Apartment Decorating: How to Spruce up White Walls

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Apartment Decorating: How to Spruce up White Walls

Staff Writer · Jan 14, 2011

Apartment decorating is a fun way to show off your personal tastes. Sometimes, however, your landlord will prohibit you from painting the walls, meaning that despite a great adécor you are stuck with plain, white walls. Do not despair, though. Even with white walls you can still make your apartment reflect your personal tastes.

Artwork

Crisp white walls make a perfect background for displaying artwork. Whether bright or muted, multiple pieces or a single piece your artwork will pop when placed atop a plain wall. The larger the space, the larger a single painting you can hang. However, do not overlook hanging multiple pieces of artwork, even if not consisting of the exact same colors or theme, as the white background will make help in meshing a mismatched collage of artwork.

Clocks

Wall clocks are another often overlooked item that will easily spruce up a room and look well on a white wall. If the clock face is also white, the materials and numerals of the clock will stand out more, and in turn reduce the brightness of the white wall. Similar to artwork, it is possible to hang more than one clock for an eye-catching display.

Draperies

Drapes do not only need to be hung over a window but may also be hung along a bare wall to add color and create an interesting design element. Attach a longer drapery rod to the corners of a wall and then hang multiple draperies so that the fabric overlaps and bunches in heaps upon the floor. If you are able to sew you can simply use a larger piece of fabric which may be cheaper. The key to this decorative technique is to make the fabric the center of focus. Using too little fabric or not fully covering the walls will make the hangings appear awkward or as though an afterthought.

Colored Light Bulbs

Colored light bulbs aimed towards the white walls will enable you to create colorful walls while abiding by your landlord’s rules. Do not use bright blues or greens, as these colors could easily be reminiscent of a nightclub. Soft yellows or even reds, however, will add a great tint to your walls as well as a comfortable ambiance. Using colored light bulbs, however, will not provide even coloring. For this reason, choose a color that reflects the room’s theme or color scheme.

Bright Furniture

Bright colored furniture and other décor can detract from the starkness of white walls. If you have bright or modern themed furniture, you may actually need white walls so that the room does not become overwhelming. In this instance, white walls may actually work in your favor.

Tall Furniture

The taller the furniture the more wall space will be covered. This means that less white will be visible. Fortunately, tall chests, armoires and headboards are in fashion and readily available. A tall headboard can be fashioned out of plywood or even old doors, if you are handy.

Being unable to paint the walls of your apartment may not be as terrible as you anticipate. By choosing brighter colors or taller furniture white walls may work in your favor.

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