apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

paint it with chalkboard paint and let all your friends write on it! embrace the pole!!

one of the solutions that comes to my mind in order to make it invisible is covering all sides, from floor to ceiling, with mirror.

well looking at art and architecture... when ever you want something to go away... that is the time you make more of them, celebrate, or use it to create a focal point/object.

i can not find the artwork now but what i would do:
light each side of the column with a lone bulb then create a second skin around it with the support and anchors connecting back to the column. so it becomes a floating indirect light source.

or do the same thing with repeating various moldings that do not touch the ceiling or floor.


this idea NEEDS a drawing or example and i apologize for not providing one.

I love the charkboard idea. That rocks.

Or, maybe decoupage old maps or funky wrappingpaper onto it? Make it sculptural?

Put pots of soil around it and let vines creep up.

since you have that eating area there you could create a half wall with some built in bookcases that envelop the pole. make more of the pole. a lot of craftsman homes use that pole bookcase element in their entry ways.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm not sure the pillar is the real problem. Try adding a lot more ambient light to the space -- yes, lamps! lamps! lamps! -- and see if the pillar still bothers you. If it does, painting it an accent color may actually make it less annoying.

We have a similar column. I hated it at first, but then we painted the walls in the room a beautiful yellow and did the same with the column. I also hung a decorative plate on the column.

Now the column really feels like more of the room. You just have to embrace and beautify it.

Sequins!

No, I kid...maybe. But you could try wrapping it in twine - it'd add texture and naturalize it. You should then be able to hang small things or use it as a pushpin note column.

if you could bring the furniture right up to it, it wouldn't be just some pole floating in the middle of the room.



if the space permits, i think the idea of making it an extension of a wall is a dang good one...those ikea cube bookcases (expedit? er? i have no idea) would fit up against the column nicely, and create a moveable wall.

if the space does not permit, then i suggest decorating it... i like the idea of a tall lamp, a plant, maybe some photos, light fixture, etc.

overall, "embrace it!" is a good suggestion :)

why not make it look even more pillar or column like - add a capital to it and really dress it up. add another one some where in line with this one to make it look more purposeful.

or since your dinning area is right there, you could use it to make a wall divider and glam up that space by stringing a wire between it and a nearby wall and hang some floor to ceiling curtains from that. if you string two wires and double up the curtains you could put some twinkle lights between the two and make it sparkle-y.

or combine both ideas and make your space really pretty :) good luck! send in after photos!!!

Just get rid of it. That's the best way to make it disappear.

If you have too, see how much a structural steel support would cost (wall to wall support). It's probably not cheap but would certainly solve your problem.

Another idea is to turn the pole into a wall. Add two (2) feet to one of the sides and turn it into a 3 foot wide wall that you can hang art or a mirror on. It can also become hidden storage.

Use your imagination and try the cheap solutions first if you're not sure what you want to do. :)

Try putting up tiny shelves. If you're an avid reader you could make the entire column a bookshelf.

I love the idea of the chalk board that anyone can write on. But I think the idea of embracing it is important. Think of it not as a problem but an opportunity to do something different.

One thing I thought of as an option would be to use each face to start a collection. Or just look around your place for something un-used, under utilized, or cluttered, and use the column to give it purpose. Or, if you have kids, give them paint and have them go crazy. Or have friends come over and go nuts with paint markers or something. Or start it as a quote wall, my friends love writing down crazy things they say.

My first thought was chalkboard, but when I look at it again, I'd think about using as one side of a bookshelf, putting the shelves on the right of it, making a room divider between the dining area and the living area.

Oooh cardboard, thats a great idea, Maxwell posted a 'how to' when they redid their bathroom and wrapped the heating pole in a rope type thing. It looked awesome, and it would really fit with this space.

If there is a power source on it, you could also wrap it in fairy lights and drape a sheer over it, might end up a bit collegy though. Definitely play it up. Its not going away, it has to become a feature.

The pole is annoying and breaking up the view within the apartment. I would look to cover it in things that make me smile when I see them. Whatever you put on pole will seen from everywhere all the time. I would go with small, multiple framed photographs of family, good friends and good times. Those are the things that would make me smile or would at least NOT annoy me as they repeatedly crossed my view.

I think they have your answer on Saturday Night Live!

Mahbul Cahlums!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZcba7CUaCE

I agree with putting an IKEA Expedit bookcase there (to the right of the pillar if you're looking at it from the angle of the photo), and perhaps adding in some small lamps to some of the cubby holes to add light and dimension. You get extra storage as well as a nice way to divide the room, and then the pillar doesn't appear to be in the middle of the space. Plus, you can have some ambient lights (if you buy extension-cord-like dimmers, even better for controlling the light for more mood).

P(2)?

MAHBUL CAHLUMS...best.skit.ever!

I have a square pole too, but not in the center of the floor. It's right next to my desk and kind of boxes off a little office space. I love blackink's idea of lighting such a pole and creating a second skin over it - I can't quite picture that, but I can see where it could be fab. Also, I like the idea of wrapping twine or rope around it, which could create a wonderful, huge scratching post for the feline set.

I've thought about putting some shelves on mine. I've so far settled on ignoring it and putting things right next to it, so it's not lonely, like the desk, a tall floor vase.

These poles are in all or most of the units in my building and I've seen many things that have been done with them, including adding a second one and turning them into roman columns or incorporating it into a wall and/or shelves. I've never seen anything as interesting as lighting it or twining it or turning it into a blackboard.

It really could be your own Mahbul Cahlum! I'll bet there's a stencil or decal kit somewhere that you could use to turn it into your own little Tara. Maybe make one side of it a Doric column, one side a Corinthian, one side Ionic... it could be fun.

See:
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/greek_arch.html

Photos: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=-5232212852197301656&itemdescription=true&itemCount=8&id=12991675&parentid=A_FURN_WALL&sortProperties=%2Bproduct.marketingPriority%2C-product.startDate&navCount=2&_D%3AnavCount= &navAction=poppush&color=00&_DARGS=%2Furban%2Fcatalog%2Fcommon%2Fitemlink.jsp

Candle sconces: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6457366

Mirrors:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=ikea mirrors sorli&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=07030&sabfmts=1&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&fgtp=

Magnetic paint:
http://www.myaimistrue.com/archives/2007/01/magnetic_poster_wall.html

only thing is to incorparate it in a larger wall or larger pole.
the reason why it is so ugly is that now you almost dont see it until you walk straight into it. If it were larger it would appear less of an afterthought...

Suzanne's ideas are awsome!!! Would like to try all of them on my pole.

It likely hides a structural steel pipe column. I have to disagree with Pete. Taking it out and putting in a large beam opens up a large, and possibly multiple cans of worms. You will need an engineer, possibly an architect, lots of money and access to the adjacent spaces, and a contractor. If you rent, this is obviously not an option, and certainly not an easy option if you are part of a condo association.

People have been dealing with unfortunately located columns for eons. Take some of the above mentioned fixes (bookshelves, lighting element, chalkboard -all fun) and just run with it. Even if it takes you several tries to get something you like, all of those will be much cheaper than moving it. And you'll probably learn alot about the space, your furniture, and what you might want to do in other spaces along the way.

Be bold. Have fun.

oh my gosh do something like this - maybe you could just wrap lights around it - i don't know but this is AWESOME

whoops;
http://cgi.ebay.com/TOWER-OF-DESIGNER-SHIMMERING-LIGHTS-IKEA-NEW-WOW_W0QQitemZ220147694662QQihZ012QQcategoryZ29510QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

If you treat it like some kind of column, then you need to find some pieces of wall to repeat the look of it so that it DOES look structural, but it needs to be on the same latitude or longitude, or both.

these comments have been so helpful! i think i'm definitely going to go with a shelf to create the dining area as it's own space... and maybe even jazz up that pole. you were all right that i need to embrace it, i've only been living here four months now so i guess its time me and the pole made up. ;) thanks all!

Where is P(2) to help out with this one? He usually has great ideas.

Personally, I like the mirror idea, or maybe to cover it all with some colorfully patterned ceramic tile.........

Sorry, I was busy "embracing the pole."

throw some d's on that bitch

I once saw a place that solved this by painting the pillar in a cool stone mural. Picture stones painted on it, with a little bit of green leafs to beautify it.