Weekend’s almost here, so let’s talk about something fun, for a change: Elaine and I are having a dandy time working on the house, since we decided that we’d actually go whole-hog and theme each of the rooms. The kitchen is slowly becoming an Asian looking kitchen, the dining room more formal Chinese, while the laundry room has been transformed into a South Seas/Trader Vic’s kind of motif. Complete with tiki’s and bamboo furniture and a mockup of a grass shack. Very cool.
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Most people are pretty limited in their thinking about their home environment. Don’t know why that is, maybe most folks don’t have much imagination.
Our guestroom, for example, has been done in a kind of eclectic Egyptian decor. Complete with lots of pyramid-style painting all over the walls. This weekend, I’ll be starting on the entrance to the room, which will be a door disguised as a mummy box.
The ‘western room’ will follow, and the plan there is to paint a wall with a western plains kind of scene, then build in a foot or two from that a railing and posts that will hold up a false ceiling of rough-hewn wood, such that visually it will seem like you’re sitting on the veranda of a farmhouse off in the middle of the square states somewhere. Rough western rocking chairs, on a cherry colored engineered floor.
Eventually, we’ll get around to the master bedroom, where a more expansive indoor diorama will follow a tropical theme – and I’ve picked up a fair bit of caning off eBay so I can construct the various bits and pieces of what needs to happen to carry it off.
Most interior designers are not so extreme in their approach to things, but ‘theme’ a room to me seems like it ought to be much more about making mind-bending/eye popping visual candy with the outcome being something like a home ala Disney or Hollywood set designer.
I got started on this kind of thinking about 35-years ago when a friend by the name of Art decided to do his house in a similar free-spirited manner. Hatch covers on walls moved to reveal hidden doors, and what seemed like a refrigerator had been hollowed out and was itself a door into another part of the house.
So, if you’ve happen to have gotten a little off-the-beaten-path on your home decorating, and especially if you’ve gone the indoor diorama route, please send along pictures of your handiwork so that we may all share. And, one of these days, when it’s all together (if ever) I will put up a picture or two…
With the “Return of the $100,000 house” there’s no reason to confine yourself. Go look at some of the amazing dioramas in museums – like the Upper Nile scene at the American Museum of Natural History…and picture having that as your rec room. Or, check out the ship built inside the Royal BC Museum up in Victoria. And scroll down through all the pics.
In the land of George, thinking that buying a new overstuffed chair constitutes home decorating just doesn’t cut it. Building an environment, well that is a whole other deal.
Seems to me that would be a great niche – a productive one – for more Americans to get into. Certainly adds value to your living space.
Polynesian is an easy one (be mindful of fire safety in your design, of course) because you can pick up a lot of tiki and bamboo on eBay. Inspired by pictures of some Trader Vic’s locations, like this one in Boston, you can almost hear the wind in the palm trees. Come to think of it, a hidden CD player could be added to supply even that…
Just something I’ve been meaning to mention. A little creativity, some scraps and this and that, and you can cobble up something with a heartland theme (think Cracker Barrel restaurant) or Pirates of the Caribbean (think Disney), or Trader Vic’s or a museum diorama.
Just amazes the hell out of me how many people live in eggshell painted boxes when there’s so much fun to be hand exercising a little creativity.
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Speaking of home remodeling and such, did you catch this? “Florida: Drywall has material that can emit corrosive gas.“ Remind me to send that to my cousin who works are a US drywall plant up in Seattle.
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Send snip and save items, a fine bottle of wine, and any leftover machine tools to george@ure.net, member FDIC. No? OK, just kidding about that last part.
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Me Bullish? Where to Play the 401(k) Game
Short term – yes. Long term – no. But there’s a bit of time in between now and next fall’s problems. In fact, as I see it, there’s a pretty good case to be made that if the market doesn’t collapse this coming week for about a one to 1.5 week decline into the week before Easter (which wouldn’t surprise me – with a huge rally thereafter) the odds are increasing that the US stock market is about to put on a doozy of a rally which should make it through the 9,500 area and perhaps even as far as 11,200+. And a few of the global markets could be even better. This week let’s focus on some things to consider with your 401(k). Not investment advice, just things to noodle and ruminate on as you try to hang on to ‘what’s left’ of your life savings.
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“Live on $10,000″ Updated
What? You haven’t ordered the ebook “How to Live on $10,000 a year — or less”? Suit yourself. We’re all going to live it shortly, anyway. I just thought you might like a heads up by reading about how to do it before you get pink-slipped. But, suit yourself OR visit www.liveontenthousand.com or, click one of the following button:
Yep – still possible. I also took a bit of additional material that was pertinent from recent issues of Peoplenomics and included them. The whole thing runs about 65 pages, but it gives you a vision of how to not only live on the aforementioned dollar amount, but also how to migrate up the economic foodchain if you make a little more than that and do some active savings… Click here for the page with more details on it.
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Last week’s report is here. For back issues of this site, click here. (Goes back to 1997!)