apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

hey there-
my husband and I are getting ready to move into a raw-space loft. I was looking for suggestions from people who have done the loft thing and come up with good solutions for storage, pets, workspace, etc. We're artists and we're on a budget, so DIY projects are our favorite. Just seeing if anyone has any ideas to get us started...

No closets and kitchen cabinets? My wife and I hung two long pipes from the rafters to hang all of our clothes, very basic. If I were to do it again I'd probably spring for the Ikea Stolmen system for clothing.

The kitchen had a little partition wall where I was able to attach a curtain rod and s-hooks to hang all my pans and cooking utensils. A magnetic knife rack is good for knives. A mobile kitchen cart is also good to use as a kitchen workstation and for storage. That Ikea wall cabinet with the opaque sliding plastic door (sorry, don't know the name) was great as wall-mounted storage for glasses and finer plates. The top of the unit can be used to display nice barware etc.

If it's just you and your husband living there at least you don't have to worry about partitioning different rooms. We strung some sheer fabric in front of our bed and that basically functioned as our bedroom wall.

Have fun with it! Even though it's a raw loft, every space presents you it's own little quirky characteristics and often times it those little quirks that end up determining your design.
For instance, we had a large cut-out area of our top floor that basically mirrored the cut out for the stairwell going downstairs. We suspended a board across the railing of the cutout area and that became the turntable/stereo system setup.

Can anyone recommend a good mover that will deliver single furniture pieces?

We just bought a china cabinet from someone out past Gurnee Mills and need to figure out a way to get it back to our place in the city.

I called a couple of moving companies, but their low quotes were around $300, which is more than we're paying for the cabinet!

I'm a bit apprehensive about just renting a truck and going out there ourselves b/c I have no idea how heavy this thing might be and we also would need to get it up 3 flights of stairs once we get it home.

Any suggestions??

Check on Craigslist in the furniture section. There are some services of people willing to move single furniture pieces for you. I used one that moved 2 pieces within the city. They did such a good job and it was cheap.

Can anyone report experiences with Ikea sofas? I need a new sofa, but I am on a MAJOR budget but want something that is attractive and comfortable as well as inexpensive (if such a thing should exist). Also, are they sturdy? We don't have an Ikea where I live, so I can't test them out myself for comfort, but the prices are attractive enough that I'd be willing to order online.

Also, recommendations for an alternative would be appreciated. It seems like Ikea is the only option for inexpensive furniture!

MC, do you happen to still have the contact info or name of the people you used?

I did search under the moving section of Craigslist, but I'm not sure how much I trust some random person posting their services w/o any kind of reference....

chicagores - the problem I can see with this is that most any mover will charge you an hourly rate. You'll be paying someone for at least a 2-hour round trip just to sit in a truck.

If I were you, I would find two people, one near the place in Gurnee and one near your home, and rent a truck to drive the cabinet yourselves. I wouldn't be too concerned about references and such if it's just one piece, but that's just me. Just be sure to wrap it well with blankets.

Hi Anne,

Yeah, I'm starting to come to the same conclusion myself after calling a few more places (including FedEx and UPS freight)...I did find a guy that does some furniture moves for Edgewater Antiques. I think the cabinet may be too big for his van, in which case I will be renting a ZipCar truck and maybe hiring him just for the labor and use of his moving equipment....

I didn't think of your idea of hiring two people in each location, though. That's a good idea. And yeah, now that I think of it, if it's just one piece of furniture, references probably don't matter. Just need someone with a strong back I suppose...

Thanks!

I used these guys, I think... It's actually organized by a lawyer who sets up jobs for his bro and other friends to make some extra money. Really nice guys.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/fur/368484985.html

They thought that both pieces would fit in one trip in the truck they were using, but they didn't and were nice enough to do two trips and didn't charge me extra.

I found them by typing 'mover' into the search bar under furniture. You'll see a few people/services that do it.

chicagores,

just make sure you don't hire BluChip. i hired them when i moved to chicago. I drove in a large rental truck and all they had to do was carry my furniture to a second story. it wasn't very tricky, but 50% of my furniture ended up scratched. they were very young and had little to no experience.

rebecca,
my ikea couch is three years old and the cushion feels as new. it's in prefect condition, it even survived the last move named above. with most you can change and wash the slipcovers, but don't look like those ugly fluffy couches with a sheet draped over. i am very impressed with ikeas furniture quality. i have shelves, desks, couch, matress, platform bed slats, and a couple of small tables. i haven't had a bad experience yet.

Rebecca, Use Craigslist for a couch if you're on a budget. Last week my friend scored a wonderful couch from the sixties in perfect condition---much better than anything at Ikea plus she saved all the hassle of getting to Ikea and back.

I adore my IKEA couch. I have the Ektorp loveseat with a floral pattern (the cheapest color right that isn't white!). I think it costs something like $400 (including the slipcover) and is super comfy! I managed to get mine for $225 (plus delivery), as the couch was in the "as/is" department because it had been used as a floor model. I got it home, washed the slipcover in the washing machine, and, then I had a clean couch for my 1st "grown-up" apartment. Craigslist is awesome, but I have to say, its lovely to have one piece of furniture to call my very own. Good luck on your search!

Rebecca - I'd also go with craigslist if I were you. I've owned 3 Ikea couches in 5 years and they have all either had something break (legs, arms), the cushions have lost their spring, or the fabric/leather has gotten raggedy. They have some attractive and inexpensive options but not worth it IMO. Granted I am a big guy and put more wear and tear on them than small people, but in the end, the money I spent on those 3 couches could have paid for a nice solid couch that would last a much longer time.

Can anyone help?

The other day I thought I saw a link to a phone and I pod organizer for your counter.. About $60 or so. It was super slick, kept all the cords out of the way

Was it here? Or was it on some other site?

Can anyone point me in the direction?

Amathin:

My friend has a raw space loft and set up shelving "sections" in areas of the loft. They were wood shelves paintd in colors to match the loft's scheme and set up in horizontal groups of 3 (low for things used daily) and 5 (for things not used all that often - like linens or out-of-season clothing). Shelves for linens and clothing featured dividers (basically just wooden shelf brackets attached to the shelf to look like "L" to keep things stacked neatly. Other items went into plastic bins with lids and labeled with funky stickers she designed on her ink-jet. I've seen the same thing done with photos of the items inside used as "labels". The wooden shelves (home depot) brackets (some nice diy brackets @ Ikea) paint (home depot or sherwin williams "seconds") boxes (target) are cheap and tidy.

To punch up the plastic-box monolith, she threw in a couple of funky colored paper storage boxes from Container Store to add some texture but still keep the cost down.

You'll need a good drill (18v or better) plus a masonry bit (or 2) if you are drilling into brick. If you set the shelves up in groups in different zones of the loft, it will help keep things straight. Or, you can simply pick out 1 area that you'd like to set up as storage and do 2 to 3 horizontal rows of floor to ceiling shelves.

Wire racks on wheels are great, too, but pricey. You can check restuarant and hotel supply warehouses for less expensive used items but they still won't be as cheap as wood shelving.

Chris,
Is this what you were looking for?
The Kangaroom Charging Station was on AT: Home Tech earlier this week...

lfw1031, I for one would LOVE to see pics of your friend's raw loft space. Any chance you could post some?

Could anyone recommend a thrift/resale shop that carries all kinds of bookcases? Thanks!

elwingman - I can't vouch for current stock because it's always changing, but the Brown Elephant thrift shops tend to have a decent selection of furniture. Not sure about bookcases in particular though.
http://www.howardbrown.org/hb_brownelephant.asp

Do any reasonably priced-painting services paint apartments? All the ones I'm finding seem to imply they only paint houses.

I just got back from a couple of days up at The Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island and the AT people (the Meyers fans anyway) will be pleased to know that they put the Meyers geranium-scented products in every single room. Green *and* gorgeous! What a beautiful scent, perfectly at home in such a beautiful setting.

Sigh...if only I could get paid just to hang out up there and be fancy. That'd be the life for me.

Lucite coffee table?

Hi, I'm thinking of buying CB2's acrylic coffee table but wanted to know if it's hard to clean or if it scratches easily. I have two small kids who will probably do lots of art projects on it...

Thanks,

Hey thanks for the tips on Ikea sofas. I'm a little hesitant now after drikfan's reports of cushion wear. I live with my boyfriend and his brother, and while if it was just me, it would probably last a while, I imagine with those two it will turn out to be a "throw away" couch by the time we move!

I'll check craigslist, although sometimes it can be a drag trying to find something tasteful; I live in Las Vegas, an area slightly devoid of taste!

Thanks for all the opinions, I'll take them into consideration!