I've lived in some doozies of apartments with the gamut of landlord specials: caked-on paint, leaky steampipes, clanging radiators.
Another feature that was a standard for every single one of them: ugly old light switches. So I learned a trick, and I carried it with me (literally) to each consecutive apartment:
Change out the light switches! At least in the main room of studio apartments, it's a huge improvement to change from a dingy, old, painted-over switch to a fresh, new switch. On moving into my first apartment, I promptly went out and bought a Lutron paddle switch with a dimmer. It was a cinch to install. And I stored the ugly old one away until I moved out. Then, I switched everything back to the way I'd found it, moved to my new place, and promptly installed my switch again.
That switch moved with me to every apartment until I one day purchased a place with my husband. When we changed out all of the electrical in that apartment, my trusty and well-used paddle switch was installed in the bathroom and there it stayed (even after I moved away!). But it served me well over the years and was one simple, inexpensive, yet oft-used upgrade I'd advise anyone to try.
Images: via Seattle Bubble, Lutron DV-603PG-WH
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I would be inclined to install, enjoy and leave it as a parting gift for a new tenant. Too much labour hours spent to replace them again when I leave. They aren't too expensive. But otherwise, yes.
I have a 50's studio and I have replaced the ugly ceiling light fixtures already. I have a feeling the new tenant/landlord will be happy if I leave them behind when I go. and if it means less work for me on moving day, I am happy to leave them as well.
Um, I prefer the old one. Honestly.
My parents once rented a house with faux-brass plate covers featuring bas-relief eagles rising above the switch, and excerpts from The Declaration of Independence engraved on them.
Yes, they swapped them out.
Patriotic Switch Plates. That is a first, hah hah, love it!
Great idea. Thank you for the suggestion!
I didn't change the switches but bought some beautiful porcelain switch plates with pillow edges for one of my apartments. It was just a studio so there were only a few of them but it made a huge difference.
I left them for the next tenant. I also left the shower massager but I really missed it and wished I had taken it with me.
I am on the look out for the perfect switch plates. The only decorative ones I can find tend to be very vintage/ girly and we live in an industrial loft. I'd like something a little more stylish than the basic ones sold at Home Depot (but they work for now).
I'm w/gypsymomma. The 'before' has a nice retro vibe.
I tend to keep my space pretty minimal, but switchplates are one area where anything goes. I'm switching (no pun intended) mine out every few months whenever I find something new and funky to put up, ranging from sports (Chicago bears!) to cutesy or artsy.
Switching out the old shiny gold plates along with repainting the walls was the single biggest and cheapest transformation in our new house. Next up was changing out the old rusted out door handles to nice nickle levers. Then came painting dark doors white and changing out light fixtures. A totally fresh feel to the house for not a lot of $$.
I prefer the one in the "before" photo as well.
While you're at it make sure you have carpet put down to cover up those dingy old hardwood floors, and replace the ancient dirty fireplace with one of those nice ones with a pretend fire in it.
The Original photo is not actually from her apartment. It was sourced for the purpose of this article.. come on people.
She is making a point about replacing ugly (which is of course relative) fixtures.
I have to laugh with tgnwh on this one. The old one picture isn't bad, and the paddle switches aren't everyone's style.
Of course this post isn't suggesting you get rid of a switch you like and put in one you don't. ;) It's a good suggestion if you hate your light switches. Perhaps not the best example of a horrible light switch pictured.
My family had those "brass" eagle plates with a scroll of the D of I on them - back around 1976 when the country was celebrating its bicentennial there was a LOT of that kind of thing going on, decor-wise. Bicentennial wallpaper, switchplates, mailboxes, all kinds of stuff with the marching drummer and fife players......so glad that is behind us!
I totally agree, it is an easy fix, and not very expensive to do.
@fatskinnygirl- You can find amazing switch plates on Etsy. You have to wade through some garbage, but there are some gems to be found in there.
it's the little things that make any apartment feel like your apartment. this is a great idea.
The first thing I did when I moved in was take down all those cheap apartment blinds and put up curtains. Amazing difference!
Check Restoration Hardware or Rejuvenation.com for non-girly switchplates.
When we remodeled our current apartment we changed out the switch-plates and electrical outlet covers and the closet and interior door hardware and knobs.
Our interiors are traditional so we used polished brass in all the main areas. In the kitchen and bath we used brushed nickel. The kitchen and bath plates are an Art Deco style. All came from Lowe's or Home Depot.
I agree with trishdom; it's not that the plate and switch covers are bad from the get-go, it's just that management and cleanup crews are lazy and don't think it's worth their time to remove them before painting.
My last place was a beautiful, 1500 sq. ft 2BR with original hardwood floors and high ceilings, but it infuriated me that they painted over all of the original woodwork, doors, and EVEN THE DOORKNOBS with thick, sloppy white paint.
I've just replaced about a dozen switchplates. Most of them were wallpapered over to match wallpaper in the room (not necessarily on the walls that the switchplates were on). I put chrome ones on instead, which I prefer to the plastic ones. Now I don't see them, which is exactly what I was going for.
I find great old switchplates at thrift stores and yard sales. Sometimes I even pay full price for them. I have a different switchplate in every room, each one chosen as an accent to complement something nearby. Visitors either don't notice, notice and are too polite to point out the mismatch, or notice and tell me how much they like it.
I guess that's just how it goes with decor. You can please some of the people some of the time...
Funny that you mention this - I just moved into a new apt. that with my renter's remorse seems like a real dump. I will not put alot of money into fixing it up, because just two days after the move I cannot wait for the lease to be up. It is a pre-war building and instead of nice switchplates like this photo which I could strip, it has cracked yellowed cheapo plastic.
Also has those brasslook doorknobs except for one nice old faceted one, albeit covered with paint. That one doorknob will get some strip and polish action. I keep looking at it as some small glimmer of hope that I can last 362 more days in this dump...
In some of my rooms, I bought cheap plastic light switch covers from Home Depot (under $1 each) and then I covered them with pretty paper, or fabric or maps or what ever else struck my fancy. (Just glue the covering to the swtich, put a coat of varnish over it, or some modge podge. Voilà!) When you get tired of them, just switch them out again.
You can find nice switch covers at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. My favorite switch cover is a flasher (i.e., the front view of a man holding his trench coat open).
@fatskinnygirl: Home Depot actually has some great industrial light switches and covers. Look at this one: http://is.gd/UjhSxf
Or this one: http://is.gd/lBSK1f
While not found at HD, this would look interesting in an industrial room: http://is.gd/PffhNd
Yep, old ones would stay in my place if they looked like that. The ones I would tend to replace are the newer plastic-y ones.
@ngnerd: I have has the flasher forever! People would come over and go into the bathroom to make sure he was still there. When I redid the bathroom, I moved him to the walk-in closet. Best $3 I ever spent!
@tess3 - I love that idea!! I'm always buying fabric and papers that I don't have projects in mind for, and that is a perfect way to show off some. And super cheap!
I covered my yellowed switch plates with silver contact paper.
really great idea!
When I moved from Toronto to Vancouver my Dad came out and replaced all the light switches in my first (and second!) apartment. I was reminded of my Dad whenever I turned on the lights, which was really nice. Also, since almost nothing else in the apartment had been changed since the 1960s it gave the place a more modern retro-cool feel, instead of seeming like a weird time capsule. The apartment had dark wood panelling in the living room, parquet floors throughout, orange with gold fleck formica countertops, and peopto-bismol pink fixtures in the bathroom. The small modern touch was a great improvement!
Every time I'm in our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, I check the switch plate and outlet covers. I've found some very pretty ones for <$2 each. I'm not very picky about whether all the covers in a room match as long as I like how each looks.
For some reason, in the house we just moved in, some of the light switch plates were miss matched color, some white, some ivory. I sprayed them to match with "hammered metal" finish paint. Looks great, and so far durable finish.
@postagenotes:
For reasons known only to the poster, the 'before' picture was chosen to represent what was originally in the poster's apt.
Whether that was the actual switchcover or not is irrelevant. It is still valid for people to say which one they prefer, between the two images offered.
Spray paint works wonders on switchplates!
Switching out switchplates is cheap and easy. I have aluminum wiring so I wouldn't touch the switches. I prefer them to work.