apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

A week ago I introduced a Canadian interior design magazine called Style at Home and found this great DIY idea that I wanted to share. In this issue they took old funky animal figurines and had them painted matte white to give them a more modern look.

Perhaps spray painting them red gloss or robins egg blue could also be an alternative color to use. If you wanted to try this idea I'm sure you could use any spray paint color to match your decor - since there are so many colors now available to choose from.

Does anyone else want to share a fun DIY project or a painting idea? If so, email me! -Vanessa (aka Turquoise)

Most believe owning artwork is the domain of folks living the lifestyle of champagne wishes and caviar dreams. But considering Im living a life of Diet Coke sips and Velveeta dreams, yet surrounded by a small and gratifying collection of artwork, the truth is bringing original art into the home isnt as far fetched as one might believe.

I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend Caryn Coleman, owner of Culver Citys sixspace gallery and founder of art.blogging.la, about the ins and outs of tapping into your J. Paul Getty on a J.C. Penny bankroll.

Alec posted about the Airswitch TC back in November last year, but we just read that there is another version that is out now. Airswitch lamps, by Mathmos, change with movement. If you raise your hand above the fixture, it brightens, and if you lower your hand, it dims the light. The Airswitch 1 is a cool frosted white edition that looks like a science lab flask.

"Taste is more to do with manners than appearances. Taste is both myth and reality; it is not a style."

Stephen Bayley

Since it's already mid June (yikes!), we find ourselves in the midst of the most popular month for weddings. If you happen to fall into the "hurry I need a last-minute wedding gift!" category, Crate & Barrel offers up a beautiful set of blue and white dishes. The modern clean dotted designs are inspired by japanese linens, and they are also boxed and packaged in a nifty round box.

This Saturday, Junc Gallery hosts Cast, a group sculpture show featuring the work of artists Evah Fan, Gary Garay, Jungmin Koh, Albert Reyes, Florencio Zavala, Rachell Sumpter, Luke Ramsey, Patrick Roberts, Esther Watson, Mark Todd, Jess Hutch, and Mari Araki.

Hidden over the hill in Studio City is a wonderful new home dcor store called The Black Door.

Owner and interior designer Jessica Nakata opened her doors just a few months ago. The store is filled with an assortment of bedding, candles, home furnishings and a variety of accessories.

The Black Door also carries
Martha Stewarts signature high-end furniture line, and most of the line can be seen at the store.

We recommend a visit to her store, hidden just behind Le Pain restaurant just off Ventura and Coldwater. You can reach Jessica at jessica@theblkdoor.com.

-Vanessa (aka Turquoise)

-Gregory (The Avant Garde Retard)

Driving down PCH last weekend, I couldn't help but notice this strange sign on a small building with the word GROT on it. So I stopped and took a look. Inside, I found the most charming vintage furniture store, despite the unusual name. Owner Gavin Hampson explained, "I was inspired to name the store GROT, based off of a fictional store in a BBC television series called "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin"."

Opened in the fall of 1995, Gavin initially wanted the store to act as a community gallery to showcase art, furniture, and lighting from local artists. Over time, the business has evolved to more of a furniture shop. The central concept of the store is "reinvention." Gavin reclaims and transforms vintage pieces into a functional modern piece, yet always retaining the quality and craftsmanship of the past.

Ice cream, Americana architecture, and a mid-century slideshow? Count me in! Friend and neighbor, Heseon, kindly reminded me about the upcoming launch party and ice cream social happening just around the corner for Americana The Beautiful: Mid-Century in Kodachrome, the newest book from kitsch-classic tour guide and "histotainer", Charles Phoenix.

AT:LA reader Emily told me to take a hike! But not before I fill up with my favourite beverage with these stylish SIGG water bottles from the Swiss Water Bottle Company.

These one-piece aluminium bottles are extrusion pressed, with a powder-coat baked finish, and baked-on inner lining, meaning they look good, travel light, and don't impart any of that funky plasticky flavour to your agua (because I may like my music funky, but not my water). With three different leak-proof tops for $17.99.

-Gregory (The Avant Garde Retard)

Following up from a post from our AT:NY site, we thought we'd mention one more wallpaper maker, Cavern Wallpaper.
Based out of Los Angeles and Brooklyn, the bi-coastal team of Carly Margolis and Ophir Tanz (both 24!) are drawing lots of attention in the design world. Even though it's getting more popular, a lot of people are still afraid of wallpaper, and I asked them their thoughts on that...

So have you ever wanted to know a little more about the team that brings you Apartment Therapy? Lo and behold, POPLife, the home and design magazine for the rest of us art/editorial directed by our very own Jonathan Lo, showcases some of the very personalities and talent that help shape our site in their most recent issue.

Last week, we posted about cleaning sponges by nuking them in the microwave. However, AT:LA reader "D" had a good
question, "How do you get the stinky sponge smell out of the microwave?"

Well, here's one solution that will also clean the inside. First, wipe out any excess crumbs. Then fill a microwave-safe bowl with about 1-2 cups of water. Add some lemon juice, or put in half a piece of fresh cut lemon (squeezing some juice out first) into the bowl.

Nobody likes to be called dull. So bring back your dull vinyl flooring to its former glory with a trip down to your local janitorial supply store and a little elbow grease.

Youll first need to clean the flooring thoroughly with an ammonia-based cleaner. This will not only remove film residue, but also prepares the floor for the next step.

Storage in a small bathroom can sometimes be a challenge. You can only put so much on the counter, and an etagere above the toilet can be limiting. One area that sometimes is forgotten, is above the door. A friend of ours had a great solution. She used a metal rack usually used for the kitchen to hang pots off of, and placed it above the bathroom door. This provided a great space to put extra linens. This concept can also be great for other rooms as well.

Talk about a Hot Dog! This witty pot holder is made of silicone and, like all good dogs, protects his master as well. This holder has a temperature tolerance from -59F to 446F. (But you just know you'll will just be playing with it like a puppet!) $10.95 and available here.

Holly at Decor8 let us know that local resident and artist Michelle Caplan is having a sale through the month of June. Michelle (whom we've featured here before)is offering all us AT:LA readers a special 20% discount. Enter the code "AT:LA" if you shop from her Etsy Store. You can also see Michelle's work in person at Show on Vermont.

- Jonathan

Some men daydream of cars. I oggle vacuum cleaners. Anytime I stop by an appliance or electronic store, I tend to gravitate toward the cleaning appliance aisle to carefully eye the selection of robotic Roombas, inspect the newest testesterone-induced design from Dyson, or daydream of purchasing a Miele-made luxe instrument of cleaning. Unfortunately the true apple of my eye is a foreign born beauty unavailable stateside: the Electrolux Escargot.

Sighone day well be together, my little snail shaped vacuum. One day.

-Gregory (The Avant Garde Retard)

Muriel Blandings: You remember Bunny Funkhouser, dear, that clever young interior decorator that we met at the Collins' cocktail party.

Jim Blandings: You mean that young man with the open-toed sandals? What about him?