apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yay! I can't wait.

I gave your book to my Mom, Maxwell and she loves it. We have about 25 years of junk to clear out of an 1200 sq foot three floor house--we've been working on it for months (still have a lot to go)--and your book was a great motivator.

Hooray! This is just the motivation I need to finish "curing" our one-bedroom apartment.

As many of you know, we started last Fall and made terrific inroads on our living room.
See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15376711@N00/sets/72157594379506854/

We lost some steam since, and the clutter has been multiplying (I can blame our three-year old for much of it, though not all).

Here's to the next cure!

Yay!!! I'm so excited...I'm ready to get started again...the spring cure did wonders for our house...bring on the cure...

Can I finish the room I started last time? We're notoriously bad at finishing anything - it's getting close to done now, though!

D'oh. I bailed out on the last one two or three weeks in, and I'm getting married September 15. My fiance (who reads AT more than I do) and I will probably start doing some one room cures when we get back from the honeymoon (and she has moved in), though.

I can't wait either. I've been waiting since I bought the book in June! Or was that May? Yippee ;-)

We're thinking of moving again in September, so I may or may not do this Cure, depending on the timing of the move. We may or may not be doing a much smaller space so we can avoid housework while studying for our various certifications and degrees.

(If any Phoenix readers are financially stable and have an adorable guesthouse within 7 blocks of Central Avenue that they'd like to rent to a white-collar couple with a pair of cats, this would be an excellent time to tell me.)

Hurrah, I'd been thinking of focusing on one room, but after looking around the house this week I think I need to refine what I did everywhere in the Spring.

I've pointed a few friends this direction, looking forward to it!

I'm ready to start again. I finished the kitchen and living room I started two cures ago. This time I'll do the whole house cure. Here is the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/FrancescaB

Francesca: maybe I'm having problems with flickr: but when I clicked your link there was a snippy message on the screen, to wit: "FrancescaR does not have any photos available to you."

Wende --

my heart goes out to you. I can offer the cold comfort of mentioning another person I know in your area who seems to be living out of a pod.

Francesca --

I had the same problem as Alana.

And to all --

the solution to the fallen mantle may soon be executed.

Jonathan B -- Pods would be considered stylish here. It's the hastily constructed "luxury" complexes inhabited largely by Oakland Raiders fans that are slowly sapping my superpowers. Phoenix sometimes lives up to its reputation as the Land That Taste Forgot.

Eager to see mantle solution!

Alana, maybe I did something wrong: what should I have done? I thought I tagged them apartmenttherapythe cure.

Oops! I tagged them wrong. Just fixed it. They should show up.

Whee! I will be continuing my unbroken record of Curing, as we chose a studio-with-loft (polished concrete floors!) in the only rental complex in Phoenix that offers a remotely urban environment. The management allows tenants to paint. Isn't that the most beautiful sentence in the world?

congrats wende. I'm delighted for you. and shall be joining you in record curing....

how exciting wende...that's wonderful

I'm so glad you'll be on board, Wende--and picking paint colours to boot!

JonathonB--REALLY looking forward to the mantle solution!

I'll try looking at your photos again Francesca.

I'm not sure what to tackle. There are a few "bones" that need looking after--like taking up the old and laying new tile in the kitchen, finishing a re-surfacing project I started this summer on the faux fireplace, ripping out the old tub surround in the bathroom (which I wrecked during the last fall cure) and putting in tile--OR--re-organizing the basement into a more efficient pantry/laundry room/excercise room/library.

Doing the list feels like, well, like doing a list of chores, not the "cure" and the latter--well, that would be a one room remedy. Can't actually make the space "liveable" (eg, level flooring, actaul walls and a real ceiling and decent lighting) but I am anxious to re-vamp the space into something more functional.

Anyone have any thoughts for me? My time will be severely limited this go-round.

sorry--JonathanB

this is perfect timing. my boyfriend and I recently moved into our first apartment and haven't had time yet to make it ours yet (we entertain more in our backyard than anywhere else), so, no excuses. We're hoping to result with a living room that actually works as a livingroom. :)

alana -- sounds like your list adds up to the cure "light" -- which would work into your limited time schedule. It's sort of catching what fell through the net before in an organized and supportive fashion.

Great. What can we do now?

I think I'll attempt it this time. I'm crazy like that.

Thank you JonathanB. "Cure-light" sounds good--though undertaking anything in a "light" way isn't how I normally do things (for example, did I not mention I've been dying to paint and revamp the living room and dining room?). Support will include sharp raps on my knuckles to keep from going in too deep!

What can one do now?

Start collecting inspiration images. It's fun--and I don't think Maxwell allows nearly enough time for it in the book.

Set up your flickr account. Start a set called "Style tray." Save images you find into it. They are extremely helpful not only to you but to the group as well.

AND put the link into your "profile" here at ATP!!

I am almost giddy for this to begin.

At last! I've had the book for ages but not the motivation. I'm in a house now - but the cure is still absolutely necessary. I need to cast out the demons of poor design that linger from the last owner - not to mention the cartons of crap that, after two significant purges, still remain.

Alana -- That's definitely the Cure Lite. I've been known to declare an 8-hour Mini Cure instead of calling it housecleaning, too. That tends to get more done than just scrubbing.

Babette -- Definitely take Alana's advice and start the Style Tray. If you know you're missing household items that you intend to buy, I'd include some window-shopping and/or online browsing in your Style Tray planning, so you get an idea of what's available within your budget. You can always decide you don't need to buy something.

I'm going to be playing the store-versus-purge game with the husband. I suspect that, in the long run, some things on the "store" list will end up purged, but it's worth the price of storage to not deal with the issue right this minute when everyone's a bit frayed from work. Don't think of it as an air-conditioned storage unit: think of it as a vacation home without a c-of-o. Tres edgy.

I'm in the thick of it right now. Friend coming to visit. Have rearranged both rooms and hung 108" curtains around the doorway arches. Found an awesome Pier 1 shelf at Goodwill to hang as landing strip (this was tough with those tight hallways). Even took down the mini-blinds and scrubbed them out in the tub yesterday.

Have to say, I'm mostly liking the new flow. More photos to come. (My poor back.)

I have recommended the book to several people just as a suggestion, and now they are truly revved up to start! I have been de cluttering all summer, and am looking forward to seeing what everyone can acheive.

I can't wait to start! I've sent an email to a few of my girlfriends hoping to get them on board!

Oops...hit submit instead of preview...what I was starting to say is that I'm trying to get my girlfriends on board. We're spread all over the country - so I thought this would be a great way to do something together - as well as get our homes in shape.

I want to join! I've been planning to start my cure in Sept since my friend gave me the book at the end of April for my bday -- I like the flicker account idea and starting with a style tray that everyone can view!

what else do I need to join in? I so need help and encouragement!

I also want to join. I got the book in May, and have been wanting to start ever since. Now that my wedding is over there is time! What do I need to do to join? Thanks!

I may do this again. The first two were great for me and then after that, I just didn't "grok" with the energy of the Cure threads. I would really like to make some changes in my bedroom, but we'll see. If it doesn't flow for me, it just doesn't.

testing the link to flickr

Alana- I think it works now (I hope)

Blast Francesca, I don't know what's going on with your flickr account. I checked the link above and it didn't work: neither did trying the link you thoughtfully provided in your APT profile page.

OK: here are some thoughts for you "cure virgins": All you need to do is:

1) Set up a flickr account. (A free one gets you three sets. One for your style tray, one for before, in progress and after and one for whatever! A good one might be called "Other curees" since that's a great place to put images, floor plans, etc., that may appeal to others.)

2) Link the flickr account to your profile here.

3) Go ahead and read the book. Decide whether you are doing the whole home or one room remedy.

4) Take before pics. Upload them to your flickr account.

5) Start collecting images that appeal to you. Try to analyse why they do. I like to forget about "reality" when I do this--so when you click my "faves" on flickr you'll notice I've images from nature and images of rust (why rust? Why to find out what looks good with orange, of course!) and so on. Put images of rooms into a flickr set called "style tray."

Any other suggestions from the vets to the virg's?

Yay - i'm in again. The spring cure was so good for us. I am deciding between a one-room (our kitchen) and a deep clean cure. I think the latter...as our kitchen is pretty good but needs new chairs, but that is just a purchase thing and we are still recovering from our Nelson Swag desk purchase from the spring.

The only concern I have is timing - my husband and I are both educators and fall is notoriously hard for both of us...maybe I can do "cure lite" also....

Can't wait....

Alana: the before and after pictures of my last two cures just appeared in apartmenttherapycure(unofficial) tonight. Must have been in the twilight zone for a while. I'm planning a light cure too: basically cleaning, discarding, sorting. Next cure I'll tackle the bathroom if I can think my way through all its problems.

Thanks Francesca: just found them.

Say, can we post a few links to floor plan generators--and did someone save the instructions about how to capture a screen shot?

I love floor plans. They're like puzzles.

We're so excited here in DSM. I love that people are coming back again and again - gives me hope and that's what it's about, right? Carry on!

Can't wait to start....the kids will be back in school (my first year with ALL of them in school--YAY!!!!) and I am devoting the entire months of September/October to my home and to me (with apologies to the PTA).

Sweet!! I bought the book 2 months ago and it has been collecting dust on my shelf!! Time for action!

Can't wait to participate!

Hi, I'm Marcelo, and my girlfriend Hannah and I are delighted to be curing our lil apartment/house in Burbank, CA. We got the book this summer and we've been waiting for the blog to start a Fall cure.

We're definitely gonna start collecting style elements for a tray. Can't wait!

I'm teetering on the brink... I had just about decided "not" to do the Cure this time 'round, and then I read all these comments, and I started to feel a definite relapse of Cure-itis.

My Spring Cure fell apart because I was just in the process of moving in. Now I'm moved in, and have some things the way I want them, and some on the brink of being the way I want them, and some needing help. (Could anyone with a tall ladder possibly pop over and help me put up my drapery rods? Being a short person with a short ladder is the pits.)

Alana, I'm trying to imagine you doing a "Cure Lite"... especially when you mention that you'd like to re-tile the kitchen, and fix the bathroom tub surround, and... ... ... Um, and didn't you paint the Living Room last fall??? ;-) I look forward to whatever you decide to do, because I know it'll turn out fantastic (I still drool over your entry hall, and those archways...)

Wende -- congrats on finding a new and small space! Looking forward to pics!

Okay, I've long-windedly commented my way into thinking it's time to take before pics and gear up for another Cure! (But I'm like you, Alana, can't spend nearly as much time as I did last Fall!)

I'll be here. I've moved since the last cure, to a suburban house, if you can call one block outside the city line of a very small city suburban.

The upside is that I can change anything in the house that I want to (and can afford to). The downside is that there is plenty to change. The house is about 50% larger than the condo was, but has almost twice as many rooms - all smaller. Its basic design is early MCM, but one of the owners tried to remake it as Early American. So far I've pulled up carpet in the living room and replaced four light fixtures. This week a contractor is installing laundry hookups - incredible that a family lived here for 55 years without any.

Something I would suggest for new people is to upload your "before" pics before the end of August. Flickr only allows a certain amount of uploading each month. I got caught on that a couple of times in the last Fall Cure. Also, use a low resolution on your pics -- that allows you more space for more photos. and ... don't "tidy up" too much before you take your before pics. (it's really tempting to tidy up when you know your pictures are going public, but the before pics really need to tell it like it is.)

I might just join this time. I moved in to my new condo a year ago, and have barely done anything with it. I guess I better go get that book!

I'm in! I've stared reading the book and collecting inspiration.

The boyfriend and I just moved into a new construction apt with beige tiled floors - in every room! So white and sterile feeling, I miss the wood floors and molding of our old apts, so I'm trying to bring some of that coziness here.

We love having friends over, I can't wait to celebrate with them at the end of our cure!

I'm IN! I bought the book last week, and have already started getting rid of some items from my apt. I stopped purging until i can take the before pictures. I can't spend a fortune, but anything would be an improvement!

I'm sooo excited to have another Cure opportunity. I started in the Spring, but I didn't get all that far. I was in a bit of a funk for a while there.

But, now I feel great, I'm ready to go, I have a digital camera to share progress AND my boyfriend is totally on board.

We've already gotten a little bit started. Plus, we made some awesome retro furniture finds at a consignment shop and have brought a slew of plants into our home.

I'm so pumped!!

Hi everyone,

This will be my first time attempting the cure, though I've followed along on the last two and been reading AT for a while now. I just bought the book and thought this would be the perfect time to start: I'll be 34 weeks pregnant next week when the cure begins! ;-)

I'm taking my inspiration from the 9-month cure and hey, I figure it will be a great way to harness those nesting urges. Maybe my 'Housewarming Party' will actually be a "bringing the new baby home" celebration.

I live in a tiny house, and we've already made a start on lots of projects. I'm going to focus on a deep treatment, I think the cure will be a great way to stay motivated and bring it all together.

:-)

Wow, I'm so excited there is this online group to go through Apartment Therapy together--I'm really excited! I think it'll help me to go through it with other people and even told my old professor and my Mom's friend about this opportunity to do an online "cure." I've gotten rid of clutter and done some things to try improving the space after being inspired by people like Maxwell, Karen Kingston, Julie Passoff, Julie Morgenstern, etc., but it still seems so overwhelming and not enough. I hope to go a bit further with it this time.

Thank you Alana in Canada for explaining what to do with setting up a flickr account. I was pretty clueless about that.

I'm just glad this opportunity fell into my life right now. I'm 28, and my high school friend is getting married on Labor Day, so the timing seems right to delve into apartment therapying right after that. Taking before and after pictures is new to me.

Ok, see you guys soon!

Hello all! I've been a frequent AT reader since February or so, and I finally created a login today so we can be actively in on the September Cure. We're very excited! Hubby has had his condo for two years and done almost no home improvement, so there is a lot of room for progress to be made. We're doing the Deep Treatment this time around.

I'm in- going to do my bedroom this time around (not sure what that implies for the house-warming party!) I'm glad to see so many people excited about this go-around- the Spring Cure was a blast!

Perfect timing! Our house flooded (broken water pipe above) last month, but I really want things to be ready for Thanksgiving. A lot needs to be done, but I hope this will be just the motivation and support I need.

Hmm, I don't know that I can do a major Cure at this point but I will be having Thanksgiving here for the first time this year (?!) so maybe I can do some mild Curing in preparation for that. We'll see, I better get the flickr page up and running again!

I want to join, but I don't really understand what to do besides buy the book. Can someone give a brief run down what to expect?

Thanks.

Alice42,

You can click on the Book Blog link on the ATNY page and skim the entry headings to get a feel. There's a post every week corresponding to the appropriate chapter and a weekend post to keep people going over the break. As people post progress photos to their flickr accounts, the admins pull inspiring ones to the front page.

In the weekly posts we all update, give/receive advice on projects. It is very much a community effort.

I am far too excited about curing again, I already have some lists for each room of things I think need to happen--but I'm going to try and focus on my living room/office area pretty exclusively this round, as I want to open up the space more than it is now.

Expect floor plans!

I have still not finished the cure although I've participated in the last two. Since then we have moved into a smaller (750sq ft) apartment. So we got rid of a lot, but I'd love to make our smaller space just perfect for us!

I just got very motivating cure news...the boyfriend, aka the futon lover for those who followed the spring cure, will be out of the country for 10 whole days during this cure...unbriddled access to do whatever I want to the apartment!!!

I am so in (again). I will be working on two rooms this go round in depth- the mudroom (which has been the bain of my existance for 3 full years now) and my kitchen. To my horror, when I went to pull tiles from my backspash area the entire wall crumbled underneath. Water damage. Lots of it.

This will be my first one, and I'm getting excited. I'd like to tackle our small kitchen and study. I just ordered the book, so it might not be here in time for the kickoff; I'll pretend I know what's going on until it comes in!

For those without the book just yet, or not sure exactly what to expect--The first few chapters of the book talk about de-cluttering. I wish every decorating book discussed this as much as Maxwell does. In fact, your first "assignment" is to put a large piece of furniture "out on the curb." The idea is to get rid of something you don't love. Make room for changes to happen.

In my case, for example, I have a broken chest freezer (finally scheduled for pick-up) and a thonet rocker knock off with a broken cane seat. That's not quite what Maxwell means: he means actual furniture someone can use--but hey, a broken chair counts in my book!

Also covered initially are two important questionaires. One covers your style. The other is a checklist of things that need doing in your home. With the results of the latter you can decide whether you need a one-room cure or the "deep treatment." And, of course, you can ignore the resuluts of the questionnaire and do what you want or can best afford. A deep treatment is never amiss...unless, of course, you spent your summer "spring cleaning."

For the record, I'll be doing the deep treatment alongside a few projects that need doing in each room as we get to them. The Kitchen floor, the bath tub tile and the basement are each out of our budget at the moment. They're also scary to think about doing as winter sets in--usually around the third week of Oct. here.

I feel slightly ridiculous being so excited about cleaning my house and painting things. But only slightly!

Hi fellow curers! My husband and I will be doing this cure, though we'll be on vacation for a week smack dab in the middle. Oh well!

We'll be doing the deep treatment. We live in a 3 floor apartment (about 1000 sq. ft, and a third of that is a finished basement) that we rent, and may end up buying whenever the landlord gets around to pulling together all the papers and such.

I had started some 'spot treatments' in May, but then broke my ankle so that slowed things down considerably! I'm really looking forward to cleaning out lots of old junk, and making room for a crafts area!

I'm a virgin! I have had the book in time for all of the cures but never participated. I just moved to New Orleans in May and have a tiny but lovely 550 sq. ft. shotgun rental apt. I got rid of LOTS of clutter to move here, but I'm a writer so the book, paper, magazine clutter is always a battle to fight. I never really settled in to my grad school housing, so I really want to make this apartment a home. i love to entertain, but my perfectionism clutter usually prevented it. I'm excited! Thanks to everyone who posted tips for the virgins.

Yay! I really looking forward to this cure.
I didn't complete the last cure (when we had a pet death in the family), but I've been continuing to use the outbox and do cleaning with FlyLady.
It's nice to see some familiar names.

Good Luck everyone! It should be fun!

I'm very much looking forward to this Cure! I haven't done one before and my little one bedroom apartment in Providence sorely needs it. I have an extremely small budget but I'm willing to work and creativity can make up for a lot; at least I hope it can! :) I'll work on the prelims of setting up a flickr account and getting some pictures posted. I'll be doing the Deep Treatment.

I'm in! I think I'll focus on my bedroom. My husband will be away for most of the cure so it will be a great time to purge stuff...since he probably wouldn't miss it when he returns. I will have to re-read the first chapters yet again...and open my Flickr account to join in on the fun!

i am in... i have some projects that i just can't put off any longer!!

i hesitate to even say I am going to do the cure because already I am overwhelmed by the idea... going now to buy the book (finally) ... wish me luck that I actually see this thing through.

Do I get prior credit for purging my closet? just last week I took 5 big bags to goodwill and thats on top of tons that went out in the spring. I think the first pass cleared out 27 pairs of jeans/pants.

I can't wait to get started. I'm just about to close on a 513 sq.ft. studo in Manhattan. I've been living here since 1979 and I am looking forward to getting rid of the clutter and keeping it away. Not to mention, figuring out what my vision is after all these years.
YEAH!
Demejan

I wish you luck, Tif, I am right there with you. Overwhelmed is not the word, but know that you are not alone in feeling it and hopefully, we will come through this, no matter the struggle, with great success.
BE STRONG!

I'm so ready to jump in again this time around. Last cure I did a lot of purging and deep cleaning, now I'm going at it again. This cure it's time to do a room, with all of them needing work it's hard to know which one to tackle first. Best of luck to all of us.

Cure virgin here really looking forward to finally partaking-- after having purchased the book over six months ago, and logging on to the website for over a year. It's time.

Just posted Before photos on Flickr; feedback, anyone?

So excited...

First time curer here and so fearful that I would be the most slovenly I started cleaning the kitchen a few weeks ago. Before anyone else feels like I took an unfair advantage, I will tell you that it was so gross I couldn't even take a 'before' pic.

I also bought a good vacuum and learned that two of our rugs are a LOT redder once the dog hair is gone.

We live in Harlem in New York and have a somewhat large place by local standards, but two offices and a studio space (husband is an artist) account for most of it.

I have carte blanche to do the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, my office, and boudoir (that's my aspirational name for my closet room). Carte blanche except for no throwing out the videogame systems, the big tv, etc. The usual compromise of living with a guy.

really looking forward to this,
will post photos tomorrow.

It isn't an unfair advantage but I hope you at least took a photo for your own reference, so you can see how far you've really come.

I did a full disclosure last go and don't regret it all. The truth needed to be told. Even to faceless strangers with assumed names...

I'm in. A bit nervous that I won't have the time, but will do my best.

I read your book over the weekend, and the pace is about right for me - I'm glad to have the support to help keep me motivated. - Toadlily

I also can't wait to start. I've been in my teeny tiny apt for 2 yrs now and now that I've decided I'm not moving I'd like to spruce it up a bit and finish all of my half started projects. I've read the first chapter so far and I can't wait to get started. My place definitely needs curing!

Can't wait. I just moved into a small studio so this is the perfect opportunity to fix it up.

Hello! I've been living in my studio for 3 years now, and I think I'm finally ready to take things a little more seriously and go for the cure! I'm very excited. :)

As many of you mentionned, I am a cure virgin also. I've been logging to the website and wanting to get involved and I think that now is the time. We've been putting off some projects long enough and now is time ;) ** (don't know if boyfriend agrees but...)

Can't wait to get started!

Count me in! I've been an AT lurker for so long, I finally decided to bite the bullet and add a member profile. The cure will be a great way to make my new residence in the Twin Cities feel like home. Tomorrow is my first day as a graduate student , so I may be a little late in getting a Flickr page up and running.

Thanks to everyone for helping us newbies get prepared!

I've started reading the book, and I've gotten as far as the Style Interview. This is a fitting stopping point for me, since I have Decision Paralysis.

I'm impressed to see so many folks doing the whole house cure. I'm too chicken for that. I'll start with my bedroom and see how that goes (is that another form of my DP?).

I've posted some before pictures of my bedroom here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwalters/sets/72157601752265110/

and some inspiration pictures here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwalters/sets/72157601758983933/

Please make comments and notes with any thoughts/ideas you have!

Can't wait to start tomorrow!

I'm in! This is perfect timing for me, since I just moved to NYC and into my studio apt on 8/31. I also start my new job tomorrow, so of course that takes priority. But I'm still halfway living out of boxes, so this is a perfect complement to my unpacking and settling in!

I love the book and the concept! I've already scrubbed down the fridge and some of the cabinet doors... Would never have done that otherwise and it really made a difference!

Count me in! I recently moved into a house painted by colour-blind people in Seattle and need to make some progress in sorting it out. I'll be doing the main living room and possibly my daughter's bedroom as well, and I'll try and blog about it as well.

Ok, placing my toe in the proverbial water..this is my first cure so please be gentle. I will be curing my relatively neat, but very blah, 250-foot studio apartment. All suggestions are very welcome. I am lacking in the style tray department: both literally and figuratively, so I will continue to add as much as I can. I liked a lot of desmo's style tray items...

Timing is great for me, too. Spouse and I have been picking up paint samples and generally decrying the clutter and non-improved-ness of our place.

We basically unpacked our storage area into it, found places for things, and still have boxes and piles of clutter. Blerg.

Let the games begin. I still need to post current photos, the ones I have of our place before we brought much in, just after new furniture was delivered, so that's cheating. See our previous apartment, before our put-in-storage sabbatical. Then again, be afraid. I am!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strata/collections/72157601868256096/

PS- oh, yes, we have almost no budget for this, eg buying paint will be a big expense. Just adds to the challenge, eh? On the other hand, I do have access to a CnC vinyl cutter, and those blix things that JeanineW posted (thanks!) are giving me ideas!

Okay,
I lost all steam at the end of the last cure, so I'm going to reset and try again.
Susan

I had to go to two bookstores before I found it but I was determined in participating in this cure. I am so in!

After living in my apartment for a year with no furniture I bought the basics i.e. sofa, chairs, bed, etc… from Ikea. But my apartment has no personality.

I will be leaving in a year to parts unknown but I want my final year in this apartment to be fantastic!

I now know that I can live with very little and that experiment is over. Now I want to experience having a home of my own where people can come and visit.

Hurrah! I lurked during the Spring cure and was inspired to buy the book when we moved to a new place toward the end of it. We had just finished painting (using much bolder color choices than I might have dared before reading) and hadn't put much up on our walls or completely unpacked before we discovered that I was pregnant (we'd been trying). Three months of "morning" sickness kept both of us from doing much more to settle in, but now I'm feeling better and we're ready to make our new apartment a home that welcomes us, and the little boy we're expecting in January. I can't wait!

Before pics are posted (link in my name) and I think I might go clean out the fridge (still drugged up from the wisdom teeth and only working afternoons, wandering groggily around the house/internet in the a.m.).

Hey there! Excited to start the cure. I set up a Flickr account, now I need to take some before photos. I can't decide whether to focus the one room remedy on our office, or bedroom. Both really desperately need the works. The office may be more affordable because I could paint it myself (the bedroom has two story ceilings, I couldn't do myself), but the bedroom would be more fun to do..... opinions?

SInce I'm a newby, is there anything else I need to do to join the cure? I looked at the book blog link but didn't see anything about the start - does it begin today?

Thanks everyone!

I've posted my before pictures. I think the best thing about my apartment is the black and white tile in the kitchen, which is awesome. The toughest part will be creating a landing strip. As you can see the front door leads you straight into the kitchen.

You will not recognize the living room once we're done.

http://flickr.com/photos/mteson/sets/72157601553931005/

I haven't really found anything I want to add to my Style Tray. Can anyone give me some tips on where to find things? I know I'm supposed to cull from various sources but I haven't really found anything that's like "That's what I want to see in my home!"

Marcelo, I have had luck in the past finding stuff for my Style Tray all sorts of places. Lately I have been sticking to online (less paper clutter!) at stores and magazine websites, you could go to places like West Elm, Better Homes and Gardens, PointClickHome, DWR or Sunset, they all have websites and some have "design libraries" that you can search by style or room. Also old AT House Tours can be a great resource. What websites, catalogs or magazines do you enjoy? Just start looking...

I guess my issue is that I feel like I have lots of resources - I've been planning this cure action for a while and I've been looking at all sorts of sources, but I haven't found anything that says "I want to emulate this." I dunno. Maybe I'm just being lazy about it :)

Marcelo --

I feel like I have the same problem sometimes. For me, it helps not to think of looking for stuff I want to emulate, but just for stuff that looks attractive, or individual pieces or ideas that look intriguing.

For example, if I see a piece or a treatment that I think looks great, I'll add it to my style tray even if I don't really think it'll look good in my place, or if it's the wrong color or style. Last night I ran across a picture of an elaborately painted ceiling medallion. I didn't like the traditional style of it, but I ripped it out just because I liked the idea of doing some kind of treatment where the ceiling medallion would go.

Hope this helps!
Jeanine

Hi - I think I will actually join in - I'm a little reluctant to put pictures of our house online, but the timing is right. We just moved in last month, will probably be buying a couple new pieces of furniture this month, and have a whole list of projects to take care of around the place. Lots of miscellaneous stuff in small piles in the corner of many rooms too. I will try to take some "before" pictures tonight.

Gulp--I'm in.

So, we really have to take Before Pictures and POST THEM? Well, they say humility is good for you. I've lived her for a bit more than a year, having moved from a huge old (1840's) house with lots of character into a small (c. 650 sq ft) and rather (very) ugly apartment to be closer to my family and old friends. The trade off's worth it, but the new space is pretty (very) depressing, and I've still got piles and clusters of favorite furniture and stuff everywhere.

I read the first part (through Chapter I) of dear Maxwell's book last night. It is motivating, inspirational, gentle, and wise--very, very wise. I sat in bed, where I was reading, and wept!

Anyway, here goes. . . .

Hello fellow Cure-ers!

YAY! I'm so excited we're starting next week as my book hasn't arrived from Amazon yet. I've been lurking on AT for over a year now, posting occaisonally but mainly just observing. This is my first ever cure and I'm beyond excited. The boyfriend and I just (Aug 31st!) moved into a new apartment thats bigger, brighter, and overall way more awesome than the old place. I also feel like we'll be here for a while so I really want to make it reflect us and be a great place to entertain. The apartment is about 250 square feet bigger than the old apartment so all the furniture looks really tiny right now. We're fighting the urge to "fill every space" because we are really good at doing that. The apartment is a complete clean slate, white walls and shiny wood floors. Thanks to the new law firm job I just started I can also now afford to jazz up the new place. Perfect timing for the Cure!

I think I'm going to do my living room/study which is one L-shaped room that flows from the entry way. I'll have to double check the lease but I'm fairly certain we're not allowed to paint which is a bummer. I also might be having a sweet mid-century desk delivered this weekend courtesy of Craigslist but its not a sure thing yet. Cross your fingers for me!

Since our internet was hooked up today I will open my flickr account and post before pictures tonight. I will apologize ahead of time for the "cleanliness" of the apartment. It usually does not look like this. Boyfriend vowed that there would be no cardboard boxes after the weekend so thankfully, just about everything got unpacked.

Aulaire - you don't have to post pics if you don't want to. I have never posted pictures (I didn't have a digital camera during the first Cure or two and now my camera has some problems) and I got an ENORMOUS benefit from the Cure. A lot of people like to post pictures, but I find that I don't really have the time to keep up with all the pics plus I've never found Flikr very fun to navigate (I'm probably in the minority on that.)

Thanks, Pixie. I don't know--I'm trying to gather up the courage to Flikr. Today I took Before Before Pictures!--the raw bottom line of the calamity here! Whew, this place has been a downer! As soon as I get the pre-Before cleaning done (removal of daily dog-hair tumbleweeds, garden mud trampled into kitchen, and patch of fossilized kitty-barf I discovered underneath/in back of the sofa, etc), I hope to brave the Flikr or blog route. . . .

Okay, I'm in.

I ordered the book from Amazon, but it's yet to come. About a month ago I moved into my first *grown-up* apartment - ie, my first one out of school. I own hardly any furniture at all, so I'm definately looking to find what I want and need, and how to make this studio apartment feel like a home. I have to put down an extra deposit if I want to paint, so I'm not sure yet. I don't know how long I'll be here, or if it's worth it to me. I'm very excited to do this - I just wish my delivery would hurry up!

Oh, I don't have a digital camera, so if I can get some film developed w/ a cd, I'll post before pictures.