I think you mislinked, there. That’s the thread about my Panic Disorder diagnosis. (Oddly enough, I was just looking at that before I clicked on your link…)
Wow, I feel stupid. This is what I meant: http://www.gandolfini.com/sopranos4.jpg
Or as close to it as I’m going to get (it doesn’t say DVD on mine…)
I’d love this in a living room (provided there’s an entertainment center in there) or an office, den or home theater. It would put me off in a bedroom. It’s not exactly soothing, which is what I want in a bedroom.
My thoughts exactly. I actually love kitsch, but it’s like you took every dorm cliché and put it in one room. And seeing cheesy girlie pics in a guy’s place is a complete turn off for me. Makes me think he doesn’t have much interaction with the real thing.
Well, keep in mind, I actually live in a studio, so technically my bedroom is my entertainment center and my kitchen and my dining area. Actually, the picture is right over my table where my laptop is kept, so I think of it as the dining/computer “area.”
Oh, heck yeah, that counts. And you did say it was in a frame, right? 
Studios by their very nature get extra slack in the Pop Culture department. They’re just cool like that.
(Oh, flight instinct kicking in…How can I get out of here this very minute without making this guy feel bad. Headache? too cliche…left iron on at home…potential…oh, I got it…)
“Shakes, this has been great, but I have to go home a vacuum the cat now…”
I’m not exactly a standard-bearer of WASPish good taste either, given that my bedroom’s decor evokes New Orleans cathouse crossed with French SE Asian Colonial, with a nice repro of a painting of a googly-eyed kitten caught in the rain tossed in. (And no, I’m not going into any more detail.) I loves me kitsch, too.
Still, there’s good kitsch and bad. I’d update the art, ditch the dreamcatcher, nix the black light (unflattering on skin tones, if great for roller rinks), and even reconsider the furniture, but that’s because I really hate oak, unless it’s stained so dark it’s unrecognizable by grain. You didn’t mention the flooring… carpet? What kind, color? Regardless, it probably could use a thorough cleaning, if it’s as old as the rest of the room. And ditto for the walls… what color? Your room would probably benefit immensely from a fresh coat and color. And small, low-wattage accent lamps… your room would doubtless benefit from two or more of these.
I’m 25 and if I saw a friend’s bedroom that looked like that I’d tease him unmercifully about it. I don’t mind a bit of kookiness but all of that together seems like too much.
:: thinks of own studio apartment ::
Cripes, I’m doomed…
Lessee… walls of books. Several framed Chuck Potter prints, plus one by an artist whose name I can’t remember called Trail to Charizoni, plus one by my mom. Way too much junk. Mixture of random furniture. Dust. Computer, scanner, printer, sound system all side-by-side and interconnected. Drawing board next to same. I have good cookware, though.
According to you guys, I haven’t a snowball’s chance in hell.
Is there no compassion for someone who’s worked their way out of debt and couldn’t afford to get new furniture or anything nice for many years, and is only now making improvements?
Not to beat the horse, but it’s sounding really 80’s college dormy. I’m male/40, and if one of my peers had that stuff in his room I’d give him endless shit about it. If money is an issue, I think minimalist is the way to go- nothing or nearly nothing on the walls, paint the walls a nice cappucino color, white ceiling, maybe a single small framed print or two. Get the TV/computer/entertainment center out of there. Simple bedding, maybe a chair in the corner to match the dresser.
There’s a difference between “not decorated” or “functional,” which is what your space sounds like, and “decorated like a superannuated frat boy’s Kliche Kollection,” which is what the OP is describing. You should be okay, though you might want to make an effort to get the clutter under control a bit.
My roommate and I are pretty poor, but we still get compliments on our apartment. All of our furniture is from charity shops/dumpsters/Ikea/cheap Internet deals, and our decor is random stuff we happened to own (ratty tapestry from Brazil courtesy of my roommate’s grandmother, colorful Indian quilt bought on sale during my summer abroad, postcards put in cardboard frames, fake antique clock from BB&B, etc). It’s not about buying expensive stuff, IMO - it’s perfectly possible to decorate your apartment tastefully on a tight budget.
Humm…
My bedroom.
Walls are painted a nice brown. The wall color actually goes up on the celing for 8 inches, giving a border and it fixes other problems with the walls.
There are two built in sets of shelves. One is full of music cds. The other, over my bed, has books and board games.
The art is all framed.
Movie poster of Tomb Raider II-that is signed by Ms. Jolie.
A detail section of ‘The Wet Cupid’ by William Adolphe Bougereau .
A poster from a photography exhibit from the Met that was about fashion photography of the 20’s.
A poster for the Paris Zoo with a panther and a leopard. I usually say my cat picked that one out.
A large photograph, taken by me, of a statue at the met, (includes naked breast)
A print of a image by Gil Elvgren. He was pin-up artist of the 40’s 50’s and 60’s. This one was never published. It features a woman being ‘presented’ to a Shiek as an addition to his harem.
A good sized mirror.
Over my dresser is another mirror and a set of 8x10 ‘headshots’ all taken by me.
The floor has a bamboo area rug. I have a 'directors chair that I use when I’m doing a client’s makeup. (I’m a photographer, if you haven’t guessed) There is a nice laundry hamper that goes with the rest of the decor.
There is one window but I live in a basement apt. So the window opens to a concrete shaft.
If you are entering, you can bet that the closet is closed and there are no dirty clothes on the floor.
So, do I get any?
Dang. I think we have that same poster. It’s got a history with my SO, so he wants to keep it. But it’s sitting in a closet now.
:: sighs with relief ::
I have to admit, “minimalist” is sounding more and more attractive right now. As well as “new paint”. 
On a side note, how do Dopers feel about hanging your own art on the walls?
[googly-eyed hijack]
Do you remember if it’s textured, to suggest the surface of a painting? Mine’s not a conventional poster; it’s printed on heavy cardboard stock, it’s got that painterly texture (you have to examine it up close to see it’s not really an original), plus it’s rather small, about 12" x 16" or so – and I found it in an antique shop, framed.
[/googly-eyed hijack]
Perfectly acceptable so long as it’s worth presenting in the first place.
Sooner or later, this information is going to come out as well, and it well reflect very poorly on your part. In short:
(1) His mom does his decorating for him
(2) The only room that reflects his actual taste is one someone 10 years younger should’ve already outgrown
(3) Opal wept
Yep! Being an artistic type, you get more room than most for eclectic art pieces, but I’m not sure about the Paris zoo piece - does it have words? I don’t like words in the bedroom. snerk
*Generally *in a bedroom I prefer only one or two paintings or abstract designs - again, because you don’t want a bedroom to come across as frenetic or energized; a bedroom is for relaxing, and the art in there, along with the wall colors, bedding, etc., should generally serve the purpose of soothing and calming. While they don’t have to match, again generally speaking, keeping with one theme (rennaissance nudes, tigers or African prints) or two colors (chocolate and cream, beige and russet, sage and lavender) with perhaps a splash of a third accent color keeps things calm and collected as well. Photographs and posters tend to be more energizing, and best saved (IMHO) for spaces where you want people to be alert and “up”. Words are very “active”, so a poster with words on it is usually not the best choice for a bedroom, IMHO.