apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

She can spell Tord Boontje but not crutial? Hehe...

Lovely job Alice :)
I am a huge vintage modern fan, so it's refreshing to see images like this up on AT.

Holly

Where's the story? Also, there's a piece of formica missing in the foreground -- call a stylist!

But seriously, while I like the sentiment, there's just not much of a story/problem/suggested solution.

I love that table! I love that kitchen. I want that kitchen. But I felt all that through the photograph and was distracted by the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in the piece. The writing added nothing to the photo.
laurie

Also, what does "Let the space be the designer of itself and let us be the consultant of the space." mean?
laurie

Maybe you could hire Alice as a consultant, as I did like the idea of the piece... but not as a writer. (Sorry, Alice!)

"We love to appropriately mix-match vintage heirlooms, hi-tech state-of-the-art equipment, and artist/ designer collectible items." great, we love that too, but we don't see that anywhere in this kitchen.

in fact, all that we do see is a bunch of miss matched (not a good job of mixing eras, mind you) street furniture with some really low tech pasta maker attached to and an old timey looking kitchen aid (i think the shot is just too grainy to show if this is a new mixmaster or not and the angle makes it look like there is a giant hand crank pasta maker hanging on window wall). Not to mention that pile of food and junk in the corner "pantry" area is foul.

the one nod to the contemporary, that Tord boontje light, aside from being ubiquitous at this point, is hung in a terrible spot, flung carelessly off of what looks to be an abandoned 5 and dime plant hanger. oh, did you notice the cord hanging dangerously over the glass door, don't trip!

I'm sorry, i'm not trying to be mean, I'm usually very nice, but this sucks.

Thanks for the posting, Maxwell!

And thanks for the feedback so far. Mistakes... oops... must have been the heat stroke ;)
Btw, just to let you all know, this blog was not intended initially for AT and was just a sample of my blogging style. Naturally, I'd approach it differently and with great care if I were writing specifically for AT.

*Thanks Holly! I am a big fan of Decor8 - hats off to you!

For what it's worth, I like the kitchen, too.

Writing is not up to standard of the rest of the posts -- mainly because the piece really didn't say anything. Maybe nerves? Maybe an uninspiring subject? The light is a mess! I'd like to give Alice another chance to make a better impression.

Hi, Alice.

Love the farmhouse table and mismatched chairs.

Did you do the tin ceiling, or was it there already?

Also for what it's worth, spelling has never been a strong point of this blog. Ever. I'm addicted, anyway. I flinch a little, quietly, and read on in spite of myself.

I wanted more substance: more pictures, examples and concrete ideas. And an explanation of "Let the space be the designer of itself and let us be the consultant of the space." I read it and thought it was a little over the top without explanation.

I would agree with the suggestion to give her a second chance to make a good impression.

I also wonder about the use of "we" in the post. Who does "we" refer to since it's coming from Alice? Is that an intentional choice meant to be "We at AT love..."? It seems a little strange.

Lovely kitchen, but I have to say whenever I see a cabinet door sitting partially open like that I hear my mother's voice in my head. "Shut that door! Someone could run right into that and get hurt!"

Paired with my vote for giving Alice a real chance at writing in AT style... please, Alice, is it possible to be a little more concrete and direct without losing your unique voice?

Aside from the line others are picking on, I'm flummoxed by "Placement is very important, given the basic spatial characteristics of the room." First, isn't this true of every room? If it's especially important here, tell us how! Second, "basic spatial characteristics of the room" is a $5 way of saying "space" or "layout" or whatever you mean. It takes up space without adding meaning or contributing to a lively style.

Blogging is like decorating a small space. Every element must actively serve a purpose, as there's just no room to waste.

When decor8 holly commented "I am a huge vintage modern fan" I imagined this Pixar-like animated fan jumping around... HAHAHA. Ha.

Alice, you wrote: "Btw, just to let you all know, this blog was not intended initially for AT and was just a sample of my blogging style. Naturally, I'd approach it differently and with great care if I were writing specifically for AT."

but, didn't you write it? didn't you choose the picture?

As for giving her another shot, this is the piece she used as an example of her work, an example to let Maxwell know what she was able to do, like a clipping from her portfolio. This, people, this *is* her A game.

I don't know why this irks me so, i realize I am being harsh, but c'mon, there are people who would kill to write for this blog, gosh there are people who wrote better responses in 10 seconds on this very thread than this "profession" work. I just don't think it cuts it.

Stephen: that post jumped out at me too because the wording was so strange, i guess i don't have as good an imagination as you. clearly holly is not a mid century modern motorized fan, but clearly she has no idea what Vintage Modern is. ;-)

If this is Alice's A-game, her second try will be in the same league. The vast majority of the time wasted on the second try will be hers, so why not let her have it?

Thanks for all the constructive feedback and support. I will definitely try my best to deliver good quality postings for AT should I have the opportunity.

To Melinda: according to the owner of the house, the tin ceiling was already there when they got the property. In fact, it was an influential factor in their decision to purchase the house. After 5 years living in the space, they are still in love with the ceiling.

Stop blaming Alice, she did her best and you can see that Maxwell is the judge and he has judged her one of the three finalists. If you have issues you should take them up with him, since he is the one making the decision.

with all due respect, matilda, this is not a kindergarten art show, this is a job interview and she is not worthy of the job, especially if this is her best.

i am sorry if i offended anyone, clearly this is not alice's choice to be critiqued, but we were asked to comment and I do not think we should pretend something is good if it clearly is not.

wende, while I certainly see your point, as a blogger yourself, surely you know that giving her a second chance is not really going help. good writing should be good regardless of the subject, a good writer can write to make people understand something, a professional writer, someone hired to do this job should be better than this at this point.

p.s. I did read her blog, it's not any better, so there's your second chance. wende, you're a much better writer, why aren't you up for this job?

Colleen -- I've never applied for an AT editor position because I want to preserve this bit of my life as purely entertainment, with no professional responsibilities at all. (I also don't have the design connections to be truly qualified, though if I had the passion, that would be potentially fixable. But lots of people here would be a better total package.)

I dunno. I try to be upbeat because I'm basically a crabby, cynical person and would prefer that no one notice... but Alice's blog would not earn an A or a B in the MBA-level communication course I teach. I've never thought that of an existing editor, even when I felt moved to question specific statements in entries.

wende, i totally understand why you would want to keep that separate, makes sense. but you'd still be a shoe in.

also, i'm usually very upbeat, in fact I never go negative, really, but this really, really bothered me, sorry. i guess i can't hide my crabby side for ever.

hey, it's good to know that you're not letting poor writing get passed you in the class room; keep up the good work.

gosh colleen, thanks for making the world just a little bit happier. I'm sure maxwell couldn't have made the decision without your big helping of acid.

If this is going to be Copy Therapy day, here are my edits on Colleen's last post:

shoo-in (not shoe-in)
past (not passed)
classroom (not class room)
Colleen (not colleen) ;)

Ssssssss! Ouch! This post is scorching!

Sorry, but I didn't understand this bit either:
"Let the space be the designer of itself and let us be the consultant of the space."

I'm not letting my space design itself - that's all the fun!

I perused Alice's blog and must say the quality of writing is not much better than what we've seen in this post. It's rather disappointing that this kind of writing can make it to the final three.

Alice,

Correct me if I am wrong, but English is not your native language, or not the only language you use to communicate, right?

From reading your blog, I noticed article omissions and sentence structure similar to someone who learned English as a second language. Is this true?

Stet77,
i am happy to be edited, i am not offended, i'm sorry if you think you got me or something but you didn't. I never claimed to be a) a good speller or b) a grammarian, nor did I critique her grammar or spelling, i can read, and I am in the interior design field, so i do know from that and that is where my issues are. BTW, while your correcting spelling and grammar you might be interested in doing this for Alice since hers is so poor.

p.s. i'm not in a position for a job at a blog as a writer, hell, it doesn't matter if i can't spell my own name, she is, and we were asked to "comment away" so, you know, i did.

oh, i'll save you the trouble, "you're" not "your"

I agree with the posts, Alice's writing is not at the level I've seen so far on AT (I'm one of those contributing to the "unusual" rise in traffic). As a new reader of AT, I would lose interest quickly if I saw this quality of writing on the site. I am not in the interior design field just an economist looking for a creative outlet; I didn't find anything interesting about the post. On a positive note, there is potential, with a little coaching I'm sure Alice can/will improve. Good luck Alice, job interviews are tough, we've all been there.

Good God, Colleen, I think one or two posts conveys your feelings on the subject.

Speaking as someone who was on her way to becoming an English professor, you can't (yet) critique anything on the web the way you would on paper, in my opinion. I don't come here for stellar writing (no offense to the intelligent people who run this site); I come here for design talk and images and perspectives.

I really don't know how I would receive the writing without all the previous posts influencing me, but I do like the picture and the style.

Stephen - Your post was too cute about the animated fan. It made me smile. :)

Holly

Fiona is so right, one or two comments would get the point across.

The relentless trashing of the piece is now just mean spirited.
Whenever someone feels the need to say something like " I'm not trying to be mean, I'm usually very nice, but this sucks" you KNOW they are really being mean and they know it too.

Alice however has been quite gracious in the face of all this. I suppose Maxwell has seen something he likes or would not have chosen her as a finalist.

Remember the guy whose apartment looked like a cheap hotel? Remember? He had, like, fake plants and everything was a teal-ish blue. Remember the good ol' days when we would bag on bad design but not the people?

I understand asking people, kindly, to edit before posting and perhaps check spelling, or even to simply state that someone's writing isn't a fit for this site (a basic point in this particular case with which I agree), but this bitchiness is quite a downer.

I come here to get inspired and to believe that there are actually all these interesting, witty, passionate people sitting around at home truly believing that if they JUST HAD THE PERFECT CHAIR (curtains/bed/hardwoods floors, etc) that the world would be a better place and that they would have more fabulous dinner parties and would wake up each morning thinking they have their slice of heaven right here in the city. And I like that. I like that there is this kind of hope that we have in our homes, our rooms, our lives. It's silly and superficial, but it's sweet, too.

Good, tough feedback = fair. It makes this community and this site better. It's what keeps this site from being too "kindergarten." But the really pointed, personal snarkiness we've seen here today, it's just not civilized.

You know what, I feel really bad - we were rough on you. I'm sorry Alice - this probably wasn't a stellar day for you. I hope tomorrow is a much better day, and maybe you'll get something positive out of all of our idle banter. I think people said Hemingway wasn't a good writer and that turned out okay.

The negative comments are a bit harsh and a bit much. I completely agree with jacq. Alice HAS been gracious in the face of all this.

I'm pulling for you Alice!

Despite the Tord Boontje this space looks like a college student's apartment - mismatched furniture, junk in the corner, a few pictures tacked up on the wall. I don't see anything special here and Alice's writing didn't help see anything unique about the kitchen either. Sorry.

Wow, someones hormonal today!!

Sure this isn't the greatest piece of writing ever - it could certainly have been longer for a start - but I kind of got what she was trying to say with that weird sentence - she means don't try to make a room into something its really not right for - listen to what the architecture is telling you it needs/wants and bend your design to that.

I love that picture of the kitchen even with its faults (I too thought the pasta thing was attached to the window wall) but I think Alice could probably do better with her writing - however it may be her eye for a lovely room that Maxwell appreciates - if she choses more rooms like this to comment on then I'd be happy.

" I don't come here for stellar writing (no offense to the intelligent people who run this site); I come here for design talk and images and perspectives." - I agree with you totally Fiona

This thread has just torn Alice to pieces unnecessarily - its no worse than some other writings I've read elsewhere - this site is not THAT precious that this post looks horrendously out of place - cut her some slack and go be nasty to someone who deserves it!

You can't blame Alice for submitting her work - and that is all she did apparently. The contest was open to anyone. If people don't like her posting, then you need to take it up with the judge. It is not Alice's "fault" that she was picked as one of the finalists. If you don't like her writing, instead of criticizing her, why don't you ask Maxwell why he chose her as one of the finalists?

Please turn off the commenting for this post. It is no longer–if it was ever–constructive, nor is it about design or urban living. Let's leave the trash talk to Gawker.

Matilda: you are 100% right, I owe alice an apology for hurting her feelings. she did not choose to be critqued this way and I did step over the line. maxwell has made a choose that does not fit well here and that is what we should be questioning. alice please accept my deepest apologies for insulting you, I am deeply sorry to you and to everyone for offending them.

Lainey: I know what you are getting at, but, isn;t making fun of someone's home, thier creative work, the same as making fun of their writing? I mean if you're going to say don't make personal attacks, I think, especially here where the home is so personal shouldn't that be included? though I do know what you meant.

violet rose: i assume you meant that Maxwell was hormonal when he made his choice, right? You couldn't possibly be saying that for a woman to have a strong opinion she has to be on her period or something, could you? that's dangerous territory, especially on this website,

I love you guys.

colleen--

As carefully as you've read this post, you've misread the original intent when suggesting wende apply for the job: this is a NY gig, and wende is San Fran-based.

And wende, I *totally* get what you mean when you say you want to preserve this site as a hobby. That's why I did not throw my hat into the ring for the gig.

Well, that, and comments like colleen's.

Um, Patrick (the other one), I guess you didn't carefully read this Alice's blog, she's not in New York either, it appears she's from London, or at least trading on the royal pound. But you had to get your 2 bits in, didn't you? :-0

I don't know why everyone's picking on Colleen (or is it colleen, is there as different one with a capitol C) so many people made negative comments at least she apologized. That's a rare thing in cyberspace. In any event, let's all stop this negative crap and move on to a more positive commentary, there's another post by a finalist about a shop in Brooklyn. Maybe we can add something nice to that one: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/brooklyn-heights/baltic-bazaar-011481

George--
Correct, I didn't read Alice's blog at all, since this one is all I can muster the time (and lately, the stomach) for.

Thanks for the "two cents" dig, too. :-O back atcha.

But I TOTALLY don't get why (if your comment is true and she is not NY-based) a non-NYer would be considered for AT NY.

P2,

Alice's blog is all about NYC...so I'm assuming that she is in NYC, not London.

What say you, George?

Actually, it's all about boston and a little about New York, and the really weird part is it's only about 1 month old. I was mistaken because a lot of the links go to British companies. I looked her up, she gives her full name, she lives in cambridge Mass, not New York, but I don't actually really think that should matter since everyone on here is not from NY, and it seems to be ok. And P(2) you are very negative yourself, that wasn't a dig, it was a joke, "two bits" not two cents, get it? you shouldn't read tone into webposts. Lighten up! ;-)

George--

Sorry you find me negative. I try to positive and honest, but I do rise when people single me out as you appeared to do.

Yeah, I got the "cents to bits" conversion. It was the "always have to" that I read into (and took slight offense to). But I wasn't *horribly* offended, which is why I countered with your same emoticon, in the same witty way you first used it. But enough of all that from me.

But, um, I do think someone hired specifically to contribute to the AT NY site should be a burrough resident.

George, I'm wondering if we are even looking at the same blog, since the one I read was all about New York. There's also a part that seems to indicate she moved to NYC and her significant other is still in Boston--or vice versa. I guess only Alice and Maxwell know for sure. Speculation on this site has always turned out to be wrong, so I'll refrain.

Oh lordy, this is why Apartment therapy is so much fun. You get clear, tight, bitchy writing. And who cares about the spelling. If it was all so nice none of us would like to read it. Plus, we are all a little picky and judgemental or we wouldn't be interested in interior design. And, I feel if you put yourself out there for something so public and on a blog where judgemental,visual, picky people hang out - than you must accept the criticism. That's part of it. So stop it and let colleen bitch. I am enjoying her very much as I drink my coffee here in Weehawken.

No offense, but if Patrick the other thing threw his name in - than I would stop reading this blog. Too self absorbed. I'd rather have Alice. Please AT don't ever let that happen. I beggeth you

Children children calm yourselves!

It's only a blog. It's, dare I say, only design.
This website is a new discovery for me and need I say I have grown addicted, yet as a special needs art teacher in Bushwick this website serves as a daily escape from harsh urban reality for me; where I can spoil myself with fantastic materialistic dreams and ideas for my oasis of a nest in Brooklyn.

I think all of you need a bit more exposure in your lives to real life, real people and what life is like where no one gives a damn about design. Then you would look as design more as a priviledge you allow yourself to acknowledge and enjoy, rather than a human right, a status symbol and a contest.

-Jessica

ubetcha--
Sorry you feel that way. I just greatly enjoy these topics and this site, feel I have contributed quite a bit to it, and have greatly enjoyed the interaction with *most* people I've come across here.

And you are free at any time to contribute content you feel is less self-absorbed.

Patrick, I realized that might have felt a bit personal. Though it wasn't intended to be. Sorry about that patrick. I enjoy the blog too. And I actually enjoy the know it alls like you. (I didnt mean that to be rib) It wouldn't be the same if you did this as work rather than pleasure. Then, I couldn't roll my eyes sometimes and say lets here what he has to say today. But in truth, you do contribute very much and you provide a bit of comfort to my day. Jessica, you might want to chill a bit.

Sorry, I meant to say "hear" not here.

A "bit" personal but wasn't intended to be??!

Jeez, I'd hate to hear what you're like when you MEAN to make it personal.

But thanks for the follow-up and attempt at clarification.

ubetcha!