apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm not sure what that material is called, but it's unbreakable and it comes in a huge range of colors. I was shown at least two dozen shades of fuschia to choose from.

Danger Man is somewhat of an exhibitionist, as you can see. He is playing possum in that shot.

I think this "break" week will help, since I'm still not quite done with the kitchen and am trying to finish in the evenings, when I'm not very motivated. I get most of my Cure work done on the weekends, unless it's something fun, like sitting in a place you never sat before in your apt. My front hall is no big deal.

I must stay on schedule, or I'll go to Flake City as someone else put it.

color question: does sky blue count as a "neutral?" If so, I have a lot of neutral; if not, a lot of color...

what about chocolate brown?

Since I like the amount of color in my space, for me it is just right. Not sure it fits 80/20 exactly, but it does work for me.

I'm totally living in flake city....I've read the whole book but haven't done much of anything.

I'm glad we're on this topic now, though, because I have been pondering: my front door dumps me into my living room, and the way my furniture is arranged, I don't know if I've got space for a landing strip. I do have a mat to put my shoes on, but my coat closet is near my kitchen, as is the place i hang my keys and shred my unwanted mail. I like the concept of having this right at my door--but could it be worse rather than better in my circumstance?

Also, I am still grasping the 80-20 concept. I think I'm about right, though I think my bedroom is a little over the top while my living room is a little under the top.

I'm right for me, but I'm not 80/20. I would find 80/20 too boring... I like a lot of color, although I balance it with a lot of neutrals and woods.

I am a huge and total fan of the power of the landing strip. Such a simple concept, such HUGE return.

It turned the tide in my "everyday clutter" problem.
A small discrete drawer in my entry-way desk/console, with leather trays from Pottery Barn and a leather change valet form Craet & Barrelinside, keeps everything ordered, everything out of sight.

Mail is still an everyday battle, but the landing strip keeps the other daily detritus under control.

All hail the landing strip!!!

Much obliged on the florist tip, Aimee. I've been all over looking for a shop with good ginger flower and maybe pink lotus. Yesterday I bought a tropical bouquet on 28th Street and cut the long stalks down with a butcher knife.

Opalia, here I come.

Oh, and my tub looks like your before shot. I hate it but the management company refused to regrout when I moved in. The tiles are so close I don't see how to do it without breaking tiles. Cheap white tiles, but still. And someone already went over old grout with filler and did a really messy job that is now overgrown with stains.

I've been reading everybody's posts and tracking progress as they go through "the Cure." Then it dawned on me - what am I doing? Why am I not Curing? Did I think I was above Curing? Why am I simply observing other as they cure?
I must get that book, but I might start working on the landing strip immediately since we have no designated place for just-walked-into-the-apartment junk.
I think I might be afraid of ending up in Flake City. Is Flake City near Rental Town? I think I procrastinate on truly decorating and making my space my own because it's "just a rental". If I'm honest though, I know it's likely I'll be in this rental at least 2 more years.
Back on topic - color. I painted a couple walls in my living room last week Ralph Lauren Forde Abbey. It is a warm grey that looks very close to Benjamin Moore's Silver Fox. I usually choose very color-y colors so this grey was a very different choice for me. I saw so many grey-painted spaces that I liked during the contest I thought I would give it a whirl.
Well, turns out grey isn't for me. I actually feel, I'm not sure, but it's somewhere between boredom and depression. Yes, all that from a paint color. The previous color was an orange which I loved, but I was up for a change. Now I must change back to a color and I'm up for trying something different from the orange. Any good turquoise-y suggestions? I have Benjamin Moore's Majestic Blue and Florida Keys Blue paint chips taped up to the wall right now to observe in different lighting.

kate--
I think the go-to paint guy for all things turquoise (paint) is Ralph Lauren.

wait, lotus? one can get lotus in new york? where? i must know.

mary, 80/20 is one of those things like "warm weather" that i mentally translate from euro to swarthy to get something that makes sense for me.

rasil -- I'm figuring 80/20 is probably a good rule of thumb for beginners who are afraid to add any color. My grandmother's house was all neutrals. They were always afraid of painting walls anything but white and a little of that 20 would have really helped...

Oh no, I've been caught cheating or not cheating. Either way I'm excited that it's landing strip time. I have a little house with no defined entry area and stuff piles up. I've done two things so far to fix this. I bought a little book case and put it by the door with a basket for mail and such. Then I finally got a paper shredder and installed it by the door. It's really fun to run the junk mail through there before it gets strewn about my house.

My main problem now is the coat rack (see pic from the link in my name). It constantly gets filled and seems too big for the room. Should I take it? I have a closet, but it seems small. Any amazing tips for really efficient, small hall closets.

Lady J, I had a bad shower situation in my last rental. I ran shower curtains on both sides of the shower with tension rods to hide the gross tile and a water damaged window.

I was near Flake City last weekend but rallied around last night, turned off the television and tackled the filing cabinet. I intended to spend half-an-hour. My husband joined me and we were at it for two. The part in the book where Maxwell said the couple did things they wouldn't have done had the TV been on? Yeah, we did that.

We cracked bad jokes and laughed.

jen, your coat rack doesn't seem to be near the door? hall closet seems to me a much neater solution, and i envy that you have one.

i don't have a hall closet, and i put some hooks up on the wall near the door. yes, i have to move things into the bedroom closet sometimes. yes, i resent having to see my coats when i sit on the couch.

Jen, I agree with rasil. I have tiny hall closet and only keep 2-3 coats there. The rest are in the bedroom closet. It's a pain but beats the visual clutter.

Thanks P(too)!
I'll have to go check out Ralph's turquoises. Up until a week ago, I was under the impression that RL paint was awful. I had read so many reviews that the paint was streaky. Part of the reason I tried the very un-"me" grey was because I inherited a gallon from somebody who'd bought too much, otherwise I might not have ever tried RL brand paint. I was extremely surprised when the paint covered over a very bold orange in just one even coat (I was too lazy to prime, figuring I was in for 2-3 coats anyway). One coat did the trick.
Thanks again!

I think Flake City is the last stop before Urinetown. If you hit Gangland, you've definitely gone too far.

Kate, I'm currently debating between three blue-green tones from Ralph (for whom I have sworn my undying love, based on paint alone):

Emporor - VM126
Faded Seafoam - VM125
Prussian Blue - VM122

These are all in the vintage masters collection.

I bought a birthday card for a friend, and fell in love with the colors on it. I bought another for myself, matched up the colors with RL paint chips, and now take it everywhere to match up things for my house. I'm debating between those three for my bedroom, but I have a feeling it's going to be the faded seafoam...after I smooth out the walls...and the other two will be accents in bedding and the like.

There are so many things I want to do, including paint. My paint's pretty nice, having been done by previous owner, whose taste was pretty cool - including one gray wall in the LR, speaking of gray. But, I'm finding that my brain is cooking up fix-ups for my place faster than my little feet and budget can carry me. So, I have my mantra: must keep up with Cure. If I can stick with this, including the repair list, I can do some of the projects later. Just making more space in my place and getting rid of stuff I didn't formerly even think of as clutter is a huge exercise in apartment therapy. I'm really getting the Breathe part of the book.

Oooh, Denver Rachel, that sounds lovely. Of all the colors I've painted before, I've never done blue. Green is my favorite color, but blue is a very close second, so I'm surprised I haven't tried it yet (and can't wait!)
My furnishings are pretty neutral, and I don't want the space to feel too cool since it's a living room, so I think I will add some red-orange accent pieces for a little contrast. I love how Aimee (pic above) warmed up her icy blue with the rich reds.
In the bedroom however, I think an all-blue palette would be delicious. I checked out all the colors you mentioned online - I think you're right with the Faded Seafoam as the backdrop and mixing the lighter and darker blue in as accents. I'll have to pick up an Emperor chip, that looks like it might be close to what I want. I'm also going to check out Oyster Bay and a few others in the Sea and Sky collection.
Good luck with your bedroom project!

re: "I love how Aimee (pic above) warmed up her icy blue with the rich reds."

yes, indeed, and how the top row of her shelf is devoted to white vases, reaching up to the white cieling.

Rasil - I have no idea if lotus can be got, but I'm trying to find out. It would be so nice.

Jen - thanks! I was considering that as an option. Anything would be an improvement.

YES to the paper shredder by the door! I just did this and I love love love shredding all the junk mail right as I get inside my pad.

We do have a defined entryway (you walk in and there is a small 4x6 hall space, music room ahead, kitchen and bathroom to the side)

I removed the tacky mirror from the left wall of the entryway and plan on putting this coat hook up

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=980054

(only have 17 inches so it was hard to find something good)

and on the right side I need to find a small table to go over the shredder and hold keys, etc. Also considering painting the whole entryway some color that will give way nicely to the dark green music room (where the piano and the drums are) that lies ahead.

Ok, ramble over.

Aimee:

Our shower stall (don't have a tub) looks like your "before" shot, too. All the apartments have the moldy grout. I bought a grout eraser at BBB on Sunday and applied a lot of elbow grease. I achieved strong elbows.

I wish people would could into more depth about the landing strip.

It was my intention to spend last winter fixing up my entryway, but it proved extraordinarily hard to figure out what to do. There are not a lot of examples, especially for a mid-sized apt. I have a long narrow hallway that leads to a little opening just before the living room. My coat closet is too narrow to hang coats; I bought this DWR coat rack on sale - it doesn't seem to be there any more. Also put a chair there, but it has turned into a table.

Sources of inspiration would be much appreciated.

I have been trying to nail down the landing strip for a long while. My door opens on a long narrow hallway, with immediate short branch to the left (bathroom). The hallway ends at a small room before opening into the studio. That small room is where I put a ceramic tray from Pearl River just big enough for keys and a change purse. Drop my keys there every day. Then on the short wall (24") btw kitchen door and studio there is a small shelf with a basket on top for junk mail. But I actually "toss" junk mail in a mesh basket under the desk for recycling.

Laziness is the key problem with my landing strip. It is key to all my problems.

Deepa and Rasil, I will have to move the coat rack elsewhere. It blocks part of the window and is just too bulky. I was thinking I would take off the closet door and replace it with a curtain since it gets in the way of the front door.

Kate, I used Ralph Lauren River Rock paint in my spare room and my only issue with it was that it took a ton of paint to get any coverage. My walls could still use another coat. If I had it to do over, I would have put a couple of layers of Benjamin Moore in the same shade underneath. I've heard their non-textured paints are fine.

Margaret, my idea of a landing strip is that I can walk into the house, put everything down in it's spot, and not have it look like a tornado just came through my livingroom. I'm still working on it so I don't have any examples or pictures at this point.

Oh, and I forgot about the bathrooms. A bleach pen can also do wonders for stained showers. I went over my shower this weekend because it had some lovely red mold growing in the grout. Now it's back to white without me having to do too much work.

i have googled and i have come up empty, and my mind is in ecstasies of thwarted desire for lotuses.

i have a shallow brass vase, i was thinking of hydroponically planting narcissus, though lotuses would be lovely too.

did the automatic plant waterer issue ever get resolved?

i need plant therapy. and grief counseling, because i think my jasmine plants are dead. they aren't leafing or flowering.

Margaret--
I'd say it's something to handsomely corral the stuff of life that spills from the pockets onto places like kitchen tables.

So, for me, it means a place for keys (could be a hook or a tray), a place for loose change. A letter organizer. Perhaps a place to dump the odd wet umbrella. So, could be a drawer with dividers, a series of small attractive baskets, a letter organizer, etc.

My good friend Mike uses the top of an Ikea shoe organizer on the landing of the stairs to his second floor apartment, and it changed his life... the piece came with hooks (keys, dog leashes) and the top is wide enough to put change in a small tray, cell phone, etc. ABove it, a piece of art that makes him happy, coming and going.( I'd say a mirror is also a helpful landing strip addition...)

Plus, this piece (where he keeps his shoes) literally "made" an additional, useable "room" in his apartment. Instead of taking up square footage, this piece of furniyure, because of its usefulness, actually created it.

Just a reminder that you can get on a "do not mail list"--here's the info:
http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/offmailinglist

I've done this and it has cut down on my junk mail quite a bit. We'd discussed other ploys regarding junk mail on AT before, such as sending the stuff back in the sender's own envelope. A lot of junk mail doesn't include an envelope, so my little trick is to write on the outside "return to sender," "put on do not send list," "unsolicited-refused." Stuff like that. It's on their dime and I get a lot of satisfaction sending junk back to the junk sender.

I've also cancelled quite a few catalogs, which helps a lot. But, they seem to grow back like weeds.

Pixie, I'd heard about doing stuff like the return envelope trick - but the people who will actually open those envelopes aren't the company - it's usually a mail processing center who opens them and files them.

Sending them bricks, or coffee grounds, or just their own junk is unfortunately a wasted effort.

Someone mentioned a shredder before. Well, I had the scariest experience on Sunday. I keep my to-be-shredded documents in one of my dining table drawers. I was about to tackle it when I realized the shredder was not where I usually keep it. I looked high and low in my 700 sq ft apt and could not find it.

Sad thing is I KNOW it is there.
It's just lost in the clutter!

Or else, someone robbed my apartment and all they took was my shredder, which I really doubt.

Foyer is easy?

Tackling the foyer's closet meant going through all the art supplies and really being rigorous about what materials I'm never going to use because I find them annoying and only bought them for a project that's either done or will never happen. It was PAINFUL.

The good part was discovering an extra set of 1:12 chairs, finding the door knocker for the house-in-progress, discovering where I'd put the last two bus tokens, and determining that we were still giving space to Swiffer fluid and pads after the Swiffer had died and been replaced. Oops.

Considering my bedrooom is bright orange and my bathroom bright green, I'd say that not even my brown living room can balance that out. I like my "too much" color!

Hey, neat - I'm in the post! Only I'm a big slacker who hasn't been making much progress since those photos were taken. I'm ashamed...

margaret -- just watch yourself as you come in this week. Figure out what you carry around with you and where it goes best. My "landing strip" is a hook for my keys, a coat rack on the wall, a shoe holder that I can also use as a bench, a place to put my purse, the paper recycling area, a shredder and the trash. If I have anything else, I use my kitchen counter as a placeholder until I get to it. Your stuff will vary, but just take note of your needs this week and try to start solving them this weekend. Start out with cardboard boxes and bowls from your kitchen and then move onto organisers. Remember that it takes 21 days to "set" a habit, and keep adjusting it to taste as you go along.

I sometimes write about the direct marketing industry. The DMA's do not mail/call/e-mail lists are a good idea. Don't forget to renew every five years though.

The reason why catalog seem to grow back like weeds is that while a company does respect your wish not to have your name sold to other companies who want to send out catalogs, and the like, it doesn't feel the same way about its own products and lines. So if you're on Pottery Barn's list, you'll probably get Williams Sonoma and/or West Elm, all divisions of the same company.

Also, a lot of credit card statements and magazine subscription blanks have a box to check off about whether you want to receive solicitations. Find it and check no. Watch out for the phrasing though. I remember seeing one in which if you checked no, you were actually saying yes. If you can't find the check off box, call up and tell them.

Last, starve the beast. Use cash whenever possible. The less the companies know about you the less they can model (the marketer's version of profiling) and the less desirable a prospect you become.

Now if only someone would tell me why, if I live in New York's East Village, does Mercedes Benz think I'm in need of a luxury sedan?

I just painted my bathroom with RL's Sunwashed Blue. The coverage was excellent. I am always astonished by how much more intense colors look on the wall than on the chip. This was no exception. And unfortunately, I can't seem to extrapolate from a sample to an entire room. I have to do a whole wall before I know what I'm getting. Luckily this looks beautiful, but more underwater than sunwashed.

I just did my living room as well, benjamin moore Stem Green. somewhere between apple and pea. I really wanted to do a shade of orange, but I chickened out. this is satisfactorily vibrant, however, against the white wainscoting. Actually, just about as much as I can take.

Ha! I did call the Williams Sonoma empire and request that they cease and desist from sending me any catalogs whatsoever. They obliged, and it cut down on the junk mail by half.

Still, I'm miffed that Mercedes Benz does not think me a worthy target like JonathanB. It must be all those Food & Wine mags he subscribes to.

The other tip of heard when painting a vibrant or deep color is to pick the color you want off the chip, but *buy* the paint one notch down (lighter), since a whole room of one color will bounce around the reflected color and intensify the effect.

(This only applies when you are painting an entire room, not just an accent wall.)

If you're still jonesing to go more extreme, the lighter shade makes a GREAT tinted primer to the next color...

of = I've

This site has all the info on how to quit getting junkmail:
http://www.obviously.com/junkmail/

I swear that I heard of some sort of catalog database that you can get yourself out of. I'll have to hunt down the link. Going forward specify that you don't want any mailings when you order things.

Henrietta --

Please don't feel mifted. I'm willing to share....

Jen --

The DMA. And go for all three databases -- mail, phone, and email. Not to mention the governemt do not call list. They're all free. That will reduce wanted solicitations by about 75% all told, which isn't bad.

JohnathanB -- I'm also in the East Village, but sadly I'm not on the Mercedes Benz list. I am the target market for "Hobby Farms Magazine". [I traced that one back to Home Depot.]

I made up a bunch of little postcards that I send back in the pre-paid envelopes of the companies that send me stuff. I also go to their websites and look for the "contact us" link. If it's a catalog, I call their number. I try to bother them a few different ways until I get an answer. I really get a lot of random mail that I don't want, and I feel that it is my right to bother them when they bother me...

Mary --

Which side of Thompkins Square?

As for bugging the marketers: if it makes you happy. However, you might give them a few weeks to process your requests. E-mail is usually all but immediate; phone fairly fast (thanks to legal penalties); but mail can take up to three months.

I have a feeling I'm not going to live down getting stuff from Mercedes Benz....

We have a pretty good landing strip system in our current apartment. We have a small shoe rack for shoes. Hung on the wall is a framed mirror with hooks underneath, which holds things like short jackets, scarves, and umbrellas. The little ledge on the mirror holds sunglasses and envelopes to be mailed. Below the mirror is a small bench that flips open to store bulkier winter scarves. Underneath the bench we tucked small baskets to hold hats and gloves. And sitting on the bench is a small bowl to hold keys. Coats hang on a hook on the back of the door.

The only thing we don't have (that we could use) is stuff to process mail. Generally I try to carry junk stuff straight through to the garbage and put bills in a small envelope sorter next to our computer. But it would be great to have those facilities right there when you come in.

Our new house is going to be a challenge to set up in this way: many doorways open off of it, so there isn't a lot of wall space to hang things on or to place furniture against. I'm going to have to keep my eye out for a very slim table.

I am having the hardest time finding a small table to act as my "landing strip" - I have a space in my entryway that is 28 in wide (between 2 doorways) and I'd like a table that's about 38 in high and 16 in or so deep - I've only been looking online but have visited all the stores listed in your book - no luck. Coffee/console tables are much too big, nightstands seem too low and small. Any suggestions? I feel like I need to "think outside the box" here...

Thanks, Erica

JohnathanB -- I live closer to Union Square than Thompkins Sq, although I usually walk east for lunch. I used to live on 10th + A before I moved to my current place.

Erica -- have you thought about just having a bookshelf? A lot of them are only around 12"-16" wide, and you'd have extra space for shoes or whatever... Maybe you'd rather hang a shelf-y object on the wall instead?

Erica -- I've been keeping my eye out for a similar piece for my narrow hall, and have seen a lot of cabinets and tables in the bathroom section of catalogs like HomeDecorators, etc.

Shoot, I should have stated the other restriction and that is the lightswitch on that wall prevents having anything higher than, let's say, eye level. So it would have to be a thin AND short bookcase. *sigh*

Thin and short suggests a pair of CD cabinets -- the solid kind that look like dwarf casegoods and are about waist-high, not the wire kind. Some have drawers; some have open niches. The standard-sized niches or drawers work surprisingly well for a lot of things other than CDs.

Another possibility for a thin/short piece is a telephone table (ours is only about 12x12 and is taller than end table height) or a large plant stand (the kind that is fairly solid and has a shelf underneath, with a flat top, not the twirly wrought iron kind with a rim).

Or, for a sleeker look, a vintage stainless steel medical cart: http://tinyurl.com/s3ppy

My front door opens into a long hallway with a small closet on the right of the door. I found a very, very narrow, very simple red chinese bench in a used furniture store for maybe around $50. I sit on it to take off my shoes, which go on a rack in the closet (my closet shoe situation, although not bad, could use some improvement). I hang my coat in the closet. I keep my ironing board hung in the closet. My rolling shopping basket is leaning on one side (I tried to set it up so it would hang on the wall, but there's nothing to anchor the hooks on and the cart is heavy. Am thinking of switching to a different type of cart).

I leave my keys on one end of the bench, nearest the door. The hall is an Outbasket, right now full of stuff from my Cure purging. But, normally, I just put stuff on the bench that needs to go out or that I don't want to forget.

I take my mail down the hall to a corner of a counter in the kitchen. I usually go through it right away or at least soon-never piles up more than a day or two. I sort the bills into a bill paying hanging file (but most of my bills are electronic). I take magazines and put them into my reading pile and catalogs either into a quick read pile or get rid of them right away. Junk mail I generally clip my contact information off into little pieces since I don't want to keep a shredder at home and then toss the junk. I take major shredding - from paper purges - and shred at the office.

I love my little chinese bench. Well-proportioned for the hall, looks very zen and antiquey (maybe it is), and works for me.

I learned how to deal with charitable contribution appeals without guilt from a Zen master. He said when you go through your mail keep your check book and a pen handy. If you do not feel like writing the check at that moment, for whatever reason, discard the appeal. If this is a charity or similar to a charity whose purpose you agree with, you will have ample opportunities to give in the future. If it is a "maybe," you can find it sometime in the future. However you choose to deal with it do NOT save it for "later."

ebrown,
Good advice. I'm switching to that from my old method, which is filing all the good ones away and making a decision on them all at once. I always end up throwing them all out and until I do, they clog up the files. But, filing them puts off the guilt of not donating to them one by one. Sort of like the Cure's method of putting stuff in the Outbox, but not making a decision as to its final fate. I already donate well through a fund at work that spreads the donations over the entire year and through a few other very specific avenues. The stuff I get in the mail is a guilt trip.

ebrown,

Thanks for that gold nugget.

Mary --

I'm about two blocks from Union Square myself -- about a block from the Strand. I'm also a block from Alabaster, which is more fun as a book shop.

as for landing strips -- well my entry is the outside width of the doorframe. Close on one side, archway to the kitchen on the other. Not even a shelf just deep enough to prop up a picture is shallow enough. The edge of the kitchen's breakfast bar has functioned as a landing strip for years, though I didn't know that's what I was supposed to call in. I'm not wild about it, but it's not a real problem.

I think I'm joining a little late, oops. But I'll be doing the one-room remedy. I don't have a lot of clutter because I've been living in my house for only about 6 months, coming straight from my parents' house. Right now my house is sparsely furnished, and a bigtime work in progress. Aside from swapping out the cabinets and countertops, my kitchen is functional and looking ok enough for me to leave it alone for a while, so I would like to work on my living room first I suppose.

Here's a photo of what it currently looks like:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambernussbaum/118747699

I definitely think I have movie theater syndrome, but right now I can't put the couch (unseen in this pic) anywhere else, it's too big. It's an inherited couch. I think when I get the couch I want, it will go under those windows, with chairs and a small table on the wall where the couch is now. I also want to get that TV mounted on the wall to free up the top of that credenza for displaying stuff. The speakers are also going up on the wall, I suppose.

Anyway, lots of work to do. I'll take pictures of everything as it is now very soon.

Amber, you're off to a good start and have great taste.

Here's my landing strip: the kitchen table and the Cosco step-stool. But this week won't be a total loss. The bolts need to be tightened on the step-stool.

Amber, you have wonderful taste and the advantage of starting with less stuff!

I was a big girl and talked with the building manager about the dratted blinds today, with the result that either the building will replace them with the same ones as fell apart OR they will toss that much money into the pot and we can pay the remainder to replace them with a higher quality product. Either is better than I had hoped, as we were willing to pay the whole cost of decent ones ourselves.

Our building manager is WONDERFUL, but the breakage in the bedroom is our fault (cat with large head) so I felt guilty about bringing it up. (From a design standpoint, curtains would be better, but I can see the wisdom of not encouraging tenants to drill random holes in the woodwork.)

A salute to you wende! Bravo!

How large is that cat's head?

Just like in school, I've been putting off all the assignments till the last minute. But I'm delighted to have deep-cleaned the kitchen and I love my new custom-cut fuschia ceiling light panel, and the landing strip organizer I ordered from holdeverything makes it a pleasure to deal with my mail/catalogs, etc., instead of a pain in the ass. Also replaced those tired old dining chair cushions and that had a surprisingly lifting effect on my psyche. Finally, in my Week 3 photos Danger Man helps show off my new fuschia/citrus sheets. I am now significantly over the 80/20 color recommendation.

I love that fuschia panel in the kitchen - is that plexi? I'm thinking of a piece of plexiglas at the end of my restaurant, open storage underneath (shows all) table in the kitchen.

Does Danger Man know his repose shot is all over the internet?

I've linked to a drawing I made of the entryway cabinet of my dreams...if anyone has seen something like it please let me know - I've looked seemingly everywhere!

Thanks, Erica

I created a landing strip last year using a foyer table. There's a lamp, a basket for incoming mail, a small blue tray to hold my keys and cell, a little bamboo box to hold glasses, and a tall Santo. Last week I changed out the original foyer table for another which is set up like the first. However it has three drawers which I intend to use for sorting mail: bills and personal. And one empty drawer to breathe.

Erica, I commented on your picture's page, plus I made a little mock up of what I mean. CLick my name....

I'm still finishing up Week 2 - kitchen. I should be done tonight. Just the inside of the fridge left :C although I did clean that out not so long ago (at least in my book, which is once in the last 2 years.) So, should be ok. I'm feeling quite obsessive about keeping on with this, step by step. Can't wait to get to Week 3, Week 2 was kind of intense. But good.

Rachel - thanks SO much for the mockup - you've really got my wheels turning!

Erica

I didn't think it could be done, but: my files are mean and lean.

Sorry, no beefcake shots.

Come on Henrietta, beefcake!

I need a little feedback on something.

The metal door of our apartment (click on myh name for picture) will remain a bulletin board/message center, although we'll be weeding out some of the crap on a regular basis. It's also a nifty display for our magnet collection.

What I need are suggestions on how to make it look like something other than the door to our apartment with crap stuck all over it.

I've already decided what to do about the ugly clump of phone wires plastered to the left-hand side and the top of the trim. The carpenter who will do the beadboard (haven't picked one yet) can do something similar to Curtis' "Hiding Cable in Front of Marble Saddle" thing, and then paint that and the trim the same color.

Bearing in mind that the style I'm working towards is "Urban Rustic"--or as I like to call it, "Soho Shaker"--how do I work that style into defining the door as "bulletin board/message center"?

Would blackboard-colored paint work, or would it be too overwhelming in a small, narrow apartment? As you can see from the credenza and the bed, I have no problems about going for large furniture in a tiny space.

It's funny how I did spring cleaning just a month before, but I can still find things I don't need lurking in the shadows, like 8 year old baking soda. [shudder]

When I did the "sit someplace you never sit" exercise again this week, I sat on my couch. I usually watch TV from my bed or desk chair, and the couch is always "company space". There's a really ugly view from the couch! You can take in the vast expanse of my landing strip, recyclables and shredder. Plus, anyone sitting on the couch gets to look at the business end of my TV cart and the desk chair I'm abandoning to the Outbox. Not so cool, really. I rarely have more than one or two people over, so I don't technically need more seating, but I'm thinking that I'll add another chair or a nice bench post-Cure. I need to use my living room area more, but a traditional living room equation would overstuff my house: couch + 2 chairs + coffee table = no room to move!

Melinda -- I'd start by weeding out magnets that you don't love and just making the thing more of a "display". Blackboard paint would be great! If you want, you can paint a panel of color for everything to live in and add moulding, as if that's the bulletin board stuck on your door. I'm guessing that a lot of the things that live on your door are like the things that live on mine -- I never sort through them once they go up there, but they're things that make me smile for one reason or another. Carefully arrange them so that they look more like a wall of family photos than stuff on your door, and you'll get better milage out of them.

Hey everyone!

I'm putting a small shelf and some hooks behind my door to act as my mini landing strip, and I haven't been able to find a shelf I like that will fit. I'd like something simple, like the IKEA LACK shelf or these from West Elm. My major limitation is the size: since it's behind the door, it can't really be bigger than 12"W x 4"D. Click on my name for a mock-up of the area.

Anyone have recommendations for something like that? I'd like to put flowers and/or small pieces of mail on it, so I'm not looking for a picture ledge. Any help would be most appreciated!

I guess it didn't like my link for the West Elm shelves.

You might take another look at picture rails, actually. If you really only have 4", and it's behind a door that could come swinging at it, a ledge could be the thing that saves your vase from crashing to the floor. I was just in Room+Board, and they had a nice one with a thick edge -- you could lean your mail against it, although you'd be limited to a drinking glass-sized vase. All of these are 4" deep:

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/coll.do?coll=RB1609&dept=RB137

Otherwise, this sounds like a job for a good handyman or carpenter. You're not doing anything fancy, and I'm sure someone local could make exactly what you want. All you'd have to do is explain it and buy some cute hooks!

Thanks mary - good point. I'll reconsider the picture rails.

http://tinyurl.com/nrmxa

erica - not quite the entry cabinet of your dreams - but something close from BLUDOT furniture modulicious line...