apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think my style is "neo-eclectic"....

My wife and I spent most of the weekend cleaning out the refrigerator, oven, and kitchen cabinets.

Our relatives (all who live in the burbs in MUCH larger houses) were ecstatic to recieve all of our "extras". They kept asking, "why dont you want these glasses? Are you sure you dont need this extra coffee maker in case your good breaks?"

We had a good time of it! The only thing that we did not get accomplished was to find our first set of nice everyday dishes. We want high quality simple dishes that we can use for the long haul. We are planning to start our family soon and would like this set to stick with the family for a while. Does anyone have good recommendations for quality dishes?

Thanks!
Brad

Brad,
Restaurant supply houses ... get basic white dishes in the sizes you think you will use. They hold up well and mix with other patterns. Not buying dishes in a set means you won't have to figure out to do with the pieces you never/would never use.

Norma

Brad,

When my husband and I got married last year, we decided to register for a good-quality set of everyday dishes instead of china (I had already inherited a set of china). We wanted something that wouldn't be too fancy for everyday use but would look decent for a dinner party. And we thought it was a good investment, as something that we would (and do) use every day.

We ended up registering for Denby stoneware dishes (these are commonly sold at department stores and should be easy to track down). We chose the Energy pattern, which has a charcoal bottom and thin charcoal rim with a plain off-white top. The accompanying serving dishes, lasagna pan, etc. are all off-white or a pale celadon green. The colour scheme is neutral, goes with everything, and we're hoping that they're plain enough that we won't get tired of them anytime soon.

The pluses:
- stoneware is very sturdy and unlikely to chip.
- the dishes have a nice solid feeling, the shapes are nice, and there are a variety of colours/patterns to choose from.
- they aren't really cheap, but they aren't wildly expensive either.

The minuses:
- stoneware is heavy. It doesn't have the delicate look or feel of porcelain or china, so it doesn't really suit a truly formal table
- because a stack of plates is heavy, they aren't really suitable for people with disabilities, if that is an issue.

Brad -
I like my Fiestaware. Sure, part of the reason I got it was that I'm working a 30's-40's period-friendly thing in my place.

But one of things I like about that stuff is that they're still making it; you can mix and match colors however you like and you can get them at several places online.

Some of the discontinued colors cost more, but there are also some current colors that are less money, even though they're all the same quality.

Also, they're classic and yet there's a certain amount of nostalgia about them (because everyone knew SOMEONE who used to have them, even if it wasn't your own grandmother), and the colors are just beautiful.

Oh, they're solid colors, which are not hard to decorate with.

Me? I got one place setting in each of 5 or 6 colors, and I kind of mix them up differently depending on who my guest is, what the occasion is, etc., although I confess that I don't really cook that often.

We too tackled the kitchen this past weekend. Cleaned out the fridge, cabinets, etc. For the first time, I cleaned out all the bottles holding our spices, lentils, rice and flour. And as an overkill, I gave all the bottles labels. Whew!

I thought my style was modern, and it's definitely not traditional, but I don't like everything to fit into one mold or another.

We've decided to get the lucite console from CB2 for our bedroom, a couple clear vases, and a cluster of pierced metal flowers. THis way we've got a table in the bedroom, and the place will look complete.

At the same time, I really like french country: cabbage roses, throw rugs, and vintage china.

Maybe less eclectic, more spastic.

Another thing about Fiesta is that it is still made in the USA, (for those that pay attention to that) unlike Pfaltzgraff, which is now made overseas. The quality of PFZ has gone way downhill: inconsistent colors, wrong colors, and chips from just moving the dishes to wash them. Much talk on the PFZ collectors' forum (which is on the PFZ site) is about eBay auctions featuring USA-made PFZ

Although Corelle is made in my home state of New York, I just don't like it, and when it breaks, it goes in tiny pieces everywhere.

Oh, and I deep cleaned the kitchen and bathroom cabinets last week, clearing out a LOT of stuff - enabling me to actually store towels in the miniscule bathroom, so you don't have to walk down the hall with wet hands.

I'm going to tackle the tupperware though, tomorrow, since I'm taking advantage of my remaining holiday time to celebrate my birthday by NOT working.

Here are my "before the cure" photos. New to this flickr thing so hopefully it's uploaded correctly. I'd love some advice on a number of things, such as when is chocolate brown "too much chocolate brown?" I am evil for considering painting over walnut stained wood baseboards? Do they need to stay dark to balance the dark large windows above or do they detract your attention from the windows because of the contrast below? Vicente Wolf would hate them. P2, what do you think?

Just watch out for those old, red Fiestaware plates. They are radioactive, after all. . .

http://tinyurl.com/l2bam

Rachel, that's exactly what I did yesterday! Since the sun never came out until 3p, so I definitely stayed home for the most part and Cured.

On dinnerware...I have fiestaware, too, in tangerine, and love it. Someone told me that there's an outlet in Ohio if you ever get out that way. I also have some plates from the evil Crate and Barrel outlet--which often has nice stuff at good prices (so good that you buy things you DON'T need!, like 4 additional dinner plates, which is why it's evil). Thanks for the info on Pfaltzcraft...I had no idea! I have a pfaltz. creamer/sugar set and canister that's in my yet-undesignated "outbox." Maybe I should ebay it.

I've been a pretty undedicated "cure" participant. Partially because I've been home a total of something like 2 days in the past 2 weeks!

Attention DC de-clutterers:

Recycling at Carter Barron this Saturday:
As part of the District’s Earth Day celebration, the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) will hold its spring e-cycling and household hazardous waste disposal event Saturday, April 22, from 9 am to 3 pm at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre parking lot at 16th and Kennedy Streets, NW. This drop-off service is free and open to all District residents. DC residents can bring the following items to the collection site for environmentally safe disposal, such as leftover cleaning and gardening chemicals, small quantities of gasoline, pesticides and poisons, mercury thermometers, varnish, solvents, spent batteries of all kinds, roofing tar, chemistry sets, automotive fluids, and even asbestos floor tiles. Additionally, an electronics recycler will be onsite to take end-of-life consumer electronics, including computers, computer monitors and other accessories, televisions, and office equipment. These machines will be broken down into their component parts (plastic, glass, toxic/heavy metals) and recycled or disposed of safely. Items that will not be accepted during the Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Recycling Collection include ammunition, bulk trash, wooden TV consoles, propane tanks, microwave ovens, air conditioners and other appliances, as well as radioactive or medical wastes.

Oh, and I think it's funny about having people ecstatic about your castoffs, too...I remember leaving grad school, I was giving away and selling a lot of stuff--one of those pre-move purges, everything from framed posters to kitchen stuff. People I was giving the stuff to kept saying "Are you SURE you don't want it?" They looked at me as if the merchandise was hot or something...It just didn't make a lot of sense to take carpets with me that I bought specifically for that apartment or pots and pans when I had a whole other set in storage...

More DC decluttering options for old electronics...

At WholeFoods
Saturday, April 22nd

Earth Day Electronics Recycling with Zipcar
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Is there a broken VCR collecting dust in your apartment? How about the 19" TV that was replaced by the 42" flat screen? Bring them to the store on Earth Day and we'll dispose of them in an environmentally responsible manner. Whole Foods Market - P Street NW and Zipcar are teaming up to host an electronics recycling event; all who bring something to be recycled will get a free gift! list of acceptable and unacceptable items for recycling

Zipcar will be on hand collecting old technology items to be recycled
in partnership with the DC Department of Public Works. The items will
be collected and taken to Carter Barron Amphitheatre for safe disposal.

Come by the Zipcar table to find out about the environmental and
community impacts of car sharing, plus enter to win great Zipcar
prizes like memberships, T-shirts and tickets to the DC Improv.

Acceptable items for disposal:
Audio/visual equipment, Camcorders, CD
Rom Drives, Cell phones, computers, connectors, cords, wire, copy
machines, fax machines, floppy drives, hard drives, memory chips,
modems, monitors network/video/sound cards, pagers, power supplies,
printers, scrap computer plastic, scrap computer metal, tape drives,
TVs, VCRs. Please no broken CRT tubes.

I bought antique English ironstone dishes on eBay for less than new dishes would cost me. You have to be careful and make sure nothing is damaged (crazed, chipped, etc.), but you know whatever you get is unusual, and if you stick to all-white pieces, you can get different patterns and they'll all match.

My eBay Lu-Ray Surf Green bread plates (ca. 1948) have held up better than my Chinese-made Pfaltzgraff that chips during hand-washing.

I considered Fiesta, but I like the older pastels better. I still might get some red Fiesta, but my dishfunction has gone far enough for quite a while.

Christine, if your PFZ is domestic, you might check out the prices on eBay. What pattern is it?

Regarding dishes - when my partner and i had our commitment ceremony we registered at CB and selected a really great blue swirl patterned plate set, needless to say, 7 years later, i regret not going with simple white pieces which could be easily replaced, since the original pattern is now discontinued, once a piece breaks or cracks you're screwed - so now we stock up on the IKEA 360 square plates which are a great bargin, they aren't going any where and the food takes center stage without any distracting patterns or colours

In NYC, there's also an electronics recycling event in Union Square on Sunday from 9-3pm:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/recycling/spring2006events.shtml

Rachel,happy birthday. I love that lucite console from CB2, it's in my style tray too.

I second Neal's recommendation of Ikea's dishes and serving pieces. They are inexpensive and come in pretty shapes if you are looking for solid white. I really like mine and they are very durable, only one chipped salad plate was tossed in out in the cleaning frenzy yesterday.

I am too attached to my harlequin dishes to send them to the outbox even though they are never used.

Junedanish, your new Anthro chair is great. If you really want the room ala Vincent Wolf paint the baseboards. The resale value is impossible to caIculate, it's a matter of personal taste so make it suit you.

I started a vintage (mostly 50's and 60's) dinnerware collection in college and now own enough to service a seven-course, sit-down for sixty-five people. (Most of it is currently stored in my mama's house, so it will not be subject to the 'cure'!) Most of the pieces are 40 to 50 years-old and have fared FAR better than the Ikea or 'hand-painted, made in Italy' stuff my husband brought to the table. If your style is eclectic go for the mixing-and-matching. eBay, yard sales and thrift shops are great resources, and more than anything, it keeps things fun.

After I broke every one of my MSE glasses in two months flat, my mom told me that she likes buying vintage glasses because that way you know you're buying the survivors...

Personally, I hate Fiestware, but Espana is quite appealing. Colorful, but not too bold and the shapes are very simple and comforting. My own dishes are a C&B set that debutted in March 05 and were discontinued by Christmas. They are rimmed in bright stripes, have high sides on the plates and make me happy to dine on them despite being distinctly casual in style.

I spent the weekend doing Week 1. It involved a lot of lifting to get everything off of huge old desk and small new desk and then maneuver small desk out of the way so huge old desk could be dragged out of the apartment. It really is a load off to have that thing gone and to open up the path to the door. Plus, new desk is much more attractive. But there is no room for all the stuff that came off the two desks. It's all in bags. In the closet.

I'm still in the fight though!

Mary, thanks for the post on the NYC computer recycling. I really need to clean off the HD of my seriously out of date Mac IIci and get it out of the OUTBOX. I did clear out about 40 VHS tapes with old Star Trek episodes I certainly don't need to hold onto any longer. So I've made some progress during week one. Although my kitchen can certainly use a tuneup (and fridge defrosting) I think the "elephant in the room" is still an unhealthy paperwork clutter which I'm still struggling with. Should I work in the Kitchen or continue to focus on the "elephant" in week Two? Since I work in an office during the week I couldn't do serious kitchen cleaning until next weekend anyway. (I usually view and post from work with faster internet access.)

As for style, I aspire to be modern/contemporary with a touch of whimsy, but I think I'm in reality just eclectic. Also have the one antique dresser mentioned on the previous thread. And I hope to get advice on floorplan if I can get that far along in the Cure and can figure out how to use flicker. The flow in my apartment is currently dreadful.

jimkk: I've been doing what you propose; clearing paper piles in 15 min segments whenever I find time during the week and tackled the kitchen this past weekend. Hey, anything that helps, right?

Junedanish, I have a hang-up about painting over wood since it's usually so hard to strip it down again. It loooks like the whole room is white and brown. What if you painted the walls a less stark white and added a saturated accent color? Keep us posted in any case-- I like your windows and the big b&w print in the kitchen.


My dream house is Victor Horta's Art Nouveau studio in Brussels. My sweetie is from the midwest (remember that Minnesota contest entry?) and likes recliners. I think that translates to "you're hosed, girl." Really, there should be a whole thread on the challenges of Curing for Couples. Luckily, there's plenty of de-cluttering to do before we address the style issue. I think I'm doing the 16-week cure...

Also, paperwork clutter tip:

Turn the pile of paper over. Start from the bottom - this is the oldest stuff, easiest to recycle/shred/discard. YOu'd be surprised how motivated you get when half your pile is gone off the bat!

Rachel -- What a great paperwork tip!

jimkk -- if the paperwork is really bothering you, I'd do it first. You can probably get the kitchen going during the week while you aren't around the office. I work from home, and I do chores throughout the day as mini-breaks. Just having the change of scenery is great, and sometimes I really want to clean the toilet more than I want to deal with actual work. It's still procrastinating, but at least I'm active for a minute and not just surfing...

I think it's going to take me the next six months to get rid of my clutter.

Oy. I feel like I can't really do the cure until I seriously deal with the clutter issue :(

Hallelujah! I found bedside lamps that I actually like, and even with shipping them home and buying new *beige* shades, they're still less spendy than all the hundreds of lamps that I hate.

Photo is linked in my name, though it's a horrible photo that washes out the color (beige in lamplight, turquoise in daylight) and adds irridescence that's not there.

Lu-Ray pastel dishes rule!

I sort of inherited a set from my grandmother. The set has been my "special" everyday dishes every since. It's a service for six, split evenly between a light blue and yellow. (Lu-Ray has different names for the colors.) For cryptic reasons of my own, I use the blue ones in winter and the yellow ones in summer. Needless to say, I live alone.

Somehow I'm not surprised that we're an "eclectic" bunch.

Since an old friend of mine who lives in San Francisco is going to be in New York in June, I've decided my "housewarming" is going to be inviting him up for drinks before we go somewhere for dinner. Probably smaller scaled than intended, but too good to resist.

Jean, I think they're domestic. The canister is "heritage" which my mom has, but I don't want to contribute to her clutter, which is much much worse than mine. And, the other, I'm not sure. It's one of the patterns with the edging of colors (turquoise and mauve-ish) on a plain off-white. I have the matching platter. I'm having a hard time letting go...which is why I've had them in my "outbox" and out of it since moving!

Christine, if you sell it, specify that it is domestic. I'm looking for a specific pattern-ID site for you.

Here's the site, Christine:

http://www.bjpgj.com/Pfaltzgraff/

I am curious about how long PFZ will continue the forums on their site.

Progress report: I had done my entry hall in the fall, and my kitchen two weeks ago, so I took advantage of the good weather to clean all the dead stuff and doggie organic matter out of my small courtyard entry yard. I then recycled some existing pavers (supplemented with a few new ones) and reshaped the landscaping to created a little graveled seating area. It's a very marked improvement and something that was on my mind to do since we first bought the place. So, yay. Some good unstuck energy.

Since I already got a jump-start on Week Two back in the beginning of March--I blogged about it; click my name for the post--what's on my mind this week is committing to fixing my crappy walls.

I've decided to take pam h's suggestion about beadboard. It would give our place a "beach house in the city" vibe that I'd really enjoy, and we could paint it bright white instead of "Hide the Defects Beige."

However, we don't trust our DIY skills in that area, and we're better off getting a professional.

My question is: What kind of professional are we looking for? A contractor, a painter, a carpenter, a pirate, a poet, etc.?

I've got a budget of about $10,000 for a 300 sq. ft. apartment, and that will include a couple of kitchen cabinets, although they can be postponed until after the Cure.

Thanks!

I just receieved my AT book today in the mail and I guess my urge to work on my kitchen a bit falls well as our current assignment is da' kitchen!

I've just uploaded photos to my flickr of some minimal changes we made to our kitchen. We're on a budget so we bought modern but not too sterile looking shelves from Ikea last weekend and installed them. It's really helped to clear up counter space.

I've included a link to my recent kitchen photos...

Aimee, does that stove lid fold down to a flat counter? I've never seen such. How fantastic!

Melinda Bruno. Were you doing a beadboard wainscoting or beadboard all the way up to the ceiling. I did the beadboard wainscoting myself in my bedroom. (check the link). It was easy. I got it at home depot and simply glued it (with a few nails) right above the original baseboards. All you need is a jigsaw and miter chop saw for the cornice molding. (they're cheap now--only $100.00). The most time-consuming part of the project was not the carpentry but the patching with wood putty and the painting. I'd say most handymen would know how to do wainscoting and they'd be cheaper than a full-blown carpenter. Or if you can't a cheap and good general handyman, then I'd hire a carpenter for phase one, and then a painter for the 2nd phase. No reason to pay a carpenter top dollar for a painting job.

Junedanish, good job on the bedroom!

Your walls are in infinitely better shape than mine. My apartment looks like a cave. I expect to come home one day and find bin Ladin.

I want to take the beadboard floor-to-ceiling, removing the old crown and baseboard moldings. If it were a case of doing wainscoting on mostly straight walls, I would take a chance. But with my walls, take my word for it, this is a job for a pro.

Melinda. Thanks. I'm beginning to feel cozy in my new bedroom. It needs artwork and area rugs etc.. but I'm out of money.

Yeah, you would definitely need a carpenter for floor to ceiling beadboard. Have you checked yet to see what's under the acoustic ceiling tile? You may be pleasantly surprised and find pressed tin...Sometimes those ugly old acoustics are put up for sound or heat saving reasons...The beadboarding will be beautiful in your place. Definitely a great investment. Good luck with the project!

By the way, if do come home one day and find Bin Laden there, budget will be no concern..The reward is like a million or more for the guy now!

LOL! A million...then we could afford a one-bedroom apartment in New York.

And I haven't looked under the acoustic tile, but if my neighbors' ceilings are any indication, there's about a ton of sagging, falling plaster before you get to maybe see a tin ceiling.

Tin ceilings look great, but I've heard they aren't that great acoustically.

junedanish:

Thanks for showing us your pics. Love how the Anthropologie chair looks in that corner. Would like to know where your living room furniture is from - the loveseat and chairs. Thanks!

Wende -
I love those lamps!

junedanish -
I love the dark baseboards, and I think that if your space were (or looked) smaller, then making the edges of the room disappear might be a good idea, but it looks (to me) vast, so I think that framing the walls (or, to me, it makes it appear to frame the floor nicely) is not such a bad idea, and makes it seem a tad cosier and defined. I think your floor would look lost and not be shown off to its best advantage with whie baseboards.

I agree with whomever said that the walls should have a color; you asked about what kind of rug, and I think at a big round one would be nice. If your walls end up being of some kind of medium-toned neutral wall color, then perhaps the rug you're wanting feedback about might be a round one with a fairly strong color. Perhaps the color of the vase that's on the (gorgeous) coffee table?

Lady J- Yes it does! I had never seen that before either but I love the concept! A very european concept for small apartments, counter space when you need it! It's great when we're having parties, you always need extra counter space to put down your drinks. And while you're cooking it protects the wall while you cook...

I found a site that sells acoustic faux tin ceiling tiles, and linked it to my sig here. I would have to see them in person somewhere to determine how utterly faux they really are.

Deepa. Thanks for complimenting my funky/spunky new bedroom chair which cheerfully breaks every decorating rule about bold patterns and color being on pillows-not the furniture itself. The loveseat and chairs are from Crate and Barrel. They're slipcovered which is great because with 2 cats and furball season fast approaching...let's just say they've gone thru the washing machine almost a dozen times in the 3 years I've owned them...I tried to send a link to their online catalog for you but the "Astor Settee" isn't online. I'm sure it's still available in the store itself. Sent you a link to a cache page of the loveseat so you can get a better look at it.

Curtis. Thanks for your advice. A red rug might be just the thing. It would echo the color of the kitchen accent wall--and a round rug would be especially cosy. I think you're probably right about the baseboards. They do define the room. I think once some of the offending brown in the floor is covered by the red rug, I'll feel better about the baseboards.

Wende-Thanks for your nice compliment on my living room. I always enjoy reading your posts so much. It's very cool that you're writing a book about the housing bubble. I work for a book publisher where I design book jackets but we only publish nonfiction...

Kitchen week!

Does anyone know of any over-the-sink, hanging dish dryer racks? The previous owners of my place installed a fold-up IKEA rack such as this, but it is too big for the space. To use it, I fold it down, but to use the faucet when it's holding something, it hits the rack and is wearing off the finish. I really love this type of rack since it prevents having to have a drying rack on the counter, but this is not the right one. It doesn't have to be that big, since I have a dishwasher that I use, so I only use it for a few things.

The IKEA one I have looks like this one:
http://tinyurl.com/obuyw

I see that IKEA has other ones, but does anyone have experience with any others?