A.M.'s Profile

Andersonville is the place to go. Chicago Home Garden magazine did a story on all the places to go (with a map), here's the link:

http://www.chicagohomemag.com/Chicago-Home/March-April-2009/Andersonville/

Sorry, here's the complete link:

http://www.chicagohomemag.com/Chicago-Home/Design-Sources/index.php?category=Furniture Restoration

Here is a link to an article in Chicago Home Garden, on their web site:

http://www.chicagohomemag.com/Chicago-Home/September-October-2008/Refinish-Y
our-Old-Bathtub/

Looks like some of the prices here are a bit cheaper than the ones you
quoted.

I would say you should have it professionally refinished, unless you know
what you are doing you could end up making this a lot worse with a DIY kit.

I know you wouldn't want to spend the money on having it professionally
done, but consider this: your landlord may take the money from your security
deposit if he/she sees the damage to the tub.

Good luck!

I think you should pass on the art and spend the $200 on a rug. Urbanest in Andersonville has some nice sisal rugs at large sizes (you want to make sure the rug is big enough so that when the chairs are pulled out, they still rest on the rug). I bought a 8 x 10ish sisal rug last year from them for under $300.

A rug will help draw some attention away from the wall, which is already interesting because of its dark brown color. If you are desperate for art, I agree with some of the above posts--buy a large piece of canvas and paint it with washes of red as a temporary solution.

A slightly more traditional option (but still very effective) would be a large mirror with some candle sconces on either side. You could look at antique markets--a rough mirror with a tarnished reflection can be a really strong focal point and work the same way a piece of art would.

Good luck!