apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It's certainly not a safety issue - but it might be a laziness or questionable-asthetic issue: These fixtures are all hard-wired in and should have had their cords cut to fit the space when they were installed.

Reminds me of Stalag 17 ....

Once is ok, but all over the place it looks like a mental instiution.

i don't like it at all.

Ack! I would be itching to untie it all the time.

Must.Have.Perfection!

I agree with Alisong. Once might be OK, but even that might be too much. It displays impermanence or sloth, or both. Watch me get into trouble again for my comments.

nope..not for me

That "headboard" is interesting. Wish we could see more of it. It's basically just a big towel rack with fabric draped over it. A possible DIY headboard idea?

This looks terrible.

It would be more interesting to cut out a wooden tile in an interesting shape to wrap the cord around. Or you could get some dolls or stuffed animals and do some creative suspension bondage.

It would drive me crazy looking at that all the time.

it seems silly to knot the cord up just to make things look messy. there's no point

sloth chic.. haha. would love to hear that on HGTV.

come all you people... i guess i'm not anywhere close to being a perfectionist and that's why i really love it! just looks interesting.

Love it!

I love the idea. It would be a nice addition to an otherwise perfectly groomed room. It's the interior design version of a sexy, just out of bed hair-do.

I find those to be very depressing.

I find it to be both depressing and irritating. It does have a very institutional (run down, Soviet institution) look to it, and the disarray with the cord would drive me out of my mind, both from the aesthetic standpoint and the safety one.

I'm indifferent to the lights but I'm feeling that rack-as-headboard idea.

I like it a lot, I may attempt it myself.

I do this in my place. Swapped out the light fixture with DC/AC converter so that I could use a wall-plug pendant lamp instead.

Here's a pic of the end result in my bathroom --
http://www.jordanjennings.com/apartmenttherapy/MyGhettoPendantLamp.jpg

I think this kind of style works for people like me who are either 1. renters 2. broke and/or 3. dudes. Definitely not for the Pottery Barn crowd, but surrounded by duct-taped upholstery and dinged furniture, it makes sense. Kind of a 'squatter chic'. Everything in my place has some character -- whether from budget limitation or dumpster scrapes -- so a coiled pendant lamp cord doesn't look peculiar at all.

Plus, when it comes down to it, I just don't care enough. Maybe someday when I own my place I'll have pendant lamps properly installed, but while I'm renting? Nah.

What's wrong with home decor inspired by run down Soviet institutions? I'm fond of it.

it looks interesting in the photos, but take away the beautiful lighting and add some stray clothes and papers and it will look messier.

I love that bathroom reminds me of the beautiful farmhouse I stayed in when I was in Italy.

Personally, I live somewhere between the perfect clean aesthetic and everyday reality. I appreciate "rumpled" the way I can appreciate skillful watercolor paintings or fashionable bedhead hair styles. It's harder than it looks.

I think I'm getting lead poisoning just from looking at that peeling paint.

i like the look ... but the light from a bare bulb isn't particularly comfortable or flattering

THIS IS MY DREAM. Unfortunately, one really needs an artistic eye to get it right, and I am lacking. But I'm learning. And when I do get it right -- intentionality is the key here -- you're all invited over for tea. Yes, I INSIST.

This is kind of fun, but it wouldn't be when the lights have to turn on at night. Ew bare bulbs.

And yeah, this is the kind of messy that takes sooo much effort and upkeep, it's a kind of neat. Everything else in the room would have to be kept just so for those cords to not look just awful.

Meh. It's a pastiche of itself.

I love it! My house is not funky enough to pull this look off, though. wish it was.