apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I can't answer either way. I think they're Not hot if bought from a store that sells them in bulk, but Hot if it's a picture you (or a friend) took that you love -- although I suppose that's more expensive than $200, eh?

looks very "urban outfitters" to me.

The concept is cool, but the photos shown are not. I'm seriously hatin' the "dumpster in the living room" aesthetic.

I have NEVER liked these. They feel way too commerical for me...like you're sitting in a Starbucks instead of in your house. Check me off for the "NOT" category.

I suppose if this was done in some cool, clever way - it might work for me. But in most traditional homes? No- not going to work.

just what i want the wall in my living room to look like, an alley way complete with dumpster or a street with a dive bar (although a bar in the living room isn't a horrible idea...)

i voted before I knew it was urban outfitters. I thought you sent in a picture and some one blew it up for you.
That would be cool.
can I take back my vote?

The colors are so blah! I don't particularly like the dumpster image, but I'd want that green to pop, and the bar photo should make a room feel noir-ish and mysterious. Instead, these look really washed out.

I'm sure there's a way to do something like this with your own photo without completely breaking the bank [something like the Rasterbator?]. That could be interesting, maybe.

I'm with darcidoodle. Concept = Hot, these photos = Not.

My new condo has some giant walls so I'm actually considering going with something like this. I found one I liked at Ikea over the weekend...

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20114901

And I also remember that UO used to have two really nice, color, NYC and Paris skyline wall murals but it looks like they don't carry them anymore.

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/manhattan-lights-wall-mural-online-only

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/paris-lights-wall-mural--urbanoutfitters.com

Totally agree with the starbucks comment! I think it could be cool if it is done with original photography that has some meaning to you, but other than that...

I voted Not because I don't like these particular murals, regardless of where they came from. Who wants a giant photo of a dumpster on the wall? But a mural of a landscape or a beautiful photo that means something to you would be very cool. Like that site Rasterbator.

i agree that if personalized, it could be cool.

there's an online tool called rasterbator that accomplishes a similar feat, though it takes some work to get it looking super professional. it also (depending on the settings) generates an output that appears "low-rez"--rasterized into dots like newsprint. this can be a very cool effect, but might not be what you're looking for.

basically, it takes any image (color or black and white), and outputs a multipage pdf document so you can print out the arbitrarily large blow-up on regular printer paper. thus, there's a lot of work involved in mounting the paper to your walls, and there are seams. but if you trimmed carefully and applied a lacquer, it could look quite slick.

i can't lacquer in my rental, so i just went the cheap route and literally taped the pages to my wall. i was using a very simple black & white image in my kitchen, but people do photos too.

I think this works for an apartment with younger occupants or in a teenagers room.

I def like the idea of using original photography for this project.

if done right, it's cool. the photo is key. i don't like the two used - i'd do something more abstract, graphic - not really city scenes or definitely not a landscape (ugh).

Depends on the photo - those pictured here from UrbanOutfitters pretty much suck.

Original photography or even a map of the world is a much better idea.

In the 80s I used to go to a vegetarian restaurant run by 7th Day Adventists in Manhattan. The restaurant was pretty much a cave with fluorescent lights and at the end of the room was a photo mural of a redwood forest. I guess the idea was to make the room more peaceful, but using some nicer lighting and some decent furniture would have done a lot more in that direction.

I think putting some actual thought and creativity into a room instead of shortcutting with a bad image is a much better idea.

Not in the living room, but the dumpster or record hunting ones would make the coolest pre-teen/teenager bedroom ever!

cool concept, wrong pictures. does anybody know where the chair is from? looks like room and board, but i'm not sure.

The subject matter is quite ironic. Why would you want to live with a giant picture INSIDE your home that depicts an environment you would NEVER want to have just OUTSIDE your home?

I believe the chair is from UO, too.

le_sacre - Is that a George Crumb score on your wall?! I had wanted to frame large prints from the more adventurous Makrokosmos II scores, but never thought of taking them that large. Great idea!

Jes, i heart you so much for recognizing the Crumb piece. soooo much. you have no idea.

it's the "dance of the sacred life cycle", from ancient voices of children. that was my first attempt. the larger one covering the door is the prelude from Bach's 5th solo cello suite.

Seems very My First Off-Campus Apartment(tm) to me.

I would only like them if they were actual artwork..... not some stock photo crap!

As others have said - the concept is hot. These particular photos? Not so much.

In the right room... I like, but perhaps not the dumpster.

Just blogged this at Living Small; I'm a fan, especially if they are used in a small space. Maybe not a dumpster, sure, but an outdoor scene can lend a bit of tongue-in-cheek '70s cachet to any room.