I'm wondering just what is wrong with your walls? Wondering if a nice uneven paint finish might work -- give you a color you like better, and distract from the poor quality of the walls? I mean, if there are holes and cracks, that's not going to work, but if the walls are patchy/uneven/whatever, it might? Something like one color with a slightly darker or lighter version of the same color ragged or sponged over? What you put on top doesn't need to be radically different from the basecoat; even a bit of difference will disguise problems. You probably already knew this, and have large cracks and holes.............

My plan in a case like this is always to distract from what I don't want people to notice.... Color is a good way to do that, sometimes...... And if your paint surface isn't visually flat, it can make up for a lot of "not flat"ness under the paint.

About not knowing where to put the nails for your hanging stuff -- remember that if the nail holes are behind the stuff, it doesn't matter if you need a few extra holes to get things in the right places........... (she said, with an evil grin)

And -- wow, what a lot of money they say you should put into rented space!!!! Ouch! I don't think I would be doing that. Furniture, well, ok, but big bucks on fixing up space that's not mine?

Can I just weigh in and mention that dumping a whole load of cash (1 month's rent a year, and the amount of a car--15 to 25K--every five!!???!? WTF???!??!) into a place which you don't own is just crazy. GFY for doing it on a shoestring

Surely you've seen Martha's tip for using paper the size of the frame to place them first, then tearing away the paper? As for wires on the back, they can always be twisted into a loop to take up more space. Or you could replace them all for very little money and put them right where you want them.

First of all, I may have to print out this article for reference. Second (of all), now I have to buy this book. I identify with pretty much every bullet point of your post. Except for how you've already taken steps to throw things out of the apartment. To me, it seems like you've done an incredible amount in 4 weeks!

There are a million picture hanging tools online that will mark the wall at the precise spot to put the nail--if you do a search you'll find them. I've never used one, preferring to guess, which has worked pretty well. As Vicki said,a few extra holes are hardly noticable.

Use Martha's tip for the picture layout, as for the wires:
-Take a tape measure-- the retractable kind and "hang" the picture by the wires on the end tab of the tape measure, making the wire taught.
-Now measure to the top of the frame,
-Put the picture on the wall where you want it, make a light pencil mark along the top horizontal center on the wall, and measure down from that line for your hook.
Don't use nails, use pictures hangers, a small tack/nail with a hook attached that rests flat against the wall.
I hope this helps, I have hung art shows using this method.
You may have figured this all out already, e-mail me if you have questions.

You quoted Walter! I love you.

Sounds like you need a vacation at Casa Schlanderson. Come enjoy the subtle and relaxing calm of a household in the country, free from the worries about the colors of your walls. Take back home with you several gallons of environmentally friendly paint (in some red color I liked when I ordered it, i think it's textured too) I was too rushed in painting to wait for.

And really, you're wanting for wall hangings? *blinks* I'm sure I could be persuaded to print something out for you guys on the ginormous Epson printer I've got here, should you want.

Okay, I just LOVE looking at other people's houses, so I can't resist commenting. I think the table in the nook is a great idea and probably makes meals a lot more enjoyable. It looks so inviting.

I say, paint the walls! Even bad walls look great painted.

Love the blue for the bedroom. The house we're moving into currently has white walls in the bedroom. I haven't lived with white walls since maybe 1991. For awhile I'll keep it because the room is sunny and floors are maple, but then I'm thinking of the same kind of light indigo as you. Maybe a little more on the periwinkle side. Very soothing.

I have no idea what Apartment Therapy is, but I'm loving following this. Thanks!

Yellow wallpaper...I'm picturing you creeping, and creeping, and creeping, and I'm getting a little worried!

I'm getting ready to move across the country, and I can't wait to garage sale and donate all of our scrabbled together furniture. Only to probably scrabble together more shabby furniture in Portland. I feel your pain with the loan payments.

ooh, i'm so glad to see that you kept your tattoo-style heart art. that is my favorite thing in your apartment followed closely by the big white cabinet thingies and the wood theater chairs which I see you're also keeping. Hurrah. :)

If I had $15K that could theoretically go into my apartment, I'd actually buy a car. The author of that book is clearly not writing for those of us on stipends. :)

Yaee first comment, but my boyfriend's a painter and I think I can help with your hanging questions as I have helped hang way too many paintings. 1st: pull the wire taught in the back with your finger (as if your finger is the nail) and measure the distance from the top of the frame to the top of the wire. 2nd: have someone hold it up until it's where you want it and place a finger at the top of the frame. 3rd: measure down from the finger on the wall the distance you measured earlier and hammer away. DOes that make sense at all?
Also: you should leave each painting up while your spotting the next, but take it down before you hammer (bad things have happened with crashing noises). Hope this helps!

I love that you reclaimed your peephole. It's the little things, you know?

Wow - that seems like a lot of money to invest in a rental. Maybe if you know you are going to be able to stay long enough to make it worth the money and time involved.

I LOVE the blue. What a soothing, restful choice. I agree with a previous poster - paint without fixing the walls. Look into base coats - there must be some effect that will make flawed walls look intentional (unless I am dreaming).

In the meanwhile get a rug that will tie the room together and enjoy a White Russian.

Looks like you're doing a great job! I'm reading the Cure right now and I wish I felt like I could really do it, but I don't have a good 8 weeks right now and, well, I have roommates. It's hard for me to commit to it, too, since I'm a renter and I don't really know how much longer I'll live in this apartment. But I applaud you! It's looking great.

Jess, I feel your pain. I made the mistake of posting pics of my outbox living room for some arranging suggestions, and one comment was a snarky, "clean it". No kidding! I feel that our apartment looks worse as well. I have the time, and Joe and I have some money (more his, which doesn't seem fair if I'm the one initiating this), but Joe has zero time. That makes it difficult to make the decisions and move forward. Again, I feel your pain. We are renters as well, and there is a limit to how much I want to contribute to what the landlord should be doing (repairs, re-painting after 7 yrs, etc.). Good luck.

Paint the walls. They'll look better, even though not perfect. As for serious home improvement, why on God's green earth would you invest so much money improving someone else's property? What a boon for lazy cheap landlords (he could charge the next tenants more). Unless you plan to live there for a long, long time, I say, work toward paying off your loans. Do small, inexpensive stuff, like painting and maybe minor repairs. There are cheaper ways to make your home more livable than a full, sudden makeover. I know, the clutter gets annoying. Once you graduate, though, maybe you'll have more time to devote to this project. Don't get suckered by the home improvement/home decorating folks! They're ideas are beautiful, but real people have to take it slow. Well, at least that's what I think.

Oh, and empty the outbox as soon as you can. You'll feel so much better!

What do you need to do to your walls? Would something like a venetian plaster work as a fix? I know it isn't the same as new drywall, but it isn't that hard or expensive. Home renovation/reorganization is frustrating and expensive but so satisfying. And I love it - mostly

I echo the paint the walls sentiment - it's relatively inexpensive, and won't take too long if you already don't have a lot of stuff in the apartment. New paint can change your outlook on life (as I fantasize every time I walk into my own apartment and wish someone had painted while I was away). Also - and I probably don't need to mention this since you've had stuff hung up before, but you live in a Brooklyn apartment inherently full of plaster and brick. Nails can crack them so much worse, or in some instances not even go through. We have covered over fireplaces that i've tried to pound nails into only to discover i's 1/4 inch drywall over brick. Yuck.

I'm enjoying reading your process and thinking a bit about how it would apply to my tiny condo.

hanging wires, ideally, ought to be located at the top one-third point on the frame (if the height of the frame's 18inches then the thingies should be 6 inches from the top. yeah?) and then you nail the nails at eye-level, about 60 inches (even though that is probly high for you, miss petite and low for your supertall man, whattaryagonnado right?). gallery style, y'all.

This post reminds me of something I think about a lot--the scene in "Fight Club" where Ed Norton walks right into the pages of an IKEA catalog. As a consumption scholar I feel like I'm supposed to be immune to the pull of objects or at least be able to supress my desire for beautiful things. I'm not!

If I won the lottery a large portion of the winnings would be spent on finally getting the clothes/quilts/car/etc. of my dreams but for now I work on finding the value in the shabbiness, the valour in thrift. It's a constant struggle.

I helped produce this documentary about class and one bit of it discusses the need for a specific image when attempting upward mobility. This has always cracked me up because looking professional isn't cheap, even for smart shoppers. It's such a stupid dance, spending money to appear deserving of more.

http://www.mediaed.org/videos/CommercialismPoliticsAndMedia/ClassDismissed

Anyhow, thanks for writing about it. Your blog is always such brain food for me =)

Me: "As a consumption scholar..."

Now I'm officially too big for my Salvation Army britches (*blush*).

Wow, this discussion is so interesting. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Home improvement and apaprtment living is a fascinating and complex topic. All I can say is I'm glad that I live in California where there's renter's rights and we can convince our property manager to pay for many improvements! Leaving us just having to deal ith smaller projects, furniture, and decorating.

Hi;

Good for you for doing your fixups on a shoestring. When DH and I lived in a rent controlled apt. in Cambridge MA, the plaster would fall off the ceiling onto us as we slept! It was a bad skim coat that was put on without any thought to first cleaning what was under it, hence the chunks falling off. Just make sure you clean the walls as much as you can before you paint so it will stick adequately. Good luck.

Have you ever considered covering the walls with fabric?
You could either pin it up or soak it in starch and adhere it to the walls.
Then when you move, just pull it down!