# What are some cool visual things to add to a room? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003 "2014-08-07T03:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/1 "2014-08-07T03:11:14Z")
I found a tree frog had laid some eggs in a bucket outside that had a water plant in it, I dumped them into a larger glass container and damn they are hypnotic to watch. Reminds me of a fish tank, which I also love. I once thought about adding some kind of wall monitor that would cycle through landscape photos like the [bing.com](http://bing.com) backgrounds, or stuff like old scifi mag and book covers 😃 But anyway yea I love this kinda stuff, anything visual or data you can just zone out on. Throw me some ideas! ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/2 "2014-08-07T03:23:38Z")
A month or so back I bought a small Galileo Thermometer in a charity shop ( German made ). Allegedly the modern version has only been about since the 1990s according to **[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_thermometer)**. According to the web the liquid inside is **[corrosive](http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18290366)**, but I have doubts about that. Anyway, it’s sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/3 "2014-08-07T05:37:11Z")
Cats are Mobile Artworks. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/4 "2014-08-07T05:45:53Z")
look at junk shops, things like old ladders look great. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/5 "2014-08-07T16:26:18Z")
For a ridiculously long time, I’ve been drooling over a ThinkGeek holographic star projector. Of course, I can’t justify the expense (around $150), but it looks awesome. In the meantime, I recently got a string of paper lanterns at Target and draped them over a bookcase - at night they’re very pretty, and produce a surprising amount of light. Other cool visual things: I like placing colored glass bottles or hanging prisms in front of bright windows. Seaglass is also pretty, plus fun to rub in your hands. Plants are always a nice touch - for some reason I find [air plants and their hanging glass containers](http://p-ec1.pixstatic.com/506b019a74c5b64b1d001194._w.540_h.540_s.fit_.jpg) beautiful. I have basically the opposite of a green thumb, though, so right now the only thing I’m taking care of is an ailing aloe vera. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/6 "2014-08-07T17:08:02Z")
My window works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/7 "2014-08-07T18:40:41Z")
A suit of armor complete with lance and sword and face grill. On a pedestal so you have to look up. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/8 "2014-08-07T18:47:39Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > For a ridiculously long time, I’ve been drooling over a ThinkGeek holographic star projector. Of course, I can’t justify the expense (around $150), but it looks awesome. _hijack_ ME TOO. I almost almost bought it when it went on sale a Christmas or two ago for just $99 I think but I didn’t even have $99 to spend at the time. I keep thinking about it, though. And I found a much cheaper one on the QVC web site but then read somewhere that that’s totally a knockoff and not the same thing at all. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/9 "2014-08-08T05:14:28Z")
The iMac has a screen saver that makes mosaic photos of your photos using your photos. As the photo just made recedes it is surrounded by other photos that coalesce to form, yes, another of your photos. It just goes on and on like that. It’s difficult not to watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-cool-visual-things-to-add-to-a-room/695003/10 "2014-08-08T20:30:52Z")
Prints by Escher. My favorite is the impossible waterfall.