Cheap Paintings

Apartment, non-perm, cheap decor ideas?

Kitchen and livingroom. Can't paint or anything perm. They're both pretty small and only seperated by the kitchen counter which is about 3 to 4 feet high and about 5 to 6 feet long. The living room has darkish blue carpet and white and grey walls. (grey panneling). It has two windows right next each other and the door is bland grey. I have very little furniture, but what I do have I can't really get rid of. I have a huge bookcase that is dark wood. I have a chest of drawers type thing (I may move this out to another room unless I can think of something creative to do with it) and it is slightly lighter wood. kind of old looking. I have a small roll-top desk that is a light wood also. The kitchen has light grey/white lenolium for the flooring. The counter is white. The cabinets are a medium dark yellowish orangeish wood. (I'm not good with wood types.) How can I cheaply pull all of this together? Color schemes? Can't paint bookcase. Pictures/details appreciaetd!

Public Comments

1. There are usually very good , inexpensive decorating books available written especially for apartments. Don't get a book that is mostly for houses with a small section on apartments. Get a dedicated one. They will give you some really cool ideas, and include before and after pictures. These apartment deco books are large, totally full of full-color pictures , and are usually written for the budget and temporary-minded. Best of all, these books are usually really cheap. Look in a bargain bookstore first.
2. You might try brightening it up a bit with different fabric treatments! I had an apartment about a year ago that was temporary and using roughly the same colors you are describing and I went to a wholesale fabric shop and bought enough fabric to cover one of the shorter walls beneath my bar (kitchen counter seperating the living room/dining room/kitchen). I attached it with sticky velcro strips so that it could be removed easily and no one was the wiser! It looked great because it was a small enough area that it wasn't overwhelming and it helped to seperate the rooms a little more distinctively and it was inexpensive! I also used some of the same fabric to create throw pillows for the living room and towel accents for the kitchen towels as well as napkin holders for the dining room area to tie it all together. Easy and fun!
3. I have lived in some tiny temporary places with mis-matched furniture. The thing that I have done that has always had an absolutely HUGE impact in making everything come together and look alive and cozy is to incorporate as many plants as possible! The bigger, the better! You would not believe what a difference this makes. Try it! You wont believe your eyes!!
4. The key here is to add simply-designed and functional items in light colors and silhouettes to make the rooms seem larger and brighter yet uncluttered. I suggest a general color scheme of yellow and white to add to the blue and gray. Sheer white curtains. A group of simple, framed black and white prints on the wall e.g. ink drawings. I don’t know what color your couch is, but you can add white or lemon yellow linen throw pillows. A funky yellow bean bag chair. A big mirror on the wall above your chest of drawers. On top of your chest of drawers or on other tabletops you can place lamps with a white shade, a set of elegant low candle holders, a sunflower-themed ceramic decor, or plants. For your kitchen, blue and/or yellow cups and saucers, fruit and serving bowls made of light wood; trivets, place mats, or serving trays made of bamboo. Light yellow kitchen towels and curtains. If your kitchen has a window you can place on the sill small potted herbs that are both decorative and useful for cooking. Have fun decorating!