Vacationland's Profile

I used to have woodwork and a ceiling like the "Slices of the South" apartment in my old place on Comm Ave in Allston. Early '90s it was $875 for a 2-bed with a separate dining room in a nice elevator building, H/HW included. It was less open concept and the kitchen was older (original pre-war glass-front cabinets), but it was still a pretty sweet place, and comparatively huge. Spoiled me for future rentals!

My confession is this: I saved up for years to buy my own house, and at long last, I have one! Which is great, except...well, I managed to make a few wall color and construction decisions and painted most of it before I moved in, but now that I have an essentially blank canvas with no landlord restrictions, I'm almost comically paralyzed by indecision.

It's been four months now and I swear I spend more time mulling decorating options on Pinterest or pretend-shopping on Overstock or Amazon than I do unpacking the actual boxes in my own basement or making a few basic, necessary purchases, never mind doing any of the zillion DIY or craft projects I've been waiting what seems like forever to do. Yes, budget is a factor, but I have more than enough stuff to make a good start. What is my problem??

I haven't even managed to hang my art yet (and I have more than enough of that), or figured out where things will go in at least two rooms, so things are still in boxes there too. It was so much easier to decorate the pretend house in my head all those years than the real one putting a roof over my actual head now.

Not a big fan of the 70s aesthetic, or such earthy palettes, so the fact that I Favorited this is a testament to your skill in pulling these elements together in a really unusual and unexpectedly pleasing way. Great job!

Ugh. Apologies to those who think the Louis Ghost is the Bee's Knees, but this chair has been a peeve of mine since I can't even remember when. YEARS ago, right from the start, so it's not design fatigue.

I know it's supposed to convey upscale, "fun" style; always reminds me of cheap, uncomfortable plastic and Lucite seating from my '60s-'70s childhood, like something you'd find outside the changing rooms in an old school lingerie boutique or bridal shop. I can't quite put my finger on why it irritates me so much (there are worse decor crimes), but it just does.

Mid-'80s, flatshare in London (West Hampstead, edge of St. John's Wood, overlooking a park) for a mind-boggling £35/week (about $40 at the time, when the dollar was strong).

Early '90s, HUGE 2-bed w/ separate dining room and entry hall in a prewar Allston MA apartment building with hardwoods, gas appliances, original glass-front cabinets, black and white tile bathrooms, coffered ceilings & bay windows...split $725 rent (H/HW included) with 1 roommate. Cheap even for back then.

And the place I just moved from (an admittedly shabby-genteel 1860s Portland, ME historic district Mansard chopped up into 1-bed units) had 12-foot ceilings, hardwoods, and was 10 minutes or less on foot from everything in town...was way below market rate at $650/mo (H/HW included). I was tired of the lack of storage and guest space, but you put up with a lot for a good deal. I'd probably still be there if I hadn't finally bought a place.

I love me some green, but that first image looks like a still from a David Lynch movie.

The trim on the doors and built-ins is to die for, as is that corner with the painting, fig (?) tree, bookshelves, brass lamp, skull, etc. The whole place has touches of haute '70s/early '80s -- less flash than the Adler/Wearstler Hollywood Regency/70s mash-ups, but maybe a little cooler...not trying so hard?

Like others, I'd have gone with a slightly different palette, and maybe a bit less medium-toned wood furniture, but within their aesthetic, it really works. The light must be amazing in that place.

A set of 12 Fire King Jadeite coffee mugs in perfect condition for $10 at a flea market back in the late '90s. Although it was early in the day, I was already carrying a bunch of stuff and didn't want to lug them around as well (they were boxed), so I decided to come back mid-day. Of course they were long gone by then. I priced them on eBay not long ago...yikes. Definitely not a bargain these days.

sousa609 has the answer -- what we're seeing here are the 'shopped versions of too-dark, lower-res original "before" shots, which look even more fake when juxtaposed with professionally lighted and photographed series of "afters." The missing shadows in the altered before shots make everything look flat and fake; what we see in real life has subtleties of light/shadow and small variations in color intensity that we don't always notice until they're gone!

Cute -- and the blue was unexpected, which makes me like it more. In fact, I didn't realize until I scrolled down how much I was expecting to see red, black, white (cliché Chinoiserie) or the currently ubiquitous painted-furniture faves Kelly green, bright yellow, or hot pink. Nice!