apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I can relate to your situation. I teach art to 150 students each day in a 13x25' trailer with no windows, an occasionally working door lock and a very loud a/c unit. Good times.

I brought in lamps to combat the overhead fluorescent lights. The difference in light quality is significant. They are scattered around the room and it doesn't look like like lighting store. I embraced the neutral paint on the walls and used colorful accents to brighten the space. As for storage, go as vertical as possible. For secure storage, see if you can locate a locking file cabinet.
Can the partition be used as a display area? Could the partition you need to create also double as art display? Another option could be to display art/photos as screensavers and wallpapers on the computers. Good luck and have fun!

I would say a potted plant or palm tree, one that's tolerant of low light.

Or several.

What about contact paper? You could put a vibrant color of contact paper behind the computer monitors to enliven the work space. And the best part is that contact paper will peel right off when you're finished!

(Oh, and you should probably just pick one color--multiple colors could end up looking like a kindergarten classroom.)

LOLCAT ZEZ: UR FOOKED. SRSLY.

Pillows - sunbrella fabric in basic squares -with ties for the chairs

Clothing Air-dry umbrella on stand with clothespins for the photos

Portable coat rack on wheels for the divider

Locked, wheeled luggage for cameras - you don't want to leave electronics unless you can bolt a locker down.

Congrats on landing what seems to be a really cool job!

I'd love a burnt orange on those white walls. It'd make a great combination with they greys and the white. Accent with lemongrass green, an acidic yellow, and bits of a bright true blue--cerulean.

Wow - I can imagine how photos would pop out of that color scheme, whether black and white or color!

I'm all for fabric seatcovers or elasticized slipcovers for the chairs -- I did that in my classroom (I had orange chairs!), I covered the seats with leopard fake fur, it looked great. An area rug will also help bring some color into the room -- you can put them under your round tables.

And big art posters on those wall surfaces! If you can't afford big ones, put a couple of smaller ones on a large sheet of black bulletin board paper to tie them together.

You can get clamp on desk lights - Ikea Tertial is 8.99 -- if they have colors, cool -- if not, spray paint them!

If those are the same horrible grey cloth-covered walls I have in my cube, I would not recommend trying to hang anything framed up. You could create a rotating art display by hanging wires and clothespinning photos to it. You could go for Antique (as in using film) Darkroom with that although you'd really need Eau de Sulpher to finish it off. I'd add a standing bookcase as a partition, maybe line the outside with a colored paper or something to discourage people walking by from snagging stuff. And I DEFINITELY agree with the person who suggested rolling luggage for cameras unless you can bolt down something else.

If students have their own logons, you might try encouraging them to set their own wallpaper on the computer they're using. It's not much, but a little personalization is always nice and makes the space feel more "yours" even when it's not.

Good luck!

I use bold printed fabric in my classroom. I've been rocking thick black and white strips in various places. Great posters or artwork could fill those large empty spaces. Vintage frames (I like to paint mine) are fun ways to display student artwork.
I have an art room with great natural light and beautiful outdoor views, but I still try to use simple bright colors and bold patterns to make it even more comfortable.

I agree with obscura, too many colors looks like a kindergarten classroom.

I couldn't really tell where you needed a divider, so this may not work, but bookcases would be a good idea. They can function as a divider and storage. You can also put paper or fabric on them for color.

Spray paint various sizes of cheap frames (a la Ikea) bright colors and hang on the walls. You can display student work in those. You could even remove the glass and back from the frame, and just pin the photos inside the frame (some of those walls look like that cubicle-like fabric wall).

If you could find some affordable cordless lamps (so students aren't tripping), it would be nice to put them on each round table. Ikea has some small solar lamps, but unless you have windows nearby to charge them, I don't think they'll work. But they would provide a warmer light and some extra light for students to work on projects.

Table cloths would be an easy way to add color. You could buy fabric or search clearance racks. It depends what you use the tables for though. If the students need a hard surface to write on, that may not work. My photography class didn't even have computers, but that was about 7 years ago, before I even thought of owning a digital camera.

There are so many colors that go with gray. You could use lots of different colors or choose just one or two to go with the room. I think aqua, light blue, yellow, pink, lime green and dark orange look best with gray.

Moveable partitions such as those usually are not tackable and definitely not sturdy enough to support framed artwork. But you could set up a clothesline along it and hang a rotating collection of artwork from it. Or use long rolls of craft paper, attached at the top of the partitions, as a backdrop and then tape posters to the craft paper.

Lamp shades should not be spray painted, ever. Spray paint is flammable and it doesn't take much heat from the bulbs to ignite. But IKEA does have plenty of colored lamps and shades already.

Use bookcases or file cabinets to divide space. Add plants if you can. Leave the fluorescent lights off as much as possible--most students actually enjoy a dimly lit room over what are usually overly bright classrooms.

Use contact paper or vinyl appliques (plenty of options on Etsy.com) on surfaces like the tabletops, computer desk carrels, and walls. Vinyl will come off easier than contact paper.

Create slideshows of artwork and project them onto anything--the screen, a bit of empty wall, the ceiling. Even those beige partitions can be projected onto, they will just change the effect of the artwork.

You could also get a rug or two to put on the floor.

What's your budget, Lydia?

Better lighting. String lights, maybe. You could pin a string wall to wall on which to hang some colored paper lanterns. At Cedar we can paint. I like the suggestions above for paint if that's an option. Bear in mind the level of wear and tear for things like seat covers and floor rugs... also the school might have issues with rugs because of trip-factor. If you can't paint you could go to rastorbator.com to make some colorful murals. I'm teaching ancient greece this year so I blew up some greek columns and printed them on colored paper. They look GREAT and go all the way from counter to so they draw the eye up and make the room appear more spacious-- key with so many kidlets this year! You could laminate iconic photos to jazz up the computer stations.

Can you put the cameras on a library cart and wheel it back and forth between office/closet and classroom? Or is that a pain? Could you put a locking cabinet in the corner next to the clock? You could probs advertise on CL for a donation if the school/district doesn't have one already. Can you bring in an extra table thing as like a "home base" for your papers/handouts/whatnots. Are those walls bulletin boards? If not, you might want to get at least a small one for announcements, absent work, etc.

Remember to pace yourself! Don't feel like everything needs to be just-right this year... you have a lot on your plate as a new teacher.

The womyn missed you last night :)

and plants

Not sure about the age of the students (those chairs look tiny), but:

Embrace the space you have and look at function first. Unify all of the work station chairs, straighten out cords, weed out what you don't need and get that space in clean, working order.

Create a communal meeting anchor in the middle of the room. Get rid of those round tables if you can. I've made several storage islands by grouping counter-height cabinets together and unifying them with a common, continuous top. Cheap Ikea butcher block would do the trick and bring in a bit of warmth. The cabinets themselves can be flat files, lockable metal cases or even simply laminate bookcases. The point is to bring everyone together for discussions/lessons/presentations while allowing them to split up into individual work stations later (if needed).

I would think more about how to display student work rather than bringing in decorative elements. Use the wire idea is for "overflow" work (student work that, after the current assignment, can hang indefinitely), but I'd recommend using binder clips (they come in color) to hang. Provide brightly colored post-its for students to tag and label their work. My point here is that your students' work is the best thing to bring color, interest and ownership to the space and you can support that with fun supplies.

For presentation of current assignment work, what about an easel or two? If the students are younger, having each present his or her work one at a time can aid in group focus. The easels could also be tabletop-sized to sit on top of the communal work space for discussion.

AT should really do at least one focus on classrooom decorating today. We teachers are trying to make our second homes as homey as possible. We bring in curtains, comfortable furniture, ambiant lighting, non-industrial-looking storage solutions.

I'd love to see a focus on classroom decorating, too!! But do a little research into common restrictions regarding blocking exits, fire retardant materials, and hanging things from ceilings. Our schools here are so strict we can no longer even have a rocking chair in the room for story time unless it meets guidelines.

I agree with making student work the focus. But another simple, easy, cheap thing you and the kids can do is collect left over interior paint from the kids' parents, from CL, from paint stores, etc., take down the ceiling tiles, paint each tile a different colour and then pop them back in and voila - instant Mondrian effect ceiling. You'll be amazed what that alone will do for the room.

PS - rule of thumb when it comes to these things is seek forgiveness, not permission.