apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

it might be nice to go either a soft dove grey or a light sorta peachy golden melon color (though that's a hard shade to do without making your place look like a palm springs waiting room). though an icy blue would also be lovely.

a note about landlords and acceptable painting:

as long as you don't paint it red or black or another equally dark, saturated color, you should be fine. also, stay away from high-contrast murals.

and if all else fails and your heart is set on crimson or one of Curtis' projects, check and see if it would be ok as long as you agreed to paint over it yourself before you leave. there's a great primer called Killz which will cover anything in one or two coats. landlords don't like dealing with it because it's slightly more complicated than the usual slapped on coat of cheap-o white (and relatively noxious), but if you're willing to do it yourself, they might relent. 'specially if you're renting from an individual rather than a big soulless management corporation.

Wow! My bedspread is almost exactly the same color!

I actually chose to just go with the green and painted my walls in a more vivid shade that still went with the bedspread, then added several white accent pieces (including painting my headboard white). Because of the white I think the end result didn't end up too green, or at least it looks like it was on purpose ;-).

Another alternative I had seriously considered, however, was lavendar. It's a color scheme I first saw at M on the Bund in Shanghai, and I actually took one of their cards as inspiration (I got the bedspread on the same trip). It would be similar in feeling to the dove grey mentioned above but a bit more girly.

I'd go with one of the pinkish-orangish-goldish colors in the bedspread, at least on the wall behind the bed (maybe icy blue or sage on the other walls?).

Why? Because a cool color is going to make that nightstand "pop," and unless you're very eclectic, it doesn't look as if it's the piece that best expresses your style. A warmer color that's still implicated in the bedspread will blend the wood into the room, so that your art takes center stage.

Many landlords are willing to let you paint if you agree to repaint yourself, even offering to sign something to that effect. 'Tis true, they don't want to deal with repainting anything other than one sloppy coat of dull white.

Some suggestions that have worked for me and others: 1. In your case, perhaps a blue that matches the intensity of the sage, say, a nice smokey light blue on the walls. 2. If you really can't paint color, try a clean white and hang a huge canvas or two of another solid color, perhaps the blue, on one wall, and a huge mirro on the other. 3. This is where folding screens with color do nicely. 4. Consider painting that nightstand and other furniture you have and get your color from there, or paint it very light or very dark to ground the room. 5. If you go the route of blue, you could put a small blue throw across the bottom of the bed to tie it all in (that wonderful rule of a color 3 times really works).

It will be interesting to see where you go with this.

I second the lavender suggestion. In think that would go very well with the sage tones in the bed spread and would provide that slight warmth that the room needs. It would also pick up existing accents from the throw pillows on your bed.

I am thinking of a lavendar shade with a dusty grey undertone to it. Like

For colour I like the dove grey and icy blue ideas.

For a headboard, there are lots of things that work as long as they are the right width or can be cut down:
- a portion of a screen
- an old door
- plywood panels covered in thin foam and fabric
- a stained glass window

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/256/3262/1600/bedroom.0.jpg

Paint any color you want.

If you're willing to paint twice.

Seriously. As long as you are willing to re-paint yourself when you leave then you can paint any color you want and not worry about it.

That's what I did in my last place. I also dis "un-approved" things like installing shelving and wall fixtures with molly bolts, and drapeery systems that "damaged" the walls.

I painted the walls dark rich colors.

When I moved out, I spackled, textured, primed, and painted the walls with the special paint color the complex manager told me to buy.

It needed one more coat after I finished but the manager said don't worry since they don't charge for one coat, and I got almost all my deposit back.

For the spackle, texture spray (Home Depot has something called "orange peel texture" - practive on a spare piece of drywall first!), primer & paint I spent a little over a hundred bucks, but according to the checklist and schedule of charges, it would have cost me a lot more to not have done it so it was no big deal in the end.

Enjoy...Good Luck!

Oh - my personal favorite for paint is Behr - not only because it covers well but their web site has a cool simulator tool that you can sort of see what a room would look like in your colors. Sure beats trying to do it in Photoshop.

One last thing - if you use red, use a coat of tinted primer first (just have the paint store add the red coloring to some cans of primer). It'll save you money and work.

I say a nice Tibetan/yoga pink, that sort of sandy pink.

This reminds me of a question I've had regarding spackle. Years ago, I tried installing this Ikea shelves and I made some ugly holes in the wall. (I've been at this place for several years now, and only now that I'm a more responsible adult do I realize I never should have added shelves to begin with.)

What is the best spackle to use in a case like this?

I agree with Jackie about a blue that matches the intensity of your sage green bedspread.

And Keith dead-on about the willingness paint as you leave, because it's so sad how many renters are intimidated by that the idea of paint, but really smart landlords know that people tend to want to stay longer in spaces they enjoy.

Carlos -

Spackle is spackle...

I forget the brand I used, it was part of a "patch kit" at Home Depot that came with a putty knife etc. It was a blue label if that helps. It's really cheap, $3 or $4 for almost a quart of the stuff. Just sand the area around the hole lightly before you start, and then sand the spackle when you're done so it'd even with the wall and smooth. Then primer it before you paint because the spackle will absorb paint differntly then the drywall. Once you primer it then you'll be fine to paint over it.

That said - stay away from the kind that says it "changes color to show it's dry". It sounds like a neat idea, but it has toxic fumes and you don't really want to be messing with it or have it near your pets or kids either.

Oh and "responsible adult" doesn't mean "don't put up shelves".

It means "be willing to repair the holes you make". ;->

Curtis - yeah, some of my friends thought I was nuts, I mean I replaced light fixtures and stuff too. But everybody that saw the place was pretty blown away and said it should be a model unit so it was worth it to me. When I bought my condo the fixtures of course went with me. :->

And now I have the same problem of "what color do I paint" since the place has very high (30 feet) ceilings and odd angles. I'm even thinking of hiring a designer this time...

I think a nice pale yellow would look great against the sage.

I painted my bedroom bright tibetan blue in one apartment. I loved it, and my landlord had no right to say anything since I had gutted the apartment before I moved in removing a thick green slime from the kitchen walls, wall to wall crimson carpet that was so rotted and foul that we could barely get it out. It was revolting. Three layers of linoleum under that and I refinished the wood floors. I was absolutely going to paint the walls whatever color I felt like painting them. After I moved, I met the new tenants a few months later and the showed me the bedroom. They had painted it themselves over the super's two coats and you could *still* see the blue shining through.

A long story to get to a simple point: don't assume that you'll be able to cover just anything without some fancy primer. The other thing I had a hard time with is that I had hung a lot of stuff with that blue tack stuff and it made grease spots on the wall. I was trying to be good to my walls, after all the pulling of nails and spackling I'd done before I painted.

I am shocked at myself because I'm not much of a pink person, but I think that a shade of pink could be really nice with that bedspread. Consider painting only one wall, too.

Thanks for the spackle info, Keith! And I'm glad I read all of these comments... I was talking with my gf about painting the walls red (yikes) to match the furniture color scheme. Maybe I'll stick to a light blue now.

amanda -- that's why you paint a coat or two of Killz over your supersaturated bright colors when you leave.

otherwise it's really not fair to the new tenants who still have to deal with somebody else's color choice and should not have to pay to fix it themselves. as you should know, having done all that work on the place.

There are really smart landlords?

All these comments are fascinating. And the advice is good.

For those of us who rent, let's remember that this doesn't mean we are destined to live in boredom. Your landlord cares about whether you pay your rent, don't annoy people, and don't detract from the value of their property. You'd be amazed at how smart improvements make a landlord happy and how easy it really is to communicate your intent to a landlord. Most of them feel that the less they have to do to make you happy, the better off they are. If painting makes you happy and you will return the apt. to its original condition, then do it. Paint can be painted over. Holes can be filled. And don't listen to the friends who tell you not to invest in a rental. You should do what makes you happy as long as you think with clarity. If a red closet and a blue living room makes you blissful, why not do it? Better you live with bliss than not live well. It is, afterall, your home. Be brave. Think big. Be happy.

Just be prepared to be accountable and live up to your promise to repaint, if you must, and then call it a day. Who knows? You might make your landlord happy.

RE: Spackling

The key to successful spackling is to spackle as small an area as you can. Fold that sand paper small and wield it lightly! If it's a typical rental, the walls are already lumpy with old repair jobs. Your spackle job will create a smooth spot that reflects light differently than the rest of the wall. If it's small, your eye will glide right over it. It's not as much of a problem if your painting the whole wall, but if you're doing a spot repair, try to keep your patch to just the size of the hole. Oh - and test your cover paint in a dark corner before you dab it on a hole at eye level. It's amazing how many shades of "flat boring white" there are.

try Berh's (available at Home Depot) color called Lion. We put it in our rental, it's great and very easy to paint over. In our space it's sort of a warm green tan (neutral) during the day and then turns into a really nice pale green (not sage) at night. Very dramatic color change from natural to artificial light, but looks great in all variations, and goes with everything. I think it would look great in this room.

Not sure about wall color (although maybe a lighter version of a true taupe?), but hang the painting above the bed and it will help to anchor the bed without a headboard.

A person who frequents this site gave me the very, very best recommendation a while ago.

Benjamin Moore "Coastal Fog" (or its lighter version, "Tapestry Beige") are fabulous for New York City because they hide the ikcy dirty color that seems to appear in most places. (Indeed, these colors are lovely, but similar to the color of NYC dirt.)

Additionally, I looked at these against a variety of greens, including sage, and the combination is fabulous and completely soothing.

I highly, highly recommend these colors: they will wear beautifully, vary with the light, and generally serve as a great backdrop for almost any color scheme.

The "Tapestry Beige" is close enough to a white that your landlord may not even notice. Yet he/she will be thrilled with the cleanliness of the walls.

Hi Folks-

Given all the answers to the question above, what is the best way to take a dark room (ox red paint) back to a light color (light silver)?

Appreciate any/all ideas.

cotton candy pink with hint of gold or bronze....

Marnie -- two coats of Killz primer and a couple coats of the chosen light silver should do it.

Killz will cover anything. I once made a huge black, white, and neon pink mural disappear in only two coats.