apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

For a nanosecond -- just a nanosecond, while doing a quick skim -- I took your first line seriously, and the ineffable reality of my impoverished life yawned before me like a canyone.

But I got over it. Nifty device, unfortunate price.

p.s. canyon.

This is sexy, reminds me of those old heavy Hollywood table top cigarette lighters. Is there such a thing as 'object porn'?

i want a break down of how the $500 will be used for making this product. then you can tell me it is OVERPRICED.

Five. Hundred. DOLLARS???

But...why? The parts would cost maybe $3, retail.

My handy domestic partner could whip one up for me on a Saturday morning, if I wanted one, which I don't. (If I want a rheostat, I'll put it on the floor or the wall, out of sight, not on the tabletop. All those dangling cords running off the back??? No.)

$500 for a friggin Rheostat that looks like it came off a WWII-era submarine console?

I'll stick w/ my handy white plastic Lutron dimmers - which actually have a red LED so I can find the switch in the dark...

the post clearly said "PRICE ASIDE..." the inevitable bitching about prices on this blog is so tiresome that one barely has time to notice anymore the beauty of objects, the discussion of aesthetics and function, and the unique nature of some of these things. from what i gather, the poster was struck by this object as something noteworthy. not everything can be had on etsy for a quarter.

case in point, the absolutely stunning desks posted a few minutes ago. not in a hundred years will i be able to afford a prouve desk, but seeing it for the first time on that post made my day.

the posters aren't asking for you to buy everything they post about, so expand your eyes past the dollar signs.

thank you, twelveindustries. just because something is expensive doesn't mean it can't be admired or provide some kind of inspiration.

I don't really like to add fuel to fires, but I have to say that twelveindustries has a really good point.

I can't speak for AT, but I do think that in the several years I've frequented Apartment Therapy, it has seemed to me that has a multi-pronged mission which is to generally offer awareness of as many different ways to enhance small homes as possible.

Some small homes are small for reasons other than being occupied by a student. That said, some of the most ingenious space solutions are inexpensive and spring from the young fertile minds of students.

Some small spaces are occupied by people who want a smaller carbon footprint AND a smaller earthly footprint, and SOOOOO many ingenious ideas have sprung from that DNA.

And some small spaces are occupied by people who are so determined to live in the middle of a dense city or community that offers a lots of kinds of stimuli and want to live in and among beautiful well-designed environments and objects, and yes, perhaps even live in the lap of luxury, however small of a couch that lap has to sit in to fit in the door.

There is a LOT of cross-over in all of the above, and price isn't always the bottom line.

But if the price of something seems a bit high, then go ahead! DO figure out how to make it cheaper, yourself, in such a way that looks as good or better than the real thing! AT might get a kick out of posting that up here, too! They've done that before.

generation Ikea... give it to me now, give it to me for a buck, I don't care how well it's made or how long it will last.

There is a happy medium between IKEA and High Design. Or at least there should be. I don't think anything can claim to be good design if it carries a silly price tag. It can claim to be art, but it can't claim to be good design.