Friday, March 5, 2010

It's The Little Things

As most of you probably know, I rent my house. At the time we moved here Lem didn't have a job so qualifying for buying a house was impossible, plus getting settled quickly so the kids could start school was imperative.

I've rented for most of my life, with a brief stint in there as a home owner for all of 4 months before my divorce. Renting, for the most part, sucks. You're putting money into something into which you aren't building equity, you still have to mow the lawn and most times pets aren't allowed (we have a cat, for which we pay extra).

The worst part of renting, in my opinion, is that it's not YOURS. You can't really do a bunch of modifications, or decorating like repainting or hanging a million picture frames without having to later go back and fill and repaint all that stuff when eventually you move out, or lose your security deposit plus some. I hate white walls. Really. Our walls here are an off-white, I'd even go as far as saying eggshell or ecru but they're still rental unit BLAH. And since we're hoping to move before the next school year into a "real" house, it's not really worth the time and effort to try to find ways to personalize it that much.

However..

The master bathroom has a nice window in it that is RIGHT above the garden tub. It wasn't tinted or block glass or anything else that would block view in or out. Granted, we never use the tub (it has a separate shower), and it's on the second floor, but even so something HAD to be done to make it so it felt more private. Viola! I found a vinyl application you can buy, sort of like the colorforms toy where it sticks to other plastic or glass without adhesive. I splurged on the $25 it cost, and it was well worth it:



The cross bars were already in the window as some lame design element so I couldn't remove them, but overall I don't think they detract from it too much. It actually feels kinda textured and bumpy where the design is (almost like real stained-glass would feel).

It's not much, but every time I go into the bathroom I see it, and it's a bright splash of color in an otherwise drab rental and it makes me happy. Remember you don't have to spend lots of money, or do major changes to make a place feel a little more homey and special.

2 comments:

  1. Reminds me of the upstairs bathroom window in the house in Hilliard back in 1973-74. Mom painted it to "pretty up" the room before dad sold it.

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  2. Very nifty, indeed! After decades of 'renting' I've discovered the name of the color you were looking for: Early Apartment White .... You'll find it at Lowes and Home Depot in the " We're broke " section.

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