more musings: pleasant surroundings

Everyone wants to exist in a pleasant surrounding, whether they admit to it or not. I know some will protest pretty surroundings, claiming that they never notice, could care less, are concerned with content over form, aren't design wimps, etc. But I beg to differ. It is simply more pleasant to be in pleasant surroundings.

Take my Y for example. The locker room was rather, well, yucky before they closed for the end-of-summer cleaning. And now, WOW! We got a new paint job, new flooring, new lockers, new shower stalls, new shower curtains, new automatic paper towel dispensers, new sinks, new faucets, more countertops, new lights. I rather like the color combo they chose: chartreuse walls, blue lockers, olive green floors and shower stalls, burnt umber tiles that transition from grey to greenish brown depending on the angle of light, olive countertops, grey other walls, and one red pipe. It is a bit wacky, but very very nice. The fact that they even chose a color scheme rather surprised me.

So while I swam today, I thought all about little finishing touches they could add to put the place over the top. Like gold accents. If the locker room had mirrors framed in gold, that would warm the place right up. How about some fancy shower heads too. And why not put a a big script L and M on the locker room doors, instead of those old yucky old plaques that they didn't bother to change, that are sloppily painted over and a bit rusty anyway.

I wanted to write up a punch-list too. I want to submit my punch-list to the Suggestion Box. They need to clean up the construction dust. They need to finish the floor in one corner. And some molding for the floor. If only they would finish it, keep the place clean, add some shower caddies and towel hooks (they removed those in the renovation for some unknown reason), the place would be great. I am almost tempted to do some guerilla decorating for them. With a laminated tag on each improvement that could read, "Donated by a caring Y member who saw a need," or something like that.

I am tempted.



Musings from the Pool is a new featured regular column for the blog. gee