apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Does anyone out there know where I can find some examples of how to organize my small living room/dining room. I've been scouring the pages of AT and other sites to see how other people managed to fit a sofa, an arm chair, small dining table & chairs, coffee table and television all together. Any suggestions?

Malaika,
You may want to try www.bhg.com they have this design tool called "Arrange a Room" that you can use to come up witha floor plan. All of the dimensions for the room and furniture can be customized. The only catch is that the program can only work with square or rectangular spaces.
This may be agood start just to get some ideas on space planning.If you click my name it should take you there.

on HGTV's website, they have a link to their show Small Space Big Style, which several AT reader's homes have been featured on- they have pictures of each the featured homes that you can peruse through- i don't know how many show the living room/dining room- but it might inspire something...
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hssbs

A silly question, perhaps: What's the difference between AT: LA and AT: New York? I click on one then the other and they both look the same. Are the general articles and the OTs the same with the slinks as the 'city-specific' feature?

Well, you know how you say, "Where can I go to get a one-of-these things?" Well, if you're gonna talk about going onto Robertson Boulevard or Hollywood and Vine, that doesn't really help us New Yorkers, and if we're kvelling about the some fun little antique shop on Broadway and 93rd, the L.A. folks don't really care, but the web things can go to both. It's only been this past year that they started the LA one.

Hello AT! Long time stalker, first time caller. A quick question about Eames wire chairs. If a "few" wires were broken in the seat area, would these be easily fixed or even worth buying? I live out in Michigan (where the noteworthy Craigslist findings are few) and this listing popped up today. I'd love to hear your opinion. Thanks.
http://detroit.craigslist.org/fur/128268195.html

RSK.

putting on my DIY hat, i think touch up with solder would be fine (but only cosmetic), if they look sturdy enough with the breaks, just patch them up with filler, repaint. If you decide to put a cushion even better still!

it's hard to tell from the pictures how far the breaks go across, if it makes the back wobbly, then i don't think it's worth fixing them.

Being in MI you should have access to Miller vintage Miller stuff, isn't the factory also in MI?

I sent an email to Alexis Stewart concerning the campaign to get horse carriages removed from city streets and she wrote back. Now, how nice was that for her to send me an email!?

Anne, of course she was polite and wrote back--I mean, she IS Martha's daughter! :)

Okay, I posted this question before, but now I'm desperate--an apartment issue that isn't design related. I'm dealing with a chain smoking downstairs neighbor and her chain smoking boyfriend. Anyone out there had experience a.)with successful air purifiers/other smoke strategies b.) with any legal challenges. I have spoken with her, so that option is out the window. The landlord wants her out too, but somehow the "no smoking" clause got left off her lease...it's supposed to be a non smoking building. Anyhow...if anyone has advice, I'd love to hear it. I just got a new sofa, and I'd hate for it to be smoky. :)

Christine, I can totally sympathize with you. My brother is a smoker and even though he doesn't smoke in his house it still reaks. I don't know if air purifiers are going to do the trick. Is there any way you can completely close off any ventilation coming from other apts.? Cross ventilation (from open windows), candles, air purifier (I'd get the best you can afford) and plug-in air freshiners are the only things I can think of. And I'd try to get the landlord to help pay for those things since it's a non smoking building.

I know that's not much help. Sorry.

Malaika,
I have had similar distress...part of my issue was with cable outlets and doors and the fact that my sofa was WAY too big for the space. Anyhow, I could send you some pictures, but I don't think it's particularly great. Not to harp on DC Dave's place (oh, why not!), but I really think he did a stellar job of fitting everything into his space.

Anne, thanks. There's literally a haze of smoke when she's really going at it. I have a feeling it's going to get worse because my landlord had sent her a letter. I might have to just get passive aggressive and stomp around...

Hey! How about this? Make the landlord install a sprinkler system in the building because you don't feel safe! So.... when she smokes, she'll get rained on?

I have friends who smoke, but they're more considerate than this person you describe.

I have friends who smoke too, and they're MUCH more considerate because they recognize that it affects others.

I think that if you feel VERY strongly about it, and especially if you're highly allergic or something, that some combination of a doctor's note and NYC Department of (whatever) complaint and might be able to get you out of YOUR lease on the grounds that the "no smoking" aspect that you were counting on was not honored because of the omission in her lease.

And that all depends on whether you feel like everything else about that apartment is so completely perfect for you that it's not funny AND you have to ask yourself how soon you expect that downstairs neighbor to go ahead and pass into the great "downstairs" place. But if you're saying she has a boyfriend, it sounds like she's not all that old. What kind of flimsy building can you smell smoke through the floors, though? That's kind of weird, isn't it?

It's an old bldg with wood floors and I think it's not necessarily coming through the floors but maybe around pipes and stuff. I don't know...I've read a little and it seems that airflow's a difficult thing to control...I've never had this issue before, so it's weird.

Unfortunately, the place is darn near perfect for me otherwise. And, I don't think she'll kick the bucket anytime soon--she's in her early 20s, so she's got a few years before her lungs turn completely black.

Oh, and I'm in DC--but same difference...I think my landlord will work with me to make changes to make it comfortable if there's something that really would work.

A couple weeks ago, someone posted about the Isaac Mizrahi woodgrain-print skirt. I went Targeting at lunch today, and lo and behold: they are now 50% off!!

So I had to get one.

Target in Dallas is selling them on clearance for $12.48; don't think they're available online any longer, but there are still some in stores. Well, here at least.

I can't wait to wear it tomorrow!

Oh - for a picture, go here:

http://tinyurl.com/93o6h

Christine: Go get yourself a real air purifier with a HEPA filter, such as Bionaire (at Bed Bath and Beyond) ... I found it a help in my old apartment. The other thing might be to get the landlord to install an exhaust fan in your downstairs neighbor's apartment ... the more smoke that can be eliminated before it rises up through the gaps around the pipes or between the floorboards, the better. I believe there is something called a "warrant of habitability" that the landlord must comply with ... a quick Google search might arm you with enough information to take some action (or press your landlord to do so).

Hey Anne--that's cool about Alexis. I was so upset about that poor carriage horse. I've always wondered why the hell they let those carriages drive through the streets.

And Anne in Dallas (presumably another Anne), cute skirt!

Oh, Christine, I sympathize. I was in the same situation a while ago, and I'm afraid there just wasn't a satisfactory solution. I was hoping someone would post one.

Shared furnace, Victorian building, cold winter, two heavy smokers downstairs and us and our new baby upstairs.

I contacted the non-smokers rights association for my area. They, too, were sympathetic, but there was no legal protection for me in my own home. (They're lobbying for legislative changes.) Perhaps you could contact the equivalent organization. Even if you have no legal protection, they can use your example to push for necessary changes. (It just seems obvious to me that shared furnace buildings have to be non-smoking.)

I had wondered if a super-duper filter on the furnace would have helped, but for various reasons (not just this) we ended up moving.

In the meantime, I duct-taped the furnace vents closed. Yes, this made it chilly, although not unliveable since heat rises anyway. I got a space heater. This cleared up the smoke almost entirely - but it's a drastic solution to the problem.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

Christine: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have no legal recourse. And to respond to Jane's comment, this would not fall into the "warranty of habitability" category - that is reserved for things like not having indoor plumbing or heat. Anywho, each tenant is entitled to negotiate the terms of his/her own lease so just because your says one thing, doesn't mean someone else's will, unless you have something specific in yours that says "Landlord will not modify or delete the no-smoking provision of any lease (but even this wouldn't apply to leases that predate yours) and that you are specifically relying on the that representation in entering into your lease." And I can tell you very few people negotiate something like that on a residential lease. So my suggestions are start a tenant's committee and see if you can get a no-smoking rule enacted. Or continue to talk to your landlord- he/she seems sympathetic and inquire as to whether or not your neighbors' lease is up soon and if they will be permitting them to renew on the same terms (and how unhappy it would make you to see that happen). But the bottom line is talk their language because in the end it is all about money. Tell them you would like a credit on your rent to curb the costs of purchasing air filters, etc. or just to put up with the nuisance. Tell them you, a reliable tenant who pays her rent on time all the time and causes no problems, are considering not renewing because of the nuisance. And consider some of the other suggestions mentioned here like the exhaust fan and sealing up as many airways as possible such as vents that don't function or getting one of those door snakes for your front door. Good luck.

Christine, no fool proof answers here but the problem was discussed before and the consensus seemed to be caulk as much as possible:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/030805/the-owner/the-owner-learning-to-live-with-it-002239

Malaika-

If you could post a picture of the space or floor plan/sketch, that would help us make suggestions.

Also, I can't help asking about your name. Are you a Swahili speaker?

Christine,
Meva is correct and has some excellent ideas/persuaders for your to try out on your landlord. remind the landlord about lease renewal changes; i'm guessing each tenant signs only a 1 year lease. perhaps you could enlist neighbors to also inquire if the smoker will be renewing. once the landlord sees everyone is on the nonsmoking bandwagon, the landlord might feel more confident in taking action with a lease change. good luck.

Wow, Christine, aren't you glad you asked again!?

Thanks everyone...I love apartmenttherapy! It makes life worth living sometimes! :) I'm just going to work with the landlord and see what happens. I belong to an Italian folk dancing groups, so I'm thinking if things didn't change, I could hold practice in my place.

Actually, in doing my own research, I found some interesting stuff. There actually have been limited cases of eviction in this circumstance. If you have any interest:
http://www.law.capital.edu/Tobacco/News2/SmokefreeHousingNews/index.asp

I think though it doesn't fall under habitability, it DOES fall under nuisance on her part...we'll see!

anne (fo/oo)
YAY! so glad there's an AT sister in skirtdom out there
and anne (the second one/other one)
that is SO cool about Alexis
i'll have to write her too, b/c the livery horse situation here in NYC makes me SICK
as a lifelong equestrian, seeing all the lame, sad eyed drafters plodding along, day in and day out is just WRONG
no horse should ever look sad
much like dogs, it is not in the nature of a horse to be sad, unless under severe duress

Good morning, fellow ATers. I need some feedback. I live in a studio that has a sleeping alcove off of the main room. I found a platform bedframe that I love, but it only comes in a blonde wood finish. The rest of my furniture is espresso/dark wood finish. Since it's actually it's own space, can I get by with the drastic difference in the look of the furniture? I've also considered closing the area off with a curtain, but the apartment doesn't get all that great light so it really closes the space off. I think it could work but I'm no expert and don't want to spend the money only to hate it. So what's the verdict on mix & match in an open space? Thanks.

BC

If you could be bothered you could paint the bed? We got some ikea drawers because they were the only ones that would fit, and I didn't want the place to be too pale looking to painted them an espresso color. Mind you, it took ages (I was very prudent in undercoating and then coating in 3 coats of color) and they are still sitting drying in our living room (for a month before heavy use -> we are putting bookshelves on top of them)....

Jessica,

I've been avoiding that option like the plague....since I have issues with follow through. I built a bed frame about 8 months ago with images of it being something completely different than it is....and I've yet to put a coat of paint on it! Thanks.

I designed a wall unit/desk/shelf creation for my apartment. I was planning to bring the sketch/specs to gothic to get a quote, but I'm also interested in showing the sketch to others as well... does anyone have a carpenter they would recommend for wall units? (I looked in the archives, but most people just say "I used my local carpenter". I don't know where to find my local carpenter and I'd also rather use a tried and true AT recommended man or woman.

BC
Without seeing any pictures of your current set up or the bed, it is difficult to answer your question. However, I think that, theoretically it could look fine. I don't think all the wood needs to match - are the pieces similar styles so that they complement each other? if so, i think it's doable.

BC -
You say you found it and you love it, but didn't but it yet? It depends on how much you love it, but you might find something that you love similiarly that's more perfect for you in the other ways that seem to matter to you.

Personally, I prefer Murphy beds, because of the real estate they give back to you when you're not sleeping on them, but if it's really kind of it's own area and you really love it, then that might be the starting pointing of the visual distinction you'll make between the bedroom area and the rest of the space, right?

Perhaps you'll have something that makes a transition between it and everything else? Like some kind of screen or divider that has both kinds of wood? Or some other kind of acknowledgement? Or maybe you'll just wear the blond wood Mizrahi skirt when you're sitting in the living area to tie the bed into that area (he he he)?

sarajane -
I had something built by Gothic back in the late-1980's and they did a great job. That's so long ago that I don't even remember which one of them I went to, but I lived in Astoria at the time, and chances are that if there was one out there, that's probably where I went.

I had some of the fairly-standard-for-them bookcases built by Mike's Furniture on Amsterdam and 84th (or 85th?) for the Bibliphilic Balletomane project that you see among the other things when you click on my name. I also ended up have them make the window-seat/file-storage units for that same space, so you can look through and find those, too. The ONLY problem we had with them, is that the first time, they made the bookcases too high, but we found that there was a piece of the space that COULD accommodate one of the pair as-is, so we went ahead and paid for it, and had them haul off the other one, and they went ahead and tried again and got it right.
So, they're not infallable, but their customer service was good.

I've also had success at AJO Lumber on Amsterdam and 100th St., and if you look at my kitchen you'll see the bar and counter they made for me. I've also had them do other things. But I have to tell you that at AJO, you have GOT to make sure that the wiry, elfin, Yzaak fellow is the only one there that can help you. He's a little peculiar, but he is very, very good.

Hope this helps.

Hey, did any of you see that great Chinese red storage bench in the Home & Garden section of the Times today? It's in the personal shopper section. It's from homedecorators.com and it's only $179.00.
I want one!

Anne, you stole the words right out of my post. Now if I only had space in my apartment for the red bench.

Curtis, you rock! Thanks. I basically designed a giant bookcase-like unit that incorporates a desk, shelving, and cabinets and maybe even a pendant lamp and/or a stereo system. The model was "how can I transform a bookcase into a wall unit?" so I am hoping that it will be a fairly simple task. I definitely want to shop around for quotes before I commit to the project, but I'm DYING to get it started. I'm thinking about doing a similar thing in my kitchen.

I am still open to other suggestions, and whoever I ultimately go with, I will post about it.

: )

Check out this website:
http://www.tigerbeer.us/newyork/?dob=Mjh

I clicked on east west reading and entered my birthday. They were spot on in every regard. They described to a tee.

lowercase anne: that was fun...

I am a Rooster Taurus; rigid yet earthy is hard to pull off, but I like to think I do all right with it:

You have a strong urge to keep who and what you love safeguarded, and this may also extend into your work. In fact, in your adult years, you may pursue a career that allows you to use your skills in this department, such as security or enforcement. In relationships, you'll likely be searching for someone who shares your concern with both financial and emotional security. As such, the other earth signs, Capricoms and Virgos, would be good choices, as would home and family-oriented Cancerians. No matter who you commit yourself to, however, you'll be in the relationship for the long haul.

You have a highly refined, romantic side. In addition to having been born with so many planets in your own sign, you were also given several in Libra. Now, both these signs are under the rulership of the lady Venus, but for entirely different reasons. While your earthy sign is naturally interested in tending to the practical side of life-such as building a home, a financial future, and a family-you'll likely feel the need for a long-term partner thanks to Libra. Once you've decided on a career, then-which will likely be your first priority, even in youth-you'll probably spend a great deal of time looking for the right partner to lavish with attention, affection, and the fruit of your labors. Once those areas have been secured, you'll feel settled by an absolute necessity for your fixed, earthy nature.

Your challenge is to devote your time equally to the pursuit of emotional and material comfort. Your gift is your knack for easily attracting both.

Re: horoscope
You should watch the video clip on http://www.csicop.org/webmaster/randi/
Here is a direct link to the video:
http://www.csicop.org/webmaster/randi/randi-astrology.rm

Change of subject here... do any of the DWR Sonno mattress fans on AT also have the pillows? If you do, how do you like them? The idea that I couldn't launder them freaks me out for some reason.

thanks,
trillium

This is part of what the horoscope said about me. I should print it out and hand it to everyone I meet. I would explain a lot:

Intense and unpredictable, people may see you as sort of a wild card. Nobody can predict how you'll feel or what you'll do. Your moods change from moment to moment; you're something of an emotional kaleidoscope.

" I would explain a lot:" = IT would explain a lot.

here's the exact link:

http://www.brosterman.com/