claudmia's Profile

For a few hundred $$, you're out of luck, friend. If you attempt to rip it out, you will regret it, I promise. You don't want to be in trouble with the landlord.

Aside from that, ask the landlord to do the renovation and be willing to put up with construction while he does.

Pulley system! If your bike is not a daily vehicle, set up a pulley system and hang it vertically over the stairs. Avoid the shelves. They'll make the hall seem cramped. Stick with very low profile things - pictures/tapestries above the railing, stained glass above the doorway, paint the back of the door.

Could you not "hang" the flag, but rather put it on a pole and let it "fly" in the corner? I wish I could find a picture of what I'm seeing in my mind's eye.
I'm picturing the flag on a pole, stuck in a giant vase along with other sticks/willow branches, and pushed into a corner as an accent piece. Then it's not the focus of the room, but still in view.

Oops, scratch the above link - try this one instead! (note the orange rug)

http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=80991&currentPage=0&index=0&relatedPhotoId=

As it sounds like you're not opposed to doing a full kitchen remodel, I have several drastic recommendations. It looks like your windows are too low to do a wrap-around deal like you mentioned. My biggest problem with the layout is the sink location. If you were to shift the fridge out to the wall where the cat is hung (flipping the door opening direction), extend out the countertops, then put the sink along that wall. If you are right handed, I would put the sink 2' right of the fridge. (If left-handed, a little further away - would make space for a dishwasher!) Keep the stove where it is. Corners are useless, so store some of your more elegant appliances there. Biggest space saver - forget open shelving. Though it's en vogue, it doesn't allow for more storage space. You have to keep things "pretty" in order to store them on the shelves. I suggest taking out the top cabinets and replacing them with full-height ones. Take 'em all the way to the ceiling! Extend the crown around the tops for a built-in look. You're losing a solid 1' of storage by not enclosing that space. Finally, I think you're right-on for using a butcher block/island. Hopefully you can clean some of that up and make it more functional with the additional storage space up top.

I would add some matching moulding around the outside to make it look more purposeful - something small so as not to interfere with the light switch. Then add your cookbooks, pictures, the pretty (but useless) bowls received as gifts. If it were me, I'd put in a candy jar full of M&M's. But that's just me :) I would avoid adding too many "solid" things like baskets. It will make the narrow space between the wall and island seem even more narrow.

What color are your walls? (Specifically)

I'd be tempted to not only hang them as stated before - above the window - but also extend it out further than 10" on either side. I'd aim for the distance half way between the window and the wall (on the right). A sturdy iron bar with impressive ends will compliment your exposed beams nicely. Make sure to get more drapes than you need to cover the space. Lots of white fabric (easy guideline: 1.5-2x the width of the length covered) will keep everything airy, regardless of the actual volume of fabric. Having more fabric than you need will make it look rich. For a custom look, you could sew a colorful 6" band of fabric to the bottom of the white curtains to give it a little bit of an anchor.
(similar to: http://www.babybedding.com/lime-and-white-dots-and-stripes-drapes-with-trim )
And although you didn't ask, I would consider bringing your art closer together over the couch. You have it evenly spaced across the wall. I prefer having a little more space on either end of the set than the spacing between each picture. (It could just be an optical illusion from the photo)

Sorry to say, but I'm not a fan of the white-on-white. What about keeping your boring green shutters and adding the purple door? That'd be fun...

in the third-to-last picture (I think) there are sheets of music hung in a box. I'm curious to know why they're important, and why they're displayed in this manner. It looks like they've been put to braille... Am I wrong?