Last week, I decided I really wanted a Christmas tree. Problematically, all 324 square feet of my apartment are being used up by a bed, couch, bookshelf, desk, coffee table, and two barstools.
Living in a small space makes you really crafty (crazy). I thought a good solution would be to paint my sliding closet doors into chalkboards and draw a Christmas tree in chalk.
Confession: every serious home project I do requires at least one beer. Total cost of this project: $18.
The first roller stroke was fun. I felt daring and brave. Then I got to this point and started thinking “What the fuck am I doing??? This is going to be such a pain in the ass to paint back when I move out. I’m going to lose my deposit. I’m going to have a BLACK WALL in my tiny apartment.“
Then I drank the beer and kept painting and got to this point and thought “hey, this isn’t so bad.“
Not bad at all. Total time: 20 minutes to paint the first coat + 20 minutes to dry + 20 minutes to paint last coat + 30 minute break somewhere in between to watch Gilmore Girls and drink beer = 1.5 hours.
After waiting 3 DAYS for the paint to set totally (it was completely dry about an hour after I painted, but I thought I would be good and follow the directions), I put on a conditioning coat of chalk and then rubbed it in.
Then it was ready to be drawn on. And I suddenly became an artist. [Full disclosure: I found this picture by Googling “chalkboard Christmas trees” and basically copied it.]
It’s incredible how painting one thing suddenly made this 324 square foot space my home.
Painting in a small space is scary. Especially if you’re making a bold color choice, like black. In a little space, you have to love everything you have, because you’ll be looking at it every day, all day. Choosing to paint or wallpaper a wall is a big choice.
At the end of the day, I really hated my beige closet doors (and the whole BEIGE apartment). And something about painting a space makes it instantly more of a home – more permanent, more yours. You’ve made a commitment to the little space. I’m already thinking about which wall I’ll paint next.
So…be brave! Paint something in your little space (or normal-sized house, I don’t judge) this weekend!
DANIELLE ALEXANDER 
