apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I thought I should post something this time around!

I have had this thought in my head for a very long time. Bare with me here!
I'm seeing large rectangles of steel, very thick or perhaps clad over MDF or some such that has been allowed to rust and patina over time, taking on the gray, gold and brown colours for degrading steel.

These would be held to the wall with stainless steel disks (like those you see under morder glass tables) except that would be counter sunk to be flush with the steel.

Could this work in a largish dinning room, with a wooden dinning set and light grayish walls? (I need to get a picture)
I just have this obsession with natural and textured objects that makes you want too touch, feel and wonder about.
I think i'm just going nuts wanting something like that in my house!

Can anyone suggest the best deal for a LEATHER SECTIONAL? The candidates are Room & Board, the Sandhelm line at Ikea or Nafuzzi. What's the best bang for the buck - anyone??

Ben,

A man after my own heart. I think that would look awesome. I'm a big fan of modern-meets-industrial-meets-natural. I'm trying to find a similar treatment to clad my fireplace with.

Jonathan,

In my experience, Natuzzi has been great in terms of quality and service. However, my most recent amazing experience was with Calia Italia. When two pieces arrived with slightly different tones, they had someone come and snip a piece of leather from the underside of the sofa that I liked the color of better, then went back to their warehouse to ship two matching pieces. Amazing. Wasn't cheap, but well well worth it. Everyone that comes by loves the couch and can't get over how comfortable it is.

Joey, I just looked at your link and those colored, changable, light panels are a brilliant creation!!! If you don't mind sharing, how did you do that?

Hey Kate,

Those panels are fitted with Colorkinetics iColor cove fixtures. They can literally change into any color you can think of, all via a nifty little software package. The big panel wall is just some 2x4s ripped down and notched to accept a shelf standard and screwed to the wall. Cover it with plastic and voila, instant lightwall.

The pictures aren't really indicative of the actual real-world effect. It's more like looking at painted surfaces since for the most part I don't keep them turned up as high as you see them in the pictures.

Jonathan,
I haven't done any comparisons but if you're talking about the very rectangular top-stiched brown leathers at Ikea, they are pretty excellent in person.

How much, Joey, would a whole set be? I sort of don't want to pay more than $4K max for a sectional, ottoman and lounge chair and the only way i can seem to do that is via Room and Board or Ikea

Just got an email from Astor Wines in NYC

25% off Spain, Portugal, and sake this week -- they're doing big sales on different regions every week in Feb. They are getting ready to relocate, so we all get to enjoy their inventory thinning . . .

Hey Jonathan,

Don't know what kind of style sofa you are looking for, but American Leather is great stuff. Well made, great selection of leathers/colors. Carried by a few places in the city, including Scott Jordan Furniture at Spring and Varick.

Got a floor question. I'm about to put in new floors in my apartment. Type of wood, color of stain... all covered. But yesterday I was reading curbed and saw pics of 20 Pine and below that thread, another newish condo and noticed the floors are layed differently. One with small spaces in btw planks and the other without. Can anyone tell me why I want one way or the other? (and what it's called?)

Thanks!

Jonathan,

For what it's worth, somebody put a ranking of leather-furniture manufacturers on the web; see http://www.leatherfurnitureshoppe.com/showroom/manufacturer_rank.htm
Natuzzi is in the bottom category.

Hey Johnathan,

The sectional (sofa and chaise type) that I got was originally $3149, but Jordans Furniture here in Massachusets (the BEST furniture store I've ever been to) decided to stop keeping brown in stock and was selling off their warehouse stock. I ended up getting it for $1579 (shhhh!). However, I know that leather prices are also determined by the type and color of leather you choose, so that same sofa in a different grain could have been $2k regular. I think they are pretty much on par with your Roomnboard, C&B type stuff. You should be able to find things in your budget.

Al's right, American Leather also has great stuff.

Joey: I used to live in the Boston area and i can't bring myself to buy from Jordan's furniture, for several reasons: (1) I am a snob and can't buy sofas from a company that advertises "secret compartments" for potato chips, beer cans and remote controls, (2) those two morons and their commercials used to get stuck in my brain and i will never forgive them, and (3) I once visited the store and was horrified by their clientele. I shall however check out American Leather!

Haha,

At least you're honest! Jordans has come a LONG way since their days in "Waltham, Nashua, and Avon." The two guys are all but gone, and the secret sofas have given way to Louis XV repros, Italian modern (Calligaris, Jesse, etc). Their low price point is a thing of the past, I can guarantee you that. I defend them because I've had such great service. They also carry most of the American Leather line, hope that doesn't dissuade you :)

What is wrong with a compartment for potato chips, beer cans and remote controls. Comes in handy when you're having a marathon video game session.

Larkin, good point. Is the sofa to look at or to use? Me I think I found a good balance in the one I got. No, no hidden potato chip compartments, but I CERTAINLY eat potato chips while sitting on it. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't kick out someone offering me a free sofa from Ligne Roset, but I'd likely be spending all of my time sheliding people from going anywhere NEAR it.

Jonathan, you say you're a snob and you're considering IKEA?! There are some people here (I'm not not one of them) that would revoke your Apartment Therapists' license for even mentioning that :)

Check out Mitchell Gold too, they might be at the top of your price range but it's well made, and they actually make a lot of the furniture for Restoration Hardware I believe.

Joey, that is a fair point and one that raises an an interesting question: CAN one reconcile snobbery and Ikea? I think the answer is yes. there is a certain zen-like quality to certain ikea products, a zen that is lacking from "schlitz can compartments in your sofa" products sold by Jordan's Furniture. It is sort of like a gigantic, horrible bazaar filled with hideous people from the worst armpits of New Jersey, and yet within that mess, there is occasionally some gold.

Joey,

I agree on Ikea. Jonathan sounds like a very conflicted individual to me. "Champaign taste on a beer budget".

I have beer taste on a nice Shiraz pocket :)

And I know what you mean about Ikea. Though seriously, Jordans has changed a LOT since the early 90s. And truthfully, I think everyone's parents had one of those sofas in the playroom. You know the kind, with the recliners built-in, etc.

For some reason, this exchange has made me want a beer can compartment for my sofa.

Yeah, it had me looking for better uses for the secret sofa compartments... one for pens and paperclips... one for those cylindrical boxes of Pim's cookies (now in lemon mousse!)... possibly a napkin dispenser...

Not related to anything previously mentioned, but I have been lurking on this site for too long, and need to post the following to people who can relate (unlike my design-challenged significant other).

I just bought two Thomas O' Brian lamps at Target for $12.98 each....marked down from $49.99. That's an excited steal, but why do I feel so guilty about it? Arrugh.

That's all. Thanks for listening.

They would be an exciting steal, not an excited one.

A typo in my first post...the horror! Perhaps it is a sign I am meant to only be a lurker.

Can anyone recommend a service/person for wall paper installation in the NY/Brooklyn area?

Also, do you all use bonded/insured persons when you do this kind of work (painting, wallpaper) in your apartments? What's the risk if I don't?

Re: Jordan's Furniture. I grew up in Massachusetts and spent my summers in college working for the Restoration Hardware in Peabody. The store had a mall entrance and I usually had to cover the back cash wrap. One fine summer day, I was back there, tidying up the glass candy jars around the wrap when in walks in a gentleman with salt and pepper hair who looked oddly familiar. He came over and stood next to me, opened a jar and started fishing through the river rock drawer pulls. I looked up, realized it was one of the Jordan's Furntiture guys.

I did a double take and he made eye contact. "Are you-?", I began. "Yeah.", he said. And then, "So, uh. How's business?" He told me he came to check out the store as the chain had just begun to expand in New England. He was very impressed. I thought it was kind of funny.

I did actually like those commercials growing up. The one where they ripped on the "Da Da Da" VW commercial is the most memorable.

Horrid furniture, though. In the vein of Bernie & Phyl's and Dean's Home Furniture. Yeouch! I think now I have that stupid Bernie & Phyl's jingle in my head now. "Quality... Comfort... and PRICE! That'S NICE!"

Hey what's wrong with champagne tastes on a beer budget?

Isn't necessity the mother of invention? I feel like my shoestring budget challenges me to come up with more inspired solutions than I would if I could actually afford the $50, 000 i would like to spend on each room of my apt.

Truth be told, I usually scoff at the quality of IKEA sofas but I find myself inclined to purchase 2 matching ones for my loft as they ar A)dirt cheap and B)semi attractive. I figure, hey, this is a rental and pouring thousands into sofas for a space I may move out of next year does seem silly. Hmm. Doesn't anyone else share these compromising situations?

AL,
My life is all about compromise.

Did you see those new Ikea sofas? If they're your style at all, I found them kind of comfortable. Sorry I don't have the name on top of my head. But, they're the type that completely disassemble, which I didn't even realize when i sat in them last weekend...

I'm not sure how far they've gotten up the east coast, but Cost Plus World Markets has some decent leather furniture that would definitely be within your price range. Of course, you may want to take advice from me. I have a four year old IKEA klippan sofa.

Kacy quoth: "I just bought two Thomas O' Brian lamps at Target for $12.98 each....marked down from $49.99. That's an excited steal, but why do I feel so guilty about it? Arrugh."

*waves hands cabalistically in shape of Jonathan Adler vase*

You are now absolved of all guilt in paying too little for your lamps. For penance, stick out your tongue at people who didn't appreciate them as you do. Adding a Bronx cheer is optional.

Super-bargains are possible at Target because they turn merchandise lines fast. Pier 1 is another that churns the goodies through at high speed (though they send to outlets, while Target dumps the very end of the line at Goodwill or Salvation Army, can't remember which). It was your karma to give those lamps a good home before they showed up in a thrift store.

i am grappling with the sofa issue because a full set anywhere is $5K and you can do the whole thing - leather sectional, lounge chair, chaise and ottoman - for $2K cheaper. Think about what i could do with that $2K.

AndyT-

I didn't see the pictures on Curbed you were talking about but I'm guessing you're talking about beveled v. non-beveled wood floors. Both of them are ok, it often comes down to prefinished v. unfinished floor. Prefinished planks are often microbeveled. Big bevels (like the nasty 80s developer oak flooring I just ripped up) are not great, things get stuck in them, they feel weird underfoot. But as far as microbeveled v. non-beveled, I wouldn't worry about it - go with the wood you want. I just installed prefinished microbeveled strand bamboo flooring and it looks great.

Christine,
Thanks for being my sister in compromise sofa.

Kacy,
Just think that you paid the same price as 2 movie tickets (plus popcorn/soda) and you will enjoy your lamps for much longer! (or longer than a bad flick at least)

kacy,
Are the lamps the ones with the teal glass base? If so, a trip to Target is due.

Uh, i'm real thrilled about your crappy teal lamps and all but can we bring the subject back to my leather couch???

Uh, i'm real thrilled about your teal lamps and all but can we bring the subject back to my leather couch???

jonathan, you don't have to keep proving how crass and rude you really are. Really you don't.

MEOW.... So did you check out American Leather ? They will be at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show at the piers. Me too. Check out Fossil Interior while you're at it.

Um, since you said "crappy" in your first post, then tied to catch it in time but didn't, then, um, no, we're done talking to you about your couch.

geez jonathan, they've been talking about your couch all day. poor andy t only got one reply to his floor Q.

Geez, jonathan, after everyone was so nice in helping you out with your leather couch! It's not too late to apologize!

Hey ghjghjetc.! You owe me a Coke!

that's it. no sofa for you!

you are cursed to drag a cat-destroyed pee-soaked hopelessly broken futon monstrosity off the street.
It's the first of the month - and bulk trash day -
so start looking.

Re: Target, I was just over there (the one across from my office) and they have a TON of the Tommy O'B stuff at 75% off. I got a lamp for my desk for $10. Also, that ship light everyone is talking about, they have it in the steel.

Andy re: the floors, I'm wondering if the tiny spaces are to account for expansion/conraction, depending on how susceptible to that the particular type of wood is. If it's a beveled/non beveled thing, it's personal preference. For me though, I like the idea of non-bevel as it's just a cleaner surface, and I imagine easier to refinish if need be.

Wende, where in San Francisco did you find lemon mousse Pim's cookies? Sounds yummy.

Andy, if you're talking about beveled flooring (it sounds like you are), then this is what it's about: You only see bevels in prefinished flooring. They are there because it is difficult for manufacturers to make the flooring exactly the same thickness, and even if they could, differences in your subfloor would introduce unevenness again. When flooring is not prefinished, but rather laid then sanded and finished in place, you get a perfectly smooth floor. Pros and cons of prefinished vs. finished in place can be argued forever, but they both have their merits.

“What will the public think?
Who gives a rat’s ass!
It’s their job to catch up.”
- John Chamberlain

Now playing at Film Forum in NYC:
"Who Gets To Call It Art?"

which the FF site calls . . .
A WILD RIDE THROUGH THE NYC ART SCENE OF THE 1960s, through the eyes of Henry Geldzahler, the first curator of contemporary art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Geldzahler’s ground-breaking show, “New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940-1970,” featured his selection of 400 works by living American artists.

In Peter Rosen’s lively portrait of the iconoclastic connoisseur, many of these artists characterize his influence and personality with breathtaking candor.

With Mark di Suvero, Frank Stella, James Rosenquist, David Hockney, Larry Poons, Ellsworth Kelly, Francesco Clemente, and a slew of other art world notables.

More bevel info:

According to the research I've been doing, the bevels are indeed there to account for the fact that wood was once a living thing, and still moves a fair bit as it settles. As the floorboards settle, the bevel will allow smooth passage even if the boards end up at very very slightly different heights. The big bevel really prevents this - but I think they're ugly. The micros barely show.

Diane's right - site-finished flooring doesn't have this.

And clearly, Diane, the major advantage of prefinished is that it's faster, cheaper, and DIY!

If I had a budget about 5 times as big, I'd go for site-finished. Much nicer. You also get a certain richness that never seems to come from factory-finished stains - they're just too perfect.

Hey, wish me luck everybody! My new floors (prefinished engineered) go in next week! Yikes.

Jeffrey, I chanced across the lemon mousse Pim's at the corner grocery on the northeast corner of Jones & O'Farrell. Just walking in the door is an opportunity for in-depth study of the sociology of poverty. But the slightly more upscale corner stores on the next block ("the one with the real food" and "the one with the tamales and donuts") haven't gotten lemon-mousse yet, and I haven't tried the next one beyond those ("the one with the Nicaraguan sodas"). Guess what neighborhood I live in!

Michelle,
This is the lamp I got:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_4/602-7018670-1355832?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000AQK2IE

They also had these for $10.00:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_9/602-7018670-1355832?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000AQK2IY

There were quite a few others as well. I didn't see the teal one. Have you seen it in the stores? It looks like it's new. I like it!

With O'Brien's pieces being marked down so low so that Target can get them off the shelves, do you think the O'Brien line will keep going at Target or is this a sign that it just didn't go the way they thought it would? Just curious.

Hello folks,

Question from a confused first-time home owner. We just signed a contract on a condo, and its all perfect except for the renovated kitchen. I'd like to install wire baskets (on gliders) in the standard issue laminate cabinets.

Can someone suggest if this approach will work, because I am worried that the drilling to install the gliders will damage the laminate.

Many thanks!

anne,
info from a target insider says that more o'brien stuff is on it's way. it does look like there is new stuff on the website, which gives me hope that it is true. also, not all of the stuff is being clearanced out, it seems to be only lamps and furniture. i noticed today that there is a whole aisle of t o'b towels that i'm sure is fairly new.

Interesting to read all the postings about the Thomas O'Brien stuff on sale at Target. I have to admit it depressed me to see the entire aisle of TOB lamps marked down (yes, both sides of the aisle) the other night at my local store.

San Francisco ATers, there's someone selling three Meridian lamps for $50 on Craigslist (do a search for DWR on CL). If I hadn't just bought lamps, I'd snap them up. :(

Thanks for the floor help. I think I hear what you are saying. Sounds like this will be a decision that will be answered when I hear prices from the floor guy. Funny how many of my renovation decisions are decided in this way.

New Owner -

I'd like it if someone else jumps in, but here's one answer to your question -

These gliders are inside the cupboards, right? Shouldn't be a problem at all. If you were to remove them, it would leave some holes that are a little tricky to sand and fill - but I've installed all kinds of things in laminate cabinets with no problem.

Then again, they've all been rentals, so I haven't really worried too much about the experiment.

me (the first one) - I just looked for those lamps and can't find them using the DWR search. Either they're gone or I just didn't see them. What is the exact link?

Wende, thanks for the tip. Years ago I lived at 555 O'Farrell, between Jones and Leavenworth, so I know what you mean about the neighborhood. There are some advantages to living there, such as easy access to Pim's lemon mousse cookies. Now I live in Hayes Valley (I moved there before the gentrification set in), where the snack selection is quite poor.

Jeffery

Jeffery -- We looked at that building, but the unit we wanted was grabbed by a tenant moving up from a studio. We went for 540. The lobby's not as nice, but the closets have worked out well.

I just got the new CB2 catalog in the mail and it's quite impressive. It seems they have way more stuff than what's on their website. And it's really well presented, photographed, etc. Overall it seems higher quality merchandise than West Elm, which I guess would be their closest competitor. You can get the catalog free by ordering it from their website, www.cb2.com -- they had it to me in one day, somehow.

Rob

I just got my first order from CB2.

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=585&f=2793

Glass is not perfect but I'm happy with them. They look really nice all lit up with candles. I haven't had a chance to look at the catalog enclosed but will curl up under the comforter later and go thru it.

anne, sorry that i just now made it back to this thread. here's the link for the lamps:

http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/fur/129862083.html

kacy, michelle, anne or joey: i'm writing a story about o'brien products for a newspaper and would like to interview people who have recently purchased o'brien items. i can be reached at chadera111@yahoo.com if any of you have a few moments. thanks, amir.