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07.24.2000

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..
overheard ...

"another fun cheap wall covering is old sheet music. "
-- punkingirl, "Bare Walls!" 

get more great decorating ideas. jump to the discussion boards and ask questions, get advice, share stories + mingle. or if you're feeling shy, feel free to eavesdrop. 
 
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other recent LOUNGE articles:
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the Incredibly True Confessions of a First-time Homeowner
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o On Weeding: School Stuff

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post-Posters  
better ideas for dressing bare walls
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continued from page 2

6 Mirrors in funky frames
If you’ve got a closet-sized apartment, mirrors can work wonders for creating the illusion of more space. Shop flea-markets and secondhand shops for funky, over-sized frames. They’ll probably be housing a black velvet Elvis or airbrushed unicorn, but try to ignore that – what’s important is that the frame style appeals to you. The ugly "art" can – and should -- go straight into the trash. To turn the frame into a mirror, simply measure the dimensions, then head off to a mirror retail store (you can find them under "mirrors" in the Yellow Pages) to get a piece custom-cut to fit.

7 Empty frame assemblages
Alternatively, don’t put anything in your frames … just treat your frames themselves as works of art. Paint your thrift-shop finds in pretty colors, antique the finishes, arrange the different frames in an interesting composition on your wall.

8 Tactile art: framed textures
One thing that’s always annoyed me about art museums – they don’t let you run your fingers over anything! (Those wonderfully thickly-layered Pollocks always seemed to be begging to be touched, it seemed to me.) Why not make a wall of tactile art for your home? Hunt around at thrift shops and hardware stores for a variety of textures that intrigue you --- bubble wrap, steel wool, corrugated cardboard, astroturf. Frame a piece of each texture in identical frames – without the protective glass, of course – then throw them up on a big expanse of wall where you and your guests can enjoy hours of tactile enjoyment.

9 Paint your walls a vibrant color.
Like a minimalist look but hate the ordinariness of plain white walls? Paint your walls in a bold color – or even just a single wall if you’d like to accent just one section of your room.

10 Install a floating shelf to display collectibles.
If you’re an obsessive accumulator of lunchboxes, Japanese candies, sno-globes, etc., you’ll want to show off the years of work that went into building up your precious collection. Floating shelves (no ugly brackets showing) are a great way to use bare wall space … and you can buy them for quite cheap at IKEA.

o
check out these related articles:
frame it! 
minor miracle makeovers 
 

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