apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Serpah:

You can find organic wheat grass for the kitties at many regular grocery stores, and it's less expensive than the SAME THING sold at pet supply stores. I still haven't found the PERFECT container in which to place the grass, but I'm still looking. Because it can be DECORATIVE, in individual square pots or in a trio of round pots on a rectangular platter.

Giving them what they want so they leave your stuff alone is critical.

During the time when grass in fields is sprouting, I gather up grass to bring home, and cats seem to like that better than the store bought stuff.

There are varying opinions on why cats eat grass or chew plants. Trace minerals/vitamins/nutrients. It can serve as floss, dental floss, I've watched my own floss with grass. It can help with hairballs, eating a bunch of grass and then vomiting it up with the hairball.

I have a soft bristle brush that I bought at Target (one side soft bristle, the other side the metal "spike" brush) for a dollar in the dollar section. He brushes his teeth on the soft bristle side. Really.

I've also found that cats may enjoy playing with toothbrushes, so perhaps a child-size, soft-bristle toothbrush could be left around.

And, when I've gotten flowers, I will give a flower to the cat to play with. Sometimes that old, dried carnation flower head will be batted about until it completely disintegrates.

I pretty much offer whatever I have for full investigation. As long as it isn't poisonous. That's how I find out that cotton swabs are tons of fun for cats. Or that they really LIKE honeydew melon.

Imagine their point of view. Imagine your spouse or friend bringing something home and swatting you for sniffing the flowers or wanting to eat the food.

"No no, bad Serpah!"
***squirting Serpah with a water sprayer***
"This is MY dinner, you eat the dry cereal out of the box."

Yay, I made the header! Hear the roar of the crowd?

Hello all. I have been a lurker for the past few months. I bought the book late, and I am just getting started on my apartment therapy.

Just a little background, I live in CT and although I love almost all of the smallest coolest apartments, I do not want mid-century mod for my own apartment.

I have some ideas for a good deep treatment and a partial one room remedy, but I need some help. I know this is a very, very broad question, I would love some advice; any advice! You can click on the link and see some before pics and my initial AT thoughts.

Thanks a bunch.

I'm trying to figure out how to improve the lighting in my living room. I recently replaced a kind of heavy-feeling MCM wooden table lamp on my side table with the crystal Bourgie lamp. I like the shape of my new lamp, but my favorite thing is that at night when lit it emits kind of a rosy glow. It just has 3 clear incandescant bulbs in it, I think the rosiness comes from the shape and material of the shade.
Another light in my "living room" (this is an open loft floorplan) is a simple tall (6 feet) wooden lamp with a large drum shade that takes 2 bulbs. I currently have 2 60-watt Soft White bulbs in it, but am not happy with the way that light feels at night. It feels too, I'm not sure, I guess harsh is the best word. I've tried 40-watt Soft White but the level of lighting wasn't quite enough.
With all of the concrete I guess I want the light from the floor lamp to feel softer and warmer, but the Soft White bulbs aren't doing that.
What should I try next? Has anybody tried the pink bulbs with any success?

i think the right shade will soften the light. i have a 100 watt bulb in a blue and pink paper lantern and the light is wonderfully soft and almost furry, yet still bright enough to light the room.

hey ya'll!! You know... it's not always true that everything in Texas is bigger. In fact, there's loads of us here (Dallas) who love living in small spaces. I've just started the cure - into week two. Man does my kitchen look good (so clean and happy!!) I just wanted to say thanks for all your posts and pictures -- it's totally inspiring and I've gotten a lot of good tips from you all. (since i've just only started the cure, i have the advantage of having a months worth of your experience!!)

So Thank You Apartment Therapy and all you who continually strive to make your home a happy and healthy place to be! In the process we shall become better people!

-Audrey

Sara,
have you tried dimmers? It makes a huge difference. Ikea has really cheap ones too.

Thanks rasil and etslee for your suggestions!
Rasil, I love the idea of a shade with some soft colors in it, but still being able to get a bright light. Maybe I could have a lamp store recover my existing shade in a new fabric.
Etslee, that is a perfect idea. I actually have DIMMA (it cracks me up that the dimmers at IKEA are called that) hooked up to the light pendants that hang over my dining table. I can't believe I didn't think of getting one for my floor lamp - I'll definitely pick up one at IKEA this week. That's nice because then I could turn the light up if reading in the armchair next to the light but could dim it for cocktails, movie watching, etc.
Thanks again to both of you!

Archie, your place is cute! I feel like it needs splashes of color (are you allowed to paint the walls?) and some art and decorative elements--but the basics are good.

I know you are moving your TV, but it seems like there is a LOT going on around it currently. Perhaps you want to conceal that more when you move it?

Also, in the 2nd bedroom (which you said was unfinished), I think the first move is to get a bigger rug, and then work off that color scheme.

Archie, the "Apartment Therapy" book includes lots of good tips regarding decluttering. I would declutter before I did anything else in this apartment. To me, you seem to have a lot of furniture and a lot of stuff on display. Opening up some space will give you--and your imagination--some room. Try clearing out some corners--that can do wonders. I'd consider moving the TV into the office room (the keyboard, too, if it would fit). I'd get rid of the bookcase in the hallway--it doesn't seem to be serving much purpose. The book also includes tips on hanging art. I think there's a bit too much art and it isn't hung to its best advantage. It's always nice for me to see a place that doesn't look like a page from a DWR catalog. The people who live here seem to actually have some interests and hobbies.

I've recently discovered that lamps can have special powers. My main room was feeling a little sterile. Then I bought a table lamp with a big, sculptural base to put on the new media console, and everything sort of snapped together. That one thing made the room feel more homey, even when it's turned off.

How come the title (The Cure: Week 6.0-Light Therapy) and the box picture (The eight-step home cure week 5.0) don't match? And why does stuff like that bother me?

Archie, you saw Nick's place in Open Thread 205 on AT-NY? One thing you can do, either now or in the future, is to consider the multi-function of using the dresser type items as a TV stand, as he did. Dressers aren't just for clothing.

Depending on the size of the drawers, you could house an entire collection of CDs, DVDs, tapes, etc. It won't get the stuff dusty and all the titles would be easy to read, with their edge facing up.

Not that you want to muck up a perfectly good dresser, but it can store a LOT of stuff. Yeah, like shoes. Not the ones just worn in from a mud puddle. But clean shoes could be stored in the drawers.

Books, especially paperbacks. You could have a couple drawers making up a library, all out of the light and dust.

Things that take up too much space elsewhere. Things like the turkey roaster that you really DO use, but only a few times a year. Or giant wool sweaters that hog your bedroom space. Extra bedding, like sheets.

Looks like you have crawlspace storage along the short walls too! Cool! And once you've wedged something way in the back, it will be forgotten. Or you won't be able to get to it. Consider storage that has wheels.

Here's one easy example:
http://tinyurl.com/ewqjb

Lid sold separately. They roll. They stack. They're cheap. Yeah, I know they're in the kid's section. It's an example to consider.

If you're REALLY organized, you create an inventory map. With B storage on top of A, and both being at the farthest back point...B contains winter woolens, hats, scarves, gloves, A contains long underwear, flannel sheets, winter jammies. Etc. No wondering about what is where or what goes back where.

Another idea for the dressers, stack 'em:
http://tinyurl.com/keeac

You may be able to locate very inexpensive unfinished solid wood dressers locally. Use "white wash" furniture stain to lighten them up, and stack them on top of each other. Especially good if you're tall. I'd be pulling the top drawer into my face. However, you can add in a little unfinished wood step-ladder, and white wash it too.

I'm not seeing books on the living room bookcase. I have a ton of clutter. My books on the "entertainment center" can't be accessed without moving some little doo-dad or another.

Flat stuff...put the pictures in an album. A nice album. The pictures won't fade from the light, the picture frames won't need to be dusted, and they'll all be together. Add to the pictures a story, anything you can remember. Start doing this NOW. I don't know who most of the people are in MY OWN OLD PHOTOS. I took those pictures. Who are those people? When were they taken? Where was I?

That's stuff you can pass on to your kids. My mom's photos? I don't know who those people are either! I don't know when they were taken or where or if they are significant. But if there was a STORY to go with them!!!

That eliminates the majority of your items out in the open, and puts them into an organizated area, in storage, in an album, in drawers.

If the keyboard is collapsible or has removeable legs, put that on a dresser too. You may be able to customize an unfinished dresser by adding on pull-out-drawer kind of hardware, sort of like for keyboard computer drawers. Extra sturdy. You can stand, or pull it out and sit. Would make for a cool, space-saving vanity too.

There are all kinds of hardware items, like this pop-up table mechanism: http://tinyurl.com/hsqjc

Uh, slides sort of like this:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1493

But much stronger, so they don't bend and make the keyboard fall on your feet or lap. Or a whole bunch of the little ones.

I bet this is long. Oh well. Maybe one idea will work! :)

Usually, I'm beside myself with happiness when we start a fresh, new Cure week. However, I'm still puttering through many little pieces of paper and clippings from office week and will have to continue on that into this week. This is a pile of ancient stuff from when I got rid of my two big file cabinets that were ugly and way too big for my current space. I have a lovely, rolling file cart now containing all my current files, but I still have this pile of unresolved stuff that's lived in various places, but has mostly been hiding out under the bed in recent times and that I am determined to tackle. So, although I'm going out of town this weekend, I will have a day at home early next week and should be able to tackle the bathroom quickly then, after I move through this stuff scrap by scrap. Courage!

Thanks for all of the comments, guys! The big suggestion seems to be DECLUTTER, which I totally agree with. That is a big reason for us starting the AT. We both have a bit of pack rat in us and it shows. We both need to learn that more is less.

I also agree with the wall art comments. When we moved in we basically threw up the frames without much thought. We actually used existing nails and holes where ever they were.

Somone commented about painting the table. Would you suggest just the legs or the top as well?

Andre, lots of good ideas there, thanks. I love the idea of an inventory map. I actually created an excel workbook that would inventory all of our storage so that it was easily searchable and sortable. I just never put it into use. :(

This week is kitchen week for me. We need to clean and reorganize the kitchen for maximum efficiency. Myabe some shopping this weekend.

Thanks again for all of the comments!

If anyone's looking for a really great, small table lamp with a kicky shade, I LOVE my Lights Up! Oscar Table Lamp from Design Public (seen in my house here, not a great photo though, sorry)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambernussbaum/142189998

And available here:

http://www.designpublic.com/shop/lights-up/3625

I have the "soy" base with the "red / orange mumm on silk" shade, the smaller version. Everyone who's seen this lamp loves it. Besides that it's the only light other than the stupid ceiling fan in my living room (hides face in shame). Guess I need some light therapy, huh? I'll get right on that.

I love that lamp, Amber! It makes me smile.

I've fixed two things in my bathroom--slow drain in the sink (actually the plumber had to come for that) and a constantly-falling-down toilet paper holder. I think I've finally conquered that thing with screw anchors that fit. Now I have to sand down all the spackle from all the holes I've put in the wall from previous attempts, and re-paint.

I know there have to be some theater majors here, so does anybody know anyplace in NYC that buys hard-to-find Original Broadway Cast Albums on vinyl?

Time to let somebody else sing and dance in their living room.

Melinda--
That sounds like eBay gold to me. I'd sell 'em there.

Melinda -- footlight records on 12th and 4th used to, but I think they went online now. You might track them down and see if they'll do consignment for you...

Archie,
Painting the table, that was me. I would say paint the whole table one color just to keep the design clean. You will have to do a bit of sanding on the parts already painted, but it will look like a totally different table, hopefully you will like it better.

Amber:

I noticed your lamp right away in your photos. That's partially what inspired the choices I made for your living area rug. I don't know if you ever saw those ideas. Maybe they just sucked. ;)

But I thought the lampshade had more orange. These were the rugs:
http://tinyurl.com/qmxvn
http://tinyurl.com/nq6js
http://tinyurl.com/qk6pp
http://tinyurl.com/n9pwd

www.footlight.com -- or so I seem to remember. There was also a phone number, which didn't always work.

It was a great shop. I live around the corner, it was a favorite place to drop in and buy that "odd" CD.

I didn't ever see those. I do like the last one but they're all too much orange for me. I think I've 99.9% decided that THIS is the rug.

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod30720102&parentId=cat10790735&masterId=cat3520733&index=19&cmCat=cat000000cat000553cat3520732cat3520733cat10790735

Amber, go back through the old book threads. I didn't like that one at NM, because I didn't think it went with anything you have.

Same rug, different site, different colors:
http://tinyurl.com/jyft6

It IS the same rug and the same colorway, just two completely different pictures.

It looks like you have yellow walls and orange or orange-red chairs. I probably wouldn't add in a bunch more colors, whether it's chartreuse and navy or robin's egg blue and seafoam. Which is why I picked up primarily orange rugs to go WITH the colors you already have.

You'd have a jumble of color on ONE side of the room. Unless you were planning on redoing the wall paint and artwork and chairs to match up to the colors in the rug (whatever the actual colors end up being, LOL), I wouldn't add new colors.

Ahhhh, I gotta go do pictures of it now.

Amber, go here and look at the three:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96179754@N00/

Amber1: Neiman Marcus colors
Amber2: the lighter colors shown on the other site
Amber3: one of the rugs I liked

I only pasted a rectangle into the picture so you can see the colors with your room.

No cure for me this week. My sister, her boyfriend and her kitten are staying at my house at night, and I drop by during the day to get work done. They've piled their suitcases on my kitchen table and their clothes on top of my own in the closet. This week, my closet could totally win the messiest closets contest -- there's a litter box sitting not six inches away from my nicest clothes. Next week, they'll be moved into their new place and my apartment will be back to its normal chaos.

In exchange for this week in cramped paradise, they've offered to ship that f*$&#@^#*ing end table back to my mom and take me to The Container Store. As far as I'm concerned, they can stay all month.

Great trade off Mary.

Andree-

Oh wow I see what you're sayin. The colors in those pictures aren't QUITE right though, no flash and all. So it's not accurate.

The chairs are a coral color. My other danish modern chair has a yellow cushion, and the trim on my table that holds my records is yellow (although that might not stay). The walls are just a slight tinge of yellow off white. I plan on painting one wall tiffany blue, and putting in blue curtains. The new couch will be graphite/charcoal gray. That's why I thought that rug might pull everything in.

But now you're makin me reconsider. Hmmm.

Wait a minute, I just noticed that Neiman Marcus rug is acrylic. Never mind. Why the heck didn't I look at that sooner? I'm pretty 100% certain I want a wool rug.

(this will be a little long)
Ever since buying the book, I've been going on a binge of getting rid of stuff (I'm a warm person). Both my parents were huge packrats. Generally, my tendency is to collect things up to a point, then get rid of things in a bang. The book plus the contest have really inspired me (and kicked my ass) into making my dining room.

I got rid of two bookshelves worth of books (with the books doubled up), a garbage bag of clothes, about 10 pieces of furniture plus one appliance. I'm really happy with the results. My friends keep asking me if I'm moving or something. My SO is pretty happy but worried that maybe I'm getting rid of stuff too fast.

I still have to get through all the papers piled on the desk, sort and get rid of smaller knick-knacks, and get rid of the more expensive stuff that I hope to get money back for.

I've been buying cut flowers at the market on my Sunday trip only to find them munched up and knocked over by my cat when I get home. I have two, but only one is capable of jumping on top of the kitchen island. I don't know what to do with them. I end up putting the flowers in some awkward place (top of washer/dryer), but then I don't enjoy them. I've thought about buying some cat grass, but I'm not sure that will cure her problem. Any suggestions?

My party will be a small dinner party in our new place...but I don't know whether it will be meeting the deadline or surpassing it. :)

Thought I would bug you for thoughts. I plan to post some pics when I have the place in better order.

seraph,
Those little devils. How about a vase that hangs on the wall? I have one, but I don't know where it came from.

serpah--I have bad kitties too. Have you tried catching him in the act and spraying him with water? Got any shelves where you can put small bunches of flowers? How about the bathroom? Any space there, can can you close it during the day?

It's so frustrating when they're all "Thank you, Lady! Bestest treat ever, these fleurs!:

Thanks for your sympathy, and suggestions, guys! I appreciate it.

Pixie, that sounds like a great idea. I think I can get some glass hanging ones. I'll see what I can find. All the ones I can think of now are plastic pockets that look pretty cheap, in my opinion.

atomic, whenever I catch them, I spray them! But then there are the times when I come home from work, and there's the fern leaves, all chewed up on the kitchen island.... Last night, the vase got all smashed up, so I picked kitty up, put her in front of the mess and said "no".

I did a little research on cats eating plants, and you're supposed to brush them with chili oil to get them to stop. Unfortunately, I'm pretty lazy about that. :)

No, not brush them but there's a cayenne/lemon juice cat repellent that my friend mixed up and sprayed to keep the neighbor's cat away from her garden last year. I don't know how it would work on pretty flowers though.

Serpah: Here are two wall vases from Pottery Barn:

http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=schi1%7Cp3%7Cwwall%5Csvase&pkey=sa1s00vase%2Cwall&gids=p6839

http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=schi1%7Cp3%7Cwwall%5Csvase&pkey=sa1s00vase%2Cwall&gids=p1147

Oh, Andree. I am an indulgent "Lady!", but you are super indulgent.

Mr. Mouser Mencken and his brother Sugar Cain have a new place to try to run away to.