topic Re: Home internal design question in SmorgasBoard

Home internal design question

Anonymous — Sat, 12 May 2012 18:21:08 GMT

Okay, so I am moving into a new apartment at the end of the month and I have a goal. I want it to look like a place where a single guy does not live! Now the basics I understand, clean the dishes and do not leave dirty socks laying around Now designing the way the place is set up, I even understand a little bit (just make junk match!). My goal is when a **clears throat** female friend comes over her response would be something like, "wow this does not look like a single guy's place."

My problem is what I want to do with my degrees and dean's list awards. I never made it to high school so I am proud of my uni degree. What I want to do is place my BA and AGS side by side with all my deans list awards (4 of them) below them and have my two cords (alpha sigma lamba, honor society for adult students; and magna cum laude cords) to form the top of a triangle above the degrees and deans list awards. Don't worry they are framed

I am going to do this, my question is if this is tacky for the living room? Should I do it inside the bedroom instead?

Next year when I am done with my MBA I plan on putting the MBA over my BA and AGS, then using the hood as the bottom of the triangle.

I ask people that I know, but I fear that they either have no fashion sense or are being kind in their judgement because they are too close to me to be completely honest. So I am asking strangers.

PS- if any of you ever end up coming over to my place, do not pick on me about my credit score!

**looks intently** So PSYCHO what is your Fico now?

DOH!

Re: Home internal design question

llecs — Sat, 12 May 2012 23:20:10 GMT

LOL, my degree is hanging above the toilet with the words etched into the frame: "In case of emergency, break glass". J/k because I'm a dropout twice over, but the only time I see it as important to hang up degrees for public display are for docs or other professional-types where it would be important for the clientele to see their accomplishments before they do biz with them. The only educated folks I know are broke and a degree never guarantees a job or success in life. I'm certainly not down-playing college as I met Mrs. llecs there. What I'm trying to say is, in my 2 cents, is that folks who hang degrees are celebrating the past vs. moving forward in the future. If I had the accomplishments that you do, I'd shove them under the bed out of fear of focusing or reflecting on the past.

ETA...and I hope you don't take this as a slam on your accomplishments. It's not. I had the chance to take 120+ credit hours towards a BA in poli sci with a decent GPA in my major, and also have some graduate credits in Econ and some first year law school under my belt. It was fun doing the research, and studying, and making new friends. I got to meet and work with some amazing folks in my 7+ years of post-HS education. After 5 years I became disenfranchised after I made the assumption that my employment odds were better with a degree, when that's certainly not true. It really opened my eyes when I went into journalism for a time and I got hired managing a group of existing employees at a major paper. One of those was one of my professors. I was making way more than him and he was trying to teach me how to be successful when I was his student. It seemed warped and I realized that all professors were broke and I was being taught by broke people who were telling me how to be broke. It opened my eyes and realized that the richest folks in this country were college drop outs. I wasted all of that time, though Mrs. llecs made it well worth it I suppose.

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:04:40 GMT

Seriously, hang them in the restroom. It shows that you have a sense of humor about yourself and you don't take yourself-or your degrees-too seriously, no matter how much you spent on framing them.

Re: Home internal design question

rckstrscott — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:21:14 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Okay, so I am moving into a new apartment at the end of the month and I have a goal. I want it to look like a place where a single guy does not live! Now the basics I understand, clean the dishes and do not leave dirty socks laying around Now designing the way the place is set up, I even understand a little bit (just make junk match!). My goal is when a **clears throat** female friend comes over her response would be something like, "wow this does not look like a single guy's place."

My problem is what I want to do with my degrees and dean's list awards. I never made it to high school so I am proud of my uni degree. What I want to do is place my BA and AGS side by side with all my deans list awards (4 of them) below them and have my two cords (alpha sigma lamba, honor society for adult students; and magna cum laude cords) to form the top of a triangle above the degrees and deans list awards. Don't worry they are framed

I am going to do this, my question is if this is tacky for the living room? Should I do it inside the bedroom instead?

Next year when I am done with my MBA I plan on putting the MBA over my BA and AGS, then using the hood as the bottom of the triangle.

I ask people that I know, but I fear that they either have no fashion sense or are being kind in their judgement because they are too close to me to be completely honest. So I am asking strangers.

PS- if any of you ever end up coming over to my place, do not pick on me about my credit score!
**looks intently** So PSYCHO what is your Fico now?
DOH!

Well; No offense intended (honestly)..

But when I was shopping for homes this year, I went to maybe 50 or 60? I think the only place where those kind of awards and degrees didn't look weird or out of place was in a business style office within the home.

I saw a few with degrees in the living room, or hanging above the fireplace, and (in my opinion) it just looked kinda douchey and stuck up. With that said, its your home, put them where you want to be reminded of your success most, not what you think will impress women. If they are in your apartment to begin with, you are already plus one. Just make sure the place doesn't smell. lol

I had a short, mildly successful music career that left me with a few nice peices of memoriablia (I have framed albums, concert posters w/ we opened for large acts ect) and I keep those inside the studio within my home, where I create music to this day and like to be reminded of those moments.

I would never place them in my living room. It would be like saying 'Oh hi neighbors! Welcome to 2002!'

-scott

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:51:56 GMT

If your apartment is like mine... in that the living room and the bedroom are the same, you have no choice...

I would put my diplomas in the additional room, if I ever had one... but I actually wouldn't try to put my diplomas on the wall in neither the living room nor the bedroom wall.

What I did was put together a bookshelf for my books and on the "outer area" of the shelf, I placed the diplomas in a frame, so it looked in place with the books and the whole bookshelf and left the walls for posters/pictures and their frames.

I painted the walls a nice grey with a white trim, to give the place a neutral look. On the living room wall, I have posters of New York that are in black and white with certain images in color that make the wall pop a bit.

My #1 cardinal rule is, above all else, the bed must be made and the bathroom must be spotless.

Re: Home internal design question

crunching_numbers — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:10:28 GMT

The only place hanging degrees and awards looks "normal" is right over a desk or in a study. It is infinately better to hang a photo of yourself on graduation day in a hallway area somewhere to show your excitement and pride of your accomplishments. Do not hang your degrees and awards all over your bedroom or living room, unless you set up a home office area with a desk.

For an apartment to say: not a clueless bachelor pad: (IMHO of course...)

Matching relatively nice couch set (no tears, stains, etc.)

Coffee tables with a coffee table book and coasters

Throw pillows that match the couch and each other

Art on the walls (not degrees, not all pictures of you or of your mother, or dogs playing poker). Does not need to be valuable art, just something to make the walls not blank like framed festival posters or paintings or prints.

Set the dining area table, and use matching dishes and glassware with some kind of focal point like a runner and candlesticks (even if you don't plan to eat dinner there)

Make the bed with clean nice matching bedding and have some art on the walls in there too that goes with the bedding colors

Clean bathroom, especially the toilet. Make sure there is a clean handtowel and nice enough soap (liquid pump bottle is fine, almost used up scraps from the shower is not)

A selection of drinks on hand to offer- not just like water and beer- have diet Coke and wine (girl drinks, but offer the water and beer too)

We don't expect everything to be new and expensive. We do however, like to see things be clean and to match (coordinate with each other). Ikea is a great place to pick up reasonably priced decorative items that will go with any decor.

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:16:00 GMT

Marshall's has some good finds too.

I have a very masculine teal/brown facade going on throughout the house.

Also, black/silver can be appropriate in the right places.

Re: Home internal design question

demi — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:40:12 GMT

Well, I have never even framed mine, much less have them hanging...but if you do want to hang them, I would do it like others have said, around a desk or a computer, or a hallway.

Your question about the single guy apartment makes me laugh...after 4 years in my brand new house, they finally built the house behing me! A single guy (or so it appears) bought it, absolutely nothing on the windows for about 3 weeks, not like I was trying to peak, couldn't help it! (two story houses, very close together). Only thing you could see was a HUGE TV, honestly, I was thinking of watching his tv with my sound on. After week three, one night I was in the back yard, and he was outside with a woman...sheets went up on the windows that night!!!

Have fun, its fun to decorate it!

Re: Home internal design question

quest208 — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:31:37 GMT

it will take you a long time to get the home looking the way that you want it.

the most important thing i think is to get rid of clutter.

other than that i think everything else is personal style and taste.

wall color, rugs, material and build of furniture, etc.

pillows are a good idea to spice things up

flowers or potted plants in the corner

change the window dressing

if you have blinds, get drapes or something else

change the lamp shade

pay attention to the bathroom. make it clean, nicely scented and comfortable.

i suggest you start watching nate berkus show and/or HGTV, specifically if you can find Sarah Richardson's show on HGTV you will get good ideas to pick and choose from.

or read some design books from barnes and noble during your spare time.

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:12:09 GMT

Please, dear God, do not hang your degrees up in your living room! The ONLY place they should hang is in your office. If you don't have an office, you could hang them in your home office, but most don't even do that. This is, of course, my opinion.

Also, when you say Dean's list awards, do you mean a letter they mailed you to signify you made the Dean's list? I have never heard of people framing these and hanging them with their degrees. I understand you are proud of your accomplishments, and that's good, but you might put off the impression that you are a little too proud.

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:19:57 GMT

Note to self: Nix idea of blowing up degree into a poster size at OfficeMax and framing it on the main wall of my living room.

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:35:48 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Note to self: Nix idea of blowing up degree into a poster size at OfficeMax and framing it on the main wall of my living room.

Should have it made into wallpaper, IMO.

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:36:50 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Note to self: Nix idea of blowing up degree into a poster size at OfficeMax and framing it on the main wall of my living room.
Should have it made into wallpaper, IMO.

BRILLIANT!!!

Re: Home internal design question

MidnightVoice — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:16:31 GMT

I don't even know where my degree certificates are

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:49:45 GMT

I'm laughing about where this conversation has went. The poster maybe only got about 10% of usable advice and the rest is about the diplomas. I admit it's definitely tacky but its your house you should be able to put it on the refrigerator if you choose.

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:35:50 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I'm laughing about where this conversation has went. The poster maybe only got about 10% of usable advice and the rest is about the diplomas.

Welcome to the Internet...

Re: Home internal design question

Booner72 — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:44:35 GMT

Be proud of your degrees for sure, but if you are trying to impress the ladies, displaying them as you described ANYWHERE in your house is a very bad idea. IMO, big turn off. I would see you as tacky and conceited.

Just my opinion!

Re: Home internal design question

Anonymous — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:06:23 GMT

Are you guys saying I shouldn't do the wallpaper? Because that was my fallback plan

In all seriousness I want to thank everyone for your input. I will try to remember a few points that were made.

Yes, my school sends out certificates for making the Dean's list.

I did not run this idea through to try to impress females, I just used that as an example. I was and am still planning on putting up my degrees. I decided to put them over my desk (which will be in the corner of the living room) to help me stay motivated. I have come a long way and sometimes it is nice to reflect on how far I have come; or maybe I just need a kick in the butt so I do not get lazy now.

As for the rest of the apartment... I guess putting up those playboy centerfolds are not a good idea? The place is going to be a work in progress. Going from 1500 sq feet to 540 sq feet is not going to be easy, but it will help me in the years to come. I wanted to cut my junk down to something that I could move in my truck with a large u-haul trailer. So I will have to measure floor space carefully and plan purchases according to the room available. Going to try my best to make all the furniture match, wish me luck

Oh, what do you think of covering the couch in plastic to preserve it? That real thick stuff, circa 1970s

Re: Home internal design question

rckstrscott — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:22:02 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

Oh, what do you think of covering the couch in plastic to preserve it? That real thick stuff, circa 1970s

It will make clean-up easy... wait. what?

Re: Home internal design question

aussiesareforever — Sun, 20 May 2012 16:11:06 GMT

To the OP. I did something similar when I lived in a three bedroom house. I used a bedroom as an office and hung all my diplomas. Like you, I had a handful, undergrad, grad school and a bunch of awards.It was very rare that anybody went into my office.....extremely rare.

I have sinced moved into a two bedroom house and all my diplomas are boxed up until I have some extra room again. I didn't think it was prudent to display them in the guest bedroom

I believe the certificates/diplomas/awards were given for a reason and there is absolutely nothing wrong with displaying them (with a little dash of tact and class)