The best home upgrades are the ones that look like they’ve been there all along – not always easy if you have a taste for decorating with vintage. And windows are usually the dead giveaway. Those hardwood floors might be original, but those beautifully brittle, poorly sealed panes were probably tossed a long time ago.
I just found a $25 renter-friendly solution that restores some of that lost charm and is convincing enough to make an all-new build look like it was born in another century. Fittingly, it comes from DIY-savvy Chris and Julia Marcum of Chris Loves Julia. Their new WallPops collaboration includes a repositionable peel-and-stick window film in a diamond grid that gives basically any glass – windows, closet doors, kitchen cabinets – an enviable Tudor, Gothic Revival sort of pedigree.
There aren't a ton of true silver bullets in design. But for $25, obscuring an ugly view, adding privacy, and giving a boring window a vintage backstory comes pretty darn close.
You simply clean your smooth, flat surface of choice, align the film, smooth it out, and cut away the excess. Even as a chronic TaskRabbit caller, ordinarily afraid to do anything myself for fear I’ll make matters worse, I’ve already ordered a roll.
Because my pre-war NYC apartment deserves it. Most of my windows are fantastic – south-facing, floor-to-ceiling – save for two that need a little love, staring directly into the brick building beside mine. I can’t move the building. I can, however, see a little less of it while turning one of my apartment’s biggest eyesores into an 'antique' design feature.
I also love that the film is slightly frosted, adding privacy without heavy window treatments. It’s ideal for bathrooms, closet doors, or street-facing windows, keeping that bright, outside-in feel without showing your neighbors exactly what you’re eating for dinner.
And whenever I decide to move – or, probably more proximately, make a little error in the stick-on process – it’s forgiving enough to reposition and just as easy to remove entirely.
The goal these days is undetectable: wealth codes, beauty enhancements, and, for a certain set of antique aficionados, a home that makes people believe it. Subtly frosted and renter-friendly, this 12.33-square-foot roll keeps up all the right appearances.
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More Chris Loves Julia x WallPops
There’s plenty more peel-and-stick bliss to get into. The new Chris Loves Julia x WallPops collaboration also includes four floor tile patterns and another window film. My highlights, below.
This black-and-white octagon-and-dot tile looks like a more luxurious version of the original flooring in my NYC bathroom. It’s chic but unpretentious, and perfect for wet zones like laundry rooms or high-traffic entryways.
If privacy is your main prerogative, this softly diffused reeded texture does the job while still letting light filter through, lending a slightly more mid-century feel.
Who hasn't dreamed of a checkered-floor kitchen? These tiles arrive in several colorways, ranging from neutrals to the moody oxblood pictured here. WallPops has dropped a similar style in the past, with reviewers reporting it’s held up for over two years and still looks stellar.
The Cora Window Film is a subtle yet elegant upgrade. But if you want to make more of a splash, explore a few bolder ways to decorate your rental.
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