D.I.Y. Design

DAY 18

of the 30-Day Blog Challenge, 2011

Cozy, cool.

When I moved to the Bronx, I thought of it as temporary and had planned to move back to Williamsburg, Brooklyn at the soonest possible opportunity. I mean, who wants to live in the Bronx, right? Fast-forward one year and I'm actually liking it. Call it the Big Brother phenomenon, natural assimilation, or whatever, but it's good.

If we were to educate ourselves about this somewhat infamous borough, we would find out that it's rather large—spanning 42 square miles (109 square km)—and about one-fourth of that is open space (source); pockets of affluent space, if I may add. While it's true that the southern part of the Bronx has the lowest income median in all of New York and is "one of the five poorest Congressional Districts in the United States," you'll also find areas wherein you could hop on the train and walk home at 1am and be fine. And, to quote someone I know having said a while back, "People get killed in Forbes Park," i.e., you can still get mugged on Park Avenue or in TriBeCa.

Now, my room did need a bit of work when I first moved in, mostly in the aesthetic department. The nice thing about DIY design is that you can control the amount of money you wish to spend on a home-improvement project. My room makeover didn't cost much: a tub of paint, art supplies, a glue gun, and yellow lighting, all brightened up and beautified the small space without busting my budget.

Just a few supplies from the arts and crafts store can enliven a small space.

If you're looking to do a space makeover of your own, here are some tips:

1) Get good lighting.
You'll find gorgeous lamps at every price point. I'm no pro decorator, but trust me when I say that strategically placed lights add lift and dimension to a room. Plus, yellow lighting is easy on the eyes and provides a soothing, mood-boosting effect especially during gloomy winter months. (You'll still need bright overhead fluorescent lamps though, for, say, when you need to work.)

Love this "floating" effect.

2) Try an art project.
I learned this ingenious mounting trick at my old job, wherein one of the designers showed me how to create frames out of foam core boards and make them look like they're "floating" on the wall. It simply entails cutting four cubes from a thick board, sticking them at the back of the frame, and using velcro to mount them. It's unbelievably easy to do and you won't have to hammer nails on a wall.

For my room design project, I bought two squares of scrapbooking paper, stuck them on foam core boards (trimming each to frame the squares), and mounted them on the wall with velcro using the above "floating" technique from my former coworker.

3) Paint on a wash of color.
I'd originally eyed a pale blue shade from Martha Stewart's collection at The Home Depot and at the last minute, went with a shade called "Healing Waters" from a different brand. I don't remember exactly what it was, but it's one of those odor-free and environmentally friendly(?) ones. It kind of resembles the same hue I had on my walls back at my old apartment in Manila. It works. You can get a bunch of friends together to help you paint (some friends of mine used to do this), or, ask the help of a professional. In my case, it was the nice Super from my building. In the Bronx.

Happy decorating!

As you would a monochromatic outfit, accessorize with colors!
(Right) An aquatic printed scarf inside a plain white frame.