apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I started to clean my floors tonight after work: it does take a long time to move furniture so I can clean to the baseboards. I'll have them done before the weekend. How is the stain in the bathroom responding to scrubbing, Smallcitybeth?

Hi, Francesca --

I *thought* I noticed a bit of difference while I was scrubbing last night... now I'm not so sure. I was working on something else this evening, but will go at it again tomorrow. I'm using Sunlight bar soap, which twitches my nose a bit, but doesn't seem to bother the allergies as much as most things do... and the package claimed good things for stains, and mentioned floors...

I'm not up to moving furniture right now, but will get to most of the baseboards by the end of the cure, I hope. The desk will not be moved, neither will the bookcases. Nor the piano (definitely!!!) Everything else is relatively moveable.

This is a great list, janel -- thanks!

smallcitybeth: that's nice to hear - have a good first week!

i love that mirror. does anyone know where i can find it?

I was just going to ask the same question about the mirror - love it.

I love the table, wonder where she got it. This is my first cure attempt, I started last night by shredding papers stored in bags and boxes some dating 1998!! Needless to say the cat fur and the dust made me very miserable but I woke up to a lighter feeling bedroom.
Good luck to all who attempt the cure!

The table looks like my detour bookcase from CB2 - it's probably the table in the series. I don't think they sell them anymore. My friends like my bookcase, probably even more than I do.

i just bought the book!!
cant wait to start-- i'm a bit late, but i sorta started cure-ing last week without knowing that The Cure was coming up!

I bought the book too. Nearly done reading it through. It's very inspiring, and I'm nearly ready to start The Cure.

I appreciate the list above. It helps keep the process in perspective.

sprout home in chicago used to carry the mirror but I haven't seen it there in almost a year. it came in two sizes, too. so many things to fall in love with at sprout, so little disposable income....

oh man. i love that mirror too. i wonder if there's another source for it? maybe we could call the store and ask?

Thanks for the list - my book arrived today, I'm about to start reading. I know exactly what I can take outside in the morning - the broken lamp in the corner that's beyond repair. Hopefully that will kickstart the decluttering process!

IProgress report:

I started my cure early... but I'm doing my whole house, so I don't think of it as cheating. There are so many well-made points in the book. The 80-20 color rule. The emotional attachment to stuff. The outbox. (God I love the outbox.)

I posted a question about my rug a few weeks ago and got some great feedback on the rest of the room. Top of the list was to change my coffee table, end table, lighting, and recover a chair. I'd already had some of those plans, but the comments were so on-point that I was motivated to move things forward a little faster. Finding peices I love right away helped, too.

Room before, sans couch and cleaned out: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2388/2292040807_6c2afdc775_b.jpg

Last month, room 1/2 way: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/2292827604_e5dd70f4d1_b.jpg

Today, room 3/4 of the way: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3085/2332130230_2a9d032a1c_b.jpg and http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2178/2331303949_e54f15ac4a_b.jpg and http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2339/2332133606_597cffeace_b.jpg

I still need to add art and my accent color, which is a poppy red/coral color. That will come via pillows, some art, and a ceramic vase. The buffet will be replaced with a more modern piece. The floor lamp is a placeholder until I can find the right contemporary lamp, but it's a vast improvement over the former. And yes, the armchair will be recovered, I promise!

Anyway, to all of you who commented, thank you. I'm still grateful!

I'm also amandaraealso.... I cleaned the floors last week as part of my catch-up cleaning. I'm skipping the style tray because I actually have so many stacks of inspiration photos saved & online clips that it's overwhelming. Instead, I know what I'm going to do for the front:

-new light fixture that gives off more light
-fixture for a plant
-possibly paint a wide border on the top part of the wall to bring the ceiling lower

I've finally brought 2 boxes of donated clothes to the Salvation Army, after having them sit in the back for almost a month. I've figured that I can donate/recycle 2 years' worth of Food & Wine & Cooking Light because I bought the annual cookbooks VERY cheaply online... this will find me some space in the back on my cookbook shelves. Additionally, I am experimenting with keeping my winter gloves, scarves, etc, in a tote bag hanging from a hook in the back. I am researching coat hooks and shoe storage for the back of the house. The rest of the landing strip is well established. I have a budget of $100 for each area. (Front and back entries).
Next week we should be able to do some deep cleaning and general bones repair as well.

amandaraealso,

I do the same thing with a tote bag. It's excellent! I hang the bag from an over-the-door hook in a closet.

Hi everyone -- glad to see you're making such good progress. I did a great job of decluttering my guest room (I don't think either of us has ever set foot in there in the 6 months we've lived here...it was impossible to even open the door and get in). I also made my list of repairs and it was so short that I was motivated to knock one off right away -- spray-painted and hung a "donated" light fixture in place of the one that has been missing its glass ever since we moved in. Today I'm working on the floors...2600sf and 3 kids make it a lot of work, but I'm determined.

kimg, I remember your living room from your "good question" and I love your style. Can I ask where you got your couch? I'd love to find a chair that color/style.

I also love the mirror. I am going to try to search for it - what would you call it? mid-century oak mirror?

I'm in St. Louis for one more week. I think that's okay though because I've been decluttering and Spring cleaning for about a month now. Then I heard about the cure and I figure it fits right in with what I am trying to do. Is it weird that I can't WAIT to get back and continue cleaning and curing? I'm really excited about it!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/harmonyfrance/
http://harmonyfrance.wordpress.com

I started my week one by cleaning out the garage. I had 6 full bags of clothes for good will that was there for at least a year. I put an old sewing cabinet that had water damage out of the garage and on to the curb and it is so nice to start to have an open space again. This weekend I am going to scrub the floors.

metromom - I saw the photos of your guest room and it is an amazing difference! great job!

I used to see that mirror at Lancelotti on Ave. A in NYC. I don't know who makes the it, though.

My home computer crashed this past weekend (RIP hard drive and no back up - I know) so I can't upload photos this week, but the purging is coming along...slowly. It's insane how hard it is for me to throw out stuff that I don't love. "But I spent good money on this!" my head keeps saying. I also love the outbox but I can see this stuff sitting there for a long time unless someone stands over me with a broom.

Re: the mirror.

If memory serves, I believe that mirror used to be manufactured by now-defunct Canadian company, Pure Design. The mirror came in two sizes and in three or four different finishes. It was priced around/under $100. I think the company went out of business three or four years ago.

Such a shame... Pure Design had some great pieces in their line.

Correction: Pure Design's name and assets were acquired by Offi 3 years ago. (See links below.) However, none of the older designs are currently being manufactured. Their website shows only designs that look to be from Offi's product lines.

http://www.abheritage.ca/abinvents/inventors/pure_design_biography.htm

http://www.puredesignonline.com/about.php

Metromom,

the couch is from Room & Board. It's the Loring 78" sofa, special ordered in Vance velvet. The color is "cloud". This fabric and color is stock for the hutton sofa. Don't let the swatch disappoint. In person, this great swath of comforting grey green/blue. It's like laying on a bed of stachys (aka lambsears). It's incredibly comfortable and perfectly scaled for my 5'2" stature. I can sit with my feet on the floor, or stretch out for a cat nap. Even my manly man loves it. Come to think of it, so do my cats!

I LOVE that shelf. Sigh. Anyone know of a place that sells something similar?