apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

it's definitely "already" wednesday, since thursday is my friday and wednesday is my thursday. what?

Sparky -- jealous.

Hey, I know it's pet month and not art month, so... my cat really digs art, right? She's especially into great bold, graphic work from artists like Dan McCarthy (.org) and Jordan Crane (www.reddingk.com -- she chose the hands with the cigarette).

Anyway, anyone got any suggestions for other sites to check out? We've got a big blank wall.

Thanks, guys!

I'm sorry, I have no pets. :-(

But I DID want to share the final wall treatment i went with based off recommendations by folks here on AT. Also, thanks for the advice.

I found this fantastic fabric on ebay through http://stores.ebay.com/TONIC-LIVING.

Original living room image:
http://static.flickr.com/44/113163848_dc185aff11.jpg

Final wall treatment:
http://static.flickr.com/48/132724059_db0c101b73.jpg

Unfortunately, the picture doesn't do it as much justice as it looks pretty great in real life.

adam~

too cute! I did a similar thing at one point on a big white wall in my living room -- bought six canvases and a sort of turquoise patterned bedspread from urban outfitters, went staple gun crazy, and hung them in two rows of three. Getting it all even was a biotch, though. I am so bad at hanging things. Anyway, loved the color so much I ended up taking a swatch to home despot and painting the whole wall the peacock blue color. Now... lots of blue wall, just waiting for the perfect art.

"...fun. Jumpin' music, slick DJs. Fog machines and laser rays."

sweating. At least it looks like that's what this weekend will be made for.

wende, you out there?

I have a nagging taxidermy Victoriana question, and of course I thought of you! S.F. doesn't seem to have an open thread at the moment...hello L.A.!

So, consider the different versions of taxidermy decor.
Hunting Lodge v. Victorian Library v. Artist/Visionary
My hunting-lodge-loving girl and I got in a bitchy disagreement about whether the Victorian thing was just English Countryhouse.
Me, I think of it as a profoundly Urban decorating phenomenon.

thoughts?

Sunny Angelenos, please forgive me.
Think of the animals mentioned as being white porcelain!

hey sera,
check out http://drawn.ca/
they feature lots of cool, different artists, so you should find someone you like.

a time for cleaning and organizing!

lorenzo,

you must have a/c, my apartment is _way_ too hot to even consider cleaning or anything strenuous until the sun has set.

i know comments on the house tour were probably disabled for a reason, but i just wanted to gush. fabulous! this is the kind of place i dream of running away to on cold grey February mornings in the city...

I'd love to know what type of green paint they used in the bedroom to accent the kitty....

Yes, agree with opoponax on this: the Topanga Canyon house is fabulous. I love it!

Totally into the eclectic, decidedly SoCal vibe of it. In my mind, this is like a really cool '70s Laurel Canyon rock 'n roll crash-pad as stylishly re-interpreted by Paul Smith. (And that's a good thing in my book.)

anybody know where i can find a lovely NEW tea set? or at least a cute cup and saucer duo? preferably not vintage shops. thank you thank you thank you.

sparky, are you in LA?

For modern options, I'd check out the tabletop options at: Fitzsu Society (on Melrose with a 2nd location in Pasadena), OK (on 3rd St), Zipper (also on 3rd St).

For a wide variety of Japanese options (traditional to modern to kitschy "Kawaii" for the kids): Utsawa-No-Yakata on the ground floor of the Mitsuwa Marketplace mall in Little Tokyo, downtown LA.

If you're looking for traditional English tea services, I can't help you there. Not my area of expertise. But, the housewares department at American Rag (on La Brea Ave) might be worth checking out...

Another fan of Tyke and Jon's Topanga Canyon Casa. We all seem to agree that this ROCKS.

I would like to know the name of the beige color on the living room walls. Besides "beige".

hey valerie and rachel-
Tyke said that the living room walls paint are "hopsack" by ralph lauren, which is also really similar to "elephant's breath" by farrow and ball.

Tyke doesn't remember the exact color of the green, but she said it was from Home depot, and might have something to do with "lemongrass"- she said it looked very different in different lighting, and said they ended up choosing one they didn't like in the store, but looked different in the natural light- she suggested you get some samples and paint some swatches to test...

Anyone have advice on how to mount a Rosendahl Wine Tube to the wall?

The anchors and screws included seem too short, and the instructions are somewhat sparse. I don't want to experiment with a longer screw (which still doesn't seem sturdy) and end up with with wine puddles.

sera: my, er, dogs also love jordan crane, especially "secret meeting".
http://www.juncgallery.com/cranesamples.html

Hey- I have a design problem and am looking for help in solving it!! We have an apartment that was built in the 30's with no A/C so it gets really hot as you may know with the latest heat wave LA is having. Anyway, I have windows that open into 3 rooms,sorta like french doors only windows. What I need to do is put something up inside the window to cover the screen so we can keep the windows open at night and have privacy but still allow air to come through. I've looked for all kinds of shades but the problem is the width of the jam inside the window is only about an inch and a quater and nothing I can find will allow the window to shut when we will need it to. Like winter. Anyway so now i am looking to make a curtian if you will to hang inside the window and just let it hang. I have been to a number of fabric stores and there is no attractive fabric that is breathable. I am so sick of searching but need to get this done. Does anyone have any creative ideas on this?? Am I missing something so simple or is this one of the hard ones cuz it sure seems that way to me. Thanks in advance for your help! Ayne

Thanks for the leads for art stuff!

Still looking for that tea set? I suggest checking out CHADO on 3rd street, in Hollywood. It's a few blocks east of the Beverly Center... close to Fairfax, I think? It's an English tea house -- REAL scones with clotted cream! -- and they have a lot of very cute tea accessories including lovely cups and saucers and teapots.

good luck!

enrique and sera- thanks so much for your suggestions! i'll definitely check those out. although, you both must think i'm crazy thinking about hot tea in this heat.

For a tea set, check these out: http://www.rosannainc.com/whole_home_catalog.asp

These are very cute!

Hey Ayne,

Maybe this concept will help you:

http://www.harrietcarter.com/Detail.cfm?prod=2643&udc=Y

you could probably just get a roll of velcro and some screen from the hardware store to make something custom that is easily removable when you shut the windows.

I'm in San Gabriel and I don't have AC either! Luckily I still have power for the fans. I'm getting very tempted to try this myself but it doesn't help when it's 11:30 at night and it's still too warm!

oops!! i thought i read that you didn't have screens (it's the heat!) BUT if you used some other lightweight material (low thread count bedsheet perhaps?) with the velcro it might solve the privacy issue

Adam -
I did a similar thing with some fabrics just a couple of weeks ago -- some of which I also got at tonic living on eBay! In the sets that show the window treatments and the oak-into-wenge bedroom in my flick thing (when you click on my name), you'll see how the ones I did turned out in my friend's place in New Jersey.

WHY do I almost never come over to this LA AT?

I'm SO enjoying the Urban Outsiders show on HGTV. I love Matt James' gardens and now he's doing outside spaces here in the US. I applied to get my balcony done by him and got thru the first elimination but never heard back after that. DRAT! Tonight he's in the LA area. The couple is so cool. Anyone else watching this show?

Yeah, I am too. Love what he's done. I'm here in NYC, applied also and have been picked - they were over on Sunday to look at the space. BUT I'm having a major dilema (sp?). I didn't think I was going to get picked and already started my space - fact I'm nearly done. It's not even 10% as pretty as Matt would make it, but I do like what I've done and already dropped a bit of cash. UGH! I'm so torn!!

Stylin - you are so lucky! I actually put off doing anything on the balcony JUST IN CASE. But since I haven't heard back I figured the coast was clear to start doing something. I think the logistics for getting to my balcony and the neighborhood were the obstacles. Where are you located and what kind of space do you have - balcony or yard? Did you have to fill out that long questionaire and send a floorplan of the space? I did.

Lucky? I've never been so torn lol!! I did the same thing you did - I put off doing anything in hopes of hearing from them (trust me I had no desire to do the work). After I sent in my floorplan, pics and questionaire I rec'd an email back saying if they were interested I'd hear back in a few days for an interview for July. Well, I waited for over a week and figured I wasn't picked, and went full speed ahead.
Then last Sat night, I get a call from the producer, and they want to come see the space and interview me the next morning! I was pretty stunned (and excited). Matt came over (so great) took measurements, ques. etc. (I took pics lol)... They've let me know that they'd like to feature my backyard (rental) on the show.
Now I'm torn, 'cuz my budget is now 1/2 of what I'd put aside - tho I guess I could fanagle some more funds, and 2nd, I'm pretty proud of what I've done so far - it's been approx 5 wks of back breaking work that I performed by myself. I was hoping to post a slideshow on nycAT when complete.
BUT, on the otherhand I'm a huge fan of the show and know that Matt would make it look absolutely beautiful. He would bring in all the elements I crave, and provide a sense of sophistication. Plus, what a great opportunity - tho I'm not too thrilled at the thought of being on tv...
Right now I'm taking votes from my friends as to which way to go...If you leave ur email, I'll forward you some pics, would love an opinion from another viewer/neutral person.

I'm looking for colored glass table lamps. The kind with, say, a bubble-shaped glass bottom in, say, orange. modern. drum shade is best. where do you buy your lamps, pray tell?

Hello! I have just moved to LA, and am very interested in finding some vintage-y (kitchy?) things for our 1930s kitchen. Can anyone recommend some good stores? I have time to pick through stuff, but some of the antique stores I've attempted have been VERY pricey. Thanks!

Stylin, I'd love to see the space. Please send me some photos.

addg1 at verizon dot net

hey, all the other cities seem to have had a gathering. when are we angelenos going to have ours?

hey s, have you checked all the usual suspects? i seem to remember that west elm had some long necked glass orange ones. not sure if they had a drum shade but that's easy to remedy. and don't rule out lamps plus, anthropologie, c&b and target.

Great! Just sent you mail. All help/advice is much appreciated.