apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Jean--I shelled out the $12 at that place against my better judgement!...you didn't miss a thing!!! They died a few days later..I was sooooo upset they didn't last longer. I love lilacs. I've been enjoying all the roses around the neighborhood. It's taken everything I have not to assist people with their pruning by taking some!

Thanks for the input on the book. I'm still on the fence. I am not a super close friend of hers, but last Saturday, we spent all day looking at furniture and things. She bought a condo and has said her clutter makes her stressed. I offered to spend some time helping her devise some systems. Plus, I'm hesitant to buy anything that would need to be stored! But, maybe some flowers are a good idea...

Atomic, I sure hope you're talking about cats and not elderly parents.

Just in time for bedroom week, I got a new wardrobe cabinet. Well, most of one, anyway. (Click on my name for the story.)

This weekend is "The Cure: The Annex." My husband and I rent a storage space with my sister-in-law. She's moving in with her boyfriend, so in preparation for this event, we're going to declutter the storage space so she can see if she can fit all the stuff from her place that won't fit into her boyfriend's place.

aj: I'm hoping to get the Leviathan down to the size of an ablatross before I leave for Seattle.

DC Christine: Why wouldn't it be nice? Your friend apparently dropped the hint. If adding a bottle of wine doesn't grab you as a value add, then how about taking said friend to lunch or dinner, or better yet, giving the friend a second book, one focusing on a favorite style.

Is anyone going to hear from anyone else after the eight weeks are up?

Pixie, thanks! That's a helpful link. I don't tink my husband will got for the steep price of those peonies (sad!) but maybe I'll be able to find some at a market or something while I'm in the city. I'm actually upstate most of the time, but I stay in Brooklyn almost every weekend, depending on my work/energy/"must get out of here" levels.

I'll be pulling into Annadale-on-Hudson on the first with only the meager contents of a few boxes, and 2 suitcases. Ack!

PS - Melinda, I like the closet. :)

Like quite a few, fell off the Cure wagon the past couple of weeks, but plan to get caught up over Memorial Day weekend. I realize that's not everyone's idea of a great three-day holiday, but I'm looking forward to it.

Mostly it's going to be the actual cleaning parts -- perhaps the sorts of repairs I can do myself passim -- but the outbox, while getting smaller, still feels overwhelming.

However, I hope by Monday to a) have a deep cleaned apartment; b) chipped some more of the Leviathan (as I call my outbox) done; and c) be reasonably back on track.

Incidentally, for those who live in New York/Manhattan. The Strand has a stack of reviewers' copies of the organic cleaning book.

I've also been slacking, but for (sort of) good reason. My budget is changing pretty severely (trading out a contractor/freelance job with no benefits/vacation/etc for a salaried job with amazing benefits but a pay cut), so I have to reevaluate my timeline and budget. Stupid money!

Go JonathanB!

I love that your outbox is a Leviathan; mine is an Albatross.

Congrats Amber. Benefits are lovely.

I think I landed on the "Go Back to Start" square. Somehow I ended up doing a different room than I'd planned. My sweetie got a new loveseat (a story in itself) and it outclassed the rest of the living room, so then we had to rethink everything...

The living room looks terrific, but the room I meant to do is still waiting. In the meantime, though, I'm enjoying the living room and a surprise bouquet of daisies.

Oh, and the perfect thing to finish off the living room would be a leather couch... The ideal version is Adrian Monk's living room couch, which I have tried to track down with no luck. I can't even find a still shot of it from the show to post! Sigh. Any hints/ideas?

[what? off topic much? Sorry, it was just too quiet out here...]

I am basically on track, but a smidge behind--although I sorted through everything in the bathroom storage and cleaned it, I haven't cleaned the dreaded bath/shower yet, but, being the queen of rationalization, I can slough that off to May Cleaning Month and feel like I am on track with that. Also, not quite done weeding out the office file cart, but I set that up relatively recently, so that's no big deal.

I will be in town this weekend, having gone out of town last weekend, and will be able to carve out time to work on the Cure in the bedroom, in which is THE CLOSET! This is going to be ugly, but so satisfying when I declog it. It really probably won't take that long, but there's always the outbox decisions, to ditto JonathanB. Also, the closet is where I put dead files and other crap I don't want to deal with, so that will take some time. Certainly a mammoth new shredding pile will emerge.

There's nothing better than a long weekend to attack---er, heal--those difficult spots at home.

I still have quite a few repairs on my list. I may screw up my courage to replace the faucet set, which leaks out of the base. The hardware store people told me the only way to fix it is replacement. It's a cheapie, so I'll replace it with another cheapie, since at some point I'm hoping to make some big changes in the bathroom and I'll wait till then to think about getting some better faucetry.

I too am behind. I've now had my third session with the professional organizer and the results are amazing. It's becomeing easier and easier to rid myself of old stagnant STUFF. Last night I went through several years worth of a favorite mag. Saved one ore two pages out of most of the mags and the rest went to recycling. The only question I had is "why were they saved in the first place?"
But I wouldn't have begun without Apartment Therapy.

ebrown, I like to stick my cut-out pieces of mags into a binder...this way, i can look through them and not feel like I just stuffed them somewhere. I figure, if they're worth saving, they're worth putting in a binder!

I was just thinking today how my bedroom could use some curing. Part of this is because that's where my outbox is...so there's a cluttered up corner. I'm also, however, feeling I need a reworking of my layout--it's difficult, because I have windows on the 2 walls where I'd like to position the bed in the center. I'm also feeling a compulsion to do a whole new color scheme. I find this distressing because I put a lot of effort into this one--maybe I just need to tweak it.

I also forgot--question: do you think giving the AT book to my friend as a b-day gift would be rude? She's talked to me about wanting to organize her space and has even hired a clutter consultant for a few hours...so I think she's a prime candidate for the cure, but I don't want to offend her. I had mentioned AT to her, and she seemed interested..thoughts?

Christine, I think it's a *great* idea to give the book as a gift. Maybe include a bottle of wine to enjoy while she reads it too :)

I confess I haven't been able to follow the Cure through each specific step, but still manage to make progress. Whirlwind bouts of cleaning during work breaks helps. Yesterday's big triumph was tossing a blanket that hasn't been used in years - turns out had developed holes! May not sound like a big deal but it freed up precious storage space. Sometimes you're used to looking at an object everyday and don't recognize when it's outlived its usefulness. I had to stop letting my eyes automatically skim over this thing and realize it was time to let it go.

Progress report: I ended up having weekend guests (in-laws, eeep!) so put The Cure on hiatus and tidied up as best as I could. I am so encouraged by their reactions! They thought the place looked neat, organized and calm. Hooray!

Since we gave up our bedroom for them, I hung up curtains which really softened the room.

Now I am ready for the final push. I only have the undercounter storage areas and the small patio left. With that I'll take a break, enjoy the summer with friends and revisit the furniture issue in the fall (while still hunting furiously).

Oh, still need to clean my keys ;-)

Cleaned my keys yesterday!

The cure is on hold - I leave on Tuesday for 10 weeks, and I have no. idea. what my house will be doing while I am gone (the husband will be there...and apparently he is, um, a little less fastidious than I am about the cleaning).

I have been trying to maintain, however, and yesterday bought a sad looking bunch of peonies (and while sad, still look gorgeous in a vase on my kitchen sideboard). I tried to look online for a bouquet of peonies to deliver to my place in new york when I arrive, so I have my fresh flowers from the start, but it seems no one carries them. Are peonies really hard to get in bouquets or arrangements?

We never really managed the landing strip. There is a pile where the landing strip should be, and the real problem is that my husband has been getting home before me, so he doesn't process the mail immediately, it just piles up.

A totally off topic aside: Maxwell, I was wondering if you had any interest in a post/feature on temporary living. I will be spending the next 10 weeks in a dorm room, with a kitchen that I share with 12 other people. I am limited in what I can bring, due to constraints on baggage/space, but I will still be decorating and making it "cozy" and personal - with easily purchased/low budget/temporary decor that can be utilized later in my house back here....

elizabeth - I really love the pot-rack/cookbook shelf in your kitchen, where did you find it?

regarding the dog food storage issue, I have mine in a 5-gallon plastic bucket - not very chic, but I imagine you could find something nicer probably at Ikea. A similar sized garbage bin with a lid, maybe even with a pedal for opening could be nice. There are some fancy dog stores with ceramic buckets, but they are $$$

rachel- for peonies, go to:
http://www.flowerbud.com/

I order from them whenever I need a flower gift--they're great.

Wow, you get to be in NYC!!!

rachel,
I would think that you'll find peonies in NY, since I just got them at the DC farmers market two weeks ago and we're ahead of NY in the growing season.

Sigh, you'll be in NY! Your dorm room might be bigger than many people's studios!

JohnathanB-

It's an albatross in name only, I'm afraid. Made up of stuff that was once beloved but now hangs about my neck, dragging me down...

If I were to name it by size, Leviathan (or perhaps pachyderm) would be more accurate.

Christine in DC-

A friend of mine gave me a book on organization once. I sighed at the time, but it has been the best, most helpful guide ever. Another idea: give her the book along with a lovely bouquet (in a vase) and bookmark the appropriate page about fresh flowers.

maxwell - thanks for the nod on the portrait wall! it's been a pet project of mine for some time now. i'm so glad to have them hanging, even if our front room is now filled with creepy-looking strangers.

we are such a flower-centric group! anyway, a word on NYC peonies: totally buy them at the greenmarkets! i bought some last saturday and they still look and smell perfect - all signs point to their lasting into next week.

in contrast, i bought some a while back at the key food on 7th ave in park slope - a 4-stem bunch with one of the three unopened. the three that were open died the *very next day*, and the unopened stem lasted like a week and a half. i suspect they were freezing the opened ones and adding one unopened one to each bunch to make them look fresher than they were. i actually considered taking them back. probably no one on earth ever returns flowers... but really, it's a fraud on the public!

anyway, cure-wise, the vacuum will be purchased this week. i'm also hoping to take the four boxes of books out of the bedroom outbox in hopes of fostering the oasis effect.

must admit to feeling a little OCD over washing my keys, but nonetheless you make a valid point about how nasty they are.

In addition to peonies, you New Yorkers should have lilacs by now. I love them, but balked at buying a bunch at the shop near Eastern Market for $12/bunch.

Having grown up in rural Upstate, in old, old places with HUGE lilac bushes (and peonies and heirloom roses), *paying* for them is still a jolt to my world.

But I do have an African violet with about 35 blossoms. It's incredible...looks like a hydrangea...could be in a magazine. It's been like this for about 3 weeks, and no blooms dropping or even browning. I'm not even feeding it. But I have to keep it in the kitchen so that the cats won't eat it. And hopefully my adenium will bloom soon.

Jean,
Me too--upstate NY, tons of flowers everywhere. I got lilies of the valley a couple of weeks ago at the farmers market - $6 for a tiny bunch. But, I desperately wanted them, so I paid up. I dug them up from the woods when I was a kid and planted them next to the family house where they grew like weeds. It is galling to have to pay. But, thems the breaks.

Can you post a pic of that african violet?

After visitng my old house (where my sister now lives) I brought back lilacs and lily of the valley on the train. It was worth it... I miss them so much. Going to plunder the woods for more when I go back this weekend. And yes, the prices charged for them in NYC is insane!

poenies + lilacs -- to weeks ago there were lilacs at every deli-with-flowers in NYC. There are still peonies this week, but I don't know how long they'll last...

Christine -- I debated giving my sister a book on finances as a graduation present and didn't do it. Even though she's my sister and I knew she wanted to get everything sorted, I just felt like it wasn't my business. It's not like buying her "lose weight now!", but I felt it was one of those things were I could recommend something or let her borrow my copy, but I couldn't bring myself to dress it up in "hey! it's a gift!"...

If you're close enough to buy her a birthday gift in the first place, it'll probably be fine either way, especially if she really likes it and probably wants it. Still, I think you're better off just giving your friend the book and leaving her birthday out of it. We think it's a lovely gift because we're all doing the cure, it has the potential to make her feel a little sad about her house. Buy her a gift, then buy her the book.

[I may also have a different view on this one because my birthday is a week before Christmas and I rarely get birthday gifts, but that's another story.]

mary -- december babies really get a raw deal. while my birthday was remembered -- at least by my parents -- too often the gift I wanted wasn't bought for me because it was unfair that I had a better selection of toys than my sister had (she was born in may).

what has happened over the years is that I've bonded together with other december babies and we take one another out for our birthdays. sometimes we exchange birthday gifts as well, sometimes not. it's the fact that it is remembered and given full due is what counts.

I think the book would be a lovely gift. It's not a "read it once and dump it" book. It's a book that can be used over and over and over again.

Just to work on a specific area, to be reminded of the lessons, to redo an entire home or just clean out that scary area under the sink in the bathroom (which I did last night, thank you very much).

I keep meaning to mention it to the landlord here, although I don't think the owner will spring for over 700 books for everyone in the complex. Still, it would be a swell gift for landlords to give their tenants.

Think about it, with space at a premium and costs sky high, if everyone pared down, their space would WORK for them.

When I moved in, I had next to nothing. If I'd had the book back then, I would have worked on a plan rather than just adding stuff all over the place. Maybe I would have made better decisions.

You could add in a note saying "I love this book and have been working through it for weeks, I just HAD to share it with you!"

The book has all kinds of things in it. Lots of tips to make our lives easier. It's not like the title of the book is "An Idiot's Guide to Reduce Slovenly Habits". There are many personal examples, for people that have too much and have too little. The landing strip idea (while mine isn't perfect, just the rack for the keys and mail helps a lot).

Going through stuff tucked away in all the nooks and crannies of our homes, there's always a surprise. I found a HUGE brick of glycerin soap I'd forgotten all about last night. And some expired throat spray.

What could be a nicer gift than the keys to a better life? A home you're glad to come home TO.

Include in your note how you know she's hired a clutter consultant. As far as I know, the consultants don't actually do the closet cleaning or read minds. Otherwise, I'd forgo food for the month and hire one tomorrow.

She's obviously looking for answers. The Cure can provide some. And maybe rather than the flowers, how about a nice tray? For her style tray...but it could also be used for snacks or beverages or on a dresser, etc.

You might even toss in a few paint chips that are similar to her colors, just to give her some ideas. She'll probably look at you weird when seeing a book, a tray, and paint chips. Tell her she has to read the book to know what they mean. ;)

Elizabeth - in your Flickr photos you mention the layout of your room which photographs well but is not workable and also that the light over the coffee table is too low.

I think its because you have your room arranged the wrong way round - the dining set should go next to the bookcases and then the light would hang low over the table making for lovely intimate dining or good lighting for any reading you do at the table with books taken off the bookcases next to it. The relaxing living room furniture should be up the end by the fireplace to take advantage of being all nice and cosy by the fire (even if it doesn't work you'll feel cosy snuggled up on the sofa next to it).

You also seem to have more of the living room furniture than the dining furniture so it should go up the bigger end of the room

Try it and see how it works - its just a question of moving the furniture around - nothing structural or decorative - you can always move it back if its even worse that way round

BTW--Andree, I found a note for you at my house....

Dear Missy Andree,

We hear you talked our girl into buying flowers. She bring them home and they so pretty! She put them top of tv stand. Easy access for us. We so happy and she says we have our cute devil faces on and she has to take picture of us smelling and chewing. Then Mencken went bump! and they fall over and we run and she says bad words and mops up water.

Oh well.

Fond regards,

Mencken & Cain

Violetsrose, I tried the layout you suggested a while ago. As you said what's the point of a fireplace if you can't get snuggly with it? Unfortunately the fireplace is so close to the entrance of the kitchen that the room feels obstructed by the sofa in front of or to the left of the fireplace. Eventually I hope to get a small chair or ottomans for cozy-fire time.

For now the only solution I can come up with is either a globe that hangs 24" below the ceiling or a ceiling fixture. Finding something I can afford and like has been challenging.
I would be grateful for some feedback and opinions.

Angleune, here is a link to a pot rack very similar to mine:

http://www.potracksgalore.com/wall-pot-racks/silver/products.cfm?action=view&key=RP019

The trash can idea is great, I've been trying to find something that is short and wide to hold 30 lbs but fit under the table. The plastic dog food storage I've found is either too tall or holds too little, so I am off to Ikea next chance I get.

Oh yes, I strongly suspect that note was written by the cats. They often correspond with human and feline pals.