apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I can't believe I'm first today.

I just wanted you guys to know that I'm going to be working with Zia Priven at the AD show starting tomorrow thru Sunday. So if you happen to find yourself at the Pier stop by and say hello and look at the fab lighting (not to mention the HUGE Ping Pong Ball Chandelier).

booth 635

Have a happy Wed.!

Hi all,
I have been lurking on AT for quite a while, and I was hoping you could help me with a small dilemma. My allergies to dust have recently gotten worse and my allergist has recommended that I get an air purifier (with a Hepa filter) for my apartment. I've looked around a little, but so far the only ones I can find are clunky and really unattractive. Have any of you come across a air purifier that doesn't stand out too much and blends with your modern decor? (Covering it up won't really work, and it should have a Hepa filter, so a slicker design like the Ionic Breeze won't work).
Cheers,
Darlyn

This was posted on a grief recovery forum that I visit occasionally - i thought it was something to think about in light of recent events on the forum:

There are many stories of spiritual masters embracing the presence of an annoying student in their community. There is even one story that documents a teacher paying an irritating person to live among his students. From an everyday perspective, this is difficult to comprehend. We generally work hard to avoid people and things that we find annoying so they don't bother us.

From a deeper spiritual perspective, however, irritation can be an important teacher and indicator that we are making progress on our path. Being able to remain centered and awake even when we feel uncomfortable is much more impressive than doing so in an environment where everything is to our liking. No matter how good we are at controlling our circumstances, there will always be factors and people that we cannot control. How we respond to these experiences to a great degree determines the quality of our lives. The goal of spiritual development is not to learn to control our environment-which is more of an ego-driven desire. And while having some measure of control over our external reality is important, it is when we are confronted with a person or situation that irritates us and we can choose not to react that we know have made progress spiritually. It is when we have mastered our internal reality that we will have become the masters of our lives.

The more we try to eliminate annoyances, instead of learning to handle them gracefully, the further we get from developing the qualities that come with spiritual growth, such as patience, tolerance, and acceptance. It is often in the presence of people and experiences we find annoying that we have an opportunity to develop these qualities. Fortunately for most of us, our lives offer an abundance of opportunities to practice and cultivate these traits.

I recently moved and would like to get rid of all the ugly ceiling lamps and replace them with recessed lighting. I want to start with a hallway. Is there a formula to tell me how I should space the lights so that I don't end up with a dark space. The hallway is approx. 20 ft. long.

Anyone have a mirror/glass place in NYC (for an apt Brooklyn)? I am looking to mirror a wall (I know!) and need a recommendation. Thanks.

Daryl, I have a vornado that does not fit into modern decor and I'm not sure it works all that well. I know that Consumer Reports reviews them tho.

darlyn, i had the vornado air cleaner with pre filter and hepa filter for three years to deal with dog dander and hair. the vornado is bulky and dark in color. when i saw the new sharp air cleaner's slim design and white and silver color i made the switch. it blends into walls in my living room and is ultra quiet.

NT, there are plenty of opportunities to embrace annoying ppl or ppl who are different in every day living.

Troll behaviour on web sites and how to handle troll behaviour is well documented and this is very different from interacting face to face with ppl. The nature of interactive web sites and the anonymity they provide allows for the systematic destruction of web based communities by tried and tested troll behaviour and if you want to keep a site from being overrun by a troll (and it only takes one) to the extent that it rendered virtually useless (I have seen this happen on many forums where the owners had to delete whole archives and start again) then you have to treat anonymous trolls posting on websites very differently to ppl that you meet face to face.

No offense NT, but I don't think you understand that this is common behaviour that has been experienced many times before and that there are tried and tested ways of preventing it from destroying a website. Trolls typically move on to something new and try their whole schtick again.

Maxwell already tried to reach out to jonathan and if you meet Maxwell you will see that he is the type of person to embrace and celebrate differences and give a voice to anyone but jonathan did not respond. If all he wanted to do was contribute to the site in his own quirky style then why not simply reply to Maxwell?

We should all move on and continue to do what was done the last time jonathan posted and that is simply ignore him. If you really want to embrace him NT then post here how he can contact you and take it from there. I mean that seriously because that's something I have done in the past and it works.

BTW, if we meet jonathan tomorrow then I'm sure he will be charming and funny. It's just that his schtick is old and tired now and is prolly better used somewhere else.

thanks, jp

BTW, I forgot to add that he actually provides good advice.

Darlyn,
I've been researching air purifiers recently b/c of my smoking downstairs neighbor. I haven't actually bought one yet, so I can't vouch for their effectiveness, but in general, it seems that the ones that are effective are ugly as sin. Consumer reports rated Whirlpool 4530 (I think that's the number) and Freidrich (not hepa) very highly. Check out the Consumer Reports site for effectiveness...and the CADR site. Then I guess look at the different models and see which appeal to you or are at least not as offensive as the others!

Oh please. If you must shoot find a deserving target.

Jamie Pup is neither smug nor ignorant and you know it.

Hi All-

Greetings from Africa! I am sad I won't be able to make the party tomorrow. I am just a bit far away. I will be back in NYC in a couple of weeks, and I don't know how I will be able to catch up on 2 weeks of AT posts. Can someone please promise to offer me a cliff notes version when I get back?? :)

14 days without AT...painful!!!

Hope you all have fun at the party!! And the name tag thing will happen, right?

PLS, no zensplanation for feeding trolls

OK so does anyone have any pictures they're willing to show of their rasterbating attempts? Joey?

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/011206/artwork/the-rasterbator-001492

This is something I'm going to myself for the space above the head board in our bedroom so I would be interested in seeing anyone else's.

Anne, I'm definitely thinking about going to the AD show this weekend (along with Dining by Design, it's an all design weekend!). I always like to chat with Paul and Marcia (and we're hoping to work together). Now I'll make doubly sure to say hi.

I am aware of what trolls do and jonathan is not a troll. He has not tried to monopolize or destroy the discussion on this site. In fact, he has made valuable contributions.

There are plenty of opportunities to deal with annoying people in real life, but that is not the point of my post. The point is that there is a benefit to accepting people even when we have the power to exclude them - which we do much more on line than in real life. Not exercising that power is a sign of maturity and helps develop personal qualities/virtues such as patience and tolerance.

Even now, you want me to move on and not talk about this issue anymore - which is another way of trying to control the discourse. Maybe I'm becoming annoying and everyone will want to get rid of me too.

Ooops, my last comment is now without context... nevermind.

Lori 2, we'll miss you at the party. But are jealous you are in Africa!!!

Patrick, thanks for the suggestion. The new sharp models look really spiffy, and the price is unbelievable. I've found great reviews for them too, so I think I'm going to buy one for my living room.

Christine, Thanks for tip about CADR, seems like a great resource.

For my much smaller bedroom, I'm considering the Zojirushi PAMTC14 which looks very nice and is slim enough to fit in my tiny tiny bedroom (and is very cheap). I haven't found any reviews for it yet, so I'm going to hold off on it until I try out the Sharp.

both.

Although I think bloated goat bladder probably suits you.

Three cheers for Jamie Pup! Well said.

The point is simple: There is enough rudeness out there in the world. This is not the place for it. Play nice.

Jonathan, I respect your desire not to be the topic of conversation, so I will stop making my arguments. They are falling on deaf ears anyway.

I do appreciate your contributions and I think you have good ideas.

That light fixture is horrible.

Au contraire
New Tenant frere
Eyes and Ears
And Hearts Wide Open

just not taking any sh*t

Jonathan, if you have a scheme similar to the one on the picture, the pendant looks good, texturally and colorwise. It works along the contrast lines: smooth hard surface vs. matte soft; black/white softened by neutral earthen tone, etc. Not knowing what else is in your library it's hard to give you yes/no answer. Couple of notes aside:
-what are the books in your library? Would love to get your reading lists.
-you fired your ID, and she still calls you with specs? Must be love/hate realtionship...you're surely a fascinating person.

If you are coming to tomorrow's meet I might shift things and drop in myself.

NT- ditto.

Ouf. I come back to find Jonathan has been deported once again. No doubt he got a good volley off before his ouster.

Although many of his comments are egregious I agree with you, New Tenant, that Jonathan is no troll. (I still don't get why the poor man fell to pieces over that golf ball chandelier. It's a only a GOLF BALL CHANDELIER.)

Now let us carry on in lockstep.

I'm perfectly happy to dicuss jonathan with you NT, inlcuding his good points (I'm not sure this is the forum for it - and jonathans protestations about being discussed as a subject are still part of his schtick). My posts that say ignore him are more geared to others who don't care for his posts.

As I said before, for ppl that want to engage him and not stop him posting the kind of stuff others amy find offensive; keep on posting. For anyone that does not like what he writes and wishes he would stop; stop responding to him. However, I do realize that the last point is redundant because the ppl that did object to what he wrote have indeed stopped posting to him as I already noted.

I never told you to stop or move on so I cannot be trying to control the discourse with you.

I can see jonathan's appeal, I can appreciate that style, but I know others don't so that's why I have been posting on what to do about it. The reason I replied to your OP today was that I simply thought you were reading too much into it.

Keep posting whatever you want but allow me to post my view also.

Tat, the books in my library are probably 50% history, 25% politics and 25% fiction. My favorite living authors are Rushdie and that brilliant, dark, Brit - Martin Amis - but as I age I get less interested in fiction. 2 shelves of constitutional theory, 4 shelves of cookbooks and 2 shelves relating to work.

The golf ball chandelier pissed me off because it's just so godamned stupid (look! I made a pair of golashes out of freeze-dried rhino shit!) and it irked me that the paper of record would bother violating themselves by even acknowledging that crap.

jamie pup, you remind me of the prissy librarian when i was in nursery school. she used to yell at me because i would read under my desk because i found her storytimes boring. in high school i got drunk one night and went back to elementary school and peed in her coffee cup. so be careful not to put your drink down tomorrow night

i have no schtick. i just have a horrible personality. now can we move the fuck on please.

jp
okay I misunderstood your post - I thought you were telling me to move on and stop discussing the jonathan issue, but deal with him directly instead. Since the point of my posts is that I believe people on the forum are overreacting, that suggestion doesn't really address that issue.

Of course you have the right to your opinion - that's why I'm not telling you to move on and drop it. I appreciate your views and I think you are one of the few people who are seeing both sides of the issue. But since jonathan has had his voice taken away, and everyone who dislikes and disagrees with him still has their voices, I felt that someone needs to express the unpopular view point. Stifling jonathan is not the way to deal with him, in my view. I don't know why others cannot see that he adds value to the forum and that their reaction to him is too extreme.

Anyway, I promised to stop talking about him and I've already broken my promise. so I really will try to control myself from now on.

guido - I am not a boy :)

I don't think people should take sh*t but censorship is not the only way to deal with that.

Wow Tat - that's very flattering. I really would love to go, but I already have plans.

Jonathan - now who is boasting about their book collection?

Guido, I'm really enjoying your lovely style (haiku?)!

Aha! Jonathan is Kate Beckinsale, who has also confessed to that same act, only with a director. My friend worked with Kate, and said she was quite evil.

Lori 2, where in Africa are you? I am going to Tanzania next week.

As for the party, remembered I am going to Hedda Gabler at BAM, but will try to stop in if time allows!

Jonathan, you give way too much credit to the NYT. I have two words for you: Judith Miller.

In addition, I predict a groundswell of support for the golf ball chandelier. Hit it, maestro!

New Tenant, you got me. In addition to being a horrible person and occasional pyromaniac I am prone to intellectual vanity. It irritates my family, friends and co-workers, now you.

Speaking of bookshelves, contractor has been using solid pine for the shelves in my library. he says this is better than particle board that you get from pre-made veneer shelves like from Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, BoConcept or others. However, the pre-mades have a nice veneer on them so books slide in and out easily. Should I use high gloss paint to make the wood more slick? The shelves have to be white so I can't just poly them. I want the whole room white: shelves, sofa, chair, lighting fixtures, speakers, etc.. (it was a fight over this room that made me fire the interior designer, and i wish i had done it sooner because she was a godamned idiot who only pointed me to the most expensive crap she could find. i hate her. she said that if the entire room was all white it would make me feel like i was dead when i walked in. of course, since i have been morbidly obsessed with my own death since i was child, this was music to my ears)

ok, i posted this in another thread, but the cool kids are ignoring me:

so, is there a party tomorrow night at union square lounge? and on friday at dwr in soho?

out of the loop AND loopy....

i would not paint the shelves, and would go for pre-mades if you want white. i would certainly not use latex-based paint, because i don't think it's going to clean or wear well enough. i would suppose you could get them professionally painted (i.e., sprayed) to get a nice finish, but wonder if that's really worth the cost; i'm assuming you're not going to do it yourself.

Party at union square lounge tomorrow and a party at DWR in Tribeca at or close to the end of March after the smallest, coolest contest is over.

hey pphillipp--
Party is tomorrow night at Union Square.

PPHILLIP:

I already paid the godamned contractor $1,200 godamned dollars to build these shit shelves and they look like godamned shit. i'll try to email them here tomorrow. godamnit. i think you're right. they are not going to clean or wear well. should i eat the money and order pre-mades? godamnit. i'm such a fucking idiot. i'm going to godamned immolate myself. SHIT.

"should i eat the money and order pre-mades?"

if you're rich, yes. because if they look like *faeces,* what's the point of doing the whole room? they're not going to fade into the woodwork, like a shrinking violet on prom night. everyone's going to see them, acne and all.

patrick/jp - thank you.

jonathan

lol! you are cracking me up. this is probably a terrible idea, but what if you poly'd the tops of the shelves and just painted the edges white? with all the books on them, you would still have the effect of white shelves. I don't know - would that look horrible or would it look kind of cool and funky? I'm not very good at this kind of thing.

immolate!

For someone so opinionated, he asks a lot of questions.
For someone so knowledgeable, he seems outrageously insecure.
For someone who hates this site so much, he seems to value its opinions.
For someone who wants to avoid discussion, he sure talks about himself a lot.
And for someone offering to pee in a man's drink at a party, I (surprisingly)find him soooooo remarkably not hot.

First time visiting the Apartment Therapy forum. Just wanted to say hi from Louisiana! I'm sure I will have either an apartment dilemma to ask or decorating, etc.

hi,

i'm working on redecorating my living room + bedroom and desperate for your help. can i get your opinions:

+ i just purchased the sloane tall chest from crate and barrel. suggestions for a coordinating nightstand in mahagony or chestnut- i don't like the sloane. can i match this chest with the orly lamp?

+ i wanted a plush couch and the best i could find was the room and board kendall couch. i want to move towards the modern with a sophisticated deco/baker vibe, keeping everything comfortable. suggestions for material and color?

THANK U!

ok, here's something only *vaguely* design related (ok, ok, it's not at all design-related, but i'm going to make a weak connection here...)

"a coral room"

now, mind you, i'm not big on "coral" as a wall color (cuz i'm not retired in boca), but THIS coral room is on kate bush's first (double) cd in 12 years.

welcome back, kate.

Asking questions is a good thing. I don't hate the site, patrick. you, perhaps. not the site. and no you won't find me hot because I am not. I sort of look like an unwashed rug merchant. i have gigantic ugly features and in the winter my skin turns green and i get a large "fro" on humid days.

new tenant, decent idea but the two-tone shelves would probably not work. i am going to take a picture and email around tomorrow. i think i am going to eat the money and order pre-mades, this philipp character is right it will chip and and get dirty and not age well. i hadn't thought about that.

Yeah, definitely your described appearance that makes you not hot.

Not.

(also, i have no way of proving whether or not my paranoia is justified, but the thought of putting books on painted shelves always made me wary - i just imagined there would be some sort of chemical reaction from the paint which would ruin the pages of the books)

Not to mention that pine boards will often twist, where veneered MDF or particle board will stay pretty straight, as long as they're properly secured.

modern in midtown, I'll let others answer on matching the sloane chest but for the color of the sofa, take a look at http://www.20pine.com for ideas. I think the dark wood, beige carpets/furniture look is a sophisticated look and I think 20pine has this. I can't get to flash sites from work so I am going from memory.

As for material, I went to the website and can't select different materials. Is this correct? This sofa only comes in the vantage material?

And I meant to say earlier:

That is very cool Anne. I would love to go to the AD show (have only been once a couple of years ago) but don't think I can make it this year.

NT: I'd be interested in the web address of the grief site. I have a blog about cancer and grieving and am always interested in healthy opinions on the subject.

Also NT: As for your post about spiritual approaches to annoying people, there is great merit to this and something to practice, however, there are also times when people should not be enabled to continue their bad behavior in a forum designed for other things. This is a community made up of various personalities, each of us having differing opinions. Sometimes the posts are lively engagements and sometimes they are dead on to design. Either way, everyone else has been respectful of the other. And, there is a bit of Jonathan in all of us. This is just my opinion, but that does not mean that we have to feed him.

General: I won't say anything more about Jonathan since I choose not to give him "air time" based on my comments. I will say this, however: I'm tired of foul language. If I want to read it, I can do it elsewhere. Or I can simply use it myself which of course I do on occasion. But please, please let's remember that having a spiritual heart is not the same thing as being an enabler and there are plenty of internet outlets for obnoxious people. This should not be one of them. It is disrespectful to the people who give us a forum, and it is disrespectful to ourselves.

So, Jonathan, hit me with your best shot because in fact, I agree with P2 - Hot? Doubtful. Class? No even close. And, I don't attack or retreat easily because I have nothing to compensate for.

To keep the honesty flowing, I did complain to Maxwell and then I decided to just let you know how I feel and call it a day. And, to the comment several weeks ago that people are too afraid to use their own names, mine is Jackie.

Hope to see you at the AT party on Thursday.

JMarieb:

Your note was well written. The bit about you being tired of "foul language" does make you sound like a frumpy Sunday school teacher or a character out of "Fargo" but whatever. My opnion is that foul language fuckin' ROCKS!!!

Room and Board: the sofa only comes in that material. FYI, Room and Board doesn't make their own stuff - there are four separate manufacturers who source the various sofa lines for Room & Board (the best of the four is American Leather, which manufactures both branded and custom products).

Looking forward to meeting you Jackie.
Well put BTW.

And I get why you posted your OP now NT. Thanks for the explanation.

Anyone care to join me in the new FAB thread?

JP: Thanks, me too.

What's the new FAB thread?

I did think NT's post was valuable and had great insight BTW.

Jamie Pup: Thanks for the inspiring link. That's the look I'm going for. I'm hoping to add elements of individual style/artistry w. accent colors in decor and art. Any thoughts on Vantage moss? Would this pair well with espresso stained furniture?

Jonathan: Interesting about Room & Board. Is Crate & Barrel higher quality? They have the Huntley which I liked.

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=931&f=4650&q=huntley&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1

VS.

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/prod.do?pfid=634778&grpType=0

Hmmm...

I'm at apartmenttherapy.com and the heated discussion is "foul language."

What the f*ck!

The solution is simple:

Feel free to use whatever language you like, i.e. fuck. I, personally, censor myself BUT still keep it real, i.e. f*ck.

Even my personal page on myspace (http://www.myspace.com/dmontalvo)is censored. I think it's a matter of respect for others while still being true to what one is trying to convey or express!

So... can this PLEASE not be the issue here?!
Mother F*ckers!

;-)

Modern in Midtown:

They use one similar contract manufacturer for their accent chairs, other than that they use different providers. I find the quality at C&B to be decidedly lower on the furniture front. By and large, I also find the people who shop at C&B (I was in their SOHO location last weekend) fat and ugly. Someone there had bangs, so I had to leave. When I want ugliness I look in the godamned mirror so I got the hell out of there.

Room and Board is a pure marketing/design firm, so literally 100% of their inventory is made from independent suppliers. Their sofas are particularly good because they use American manufacturers and, for now anyway, American-made sofas are the sturdiest out there. Italians second best, and the Chinese (where most of C&B's stuff is made and bought in bulk and kept in huge storage facilities in the U.S.) doesn't come close. Chinese quality improving by the day - so that gap will narrow - but for now, if you have the dough an American Leather-made sofa from Room and Board is going to be far better than anything at C*B. Ask one of the nitwits on the phone at Room & Board which product lines are made from American Leather and they will tell you (anything with "bison leather" as a fabric option is made by them).


As for the Huntley, I don't care for that style which is all curvey in what I find to be a dated aesthetic. I also don't care for the fabric you chose, as it looks like someone vomited up a large bag of peanuts and then rubbed it in. The Room and Board you picked is butt ass ugly too. When I look at either sofa, I imagine this great large fat ugly man in hix boxers watching infomercials and occasionally masturbating at 3:00 AM in front of the television.

If you want fabric, get the BURKE sofa from Room and Board. It has a cleaner look and the legs give it more form.

chares bukowski on id

rip

i mean charles

yeeesh

Jonathan-

Whoa, that was harsh but it's comfortable sofa unlike anything else in that store. I found that for comfort I'd have to get a more traditional look. Can you recommend something PLUSH at these stores that's still sleek? I don't want some DWR couch where I have to sit upright and formal while watching my infomericals.

I think that plush and sleek are ultimately irreconcilable. Plush is uncomfortable anyway: sinking into a sofa is a horrible feeling. For some reason it makes me feel fat. It also reminds me of falling asleep, which I also hate because sleep = being out of control of my faculties. This dovetails to a longstanding thesis that control freaks prefer firmer sofas. If you INSIST on plush I still think the BURKE or the CAMERON from Room & Board are each plenty comfortable. And it won't make your room look like trailer trash, as it would with the two products that you referenced above.

Jonathan! how do you know all this crap about sofas.

I want to replace the leather sleeper I just bought, which was damaged. the store has agreed to take it back and give me a refund. I've decided I don't like the leather so I want to get a microsuede.

I was considering getting this one from crate and barrel:

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=936&f=3493&viewall=1

But now you're saying c*b sucks. do you know anything about this sofa?

I was also considering this one from door store:

http://www.doorstorefurniture.com/zip.html

no?

New Tenant-who-for-some-reason-i-am-developing-a-crush-on:

C&B is okay just not as good as R&B, C&B is a solid notch below R&B in terms of quality. They use cheaper materials from China that ultimatley assembled from different source locations (hence the metal feet attached to the frame, as opposed to solid wood construction that you will more likely get from Room and Board). If you go to the SOHO stores, which are nearby, you can feel it when you compare the quality.

Door Store is a notch below both of them.

I prefer the C&B sofa to the Door Store. Door Store stuff is a damned good bang for the buck but I guarantee you that it will not hold up as much over time. The Door Store products you referenced look sort of "shiny" for lack of a better word. I think there are pornography films that take place on that sofa.

Thanks Jonathan - I think I will check out the soho store. I like this sleeper:

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/coll.do?coll=RB3404&dept=RB155

It is also a better size for my apartment - the other two were longer than the sofa I am replacing, which is already pretty big for the space.

Jackie - I have been avoiding answering your question because I'm kind of embarrassed. the site i was talking about is actually a pet loss site. I guess i was trying to make it sound less frivolous by leaving out the pet part in the my OP - okay everyone - go ahead and make fun of me :P I started visiting the forum when I lost one of my kitties unexpectedly at three years old. so sue me.

I would be interested in visiting your blog, though. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer recently and my uncle was just diagnosed with cancer and has a very poor prognosis. My mom's prognosis is good because they caught it early but they did not do any radiation because she is over 70 - they put her on these meds instead, but she has had terrible reactions to them and can't take them anymore. I guess I've kind of been in denial about it.

J - what did you decide to do about the tv?

Losing a pet can be tough too NT! I find in general it's not good to compare one thing to another. Just because losing a pet isn't as bad as losing a human companion, it's still rough. Another bad comparison-- after I saw "Darwin's Nightmare" on Friday, I started supplementing my gripes about work with "I hate work, but not as much as the woman in Tanzania hanging fish heads..." Anyway, as you can see, sometimes relativism doesn't work. Things are what they are.

New Tenant:

The appearance to the link you gave is fine HOWEVER you should be aware that their DAWSON line has an INFINTELY more comfortable sleeper. One is foam based with a metal seam on the bed, but the Dawson line actually pulls out from the base so there is no metal seam. It is much, much more comfortable.

On other items, I am deeply sorry to hear all that.

J

J- hey you picked the other sleeper that I really liked! Of course, i balked at the price, but i realized it was probably a more comfortable sleeper. the question is do I really want my guests to be that comfortable? hmmmm.

Thanks for your words of sympathy (and see, I didn't even have to make any of that up).

I agree with you Christine (DC). Losing a pet can be so devastating - it's just that not everyone sees it that way you know?

NT: I am sorry to hear of your Mom and Uncle. If there is anything I can do to provide more info based on my experience, I will be happy to do so. Here is the blog. While it is public, it is mostly for myself and not overly developed but I do have numerous links on there and info you might need.

Please feel free to contact me via email through the blog if you'd like. I really have acquired an intense knowledge of the cancer subject over the past 4 years. I'm working on a book also, just so you know I'm serious about the subject.

http://jacqualinemarie.typepad.com/

I wish you and your family the best of luck and will keep you in my thoughts.

As for pet loss - its all the same. You lost someone you loved. What's the difference. If I lost my cat, I'd freak out. But I'd like that site name because my husband's family could benefit from it.

Let's all smile. I wish I had a design comment right now but I don't.

Hang in there...

NT, I happen to have some info on sleeper sofas since I've just researched the subject a bit for my own apartment.
What J says applies, but I have a different approach. I clarify for myself first what is it exactly that I want, and then look into resources: it saves lots of time and frustration.

First, budget. I set a limit of what i'm willing to shell out and don't go above it. 2nd, size. I already know where the sleeper will be placed and how it will be oriented, so I measured exactly how much clear space in front I need to be clear to move around it in open position. 3rd, desired sructural properties (Jonathan description could be an example of it). Mine were: no fold-forward construction, single seat cushion instead of 2 or 3, allowance for certain modularity/combination of the functions (adjustable back, f.ex)Etc. Yours couild be different. 4th: aesthetics. 5th: upholstery/colors options 6th: lead-time (how soon the piece could be delivered) and what's a return policy.

Too bad you'll not be tomorrow at the bar, we could talk more about it; I don't want to monopolize the thread.

p2 quoth: "Although I think bloated goat bladder probably suits you."

Despite having no idea what the context of the statement was (and I'm probably glad I missed it) -- DARN that's a fabulous line!

Picture me wandering the Bay Area looking for opportunities to use it.

jonathan - a *quality* paint job will definitely hold up for many years on a bookcase without chips and marks. a coat of primer, a light sanding to knock down the grain and at least 2 coats of good quality (e.g. benjamin moore) OIL paint outta do the trick.

Wende: Yup, loved it too. "...bloated goat bladder". P2 is great and occasionally, quite brilliant.

Fiona-

I'm in the same country you're headed to! And I do believe we live in the same neighborhood in NYC. I will be here til Tues, then off to Kenya. What about you?

Lori2,

That's so cool! We are leaving for Tanzania on Thursday night, so no overlap (not that it's not a huge country, but the safari route is pretty standard, from what I understand). It would have been so great to run into an ATer in Africa!

Have fun in Kenya. My husband lived there during high school, and loves the country, but we aren't going there on this trip.

Fiona -
I saw Hedda Gabler and I simply loved it and Ms. Blanchett, although I didn't quite love the set, speaking again about design, although it worked OK.

nessam -
I'm originally from Louisiana, but NY'er since 1986. Welcome!

jonathan -
I think that shelves made of real wood and painted white can be very nice, and they do not make you think you're dead, because the colors of the books are plenty color, but you have make sure that you prime them, and it's hard to find a primer that really covers knot-holes well, so you have either make your peace with that, or with the fact that you're going to do several coats of it before you even start painting.

I did adjustable white taco-shaped brackets and those double-wide standards with lumber that I put half-round on the front edges before painting the shelves white, and the knotholes eventurally bled through a little bit, but it was kind of OK, anyway.

However, you're looking down the barrel of some long drying times, especially if you actually had them made as bookcases (which we did for a few parts of the space) because where they are joined, the paint can kind of gather and it can take longer for the paint to dry there. And in general, wait a week for the paint to dry before putting books on them.

We ended up using Benjamin Moore Porch and Floor paint, but I would probably use their satin finished alkyd if I did it again. Do NOT use a latex or there will be heartbreak ahead, I promise you.

I agree curtis - i think it would be fine to paint the bookshelves.

I would keep some extra paint around for touch-ups

Jonathan,

I love my painted bookcases and used oil paint bcs I'm all about using whatever it is they outlaw in CA. Curtis is correct. Let them dry for a week. Or two even. Or try this: wait until you think they are dry enough to load up the books and then wait a week longer.

Thanks Tat

I wish I could be at the party tonight as well - I am regretting that I made these other plans :(

maybe I could stop by later - anyone have an idea how late it will go?

I really loved the sofa in the most recent contest submission. it is from bo concept:

http://www.boconcept.com/Default.aspx?ID=10564

I've seen it a million times on the store website but it didnt appeal to me that much. When I saw it in the apartment it looked a hundred times better so I'm going to the store to check it out.

I also am thinking of getting one of their sideboards for my bedroom (I posted at length about this issue in an earlier thread):

http://www.boconcept.com/Sideboards-10316.aspx

Jonathan, the trick is in proper application of paint as much as in quality paint itself.

Curtis is right, you might need a couple of layers of primer on a knotted wood (pine is notorious for that; it would be better if you use hardwood, like maple or oak, but that's for nest time...)

Or - you can use just one good primer(after thorough sanding, of course); I prefer Sherwin Williams to B.Moore. Then 2 more sandings and application of 2-3 layers of alkyd (oil-based) semi-gloss paint. Important: use same manufacturer for finish layers.

I can give you exact specs tonight.


NT: sideboards are minimum 20" deep; make sure you'll have at least 2'-0" clearance between the sideboard's front and the foot side of your bed. If not, I'd stick to shelves, and use the ones not deeper than 15".

We used unpainted beech for our bookshelves. It's been a couple of years; so far, so good.

Wouldn't readymades chip as well with time? Maybe it's the thought of $1200 down the drain that is too much to bear.

Hey Tat
The one I most interested in is actually only about 16 inches deep. But it's a good point to keep in mind. thanks!

Yes. Ready-mades will chip. That laminate stuff is not indestructable, although I kind of understand why the satisfyingly TOTALLY DRY surface could be desirable, because if you don't let paint (not just dry, but) cure for several days, you can end up finding yourself with books that are stuck to the paint and then you'll put the ball of your hand to your heads, grimacing and pacing sideways like a Martha Graham dancer throughout all eternity.

Curtis, I'd love to have that image as a frieze around my living rm....

That was indeed an inspired image!

Tat, baby, say the word, and it will be done faster than you can say boo to a goose.