o.k., here goes. what one item in your apartment (other than loved ones, including animals, of course) would you grab if there was a fire (if size and weight didn't matter)?

and another question -- has anyone ever ordered from roomandcompany.com? their stuff looks great but i've never seen any mention of them (other than their ad in dwell, which led me to their website).

I've never ordered from there, but boy do I really want the Curio TV Display (living room >entertainment cabinets).

Good (if a little scary) question about the fire. I would take my coffee table.

It was originally a wedding present given to my mom and dad from my grandparents. I found it in my parent's garage and got it re-done to take to NYC with me when I moved here 8 years ago.

Its a rough hewn log shape, in a dark walnut stain. I think it is called Treeforms, from a place in Ithaca, NY.

You can see my teeth marks in the wood and claw marks from the long gone family dog. Nice patina, I think. I learned to walk by pulling myself along the table, mom says. And no matter how many beer bottles, coffee mugs and take out containers I subject it to, the thing does not ring or stain.

One thing! That's so hard, but I suppose it would be my engagement & wedding rings if they weren't on my fingers. If they were, it would be my Palm Pilot, because as long as I had that, I could put my life back together. Hmm, doesn't seem very apartment therapy-ish, but there it is.

I would save my late mother's Mikimoto pearls. My father bought them from the old man himself at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, soon after the Japanese surrendered in 1945. I wore them on my wedding day. Irreplaceable.

The first thing that came to mind were framed photos of my mother as a teenager and another of her family. They all died way before I was born so it's precious. But then I thought about my mom's framed needlepoints. I don't love the picture (deer in the woods) but she made them by hand when I was little and she's passed away now. Can I have a small stack?

(BTW, I really like the idea of a random open thread going up on Friday, to carry us addicts over 'til fresh content arrives on Monday. A little "inmates running the asylum" but now a reason for obsessive "refreshing" over the weekend!!)

If I could, I would grab my computer's hard drive or at least my archive of it. I don't need to run out the door with my actual computer, but the information is really very important to me. I've had two laptops stolen and I never want to lose my pictures, addresses, letters to friends, movies, CDs or personal and professional work ever again. While I have other things in the house that are technically irreplacable, including a bunch of my own drawings and handicrafts, the missing information would be much more devistating. And I wear the only heirloom my mom lets out of her house -- my great aunt's wedding ring from the 30s.

If it wasn't a fire -- we just have to evacuate Manhattan for a few weeks, nothing serious -- I would probably choose to take my knitting or my "No More Bad Design" picture [a favorite] to remind me of home and help me feel a little better while I was being housed in a Red Cross shelter full of Manhattanites. [Now *that's* a scene from hell. You and me and the lady down the hall with the yapping dog all sleeping on little cots and hoping no one steals our fancy shoes and personal tchotchkes. *Shudder* ]

And I agree with patrick-hatrick about the open thread on Fridays. It lets you off the hook on producing content, but stlll gives us AT junkies a reason to visit. [Although not needing a reason has worked very well for me in the past...]

I'd take our four paintings by my husband's grandmother. They are large, vibrant oils of western landscapes. They are the only things we brought with us when we moved to Manhattan. They add so much color and interest, and they take up NO space in our tiny apartment. Not to mention the fact that they remind me of the vivacious, talented woman for whom I named my first child, Victoria.

I'm going to cheat. I'd grab my photo albulms and my computer since I'm not organized enough to have scanned all the pics into the computer yet. Have to put that on the list of things to do. My boyfriend would probably grab something really practical, like our financial records. Blah! But if I were choosing for him, I'd pick his autographed Don Mattingly poster that is beautifully framed and hanging in a place of honor in our Living Room.

Would "all my artwork" count as one item? Lots by me, some by my mom, too...not to mention stuff I've collected from friends and other local artists...

Can anyone explain how uplighting works? I hear it mentioned, but don't think I really get it. Not much natural light in my place.

Chris -- If you point a light upwards it bounces off the ceiling and walls. It gets soft and diffused and makes everyone pretty. Usually people do this with a simple light bulb or hidden light source, although those ubiquitous torchiere lights are trying to take advantage of this idea. I don't know how natural light could be involved.

I'd grab my cat...not very apartmenty either, but he's and important part of my home...plus, I have too much stuff- most of it breakable or extremely heavy- to just grab one. Although, if I was ultra-strong in each arm (and my cat escaped by his own methods), I'd grab my electric guitar in one hand and my antique Japanese coffee table in the other. (That or I'd be smart and grab a crate and load it up with stuff and just carry that- it could count as "one thing" =)...)

A somewhat garish orange/tourquoise and purple striped afghan my deceased grandmother made. I can wrap my kids in it at the Red Cross shelter.

On a somewhat different note, someone had mentioned an AT get-together. Are there details available somewhere? Is everyone invited or is it invite only? (sniff, sniff)

That would be a good idea. I know other popular blogs have them, and living in NYC, we definitely should. Ultimately it's up to Max though...

Yes, we are having another get-together and all readers are invited....just haven't figured out where yet. When we do, you will know.

White or off-white? I'm moving into an apartment with a small livingroom, lots of walls, and one wall of windows facing north. Some design books recommend painting the room white and having white window shades/curtains to make the room look bigger. But everyone I speak to and all the apartments I see paint their rooms off-white and then use white for the trim. Is white too harsh? Any suggestions?

This happened to me and my girlfriend a few years ago. There was a fire in the elevator shaft in out building in Williamsburg and we had about a minute to grab stuff and get out of the building. I grabbed our dog and an armful of Miles Davis records I've had since I was a teen, my girlfriend threw a bunch of her clothes, and some of mine--some underwear, a couple of shirts--in a suitcase and we ran downstairs. They were able to put the fire out in time and we didn't have to move out or anything. Odd that, except for the dog, we grabbed things that were all replaceable and left behind all of our irreplacable memorabilia--photos, letters,etc...