Social Question

ibstubro's avatar

Have you ever given part of someone's living space a makeover in their absence/without their consent?

Asked by ibstubro (18804points) May 29th, 2016

Back in the 80’s I moved in with my great-aunt for a few weeks. She lived in a cavernous 100 yo 4-plex where the rent was super cheap, but the landlord would only fix, never update. The kitchen – hub of her home – was painted flat pastel yellow and had tar-paper linoleum on the floor.

She left to visit her son for a week, and while she was gone, her daughters and I moved everything out of the kitchen, then I laid new linoleum, and painted everything in semi-gloss 2-tone green (celery and green bean colors, lol). She was ecstatic!

Of course, anything was better than what was there, but thinking back, it was a bit of a risk. She could have hated it.

Have you ever been involved in a surprise makeover, and did it go as planned?

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5 Answers

elbanditoroso's avatar

No, I haven’t. But it seems that it could cut really badly. You were lucky it went well.

ibstubro's avatar

It was really pretty much of a no-brainer for me.
What was there was bad, and she hated it. Her 2 daughters and I picked out the new scheme.
I was young. Today I would do it again, but be a lot more neutral in color.

Dutchess_III's avatar

No. My mom tended to do that a little. I just let it be. It’s Mom.

Love_my_doggie's avatar

It’s lovely to surprise someone with a home-cooked meal or a small gift. When there’s something significant at stake, however, a surprise can be a really bad idea.

ibstubro's avatar

I guess it depends on how extensive the change, how well you know the person/people involved, and how bad the project is when you start.

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