Fake Plants and Ugly Art
January 7, 2010 | 25 Comments
(Note: the photos in this post are entirely unrelated to the topic.)
As corporate housing goes, we’re in a pretty nice one. But living in a temporary apartment still kind of sucks. Aside from the general inconvenience of not being in my own home, I’m offended by the decor. I can’t help it. For someone who lives and breathes design, fake plants and mass produced “art” are an assault on the senses. Am I right here, people? I do kind of feel for the company that manages these rentals because there’s really only so much you can do with a corporate apartment. But, still . . .
Also, do you remember those Ikea commercials where a big, lanky dog is chasing a ball through a tiny kitchen? That’s how I feel trying to play with the Frenchies. There’s no room for my fat little guys to run around. I never had a problem with small spaces before but now I’m old and cranky and I need my space. So all the more reason I need to get in my new house ASAP.
Okay, that’s all for my little rant today. I just want to point out that all of these photos are via Head Over Heels, a treasure trove of the complete opposite of ugly interiors. The last photo makes me want to turn my closet into a gallery. A great idea, no?
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January 7th, 2010 @ 6:03 am
Stunning pictures, you can feel the atmosphere from the images alone. The rooms depicted must have an amazing impact when you enter.
I loved reading your blog, you should add it to The Expat Directory, I am sure our readers would love it too.
I wish you another year of success and hope your house redesign and decoration goes well. It all sounds really interesting, I cant wait to see what you do and achieve.
Ted´s last post ..Expatriate Site Statistics
January 7th, 2010 @ 6:04 am
Closet as gallery sounds like a fabulous idea. Especially, as I suspect, your clothing is worthy of display. Mine, not so much. Funny, I get just as excited at seeing these spectaular spaces the 2nd, 3rd, 4th time around, as I did the first. So beautiful. I hope your views improve exponentially in the very near future!
And thanks for the love, girl!
-nelya
nkp´s last post ..Blue Me Away
January 7th, 2010 @ 7:22 am
ugh, I know exactly what you mean. We were in temp housing for 5 weeks before the container with our stuff arrived from NY and it was like Gulliver’s travels in there. The Lilliputian part.
Elisa´s last post ..Outfit of the week, dirty laundry and a SATC reference
January 7th, 2010 @ 7:42 am
So sorry to hear of your cramped, uninspired living situation right now. But I must say that the picture you painted of running ’round with your “fat little guy” Frenchies did give me great giggle. Neat design idea, catching a glimpse of some special paintings while putting together an outfit seems would be a little daily treat. Unfortunately, my the closets in my home are never big enough. One day…
Marsi @ The Cottage Cheese´s last post ..Oh Deer
January 7th, 2010 @ 7:43 am
I completely know what you mean about mass produced art. I frown a little when I pass the “art” display at Target and think of how many people have the same images hanging in their homes. For the same amount of money, they could buy a canvas and a few tubes of paint and just splash colors together (which is what I did in my living room and bedroom to add color in my all-white rental). I’d like to think it’s far more interesting than the alternative.
Jessica´s last post ..Who Wears Short Shorts?
January 7th, 2010 @ 8:49 am
I like your thinking about closets too! (Is it you or the New Year? I spent all day yesterday organizing a jewelry drawer in my dresser!) And even though I live in a more bauhaus-ey kind of house in LA now, I die, I die STILL for a red canopy and green chair with piles of quilts. Corporate rentals – yuck. But what would be the alternative?
mlle paradis´s last post ..Kama’aina
January 7th, 2010 @ 9:06 am
Oh that does not sound like fun at all…I hope you get to leave that awful place soon and be surrounded by real plants and pretty non-mass produced art soon! Crossing my fingers for you
LindsB´s last post ..Need… Now
January 7th, 2010 @ 9:27 am
I hear yeah! My last place had old orange couches with red carpets in the lobby, along with this gigantic multi coloured splatter painting from the 70’s, and brown sponge painted elevators… it was awful! My counter in the kitchen was cream with a green swirl to it… and when they had to replace it one day, they put the same thing in! You’d think they replace it with something more neutral? I also HAD to paint my kitchen cabinets white, even though I was renting, because they were so hideous! Hahaha… needless to say, I feel your pain and so glad I moved! I’ll stop rambling now… lol.
January 7th, 2010 @ 9:32 am
Just found your blog…great stuff! I love your take on life and decorating.
January 7th, 2010 @ 10:14 am
I had the same experience when we returned to the States this past summer. Two months in a company-provided apartment. Awful rental furniture and a mattress that visibly sagged in the middle. Its saving grace was its proximity to good shopping.
Raina´s last post ..Not what I thought
January 7th, 2010 @ 10:48 am
I lived in temp housing for 2 months a few years ago. Although there were no fake plants, there was plenty of ugly art and the sofas were upholstered in garishly-flowered fabric.
Emily´s last post ..til next year
January 7th, 2010 @ 11:01 am
Coming to think of it, there have been moves my husband and I have NOT made, and the dispiriting temporary housing prospects/reality played no small role in our decision. Should I be admitting this?! I guess we just decided that life is too short.
mlle paradis´s last post ..Mieke Willems and Surprises
January 7th, 2010 @ 11:40 am
Whew! So happy to hear the title is unrelated to the pics… I got a bit nervous for a sec.
Sorry to hear about apt living. You could cover all the paintings and plants with black fabric and pretend you’re in mourning.
erin@designcrisis´s last post ..New York Times Slideshow Mash-Up
January 7th, 2010 @ 12:00 pm
So funny- they don’t usually have much of a budget for those apartments. I know it is sad but the designers (if they use them) do their best with the horrible options they are given.. At least we try!!
January 7th, 2010 @ 12:04 pm
Ally, you will be where you belong sooon! For now – just get out a lot and enjoy new places, parks and museums. And buy dark sunglasses to use at the temp. home. Lovely closet indeed! I have a feeling I am going to look at my own closet differently. OX Monika
January 7th, 2010 @ 12:18 pm
I’m sorry to hear that you’re stuck in such a crummy place, but it’ll be worth it when you move into your new home. Just think happy thoughts, look at pretty pictures. If it weren’t so wintry and blustery outside, I’d suggest just staying out all day.
Lindsey Lou!´s last post ..cB2 in ATL
January 7th, 2010 @ 3:58 pm
i am so with you on the corporate housing bit. steve was in issaquah for a month in corporate housing before i showed up. needless to say when i did, i arrived to corporate housing bachelor style. yes, all the visualizations you’re having are accurate. severe motivation for finding a house quickly. pam
January 7th, 2010 @ 4:14 pm
Ted: Thanks! I’ll be sure to do that!
nkp: Anytime, girlfriend!
mlle paradis: Exactly. There really is no alternative, is there?
Daniella: All of a sudden my apt. doesn’t seem so bad! Thank you!
erin: I think you’ve got the right idea!
Christina: That’s so true and I really think they did the best they could with their resources.
pam: Hehehe! How to make corporate housing worse? Leave a guy alone in it for a month!
January 7th, 2010 @ 5:04 pm
I’m cranky too and I’d furtively replace those fake plants with real ones. Yes, they’ll fade away when you leave, but it’ll make it a fine Shakespearian departure.
mise´s last post ..2009: an acquisitive year
January 7th, 2010 @ 8:41 pm
If you ever wandered into the office I work in you would faint! I really feel like my obsession with interiors is sometimes an undertaking to compensate for the ugliness of my cubicle!
On the upside (for you!) your pain is short-term. Soon it will all be a distant memory.
Jane Flanagan´s last post ..Sunja Link
January 7th, 2010 @ 9:48 pm
seeing these on nelya’s blog the other day makes seeming them again no less awesome. did that make any kind of sense?
all i am trying to say is that pictures=good.
my favorite and my best´s last post ..it’s snowing…
January 8th, 2010 @ 1:25 am
Oooh, I feel for you…one can only take ugly for so long! I’ve always felt like corporate rentals and home staging leave a lot of room for improvement design-wise. There are so many durable AND beautiful products and materials out there now, there is just no excuse for ugly! Hopefully the workers on your house are speeding along so you can move in soon!
January 8th, 2010 @ 3:14 am
I understand exactly where you are coming from!
I find it difficult, also, when asked if I like something, how to tell the person politely that I do not. I was invited to someone’s home, which felt more like a hotel than a home, and felt awkward given the question “so, what do you think?” I too, spend most of my time in design, and find it hard to politely respond with “oh, it’s nice” when inside, I’m thinking “UGH!”
Hold tight, dear Ally, your new home awaits, and now, more than ever, you will appreciate it, I bet
p.s I adore the closet as a gallery idea!
Sarah Klassen/Haute Design´s last post ..Lavande et Soleil
January 8th, 2010 @ 4:27 am
Great pictures but hope you find a new home that you like soon
Daniel James´s last post ..Bump-to-Baby Maternity Photo Shoot
January 11th, 2010 @ 5:01 pm
Well that is only natural since your style is so fabulous!
I am a strong beleiver against fake plants…if you don’t have a green thumb then don’t fake it! At least give it a try, you would be surprised…right?!
p.s. Loving the busy powder room idea!