Name: sklose
Location: Sunnyside, NY
Time: A few weeks of thinking about designs, roughly two hours to actually do it
Cost: $1.07 for a three-pack of electrical tape at my neighborhood 99c store
Don't all talk at once, but this entry is bound to provoke some comments. The simplicity and the powerful effect are not to be denied, but neither is the questionable attractiveness of electrical tape. We love it. Head below the jump for all her pics, tools, and instructions and VOTING...
Tell us the tools and resources you used for the project:
black electrical tape
tape measure
scrap paper + pen for notes
pencil for marking wall
rudimentary algebra skills
Share step by step instructions for how you completed the project:
1. Rejected the idea of actually painting on the wall in case I choose not to renew my lease in May.
2. Came to terms with the fact that the spun-sugar Baroque confection I had originally envisioned would be too difficult to create in black electrical tape.
3. Came up with simplified, yet pleasing, design.
4. Measured width of room and width of bed.
5. Subtracted bed width (62") from room width (134") and divided the remaining amount (72") by two (36").
6. Measured 36" from side walls and marked for sides of headboard.
7. Realized that calculating for the interior posts would be much, much easier if I were dealing with 60" instead of 62".
8. Moved marks for sides in one inch on each side.
9. Applied tape at each side to 52" from ground ("outer posts").
10. Measured 32" up from the ground at each side. Applied tape across ("lower edge").
11. Marked halfway point (30") and applied tape 26" from lower edge. (See progress photo.)
12. Moving out from the center, applied tape every 5" with heights of 25", 24", 23", 22" and 21", with the outer posts measuring 20" from lower edge.
13. Ran tape across tops of posts, stretching and smoothing to create a slight curve.
14. Cast critical eye upon it. Tweaked some spots.
15. Poured a glass of wine. Toasted self.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I LOVE this!!! To me, it's the epitome of DIY -- cheap, quick, and clever. I'm sure it's not a permanent, or even longterm solution, but it's a very witty way of solving the 'problem' right now. Brilliant! Maybe I like it so much because it reminds me of our bedroom, which was featured on AT a year ago [and which has since been redone]:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/post-your-baby/readers-art-mayas-paper-quilt-017180
Anyway, bravo!
view visualingual's profile
Cheeky - and I mean that in a good way. Deliberately and spiritedly low tech. Nice job getting the curved effect at the top. enjoy!
view KarenH's profile
It's so witty. Humble materials are only bad if we're really truly supposed to believe they're something else. A visual design joke is never tacky.
view Lisa Hunter's profile
lol
view SD913's profile
my first thought was "why is the headboard so high and the bed so low?" i suppose kudos for figuring out a cheaper version of blik or ferm, but i would have started the vertical bars at the levels of the mattress. Maybe add some sham pillows for height.
view cantabrigian1's profile
Total tromp l'oiel (or however that's spelled). What a delight! Kudos!
view Robin(happilyever)'s profile
I love it - clever and totally renter fabulous. Which is the spirit that led to this site's creation in the first place, if I'm not wrong. Plus, the write up was adorable.
view tequila red's profile
I did something like that recently - covered an entire wall of overlapping rectangles in different sizes with electrical tape (something like this: http://public.fotki.com/scrills/my_house/inspiration/01_afte.html). Because I couldn't paint, the wall was white with colored rectangles, which wasn't as cool...but it was still much better than a blank wall :-)
The headboard looks cool!
view kittyj's profile
Silly and Fun and Classic and Unexpected! Love it!
view I Love Upstate's profile
wow!
view design milk's profile
Simple and clever--one of my most favorite combinations!
I keep thinking your lamps are "arted in," as well!
view OneWallKitchen's profile
I love it!
view Christine (the one in DC)'s profile
Smart, fun, super cheap. Well done!
view otis's profile
I'm laughing with delight! From the photograph, I had no idea this wasn't a metal headboard until I read it through. Clever. It won't need dusting, either.
Wouldn't work nearly so well for a chair ;-D
view Aldyth's profile
love it :-)
view AndreaU's profile
That is just superb!
view Aggie927's profile
i love this! it makes me wish i didn't have a headboard so i could try the same thing. so cute and funny.
view lemonpie's profile
Ironic and whimsical. Love it!
view sembe's profile
Definitely cheeky and fun. I love the duvet cover, too.
view swerve's profile
it really took a few weeks to come up with this design...really?
view bgball's profile
should get some goldish electrical tape and add in some handcuffs off one of the bars...
:)
view I Love Upstate's profile
the handcuff comment is hilarious.
I think I love this in the picture, I'm not sure I'd love it in person. You know?
view st@cy's profile
The headboard is wonderful. Also like the duvet cover. Could you let me know where you got it?
Thanks.
view BHW's profile