Pictures, Mirrors & Shelves in Santa Monica — from $39

A gallery in a rental — absolutely. If it is hung right

Half of Santa Monica’s life happens in rentals, and wanting to make a rented apartment your own is legitimate. A photo gallery, paintings, plant shelves — all possible in a rent-controlled apartment if the deposit stays in mind:

• The whole composition marked out before the first hole — laid on the floor, moved around, agreed; the finished scheme goes onto the wall.
• Minimal points: each frame gets one precise fixing on a laser line; a 12-frame gallery means 12 holes, not 30.
• Hardware matched to the wall: 1920s–40s courtyard buildings can be lath — studs only there; post-war and new walls get rated hardware by weight.
• At move-out everything comes down, the holes get spackled — the wall goes back to the landlord as it was.

Mirrors: a full-length mirror in a small beach apartment is nearly mandatory — light and space double. Two people, into studs; over 50 pounds is a structural fixing, no compromises. Coastal humidity corrodes bathroom hardware over time — mirrors there go up on stainless.

Shelves: open shelves for plants and books — into studs, with the weight calculated: wet planters are heavier than they look.

Frequently asked questions