Painted Stripes Offer an Enthusiastic Welcome Home

Q: We're trying to decorate our new condo on the proverbial "shoestring" and need some quick and cheap ideas. Also, we both work long hours and don't have much time or energy left on weekends. I guess we're the "instant gratification" generation, but please don't hold that against us!

A: Nothing wrong with "quick, cheap and easy" when it comes to decorating. In fact, an air of spontaneity can be very appealing — fresh air for any interior — as long as you maintain a certain degree of visual decorum (read, good taste).

Here's a lively example: An ordinary entry-hall wall turns extraordinarily attractive for the price of one bright idea and a small can of cocoa-colored paint. You'll also need a carpenter's level and a few rolls of painter's tape in different widths. Measure, mark, tape, paint and peel (the tape); it's that easy, according to Jean Nayar, author of the book from which we borrowed the idea and photo.

Called "Real-Life Decor" (Filipacchi Publishing), it's a compendium of quick and easy ideas that don't cost much but add life, color and livability to your home. For example, what makes this entry so interesting is the variety in the size of the stripes and the fact that they're horizontal — not vertical, as we usually expect stripes to be.

Q: I was horrified yesterday when I "invaded" my 14-year-old stepson's room and saw that he had painted graffiti on his walls. Just his friends' names and a few rock stars' names, but I am upset by his lack of respect. Should we paint over it or just ignore it?

A: Oh, calm down. This must be the first time you've ever lived with a teenager, or you'd know better than to "invade" without being invited, expect such little rebellions and be grateful it's happening under your own roof. At least, he is not out there breaking the laws (click on nograffiti.com to fully appreciate the world's anti-graffiti attitude).

I'd say nothing — unless you can honestly praise his artwork. You might also mount a little countermovement: There are a number of dry erase products on the market that encourage writing on the walls. For example, WallPops (wall-pops.com) offers peel-and-stick calendars and plain sheets that just beg to be written on.

Q: It's spring and our thoughts have turned to our small patio, about 10 feet by 12 feet.

We want to make it an extension of our living room. Our furniture is traditional Victorian. Besides teak — such a cliche — what can we use outdoors?

A: Don't disparage all cliches — most are truth, boiled down to its essence. Take wicker furniture, for example. To shun wicker as a cliche would be missing the essence of the Victorian period you have already enshrined in your living room.

However, real wicker is too fragile for outdoor living. To get both the look and the long life, investigate some of the man-made "wickers" woven from resin, vinyl and even paper, a process patented by Lloyd Loom back in 1917.

Or check out the tufted armchairs from Studio JSPR (jspr.eu). They may look like great-auntie's front parlor, but they come in screaming brights like chartreuse and yellow. Plus, they are upholstered in leather-like rubber that can happily stay out in the elements between tea parties.

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Manhattan Style" and six other books on interior design.