apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I will be visiting Chicago in October. Does anyone know of any inexpensive places to stay?

My boyfriend just got dark, espresso colored, velvet curtains to cover his three panel (108 inches wide) patio window. They are not overly expensive – about $45 per panel from the Great Indoors, 100% cotton velvet.

So we get them up, they look great! But then I think that that the sun is going to fade and rot them in short order. (they’re unlined) We do have white sheers behind the drapes. Do you suppose the sheers will offer any protection at all against sun damage? Or should I buy some drapery liner and stitch it to backs of each panel?

The window gets direct morning sun, but by 1:00 or 2:00 the patio above offers some shade.

Suggestions? Advice?
Thanks
CC

Mascarah, if you don't mind dorm-style living, there are a couple of hostels in Chicago. There's one in the middle of the loop on Congress that charges something like $30/night. You can make reservations at www.hichicago.org. Hope that helps!

thank you dpunjabi! i'm really looking forward to visiting.

Does anyone know a good upholsterer? I have been buying things on craigslist and they are accumulating in my basement because I cannot find a resonably priced person to do the work. Specifically, I have a wing chair and ottoman. If I have the fabric, what is a realistic cost? Thanks

Arlene,
I know a good upholsterer in Racine, Wisconsin, if you don't mind a little drive--Royal Upholstery. The cost will vary depending on what work is needed besides just the fabric work...will the chair need rewebbing, will the cushions need to be remade, the legs secured, etc. Also, what trim or other tricky things do you want...cording, tufting, a skirt, nailheads, etc. Finally, if you don't have the fabric already, you should wait until the upholsterer measures the piece. The yardage required will vary depending on the fabric pattern.

Arlene, my upholsterer did a good job on my ottoman and I felt was reasonably priced ($145 and that's with a striped fabric), but he took his time and I had to keep checking in on him until finally he finished after a couple of months. With that caveat... Lake Shore Upholstery at Broadway and Roscoe.

I should clarify the "that's with a striped fabric." I provided the fabric but because of the stripe it was $20 or so more than a solid or less exacting print would have been.

I'm so glad for the upholstery tips. If anyone else has a recommendation I'd like to know.

Sigh. No one wants to entertain my problem.
Perhaps I violated the – nobody reads past the first line - rule.

try again.

Are cotton/ velvet curtains at risk of fading / rotting? What can I do to protect them? Are sheers of any help?

Thanks!

Clickchick - how much direct sun do you get? South and west are the worst, east and north being the lesser of the faders.

Any outside light will fade fabric, the darker the color the sooner is shows. Sheers would be some help, however you could use a pulldown shade or blinds to help the drapes last longer. Down during the day and up at night if you want.

I think there are liners you can attach - check out BBBeyond or perhaps JCPennys. They used to make black out liners for drapes, not sure if they still do.

Hope this helps. Were they REALLY expensive?

No, they weren't expensive individually but still, even throwing $300 -$400 at a solution, you don't want to have to replace it too soon if you can prevent it.

It's my boyfriend's apt, and I'm thinking it faces Southwest. (I'm in Denver and he's in the foothills so my "the mountains are West" directional isn't as effective when I look out the window and mountains are all around!)

I didn't think the sheers would be enough.

Maybe I'll pick up some drapery liner at the fabric store and see what magic I can work.
Or else the adhesive UVB blocker for the windows?
Thanks.

If you don't mind the UVB blocker, that would be the best. You have the drapes just as they are and the additional benefit of having them open. You don't loose the view.

We have UVB blocker on our west facing windows and you can tell the difference. Very little fading and the living room is a bit cooler, too.

Good luck!

Hmm. I just searched the AT archives for UV film info. BF is not going to want to do that.

I'll either line them with drapery liner - or just be ready to hear him complain about fading in a year or two.

We put white sheers behind the drapes... but scrimped a little and only bought two sheer panels (since the drapery panels cover the rest of the window) so they fill in between the drapery panels.

If there is any chance the sheers will protect the drapes... we'll go buy two more just for the protection factor.

Thanks for chiming in!

I used Lake Shore Upholstery on Broadway as well. They did a great job and I thought the price was decent... I had two chairs done that both had high curved backs and a modular shape. He added piping to the seams and did it in a striped fabric. I think he charged me $850 for both and that included the cost of fabric. He finished by a 3 week deadline, but I was very FIRM with him on when I needed them done. Otherwise, I may have shopped for a cheaper price but I needed them right away. I would recommend them.

You can buy liners at Target too. But, find some more cheap sheers so less direct sunlight hits the velvet. I bet it will help too.

Does anyone know where I can take an upholstery class in the Chicago? That is a skill I'd love to have! I have a small love seat and couple of salvation army finds that need new foam and fabric but the $200 per chair that Lake Shore Upholstery on Broadway quoted me seems too steep for such a simple job.

ChicagoNicole-
Check out http://www.theneedleshop.net/
I believe they have upholstery classes.

wow julia435, the needle shop looks amazing, i wish i were in chicago.

just a sale tip for anyone interested. garnet hill has vipp bath wastebasket and bowl cleaner on sale right now. $128 for can and $88 for bowl cleaner. i'm not sure of the size of the can, though i'm assuming it's 1 gallon.

Can anyone recommend a good, inexpensive, stylish trash/recycling solution for a VERY small kitchen? We have no extra cabinet space to hide away our garbage like at our old place, and we have to separate blue bag and regular. I found a step-on sorter at the Container Store, but it's made out of that white Rubbermaid stuff and it's awfully unattractive if it's going to sit out in the open. And then there's a marginally better looking 2 bin recycling center, but it's a whopping $169! Any cheaper and/or more elegant solutions would be much appreciated... thanks!

Another upholstery question. what if you have a tear in a sofa, and can't afford a professional job. I have the CB2 zoom sofa (cinema sofa) and the foam is sticking out of a 3 inch tear. the material is linen/cotton and it is bound too tight to pull and stitch together. Someone suggested an iron on patch. slip in between the rip, then place a towel over it. and heat it with an iron. any ideas? If I have to go the upholstering route, have you heard of anyone coming out to fix? I don't own a car.

thanks
click to see what a zoom sofa looks like
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/competitions/small-sofa-competition-zoom-sofa-wins-000658

I think if you have a serious rip there, you really don't want to fool around with stuff like an iron-on patch. That will mar the look of the sofa and if you ever want to undo it to fix it correctly, you'll be unable to as the patch bonds with the fabric.

...Better to have a pro sew it up for you. I don't expect a repair like that to cost more than a hundred dollars or so and it may cost a good deal less. Most upholsterers will visit on-site to at least take a look at a piece and may repair it on site if they can; if not, you can always hire a Man with a Van type deal to get your chair there for cheap.

toomuchstuff,

target has this two-in-one:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=in_de_detail-buybox-with-variations/601-9499652-0874509?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=&asin=B000CCDQ0M

and yeah, the pricey butterfly recycler at simplehuman:

http://www.simplehuman.com/products/recycling-solutions/butterfly-recycler.html

and frontgate has this one:

http://www.frontgate.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=9332

good luck! i've been searching for this kinda stuff for ever. i want the three-in-one but am having little luck!

thank you toomuchstuff regarding upholstery advice. does anyone know of a freelance upholsterer (sp?) I have no way of getting the piece there, I would like them to come out and stitch it up. It's about 3 inches long in linen/cotton material. I live in Rogers park.

toomuchstuff:
don't know if you'd call it stylish, but it is a solution
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-1/qid=1185119741/ref=sr_1_1/602-9822348-0774247?ie=UTF8&asin=B0009H2JSA

kdkaboom: thanks! you know, funny, I think the common flaw in these things is that they offer half-size bins. The Frontgate one is the first one I've seen that uses 13 gallon bins on both sides - not bad for a 12 x 24 can, pretty much the same size as the simplehuman and the target can. I think that one might be a winner.

marmarplay: I'm sorry I don't have a good upholsterer name right now - I have one written down in a notebook but I'm moving in three days and I just have no idea where that particular box is. If no one else comes up with a good recommendation for you, I'll try to find it when the dust settles.

Now to ask for your predictions:

I'm buying a couch and I'm cheap, lazy, and not-so-rich, so I need my next couch to outlast any drastic passing of color trends! I figure if it's reasonably neutralish I can get away with it for a good few years, but I have black cats so it can't be light colored. The question has boiled down to chocolate brown or charcoal grey? I'm trying to decide if chocolate brown will be the annoying 2007 equivalent of the goldenrod/ avocado of the 70s-hunter-green of the 1980s-sage green of the 1990s. What do you think?

After waiting for almost a year to get the money saved for a decent sofa, I am, once again, is at the point where I am way too expensive for my taste.

I like the Ligne Roset's sofa and chase in Downtown, but it is almost $ 9, 000 to get.

http://www.ligne-roset-usa.com/?sec=products&pid=11&cid=16&rid=403&page=0

Is there something similar for less?
Thanks