Interior Design by Prince Feisal
My apartment has a small balcony that for the past six months has gone completely unused. It’s too small to put out any significant furniture, and I don’t own a grill so it hasn’t become a surrogate kitchen either. During the summer it’s a good place to watch the little league games, but now that the weather has come the only purpose it serves is parachute the spare key to someone on the sidewalk below.
Walking just now to grab some food from the mess, I was thinking about the persian cafes in Westwood. They’re jammed every night and while I’ve never been in one, they appeal to me in the same way my friends’ Kasbah does; dark, warm, and just a little bit seedy. Rather than waiting to get up ther nerve the next time I’m in LA or home in the valley, I feel it’s time to build my own den.
Picture the ground covered in thick rugs and plush pillows in reds, browns, and golds. Instead of walls a billowing, loose tent-like canvas will hang around you with curtained, tassled openings that look out onto the hillside and back into the apartment. A small firepit and hookah will be supported by small end tables to hold hot cups of mint tea and small plates of hummus and olives (and whatever Persian alchohol I’ve yet to discover).
This is my project for the winter, as a way to leverage the unused space as well as that crisp Pacific Northwest climate. I’m very excited…
6 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
If you’ve got an extra layer of insulation between the door and the elements it may improve your heating bill! Just go to an army surpluss shop and get some old shitty tent canvas, then layer a tarp over the outside of it. It might have a musty army smell though.
The problem with army surplus is that it’s not the Arabian army, but our shitty domestic 70’s army. I need the smell of camel sweat and sand.
Did you just say camel sweat? I’d think about that one again. Sand on the other hand, I’m all for that. In that case you’d need a vinal sheet over the balcony floor and edge. Make a little box. What you could do is get some army surplus canvas, then tac ‘arabian’ looking fabric to the inside. A cheaper way.
[...] Last night I went out to Tap Plastics to pick up some more equipment for the kasbah. While driving out there I passed dealerships for Rolls Royce and Lotus, brands I’ve yet to find with official representation back home in the valley. [...]
you can find an insulator for this at any hardware store or just try Lowe’s
Thanks Jimmy! Now that it’s slightly less damp here in Washington, I’m going to start putting things together. I’ll be posting photos of the progress soon.