Long, productive day of screwing. I began by hanging all the frames on the walls. Above the bed, in lieu of a headboard, I hung 4 framed Rothko's side by side. Those are the same posters that I took off of the entrance door- I chose the least orange-y ones and put them in black frames. Framing and relocating the same exact posters that were formerly hanging elsewhere added so much flavor and color to the room. I also framed the camels poster I bought in Dubai, along with the Rothko that was on the wall next to the window. It looks great! Next to the bed, I hung an empty 5x7 picture frame. I figured I'd give him the choice of what picture to put in it.
The bed sheets were chosen to match the couch so as not to clash with too many colors. This let me incorporate the posters and colored pillows without it being too loud. I ended up switching the new orange IKEA pillows with the two pillows formerly placed on the couch. I just didn't feel that the new orange IKEA pillows fit with the bed and the frames. Simultaneously, I didn't think the funky pillows fit well with the couch, so switching the two was the best solution. Next to the bed, I used one of the (2) ottomans he bought months ago, as the night-stand. The cube actually has a smaller ottoman inside, and the lid of the cube/ottoman flips over to be a solid-surfaced tray. It's the perfect solution to use the ottoman, and not spend money on a night-stand, plus, it looks great and things can be stored inside- more storage!
Next were the blinds. Not so difficult. But the projection screen, not so easy. I removed the projection screen from its location above the window and tried to screw it into the ceiling in front of the wall unit. After drilling, hammering in an anchor, screwing in the hook, and hanging the left side of the screen, bam, it crashed down on me, ripping the hook and anchor right out of the ceiling. Super. I decided I would think about it and get back to it after installing the shelves. I measured the desired heights of the shelves, located the placement of the brackets, drilled, hammered in anchors, screwed the brackets to the wall, leveled... done. Not done. Once I placed the shelf in the brackets, this too came ripping out of the wall. It's like the walls are made of paper! I discovered that what worked was to use a muuuccchhh smaller anchor with that screw to really secure it to the wall. It did work, and I installed the top and bottom shelves the same. The middle shelf that I designed to wrap around (to shelf the projector) was challenging in a fun way, to install. I had to use a little bit of trigonometry (Pythagorean theorem anyone?) to determine the height of the cable screws based on the depth of the shelf. Actually, this kind of shelf is ideal for a projector because you can adjust the tilt of the shelf itself however you want. The color of the shelves didn't clash (as I mentioned in a previous entry), in fact they look great. The shelf system came out as nicely as I'd hoped. Feeling optimistic and accomplished, I went back to the projection screen, hoping to tackle it as I had tackled the shelf problem. The second time, with the smaller anchor, the hooks screwed into the ceiling and all was fine. ...Until I tugged on the screen to roll it up, and it came crashing down on me, again. The poor neighbors below... I don't know what to do now. My only option is to screw it into the ceiling, and that proved impossible to do with anchors. I might have to get a long piece of 2x4 (wood), screw it to the ceiling for the entire length of the screen, (obviously, would have to paint it) and then screw the screen to the wood- thus securing it. This might be my only option right now, I'll be at the lumber yard next weekend. Haha.
On the wall unit, I removed the plastic planters with my favorite vine plants and put them out on the balcony- it actually dresses up the balcony very nicely. The new pots for the other plants have a nice, organic look instead, and I'm starting to see a completeness of the wall unit. Can you believe I'm keeping it? It's not looking so badly anymore! With the rest of the room shaping up, this wall unit fits right in, alas, it is saved! Finally, my last task of the day was to untangle the pile of wires... and that's about as much as I can do with them, because I could spend a lifetime trying to figure out how to reconnect all the electronics. I am so technologically challenged!
By the evening, I was so physically exhausted that I gave the bed and couch equal opportunity to host my crashing body. The place looks so amazing, I couldn't even recognize it myself, and now I have a hard time leaving it. I find myself standing in random spots of the apartment, taking in the view for x amount of time. I stand in the kitchen and stare at all the refreshing, new changes. What an incredible transformation, I just canNOT wait to see his reaction!
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