Saturday, September 13, 2008

Renter's Lament


I will probably be a life-long renter. I wish it were otherwise and dream of the brownstones I would buy and decorate but let's be real here: I will never make enough money to own my own place. As a renter, you come to terms with certain facts-of-life. Want to paint your walls black? Well you can't, because it will be a pain in the ass to paint them back to their original eggshell white when you leave.  Want a bigger closet? Deal with it. You'd better weed out your wardrobe because there is no way in hell your landlord is going to allow that renovation. Want to cover an entire wall with your collection of ornamental plates commemorating the Kings and Queens of England? Good luck with that one buddy, and have fun spending an entire weekend filling those holes to get your deposit check back.

Sigh. 

Maybe the Rolling Stones were right. You can't always get what you want. I want walls and walls covered in brightly colored wallpaper, but sadly, it would have to be stripped off when I leave the apartment. Is it really worth the effort of choosing and applying wallpaper only to strip it off within a few years and leave it mutilated in the bottom of the trash? 

Here's a great alternative that I saw a few months ago and haven't been able to forget. The three framed panels of  decorative paper are bold enough to make a statement but don't overwhelm the room. The paper can be swapped out whenever the mood strikes you and a simple change of frame could drastically alter the whole style of the space. Plus, it does virtually no damage to the walls! 

Two thumbs up!

Photo Courtesy of: CasaSugar

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