apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Anyone know anything about secret doors?

Instead of closing off a large double door that is misplaced in my apartment, I thought I might order some kind of thing to cover it instead. Like hang doors that look like bookcases but secretly open.... Is that too Scooby Doo? Anyone know who might make these? Are they always bookcases (I got a lot of those already in this room)?

sam-
Misplaced? Does it go to nowhere? Anyway, the Murphy Design Center on 23rd Street, a few doors west of Fifth/Broadway on the south side of the street on the 2nd Floor (they have a display window -- just look up) makes some like that for a different kind of Murphy bed than they made for me. For mine, the two bookcases in the middle slide to each side and reveal the bed. The kind you need open like enormous doors.

And they can make them WITHOUT the bed, I'm pretty sure. Go there, have a look and talk to them; they're really great to work with.

Grrrr. Every time I'm ready to post to an OT they go and start another or when I'm waiting for a new one to start someone beats me to the first question! So, to answer your question first Sam, before I launch into what I was going to write in the OT 111, someone selling secret doors posted here before:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/102705/good-questions/good-questions-what-do-you-think-of-the-amazing-door-004696

I posted about something that Debbie Travis did in a similar vein here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/112905/good-questions/good-questions-tv-design-show-reviews-005192
Go to my first post

I love stuff like this as long as it looks clean like Debbie Travis's did. The amazing doors did not get much support mainly due to their homely look I guess but if they could be cleaned up to look more minimalist then I could go for that.


Now onto my stuff :)

To Trillium, my wife and I cook every day (not sure if that makes us serious cooks but we need a very functional kitchen) and I must admit, I have never been bothered by the sound of things on granite. The sound of dishes clanging together when someone pulls out a few in one go from the dishwasher has woken me up and that sound does grate but not the actual setting down on the stone. It's interesting to find out other peoples' issues.

As I have said before, nothing beats being able to pull out a hot roast from the oven, plus potatoes, plus the yorkshire pudding and being able to set all of them down anywhere you like because your stone counter is impervious to the heat. The utility is tremendous in this respect as well as many others such as cutting on the stone, imperviousness to spills and stains etc. I also like SS for this reason and can live with the sound to get all the other advantages.

As much as I like butcher block, I could not maintain it and the post about metal screws in the surface on which to put your hot pans reinforces the need to be able to do this on your counter tops.

There are many different stones and some need sealing, some don't and obviously the look varies greatly so I guess most ppl could get a look they like and this forum is useful for understanding why not all stones are made equal in terms of suitability for kitchen surfaces:
http://www.stonepowerhouse.com/phorum3/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=c2bffd1d8576d75400b04e73a3af5355
and in this post the resident expert mentions his infallible lemon juice (which came up in OT111) test to see if a stone needs sealing or not
http://www.stonepowerhouse.com/phorum3/viewtopic.php?t=7894

The door leads btw dining room and baby's room. It's not useful and I'd like to cut down the noise. And secret doors are cool. Thanks for murphy bed idea.

Jamie, thanks for tips. I have granite and don't like it, mostly bcs it's loud. My old place had wood counters and I had no problem putting a roast on it for 10 minutes while I moved things onto platters. Also, my habit from growing up is to move most things from oven and set on cooktop unless I am really cooking for 20 and all surfaces are in use.

You're welcom sam.
Funny you should mention cooking for 20. We were cooking for about 25 when I realized how well our kitchen worked. We had uba tuba granite that does not need sealing and does not show any stain, a 36" viking range that had a huge oven, viking hood that was loud (that issue again!) but very fast at extracting smells and a large island with the same granite that provided tons of counter space.

Now we have the afore mentioned Pietro Cardosa stone counter tops, Bosch 30" oven and Miele pull out low profile hood. The stone absorbs liquid like a sponge, the Bosch oven was not large enough to do Christmas dinner in one go for 5 adults plus 3 toddlers and the Miele hood, while quiet and discrete, is no where near large or powerful enough to extract smells with any kind of speed. As much as I prefer the sleeker look of our new kitchen (White lacqured Varenna cabinets vwith the low profile SS appluances vs traditional Maple shaker cabinests with in yer face Viking and subzero stuff) the functionality and utility of the older kitcen was nigh on perfect.

delighted to see the counter top discussion continues . . .

if anyone actually has Ikea butcher block around their sink, would you please post about it? I'm just wondering how well it holds up - I have old butcher block counters that I really like, but worry about lower quality butcher block coming separating or warping or something.
Apologies to anyone bored with all this from yesterday!

On the subject of Ikea -- anyone have the restaurant style kitchen faucet from there? It's not on the site, but they are in the stores. My rule of thumb has been to spend the $$ on the waterworks, but it was a pretty cute design . . . and slightly scaled down from industrial versions which is good.
so, does it work?

Heads up that ABC's main store is having their Winter Sale.
If this place rocks your world, this might be the time you can afford to actually buy something instead of just drooling.
Tableware and Tibetan chests, anyone?

random question- does anyone know the name/type of the lightbulbs, where the top is covered in a silver material? i've seen them used in some pendant lights but don't know what they're called or where to find them...

the thing with granite, and stone in general, is that there are really no standard names for things! distributors call stones by different names so that people can't go purchase more directly or find competitive pricing as easily. as a result, i have found that lots of vendors call things granite that are really marble or shist or limestone. real granite is indestructible. if you're having discoloration from citrus, it's possible that your countertops are not actually granite. it's irritating to say the least!

I forgot to add Guido
I have the latest Living Etc and have finished with it. You are free to have it. email me at jammypup@gmail.com

jon-
I don't know what those bulbs are called, but I can promise you that this place called "Just Bulbs" will have it -- they have everything. They used to be near the Flatiron Building, and they've moved to 5 East 16th Street. Click on my name for the link to the map I found for them.

Jon,

They are called half-mirrored or chrome bulbs.
Link to an online retailer.

http://www.lightbulbdirect.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=L&Category_Code=1-2-CHROMES

Someone had said that glass block looked very 70's; I think it was mainly in the 40's and 50's, but regardless, it can really be wonderful if it's used right. P2 is right, there's a lot of different shapes and styles and sizes.

Like with any decorative element, you have to think about the proportions and how it fits in with the space. BUT... since it will be built in, it's even more important, because it becomes an architectural element and requires even more careful thought, measuring and planning.

wow this is a great discussion of countertops, i've been putting it off myself for months now.

how do people feel about the man-made countertops? Part of me wants to do granite just because it helps with resale value (eye-candy factor). But all the points worry me since I'm a single lazy guy so I need minmimum maintenance! I do cook, and it's a small kitchen so things get dirty quickly so something that's easily wiped and won't stain or be ruined if i don't clean it immediately is a must.

Also, for a kitchen reno should i go ahead and do the cabinets too? They're wood but i think they'd look fine if they're painted instead of the natural finish. But i'm thinking i should just spend the money and replace everything--but i'm cheap--err frugal :)

Minh--
I am an untested fan of engineered stone for countertops. And Corian.
(And soapstone!!!)

And also agree with Curtis that the right laminate, properly installed, is sometimes the best solution.

Minh -- Do you gain anything important by replacing the cabinets? I'd replace cabinets if:

--You can dramatically increase the functionality of the space (most important reason), especially if you want to add new cabinets on a currently blank wall.

--The cabinets have developed structural problems.

--The quality or look of the cabinets is totally out of line with the finishes in the rest of the apartment, and paint won't take care of that.

--Some element of the kitchen project makes working around the existing cabinets just as expensive as replacing them.

I wouldn't replace them just to replace them, though. I want to smack people who tore out perfectly decent 1950s cabinets to "update" -- I love those cabinets (and have them in our rental), but they're just about impossible to find in apartments for purchase.

about cabinet replacement, what wende said

about silvered bulbs (love them)
I think Just Bulbs is a minichain - there's one on lower Broadway too. I've also seen them in hardware stores.

about jamie pup
you're a peach, thanks

A designer friend of mine just sent me this link to this beautiful store in Florida.

All I can say is WOW! Thought I would share...


www.nibahome.com/

Nobody has mentioned concrete countertops. I love the way they look and they have a softer sound than granite. One of my favorite designers, Fu Tung Chen, used them in all his designs.
http://www.chengdesign.com/geocrete.html

"Save the quarries"

I just spent my lunch hour completely engrossed in this website: http://www.forgotten-ny.com/

The 'street scenes' section is great.

rr -

i could live in that sight.

W-O-W !

some time ago someone was asking about the Issac Mizrahi lamp that looked like a ship's lanters. I finally saw it at Target this afternoon for the first time at least in this area (arlington va.)

glass block is really 80's, they renovated the student union in the 80's using glass block, neon and formica in grey and primary colors...

guido: there is lots of talk about the Ikea butcher block countertops in the kitchen forum on that home site, specifically in the ikea thread. You might also check the ikea fans site for info. Not to take away from AT, but just a heads up. I think most people have been very happy with theirs, and there have been a variety of finishes used, from sealing permanently to doing the oil finish thing. I think you can get different kinds of wood too, maybe birch and oak?

jamie: I'm glad you like your granite! Just don't make me put it in my kitchen. I think different things work for different people. I'm noise sensitive, the sound of a fridge running can drive me bonkers. We also live in an old drafty house that we are too cheap to heat up past 64 F, so it's is very cold in the winter, and makes all cold surfaces even colder. I also think not all the counter tops in a kitchen have to be made from the same material. We're contemplating putting a stone something or other countertop to the right of our range (a Bosch too) so we can have a spot to just plunk down hot pans straight from the oven. This shouldn't be too expensive since we can buy a left over piece (the space is only about 10 - 12 inches wide).

Cooking for lots of people is a challenge in a small kitchen, sometimes we just move part of it outside (grill and 70,000 btu propane burner), but I confess I secretly long for another oven, and run out of burners all the time. Then I think about friends' kitchens in other countries, they marvel at my spacious one and full sized refrigerator!

regards,
trillium

Well, methinx 'twas the Bauhaus folks who invented it, what with the form/function thing (since some places need light but REALLY need to NOT take in nasty views) and I'm not a big architectural historian, but I think that was kind of the '30's or '40's. Different other decades reinterpreted it in different ways.

Uh... I was referring to the glass block by the way.

ME thinks the gray and neon and formica and gray/primaries had more to do with an 80s end result than simply the glass block...

thanks Curtis and DCDave for the lightbulb help-
that was driving me crazy! now to do some shopping....

jon - Just FYI, those bulbs cast the light down and cast no light upwards. Is that what you need?

rr....thanks, i bookmarked that site.

...totally off-topic (sorry!) but I just got a call for an interview for my very first solo show... I'm nervous as hell. Wish me luck!

Also: hotel is booked, guidebooks and maps have been purchsed, and I can't sleep for the next 20 days from excitement about my New York trip!

I'm so glad everyone is back from the holidays! It's so great to read these giant open threads.

Good luck! And when you're accepted, you have to tell us where and when, so we can attend and admire.

aquarabbit - How exciting for you on both fronts: solo show and NYC trip. What neighborhood did you finally book in and when are you coming? I still think we should all try to meet for a martini somewhere.

Can someone just tell me what kind of wood floors I want? Prewar LR and DR need new floors. Thinking I want an ebonized look. Yes? What kind of wood? Plank or parquet? The rooms are smallish and narrow (12x14 each) with good light.

Flooring showroom left me in a muddle and I need to tell contractor soon!

anne--
Unless the bulb is in an inverted position (I've seen them used to great effect in hanging/pendant lamps).

helpmeplease--
What are you leaning toward, and why are you in a muddle?
Is it color or form that you are most worried about?
Ebonized plank would give you the sleekest, most modern look (assuming not "farmhouse" kind of planks) and a lighter parquet would give you something perhaps true to the vintage of the house.

oh right - duh, hanging lamps! Forgot the consider that option.

Because I've been living with parquet floors for so many years I have a thing against them. I think random planking looks great. Stay away from very wide planks unless, like P2 said, you're looking for a farmhouse look. It also depends on what else is going to be in the room and the color of the walls. Are you trying to acheive a contemporary look or something in the traditional vein? Also remember that dark floors will show dust/dirt more than a light floor. Show us a couple of photos and it would make it easier to give advise.

Thanks everyone..! I am keeping my fingers crossed (except that I almost cut off one of my fingers just now with one of the ultra-dull (yet flesh-ripping?) knives they give us here).

Anne, we got a good deal at the Marcel, which is near Grammercy Park. It seems like a decent location to someone who doesn't know a thing about anything. Yes! Please let's arrange a drink night. It would be so fun to meet some fellow AT-ers.

Thanks for the help.

I'm not in the place yet, and have no photos, but it's a pretty straight forward prewar apartment in Park Slope. Floor is my first decision, so it's a big one and when I need to decide how I'm going in this place. I think I'd like something modern bcs my furniture is pretty classic and I don't want to get too old lady. I'll be using large rugs (not yet bought) per co-op rules.

I think I want plank because rooms seems pretty small for parquet, but I'm not good at this. Really do not want farmhouse look. Showroom had just too many choices of wood, etc. Who knows?

On the countertop issue, I think that Corian counters are beautiful. I don't know about durability though. I'm another person who was raised to NEVER set anything on the countertop without protection. Also, I personally don't think granite looks especially wonderful. It's a little too hard, sterile, and trendy for me. I have had and loved butcher block counters though.

I was wondering, has anyone ordered sheets off of overstock.com? They have great prices on high threadcount sheets, but I'm a little suspicious about quality. I'd be curious to hear the experiences of anyone who has purchased from them.

Oh, I did go back to Target and get the bamboo sheet set to go with the pillowcases I got as a test run... and I am sooo happy with them. They are so soft and pretty.

Talking of countertops, I have a solid slate vanity in the bathroom. Despite being sealed with a penetrating sealer (natural look sealer-no shine) I've noticed a brown stain developing in the shallower areas. The slate is not honed. It has a natural cleft...long story, we wanted it honed but the contractor didn't have the equipment, yada, yada, yada. The slate tiles on the bathroom walls and floor which are also sealed seem fine. Any ideas what I can use to remove the brown stain? I'm guessing it's just general bathroom muck that's on the vanity and was wondering whether I can use something simple like Windex on the sealed slate? Thanks!

Reef

Completely off topic (again):

Longtime listener, first time poster. I have a long shoe-box open loft that I need paint colors for. The only "color" I have right now is a Room/Board khaki sofa. I'm leaning toward grey-blue on the 40 ft. wall and chocolate on the 22 foot wall w/ the only windows. ...but don't want to feel its too trendy in a year.

I'd love to hear your favorite wall color combinations!

I just can't warm up to granite! And I see it everywhere; the thrill is gone.

On the other hand, I wish I could afford some of the engineered stones that have a matte finish. What a blond moment it was when I realized the price was per square foot, not per linear foot. **SIGH**

Any ideas on how to disguise the nicks and scratches in my off-white laminate countertop? I am afraid I will have it for a long time.

Check out Cambria Counter Tops! I have these in my kitchen. They are beautiful, durable, and easy to clean. They are pretty expensive, but worth it.

trillium

which home forum? stonepowerhouse?
thx!

It's called "That Home Site".

Here's a link (look for the ikea thread):

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/kitchbath/

The Ikea kitchen website, set up by fans of their cabinates, has info on the different types of butcher block ikea offers, and I know I've read about how well it wears at one or the other of these places.

http://ikeafans.com/

regards,
trillium

countertop question. i have a small budget for countertops, thinking of laminate with a wood edge so i don't get the laminate black line seam edge. does anyone have this? will it be a crumb catcher? planning on white laminate with a dark wood edge

For the love of God: get plank floors. I loathe those parquet floors; they look cheap.

I'll sit down now, to wait until I can tell you how I really feel.

Laura. Since you're already leaning towards that color scheme, check out the Jan/Feb issue of Domino, pp 44-45. They feature a room that combines the paint colors: gray, cream and espresso.

I agree with Anne about concrete countertops. I've posted before about them...they are my favorite. My only gripe with them in the US is that they are completely overpriced. Just because they are in fashion right now, places are getting away with charging outrageous prices - even though concrete is probably the cheapest material to use.

About Living Etc this month: are they all wrapped in plastic? People have been saying it is a great issue, but if I can't look through it first I am not sure I want to buy it. What’s it like inside this month?

i think living etc. is always worth it. it's the one magazine i definitely buy every month.

i associate glass block with the miami vice years.

anyone ever buy a marina lamp (formerly from dwr, now it looks like just from crate and barrel)? happy with it?

by parquet, I mean wood that is placed in a parquet pattern, board by board. not parquet tiles.

About the wood floors:

If you don't have pics of the place you are moving into, would it be possible to post pics or links online to the different types of flooring you are considering? I am curious to see all of the choices!

It seems like I was just reading about lava rock being used as countertops.
I went snowboarding this weekend and sat down on a beautiful bench to rest. I started to notice the bench was warm and that the snow was all melted around it. This made me look at it very closely and I thought to myself how very nice it would work for a countertop. I'm guessing it was polished lava rock (we were on a volcano and they use lava rock for everything here). It was very smooth and slightly sparkly. The color was a nice charcoal grey. And because it is literally warm to the touch, it may have a warmer feeling than granite. As a renewable source, I think its definitely worth looking into. Being that its new though, it may be pricey in the states.
I have granite in my bathrooms and I like it. I wish it was in my kitchen. It hides crumbs very well. I don't like the way you have to be careful with marble. If you leave a drink sitting on it, it leaves rings.

The only problem with concrete countertops is that they are prone to getting hairline cracks and are not non-porous...they can stain. Lava is beautiful...goes by the name Pyrolave. I just installed one in a custom color a couple of weeks ago and have sold quite a few over the years. They are imported from France and are a bloody fortune, but they have a very beautiful crackled texture and come in any color, including neutrals. It wears like iron, no issues at all with staining or scratching.

i looooooooooooove glass blocks!
they remind me of the two times i was an exchange student in germany in high school (around the time the wall came down)
they, in my mind, register as the height of european urbanity
glass blocks, and those cool slatted window thingys they have there
they're like big venetian shades, but made of glass and are the windows themselves
also love them!

Laura-
Have a look at this past year's contest entries; one of them was "I've Got Color" and there was the "Smallest, Coolest Apartment" contests but there was also one for bathrooms and another for kitchens, specifically. There are some very fun things that people did with colors, including the ones you describe.

You're bound to have some opinions about some of those, and hopefully some inspiration. And many of those folks are regular posters on here. Patrick (the other one), which we also refer to as P(too) or P2 for short was the winner of the Smallest, Coolest Apartment contest and did some beautiful things with some neutral colors in his place.

Personally, I think that doing one wall one color and another wall another color REALLY opens up a room very nicely. Would have to see the room itself to have an opinion about which one got which color, though.

Here are my two choices (at this point)

Dark plank floors cf Something's Gotta Give:

http://tinyurl.com/dbh82

-or-

Light herringbone cf Urban Glass House

http://www.selldorf.com/projects/current/urbanglasshouse.htm

and which would look better in a smaller (12x28 total), less bright, less glam space. and what kind of wood?

oh lord.

I vote ebonized. Altho I worry it may seem a little 2004 in a few years. But I like it now!

Little Sarah - I had laminate counters with a wooden edge in my last house. The edge was beveled and it was beautiful. Just make sure that the wood is well sealed as you don't want water damage around the sink. I lived there for 4 years and showed no wear. It was great! I didn't have the budget for anything more upscale on the major spaces, but my island had black granite tiles on it. Also with a wooden edge, but the island was painted. Very farmhouse though.

helpmeplease:

Hmmm...

Both of the floors in the pics are beautiful. But I am not sure I would choose either for the place you are moving into. If rooms are small, I don't think dark floors are the best option. But I am someone who likes white walls and everything airy and light.

The herringbone is lovely, but I see your point about that pattern size possibly being too big for your space. Do they offer the herringbone in different pattern sizes? If it came in a smaller size (but not tiles, as your rightly pointed out), I would vote for that if I had to choose between the two.

If it is a pre-war, would it be possible to get older wood for the floors? One of the reasons I love pre-wars is because of the old wood floors. But I don't know if that is possible/or just too expensive?

Oooh, photos! I vote for the ebonized plank. Since it'll always be framing rugs, due to your HOA rules, the ebonized look makes a beautiful tailored border to the hypothetical rugs.

okay. genuine parquet. when is my time-out over?

I did a search for concrete countertops some time ago and this thread popped up. I see someone metioned Cheng. Another designer is Gore Designs. I recently had them give me an estimate and they explained how their product is completely green. www.goredesignco.com