apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Just taking the quiz was a great motivator, even though it made me feel a bit sad. But I am trying to keep my focus on all the ACTION I can take to restore my home's health.

Since I have a family of 4 and family-sized condo, I suspect I shall have to do both the DT and the RR. First the deep treatment and then work from room to room.

Click my name for some blog thoughts on this process.

Thanks again Maxwell.

JenDC, taking the quiz made me a little sad too. My husband took the quiz as well (he is really being sweet and doing this with/for me). We each scored 9. That was comforting in a way but we both said No, we don't consider our home to be beautiful - that's the part that made me sad.

I blame my pathetic score on the two Visigoths I live with.

But I have too many shoes.

Deepa: I hear you. I love design, art, architecture, fashion...but taking the quiz made me realize how overwhelmed I have been by life chaos. How can a person who feels so passionately about these things let her own home and all it represents get so degraded?

But as I said I am not letting myself linger in the sadness because I have a lot of work to do. Bravo that your husband is on board, I would think this would be a great process for a couple to do together. I will have to have a chat with my dogs. :)

Henrietta, there could never be too many shoes.
You confuse categories: they are not consumer product, rather confidence-building spiritual objects (or some such), food for self-esteem and soul's foundation.

Look what could happen to you if you let go of your shoes (link @ usual place)

JenDC -- There's a legend that it's the interior designers who have the most trouble furnishing their own homes. Maybe there's a level of knowledge at which a person appreciates too many different styles and sees too many options, so that it's very hard to focus on a single workable concept.

There's also the problem that, no matter how happy one is with the basic decor, one still has to keep cleaning it every week or so. I'm still enraged about how I left a spotless apartment when I went on vacation for a couple weeks in October, only to come back to a black-dust-coated kitchen due to city dirt coming through the transom.

Tat,

Don't be such a bad influence; I've already fallen off the wagon by buying an exorbitant item that I could not afford in the hope that it will be a panacea for a few of our domestic ills.

Just the thing Maxwell warns AGAINST in the beginning of the book.

But I agree with you about the life-enhancing properties of shoes. Click click click. There's no place like home.

Ladies and Gentlemen, you've seen the posters, now click on my name for "The Full Tour!"

BTW, examining and photographing my apartment this weekend made me remember all the great things I wanted to do to it when I first moved in, but people told me, "Don't bother, it's a rental, you'll be moving soon, put that money towards a down payment on a co-op."

That was 28 years ago.

JenDC: Same here. Love design, clean religiously, life drama happens, home is not beautiful. WTF?

wende in san francisco: That was comforting, thanks :-) My interview revealed the same: needs focus; too many likes tugging in different directions.

Melinda: 28 years, huh? It's been 8 in a rental for me - it's cure time.

Henrietta, how can you put a price on spiritual healing?

[you should see my new tango-ish bronze maryjanes...pure bliss!]

Ooooooh Tat you are a bad girl!

But I already knew you Straussians were tres dangereuses.

I scored pretty well, which makes sense because I love my house. I bought it in December and everything just fits so well. Mainly I just want to eliminate the piles of crap and shoes (I'm not alone in shoe storage issues.) and to hang things on my walls.

Is anyone doing this with other people they live with? I asked my SO to tag along, and immediately he started criticizing our dining corner (linked below in my name). As he's responsible for 75% of our clutter, I thought that was a strange thing to go after. He even told me that I have an unnatural attachment to it and am not letting go. Is it wrong to want the kind of life where one sits down to meals? Is this going to backfire on me?

Oh, yes. Moved in in 1978 thinking I'd get a better place later....

Also relate to the cobbler's children have no shoes thread about the difference between knowing about design and being able to design for yourself. At some point in my nefarious past I produced a thesis for graduate school about the media (mis)representation of regional interior design styles.

Out of curiosity, did anyone do the interview?

I have done the interview, but my score is at home, so I'll vote later.

Jen--
Dear god, if those pics are your "befores" you are one lucky couple.
Your space does not need a "cure."

As for that table, tables are notorious for attracting clutter... but maybe you and the SO should go shopping for one BIG tabletop piece... vase, bowl, candelabra... that will literally prevent other stuff from joining the table-top clutterparty?

I vote "vase" and have your cure involve new fresh flowers every week.

Sorry that acquisition plays so much into my suggestions, as I know that is counter to the thinking here. But I sooo think your really nice space needs only the tiniest bit of decluttering (of the stuff of life, which IS the hardest part) and a little bit of "party think": how would I style/dress the place for a party?

I scored an 11, but I think that it is because I am purely optimistic and think my home is always a work in progress. I could also be in a state of extreme denial.

Will charge the camera and try to upload some current pictures tonight.

Wende in San Francisco -
This is my first time I have posted here - just started reading the website and book last week.
I just read your comment: "Maybe there's a level of knowledge at which a person appreciates too many different styles and sees too many options, so that it's very hard to focus on a single workable concept". And it was so right on target I had to post this but am wondering if I should follow this up elsewhere?
Thank you for the clear description and verbalizing where I have been with designing our home(s) for years. Every book (on home design) I read, every survey I take, every magazine photo I cut and paste - still leaves me with the same question - how to choose For Once and All between the 2 design options I flip between.Any hints are helpful! Thanks

I did the interview, it was interesting - I guess my answers were scattered.

But then I discovered the book Wabi-Sabi by Leonard Koren and I was floored. I don't know how I ever missed it because it is 100% my style - though I've gravitated this way or that in the past, what I read there were ideas that have been constant themes all throughout my life.

Also, I post infrequently as margaret, but I've noticed other margarets so i will now call myself margarets

Intrigued by JonathanB's nefarious past, I wonder which region the media mangles the worst and why. Are we talking just the US?

JW -

Your post has moved me to make my first post! I think the answer is to remember that you can change it later if you want to. If you are liking two things, then neither will be wrong. Let that thought take the fear out of your Once and All thinking.

Sit with your two options. Do the thing where you close your eyes, breathe deeply a few times, then imagine one of your options in place. Picture it in detail. Then check how that makes you feel. Repeat for the other option. One of them will feel better, even if only slightly.

Now commit. Go with that option. Execute the plan (or purchase).

Having said that, I completely sympathize and have a terrible time making some decisions. Good luck!

Jumping in a bit late, been spending much of my free time staring at this apartment. We've approached our last few apartments with increasing passivity. Four moves in five years left us exhausted. Looked around about a month ago and could only think "stuck". Everything else is moving along nicely, but our home doesn't reflect it. So AT couldn't have come at a better time. Will update as we make changes, but any suggestions along the way are much appreciated!

JW--

Let your space, surroundings and how you live in both dictate what to do with it.

I love MANY styles, but when it came to my most recent apartment, it seemed to need to be (my definition) of "New York", and I knew it would primarily be a night-time space. I let the color of the floors (unchangeable) dicate wood color. I let the steel and glass view outside my window inform the choices of shape and finish inside. I let the colder seasons (I am originally from Florida) make me go darker and "cozier" with color choices. And, since a swanky penthouse (no, not THAT Penthouse!) life of glittering cocktails and equally glittering guests is the New York life-vision I aspire to, that helped with the remaining decisions to get that vibe. And things like trips to the Egyptian Galleries at the Met and Brooklyn Museum, theater trips and area restaurants all helped make the space/place "tell me" what to do.

Were I living in DC or Ft Lauderdale or Buck's County or Atlanta or Santa Fe, my house would be different.

Just buy only what you LOVE. And "live where you are."

Off the top of my head I'd say either French or English country style would be the most misrepresented simply because those styles are the ones most written about.

The misrepresentation comes from looking at the surface elements of a style without examining why the style manifests itself that way. What we think of as Japanese style, for example, is often one imperfect rose. Correctly the style comes from notions of impermenance and interrelationships of all existence. A full bouquest, still beautiful, but past its due date, would have the same effect, but wouldn't be as recognizable.

Perhaps pretentious would be a better word than nefarious.

re: Japanese style and the one imperfect rose. I don't want to misrepresent! - but what speaks to me are the ideas of imperfection, impermanence, beauty in ugliness and simplicity.

Or the beuaty of the tree branch about to bloom or the blooms all fallen on the sidewalk, as opposed to the tree branch in full bloom.

I like to imagine finding that everywhere, for example my crazy plaster walls, not just the japanese teahouse. And not making an apartment that looks at all japanese.

My attraction is also in some measure a result of working with designers all my adult life and feeling frustrated by their need to control and make everything slick.

Perhaps investigative would be a better word than pretentious.

Oops, I forgot we were talking about your past.

So, all things considered, how about "checkered".

anything as long as the past in question isn't tense

The interview made it clear to me that I should be living in Ava Gardner's Puerto Vallarta beach villa from "Night of the Iguana." including the iguana, and the guy with the maraca. (pass on the the alcoholic ex-priest.)

I must be coming WAY late because I don't know what quiz you're talking about.

Pass on Richard Burton?

Anne -- It's the one on page 48 of the book, but don't divide your initial score by 16. Just add up the number of yesses.

(I'm too lazy to find the post that says the "divide by 16" is a typo, but if you try it with the scoring on page 49, you'll immediately see why it is one.)

But the interview, Anne, as opposed to the quiz, was the fun part: who's your favorite actress/actor/role model/etc. It was interesting to see the pattern take shape of what I really hope for my apartment, seedy though that dream may be. ebrown: he's no Robert Shaw!

Having played the priest in an acting class, I think I know why someone might pass, even if said priest is being played (excellently) by Burton.

My enemies, however, maintain I should have been playing the iguana.

What I was asking about is called "The Interview" in the book (p. 42) and the results are supposed to help you determine your style. I maintain mine is boho aristo.

Strangely, I couldn't come up with answers for the first few, so I just glossed past it. I feel like my house already has style going for it, and I generally know what I want, house-wise. I just don't have a favorite actress or actor, but when I thought about the abstract traits I wanted, I could make a good sized list...

JW -- do you have to choose? Do they mash together well, or is one more suitable for a bedroom area while the other would look great in the living room? Maybe your house can be more expressive and individual that way, instead of looking like you'd pulled everything out of a catalogue... I'd think about why you like these two ideas and tease out the things they have in common. You might find someone you trust to sit down with you and do a little talk therapy.

I'm indifferent to actors, so I skipped that stuff too. But Angela's vision sounds so louche it makes me envious.

Debre,Patrick (the other one),Mary and anyone else who related to my post: many, many thanks. Your ideas and suggestions are great, constructive and practical, your thoughts empathetic and kind! Originally from New York, I haven't lived there for many years now and I may be facing the fact that in design and elsewhere in (my) life it is hard to take the NY out of the New Yorker. Is there 'country with an edge?'

JW: I keep a scrapbook of design ideas, and a spread I kept from a few years ago might give you a tag for the style you want. It was called "Rustic and Refined"--but I like "country with an edge" too!

My score was a 10: Healthy. Most of my "no's" clustered in the Bones section - repairs and cleaning. I made a good list of of things that need repair, all of which have been bugging me for a looong time and that I will take care of over these 8 weeks. Some of them will probably take no time at all - laughable, given how long they've been irritating me. I have a phobia about making repairs.

Going through the favorite actors, movies, etc., did nothing to clarify my style. I know I need some art on the walls and some more color. And a new closet. And different flooring in the bedroom.

I still haven't received my camera (grrr...UPS...)

Pixie -- That was pretty much my experience with the quiz, too. I can't even think of an actor, much less a favorite one. And I basically like my apartment but hate trying to keep up with city dust and have been postponing asking the building manager if we can replace the broken miniblinds with something better.

Yeah, we could use more thoughtful lighting in the living room, and I am capable of endless fiddling with where the toys go, and eventually I want an Art Deco Chinese rug for the bedroom... but some of these items are major investments that aren't going to happen until I find something I really love.

Nonetheless, a kick in the rear to clean the kitchen transom was well worthwhile.

I agree wende - if all I did was get this list of repairs done during these 8 weeks, that alone will be a huge accomplishment. But, I expect to make other improvements too.

You reminded me of lighting - a good reading floor lamp for the LR is also on my list of improvements that I want to get done.

Lisa - I like that Rustic and Refined tag. 'Country with an edge' worked for today - but what about tomorrow when it is 'midcenturymodern cottage' - ahhhhhhh!! at least I have it down to just the 2 - modern and somewhat country (is that modern country?what exactly is that?) - no Tuscan villa look for me! I keep thinking of more questions to add to the quiz that will narrow the focus. As I said - other bloggers ideas of combining all of what I like and letting the environment speak are going to be very helpful.

Pixie -- my place needs a major lighting... something.. in the Cure.

JW -- "Country with an edge"! Totally! There's a guy in NYC who's a window dresser who keeps getting his apartment published in carious places. [*Not* Simon Doogan...] His apartment is really masculine, interesting and eclectic -- none of that floofy Southern Living chintz or heart-shaped crap. Each time it has more taxidermy and boot-vases and all sorts of crazy. I know he's in that apartments under 1000 sq ft book, next time you're in the bookstore. I don't know if I could live with taxidermy, but it makes for an intersting set of pictures...

JW--
I sooooo would love to do a "country with edge" interior, so I'd say a definite "yes."

Start picking up Country Home... they do country with an edge every once in a while.

I see gray flannel, modern takes on country classics (like the angular Mitchell Gold + Bob WIllimas wing chairs), some shaker stuff, a few primitive folk art pieces, and galvanized steel.

Also check into C.S Post & Company... a GREAT Kansas-based resource for the aesthetics of "urban heartland."

And JW--
I think an all-walnut Eames LCW or a Corbu cowskin chair would fit in right nicely to that scheme, ya hear? :)

You are all so terrific! So glad I joined (is posting same as joining up?)
Night now, John Boy (and fade out as Noguchi bedside lamp dims...)

I'm supposed to be working on week one - ie, cleaning my apartment, but I still don't have a vacuum cleaner! Trying to get one (desperately needed) to clean up months of carpet detritus. Jen, your dining area is super cool! We had to choose between a living room or dining room, so we focused on the table - sitting down for dinner at a "real" table is really important to me. I don't think yours needs much work at all. Do you have an office space in your place?

Wende, the quiz was fun: I do know what I want but I'm afraid the intervewer will have a hard time trying to make sense of my favorites.
Example: what does it say of me if my favorite actors are Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons and Alain Delon?
(I've got 13; or more likely - 13.5: how can you honestly say you sleep well ALL THE TIME? It varies.)

See, I have no idea who Alain Delon is. And no way would I recognize Jeremy Irons if I got stuck alone in an elevator with him. Butch Willis is the only one I know, and it suggests to me that you should have leather and guns somewhere in your apartment.

Hmm. and since Alain Delon has appeared in a couple of Westerns, albeit really bad ones, perhaps you have a point there....

Anyone have this floor lamp (link to lightology.com):
http://tinyurl.com/k9t7r

That's close to what I'm envisioning for a living room reading lamp. (Although I also had a vision of a cool, colorful lamp shade.) I think I remember one post on a lamp from this company--that there were problems with the lamp after a bit. At this price, I want a great lamp with no problems.

hmmm...floor base sold separately...

Pricey, and it's got a messy cord.

JW: Country with an Edge, Modern Country, Modern Rustic, Urban COunrty... there are a SLEW of books out there on this style and I have 'em all.
I've done a good job on my kitchen and bath, so I'll post the pictures, and I think they could illuminate. The guiding principles are clean lines (modern) with natural wood... (country) without much detail (modern) a little beadboard thrown in (the bathroom only) but traditional shapes and no cutesy flourishes. Down with Kountry with a K. I aspire to live in a reclaimed barn (all white inside, naturally) but my DC townhouse is providing a stand in.
The best example of this style is Christian D'Augustvielle's house on Ile St...What? Dammit, its escaping me. New L Rochelle, big sailing center in France.
MELINDA: Speaking of beadboard paneling -- you might look into it for your apartment. Your walls are in pretty rough shape, and I think just repainting at this point won't do it. Thin Beadboard panels are cheap and available at Home Depot or similar, and can be painted any color you want (I favor white). They can be installed so the lines run horizontally, vertically or diagnoally (a little trickier) and the seams are easily covered with battens. Planned carefully, it can add real uniformity and geometry to the place, and painted white (with one wall of another color maybe) woiuld brighten and clean the place up considerably. And if you fill it with clean modern furniture, you haven't gone all Disney Bear Jamboree (no offense to Thicket Family, who did not go all BJ. But there are plenty of bears...). You have a country dining table (a leg shows in one of the pictures) and that's what got me thinking ...Urban Country is within your reach. Beadboard is also used a great deal in Scandanavia, so you could look around for examples of that.
And the rest of you: This is a great discussion and I am appreciating everyone a great deal. P(too): when are you moving to DC to be my best friend?

JW and Melinda: it's NOT d'augustvielle, it's Christian Liagre with the house on Il. St. Whatever. I have to go through all my books to see if I can find an example and I'll like to a picture.

Pixie, you probably already know this, but Chiasso sells its customer returns at a big discount on its eBay outlet. It doesn't look like they have anything for you at the moment, but you could get lucky.

http://stores.ebay.com/Chiasso-Values

Henrietta,
Thanks-didn't know about that, will key an eye on it.

I'm an Ebay virgin - always looked, never bought/sold. But, I've got Paypal, so I'm ready to go.

As an eBay virgin as with any virgin, I urge you to be extremely judicious.

But Chiasso is a reputable operation and is not likely to screw you over (so to speak).

I am loving this thread. Thanks to everyone for inputs. p(too)'s suggestions, as always, spot on. I was just thinking this morning that I want to do 'Country Home' with an edge. It's great to have validation! p(too), about that wing chair - would love to hear your current picks.

On another note, I am having a good time putting my 'style tray' together. I maintain a binder at home but I have been cutting and pasting pics I like from websites (AT, design*sponge, DWR, etc) into a Word document, while I pretend to work. I have four documents going: furniture, style tray, projects and rooms. Didn't I say I needed editing and focus?!

pam h, I share your fondness for Urban Country style (completely goose-stencil and knotty-pine free!) I like the homeyness of painted beadboard but contrasted with light, fresh paint colours and furniture with simple lines. While I can appreciate more modern interiors when I see them photographed, they just don't resonate emotionally with me.

I'm not participating in the Cure because we are moving to our first house in a couple of months. But in planning and thinking about our new space, I am really pondering the general concepts and rules laid out in the book so that we will start off on the right foot.

And Maxwell, if you read these comments, I would like to tell you that I really enjoy the tone of your writing. You have a gentle, empathetic but disciplined voice that was clearly honed during your teaching days!

Oh Henrietta, Henrietta.

Consider this:
Irons:
http://www.jeremy-irons.com/film/main2.html

Delon: http://membres.lycos.fr/clarence/vedettefran/alaindelonpic.htm

As to Bruce...click @ usual place and tell me you won't melt.

Pixie--
Buy the Tolomeo with confidence, and get it directly from Artemide. You will not be disappointed... a reputable lamp form a highly-respected company. ANd you will have it forever.

pam h:

Thanks for your suggestion. Beadboard is definitely a possibility; I was admiring some beadboard kitchen cabinets at Home Depot last night.

As far as "just painting," I know the place is beyond that. In fact, I want to strip off layers of paint, plaster and wallpaper, and see how much of this the landlord is willing to reimburse me for, since a lot of it is due to water damage from faulty plumbing, etc. As well as generations of tenants trying to patch a gaping wound with a Band-Aid.

So I want to take the "bad stuff" off as much as possible, then consider the best "new stuff" to put on.

And "country kitchen" is accurate. In fact, I would describe my style as "Boho Shaker."

Thank you P2. I was told here that lightology.com is cheaper. What's the advantage to buying directly from Artemide - warranty? better customer service?

Deepa:

I'm liking the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Ashton Wing Chair:
http://mitchellgold.com/ashtonchr.asp

The Pinecone Hill Wing Chair (by Lee Industries):
http://pineconehill.com/retail_funiture.html

The Lee Industries 189-02 Slipcovered Loveseat:
http://www.leeindustries.com/ViewThumbnailsnew.asp?Category=Sofa

Pixie--
I just trust buying directly from the source when the price is not a HUGE difference from other re-sellers.

But I do know the Tolomeo is widely available, so I'm sure deals are to be had.

I bought a compact Tizio from Artemide and it was really competitively priced, if not the best deal I could find for that model.

P2, How how you liked the Tizio and how has it held up?

Pixie--
I've had one since college (late 80s) and have had to have a switch replaced in it once a few years ago, for maybe $60. It moved with me from Miami to Lauderdale to two New York apartments. Last seen in my old office downtown, which I miss dearly.

The other one was the Tizio Micro in polished chrome whihc I use on my bedside/entry table and I just love it.

*gushing* thank you p(too). Here is one of my current favs:

http://tinyurl.com/h5vbs

Melinda: Boho Shaker?! Love it!

roundabout: Your first paragraph articulated exactly how I feel. Love the spare, clean, modern look in magazines but crave the warmth of country. This is why I have so much admiration for some of the smallest-coolest contestants who have managed to balance the clean with the warmth.

Deepa--
There is also a small line of furnishings at ABC Carpet & Home that has a crazy-cool angular settee-style couch in this same vein.

It's not in one of the hit-you-over-the-head country shops there, but mixed in among the other upholstered collections.

Just following up on the whole country w/ an edge bit, Sheila Bridges had an episode of her show dedicated to Moder Counrty, which is exactly ME! Look for it to re-air on Fine Living - it inspired me to approprite a few elements from Carol Burkowitz' CT farmhouse, which is also feature in Benjamin Moores Color Book: Interior Style : How to Use Color Throughout Your Home (Paperback)
by Lesley Riva

One of my favorite EVER modern country rooms is still shown on HomePortfolio.com...
http://www.homeportfolio.com/GetInspired/RoomsForThought/03.29.01/content.5/index.jhtml

Thanks p(too) and Neal; I'll take a look at both.

The other was a model room set up by Counrty Home magazine at ABC Carpet awhile back.

Deep charcoal gray-painted paneled walls, two ultra-modern settees facing each other in either canvas or ochre colored upholstery, big gutsy accessories.

Could just imagine a snowy Thanksgiving spent in that room!!!!

I also thank you p(too) and Neal - in preparation for the new house I am splurging on some new home-related books and that Benjamin Moore one sounds intriguing!

I feel like the very word "country" immediately conjures up some yucky visuals, but when it's modernized and not exploding with too many saggy slipcovers and chintz I think it can be so fresh and welcoming.

Thank you Tat, but it will be to no avail. It's like wine. As much as I appreciate good wine I can never seem to learn the first thing about it, even the names of the most pleasurable wines enjoyed at the expense of someone else's connoisseurship. I'll grant you that Bruce Willis is a man one might want to lead to Angela's cabana.

Speaking of Willis you reminded me of that great movie "The Sixth Sense". Wasn't the wife a designer? It takes place in Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh, and from what I recall the psychiatrist's house is lovely. With those Victorian rowhouses so much of the work is done for you; you just need to get out of the way of the architecture.

So, I put all my house (pre-cure) pictures up on flickr, linked in my name. Apparently, I am less optimistic when I'm actually looking at the pictures. I'm a little cranky that my husband leaves stuff out and doesn't clean up, but at the same time, so do I. But then I clean up. He does too, just not as often. But I think that's because he has less of a "messy radar" - and I think that the 'stuff everywhere' is one of my things that needs curing, and the other is the construction that never ends.

It's just we're in a state of transition.We want to remodel, but we can't till we have both more time and money, so I want to do interim fixes, but he doesn't want to do something then redo it in 3 years.

Rachel, photos make every potential problem pop, which is great if you want to find the problems but depressing as heck for long scrutiny.

It's partly that we get used to looking past little annoyances, partly that the camera frames the place differently from the eye, and partly that we're used to professional design photos where the room has been "edited" to simply remove all the cords, cat toys, and so on. (Designed rooms don't always have great solutions -- sometimes they just take stuff away for the photos.)
http://www.nyip.com/tips/interiors1104.php

Men are often better at screening out clutter -- it's supposed to be biological. I have one of those husbands, and this phenomenon has only been worsened by his working in another state, so that now he's used to having someone to clean up after him every day.

He tries to cooperate, but the person who works at home (me) is inevitably going to be more obsessive about the problem. *And* I'm the one who thinks a good closet has an empty shelf, while he sees every cubic foot as packable with stuff.

Something that has to last 3 years is considered an interim fix?!??

On our timeline, ptoo, it unfortunately is, because of budget and graduate school. We're both grad students. We have very big plans for the house, and need to do a little at a time. We've already been there almost 2 years, but the changes we've made are small, because of the amount of time and money we can commit to projects.

r(id)--
Sorry to hear that. But it seems your priorities are in the right place.

I just empathize since you seem to take so much joy from your surroundings. Hang in!!!

Thanks ptoo. I'm trying! I do little things here and there to make it nice, and I'm not afraid to change things if I don't think they're working (like the knocked out wall).

The spraypaint episode last night was a nice change - but it seems to underscore that I need something done with the walls more than anything. And also, I don't think Pink works in my house. As much as I like to wear it.

I wear pink, black and denim. Why is my house orange, cream and brown?

Pam H.: so glad you read me so well! I would be very interested in reading a bibliography of the books you refer to - and can't wait to see your pics. We live in MD right outside of DC.

Rachel quoth: "I wear pink, black and denim. Why is my house orange, cream and brown?"

So you won't fade into the wallpaper?

Thought question (based on home improvement experiences too vile to discuss): is your home orange, cream, and brown because you have an orange, cream, and brown side to your personality or because you were stuck with certain constraints and those colors were the best way to solve your immediate problems?

josh and bess' cluttered and crampped condo

pictures of our chaos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshandbess/sets/72057594105527508/

going to do the "deep treatment"...

P(too): I've long admired that room you linked to but am about to get rid of my (slightly more curvaceous) milk-paint black 4 poster bed (I even have a grey lap blanket folded on the end. sigh.) as my bedroom is already so agressively rustic: exposed beams, exposed brick wall, wood floors. I need to mix it up with something less bulky and cleaner. Centerpiece of my Abridged Cure.
Melinda: i think your plan is a good one to take down what you can...but it's a big, messy awful job. Know that you can bail at anytime, throw up some beadboard and paint and be done with it. It will look great. Boho Shaker is brilliant.
I much prefer beadboard walls over beadboard cabinets. Cabinets are a little in your face...I like it on the walls so it's a suggestion -- part of the bones -- rather than a decorative element. I hate almost all kitchen cabinets though.
JW: clearly we are gonna have to get together...I've actually been thinking about an AT-DC cocktail party, perhaps after I've finished my minicure to show off my work.
And do I have some furniture for YOU to look at. About to have a Cure yard sale; if you send me an email address at rednotebookstudio@hotmail.com I'll email you some pictures of things, in case you want to buy them in advance. for you, best price! :)
I've searched and searched for Liagre cottage photos to no avail, but as I look at pictures in books the elements are these: Few furnishings, mostly in dark colors with strong clean lines. The "bones" are the rustic part -- sistal mats, non-polished wood floors, wide panel beadboard walls, and a restrained palette all over (black, charcoal, white, brown). Accents are all natural materials, heavy on the straw and raffia and shells and stones. Lots of empty space. The key thing is the furniture would be equally as comfortable in a modern space. Everything is very functional and clean, and in natural materials.
Here's my Modern Rustic reading list. If you want to come by to browse the books, you are welcome to (I am on the Hill, close to Eastern Market metro). I can't part with them though...they are my security blankets.

Al Libris has the first one:
Country and Modern, by Hall (lots of Liagre in that one)
Ancient + Modern, Inions
Untouched, Hanan & Norris
Essential Home, Wilson
Simple Style, Julia Bird

Today I took the step to remove one large item from my home. So the table and chairs that I barely use are now up on Craigslist. Fingers crossed for that.

The tulips I bought yesterday are already wilting, darn it.

Wende, I have a side of my personality for just about every damn colour in a crayon box. We just picked colours, and let them happen. I don't dislike the orange or the cream. I think I need to go a little lighter with it, or something. This house is much more connected between the rooms (which is completely my doing) so there really is a conversation between each colour. The red in the kitchen works well with the orange in the main room, and the brown floor is something I want to continue, even with the remodel.

My last apartment had colour too:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chatnoire/sets/72057594105550698/

The overpriced storage unit I bought as a Slob Tax met with a chilly reception. There were mutterings about Taxation Without Representation.

I should have listened to Maxwell.

Josh and Bess - looks like you guys have some good bones in your place - I can't wait to see how things work out!

Regarding kitchen cabinets, part of why we haven't called an installer yet and made the commitment is because I'm not sure whether to regard the cabinets as part of the walls, as kitchen fixtures, or as furniture.

Our fixtures are white, except for the stainless steel top on the sink. So if we consider the cabinets fixtures, then white thermofoil or melamine would be the material of choice.

If cabinets are considered furniture, I would prefer the light oak Shaker-style of the credenza, pictured by clicking on my name.

If cabinets are part of the wall...nah, wait a minute, we already have a crappy-looking cabinet.

Uh, like I said, credenza pictured by clicking on my name.

I find it interesting that the "healthy" and "weak" apartments are running neck and neck in this survey. My place is unfortunately in the latter category. The "bones" are basically good, but the "breath" is gasping. Started making my repair list, but as a renter some are just more "wish list". I'm going to be taking some "before" photos, but I am reluctant to post prior to actually achieving some "after" to alleviate the sheer embarassment of my home's current state. I'm going to work on a deep treatment and later a fresh coat of paint once I can move things around to improve the flow.

I've also come to hate kitchen cabinets because ours are so hideous.

One day I'll rip them all out and replace them with furniture.

The problem is finding the furniture.

Thank you to Ptoo for the "live where you are" comment posted yesterday. I think that is the key to getting me out of my rut.

Pam H, I'm really looking forward to your pics. I'm also interested in your sale. I'd love to see P2 move here - he could do my place and be a bro. I live 2 blocks from Capitol South - we can share.

Norma--
That made MY day. Thanks.

And any of you DCers want to do a "modern Federal" DC-inspired interior?! :)

Ok, here goes....Peter and Elizabeth's soon-to be-transformed apartment. We are going in for the deep treatment and try our best for the one room remedy in the unfinished, half- started living room.
After reading the book, I think the bird chair needs to go back to it's original home in the office. I am also more confident about painting the fireplace white and replacing the hearth tile. Any other suggestions?

Elizabeth, I think you have a lovely apartment. I'm sure there are things to be cured, but overall, it seems great.

Can I ask what type of shelves are in the kitchen? Very nice!

Liz, your place is gorgeous! Have you already done a lot of work on it, besides the bathroom for which you have before photos?

Yikes... another apartment so perfect that I'm going to be embarrassed to post "after" photos because they're not on a par with Liz's "before"...

I don't doubt you have moments of frustration, Liz, 'cause it's your apartment and you'd know... but it already looks better than 99.5% of all homes on the entire planet.

Got my book--set for life.

Fiona & Pixie, thanks so much for the compliments!
All of the shelves in our apartment are from www.shelfshop.com, the shelving system is made by Rakks ( www.rakks.com).

After two years of planning and saving, we remodeled the bathroom, changed the living room closets, switched out the kitchen cabinets and countertop, painted and had the floors refinished in January. It was so overwhelming, and I am so unfocused, that a lot of other stuff is in limbo. My current repair list is three pages long!

Although I finally see light at the end of the tunnel, I am blinded with indecision about the living room. The book is really helping me organize what I am trying to accomplish, I wish I had it earlier! Thanks again for the encouragement.

Thanks Wende, but these aren't the real before-before pictures. My tub rot picture was just the tip of the iceberg a few months back.

Also, I've been collecting my furniture for over ten years with the save-for-what-you-love rule, so be confident that your after pictures will become befores too.

Found the floor lamp thread useful. Need one myself.

Having to discard something got me moving on the Leviathan -- what I call the pile of stuff of things to get rid of, things I can't decide whether to rid of, and things I'm keeping I haven't found a place for.

Dropped a bag off at the Salvation Army. My mother decided to take a lamp (does that make it a hand-me-up?). And two small cheap bookcases have been taken downstairs.

It's not enough to cut the Leviathan down to size, but it's more than I've done in the previous four weeks.

Preparing the repairs list was interesting in that it turned out I had more to repair than I realized. It makes for a formidable list.

I also relate to the fast dying flowers. There's really only one good place in my neighborhood for flowers -- other than corner delis -- and while the prices are acceptable, the selection is limited. I'm jealous of the Upper East Side, which seems to have a proper florist every other block.

I like to get flowers at the farmers' market during the season when I can. They are cheaper, fresher, fragrant, and I like to support the farmers.

I'm having second thoughts on the Tolomeo floor lamp. They're all some kind of bucks. I have to put the lamp idea in with everything else I want or need to spend on for my place plus, oh, get down my credit card balance, which I've run up for various (good!) reasons recently.

I compulsively discard just to maintain the completely unsatisfactory status quo. It's a piecemeal affair by now, so I'm not in for any great relief this week. Visigoth the Tall abhors a vacuum; Visigoth the Small is a pack rat. Minimalist transcendence is not a possibility here.

I hear the flower district in downtown Manhattan is fast fading because of skyrocketing rents. It's a crying shame.

Liz, congratulations - your patience has paid off. It's a wonderful place! Good luck with the cure - look forward to seeing the improvements at the end of it all.

Liz, how high are your ceilings, may I ask?

Thanks!

My ceilings are just shy of 9 1/2 feet. When we ripped out the bathroom we discovered they had been dropped about three feet from the original plaster. We were relieved to know the source of falling sand we sometimes hear.

Liz-
Beautiful bathroom! Those tiles are especially groovy. I also ripped out the dropped ceiling in my bathroom - what a difference! Can't understand why it was done in the first place.

My Apartment Cure is progressing. As the book suggested, I got rid of one large item by selling seldom-used table & chairs. The buyer just picked them up a couple of hours ago. Now I'm $120 richer (thanks Craigslist!) and have a bit more elbow room. The weekend is for tackling all the stuff that was piled on & under the table :)

My house isn't sick--I am! That's what the quiz brought home to me. My poor house laments "Why do I keep being bought by these freaks who can't repair and have no money? I deserve better! Why won't anyone love me?" Meanwhile, I'm a recovering hoarder/collector with follow-through issues. It's a fabulous house--I really think the American Foursquare is underrated. It's so symmetrical, like a dollhouse.

Not to create ceiling envy, but mine are 13 feet. Unfortunately, I have a one-bedroom unit with a total square footage of 550, making for awkward spaces.

It's also difficult to light, which is why anything about lamps or lighting is interesting.

Until I bring the Leviathan down to proper Outbox size, I'm going to be a bit behind with other things. However, I hope to get some stuff up on Craigslist to help with that.

And despite the iffy weather, I think my week two fix-it-yourself project will be to try to unstick a window that tends to be somewhat sticky.

Any awkwardness created by 13-foot ceilings is worth it.

Chandeliers are good in tall rooms.

But let's face it, chandeliers are good anywhere.

Henrietta - I think I'm in possession of the one house in the world where a chandelier is a bad thing: my ceilings are 7'8".

The reason I asked about Liz's celing height is that I like the look of her dark blue wall with shelving, and wanted a sense of how tall that would be. Imagine that wall without the top shelf space, and there ya go. My house. I can almost touch the ceiling, and my husband can.

I hate it.

I'm hating everything right now though, as a very big birthday is coming up, and my life isn't as peachy as I had planned. But that's nothing to do with design, so carry on! :)

Rachel, don't even mention big birthdays. Just... don't.

13-foot ceilings in a 550-sq-ft apartment is overkill. A couple residences back, we had a very small kitchen with 10-foot ceilings, and it was like cooking at the bottom of a shoebox. JonathanB, I'd think seriously about breaking your wall color where you want the wall height to stop (say, 9.5 feet), then doing something else above it, just to get those ceilings under control.

rachel,

Are you familiar with rejuvenation.com? You may find a shallow fixture there.

Elizabeth -
Your place is gorgeous; the "issues" you describe are really tweaks, but I'm kind of in a similar place with a few things in my apartment -- the basically, I like my look, but I've just got to get a few things squared away.

Your door, with all the locks, etc. has a little "note" thing on it in the picture where you're thinking about maybe a teal door, so that all that hardware will go away. That might be great, but another thing you could do is to paint the door a metallic color and let it be just a little bouquet of metals? My door IS metal, so I stripped it down to it, and then polyurethaned it. In other apartments, I've painted it metallic, because I love that. Just a thought.

It's a circe late 70s "architectural" renovation of an old factory building. I have 10 foot high windows. The result is less the bottom of a shoebox and more like living in a long, narrow tunnel.

I suspect the windows would make a wall color break look odd. Someone once suggested a loft, but the ceilings have one foot deep beams and I top six feet. Putting a loft in would be rather like betting the devil your head.

On the other hand, the afternoon light angling into the apartment is lovely.

JonathanB,

You may want to consider industrial Holophane lighting. Restoration Hardware derived a line of prismatic glass fixtures from Holophane. They look good, but the quality is not so hot.

I hadn't seen their lighting before Henrietta. Thanks. I really think this one is nice looking, but the minimum length is 17" - I'd have to see if that would work. THat would be nice over my dining room table though, once I return it to an official dining room. :)

For Melinda, JW, P(too), roundabout et al re: interested in Soho SHaker/Modern Rustic/Urban Country -- I posted a few pictures of my kitchen and bath which I think are good examples of the style, heavily influenced by Christian Liagre, but far more downscale and not as disciplined or edited. It's on my rarely updated design blog, replete with typos...rednotebookstudio.blogspot.com

JonathanB-the current issue of Dwell has a very clever loft bed, in case you haven't seen it. The bed is at one level and the floor around it is at a lower level, so the occupant can stand up next to the bed.

Rachel,

I'm surprised they don't make that Jetsons fixture with a shorter drop. You might want to contact them about it--they're supposed to be good to deal with.

I don't have any Rejuvenation fixtures, but I've seen them in other people's homes, and they look nice and well-made.

Good call, could be worth asking, as I really like the bronze finish and the shape. There are a couple really nice wall pieces too.

The other thought I had (and Jonathan's post about his beams in his place made me think of this) is that our attic is filled with insulation - I was thinking of pulling the ceiling down completely and painting the structural parts of our ceiling (they're engineered trusses, set 16" on center) - that would give us a few more inches overall, plus the airspace above - do you think that it would appear too busy with the trusses that close? I would paint everything the same colour (trusses and ceiling panels) and would leave the ceiling at current height in the 'private' areas of the house....

That sounds like a great idea!

Aesthetically, I love the idea -- if the beams and ceiling are all the same color, it shouldn't look busy at all -- but will you miss the insulation during a cold winter? When people want to reduce heating bills, adding attic insulation is usually one of the first suggestions.

We would probably add it in some form to the exterior. We're going to add solar panels to the roof, and it's not often that cold in this area (it's 85 today! It was 75 on Xmas!) - so I think we'd be ok as long as we put a decent cladding under the solar panels.

Seventy-five at Xmas?!? Just wipe up my drooling envy with a Bounty towel, will ya?

I keep forgetting that Denver's fairly temperate, and then it's when you go up the mountain to St. George or whatever that suddenly wearing sandals seems like a vile idea.

The play of light and shadow on a ceiling with same-colored structural beams is sounding very good indeed.

i have more piles to shred - it has occupied my kitchen cabinets. i don't think my shredder can take the volume.

does anybody know of a community shredder in the city - i heard something like that happens in DC

Solar panels? YES!

Henrietta: Thanks for the lead about Restoration Hardware -- I'll definitely take a look.

Pixie: Also thanks, but the problem isn't the loft per se, but rather the clearance above and below the loft. I'm at least three inches above average height and that does make a difference.

Rachel: always happy to inspire people (at least that what it sounded like). I've seen interiors with that look and they do look great. Whoever is your solar panel consultant should be able to answer questions about insulation as well.

Meanwhile, the advantage of a rainy night in Losaida is that organizing what you're going to post on Craigslist is about all you can do.

JonathanB,

I dont't really recommend Restoration Hardware in this case. I bit the bullet with one of their fixtures because of the design; the quality is fair.

Why not go straight to the source? The Holophane company is still around!

Um, "don't".

I tried to use HTML with no success.

http://tinyurl.com/zw8p9

Henrietta: And on the Internet. (What did I do before Google?)

Pam H. : Good to see your photos here too. They are such fine specimens of Rustic Modern Urban Country!
Do you think the color palette is usually limited to browns, white, black how about some light blue on the walls maybe some yellow? Would these fit in? No clutter, I love it!

I figured, but you never know.

I saw some great walls today in a boutique on Bleecker. One wall was real brick, painted white like the legendary BDDW's white brick wall. The other was very convincing faux brick, painted white, and had white wainscoting halfway up.

Probably cost a small fortune, which they can make up by selling Paris Hilton more handbags.

I would've whipped out my camera, but I didn't want to be taken for a fashion spy.

JW:
you can use whatever colors you want, of course -- make it YOUR modern country soho shaker urban rustic whatever.
Most of the examples I've seen (and what I have done) use neutrals like black, grey, brown and white, I think for two reasons: those colors emphasize form rather than surface decoration; and pastels are traditionally associated with country... think yellow kitchen, blue bedroom etc. There is nothing inherently UNmodern in those colors -- Scandanavian homes use pastels and still look modern -- the trick is in how you use them, and in not using too many (pick one for each room) and make sure all the details are clean, not froufry. Go for plainer moldings, iff you have them. If you are going to bring in a really feminine piece, like a vanity, let it be just one and give it lots of room to breathe so it can be appreciated for its curves, and not just become part of the background. Have some black in the room -- a bed, maybe -- and be choosy about the flooring. i wouldn't do wall to walll carpet. Monochromatic rooms are very modern -- so for your bedroom I could see white wainscotting with a flat chair rail, yellow above it and on the ceiling, a black 4 poster bed like the one P(too) linked to with a yellow bedspread, maybe a shade darker than the walls, white sheets etc. no patterned cushions on the bed, just the pillows. Maybe a very modern bench at the end of the bed - lucite or chrome? and nigghtstands NOT matched to the bed, but probably matched to each other, perhaps like these here:

http://www.orientalfurniture.com/oriental-furniture/FUZEG428.html

or these
http://www.orientalfurniture.com/oriental-furniture/ANTIQUES_PH051.html

Coming off of pam h's comments, have you guys ever looked at some of the traditional Scandinavian homes? They're really comfortable and homey without being floofy. They also have a lot of warm wood and solid colors and natural light. I couldn't find anything with a quick google, but I have a few books on them...

hi everyone,

we're doing the deep treatment and meanwhile dreaming about one-room remedies. everyone's photos are so inspiring - it's great to see people at all levels participating. the photos of homes that are healthier than ours are incredibly inspiring - in particular liz and jen.

here's our progress on the week's assignment:

we bought flowers this week (we frequently do anyway). as dutiful members of the park slope food coop, we already had a lot of natural cleaners around the apartment. today we'll be vaccuuming and mopping, and one of our squat ikea shelving units has been kicked to the curb.

but our repair worksheet has given us enough to think about for now. the most frustrating thing about our place is how unloved and poorly cared for it has been for, oh, about 100 years. maxwell's observation in the book about pre-war buildings having great bones is certainly right about our apartment... but let's say our place is a little like a certain french former sexpot starlet-turned-animal-rights-activist - great bones and beauty buried deep beneath the ravages of time.

even though some of our repairs could be addressed DIY, the place really needs and deserves an expert to restore her former health. we can't afford one, and our landlord, while willing to hire someone, will only spring for the "henchmen" who screwed everything up in the first place.

aaanyway, without further ado, here's the repair worksheet (click my name):

Hello from Albuquerque! We moved from Santa Fe to ABQ about 5 months ago. We have 3 dogs and a 4 1/2 month old baby. We have been doing much work on our new house- installing new wood laminate flooring, painting each room, new light fixtures in each room, new appliances and furniture, and the list goes on and on. Anyway, I discovered from the interview that my style is modern gothic deco. I never realized how right it would feel to give a name to my style. I am looking forward to using this new info as I clean and stylize my house. However, I am going to start with a one room cure of our bedroom (that little tyke is pretty distracting). Pictures to follow as soon as I get my husband to post them on Flickr.

I'm really enjoying reading and seeing everyone's stuff!

Jess has set the bar for repair worksheet completion. The great thing is that with some editing and the addition of several mind-bogglingly expensive repairs, I can just crib her sheet.

Thanks Jess!

"When the mirror was installed on the bathroom door, someone used a couple of screws that were longer than the width of the door."

Such people are beneath contempt.

A longtime lurker pipes up (types up?)

Just a note in case there are many more out there like me whose apartment, given the opportunity to speak, would simply burst into tears. While I love seeing everyone's places, please keep slipping in "before" pictures and stories. It gives me hope to think that some of these fantabulous places started out looking, well, maybe not so different from my current digs.

Ok, back to swiffering the floors...

Okay. So I scored REALLY low on the quiz, so low that I'm not even telling, but I do now have flowers. I'm very lucky to have woods nearby, full of daffodils that my grandparents planted. So I've got a bunch of those on the kitchen table, and some forsythia in the living room and in the bathroom.

And some elf fixed one of the things on my list without my knowing.

I want that elf!

We just did the world's fastest half-assed housecleaning so that we can have a cat-sitter in while I exploit the husband's frequent flyer miles to join him in Phoenix for a week and get away from the perpetual rain and cold.

Fortunately, I felt like doing much of Week 2 last week, so the kitchen is scrubbed; I have determined that my personal style does not translate into any known style of bedside lamp ever produced in the history of electricity; and I have bonded with most of the walls in the process of getting city dirt off the baseboards.

You're doing the Cure AND writing a mystery in the next two months? Because of all the time left after grading papers? AND a blog?

Slacker.

So do I!

(Note to self: google acme rent-a-elf.)

:)

Henrietta, the reason the apartment needs some Curing is because the mystery was the January-February project, during which I let the apartment go, then promptly threw my back out so I couldn't clean. The baseboards were worthy of a Geraldo Rivera expose, and the dust bunnies were appropriate for a Barbie Amidst the Tumbleweeds diorama. (The story in the blog now is a second book...)

OMIGOODNESS the place looked better after a hasty wipe. I almost liked the bedside tables again.

Wende, dusty baseboards are why I've definitely decided against the white brick look. A neighbor pointed out to me the other day that each and every one of those bricks would be like a tiny little baseboard, collecting dust.

Dusty Baseboards also sounds like the name of a country music artist.

So could an ugly linoleum floor in the living room/office area be considered a repair issue rather than a decor issue? It's the same floor covering as the kitchen and just not at all appropriate. I'm a renter (of course) so I'll just be covering it.

Deborah -- Well, if you're replacing it, you'd be doing a repair, but if you're just covering it with an area rug, you're changing the decor... You can count it as your small repair if you really can't think of anything else -- it'll probably help your apartment out more than fixing a squeak hinge or something...

Speaking of linoleum, does anyone have a suggestion for an easy cover up of worn out kitchen linoleum tiles? Easy clean/mop up too. It's not a huge area and I've put down small throw rugs, but they just don't help enough. It's a rental and I don't think the landlord will replace it until I move. I'm looking for something like Flor tiles only not carpet.

I'm lucky that my current landlord has kept on top of basic repairs, so most of my work is going to be spent de-cluttering and personalizing my apartment and hiding some of the design choices of the owners like the linoleum.

My former apartment had beautiful wood floors and high ceilings with pre-war molding - and the landlord had to be reported to the housing authority several times to get major plumbing problems resolved. The place was literally making me ill - probably from mold - so I'll deal with the ugly floors.

I'm planning to cover up a rip in my kitchen linoleum with a floor cloth.

jumkk -- why not make your own floor cloth too? All you need is heavy canvas that you cut to your shape with a little extra to tuck under. You paint it to taste, give it several coats of polyurethane and then you have your own rug... I don't know where you'd do the polyurethane in the city, though. Got a relative with a driveway who can put up with you for the weekend?

i replaced my kitchen linoleum tiles. it is a small galley kitchen. it cost me 40 bucks to replace the tiles. stick and peel. lowes has some nice marble looking tiles. easy to maintain and you have the look of a marble floor

Not really keen on the floor cloth idea, although they may look nice on TV. And nope, no relatives here or large outdoor spaces to polyurethane.. a problem with small apartments in NYC. I'm also been waiting for this warmer weather and open windows to clean and restore an antique dresser I moved out here from my family's old house.

Thanks for keeping all the information online. I just bought the book, and am hoping it will help -but... my place is such a mess that it will take more than 8 weeks.

I figure I am going to dive right in and do my best, and if this deep therapy takes several trips thru the eight week course, then it does.

The problem is I am very messy, and never let go of stuff... I moved in here several years ago from accross the hall - in a big rush - less than a week's notice, and did it all in one day, and the result is a jumbled mess that never really got sorted out. There are still things in boxes...

So sweeping and mopping?!?!! I have to find the floor first. Feeling the walls?!!?!! I have to be able to reach them...

You can see the problems. So...

I am going to go through this in layers.

First round of "Deep Cleaning" for me (in order to keep it from being too overwhelming):
NO opening of closed boxes. That's for a later round.
NO going through all the old stored files in the several portable file boxes.
DO do the steps as best I can, and be satisfied with that.
DO reward myself for small victories.
DO develop habits that help me to like myself and my home.

I'm a little behind everyone - started week one last week. I'm especially interested in the flow of my living room and kitchen areas.

Linking to my "before" pictures in my signature - would love to hear comments, ideas, suggestions. Thanks!

Ok, I'm way behind everyone, but I just heard about this last week. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I'm all the way out here in Oregon. Funny thing is - I've found out this first week, that I don't really have problems getting rid of stuff (I'm taking 4 boxes of old clothes out tonight) but I just don't think about it till the boxes take up half a room. So I'm trying to get to the floor....