apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Maybe these from 2Jane... Is this your style Alison?

http://decor8.blogspot.com/2006/02/2-jane.html

Holly

go to a print shop and have them print an outdoor scene of your choice on backlight translucent vinyl to the size of the window. So you will have the view you want an light coming in as well. Think "wall mural" in the window. Depending on the image you bring them it can be relaxing or dramatic.

oblivia that is so neat! How much does something like that cost?

Holly

The view out the window over my kitchen sink looks at the side of the home across our shared driveway. The house is painted about 4 different shades of brown and has at least six different types of storm windows, or lack thereof. (visual static for a freak like me) And all of their different white roller shades and plain backsides of curtains are ALWAYS closed in the eleven door or window openings I see. The wood table in back yard is leaning in the ivy with a overturned chair next to it (moved off grass once while mowing?).

After a year and a half, I've accepted the fact that they'll probably never pick up the chair. It doesn't bug them. Wow.

I have placed a mirror on each side of my upper cabinets that surround the sink which allows me to see the view down the driveway and across the street (gorgeous, lots of trees...)

Mirrors - they make my little world at the sink bigger.

Use the Hudson Hotel trick (Hey! I had a Hudson Hotel trick once!!)...

Between a sheer simple hanging panel (as Maxwell proposes) but in front of the window itself, install uplights (on a dimmer). I'd also frost the window glass.

Ooooo I like that Patrick. Why is this called the Hudson Hotel trick? Enlight a Bostonian, will ya?

Holly

Hey Holly,

For the most part, the windows in the hotel are all behind the beds. They use an uplight behind translucent curtains & it actually makes the room glow because the curtains carry the light. It's a cool effect. I see me doing that with Color Kinetics :)

The Hudson Bar is amazing too.

wow, what a great idea from p2.

Oblivia, great idea. How do you attach the vinyl to the window?

You also could put some self-stick clear vinyl faux stained glass on the window.

OR... (and this is KIND of like the window-box of flowers thing), put a window box and fill it with ivy, and then (if you're REALLY close to that brick wall that you look out on) train the ivy to climb that brick wall, so you're looking out on green!

I really like that backlighted landscape thing, though.

Holly--
Um, which "Hudson Hotel trick" were you refering to?
If in regards to the lighting, it's because the idea is used in NYC Starck-designed Hudson Hotel, as you may have already surmised from Joey's post.

The other cool part (and as a neighbor to the Hudson Hotel), it makes all the rooms look very cool and consistent and Edward Hopper-ish/Gotham City from the outside. It also creates privacy inside at night, since the "light curtain" prevents seeing in with my binocu-- er, um, nevermind.

If NOT in regards to the lighting... I never got his name (I just REALLY wanted to see the inside of a room. Yeah, that's it.)

Yes the lighting. Thanks for answering my questions Patrick and Joey. :)

I know Joey is up here in Boston, where are you based Patrick? I see you posting all over the place, you add a lot of spice to the boards – love your posts.

Holly

i live on the roof of an apartment building and my southern exposure view is of the back of the cornice ten feet away. i had roller blinds made of mesh white vinyl that admits some light and clouds the view. it's great because there is some depth perception but that wall doesn't look as ugly. i had frosted panels on the windows previously but i felt that i was living in a light box.those roller blinds can be made to order at terrance conran in different degrees of transparency.

Paint a mural on the wall next door...too far to reach? try a paintball gun, pointalism ;)

Most of the windows in my new apartment look out on air shafts. I have an idea I plan to experiment with, but I will let you in on it in advance. I will put a planter box outside the window, but insteads of flowers, I want to place large bambo stalks that are taller than the window, and secure them with a bar or wire at the top, so they don't fall over. Then I will get a sun lamp and place it out in the airshaft, above and behind the bambo, so that it gives the impression of light streaming down from through the bamboo stalks. That is my plan. I have a few more months of renovation to go before I get into cosmetic niceties like this, but I'll try to remember to post back here if I pull it off well. -cheers

Give yourself the view you want:
http://www.etchedclingdecals.com/windowviews.htm

Fill your room with colorful light, and give others the same treat when YOU turn on YOUR lights and they look upon YOUR window:
http://www.artscape-inc.com/

Add more scenery in your home to make up for the lack of window scenery (check the SIZES of these):
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15573&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=47542&langId=-1&parentCats=15573*15705*15708

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15573&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=52062&langId=-1&parentCats=15573*15705*15708

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15573&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=53201&langId=-1&parentCats=15573*15705*15708

You can even get yourself a new window with a view:
http://www.affordableviews.net/

It will take me awhile to find it, and I have to go feed the beasties (cats, raccoons, skunks, possums, ravens) and desperately need coffee (oh yeah, and I didn't eat yesterday or today, so some kind of food is in order), but there's a great picture in one of the contest photos too. I'll have to go through them all. LOL!

But I will find it! And you might like it!

Andree

everyone already mentioned the frost glass idea. then hung stained glass panels on the upper portion of the window. happy with the light and colors in the winter.

click my name our kitchen window pic.

Okay, I went through ALL the "west" apartments, and halfway up the "east" apartments to find the picture:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/031006/small-cool-2006-entries/13-jane-darkos-cozy-thicket-007003

And if I'd had half a brain, I'd have glanced at all the titles first, as the "thicket" would have cued me.

Jane says "the closets are Ikea Pax closets, and we had the mural wallpaper made from a photo we took upstate. we used this one: www.gallerystreet.com but there are many places that do it."

There are lots of ready-made photo wallpaper murals that could be used on the PAX too:
http://store.yahoo.com/wallpapers/ilphphvo1.html

They have murals for DOORS starting on page 10.

You can add a wallpaper fireplace:
http://www.usawallpaper.com/fireplacemural.html

There's wallpaper for everything. Give the illusion of more furniture via wallpaper furniture:
http://www.usawallpaper.com/furnituremural.html

Put up the grandfather clock mural and hang a wall clock up there, LOL:
http://www.usawallpaper.com/grclacwamu.html

I got carried away again, LOL

Andree

Oh yeah, about the Artscape window clings...I meant to mention a story about a couple who did the stained glass look on their home. It was quite close to the street, and they always felt like they were "on display" in their living room. Pulling the blinds or drapes only made for a dark room.

I suggested they try the Artscape, and they did their whole front window area. Not only were they pleased with how it looked from the INSIDE during the day...

But the night they installed the window cling, they turned on all their lights in the living room and stood around outside their own home staring at their own windows.

Apparently they were outside more than a few minutes and the lady wondered if the neighbors thought they'd gone insane.

I wonder if they started a trend on their street with the stained glass window panels. They certainly do look "real" if installed over clean window area (don't try doing it on top of cat hair, as I found out).

I can just SEE buildings close to each other, and all the windows having one version or another of the stained glass cling in them, glowing from within on a cool night. Oh, it would be sooo beautiful.

And now for something completely different...

Instant Ice Cream

Frozen blueberries
Heavy Whipping Cream
Honey

Put berries in little bowl, while frozen.
Pour cream over berries.
Drizzle honey on berries.

By the time you've pulled out a spoon, the cream has frozen to the berries and frozen them together, with some non-frozen areas remaining. Like a big hunk of berries.

Oh, it's soooo goood.

Indulge.

Little Sarah mentioned stained glass, here's an affordable place with many sizes and styles:
http://www.homedecorators.com/Home_Decor/Wall_Decor/Art_Glass_Windows/

Andree recommend 'home decorators' had an easy transaction online. panels came quickly and packed wonderfully. would buy from again.

I put up an ArtSpace window cling in my kitchen to give me some privacy and expected it to be a crummy temporary fix- but it's going on 3 years now and I quite like it. It was easy to install, has held up well, and makes my window look like leaded glass. I purchased it Lowe's or Home Depot for $20.

Here's how I handled the very same problem...except I had 3 windows to contend with.
I bought a poster of Sydney Australia (my wife's hometown), I divided the poster into thirds, blew up the posters and had them mounted on clear plastic panels. Now I have a great view on the first floor...but I also have a homesick wife.
If this sounds like a solution I can send JPEGs and details.

Silli, that would be the ArtScape, at Home Depot. The ArtScape is in a roll, and you have to look for and find the display. They have some other window cling type stuff, that is maybe four times as expensive that is easier to find. Hmm, I wonder why? Don't be fooled. You don't need the really expensive stuff. That ArtScape stuff really DOES look like stained glass.

thanks for all the ideas, guys!