The Saga Continues

My dearest love Cassandra over at coco+kelley had her bff radar on overdrive because she posted about my radiator situation the same day I did, without the two of us even discussing it. And of course, being the style maven that she is, she had some brilliant suggestions, which in turn got me thinking about more options....so I present them to you.

Here are additional pictures of my radiator in my livingroom. It sits at the back left corner of the room next to my bedroom door and next to the one large window. With all the natural light the corner has functioned as a reading nook up to this point (though changes might be afoot...) But back to the radiator issue.



If you've been following along, the livingroom began covered in pink wallpaper, perfectly color matched to my still pink radiator. The wallpaper is now a thing of the past, and while I'm desperate to have the radiator painted to coordinate with my new color scheme, until I come up with a less expensive way to get it done, I may have to resort to other solutions.

Cassandra brought up the idea of covering the radiator with a shelf which intrigued me. I have zero office space and perhaps I could create something a laptop could fit on. When I found this pic of Carrie's Sex In the City apartment, I knew I must be on the right track. I heart that show - can't wait for movie!


via Apartment Therapy

I have now learned there is also the option of simply covering the radiator up with custom radiator cabinets like this one. Eh?



via the radiator cabinet shop


Or I could go the route of making the radiator a focal point of the room by painting a pattern on it like they did in NYC and featured on AT. Not being the DIY queen, I have a feeling it wouldn't turn out so well for me though.

via apartment therapy

But then I come back around to how beautiful a well painted radiator can be. Check out this home featured on D*S. Maybe the investment would be worth it.





via designsponge

What to do, what to do? Only time, and the trajectory of my income, will tell.

The Pink Elephant in the Room

As you may remember, when I started this little adventure called home renovation, I began with a watermelon pink livingroom. See Exhibit A.

Exhibit A




At this very moment the pink is being replaced by the most perfect white ever. (It must be the most perfect because I looked through a bazillion shades of white to pick it out - so therefore it is perfect). You will see the reveal of my now beautifully neutral space later this week.

However, one pink stain will remain. My radiator. My 3 foot long, cast iron, 250lb, 100+ year old radiator. Its a gorgeous piece, as you can see. The seashell details are lovely.




But the thing is still bright pink. Not exactly the look I'm going for. Radiators are functional, but they can also be decorative, and I want my radiator to be a cool accent in my space, like these.



via apartment therapy

I love how this yellow radiator pops against the blue and pulls out similar hues in the painting above it, as if it were a piece of furniture intentionally put there.




via emmasblog

Here the radiator is actually functioning as a shelf, but simultaneously recedes into the background, seamlessly blending into the rest of the decor.




via absolutelybeautifulthings

Going antique calls out the age and grandeur of a radiator. I think it adds wonderful character and charm like this radiator does to what would otherwise be a pretty plain wall.

However, it apparently costs a small fortune to have a radiator removed, repainted, and reinstalled. So right now I will continue to live with the giant reminder of my watermelon pink.

If anyone out there in the blogosphere has suggestions about how to deal with my pink behemoth, I would greatly appreciate the help!