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copyright ©1999-2003
DigsMagazine.com.
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rental
"renovating"
by Yee-Fan
Sun |
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For
most of us quasi-adults, decorating our digs bears little resemblance to
the sorts of radical, knock-down-the-walls, tear-out-the-floors
transformations generally featured in glossy home magazines. Stuck in
rental hell, we find ourselves living in abodes featuring teal carpeting
and peach bathroom tile that we would never in a million years choose of
our own free will. We dream of the day when our budgets will allow us to
purchase a place of our very own, and we can paint the walls whatever
funky color of the rainbow suits our fancy without worry of incurring
the wrath of our landlords. We fantasize about what we would do if we
were the owners of this little apartment - how we would pick new kitchen
cabinets, and tear out the wall-to-wall carpeting, and replace the worn
bathroom lino with fresh new tile. And while we wait for the day when we
really can do whatever we want to our nests, we make do with what we're
given. Still, living in a rental place shouldn't have to mean sucking it
up wholesale. There are plenty of inexpensive temporary changes you can
make to transform a less-than-ideal rental place into a space that you
truly love.
easy
updates
Sure, every rental pad can be relied on to come with the basics:
overhead lights in most rooms, cabinets in the kitchen. For the most
part, however, you'll probably find that existing fixtures are ho-hum
utilitarian at best, totally dated at the worst. No need to despair,
however, as many of these things can be easily and cheaply replaced --
and simply restored back to their original states when it's time to move
house. Hate the drawer pulls in the kitchen, the cabinet knobs in the
bathroom? Head to the hardware store and you'll find an array of more
enticing options. Knobs and pulls come in pretty standard sizes, making
it easy to update fixtures with something a little more snazzy, a little
more you. Lighting too, can be easily spruced up. One of the simplest
fixes is to replace the light bulbs in existing fixtures -- try brighter
or warmer-toned bulbs, or get a little wacky, and go with a colored
bulb. Also, there's no need to rely on overhead lighting alone -- funky
lamps not only add to the overall lighting situation, but contribute to
the décor as well. In replacing anything, of course, you should be sure
to save the originals, so that come moving time, you can (a) return the
apartment to its former landlord-friendly, characterless state, and (b)
take your fixtures with you so that you can use them in your next digs.
scamper
along this way
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