apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

james,

i was going to ask about that china cabinet in your dining room, wondering if it was cherry and then went to flickr, where you confirmed that it is, indeed, cherry. I LOVE that cabinet.

Overall, this dining room really speaks to me.. the round table, the armless chairs, the cabinet!, the lighting. I'm going to save this one for my design file.

Thanks for the nice comment. We got that cabinet around 8 years ago from a store in River North that closed about a year later (I think it was called 'Aris', if anyone remembers it). It's a natural cherry, Amish-built affair that has really darkened noticeably over the years.

Inspiring set of photos....I just put in an offer on a 1927 french "chateau" style brick and stucco home. Thank god a good bit of the original detailing is intact and what is updated was done sensitively.
What is your kitchen like? Mine is extremely small with an adjoining butler's pantry that's about the same size. Not sure I plan to change it, but the small size is a minus....

Good luck on your offer, hdtex. Old houses have so much more character than any of the typical new houses, though of course there are a few negatives along with the positives.

Our kitchen is roughly 13'x12' with a (roughly) 7' x 4' galley extension. With characteristic foresight, one of the previous owners put essentially all of the functional parts of the kitchen into the galley and left most of the squarish space open.

We haven't started working on our kitchen yet, and frankly it's pretty appalling. White vinyl roll floors, floral wallpaper, avocado tiles on one wall, fake wood paneling elsewhere. 20 year old appliances (including a portable dishwasher), two mismatched pendent lights and a third that is also a ceiling fan, hollow wood ceiling beams. Cabinets are not original: I'm guessing they were replaced with tragically cheap units about 20-30 years ago, so there's really nothing worth saving. I guess that's a benefit in disguise because at least we can start from scratch without any guilt.

Your front door is beautiful.

Gorgeous! My apartment has dark trim like this and I like how you've worked with it. I was considering stripping it (because it's very shoddily painted on) but it's oil paint and just too much work for a rental. Plus, the landlord wouldn't refund any of the rent for me to do the dirty work. If only I had known and bought some lighter (and nicer!) furniture like you have here!! Bravo and you've given me much inspiration!

Your front doors are amazing. They really don't make beautiful craftmanship like that anymore, do they? This is truly stunning and I love those chairs! I am definatley saving this to my file so that when I buy a fixer upper, I can have a great example to inspire me.