Apartment Therapy Los Angeles

LA Thursday Giveaway: Autographed AT Presents Book

2008-05-08T17:56:00-04:00

Yay, it's finally here for us to give away: the Apartment Therapy Presents: real homes, real people, hundreds of design solutions book is filled with beautiful interiors culled from all of our best house tours, including several from Los Angeles. And now you can have your own autographed copy for free! Each city site is giving away one signed copy of our new book, so jump below to enter to win your copy from ATLA...

Feel free to enter on every site by commenting, but only once per site. Related Posts: • Update on Todd and Nicole's Project Precita • Update on Victoria • Update on Turquoise's Luxury Hotel Style Bedroom • Update on David and Im's "onespace" • Update on Jonathan's 60's Retro Bedroom • Update on Gregory and Emily's Silver Lake Sanctuary • Update on Dana • Update on Marilyn & Peter • Update on Dave • Update on Melissa and Matt • Update on Dante • Update on James and Margaret • Update on Raelene and Jose • Update on Jenny and Clove • Update on Hakarl and Jili • Update on Sara Kate and Maxwell

COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER How to Enter: To enter this Giveaway, please submit a comment below. The contest begins today and ends on Monday, May 12th, at NOON ET. We will choose one winner per site this week at random. Rules: Please, only one comment per person per giveaway post. Duplicate comments will be discarded. You'll need to be a registered member of the Apartment Therapy network of sites to post a comment. Make sure the email address in your Apartment Therapy registration is valid; that's how we'll contact you if you win. Winners must claim their prize within three business days after the date of notification of such prize. A Sweepstakes winner's failure to respond to the prize notification within the specified three business days will be considered such Sweepstakes winner's forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected from the pool of eligible entries. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries. To enter, you must be a U.S. resident, age 18 or older to enter. Employees, partners and vendors of Apartment Therapy and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. We will disqualify any entries that we believe are generated by scripts and other automated technology. When applicable, the winner may be required to execute and return within five business days an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release to be eligible for the prize or an alternate winner will be selected. All prizes will be awarded. No substitutions including for cash are permitted, except that Apartment Therapy reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any prize. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of their prize. To receive a complete list of winners or a copy of the Official Sweepstakes Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Apartment Therapy, 22 Howard Street #4i, New York, NY 10013.

Keep Calm and Carry On

2008-05-08T17:35:49-04:00

We'd like to apologize for the site being down for most of the day today. Although we think "small is cool", this apparently doesn't apply when referring to server traffic capacity. An unusual spike in reader traffic brought our site to its knees this morning and we've only just recovered. We're getting everything upgraded now so we can avoid this problem. Thanks for being patient with our growing pains...

Look! DIY Platform Bed With Storage

2008-05-08T17:20:00-04:00

David tells us his DIY platform bed project isn't yet complete, but we think he's done such a spectacular job with his bed/storage to this point, we wanted to go ahead and share what's he's completed thus far...

The bed frame is a platform filled in with sheet-rock compound.

"...there's a few things left to do to the bed before it's complete. I plan to build a shoji-like (probably more industrial than traditional) screen/room divider in front of the bed. I'm also planning to add a few coats of polyurethane to the chipboard top. And then there's the 3 foot deep drawers that slide into the side."

LA Local Gift Guide: Mother's Day

2008-05-08T16:50:45-04:00

Mother's Day is this weekend, and as usual, we're a bit behind in the gift department. So, we asked a couple of our favorite local design stores for some ideas. Click after the jump to see some of their suggestions...

Bird platters by ibride 25" x 16.75" $175 from Show "Carve your own" wooden postcard $12 from A+R Set of 4 porcelain Bird Plates $96 from Show Ayumi Horie Handmade teapot $205 from Reform School All of these are available in store (Tell them AT:LA sent ya!) or online. Show is located at 1722 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles ca 90027 323.644.1960 Reform School is located at 4014 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90029 (323)906-8660 A + R is located at 1716 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026 and at 1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Melamine Trays from NotNeutral

2008-05-08T16:20:08-04:00

Unbreakable, sleek and fun. These melamine trays from NotNeutral are perfect for hosting a garden party or for use on a landing strip or desktop to keep odds and ends from spreading everywhere. Our other favorite use, instead of a placemat, put one of these under the bowls of cat food and water and keep that mess from spreading.

They're 15 inches in diameter and $18 a piece from notneutral. We think a bunch of white ones will go perfectly with either our blue and white summer or our orange, coral and yellow themes. Related Reads: notneutral's outdoor lantern Inspiration: A New Look at Hanging Plates Lollie Plates

LA Times H&G 5.08.08

2008-05-08T16:15:02-04:00

In addition to the peak at some new LA area hotels, today's LA Times Home & Garden section featured some other goodies including a look at the futuristic, midcentury inspired set of the new "Speed Racer" movie, new concepts for backyard sheds, Air plants!, and Mod Mom furniture. Links after the jump...

A futuristic, mid century movie set for "Speed Racer" Shed and hideaways like you've never seen Mod Mom Furniture Air Plants of the 70s make a comeback [images by Amy Sheridan, David Appleby, William P. Wright, and LA Times ]

Look! Z Galleries Outdoor Pavillion

2008-05-08T16:15:00-04:00

The thing is, though the weather is LA is great, sometimes the sun is, well, too sunny and definitely too hot. We need shade! We need trees! We need to access our inner Kelly Wearstler and put up this pavilion.

Just the thing for escaping the noonday beams that pelt us without cease, it beckons to the kid in us who was always building forts...but in a distinctly grown-up way. Water-resistant, all four sides unzip and Velcro strips hold the sides pulled back to the tent's poles, so it can serve as a room whether the weather is sunny or not. Easy to assemble, it stores in its own duffel bag, tempting us to take it our next camping trip. Talk about setting the stage for a fabulous time! Available in Natural/Chocolate, Natural/Green and Natural/Black, exclusively through Z Gallerie

Look! Emroidery Hoop Landing Strip

2008-05-08T15:30:03-04:00

We love this ingenious use of the decorative embroidery hoop. This time it's part of the landing strip, helping to corral papers and letters that need to leave the house.

Using an embroidery hoop and some great fabric, this version has a pocket built in to hold letters that need to get taken with you on your way out the door. We love when we come across great ideas that you guys have come up with. Don't forget that we're always checking out the LA Flickr Pool to see what you've been up to. This one is from ATLA reader ponyinarope. Related Reads: Look! Cake Stand Landing Strip How To: Use Leftover Fabric Scraps

Finding Space for a Home Office

2008-05-08T13:15:00-04:00

Even if you don’t work out of your house, you need a place to take care of running your home: paying bills, dealing with mail, handling repairs. You don’t need a dedicated room or a large footprint but you do need a flat surface and a space for supplies and pending items. We carved our own office out of one narrow end of our living room: a console table, storage ottomans and access to a nearby closet which stores our reference materials. In our last apartment, our office was in our coat closet. We agree that creative thinking, organization and vigilance is involved when your office doubles as your living room, bedroom or dining room. Some ways that work for us, after the jump…

Filing: As Laure blogged yesterday, and we agree, a portable file is plenty of filing space. It holds all our bills and receipts for the year, even though we haven’t gone totally paperless yet. We keep a separate file for important papers that might need to travel with us in an emergency. Pare your decor: Follow Benita Larsson's lead. We finally tossed all the pens we collected over the years. Now we stick to one kind. It’s the same reason we picked a colour scheme. Not only does it look nice but having everything the same immediately feels orderly. Drawers top tables: If you don’t want to be constantly policing yourself, some stuff - stapler, tape, label maker, paperclips – will have to be tucked into a drawer. The classic Parsons table from West Elm is one solution that fits into many decors. Your space, your needs: We blog and write articles so we need a file folder to hold current ideas, magazine tears and publicity packets. A friend writes screenplays. He needs a place to put his outline to keep him on track. Another friend uses her desk primarily for scrapbooking. Small drawers hold the items she needs. Fit your workspace to accommodate your work. Think creatively: A lamp with a cork base can act as a bulletin board; a piece of glass cut to fit the top of your desk and can hold your "to do" list so it's in plain view; we use storage ottomans to hold magazine tear sheets and act as seating Make it fun. We have a silver skull to hold our pens. If your space faces a wall, use that wall to hold a photograph or a piece of art that inspires you. Who says it can’t be portable? Depending on your needs, a home office can be as small as a portable tote that folds open to reveal a binder that holds office supplies and your laptop. [Image via House to Home]

Mustache Key Holder and Don't Forget Chalkboard

2008-05-08T13:00:00-04:00

Here's a couple of old timey inspired decor accessory items that combine a bit of whimsy with utility. The Curiosity Shoppe's Mustache Key Holder comes with five hooks to keep those keys to your locked up pennyfarthing safely kept, while the Don't Forget Chalkboard points out your reminders of the day with a chalkboard surface. And look, they even share our love for secret compartment items too, with a dictionary book box. Plenty of other new and old fashioned fun stuff at the The Curiosity Shoppe site.

Fresh Ideas From New L.A. Area HotelsLA Times 5.08.08

2008-05-08T12:15:32-04:00

Hotels are a great resource for inspiration and ideas for your home. Today's feature story in the LA Times Home & Garden section takes a look at several new hotels that have recently opened up in Los Angeles. Check out some more pics behind the jump...

They featured some fun ideas from The Custom Hotel, London West Hollywood, and the Palihouse Holloway. (Has anyone stayed or been to any of these yet?) A photo-engraved concrete table at The Custom Hotel. That's not yellow, it's Gold baby!, gold leather couch at The London West Hollywood. Bistro table area from the lobby at the Palihouse Holloway. Dimensional wood paneling wall at The Custom Hotel. Fun Kravet dog portrait graphic print bedding at The Custom Hotel. Read the full article here and be sure to check out the slideshow for more pics and info! [ all images by Axel Koester for The Times ] Related Reads: LA Hotel Inspiration Best Desert Getaways Look! The Horizon Hotel Palm Springs Bedroom Before and After The Lautner Desert hot Springs hotel Hope Springs Resort, Desert Hot Springs

Poggenpohl's Dining Desk

2008-05-07T19:00:46-04:00

Here's an excellent high end idea that we'd love to see brought down in scale and price for us small space dwellers: Poggenpohl's Dining Desk incorporates two slim dining tables that open to reveal a central kitchen unit that includes customizable options hidden away, such as a cooking element, a cutting board, and trolly access. It's like a modernist Benihana teppan setup for the home, but makes perfect sense for easy and compact dining. [via BlogSelecto]

20 Household Uses for Newspaper (Once You've Finished the Crossword)

2008-05-07T18:15:00-04:00

Although one of the things we love most is sitting around the house with friends over a long leisurely brunch, sharing the Sunday papers, we've tried to cut back on our paper habit. Of course we recycle, better yet if we can find some alternative uses for the newsprint first. Don't get the paper? Try substituting those flyers that seem to multiply around your mailbox.

Out of gift wrap? Foreign newspapers are great for this but even your regular, daily paper will do. Find a thematically related story and use coordinated ribbon to finish off.
Is your gift breakable? Shred newspaper to use as packing material. Cheaper and more environmentally friendly than Styrofoam peanuts.
Dirty windows? Try your favorite cleaner and newspaper instead of a roll of paper towels.
General cleaning: Newsprint, sprinkled with white vinegar and water,can tackle many household jobs, from glass to floors.
Housetraining your puppy? Layers of newspaper work as well as expensive pads.
Pet cage liner: Use newspaper to line the cages of pets, from hampsters to birds. And check with your local SPCA. Many need donations of newspapers to line the beds of their homeless animals.
Spills? Newspaper absorbs just as well as the average paper towel.
Floppy boots? Keep ‘em upright with a roll of newspaper.
Wet boots? Fill ‘em with newspaper to absorb the moisture.
Having a party? Use newspaper to make your own piñata. Using balloons as a form, cover iwith strips of newspaper dipped in a thin mixture of flour and water. Allow to harden. Insert a pin to pop the balloon. Make a small hole and decorate your form. Then fill with candy and treats and voila. Insta piñata!
Entertain the kids: Do as Curious George did and make a fleet of boats. (Reread the book to find out how to fold one).
Messy dinner? Newspaper’s a classic tablecloth when boiled shrimp, lobster or watermelon’s on the menu.
Shucking corn? Spread out newspaper to catch the silk.
Compost material. Use newspaper to balance out the vegetables in your compost pile and get the carbon/nitrogen mixture just right.
Germinating seeds for your spring garden? Spread ‘em between damp sheets of newspaper.
Fake log: You can do it yourself or purchase a log roller to roll your papers up tightly and use them in place of, or in addition to, wood logs.
Smelly fridge? Line a shelf with newspaper overnight. The newspaper will absorb the odours. A piece in the vegetable drawer will keep your produce dry.
Got weeds? Place overlapping layers of wet newspaper around your plants. If you want to place decorative mulch on top, wait 24 hours.
Smelly Tupperware? Leave a balled up piece of newspaper inside overnight to absorb the odours.
Cold climate? Place on your windshield to prevent icing.

RELATED LINKS

[Image courtesy MorgueFiles]

Look! Granny and Popo's Haus B & B

2008-05-07T17:30:00-04:00

When we moved to Los Angeles, we drove cross-country, taking secondary roads in order to see the amazing country that lay between New York and here. Granny and Popo's Haus is exactly the kind of place we chose to stay at when it came time to bed down for the night. Clean and neat and hospitable, it's a good reminder, when we're lusting after the latest and coolest, wishing that we could paintmoverenovatepurchase, that it's the simple things that make a place welcoming.

Of course, if you want to get out of town, it's only a quick plane ride away. Located in Hallettsville, between San Antonio and Houston, home to the Texas Championship Domino Hall of Fame, it hosts a Domino tournament every January, the Fiddler's Frolic in late April and, come end September, a Kolache (Czech pastry) Festival.

LA Mansionization Ordinance Keeps the Ugly in Check

2008-05-07T17:00:00-04:00

CurbedLA has an interesting and heated topic that not only affects Los Angeles, but almost all of the nation where urban sprawl has gone off the deep end. Whichever side of the fence you sit upon, McMansions are a hot button topic, and it looks like the LA City Council has stepped out against the trend with a unanimous approval of the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance, restricting maximum residential floor size in relation to lot size... [Photo: Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times]

As one reader notes: "..different percentages for different zones. The size of your home will depend on what zone you are in and how big your lot is." Below are the minimum lot sizes and their maximum allowances according to this ordinance (PDF download). Zone Minimum Lot Size Maximum SFR Floor Area

R1 5,000 sq-ft 3,000 sq-ft
RS 7,500 sq-ft 4,050 sq-ft
RE9 9,000 sq-ft 4,320 sq-ft
RE11 11,000 sq-ft 5,280 sq-ft
RE15 15,000 sq-ft 6,300 sq-ft
RA 17,500 sq-ft 5,250 sq-ft
RE20 20,000 sq-ft 8,400 sq-ft
RE40 40,000 sq-ft 16,800 sq-ft

2008-05-07T16:55:50-04:00

Hello, house and home junkies. We ran this world premier video from CB2 yesterday, but you can check it out today and avoid work for at least another three minutes....

Look! Nancy's Fireplace Makeover

2008-05-07T16:30:52-04:00

Remember Nancy's brick fireplace? She asked us for tips on how to update it back in January. We love the clean modern lines of her new fireplace! Check out how her living room looks after the jump...

Nancy's living room with her new fireplace.

Great job Nancy!

Where Does All This Stuff Come From?

2008-05-07T16:15:00-04:00

So, you spent the last long weekend we had organizing and now, only a few weeks later, your house, once again, looks like a file cabinet exploded. One important lesson we've learned is that clutter is delayed decision making. That pile of mail you set down when you walked in the door and promptly forgot about (or, by the time you thought about it, after dinner and American Idol, you were tired and so you thought, I'll deal with it tomorrow)? That's clutter starting.

I have learned that when I don't deal with something "right now" it's because I "know" it's going to take "forever." Funny thing is, if I actually timed myself, usually the dreaded task takes moments. So, even though I really don't want to do something, whether it's clean the closet or deal with my bills, I think to myself, I'll just do it for five minutes or ten minutes and then I can stop and do something fun. I usually finish in less time than I thought and, the times when I haven't, I stop anyway. Because then, I'm less apt to fight myself when I tackle it later. [Image via House to Home]

Look! Cheetah Print CarpetDomino May 2008

2008-05-07T16:00:27-04:00

We're normally not very attracted to animal prints. However, we're strangely drawn to this Cheetah carpeting that was featured in the home tour of Stephen Shubel in the May 2008 Domino... (survey after jump)

We think it totally works in the bedroom pictured. We love how he's kept a neutral palette of simple wood and caramel/honey tones, yet it still has tons of personality through the textural accessories he's added. We actually also love it on the stairs too (although we may be swayed because of that cute dog!!) What do you guys think? Hot or Not? [images by William Abranowicz for Domino Magazine ]

LA Events Calendar: 5.07.08

2008-05-07T15:54:11-04:00

Lot's of Culver City Openings This saturday

Art & Design Events...

May is Organizing/Spring Cleaning Month at Apartment Therapy

Bandini Art
- Opening: Blood and Glitter
- Saturday, May 10th, 6-8pm
- Culver City

Pomona Art Walk
- Galleries and Stores open late
- Saturday May 10th, 6pm
- Pomona

Downtown Art Walk
- Self-guided tour that showcases the many art exhibition venues in Downtown Los Angeles — commercial art galleries, museums, and non-profit arts venues
- Thursday, May 8th, 12-9pm
- Downtown LA

Taylor De Cordoba
- Opening: Kimberly Brooks "Technicolor Summer"
- Saturday May 10th
- Culver City

LAXART
- Opening: Michelle Lopez
- Saturday May 10th, 7-9pm
- Culver City

Susan Vielmetter
- Opening: Shana Lutker
- Saturday, May 10th
- Culver City

David Kordansky Gallery
- Opening: Nicolau Vergeuiro
- Saturday, May 10th 6-9pm
- Chinatown
Flea Markets: Flea Markets:

Melrose Trading Post
- Fairfax High School, 7850 Melrose Ave.
- Sundays

Pasadena City College Flea Market
- 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena
- 1st Sunday of the month

Rose Bowl Flea Market
- 1001 Rose Bowl Dr., Pasadena
- 2nd Sunday of the month

Long Beach Antique Market
- Veteran's Stadium Parking Lot, Long Beach
- 3rd Sunday of the month

Santa Monica Outdoor Antique & Collectible Market
- Airport Ave., off Bundy
- 4th Sunday of the month

South Park Flea Market
- 8th and Grand
- Sundays 9-4
Tip us off to good events!
laure (at) apartmenttherapy (dot) com

How to Manage and File Paperwork

2008-05-07T15:30:39-04:00

In our post on organizing the other day, Li wrote: I need help wrangling paper. I dealt with it okay when I was single but now that I do paperwork/bills for the whole family, I'm drowning in unfiled paper. I don't want photos of pretty file cabinets, I want ideas on how to organize what goes into the file cabinets. Roger that!

As promised, no pictures of pretty filing cabinets (though if that's what you're looking for, go here just our own experience and some tips. We're fairly organized at home, but for a while we were in charge of all the paperwork for a small business, so we've had some experience handling a lot of it and keeping it straight. There are 3 main categories for how to corral paperwork: not letting it into the house, eliminating and simplifying what does make it in, and finally figuring out a system for the paperwork that you need to hang onto. 1) Don't let it in. Can you reduce some of the paperwork before it even gets into the house? Try paying bills and viewing bank statement online instead of getting statements and bills in the mail. If you buy something online, instead of printing the receipt, print to pdf and save the receipt in a receipts file on your computer instead. Set up and use your landing strip to sort mail as soon as it comes in, toss that junk mail right into the recycling bin before it becomes a pile to deal with later. Better yet, cancel the catalogs you don't want to receive and take yourself off the junk mail lists 2)Eliminate and Simplify. AKA The Internet is Your Friend. You may need to tackle the paperwork that's already in your filing cabinets before you even have the space or new stuff. Consider investing in something like the fujitsu scansnap to seriously reduce the paperwork overwhelming your cabinets, your desk, or the floor. You can scan old receipts and documents that you need to keep but don't need to have the original. You'll still have to organize the files on your computer, but it isn't so physically overwhelming. Make sure that you aren't hanging onto paperwork that you don't need anymore. Bank and credit card statements can be accessed online so you don't have to hold on to the papers. Make sure to shred these documents. One of the biggest differences for us was when we ditched all of our old cell phone bills, it must have freed up 6 inches in the filing cabinet. Do you have old manuals for gadgets you don't even own? Can you access the manual online if you still own the fridge, dvd player, cell phone, etc? Get rid of those. 3) Organize We keep this organizer on the desk so that we can immediately file receipts, blog ideas, and bills to pay. This eliminates the piles. We also keep a file on different projects we're working on or anything that we need to access frequently. We have a larger plastic banker's box that we keep in the closet for everything else. (At our old job, we would get a new one for each year so that it was already ready to get archived in storage as soon as the year was over and we didn't have to have a big ugly filing cabinet). It's important to have a system so pick a day for paying your bills each month and then stick to it. We recommend working in an extra 15 minutes to file each time you sit to pay bills, you'd be surprised how much you can file in 15 minutes. This builds in an automatic slot for keeping on top of paper clutter once you've gotten it under control. So, our actual system for filing: Alphabetical. It's simple and it works. From Car to Medical to Receipts to Tax Returns we just put it in order. Within each file, we go from front to back, oldest to most recent, so we always know that the latest bill is at the back of the folder. It's foolproof. You can make it more fun with stylish file folders. Epilogue. As with all decluttering, the important thing to remember is that it took a while for things to get out of control, so trying to tackle it all at once will probably make you feel like you're going crazy. Start with babysteps and be consistent and you'll be surprised at how much progress you make. P.S. It also helps if you have a dedicated area for dealing with paperwork and not just the kitchen table. This way you aren't spreading all of the papers all over the house.

LA Good Questions: What To Do With a Barren Porch?

2008-05-07T15:00:00-04:00

Kelly writes in:

My boyfriend and I recently found our little dream cottage -- the only problem is the entry way. The landlord has built a huge fence separating our home from the front home so our front door & window look out onto a wall...

We can't remove the fence as the front home owner's have a large barking/jumping dog who needs her own private space. The entry way itself is covered in a blue outdoor carpet that we can't remove. We want the outside of our home to look as inviting and cozy as the inside but aside from potted plants we really have no idea what to do with the space. Any good suggestions? Thanks, Kelly

Kelly, if it makes you feel any better, we actually like the blue carpeting, mostly because it reminds us of the Standard Hotel on Sunset Blvd's outdoor blue astroturf deck. But what works for hotel is a lot more difficult to make work with a small porch. One of the first things we imagine is using overhead outdoor lighting to bring more colour. We'd also consider adding a L-shaped bench that could fit under the far window and across the neighboring fence, providing you and guests with outdoor seating. Add a flower box alongside the facing porch railing with flowers that compliment the colours of your overhead lanterns and maybe a low-light and tall potted plant to hide the protruding AC/utility elements from the house wall, and you've got a very inviting entryway. Or how about vertical flower boxes along the fence? One last project could be converting a large, sealed planter into a fountain, similar to the one shown here to bring a soothing water element to your outdoor area. And also be sure to check out Maria's Bungalow House Tour for outdoor setting inspiration...it is a glowing example of bringing colour outdoors to dazzling effect.

Outdoor Furniture: Cushy Circle Set from PB Teen

2008-05-07T14:45:51-04:00

We certainly weren't in a position as teenagers to have our own outdoor furniture, but we're guessing they must be out there since PB Teen is selling this cushy circle put-your-feet-up-and-just-hang-out outdoor sofa set. We're also guessing that you don't need to be a teen to totally enjoy a good hang out sesh on one of these.

Because it's an enclosed circle it reminds us of bonfires on the beach or camping vacations we took with friends in high school. It's perfect for a casual hang out, pick up some throws for when the evening gets a little chilly. The Outdoor Cushy Circle set is available covered in regular canvas or Sunbrella fabric for durability and mold and mildew resistance from PB Teen.

Reader Tip: Affordable "Eames" Style Desk Chair

2008-05-07T14:15:00-04:00

We thought we'd pass along this reader's tip sent in by Alex, both because of the offer, but also because of his eye-catching photos that want us seeing the rest of his home (we replied with a house tour request). Another photo and his deal tip under the jump...

I bought this "Eames" style desk chair (the Darius Leather Visitor Chair) at Target for 276.00 including shipping! The chair retails for 299.00 but they are currently offering 15% off any purchases over 150.00 and free shipping. Note, this chair is only available through the Target website and not available in stores. We think you can also knock off an additional 10% if you sign up for that Target credit card they always try to push on use when we're checking out, bringing down the total near $245. Anyone else have this chair? Thanks Alex!

LA Sale: Poketo Warehouse Sale 5.10.08

2008-05-07T14:00:41-04:00

Yesterday, we mentioned the new plate set by Marco Cibola for Poketo. Well, if you're a fan of Poketo's artist goodies, then you'll be excited to know that they're having a huge Warehouse sale this Saturday!...

Tons of your favorite Poketo products will be on sale for $5 - $10 (since it's on 5.10) including wallets, t-shirts, plates, stationery, and even some one-off and archived items. Maybe Mom needs a new wallet? (and while you're at it, maybe yourself?... hehe) There will also be cupcakes, music and other discounted items too. Plus if you get there early, the first 50 people get a gift bag and 10% off their entire purchase! Click here for all the details. Poketo $5-$10 Warehouse Sale / Cupcake Social
May 10, 2008 10am - 5pm
Poketo Studio - 510 S. Hewitt Street #506 Los Angeles, CA 90013

How to...Repair Bamboo Floors

2008-05-07T13:30:17-04:00

One of our pals just put in a new bamboo floor, and it's been less than 24 hours and he's already found scratches in it. Usually, our advice is, "Don't worry about it! It'll give your home character!" But seeing as though our advice did very little to console him, we've found some interesting DIY tips on how to repair a bamboo floor. Tips after the jump! [ Photo from Keetsa.com ]

For the common surface scratch: Use a surface filler that matches the color of your floor to fill the crack, and then buff like mad to match the surface finish. If the scratch is deeper than you expect and you are feeling particularly brave, wet sand the area to the root of the scratch, and then reapply a new coat of polyurethane. For water stains or pet damage: Make sure the area is dry and clean. Then, use a disc floor sander, sand the damaged area down to clean material. Grab a mop and bucket, and start applying coats of polyurethane. You'll want to taper off as you work towards the undamaged areas so the finish will be uniform. Lightly sand between coats so the new finish area will match as closely as possible to the older area. Tips from Sean O'Halloran at DoItYourself.com.