Memphis Apartments

I once heard a famous author interviewed, describing how she had decorated her home office. She told her interviewer she keeps absolutely nothing on the wall facing her writing desk-it’s just bare and white. She keeps it this way, she said, so she can catch the ideas as they appear to her, without any distractions.

I thought it was an interesting concept, keeping a wall completely unadorned to help her visualize what her inner voice of creativity was trying to tell her. It inspired me to take a careful look at my own home office and ponder why I’d decorated it in a particular way. From my chair I can see many things on my walls, including a Mexican folk art cross covered in Milagros charms, a mirror with a sun-shaped frame, an antique plate and teacup collection, and an old gilded picture frame with no art inside it. For me, being surrounded by these things (and the memories they carry) is what inspires me and makes me happy and secure while I work.

So, what kinds of walls make you happy in your Memphis apartment? Do you like the sleek, unobtrusive look of mostly blank walls? Would you prefer to be surrounded by colorful art in every room?

Or is your idea of a perfectly decorated wall one that is covered with framed photographs of your family, friends, and perhaps favorite places?

Before you break out the hammer and nails and start hanging anything, sit back and think carefully for a moment. How you decorate your walls should be dictated by how you like to live and how you want your Memphis apartment to make you (and those who visit you) feel. Remember—you have no one to please but yourself.

MEMPHIS APARTMENT PAINT AND WALLPAPER

Painting Memphis apartment walls can be precarious business, particularly if your place is a rental. Some landlords do not permit painting of any kind. Others have no such restriction, and residents are free to paint, although they may be required to follow some established rules. In still other Memphis apartments, residents are permitted to paint, but walls must be repainted a certain color (often white) when they move out.

Before you paint (or wallpaper) any of your walls, check with your landlord. Even if your lease prohibits it, check anyway; rules change from time to time, and your original agreement may not reflect the most current rules. Also, if you live in a Memphis rental apartment that desperately needs to be painted and you want to tackle the task, try to negotiate it. Your landlord may let you do it, just to save the expense and effort. However, always be sure to ask about color and other restrictions, such as rules on the use of textured paints.

Preparing your Memphis Apartment

Let’s say you live in a Memphis rental that allows painting, or you own your Memphis apartment or condo, so you can do as you please. Lucky you! Painting is one of the easiest, most inexpensive ways to transform your living space.

Consider the following, as you prepare to paint:

· Choose colors that go well with your current furniture and accessories, unless you plan to buy new stuff. Resist the urge to buy a color just because it’s the latest trend, particularly if it’s an uncommon color. Accessories to match might be hard to find once the trend has faded.

· If you must repaint your walls white or another light color before you move out, think twice before choosing dark colors for your space. Painting over a dark color with a light color will require several coats, adding up to greater expense and effort at move-out time.

· If possible, paint before you move in all your belongings. Placing dropcloths on an empty floor is much easier than moving furniture to the center of the room and covering it, as well as your flooring or carpeting.

· Tape off trimwork, or use a shielding tool when painting for a neat and clean look.

· Have all the appropriate tools on hand before you begin: brushes, rollers, tape, edgers, a ladder, and dropcloths. (And don’t buy all of these items-check with friends and family first, who may be happy to lend you some or all of them.)

· Measure the areas you will be painting before you go out to buy paint. Take the measurements to the paint store clerk, who’ll be able to calculate exactly how much paint you need.

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