apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

• Today is New Year's Day. The following is from Antoine de Sainte Exupry, the French aviator::

"Have you ever thought, not only about the airplane but whatever man builds, that all of man's industrial efforts, all his computations and calculations, all the nights spent working over draughts and blueprints, invariably culminate in the production of a thing whose sole and guiding principle is the ultimate principle of simplicity?...

Sorry not to post this earlier, but unlike all you folks in the office this week (and those that are getting your big bonuses today ;-)) here at AT, were taking our annual year end break for two weeks in order to get offline, recharge and gather new ideas for the new year.

But the site is never totally quiet.

Each day for ten days during these two weeks we are painstakingly going through our archives and lifting up the best posts of that particular month. It is our way of showing off all the ground we have covered together over the course of the past year and all our sites are doing it. Check them out. And if you want to chat, there's always the open thread which pops up around noon...

Thinnier. We were thinking about the holidays, how important nice glassware is at parties, and how we hate frou-frou, complicated glasses that you only use once a year. We've found a lot of nice glassware in the past few years, including Juliska's glassware and everything on our Top 10 Glassware List, but these we'd never seen.

Gio Glasses come from Poland and are made of a super thin wall of strong handblown glass. They can be used for water, cocktails or even wine (though you won't get a great nose with them). They come in four sizes and we found them at Nancy Koltes, Lekker Home and the Conran Shop. (Via Domino)

Thanks for the crush. Got pix? We left DWR last night at 10:15 - ahead of some of the last guests - in order to get the baby Ursula to bed, but we couldn't help thinking that it had been one hell of a party. A bit crowded perhaps, but even with the hundreds of folks who showed up there was always a bit of room to move. So many nice and interesting people! We couldn't have been more proud of our ilk. We made many connections and went home with a ton of business cards that we'll be checking out and blogging some of in the days ahead.

We've finally finished the slideshow! While not the most scintillating of slideshows, if you hit your right arrow and watch the day unfold, you'll get the great vibe. This is all from our 2006 Broadway Walk (see links to past walks too). In world record time, 13 out of the 20 of us reached the Battery to see the sunset at 4pm last Sunday.

Hello AT,

Can you wise Apartmenttherapy readers help us figure out what color to paint our already fairly colorful living room? As you can see, our living room has a blue sectional couch; a multi-colored oriental rug; an orange and blue print with a gold frame; orange, white, and brown throw pillows; a white lamp with a brown shade; and an arc lamp with a white shade. We want/need to paint, but are at an impasse about what color it would be reasonable to add to the walls. My husband is in favor of a bright mustardy yellow (Torch from C2)...

To Contest Page & All Entries

Name: Tyler Marcum
Location: Astoria, NY
Type: 1bedroom, rented monthly

Why I use color:

My main reason for using color has to do a lot with my personality. The same terms used to describe my apartment can be used to describe me: funky, fun, energetic, extroverted, modern, eccentric. My colors FUEL my energy and put me in a happy place (which is a great place to be when living in the cold city of New York)...

Kampleofeudoxus hails from Philly, and her bedroom is a great kickoff to Fall Colors Month. An aspiring fashion designer, she's having fun with her home, has carefully tagged her finds and BOY does she have a lot of clothes.

Hello AT,

I have been looking for a way to hide the hideous tile-over of my fire place (pinkish-white, uneven tile squares) and haven't had much luck. I rent and have a land lady who is averse to paint, or other such fixes. I recently bought a mirror for my dining area that didn't really fit with the space. I happened to lean it against the fireplace while scoping out potential hang spots in the living room, and am considering leaving it (or a bigger one) there...

We interrupt our normally vigorous blogging schedule to fly to San Francisco where we will celebrate the launch of Apartment Therapy: San Francisco. If you're in the Bay area, join us for the party...

Click here for all the details. Thanks for your patience while the NYC site takes a break.

AHHHHHH!!! We're off-line wandering around trying to find a place to plug-in: the modem at the office is fried, our browser won't load most pages, and you don't want to know about all the other technical problems we're having. So please bear with us while we sort ourselves out and try to re-start the day. Just landed in a little cyber cafe on Bleecker street and will try to get this baby cranked up.

Hello AT:

Thanks, Claudia

Petfinder.com is a great way to find a pet who really needs a home. We believe you shouldn't even think of going to pet stores or breeders without considering this option first. Every day during Pet Month, we're featuring some of our favorite furry friends from Petfinder.com.

Today is Kitty's day in the spotlight. Kitty is a orange and white male Domestic Short Hair kitten.

"Kitty is about six weeks old and is very sweet and loveable, but has no use of his back legs and is incontinent. Kitty can get around and climbs and plays fine. Kitty is being foster right now, but time seems to be of an essence. Finding a home for kitty is urgent. Kitty can be driven anywhere to a good home. Kitty is located in New Jersey."

To adopt Kitty, email Tara at MaddieK9@aol.com.

Woof! Petfinder.com is a great way to find a pet who really needs a home. We believe you shouldn't even think of going to pet stores or breeders without considering this option first. Every day during Pet Month, we'll be featuring some of our favorite furry friends from Petfinder.com.

Today is Rico's day ing the spotlight. Rico is a Wirehaired Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Westie mix. "Although just a year old, Rico roamed the streets of Quito, Ecuador looking for someone who would offer him food and a safe place he can call home. Fortunately for him, a volunteer of Amigo Fiel in Ecuador saw him one night laying near a busy road, as if he had intentionally positioned himself there to be seen and rescued. Rico weighs 16 lbs, is neutered and has been given a clean bill of health. He remains in Ecuador and waits anxiously for a plane ticket to New York or a nearby State. The adoption fee is $285, plus the cost of the travel crate.

To adopt Rico, please submit an on-line adoption application available at available at www.strayfromtheheart.org.

Meow... Petfinder.com is a great way to find a pet who really needs a home. We believe you shouldn't even think of going to pet stores or breeders without considering this option first. Every day during Pet Month, we'll be featuring some of our favorite furry friends from Petfinder.com.

Today is Annie's day ing the spotlight. Annie is a young, female Dilute Tortoiseshell kitty. "Found in Hell's Kitchen when she was a small kitten. Not quite a year old now. Incredibly sweet. A real mush cat who loves attention and lap time. Very social with other cats."

To adopt Annie, email Anjellicle Cats at anjelliclecats@yahoo.com.

Woof! Petfinder.com is a great way to find a pet who really needs a home. We believe you shouldn't even think of going to pet stores or breeders without considering this option first.

Every day during Pet Month, we'll be featuring some of our favorite furry friends from Petfinder.com.

Today is Diva's day in the spotlight. Diva is a 4 month old spayed female puggle. Read on for more info...

• Summer Wine Survey: What are you drinking this summer?

This is a new feature that we are starting to experiment with. As we look for art for our clients and constantly find a dearth of original, affordable art, we have been inspired by a number of artists we know as well as by those who are enterprising enough to turn to the web to sell their work at a modest rate. This experiment is a predecessor to our upcoming store and is inspired by Duane Keiser and Julian Merrow-Smith.

• What's the Deal With Dutch Ovens: SKGR gives us a Dutch Oven 101.

• Vino: 2004 Picq Chablis: Jenny has a craving for Chardonnay, and gives us a taste of Chablis.

• Goat Cheese and Shrimp Ravioli: Northern Shrimp are back in eco-fashion, here's a fresh pasta recipe to celebrate.