The Long Arm of Coincidence

So I was just virulently assuring Sean that wallpaper was not an option for us renters, and then, upon browsing through Lonny, I discovered that I was completely and utterly wrong. *facepalm*

So now, here are the many, many ways you can make wallpaper work as a renter without losing your security deposit.

The first is rather difficult-sounding. Apparently, you're supposed to put down a grid of painter's tape, to protect the wall, and then on top of that, you lay down some double sided tape, and then you can apply traditional wallpaper.

The second is fairly similar to the first, but doesn't work in areas with steam and water (bathrooms and kitchens). You find yourself enough lightweight fabric, spray your walls with starch spray, and then affix. To remove, simply pull the fabric away, and wash your walls.

Third is Sherwin Williams' EasyChange. The patterns are hard to browse, and I haven't found anything I've liked yet, but it might be worth checking out. Their selection is absolutely huge.

Wall Flats from Inhabit (and also from DesignPublic). Wall Flats are sort of like embossed paper tiles that can be painted on, though not reused. I love that the Wall Flats are all white, but also add texture at the same time. How Bobo.

Chrysalis Wall Flats

Next up is InteriorInstyle. In addition to the usual decals and whatnot, they've also got a selection of removable wallpaper. Sort of like giant Post-It notes that can be stuck to your walls. Their selection is quite small, but they've got several color choices for each pattern, which is nice. Also, they are Australian.

Vogue Wallpaper

Here is my personal favorite, Tempaper. Again with the giant Post-It product, but I really like their selection. Love the middle print, which is Gio in silver. Though I've had a little trouble browsing their website, which might just be our internet.

Another Post-It note product from Casart. In addition to the faux headboard, they've got a lot of non-intrusive and wood-themed prints.

From the Casart Organics Line.

Finally, I'm not sure if Blik falls under this category, but their decals are removable, so what the heck. Looking through their products, everything seems just a little bit too artsy, like that t-shirt you bought from Threadless that looks really cool, but makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. It's a dead girl! Whose hair is the sky! Blik also has these cute little Mario-themed decals. I would never use them myself, but will urge everyone else I know to decorate like this.

Clouds are sheep! Being chased by a wolf made of rain! And birds!

Workshop Light Decal
I actually think this is really cool.

Crate and Barrel Sofa reviews

I was pretty sure I was going to purchase the Room and Board Andre sofa, and this afternoon I was going to walk over to sit on it one last time before pulling the trigger. Unfortunately, the Room and Board store had flooded in Friday's torrential rains, so I went to the Crate & Barrel instead, to check out the Petrie sofa.

As it turns out, the Petrie sofa kind of sucks massively. Like, the cushions are pretty squishy and understuffed (in my opinion), so once you've sat down, you sink into the sofa a lot, and there's pretty much no back support.

Don't buy me, I'm squishy and uncomfortable!

I also checked out the Vaughn sofa, and it wasn't that much better. The fabric is this absolutely wonderful shade of gray, but the cushions are similarly understuffed, and the depth of the seat is such that the length of my legs make it impossible for me to comfortably sit on the Vaughn.

The Hennessy sofa is kind of nice in that it is squishy without giving up back support, but the colors that it's offered in are quite nasty. They look ok online, but in person, they're really quite terribly.


The Cameron sofa was quite firm, which was nice, but unfortunately, the depth of the seat was too large, and it was impossible for me to simultaneously lean against the back and bend my knees. Legs - useful for walking and filtering sofa choices.


And this is the sofa I got. The Crate and Barrel Camden Sofa, in Azure. It's incredibly firm, with a seat that's not too deep, and the blue color is really pretty in real life. I bought the 69 inch one instead of the 80 inch one, since my studio is itty-bitty. Also, this sofa can comfortably fit 3.

I'm a bit worried about the legs, since they don't screw off like many of the other C&B sofas, and I read somewhere that the legs sometimes make it impossible for the sofa to fit into the elevator or through your apartment door. We shall see.

Also, the legs are this kind of really dark brown/black, and I don't think it'll match anything else in the apartment. Oh well. We're talking about four bits of colored wood underneath the sofa. What are the chances that anyone will notice??

I was so wrong.

I used to tell people that my dream non-college, blue-collar job was to be a taxidermist, but umm, NO. The Evolution Store sells taxidemist products and other animal by-products, and just browsing through makes me want to vomit.

Rat, Cleared and Stained

Their entire store is full of stuff like this. They also have penis bones(?!) and sharks in jars. This is totally not my cup of tea, but if that's what you're into...

Dark Tricolor Brindle Cowhide

The nice thing about this store, versus IKEA is that IKEA just has a random selection of cowhides, but here you can specify the color and the texture.

The only safe categories to browse: rugs, decor, and posters. The posters are very similar to the old-school prints of flora and fauna that you can find in really old books, which is pretty freaking cool. If I can't find any old books to ravage, these are an already-matched solution.

These rooms are deceptively difficult

Like, at first glance, these rooms are just a collection of disjoint styles and colors. And you think to yourself, I can totally do this! Random chair here, different color there, wacky thrift shop find over yonder!


In the left picture, the chair, the random cylinder, and the print are all red? And the rug, the print on the floor, and the palm tree print are all black and white.

In the right picture, the sidetable and the legs of the coffee table are the exact same shade, and the firewood holder, the cube pillow, and the random bottle are all orange. Not to mention how the fireplace, the chairs, and the rug are all grey.

What coherence of vision.

Wow.

Look at this woman's closet!


Check out The Container Store's elfa. Do not, under any circumstance, purchase one of their stupid closet design packages. Not to knock their experts' field of expertise or their manner of making a living, but can you totally do that too. Or something similar.

Niche products

You know when you've arranged something, and it looks ... ok, but it's not perfect? Happens to me all the time. PicturePerfect solves that for all the OCD people who are just too lazy to get out a ruler or a bubble level bar.

But wait, even I'm not that lazy. And regardless of how small my apartment is, I'm going to keep a mini-fridge in my bedroom for yogurt and Mountain Dew because the kitchen is just too far. This is possibly useful if you're hanging 40 pictures together (like in the second photo), but on a smaller scale, a bubble level bar is way too cool to stop using. Also, I like the composition and arrangement of the first picture.

Very expensive websites

Evinco and 2Modern are at least 3 or 4 times more expensive than IKEA in most categories, though their furniture is just so beautiful.

However, 2Modern has quite a selection of lamps and pillows for cheaper than elsewhere on the net.

Evinco is actually quite reasonable when it comes to armchairs and sofabeds. It's mind-boggling. Evinco has quite a selection of leather club chairs, starting around $300, which is actually quite comparable to some of IKEA's more expensive chairs. The only conceivable lesson here is to only purchase IKEA's cheaper chairs, or to maybe buy a lot of leather club chairs.

Pablo Tube Top Lamp (from 2Modern)

Dear Future Self:

This Mies van der Rohe daybed is both beautiful and questionably comfortable.

Don't you dare buy it. Nobody naps on a leather cushion if they have access to their own bed, and it lacks the back support necessary for lounging.