Hands-on

I like working with my hands. A lot of people do, I think, and maybe it’s because with so many of sitting behind desks and at computers all day, it’s sort of refreshing to do something physical and mechanical with a known outcome. I think I’ve probably mentioned before that I love IKEA not just for the furniture itself, but because you have to (get to) put it all together. Sometimes I sort of crave projects like this.

When I was younger I hated Home Depot with a passion. There could not have been a more boring store. Outings to Home Depot inevitably lasted just short of forever, and generally meant that that particular Saturday would not be fun and games, that Dad and Mom would spend the afternoon crouched under the kitchen sink, or installing a ceiling fan in the bedroom, or hammering, measuring, assembling, repairing, and getting down and dirty with the toolbox. What I don’t think I realized at the time was that days like this were not necessarily unpleasant days for my parents. What I didn’t realize was that it was possible to actually like Home Depot.

Last summer about this time I made a trip to Home Depot for some spackle and a paintbrush to repair and repaint a gouge in my bedroom wall (my fault, long story). Maybe it was the vastness, or maybe the wood fumes, but the moment I walked in I suddenly got excited and felt I wanted to learn everything there was to learn about do-it-yourself home repair. A couple weeks ago Kelsey and I paid another trip to the Home Depot to get her a copy of my apartment key (since I lost my spare) and she succumbed to the same strange emotional rush. We were still looking for a bed for her at that time, and, breathing in the wood fumes, she said, “maybe I could build a bed.” And the funny thing was that she was completely serious, and even funnier was that I completely understood.

On Monday I stopped by my new apartment complex to take care of some things, and I asked if they allow residents to paint their apartments. I was elated to learn that, yes, we were allowed to paint however we wished so long as we returned the apartment to white when we moved out. The truth is, I have been dying to paint a room for a couple years now. It will be a project because I’ve never done it before and because I realize it involves more than just splashing paint on the walls. But the nice thing is that I will likely only live in this place for a year or two, which means that it’s the perfect situation in which to practice. Kelsey is eager to help me. I need to look into how much it will cost to buy everything I need, but I think that once I start getting a paycheck for my summer teaching it will be doable.

I’m not sure how my new roommate feels about paint, so for now I’m just planning on doing my own space, which means my bedroom and my bathroom. Since I only have to live here temporarily, I’m willing to be a bit daring, to paint with colors that may go out of style in five or ten years because chances are pretty darn good that I won’t be there five or ten years from now. No off-white or eggshell for me. My current bedroom is sort of a dusty turquoise—I can handle a little color. And besides, these days, bold, intense colors are in.

The trick is to match the color to the décor. The bathroom can’t clash with my shower curtain (which I rather like), and the bedroom can’t clash with my bedspread. Here’s the shower curtain:


I’m thinking of going with some shade of goldenrod, kind of like the flowers on the curtain, although I’m open to other suggestions. And here’s my bedspread:


I’m having a harder time with this one. I don’t want to do anything too dark because I have to live in my room, and I’m afraid that dark colors (like deep red or navy blue) would be oppressive. But I also don’t want to wimp out and go with something boring like, oh, cream.

So let me know if you have any ideas for either my bedroom or my bathroom, or tips about painting.