Tip #18: Sweat the small stuff.
that’s terrible advice. i know. especially from me. i sweat a lot of small stuff and a lot of that sweating only makes me…sweaty. but still, there are some things you have to fight against and in the world of tiny apartments, ghastly home ‘improvements’ are one of them.
anyone who’s looked to buy a ceiling fan knows that there are some real doozies out there. anyone care for this one? but despite the horrific selection, there are some fans that are less bad than others. {hell, some are downright pleasant}. faux bois and gold ceiling fans are not among these. faux bois and gold ceiling fans that take up 50 % of my ceiling and replace a perfectly modestly-sized white ceiling fan that was broken and inefficient but for goodness sake didn’t make me want to cry, border on tragic.
yesterday, i returned to my apartment to find our new friend staring down at me. james had beaten me home and i swear he almost didn’t let me in, afraid of what i might do when i looked up. not that i really had to look up. the behemoth is so overwhelming that i could see it in my peripheral vision before i even had a chance to crane my neck. when i flipped the switch to see the thing in action, giant gobs of some other unfortunate soul’s dirt spun off in all directions. la classe.
i didn’t do anything about it last night. i crawled up the ladder to our loft, climbed into bed and cast sidelong and angry glances at the thing while i attempted to read myself to sleep. this morning, i emailed the landlord. i’m 100% aware that this makes me finicky and picky and generally out of my gourd, but seriously. i live in 240 square feet and i can’t stand up straight when i get out of bed in the morning. forgive me while i sweat the oversized and ugly small stuff.
21 Comments
Oh my. I do feel you might need a stronger warning before linking to the first one. No one should have to see that. I'm trying to think of a room or situation it might suit and I'm coming up empty. Will you landlord replace yours or allow you to paint or something? fingers crossed.
here's hoping! i'll keep you updated!
Oh man, i'd be just as irritated! If your landlord doesn't change it, get it done yourself instead. So worth it!
I feel you. In my last apartment, I asked for a ceiling fan and got one that must have been intended for a child's room, since each limb was painted a different bright color. That was the least of my worries in that apartment, though, where we had bed bugs for months among other things. And some friends of mine had their ceiling fan fall down out of the ceiling, which is always a fear of mine… I hope your landlord is nice and cares about what you have to say.
terrifying!
no one should have to live with one of these things. EVER. i don't care if it's in the rec room in the basement of your massive house and you only go down there once a week to look at old slides of your parents childhood projected on to the wall (oh yes, we used to do that). they should be banned from existence. blech!
yes, totally reminds me of childhood friends' basement fans!
Haha, you have my deepest symphaties..! 😀
thanks, sweet tinajo 😉
Have you seen Big Ass Fans' Haiku model?? (It also comes in white.) http://www.bigassfans.com/product/haiku/
yowza. not bad!
Why?!?!? (Especially the part about the dirt. Sends shivers up my spine.)
That's just gross in more ways than one. Maybe if your landlord won't replace it, he/she will let you paint the blades? That wood grain is pretty awful. Sorry!
Oh, god. I hate ours and it isn't nearly so offensive. You're totally justified. Or at least in good company.
Maybe if he'll let you paint the blades white it won't be so bad?
A good can of paint! 🙂
Love the third link.
I had one of these when I moved into my apartment it was an ugly mottled '90s aqua/green colour with blonde faux bois fins. I had left over matte black paint (from painting the brass louvers on the fireplace) that I used to paint over the awful green. Significant improvement…the blonde faux bois even looked ok with it.
You could always do that with white paint, if the landlord OKs it. Although I wouldn't recommend painting the fins; a whole lot more crap gets stuck to them & is harder to clean off when it's not the factory finish. But you could always buy white replacement fins which would help lighten things up a lot.
As an employee at Schoolhouse Electric I am constantly getting requests for fan co. recommendations.
The only one I've found to be dependable with tons of styles, (good and bad) is fanimation.com.
check it girl and good luck
Since all of the electric stuff is hooked up replacing it shouldn't be too hard, besides getting a nice arm workout.
Oh wow! I definitely would have had the same reaction!
I just took the initiative and threw out/ replaced that exact fan (albeit with cream blades) in my apt. Just got the best and least garish option from home depot and had a friend help install it. Totally worth the effort. I also live in BH….coincidence? I think not. #uglyfanconspiracy.
Actually it is a beautiful fan but hey it might just not be what you want but it is really pretty, but then again I am from the south (Dallas,Texas) and right now I am living in Rochester New York and our apartment is small for me over 800 square feet but hearing about all your deals going on no bitching from me! So Iwill enjoy reading about your life in your little tiny apartment! lol
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