Duct tape was invented during WWII, a solve-all product that was strong, flexible and waterproof. It may have utilitarian roots, designed to fix things in a pinch, but the sticky stuff now comes in every color of the rainbow, not to mention patterns from camo to cheetah.
When a client recently asked me to think up some fun DIY projects featuring duct tape, I turned to Google. The amount of blog space devoted to duct tape is astounding. What really piqued my interest were the many ways people had applied it in interiors, from a simple cover-up for ugly tile as described in this Apartment Therapy post to brazenly livening up floors, walls and furniture.
1. Glasgow-based artist Jim Lambie designed this dazzling floor found in the Gramercy apartment of Nyehaus Gallery's Tim Nye.
2. Yellow taped furniture takes on wild and weird shapes in the hands of artist Anon Pairot.
3. A duct-taped chair in classic silver.
4. An outdoor art installation in Brooklyn from artist Aakash Nihalan.
5. An installation from Slade Architecture. The furniture was rescued from street corners and dumpsters around Manhattan and given new life with bold stripes of duct tape.
It’s so fun in theory, but I wonder how long it lasts before duct tape’s grimy edges start to turn the look tacky. Have you used duct tape creatively in your home? Tell us the deets!
Images: 1. NY Mag, 2. via I Heart Sticky Tape, 3. Maxim, 4. via Heart and Design, 5. Slade Architecture
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My sister is a duct tape artist and uses it as her artistic medium. But instead of wrapping things with duct tape, she uses it more in a collage style, cutting images, landscapes, signs, etc. out of the duct tape. It's some amazing stuff that she does.
Forget the duct tape. Who makes that sectional?
one of my Bridemaids made her bustier out of black duck tape...it was pretty fantastic!
@ redbeard: my first thought exactly!
the tape is nice but that sectional is da bomb. :)
Duct tape reminds me of the duct tape-covered suits guys would show up to theme parties in during grad school. The height of sophistication...
Yep I have used silver duct tape on the floor to hold down some vinyl industrial flooring. It does get grimy and gross and needs to be replaced after maybe 6 months. It is only one strip along four sides of the mat so it isn't hard or expensive to replace but I normally don't replace it right away so it looks bad for a few months until I get around to it.
Love duct tape! And btw it's spelt Aakash Nihalani.
blah, blah, blah, blah... What about the sectional? :o)
Duct tape IS extremely useful, fun and a DIY must have. But 'Design on a Dime'? Not when covering an entire floor. DIY does not always equal inexpensive.
And that sectional rocks.
I think I am the only person who isn't in love with duct tape and its uses. I find it unattractive, even in various colors, and it would be expensive to do a rug like this. Not to mention the eventual clean up. Yuck.
Meh. Yeah, my middle school students are all into making purses and flowers out of duct tape, but... it's cute and trendy and feels eighth grade to me.
And honestly - what's under that floor? Won't the sticky residue ruin the underneath? I guess if you're duct-taping your floor, maybe you've just got ugly vinyl or something.
I like all this, especially the little chair with cute feet. The yellow chairs look like carved butter.
I don't know that I'd call duct tape "fun" but I find it fascinating that other people think so.
the sectional looks similar to one from gus modern (the carter), but reconfigured (3-up) without the chaise and back pillows.
@kyliecooney: no... you're not alone.
cannot imagine sitting on a duct tape covered chair would be comfortable in summer.
"1. Glasgow-based artist Jim Lambie designed this dazzling floor found in the Gramercy apartment of Nyehaus Gallery's Tim Nye. "
The link says that it is vinyl tape (i.e. electrical tape) not duct tape at all. This wouldn't leave a sticky residue, and would be smooth, unlike duct tape. The price would add up, but if you buy tape in bulk you're not talking about a fortune to cover the floor. Much less than most rugs! (Trust me, as a scientist, I use a lot of both duct tape and electrical tape. I doubt the people complaining about costs buy the volumes I do).
Thanks for clarifying the difference, Minouette! My man is a scientist and I have been known to steal -- er, borrow -- vinyl tape from his lab. I use it for a million different things.
I hate duct tape. Save it for ducts.
I love the LOOK of that floor, and with electrical tape and a fairly thick sealer, maybe could live with it. Better in paint or a woven maze rug, though.
But DUCT tape is thick and soft and has sticky edges that would be disgusting in minutes. (Especially with furry pets!) Might work for a temporary art installation, but not in a real living situation, except maybe for ten year old boys. Maybe.
Isn´t it nessessary to seal the surface of these vinyl floors with something? Imagine Kids trying to peel it or in a museeum thousands of people during one year walking on it, I can´t imagine, that this lasts long.