I have a very serious medical condition. It’s called Icantdecorateforsh*t-itis. Please don’t worry, I know you want to help me and luckily FOR YOU, I think you can.
One of the symptoms of Icantdecorateforsh*t-itis is the inability to decorate a large patio door with anything besides UGLY VERTICAL BLINDS. Help! This will eventually will be a door that we will go in and out of frequently, although right now we don’t actually have a yard. In the mornings we need something that blocks the sun’s blinding fury.
I think my dilemma is obvious. Those blinds SCREAM 1990.
Yet another symptom of this very serious disease, is the utter and complete feeling of being overwhelmed when trying to figure out how to decorate this wall…
Please note the monstrosity that is our television, currently fulfilling the role of “focal point.” I’d like to hang some pictures along the wall next to the TV, but I’m afraid it will look terrible. Also, I wonder if I need some sort of table thing to “anchor” the pictures. How would something like this look? Table? No table?
You can help! For just one comment, you can cure me of Icantdecorateforsh*t-itis.
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I had the pleasure of meeting several great bloggers at the Indianapolis area blogger meet-up this past weekend. I would have written about it yesterday, but my thumb and elbow were too sore from bowling. Have I mentioned how much I love Indiana? Well, I DO.
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One last thing, you can check out my new celebrity buzz column over at Blissfully Domestic (among many other far better columns) every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday!
cake
March 18, 2008 at 10:33 pm
i know that i could help you. but it is hard with just a photo. i need to see the whole space. we have those vertical blinds too. i have a love/hate relationship with them, and since we are renting, i don’t bother to do anything about them. they do have sort of a modernist, sleek sensibility, but i take it that is not the look you are going for?
i like the idea of textiles (a quilt, something woven?) on the big wall, to soften the space. but i think the tv should be elsewhere, if possible. i always want the tv to be positioned in a room so as NOT to be the center of attention. i hate that the TV has become the hearth in our homes. that said, i have rarely managed to find a way around it.
i tagged you. out of curiosity, i guess. you can see details at:
http://whistlingleafblower.blogspot.com/
cake’s last blog post..six word memoir
Deb
March 18, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I think a series of shelves (staggered) along that wall would look great. There’s some cute ones here: http://www.zgallerie.com/pc-4286-25-nairobi-wall-shelves.aspx. I’m thinking all the way across the wall, like a mantle look. I envision them even going past the door that leads into the other room.
And on the shelves, you could rest bright colored artwork (no need to hang, just have them hang art gallery style against the wall). Here’s some: http://www.zgallerie.com/c-41-abstract.aspx
Then intersperse with cool lanterns, mirrors, etc. (on the shelves).
On the floor, to the right of the TV, a funky storage unity thing, like:
http://www.zgallerie.com/pc-4704-61-aberdeen-cabinet.aspx
except not that because it’s 800 million dollars.
On the windows, I’m thinking roman shades (http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/ProductsHOM.aspx?DeptID=28538&CatID=28538&Grptyp=SIZ&ItemId=132770e&cmRef=http://www.jcpenney.com/products/C028538.jsp) in a cool print.
Wow, I got way into that.
I should probably go now…
Deb
Deb’s last blog post..Preschool Follies
andi
March 19, 2008 at 12:00 am
Dude, I have nothing. I’m afraid I suffer from the same debilitating illness – and my house is a third of the size of yours so a wall that size is totally foreign to me.
andi’s last blog post..Crutch
expert
March 19, 2008 at 4:34 am
[...] When I Need Expert Advice, I Consult Mah Peeps on Teh Internetz [...]
Sus
March 19, 2008 at 10:12 am
so there’s not much i know about, but my profession is actually interior design. ! so without seeing any more of your house it is kind-of ridiculous to make suggestions. but for your sliding doors, what about something like panels from ikea? (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/range/10374/10702/) they are mod and can be used in various combinations, and mounted on the walls to either side of the doors so the doors are still functional. You mount them with this rail (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80079363). And the good news is that an Ikea just opened in Cincinnati! Within driving distance! A great road trip.
The wall is tougher, obviously. You need to cut the height or accentuate it. You can cut it by installing crown molding at a regular ceiling height, like 8′ or so, all the way around, and then some big art. Or the best bet would be some built-in shelving, going up to 8′ or so, maybe with the wall color showing behind. You would have to remove the french doors and do this built-in across the whole wall to make it work. Another option, if you don’t have a fireplace already in the room, is to put a gas log in with a real-looking surround that goes all the way up to the ceiling. Then, to the right of the french doors and at the bottom of the stairs, hang something long and vertical like a quilt or panel of awesome fabric, to balance the fireplace height. You would have to mount a flat screen above the fireplace with this option. Or, here’s a great idea: what’s on the other side of the wall? Could you punch a clerestory window out at the top? It’d be really cool. Finally, consider adding faux beams in the room, parallel to the wall in question. It will really bring that celing back to normal proportions.
OR. You could just hire me; I’m about an hour from Indianapolis and v. reasonably priced.
And I bet you’re fun to hang out with. 
(If you want images of some of these options, I could scan them in and send them to you. I keep big binders of room imagery.)
Sus’s last blog post..Hide & Seek
Jeff Gordon
March 19, 2008 at 11:24 am
the internet is great for that.
Amanda
March 19, 2008 at 1:21 pm
My suggestion would be an entertainment center – one of the ones that will slide over or next to the massive tv.
Is there a reason that it’s not centered on the wall? Leaving room for a pathway behind the couch? With the entertainment center, you could fill up the cubbies with misc entertainment equip & such, then put decorative stuff on top so the ceiling doesn’t look so tall.
Lynn
March 19, 2008 at 4:17 pm
From the picture it is kind of hard to tell if it would make a accent wall by painting it a dark color like cranberry or some shade of you favorite. I also the entertainment center idea centered on the wall.
Mrs. Mustard
March 19, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I would help if I could, but I am going to be in your shoes in 4 months and have NO freaken clue what I am going to do, either.
Mrs. Mustard’s last blog post..Hi, my name is Chatters
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