Do you have a little corner of your home that bugs you, but you kind of just live with it because of the daily routine you've fallen into? I have this as an ongoing problem with our entry. We come in, we dump stuff all over the place, and our tiny apartment never looks neat (well, ok, that, and the fact that we have a two-year old running around, but still...). But recently there a was a tiny perfect storm on the internet that made me rethink my "resigned ignoring" approach.
A little while ago, writing about her amazing transformation of her floor from dingy carpet to beautiful hardwood, Crazy Aunt Purl posted about the necessity to feel as though you are worth the effort that a dedication to your living space would require. She wrote movingly about her struggles to overcome the mental game of waiting for some indefinite but perfect future in which the small (and big) domestic problems would be fixed. A little later, Apartment Therapy: Green ran (it just finished) a really fantastic deal-with-your-living-space program called The Cure. While I'm not really ready to paint walls and pull up carpets, I did finally decide that I'm worth a couple of fabric-covered boxes.
With Gem Tac, recycled cardboard, and Freecycled fabric, everything is easy-peasy and takes no time at all - I'd say 15 minutes tops for each box. Don't be fooled by the indications listed on the Gem Tac label - I've been using it for fabric for a long time, and it rocks. Anyway, look at the difference!
Before:
And after:
Now I even have a space for a tiny seasonal display!
Oh, and that amazing etching is by an artist whose name I can't decipher - I bought it for Misha at Art for the Cash Poor last summer.
you know, i've been reading design blogs for a while now, and was initially mystified by the concept of a "landing strip" in an apartment entry - my things always take up every available surface in the entryway, and only get straightened out once a week or so - but yours is so lovely, i might steal the box concept...
ReplyDelete