apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

In the book it mentions the worksheets can be found on the website, but I haven't been able to locate them. Will they be available here to download/print out?

I am definitely taking photos, just not certain I will have the nerve to post them.

Also have been thinking about the 'soundtrack' I want to play while doing AT exercises.

Thanks again, AT, for taking us all on. I hope someone is already drafting the magazine article...

my pics, comments plz...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50797224@N00/?saved=1

I just moved into a 950sq triplex, and cleaned it a bit. but definitely need a lot of work.

Thanks! - Jess thanks for the comments on flickr ;)

Here they are again:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/myprojects/

*cough* worksheets *cough*

I made a goal over on 43things for the cure:

http://www.43things.com/things/view/608075

My apartment scored well on the test, but if I could vote "maybe" on it, my score would drop 4 points... time for a tune-up...

OK, now that I've figured it out, I love Flickr. I'm seeing things in photos of my micro pad that I hadn't noticed in the actual place!

See the Zanzibar Pleasure Lounge at:
www.flickr.com/photos/lola_danger

Lisa from VA,

I'm trying to guess who your 3 favorite artists were.

Van Gogh, Mondrian, Frank Stella?

Angela,
I can see why you live in this location - breathtaking views. Where are you?
Your comments are hysterical.
In the photo called "Reception," I love that regal winged white thing, which I find amusing - what is that?

It's a rainy Saturday in DC. Good day to work on the Cure, ie, decluttering and cleaning.

My camera should arrive on Monday, so I'll probably miss capturing some of the clutter that I'll be shoveling out. That's ok, there's plenty. Maybe I'll just dump the stuff I'm getting rid of in the hall and take a pic of that before it moves on to new homes.

I believe that the "regal winged white thing" on Angela's desk is a Gryphon or a Griffin - a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. I like it too, especially as a contrast to the high-tech media equipment!

Hopefully, clicking on my name will bring you to google Gryphon images...

Indeed, that regal winged fellow is a gryphon. Did you notice the other regal winged creature in the window? Pixie, that's a view of the beach in Santa Monica. (If I lived on the North side of the building, my view would be of the famous pier ferris wheel.) This morning out on the beach it looks like they're either having a volleyball tournament or a volleyball wedding. Think I'll go crash it, either way.

Angela,
I thought it was Santa Monica. How great!
I can't tell which is the red winged creature--is that in the photo called "The Club?"

thanks sarahw.
I'm not usually into that sort of thing, but the white one that Angela has has an interesting presence.

Okay I took a dozen photos today and *think* I got Flickr all set to go. So...heh.... here's my mess:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33187536@N00/sets/72057594102126748/

When it's time for the next round I'll try to include a floorplan so it's more understandable.

It's all relative, but I think 25 pairs of shoes qualifies as A Lot of Shoes.

Trish M. --

Didn't you win an AT contest? Small/Cool? I've seen pics of your place on here before and it was amazing. Now you're ruining it for me! (Not really. I still like it. Good to know you have issues like most of us.)

phphoenix- My Small/Cool entry was lost last year with a few others durig a server problem. Max graciously posted my place afterwards but it wasn't in the contest. I've always had the creeping clutter issues - it's just gotten worse lately. This wacky studio layout has gotten the best of me - here's hoping the cure will help conjure up some fresh solutions.

It's nice to see the pictures of everyone's homes.

I just bought a 720 square foot house in Salt Lake City. I moved in December 16th. Generally I love it, but I don't love the piles of crap that end up everywhere.

So here it is...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/booizzy/sets/72057594102146684/

La la la...don't wanna hear about the majestic Santa Monica views...la la la...covering my ears...la la la...

(gazing forlornly out at pigeon poop-adorned fire escape)

Rachael! That is so 'breakfast at tiffany's'! everybody wishes they were you.

You guys are really motivating. I'm officially joining the support group bandwagon. Time to stop lurking and start participating. Hope my name links to flicker photos....

I am horrified to discover that I too own 25 pairs of shoes.

Thanks for the shoutout, any ideas are welcome! We are very limited on where we can move space, it's like our furniture is too big for out space or something... I'm still waiting on my AT book to arrive! I hope it comes soon! I look forward to following everyone's progress...

Okay, I'm holding my nose and jumping in, too. I've uploaded pictures of my living room, to begin with, to Flickr. I have a lot more space than I used to, in New York (I'm in CT now), but with all the clutter it feels about the same as in a small apartment. Though now I can go outside more easily and get away from it.

JRae-I have that IKEA couch too, in the living room. (There was also one in an entry in last year's Smallest, Coolest Contest that has since appeared on Small Space, Big Style.) That storage container in the end has been very handy for me, although I imagine you don't get much use out of that if you're using it as a bed. I've decided to start keeping my office supplies there, since it's near my desk area, and my desk is a card table with no drawers (which, if I ever replace it, will be some other sort of table with no drawers, so I can also use it as a dining room table for guests.)

Speaking of your former piano, I got an electric keyboard from a family member and hauled it around for years--cross country!-- and never used it, thinking I would pick up my childhood piano playing skills again. I finally recently decided to get rid of it during a clean-out explosion and gave it to another family member, who I hope is using it.

You are all very brave to post your pix and hopefully, when I get my camera early this week, I will too (if I don't whimp out).

We just all have too much clutter/crap and probably too little time, inclination, or ideas on how to deal with it. I'm pretty lazy myself, although I wish that weren't so. Also, my unsightly stuff just becomes invisible to me after a while. Having someone come over makes it become visible again (one of you said that having someone over once a week keeps it under control. which makes lots of sense). Or taking photos. Doing this as a group is definitely inspirational and energizing.

Angela, your view is serenity framed by ze palm trees. It's just so different from what NYers usually see. Thanks for sharing the pretty!

Pigeons like my windows for some reason--they get so aggressive I can barely finish my ukelele practice. So I've installed spiky wiring outside the windows to keep them away. It doesn't hurt them but makes it very hard for them to find a comfy spot to hang/poop.

Thanks to everyone posting their pics. I'm still not brave enough to post anything publicly but reading these comments did inspire me to take pics of my apartment.

Did anyone else take pics of their living spaces with a digital camera, look at the instant result and think that their apartment looks worse in pictures than it does to the naked eye? I don't know what it is, but it was like I saw flaws amplified. Maybe it's the lighting adjustments the camera makes?but it's a stark, scary thing.

I've also spent the last six days at home with a riotous awful chest cold, so when I'm not eating soup or sleeping I'm cleaning stuff. As my symptoms are gradually ebbing, I'm also feeling better and lighter as I'm getting rid of stuff I'm not using or wearing and never will.

Rachael - That's originally why I took pictures of my place... so I could see it in a different way. And it definitely pointed up things I had no longer been seeing. (Piles of crap, mostly, but also things like the height of the lamps on either side of the couch.)

Here are my pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/czarina/sets/72057594102874204/

I'm mostly focusing my cure around the desk area, although I'd also like to reclaim my kitchen table and start using it again.

Uh oh. Do you rent? Is your landlord going to take care of that ceiling? My husband almost got brained by a collapsing bathroom ceiling.

wow, check out this floor planning tool from DIY network! don't know if others have seen it, but it might be helpful for people who don't have their own way of plotting a computerized floor plan:

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/pac_ctnt/text/0,2019,DIY_14161_14281,00.html

Henrietta -- no I own it. We can't figure out where the leak is coming from, and my upstairs neighbor uses the place as a pied-á-terre, so the leaks are intermittent. The whole "when it collapses" thing is half a joke, but I am saving up for the redo so I can figure out the leak when I have the cash to really fix everything up properly. She's destroyed the ceiling, plus that whole back wall has to come out, as does the side wall that you never see in those pics. There's also a crack in the hallway ceiling, although I don't know if it's related. My house has drywall over old plaster and a dropped ceiling, so I don't want to know what kind of horror is sitting under there. It's a working bathroom for now, but it isn't something I can solve in a series of small home-improvement projects...

Mary, yikes. I sympathize with you not wanting to open that Pandora's box. Fortunately you have some time (and judging from your web site, you've got a good thing going). Maybe your neighbor will do the right thing and pitch in for repairs.

Oh my, the bad old days when we had one of the evilest landlords in New York and not just the bathroom but the living room ceiling came crashing down. So much damage was done to that beautiful building as a result of the landlord's negligence. I like to think he finally landed in the slammer.

I'm setting up the Flickr shots. How do you get those hot spots with the notes onto your photos?

Thanks!

Melinda -- there's an "add note" button in those little icons above your picture. It makes a little box thingy, and you drag the corners into place.

Thanks!

Mary, do put the pressure on to have these repairs taken care of. I had the same problems with my bathroom ceiling and the landlord never took my complaints seriously.

One day a bunch of shower tiles came loose and crashed into the tub while I was out. When I came home and saw this I'd had enough. I'd been taking some pics of damage over time, and I took pics of the tiles as well. I printed out all pics and certified mailed them to the landlord.

I mentioned that he could fix it, or I could hire someone to do it and withhold rent to pay for it (rent money is maintenance money, after all). I wrote that we could fix it now and avoid a lawsuit later.

The offending pipe that did all the damage--an eight-inch connecting piece with worn threading--was replaced within the week and the leak stopped. I sent the landlord a follow-up thank you with the caveat that any future problems would be dealt with quickly or I would call the contractor I had on speed dial.

Mary - I like your red walls and your nuns.

Rachel -- thank you for being worried about me, but I really can't do it rightthissecond. It's on my list, my nieghbor and super know about it and I'm saving towards it. I bought this place as a fixer-upper, and the bathroom is the last big push before the whole place is pretty much done. I did my kitchen and electrical last year, and I just have to save until I can afford to fix everything that needs to be fixed in the bathroom. I'm an owner, so there is no landlord to call who can fix everything right away -- my neighbor and I have to sort it out between us and then I have to hire someone to get it done. She has paid me for repairs in the past when her toilet overflowed for a full day, and my super has told her about the problems. I've set the wheels in motion, but I just don't wanna worry about it until I can really fix the leak [and the ugly -- good bye vinyl tiles and exposed lightbulbs!] in one fell blow.

Ok, here are my pics... yikes! My major tasks are to move my living room around - maybe put the couch against the windows? My desk is a disaster - need desk storage. My bedroom lacks storage - and its a toss up whether I should pull off the blue material I put on the ceiling to conceal the beams. I like the beams but I heard that they cut chi ... and I don't need that... :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katherine91030/sets/72057594103083162/

Katherine, it looks like you painted your scooter mirror?!

This is fantastic. I bought the book to get my redo moving again after it drifted to all but a stop.

Not sure how accurate a picture would be though, since I'm beyond the before stage. Right now there's this huge mound in the middle of my living room which is made up of: a) stuff I plan to get rid of; b) stuff I plan to keep, but haven't found a place for; and c) stuff to be determined. And, yes, I do know which is which.

What the stagnant mass is doing, however, is making getting around the apartment an adventure.

Excellent! It's been a lot of fun watching your glamour reno.

I thought of posting some pictures, but my husband freaked out. Sorry, everyone. It's so unfair, especially since I'm such a shameless voyeur.

I scored 7 on the quiz:

"Weak. Energy drain. Visible problems in need of work have probably been put off for some time."

That nails it.

Oops, you may not be the Jonathan of Japanese restaurant fame.

I'll hopefully get my pixs up by the end of the week, I scored an 8 and my partner a 4 on the test, so we're almost on the same page. Before I even thought about the Cure, I already had my plans and systems set up but with an objective schedule I think we can really lick it out in 8 weeks! WeÂ’ve already got our budget, half the rooms have been rescued from Decorators White, and there are 6 bags and counting in our Outbox for the Salvation Army pick-up on the 25th.

We’ve been here for 11 months and it’s given us enough time to figure out how we use the space, now it’s just putting it all together. This past weekend, we finally gave our home a full clean (of course we cheated by having someone else do it for us), but it's a duplex and a with fully functional cellar for storage, washer and dryer and eventual wine “corner”, plus a rambunctious 2 year old, a cat AND a 20 x 30 backyard (which hasn’t been touched in 10 years) that I’m doing all by myself, sometimes you have to call in the experts no matter how committed a DIYer you are.

nope. not the jonathan of restaurant fame, though I have dined at some famous restaurants. Even some Japanese ones. My favorite cuisine, however, remains Cajun/Creole, though how much of that remains is rather an open question.

You didn't have quite the tone of a man who has considered whizzing the neighbors.

Excuse me, I did mistake you for someone else.

No excuses needed, since no offense taken.

I'm posting "before" pics. I don't know if I need the whole cure, but my place can definitely use work (can't it always?). I haven't taken the quiz yet, though I read through it. I've been thinking a lot about color lately...since finding out I could paint. So, 2 of my pictures are sort of "inspiration" for where I'll be headed. I also posted a pic of my 2 main rooms--bedroom and living room. Lots more where that came from, but you get the idea. My place is fairly neat (though not minimalistic), but part of the reason for this is a picture that I didn't post--my 4 closets! I wouldn't say they're messy or stuffed, but I definitely hold on to things I don't need or even want. One of my pictures shows one of the things I don't really need or want--my 13" TV and the "seen better days" Lack Ikea table it's on. I find I get a lot of areas like that in my apartment--parts of rooms where there will be some things stuck there just because there's space. Also, I'm having a hard time getting rid of that rug even though it's not exactly doing anything for my bedroom. The picture of the cords...this is an endless source of frustration for me. I hate seeing cords and yet, despite everything I try to do, they always look messy. Another problem I have is "pile-itis"...I feel as if I always have random stuff sitting places--piles of clothes, piles of paper, random paper, random objects--and it drives me crazy. You don't see too much of that in the pictures, but wait until the end of the week...

I am between apartments for about 2 months, hey that's 8 weeks! So my boyfriend, pictured, gets to be a guinea pig (willingly). I am playing Maxwell, interviewing him and analyzing him and it's actually helped me tune into him more as an individual and what he wants.

The backstory is that he hasn't quite emerged from post-divorce chaos of making a new home. Home has no structure so stuff ends up everywhere - he can't find anything and it doesn't feel "homey".

http://www.flickr.com/photos/84038320@N00/

This weekend we got him a small storage space for boxes of books and papers to be dealt with later (a recent acquisition from the ex) and donated several items to the hallways of his apartment building which disappeared immediately. We also had a great brainstorming session and we came up with some exciting ideas.

Yikes... I thought I was doing a minor tune-up, but one of my friends told me today that the reason his boyfriend wouldn't come up for coffee was that he was afraid being in my apartment would make him ill, it's so bad. I'm shocked -- but you can see for yourself.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35684487@N00/sets/72057594100437199/

So I guess I'm deep-cleaning today.

Wende - I can't believe that someone said that about your place, incredibly harsh! Unless, and I understand as the owner of 3 cats, that person is allergic.

On the subject - air filters - I'd highly reccommend Alpine Living Air purifiers, they're amazing.

Wende:

Unless you have a dead body hidden under your floorboards, I can't see anything in that picture that would make somebody ill.

Wende: What?!?! It doesn't look nearly that bad! Do you have a lot of [small-scale] house painting going on all the time?

Oops, sorry, Mary--I missed your post explaining that you own your place.

Well, a bad leak can lead to gorgeous new tiles. :)

Rachael -- I know! The good thing about owning a crappy bathroom is that I get to pick out the new pieces, instead of hoping for a benevolent landlord...

Wende, I love doll houses! I have, however, never finished the one that my parents got me (it was supposed to be a father-daughter project when I was, oh, 10). I finally dragged it out of the box a few years ago and started assembling it. It's mostly done...but at my parents' house. I totally need to bring it back here and then finish it. I thought my dad, who works on real structures for a living, could get into it as a hobby...but no luck! :)

Henrietta: the scooter mirror is the original color/wood

seriously, wende? sounds like SOMEbody's a bit of a hypochondriac, eh? i don't get the least bit woozy looking at your place, and i have a delicate constitution ;)

as you can all tell, i am obsessed with all the potential uses of flickr. i've started a "style tray" there (click my name if you'd like to see).

it's a little heavy on the w. elm, but not for the furniture - mostly for the color inspiration.

jess-cool idea for flickr.
About those white painted floors--I've thought a lot about doing that in my bedroom, which currently has old carpet in it. I think there's nothing interesting under the carpet -- I pulled up a corner a while ago and it didn't look good under there.

OK, that Scooter Mirror looked a lot like wood, but I didn't know they were made in anything but aluminum.

Thank you.

pixie - oh yes, duh... for some reason i was thinking this was being done to hardwood floors, but of course from most of the photos you see they're just slats, not hardwoods. are your floors slatted like that? if so, it seems like a fantastic alternative to carpet!

jess, I haven't dug under the carpet enough to see what's there. I haven't fully committed myself to carrying through on a floor project right now, so I don't want to pull up the carpet too much. Maybe I should take the plunge during the Cure.

I also do have a source for old flooring that I can look into and someone who installs it.

oh, it's hard...
there has definitely been a progress, but...
it's frustrating to see the colorless living room and the messy ugly bedroom... have no energy to go on...
i don't know why, but i can't eat and sleep well, too much sleep and so little food I am eating.
there's a club downstairs and it was so loud i could not sleep on Fri and Sat...

I'll post my additional photos soon...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50797224@N00/?saved=1

photos...

I am dying b/c of the noise... (from the club downstairs)
any idea?

It's a rental?

Break the lease and move. It's totally rotten that you were lied to about the noise -- but you can't go back and unlisten to the lies. The benefit of renting is that you have no commitment to the place.

Sometimes you just have to cut your losses. You're taking a hit from being exploited no matter what you do, so you might as well take it all at once in the form of moving costs or lease-breaking penalties, then get on with life.

Beginning deep treatment. Here are my apartment pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55272262@N00/sets/72057594104694483/

Wende -- Have to agree with everyone else. Unless friend's boyfriend had an unfortunate childhood experience involving dollhouses or built-ins -- or dear god, both -- can't imagine the root of the reaction. That said, I'm coveting your built-in cabinets. Are you planning changes for them? If you're interested in buying hardware and they are to your taste, Anthropologie almost always has knobs and pulls reduced nearly 50%:
http://www.anthropologie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=450&itemType=CATEGORY&all=1

Not sure if quality reflected in the price though. I'm planning to buy some for bifolding closet doors. Anyone used Anthro hardware?

JulJulee -- where do you live? Complain to your landlord and look up your local noise ordinances. Can you keep calling the cops on them until the landlord does something? I feel sad telling you to call the cops, since in my younger days I went out dancing every chance I got, but... I know that all of the leases I've ever had in New York required me to pay the year in full or find a sublettor if I broke it, but you can't just not sleep for a year.

Did your landlord and super actually tell you that the club is going to go? Did they give you a timeframe when they told you that?

Shelby -- I had a minor problem once with Anthropologie pulls. I wanted to use two of them on a folding door that was thicker than a kitchen cabinet. They had a different thread on the screws than normal ones and every extender and nut at the hardware store would catch -- it was really strange, but they were beautiful. I imagine that they'd be just fine for anything else, but that's my caveat.

JulJulee: Meanwhile, get yourself some Super Leight 33 ear plugs from the drugstore. I was going to move out of my fabulous apartment (fabulous except for the screaming drunken beach bar-goers playing their thumpa-thumpa music in cars right outside my window at all hours in the summer) until I got some of these, and now everything is fiiiiine.

I wish I could invent a universal remote that shuts annoying stuff off, or at least throws some kind of cone of silence over stuff.

Car alarm? Click! Gone.
Blasting music coming out of a parked "I'm a MAN!" mobile? Click! Gone.
Muffled, bassy crap thundering from a club? Click! Gone.
Neighobors having loud schmex? Click! What neighbors?
The local motorcycle enthusiast gunning his engine at 3am for all to hear? Click! Buhbye.
The jerk behind you in line yammering on his cell phone? Click! He's cone-of-silenced!

I'd buy a dozen.

Thanks, wende, mary and Rachael!
wende, it doesn't seem plausible to break the lease. abington properties(AP) didn't care about the complaint of the former tenants. AP were mad at them b/c they were telling people about the noise. I didn't get a chance to talk to them before I moved in.
I paid last 2 months rent and 4 months amount of deposit in advance - I learned that it's illegal, but they requested. I have not complained to AP yet. I called 311. (from what I have heard from the past tenant, it did not help b/c the police only inspect from the street and the vibration comes through inside. I found a special code re night clubs: it says that the police need to check the octaves for the particular noise from the club, but the machines are not enough... )
Mary, I live midtown east in manhattan, the club is called "light".
Angela, where did you get the Super Leight 33 ear plugs? do you mean 'howard leight'? are they any different from other earplugs?
Oh by the way, does anybody know if the soundproof curtain works? it's pricy, but I might try it if it works. should I ask AP to pay for it or reduce the rent?
I'll keep u posted, JuJulee

"Super Leight 33" -- they're orange, you insert them and then hold for a few seconds while the material molds to your ear, and poof! you can sleep. They are available at any drugstore, including www.drugstore.com.

I second the suggestion of earplugs. I have used them at work occasionally (I work in an office in a factory), and wearing them is like a mild drug. Wonderful.

hello everybody!

I know Week One is closer to over than starting, but I just got around to setting up the Flickr and getting all the "before" photos arranged.

since taking these my boyfriend, Craig, and I have been working on our assignments (neatly posted on our fridge so we can't forget)

it is so neat to look at everybody else's house! thanks for being on board and inspring me to commit to this project.

There are new sound laws in NYC now -- look on nyc.gov or call 311 and ask. I don't know the specifics, but they were designed so that people who had trouble with noise and bass could get their problems solved.

I don't know about this curtain thing, but my bf had trouble in his old place with bass coming through the floor, and thick soundproofing rugs did him no good. Bass sounds are long waves, and they often end an apartment or two away. A curtain might stop the barking dog I have in the backyard, but I don't know that it'll solve club noise.

It's a great apartment, but having sound problems where you can't sleep just sucks. Have you asked your landlord if you can go to another apartment that they own?

Rachael-there is a device that turns off or interferes with the signal of someone else's cell phone. I can't remember where one gets it, but I think it costs more than the average person would want to spend and there may be some legal issues around it.

After attending a lecture with a friend written by an organizing author on the subject of organizing based on your brain type, I came away more frustrated about the subject than ever.

I am an artist living and working, (not so harmoniously) in one 725 sf space. I don't like clutter, but seem to need to be able to see everything I am working on. About creating visual harmony and functionality in my space, I asked my friend, "Am I attempting the impossible, or just going about the impossible in the wrong way?"

Last week I discovered Apartment Therapy, and it's one of the most thoughtful and inspiring books I've read in non-fiction in a very long time. After binge-reading the whole thing the day it arrived from Amazon, I am entering the fray of the 8 week cure.

Photos of my studio are here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/livework/

be warned...it's not pretty!

here are a couple before pics of my condo

I know I'm late on the bandwagon. I can not find the AT book in a 20 mile radius of Baltimore, MD. People are hogging them....FYI Yes, I can order online, but those in need of AT, need the instant gratification of purchasing the book, live.