apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Great job, everyone! In time for week three, I replaced the door knobs in my apartment including a repair project to my front door. http://j-fer-rose.blogspot.com/

Love those curtains Jen64! And it's great to see how everyone else is doing, very inspiring.

I'm going to do a bit more in the kitchen tonight as I make a pound cake for someone at work. Got some more cleaning supplies over the weekend, including a tote for supplies that I am very excited about :). Simple pleasures, right?

My biggest goal for the landing strip area is something for shoes (the eternal search), and a small rug... I might go for a few flor tiles, add a punch of color. Plus add more to the outbox!

Nice doorknobs, J-fer Rose!

Good going, people! I will probably be working a bit more on the kitchen as we had houseguests for most of last week.

I cleaned our fridge coils today and it was nasty. The screws and grill that cover the coils on our KitchenAid Superba are hard to manipulate. Payoffs for clean coils include lower utility bills, less impact on the environment, and a longer life for the appliance.

Our new fridge--even though a full two inches deeper--doesn't have coils! I forgot what a horrible job that was.

I didn't mean to distract you, Maxwell. I'm going to the paint store shortly.

Energy--stirring up old energy--that's what I've been doing in the basement! That explains why my moods have been so extreme lately. Joy and energy one minute and near tears and angry and exhausted the next. I'd forgotten that "decluttering" is an emotional roller coaster.

I've been revising my style tray and I'm solid on my room color, but I'm struggling with my chair fabric.
I like it (a lot), but two things are concerning me...One is that I'm pushing too many warm colors into my primarily cool bedroom scheme. My other concern is that the fabric I've been looking at is "mid-weight" cotton. Technically, its not in the upholstery or home dec category. So, can I use it for upholstery? Does anyone have experience with this issue--using a mid-weight cotton rather than an actual upholstery weight fabric to recover a chair?
http://passageunsettled.blogspot.com/

What brand and model of fridge do you own, Alana? Ours is fairly new. I had no idea that there were coil-free fridges!

Here's a post that essentially documents what I went through:
http://www.bravenewleaf.com/environment/2008/03/scary-and-new-c.html
Like this, our fridge coils are under rather than behind the behemoth.

If there are fridges that don't require this exercise, I want to buy one of them!

Oh dear heaven--I have exactly the same kickplate--are you telling me there may be coils under there?

My turn to scream.

We have a Kenmore.
Wig3000--are you in Canada, too?

I have never heard of cleaning fridge coils in my life. And I will pretend that I still haven't.

sidstiles - you need to talk to a fabric pro. I would suggest interfacing but they might not make one strong enough to preserve your fabric one they're bonded.

For such a tiny room my bath is a real SOB. I was in there over two hours. And there's still more to do. But it's presentable and the surfaces are clean.

I didn't want to ask--but I must--where can I find a high gloss, long wearing Chinese Red paint?

I've been looking at samples on-line (using the nifty search feature) and I think that's the way to go for my trunk. However, the sample they showed me at BM was a smidge too orange (and bright) for my liking: surely there are others?

The brands available to me are:
Benjamin Moore
C-I-L (and Glidden)
Sherwin Williams
Para Paints
Behr and Ralph Lauren
Rust-o-leum (which was recommended in one thread).

there may be others...but I can't think of them at the moment.
I know we do not have:
Valspar, Martha Stewart, DF Kaufman, Fine Paints of Europe, Farrow and Ball (though I can send away for it and have it shipped, if I MUST).

Thanks.

we are all on the same wavelength! i was on my knees vacuuming the bloody things today :) but not too bad for once a year right?

Alana- I have a Kenmore Coldspot fridge and it has coils-check out under the kickplate. It removes easily and I use a stick vac. I clean under and around my fridge every 3 mos. (I have a cat, a dog and a 3 yr old) the stuff I find is really gross......
Jen64- I love those curtains! I have that fabric, but never thought about making it into curtains- now I have to.....

I recently cleaned under the fridge. Not because I thought that there were coils under there (I thought mine didn't have exposed coils, because whatever's in the back is covered) but because I knew it was gross under there. I still don't even know whether those are coils under there--it's really hard to see in that space. I cleaned out at least a couple of cat-equivalents worth of dust and whatever. I haven't been able to get the kickplate back on, but will try again after reading the link above.

I didn't get to post last week due to the craziness of midterms and being away this weekend to see family. I was able to catch up on my cure duties monday night though and I am so glad I did! I love having a clean kitchen and it just makes me want to be in there more. I don't think my stove has been this clean in a few months (yuck, I know) and I almost don't want to use it for fear of getting it dirty! I bought some beautiful runukulas last week that have bloomed wonderfully and are still looking good. I can't wait to see what I pick out this week.
kitchen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suziegoombs/2360464571/
flowers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suziegoombs/2361298348/in/set-72157604069466780/
blogged here: http://suziegoombs.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/week-two-wrapup/

I am trying to get myself pumped up for week three. Our front door opens to a very small hall that then opens to a larger foyer/random space. We have designated this space part foyer, part office. The landing strip is fairly functional - I have lovely coat hooks, a basket for shoes, spots for mail, keys and whatnot and a bench for putting shoes on. For some reason though (sheer laziness?) this area gets trashed all the time. I vow to clean it out (especially the scuff marks on the wall near the shoe basket) and use it properly from here on out. I will go through the mail as soon as I get home and will not let this area be a dumping ground for random crap. Hopefully I can get the boyfriend to agree to do the same.

My hall closet needs some work. I need a better solution for storing hats and scarves and I need to clear out some unused "stuff." I'm looking forward to making this area easier to use.

Here is a floorplan for reference: http://suziegoombs.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/week-two-wrapup/

And, does anyone know where in NYC or on the internet I can buy a small sheet of plexi like this one? :
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/012208tara/tara24

oops, floorplan is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suziegoombs/2364302642/in/set-72157604069466780/

Alana, I am in San Francisco.

I became concerned about our fridge coils when I read in the current Readymade magazine that you should clean them every month. Um, say what?! They will get a 2x yearly cleaning in my world.

And if coil-free exists, I'm buying (if and when I can afford to).

Is it ok to have a broken-up landing strip? My apartment doesn't have a hallway, so I take care of the landing strip stuff in several areas:
- Doormat is in the hall, outside my front door.
- Shoes go directly into closet (on left), coats are hung in closet on right.
http://flickr.com/photos/68987525@N00/2333016665/in/set-72157604119875207/
- Guest coats go on hooks
http://flickr.com/photos/68987525@N00/2332901443/in/set-72157604119875207/
- Mail is sorted immediately at my desk: junk gets tossed, bills filed, personal mail & magazines go in a pile to be read.
- My purse & laptop bag get set on the guitar amp next to the door (it's on the right in the picture).
http://flickr.com/photos/68987525@N00/2332893143/in/set-72157604119875207/

I did clean out those closets & store away winter coats & hats. Next, I am looking for a pretty, subtly patterned paper to cover the plastic inserts on the closet with.
My landing strip pieces don't get trashed, so I think I'm doing ok.

And COLOR:
I remember have a hard time with this a couple years ago. It was easier to identify this time.

Living: Warm
Bed: Cool
Bath: Cool
Kitchen: Warm

I have totally broken the 80/20 rule with my bright orange-red kitchen walls. But isn't that what rules are for? To understand them, then break them (in an informed/educated way)?

All the fridge comments have reminded me of my dangerously tipping fridge. I don't think that this is a mere matter of leveling it because the floor sags excitingly. I may have to put down some sort of substrate to get things to stay solidly on the ground.

I think I'll search the archives on putting down a new linoleum floor, and failing that, I'll just put down a piece of painted plywood.

I read this site at work and find it somewhat maddening because I can't do things at home while I'm reading it. I'm hugely impressed by the projects that people are undertaking but struggle to find time to get much done myself. I've taken to getting up an hour early and trying to use that time to do things.

I am still in crazy painting hell -- scheduled to be done on Friday. That said, I am loving the colors so far, especially the last minute decision to paint the side walls in the kitchen a chili pepper red! Pictures can be found here. Needless to say, not much else happening.

My one rant of the week is that not one but two lights I bought at Ikea were broken or had broken parts. Just a warning to others to check out everything before you leave, especially if, like me, you have to haul your ass back and forth on a bus. Guess where I'm heading either this weekend or next . . .

I haven't posted an update yet- but it seemed appropriate this week as my one room remedy is the hall. I'm not incredibly lazy- we're actually putting up a partition wall to create a new room.

Floor Plan
Pic 1
Pic 2
Does anyone have any good resources for pictures of hall inspiration- I find that most interior mags don't bother with hall pictures?

sciencegeek - I need to do something similar under my washer. It's leveled out with boards, for some reason, and the floor underneath in its alcove is unfinished. Substrate! I'll have to look into that. Also, I was thinking that, to do anything, I'd need to tile it, but a small piece of linoleum would cost nothing, so I might be able to go this sooner rather than later.

So far I’ve changed out some more chairs in the main room and got cushions for them. I can now seat four for dinner, if I so wish. I’ve also added more pillows to the sofa, which I hope makes it more inviting.

In the other room, I’ve had the closet door fixed, which I tried to do myself, but after three unsuccessful attempts, called in a qualified professional. Also put up a curtain rod to display a textile from Zaire.

In addition to hanging and/or rehanging art work, I have to get some new pegs and possibly an additional shelf for my closet system; find an appropriate junction box cover for my chandelier; and, of course, continue my quest for the perfect door pulls.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7340332@N05/

No updates this week from my side, sorry ! I'm off to Strasbourg (France) for the weekend :-))
I'll continue next week, though.

A good weekend to all of you !

scrapelolly:

thank you. the textile was too good to resist and (obviously, I suppose) I think the chairs work better.

In answer to your question: yes, it would come to about a foot and a half above the top of the desk. I was thinking of a type of Japanese screen, but then again, I would think of a Japanese screen.

awww, yay for my flowers! thanks maxwell.

sounds like everyone is doing great. i made a little more progress in the kitchen last night. not all the way finished, but definitely an improvement. ironically, i installed a water filter last year for the cure and now, i have trouble with water spraying all over where the swivel part is. any suggestions on how to fix this without calling a plumber?

i also got a shoe organizer for our main closet. the floor looks so much better now! even my husband was impressed. ;) hopefully i'll post some more pics soon. cleared off my landing strip last night. it's doing a pretty good job since the last spring cure, but if i don't stay on top of the junk mail (including mail for the previous tenants who moved out of the country & did not bother to tell the post office. arrggh!) it becomes messy pretty quickly.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodimckee/sets/72157604120535828/

Gah. I'm falling behind, something I swore I wouldn't do. I'm still working on my kitchen - I'm really pleased with how I'm using my storage space better, but it seems like every time I move something I need to find space for five more things! Everything is clean clean clean, though - my stove top is sparkling!

Thankfully my entryway is adjacent to the kitchen so I'm slowly moving my work towards there. The closet is slightly terrifying at the moment but I think a thorough purge of my purse collection will help immensely.

Pictures soon, I hope!

I was out of town last weekend for 3 days, so nothing happened on the Cure. I need to sit down and make some decisions about water heaters and toilets. Also, I've been studying my repairs list (which includes the water heater and toilet) that I keep in my Cure book and I think I will make a huge dent in them this time around - possibly even clearing out the majority.

I am contemplating installing an under sink water filter, since I'll already have the plumber there.

When will our weekend thread go up?

Pixie, we are also in the market for a toilet. We have a tiny space and need something that is of smaller proportions. Our final three contenders are the Toto Aquia, the Toto Ultimate and the newer Toto Eco Ultramax. Does anyone have thoughts and/or experience with regard to these three models? The Ultramax uses 1.2 or- GPF and is the most water conserving. I'm wondering if ATers are satisfied with it?

Toto is what I'm getting too, but not sure of model yet, so this will be useful to me too.

Didn't do much, but since it is landing strip week, here's some shots of mine, pretty much the same except subtract the menorah:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12721467@N02/2092138243/in/set-72157602167088268/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12721467@N02/2092138015/in/set-72157602167088268/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12721467@N02/2092137749/in/set-72157602167088268/

And flowers!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12721467@N02/2369779096/in/set-72157604148457276/

This weekend I am going to pick up some slate tiles for the bathroom from another generous ATer so I'm excited about that. And I have an idea for painting the inside of my "office" doors now. Hopefully I can get that done this weekend if I'm not derailed by March Madness.

WOW, I am shocked and flattered that I made the "cover" o AT with my little kitchen!
Being the daughter of an architect, yet design-challenged in terms of organization and overall "coolness" factor (in all senses of the word - I'm way too warm!), this is a tough process for me...
This week sucks for many reasons; I'm over my head in grant proposals and research pitches, so work is preventing me from doing much Curing :(
I had done quite a bit of Landing Strip work a few months back, and will continue those efforts...
Like Holly in DC, I, too, have a broken-up landings strip, as some of my kitchen counter space has a letter holder and place for winter scarves and bags (this is a bit of a disaster - must clear some of it out!!).
This is my tiny, sad, pathetic hallway.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brainygirl/2329764989/in/set-72157604201051698/
As you can see, the coatrack fell down, so now my coats and other stuff are piled on a rocking chair.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brainygirl/2329761315/in/set-72157604201051698/
NOT good...(and I know you can't tell what is in the Outbox and what isn't, but that stuff is now gone! :)
I'm getting someone (like a person who is handy!) to help me install some things properly!

As for color, I am struggling with my lime green couch:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brainygirl/2370140174/in/pool-39185427@N00
I love it, but it doesn't go with ANYTHING. I want to paint the wall behind it, but no idea what color...everything I like tends towards cool, but it's the living room, so warm?
(that's my dwarf bunny in the background!)

Good luck, fellow patients...

p.s. Along the same lines as canceling subscriptions to catalogs and mailing lists, I am doing the same for my EMAIL! Instead of deleting mail I don't want in my Inbox, I scroll to the bottom to find out how to unsubscribe! I highly recommend this!

More pics of the dwarf bunny please!

I'll see if I can post a video of him, but you will all fall in love and get distracted from your Cure!
:)

we'll handle it!