As a long-time Five Towns real estate broker, I can state with absolute certainty that there is a lot of creativity going on in many of the homes I have visited. Every now and then, I like to go online to research the zaniest design “trends” as people like to call them and see to what lengths people will go to decorate their homes.
There are many beautiful homes with an amazing palette of decorating ideas that are waiting to be seen, and sometimes we want to see the zaniest idea that makes you stop and think: “Wow, I can’t believe someone thought of this!” So, here are some of the ideas I discovered that I thought were simply out of this world.
One idea for creating a room divider was bizarre. Chains hanging down from the ceiling, holding automobile license plates one below the other to create a sort of floating wall effect. My first thought was: “Where did they get all those license plates? And, “Was it all legal?” I really started laughing when they suggested to choose license plates by color based on the color scheme you wish to create in that particular room. Again, I couldn’t help but wonder where they had gotten all those license plates from all 50 states—Hawaii and Alaska included!
When the divider was finished it really looked interesting if not outright wacky, and I got to thinking: other than a boy’s room or a recreation room, where in the world would someone want to use a room divider made up of license plates?
My next discovery was another room divider, although I think this one would require a room with lots of windows or skylights to let in the sun since they created a divider by lining up long flowing hanging plants from the ceiling, with pots of bushes underneath to create a line across the room that divides it into two sections. Since the plants looked healthy, I assumed they are watered and pruned and fed regularly. I wondered if this kind of room divider would work for someone who travels regularly since how would they water the plants if they weren’t there daily? Would they need to hire a gardener? And with this combination of plants, wouldn’t you have to use a ceramic floor for all that water which probably drips down constantly from all those hanging plants? I took the time to write down the name of the designer who created this creation to be sure I would never use him if I needed a decorator. On the other hand, I guess I had to give him an “A” for inspiration even though it was not at all practical for indoor use.
Now that I’m on the subject, I have to tell you that my all-time favorite design idea is a kid’s bathroom makeover which entailed renovating a small, walk-in shower stall to create a miniature reproduction of a car wash. All the shower jets came from the top and sides with sprayers rotating as if you were going through a car wash. I liked this idea so much that I just put it on my “to do” list for my own shower when it’s time to renovate. There’s nothing better than a good strong shower, but I wonder how the mother of that house will get the kids out of there once they get in. I sent a memo to that designer urging him to create a gadget that will make the kids want to get out of that car wash shower since once you get in and the water is nice and warm. Why would you ever want to get out? n
Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a Licensed Real Estate Broker (Anessa V Cohen Realty) with over 20 years of experience offering full service residential, commercial and management real estate services in the 5 towns of Long Island as well as the tri-state area . She can be reached at 516-569-5007 or Readers are encouraged to send any questions or scenarios by email to anessa@avcrealty.com.
