is painting. We never painted. Well, I painted a mural of a flower in the bedroom, but as far as rollers-and-drop-cloths painting, we've done zilch. Which was fine in our other apartments. The renter's white worked with our stuff and we only lived there 2 years at most, so it was no big deal. But THIS apartment complex decided that semigloss was the way to go. All the way. Every room is off-white, slopped-on, semigloss. It is not sexy. So I've got to woman up and paint the whole damn place. Except the dining room (more on that later) and the bedroom (because of the aforementioned mural).
One thing that I've learned is that you can't sell me on tiny bathrooms with crazy wallpaper. I've been in one, and I couldn't pee in there. I'm not even claustrophobic, I'm quite content in small spaces, but the loud pattern-in-small-spaces thing makes me dizzy just thinking about it. I mean, take the bathroom below (via the wonderful Apartment Therapy). Sure, it looks cool, but I can't imagine being able to relax in there enough to DO anything. I'd have trouble applying lipstick. I think focusing on one thing in that racket would give me vertigo.
Now, our bathroom isn't tiny. It's literally a miracle of space. We hadn't actually seen the apartment before we moved in (I sent my mom to check it out, we were living in San Francisco at the time) so I didn't know what to expect. But then there it was. The bathroom you dream about. Eleven and a half FEET of counter space with cabinets all underneath! Two sinks! Vanity lights! A combination bathtub/shower AND a toilet! (Ok, maybe a little overexcited about that last bit- it's just the rest was so amazing).
And I still love it. Really, I do. But that paint... drips and globs and bits that were never sanded and just painted over and rust from the door hinges seeping through.... it's a hot mess. So to paint it!
My husband and I just got married last year and on our registry were these gorgeous pale blue towels that we got. Also, I have this sheet-turned-shower-curtain that I got in our first tiny apartment that I love, so we've got to work with that too. Plus, there are no windows. So... pale turquoise. And white. Real white, not the apartment's stock "mayonnaise-stained-with-nicotine" color that is being obliterated by this project. (Except in the 2 places where it has been deemed prudent to say "fuck it".)
So, hopefully, my next post will be on painting. Have a lovely day.
No comments:
Post a Comment