apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm loving anything on Apartment Therapy that is creative, cheap and DIY.

In a sea of publications that continue to drown in pushing the idea that purchasing luxury goods is "thrifty" (i.e. the "poor man's pool" article in the NYT last week), AT is really getting it right.

Keep it up.

I agree. Its nice to see more things that are inexpensive and that can be done yourself. I love taking inspiration from other people's DIY projects!

http://www.makemineeclectic.wordpress.com

Ditto. I'd so much prefer this kitchen to a monstrous granite/stainless kitchen with an island the size of a Buick. Small is easier to cook in anyway.

can't wait to see the rest of the house! these pics look great

Looks cool. Is the sink lined with something to make it waterproof?

Woohoo! So glad to see something from Philly on the site!
We Philly folks love AT too!

Love the use of the door for hanging items. My kitchen walls are inpenetrable and I'd love to hang items on them, as storage is at a premium. I may just do my own DIY project to remedy that situation.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Clever idea, sure. But on the whole I find this just a cluttered mess...

how did he get permits for this?

I think I prefer spacious kitchens with granite and stainless steal, but to each his own. He certainly made the most of the space he has.

The kitchen is awesome and I also can't wait to see the rest of the house! Also, why isn't there an AT Philly?

Yes, I agree that the most charming aspect of AT is its emphasis on cheap and chic. A lot of creative people don't have the money to do projects portrayed in the typical NY Times or shelter magazine spread. (World of Interiors is a happy exception. They occasionally do something really interesting that is not based on high end retail. However, I can no longer afford the cost of their wonderful magazine!)

By the way, what is this man's stove? I've lived in places with wood-burning stoves (the 1910 kind, that American farm wives used), old fashioned stoves (the early gas-burning ones from the 1920s), and more old fashioned stoves (from the 1940s), but I've never seen a stove like the one in the photo.

I love this, it's truly unique and not styled to the teeth like a lot of the places we see on this site. I think the stove is just a propane camper stove on a bench? It reminds me of my friend's house growing up, she lived in the mountains in a house her father built by himself, nothing seemed finished or too permanent.

Very cool.

And it's really nice to see more innovative ideas - you know, it was only this past year that I realised that you don't have to buy a commercially made sink... and that's led me to hundreds of other revelations about what's possible vs what's necessary.

AustinSarah2, his stove looks like a Coleman camping stove... with propane bottles underneath if I am not mistaken ;)

What exactly is so green about it, other than that it's a mess?

Thats a VERY nice sprayer.

Where in Philadelphia is this?

looks like fishtown or kenzo to me..

thepictures & taperecorder this house is in Northern Libs/almost Fishtown!

I think it looks awesome, but I probably couldn't live with it.

It's cool that he made everything, but it doesn't seem like a long-term solution.

I kind of like the post-Armageddon, "we're some of the few people who survived and we're gonna rebuild a new civilization" feel to it, though.

"What exactly is so green about it, other than that it's a mess?"

I could be wrong, but it looks like most of that is made with recycled lumber. Kitchens are pretty resource heavy, so if you make it from another man's trash....

Lack of paint makes it look a whole lot more messier, but is probably more of a "green" solution as well.

Gotta say I love the big giant restaurant style plumbing in such a cobbled together place. The camp stove makes me a bit nervous, though.

Can't wait to see the rest of the house. Not my style, but it's definitely something original and best of all, different.

Green, yes, but clean? Not so much.

Everything in the pictures looks clean to me, holland.

This is a creative, bold and masculine kitchen. I think it would be a nice change of pace to approach a kitchen that looks so much like a workshop. It could have an interesting effect on how the meals turn out!