Clever Camouflages Hide Decorating Issues

Practically every home has some sort of an eyesore

Possibly it’s a dorky window or floor covering that’s had better days. It's always on your nerves, however repairing or replacing it costs too much, not practical or not high enough on the to do list. Still, you don't need totally ignore the situation. I’ve assemble a few fixes for disguising some typical decorating issues, so whip out your can-do outlook and get yourself ready to take care of that troublesome issue.

Weird windows:

Oddly shaped windows or just plain ugly windows can be significantly improved with imaginative window treatments. here's a trick for veiling those windows that are too-plain, too high, too-short, which are typical of ranch style homes built from the 1960s: Continue the window frame clear to the floor, and then mount a two-section shutter. One section to cover the window; and the other to cover the wall underneath it. Just leave the bottom section closed, and you'll forget there's no window in back of it.

Or simply cover the window using an attractive shade which extends past the window,. Installing drapery panels on both sides would also give the windows additional visual mass. or a similar tack could be used on an ’80s-era rounded-top window which you no longer love. Just mount a woven wood window shade that covers the half-round portion of the window along with the window directly below it, and flank the shade using silk panels which extend from the ceiling to the floor. The shade won't completely obscure the window allowing the sun to shine through, but it makes the window less noticeable.

Camouflaged Windows

Uneven walls:

A simple coat of paint will not do much to much disguise an irregular wall surface, however there are paint finishes which can fool the eye can make the flaws less noticeable.

In her book 'The Decorator’s Problem Solver: 100 Creative Answers to Your Most Common Decorating Dilemmas' writer Sacha Cohen suggests creating a spotted paint finish using a matte latex paint of two colors that complement each other and apply them using a masonry roller. The more irregular the walls are, the stronger the disparity between the colors of the paint needs to be, she goes on to say.

Pour in a pint of both colors into opposing sides of a paint roller pan, allowing them to adjoin each other without blending together too much. Working in around 3 feet square sections, move the roller just once through the roller pan, and then apply the paint on the wall using single, elongated, spaced-apart strokes. When a majority of the paint is transmitted from the roller onto the wall surface, run your roller over your first strokes again to softly blend in the colors. Roll using different angles to fashion a subtle, dappled appearance.

New Article Jan 20, 2012

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