apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hi there

I am so excited for this holiday because I plan to do a lot of work on my new apartment:

* Finish painting the red accent wall in my living room
* Hang framed photos and pictures in living room and bedroom
* Paint dining area (I might go for that lovely silver paint that was featured in the recent post about the Paris Apartment.
* Put up shelves in the bedroom. I was thinking about doing a single row of wrap-around shelves along the top of the room. What do you think??
* start hanging mirror tiles in the dining area. I was originally going to buy a large silver framed mirror to hang there, but it was too expensive so I bought mirror tiles from West Elm (less than half the price). I figured if I paint the wall silver and hang the tiles, it will give a similar effect and might even look cooler than a traditional mirror.
* Replace the ugly fluorescent ceiling fixture in dining room with my fabulous new Le Klint pendant light.
* Get the foam slab that I bought for my window seat covered with fabric.
* Put up and decorate my christmas tree.

I think that's it for now. I probably won't finish it all, but I'll give it my best shot.

Wish me luck

NT

Sounds like fine! Don't over-extend yourself, nothing like making a mistake with paint when you're hungy or tired!

I'd suggest that while you're wiring in the new light that you put it on a dimmer, I love my Lutron Maestro (totally geeky)

I think a full shelf all the way around the room would look fussy--i just imagine a model train running around the room. But i'd have to see the room to suggest something else.

And you will love the room once the pictures are up and dressed, my sister said my apt looked so much better then last time she was there (3 months ago) and the only real change was the furniture was placed and the pictures were hung.

Send us pics when you're done! and good luck!

Tomorrow and Sunday are filled with cooking and crafts, but Monday I actually have the day off, and I'm planning on doing some stuff around the house.

*Use my Lowes gift card to buy paint for the kitchen and paint it
*Clean out my attic (the contractors that rehabbed the house before I moved in left windows, doors, tires, all kinds of crap up there) and move a bunch of stuff up there I've been procrastinating on schlepping up the stairs
* Fix the cabinet door that fell off in the kitchen
* If I have any $ left over at Lowes, buy some shelving for the laundry room and put up more shelves
* Figure out what to do with the bicycles. Hooks from the ceiling? They are really in the way.

Hi Minh

I totally agree about the dimmers. I forgot to put that on the list, but I am installing dimmers on three of the light fixtures in my apartment. Actually, I have a friend who is an electrician's apprentice who is going to come and help me with the lighting, so I don't kill myself.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I thought the single shelf would be LESS fussy and cluttered looking than having several rows of shelves on one wall. I guess I need to give it more thought.

Oh and speaking of getting hungry. I ordered a prime rib roast from Fresh Direct to make for christmas dinner for me and my boyfriend, with roast potatoes, squash, salad, and chocolate mousse for dessert. Yum!

Question: where can I find a nice, fabric extra-long shower curtain?
I need at least 84" long and ideally 108" because of the weird layout of my bathroom in my Victorian apt.

NT,

I don't know how much shelving you really need (or what you plan on using it for). I like the floating bracket less ones from Ikea, but they do not hold very much weight (not good for books).

For shelves I like 2-3 symmetrically mounted or the whole wall and then use a curtain or something to hide them. I think it's important you have some space clear around the shelf--i would not hang a picture right next to a shelf for example. I treat it as a decorative element too.

As far as the electrical wiring, it's good to have some help but i was surprised at how easy it can be, if you understand how it works. Make sure you pay attention in case you want to change a light later.

Amber -

Where is the closest Lowes to Manhattan?

Not sure where to post this, but was wondering the outcome of the auction for the black and white photo of the chair -

i saw somewhere (on "small space, big style" maybe?) a room that had a shelf going all the way around it, and it actually looked great. i remember it being sort of a minimal space, and i think that would be the key, not fussy-grandmotherly with lots of clutter sitting around on the shelf. . .

juanito
don't know if Lowe's has breached Manhattan, but there's one in Brooklyn very close to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel - it's at 2nd/3rd Ave at 11th St in Gowanus/Park Slope.
From the tunnel, roll down Hamilton Ave underneath the BQE and make a left on 9th St.

They're in the Bronx too - surely locations are on their website

Me(1)

I think in know the space you're referring to. it was the architect in Florida who had that shelf that ran all the way around his apt. http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_small_space/article/0,1793,HGTV_3382_4272178_12,00.html

That shelf was more like chair raile height and it looked great. You're right, it did not have a lot of stuff on it. This would be a bit different because it would be up higher and it would have books and other items on it, although I would try to arrange it somewhat artfully.

NT
I put a high and rather deep shelf on two walls around my bedroom nook and I love love love it. Another wall of shelves would be one wall too much for me, plus there is barely the space. With the raised shelf (5' off the ground, 8' ceilings, 14" deep shelf) I get lots of storage for oversized books and good looking boxes, and zero visual clutter at eye level in bed.

I used some very nice hardware from Anthropologie, back when I could happily not hate them for giving money to Rick Santorum
(click my name for a link - I used the Eiffel)

Guido - do you have a picture of how it looks?

or does anyone have any pictures of something similar.

Thanks

I had the day off today and got started on my project, removing a defunct intercom from my entry foyer and filling in the wall. Per the advice from my local hardware store, I stuffed the hole with newspaper, covered that with a patch kit, and then put compound over. Tomorrow when it is dry I will sand and then apply another layer. Since the rest of the wall is not white (more like a buttercream), having a big white blob is going to force the issue of what I want to do in the foyer - just keep it painted, or go for wallpaper? Right now i'm leaning towards wallpaper, but this will definitely not get done over the holidays!

On the question of decor projects, today I helped one of my nieces hang these brightly colored chinese paper lantern things (without lights) that she got for Christmas LAST year; there are four of them and they look great. I may post a pic or two on the flickr thing, but she'll need to clean up that area of her room before she'll let me take a picture.

Meanwhile, the cell signal is so bad here in rural Mississippi, there are 2 such pictures that I took of these great Art Deco armoires that I saw in an antiqure store that STILL say that they're in the middle being sent! They don't even say that they "try again later."

Maybe they'll end up going through AFTER I'm back in NYC? We'll see.

Juanito I live in Norfolk, VA so we have plenty of Lowes at our disposal. But really I'd give them up to live in NYC haha.

NT, I have a high white shelf along one wall of my son's room and I love it. I was loathe to put Winne the Pooh pictures or even worse, (!) on the wall and this way he can change the display to whatever is age appropriate. Ok-now its stuffed animals but hes 19 months old.

I thought I was the only one to never stop thinking of projects, any projects! After looking at nearly hundreds of tables, obsessively, I'm buying this one (attached to my name) for two reasons...a) it's cheap, but with style, and b) it will absolutely do until I can afford the quality level vintage or other table down the road. Chairs will probably be this:

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=891&f=9236&viewall=1

I have that same green color, I realized, in a couple of pieces of artwork and at least one piece of pottery and will tie it in in a subtle way (pillows?) elsewhere.