apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think I am the interim SF scavenger... I'm looking for a couch but keep finding ones that are too big for my place! This armless mid-century sofa is *amazing* and seems like a bargain:

http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/fur/136573623.html

I just have to mark Day Umpteen of the "I just went to Target for orange hand towels" complete rearrangement of chez moi... among people who know what it feels like...

After six months of debate about Quality Versus Convenience, I moved the white Target shelving units out of the closet and into the foyer to hold my toys... HUGE improvement! They may be chintzy, but having the shelves be more-or-less the color of the walls means the foyer is now all about the toys and looks much larger. I hope Target hasn't discontinued this line, as I desperately need two more!

wende, I'm not sure which units you are talking about, but I was at Target a couple of days ago (the skanky one, at Serramonte, not the nicer one across the stree(!) in Colma), and they had TONS of stuff on sale... I've been contemplating these Isaac Mizrahi bathroom storage armoires to put in my kitchen to hold art supplies. I decided against them, as I think they are not deep enough for my purposes, but they look kind of nice for a sale price of around 50 bucks. I also hear all the Global Bazzar stuff is one sale, but they don't have any of it at that location.

Oddly, the Goodwill "boutique" in Los Altos next to my office always gets a lot of Target stuff; cool vases and bowls and other decor items. About the same prices as Target's sale prices, but they'll often have that thing that you wish you'd gotten and then couldn't find again. Kind of neat!

Target addiction... guilty. (Sigh.) When I was in Portland the other morning, the first thing I did was head to the Target--because Oregon has no sales tax! Yes, the Global Home stuff is now marked down 50%, but it's slim pickin's right now. Luckily I got out of the store spending only $35 bucks on two Global Home beaded/sequined pillows. Yeah, I know... very butch, right? (Not so much.) But I think they'll look great on the couch and just add that little bit of bling that was missing from the room. Dana, the Serramonte store had several aisles of Global Home merch 4 weeks ago but I think it all sold through...

Drat! My meeting with the gallery for my March show just got moved from Saturday to Sunday. I guess I can't really call that too much of a "drat," since I am so very very excited about this show. the unfortunate part is that it's been moved to Sunday at 5:00pm. Urg! I know not how long it will take... if I jam over to the Redwood Room as soon as I'm done (with any rejected paintings in tow), will I still make it? If the party moves on to another location, can I kindly ask someone to call me....?? I would be too too sad to miss the meet up!

Email me at drwende at yahoo dot com, and I'll give you my cell number. (That goes for anyone who wants the added security of a number to call, too.) I have no idea what's going to happen, but I'm happy to keep you informed.

Serramonte Target, here I come! (As soon as husband gets home from work...) I'm thrilled to hear that there's a Magic Goodwill out here, too. We had one that got Target extras when we lived in Troy (NY), but the nearest one on Geary is not so blessed.

Every time I fall out of love with Target, they do something to reignite the rapture.

I'm still in regardless of the time since I'll be staying at the Clift that night regardless. We can always push back the time a bit, yes? wende: I emailed you my cell and crackberry contact info. (I probably won't be online this weekend since my personal laptop is out for repairs.)

urghhh... must proofread before posting...

Thanks, Enrique! I'm figuring I'll be there at 5:30 because I've bandied around 5:30 and that's about when ebrown's theater gets out... but people can trickle in and out until the total mass of enthusiasm is exhausted. If the party actually starts at 6 or 6:30 or even 7, I won't feel unloved -- it's just that someone has to be somewhere at some time, or we'll never start at all.

Thanks Wende...! Maybe he will love all the pieces so much, that he will grab them all up right as I walk through the door...? In any event, I will come straight there from the Mission, as I will be MUNIing it that night anyway.

Good luck at Target! We're still waiting to see your new colorful bathroom..

How will we know one another? Is there a password? A flower in the lapel? A banner?

Okay, since I've volunteered to be the first person there, all you have to do is recognize me. Tall, dark-haired (probably still with today's Demented Sheep hairstyle, alas!), and wearing an ORANGE tweed blazer. I do mean ORANGE. Bright orange. What the happy Italian designer was thinking (and it's a men's blazer, too), I cannot imagine, which may explain why it was 80% off. But it's impossible to miss.

More sf craigslist scavenging... this bright red bar/storage console is too cute for words. If only I had a place for it...

http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/fur/136817396.html

aquarabbit -

WOW. is that sofa for real? it seems too good to be true. did you end up checking it out?

sooj, i didn't go look at the sofa because there is no way it would fit in my studio...! I saw that it was reposted again, so I think other people might be thinking the same thing you are. I would check it out in a minute if I thought I wouldn't fall head over heels in love and start fantasizing about tearing down a couple of walls...

Has anyone heard of Style At Home Magazine from Canada?

I just subscribed and thought I would ask.

A recent article from the magazine:

http://www.styleathome.com/StyleAtHome/client/en/HOMEGARDEN/DetailNews.asp?idNews=2514&idSM=174

Wende, I was just reading your blog, and I SO feel your pain about the foibles of old houses! I seem to be living in The Apartment Of Horrible Drains. I've already had the landlord fix my shower twice (it was spewing fetid, rusty water all over on one occasion), and the tub seems to be plugged again now. The icing on the cake is that I work evening shift, and my landlord insists on coming by at 4 freaking a.m. to fix things. He told me to just stay in bed and ignore him, but I'm a 22 year old girl living in a studio apartment. I don't want to lay in bed while some strange man comes in and does things 5 feet away!
Anyway, Does anyone have any suggestions for keeping the tub clog free? I already have one of those plastic hair trap thingies, which I hate because it gets all slimy. Has anyone seen a metal one anywhere? Is this my fault, or are the pipes just crap?
Thanks!

The major lesson learned from the SF Meet-and-Greet (other than that, if you weren't there, I had MUCH more fun tonight than you did, so ha! ha!) is that if you're having a random "meet up somewhere public" kind of deal, participants should be encouraged to wave a color print-out of whatever room or wall they've posted here most recently. It's challenging to recognize people when you know their bedroom but not their face.

I'm in the mood to leave the recap for one of the other charming people who were there... possibly because dinner was so good that I'm left in a rhapsodic stupor.

wende (and Phil), ebrown, aquarabbit: It was great to meet you all tonight! I ran into Dana shortly after we all dispersed and we explored the Hotel Adagio (and adjacent restaurant Cortez) on Geary. The property is beautiful! I'm definitely switching hotels on my next SF trip since this is one of the hotels on my company's preferred list of SF lodgings. I only mention this because Dana and I both agreed that the bar at Cortez would make a great spot for the next SF meet-up: very design-y, good appetizer and bar menu...

For all those who weren't fortunate to be there, it was a blast! Enrique, wende, aquarabbit, you rock!. I had a wonderful time. I'm still smiling and definitely looking forward to another. Sometime SOON.

The sf meet-up was great! Thanks to Wende for organizing it, and thanks to Enrique and ebrown for waiting for me...! The pomegranate cosmo at the Redwood Room was delightful, and the company top-notch.

Where are the rest of the SF-AT'ers? I know there's more of you out there.

Word. When wearing orange do not, I repeat, do not meet in the Redwood Room. The room in is so red that it devours orange and makes it a very subtle neutral. Who knew? I checked out the woman who later turned out to be Wende several times; striking woman in the subdued elegant tweed? Could it be? Gathered up my courage and asked the vibrant couple are you Wende and Enrique? She scores! Yup, the meet up fianlly met. Dana arrived, fresh from delivering paintings for her group show which opens this Friday (Artist-Xchange Gallery, 3169 16th Street). Enrique was the perfect host, with suggestions for cocktails and a photo spread of the most amazing modular house. SoCal is so cool! Houses that welcome the elements and become a part of them is really what California is about. From adobe to stainless steel it's all about recognizing the elements and going with them. After fab cocktails we followed Enrique to get glimpse of his room. Philippe Starck beauty: clean, clear, uncluttered. Then, at his suggestion, we had dinner at Colibri, a wonderful Mexican bistro with amazing food, which we ate with gusto and lots of chatter. So much fun.

Yeah, I think I need to start risking making a fool of myself by approaching strangers -- that was not my finest moment, by a long shot. Ebrown is the very soul of grace and patience.

Enrique truly is the perfect host -- I learned more about snazzy places in my own neighborhood than I had in three years of living here. (Dana is, of course, the muse of art, as well as the person officially to blame for why I owe my soul to Target lately. Yes, I will post bathroom photos when I'm done accessorizing.)

wende: You were a wonderful hostess! Thanks so much again for organizing all of this... all you lurkers should definitely meet up with these 3 lovely ladies for the March 9 AT meet-up! A lively conversation is guaranteed.

Hi everyone:

I just recently discovered this site the other day, via the Design Within Reach newsletter. I would first like to say how great it is to find a site dedicated to small urban space living.

I am an Interior Designer and student that specializes in small space living interiors for both renters and owners. I work with alot of clients on budgets and it's great to see people sharing their ideas and resources.

Just cause we live in small spaces and rentals, doesn't mean it has to be short on style, even on a budget =).

Cool site!