Friday, July 24, 2009

Making do

A fresh coat of paint and cushion covers for the porch!

I've been taking an unscheduled break from the internet and my business for the past month in an attempt to take care of a few neglected elements of my life that are forever being pushed aside so I can do Argyle Whale stuff.

One of the projects I worked on in my absence is apartment beautification. Justin and I realized that we're most likely going to stay in our current place for a few more years and that made me feel restless. Instead of making an irrational move, I focused on freshening up our space and treating it more like a home than an in-between-places type of apartment.

The worst eyesore in our life is the porch that all our neighbors share with us. It's a depressing dumping ground for bedraggled old furniture and since it's everyone's, nobody takes responsibility to care for it. My upstairs neighbor and I tackled the gloomy chipped black iron patio furniture and enlivened it with a few coats of intense green paint. Then, I ripped off the deteriorating cushion covers and recovered them in dark blue denim. We spent a whole day scrubbing the deck and tables and planting herbs and the place looks much livelier. I still have more to do, but it's made a huge difference.

I'm trying to embrace the old saying, "make do or do without". I'm hoping to save up enough money to reupholster our stained couch too. I'm also emboldened to break the no painting rule in our bathroom. The walls are the color of masking tape!

20 comments:

jessicajane said...

ewwwe masking tape yellow! haha.

great job on the remodel of the porch. Looks great, Id def love to sit and read out there!

melroska said...

it looks much better!
beautification of tiny rented spaces is really difficult...i applaud your efforts.

Elise of Argyle Whale said...

Thank you both! It is really hard to have a nice setup in a tiny dark rental on a budget. Hopefully my crafty nature can overcome the odds. Our clutter problem and rabbit fur coating doesn't help either.

Michelle said...

That looks so great! I LOVE that green color!

I'm in the same situation of staying in a rented place I don't really want to for the next two years. I've been framing and hanging new things on the wall and wanna start rearranging things soon. Good luck with the rest of your apartment!

Chroma Lab said...

Yeah! Make it do. Those look so nice.

Orchid Grey said...

yay! it looks so good in person too! thanks for the good conversashe this afternoon!

Shalyn said...

That is a beautiful set! And I love the color combinations :) Those chairs look uber comfortable.

kendall.micayla said...

thats what my family is doing. four people in a very tight apartment hasnt been easy but we are doing a lot of stuff to make it new and exciting. it helps a lot and its fun.
the porch looks so good!! i love that green color... beautiful!

Brad Silk said...

Looks great! Rules are meant to be broken, have fun.

ink and ginger said...

So envious of your porch! It looks like the ideal place to set up on a hot summer afternoon.

O'Reilly Ink said...

Gah I know EXACTLY how you feel. I keep telling myself to spruce up our place as we also will probably be here a few years...
I love your porch though, it makes me want to go finish the project for my back yard I had in mind. And I love those fat bunny planters!

Anonymous said...

This looks fantastic.
And get rid of that masking tape colored bathroom!

Shona~ LALA dex press said...

Bunnies everywhere!

Your patio looks so wonderful, a great place to spend a lot of time. Nice job.

I have never heard the the old saying "make do or do without," my grandmother would have said "make do or go buy it."

And putty? I might have to paint.

Love_Again said...

I have just discovered your blog, and am enjoying it very much. Your work has inspired me to dig out the gocco that has been hiding in my garage.

edisonrex said...

The porch looks great! And congrats--I saw your tees on Snorg and am very excited for you!

zoetropa said...

ooh, you're porch looks so comfy and inviting now. You did a great job. :)

Patrizia said...

Looks great! I love the idea of the green and denim. The bathroom is an important space, definitely paint it if you can!

idyll hands said...

WOW - that green turned out FABULOUS on the furniture. I'm inspired... do you think painting those cheapo plastic chairs would look as good? :) I kid... I kid. I need to go find some old metal furniture to play with.

into the trees said...

that rabbit planter is incredible! the porch looks great. it's always the little details that make me love any environment. can't wait to see any other remodeling you have going on! xoxo
heather

Orchid Grey said...

Elise, I've nominated you for the "Kreativ Blogger Award"! go to my blog to find out the details!
-Julie