apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

thanks everyone from yesterday's thread, i feel quite bestirred and will follow all those links with interest. in my continued obsessive peony googling i discovered this: http://www.marlamallett.com/K-5653F-Red.jpg

which is EXACTLY what i lust for, peony-pattern-wise. where where where do i find this pattern in a price i can afford?

i bought a wooden table that is a bit too rustic for my apt, i was dreaming last night of refinishing it in a wine color and stenciling these peonies on it, as if they were floating on darkened waters in my very own garden....

a talented artist (i.e. not me) could probably even do it freehand, they are somewhat abstract and cloudy.

I saw this table in Domino (Bracelet table by thomas pheasant for Baker--see link at my name), and fell in love. I would never have pegged this as my style, but it's really perfect for my Living room. Trouble is--there's no way in h-e-double hockey sticks I can bring myself to spend $3,300 that I don't have for a cocktail table. Does anyone know of any similar styled tables out there? It doesn't necessarily have to be round...I could use those "sensible shoppers" from Sensible Chic about now...

Sorry for the double post--not sure how that happened...

I have this dilemma that I hope to receive some input-

The previous owner put up floor to ceiling mirrors along one wall to make the apartment seem bigger. While I think it's a good technique, I think it's just too much of a good thing. The mirrors cover a space of about 10' (height) x15' (wide). When I first moved in, I was pretty sure I want to remove them (save some if i could for reuse in other parts of the apartment) and put in built in shelves in their place.

then this morning, I saw the LA AT site's positing about the Chamberlain Hotel- and its mirrored lobby.

So now I am thinking- should I flip my set up and have the couch right against the mirrored wall and have built in shelves on the opposite wall? The space is not wide, about 10 feet wide.

thanks for all your inputs in advance.

Rita

i may be mis-remembering, but i seem to recall that in a recent issue of elle decor, a new owner of a place in manhattan also had a wall of mirrors that she wanted to replace, but was dissauded against doing so by the designer.

i think you would have to see what the entire space looks like, which furniture you're using, and what kind of light you'll have. i'd advise against doing it just for the sake of getting rid of the mirrors, without having first explored the options available to you.

Rita: the problem with having a TV face the mirrored wall, with the sofa against the mirrored wall, is the subsequent multiple reflections of the TV you'll wind up with. Hence, when you walk in the room you will see the real TV, the reflection of the TV in the mirror to the left of the sofa AND the reflection of the TV in the mirror portion to the right of the sofa. It will look like a godamned funhouse. While I think this offers some intriguing options for the watching of pornography, otherwise it's a mess.

Enrique,

Posted this last night on yesterday's OT:

They have that exact table (lots of them) at a store in my neighborhood, Jackson Heights. In fact, I have two of them, but the low kind, acting as a "coffee table." Each of mine was $75. Yours is around $100-$125 I think. I can stop by and check the price (and email you a pic/measurements). I am sure the owner will take an order over the phone and ship it to you. Let me know and I can help coordinate it.

So this really belongs in the house and home roundup but since its not up, ill put it here. Looking at the first page of blond decorators, i wondered where emma jane pilkington was, opened it up and lo and behold there she is with laura yaggy. although i do like her style, i could have done better research for this piece. it was like opening 2 house and gardens and a domino for good measure.

pphillip, it was miles redd. whats worse--my knowing this or my not somehow being in this field? either way, im still holding out for AT: The magazine.

Mirrored wall: Since the mirrors are floor to ceiling, is there any way you can use a gorgeous silk curtain (one that drapes fully onto the floor) to camouflage some of the mirror? Perhaps you can put panels on both sides of the wall. At least then you could create some space that will enable you to place furniture/tv without worrying about reflection. It's like anything else, its all in the way you pull it off.

I have a couple of questions regarding my sofa:

I have a hand me down sofa and for the most part it's in good shape but I think some work needs to be done. First off the sofa sits low and when you sit it's hard to get up. What can I do?

Also, the cushion for the sofa is multi-colored stripes and the color on the arm of the sofa is faded. The sofa is a dark brown color. What kind of sofa cover should I get that is thick enough to hide the stripes?

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Right now the TV is in front of the mirrored wall. It's quite strange that I can see myself in the mirror watching tv- one of the reasons why I want to remove the mirrors.

Rita

Rasil -
If you want your walls to look almost just like that kimono, you're talkin' about just 4 colors. Stencils could be created pretty easily to mimic that. If you're serious about it, e-mail me at generalaesthetic@yahoo.com and I might be able to either help you with some part of the process, so you could execute at least most of it yourself to save some money.

Rita -
I'm imagining a wall of sheers in front of those mirrors, so they'll feel kind of windows; why lose the whole effect of the reflection of light, just because you don't want the relentless reflection of images?

Rita: have you looked at today's AT LA? there is the Chamberlin - all mirror. Not my taste but you might find an idea or two....

thanks, shoshona - so i wasn't hallucinating!

er -- shoshAna. sorry!

Jackie-
I was pretty sure I want to remove the mirrors until I saw the Chamberlain hotel pictures :)- and not that just adds to my unsure state of mind.

I thought about hanging some drapes to cover parts of the mirrored wall- but haven't done so because hanging requires drilling- not sure if drilling is just going to crack the mirrors and then I HAVE to remove them.

Rita

Rita

Rita:
You can use a ceiling-mounted drapery (hospital) track

Rita,
If the mirrors are floor-to-ceiling, couldn't you hang draperies from the ceiling? on one of those hospital track things? (Although I'm not sure draperies are the solution. Maybe a tall screen behind the couch, against the mirror wall?)

why can i not walk down the street or open a newspaper or turn on the TV without hearing about katie couric? who gives a rat's ass that she leaves some crap ass morning talk show? am i missing something - why is this so godamned important? what's the matter with this stupid nation.

Rasil: Would you consider the stencil option mentioned by Curtis? If so, there is a HUGE stencil web store -- based in the UK -- with the most extensive collection I have ever seen; I am sure they have something peony-like.

Let me know and I will post the link.

::waving::

Just to clarify: "lisa from chicago" and "lisa" (the first one!) are one and the same; I was just expressing solidarity for the geographically affiliated.

I've been an intermittant poster here on AT since early last spring. I write, design websites, mentor writers, and obsess about my house.

fwiw

jendc, i have the very first post in this thread and i'm waxing rhapsodical about stenciling peonies! yes, bring on the link, i yearn to see peony anything.

curtis, thanks -- table, tho, not walls -- i will contact you shortly. i found this: http://www.stencil-library.com/docs/cat257.htm ... not sure if it will do the job... ?

is there a good stencil source in new york, i like to look before i buy and please no one say pearl paint. maybe in an asian store???

(speakiing of which, lori2, where in jackson heights? is it indo-us books by any chance? if so, i think they're suspect for phone orders.)

Thanks Lori 2! Responded to you on the other thread. Would love to get contact info on your local shop; but no need to go the trouble of going to the shop in person, measuring, etc. enrique at enriquedamnit dot com.

Rita. I'm a fan of mirrored walls and have had them in quite a few small apartments. It's hard for me to comment further without seeing the layout in person; but my gut reaction is to keep them.

Rasil, I found this and thought you might like to see it -

http://www.scandinaviandesigncenter.com/ProductDetails.aspx_InnerCatalog_Carpets_InnerCategory_Fabrics_InnerProduct_4132

rita, another option might be to put a layer of translucent glass or plexi over the mirrors. You still get some light and color reflection, but the objects reflected are fuzzy and shadowy. much calmer look than a giant mirror-wall.

jonathan, i felt the same way about katie couric until i saw her interview with ann coulter. she now has my begrudging respect. bonus surreal catfight effect with the super short skirts they're wearing.

http://tinyurl.com/op76e

Fongcy, that clip is hysterical. And Ann's skirt looks like it has no back.

I am neutral about Katie Couric, but it's nice to see the first solo female anchor (not co-anchor)--and one who is certainly an attractive woman, but isn't a spring chicken.

Does anyone know if Trader Joe's wine shop has opened yet?

Anne - April 10. Times reported yesterday. They apparently had trouble getting the right store shelves, thus the delay.

Thanks for the clip Fongcy. Classic Katie.

wow, THANK YOU for that clip. i never cared, but now i love katie couric. and i am so, so, so disturbed by anne coulter (and both of their outfits).

Seeing that interview I came to exactly the opposite conclusion (surprise, surprise)-Ann Coulter deserves all the respect, and if anybody IS an airhead it is couric; and a petty one at that.

However, I'll give you that: that camera angle on Ann's legs was quite unflattering (the opposite to couric's...well, she had an advantage of advance practicing). But to call couric an attractive woman...er...is an exhagerration, in my view.

Rasil, did you browse all the pages? How about the peony here:
http://www.stencil-library.com/docs/cat266.htm

Or even the peony panel, up a leg of a table:
http://www.stencil-library.com/docs/cat263.htm

Jonathan, the Media is never happier than when reporting on itself.

Thanks for the update, Desk. It'll save me a trip until after the 11th.

I didn't think I could dislike Ann Coulter any more than I do but I was wrong. After watching the Couric/Coulter clip I loath her even more. But this isn't a political blog so I'll keep my opinions of that to myself.

oops, so didn't want to take it there, Tat. so many things I will refrain from saying. I knew I shouldn't have posted that, but couldn't resist. damn you Jonathan for bring it up! :)

er, bringing. I am Asian, but I thought I turned off the Engrish this morning.

I have no love for Coulter...clearly if she was either "sporting wood" or a brunette we wouldn't even know who she was. Nonetheless the interview demonstrated exactly what is wrong with the media today. Couric is interviewing someone and within 30 seconds - it's all about Couric! You misquoted "me"! A real journalist doing a real interview should never use the word "me." It reflects the cult of celebrity in news and it disgusts me. I suppose that's why I have actually never seen Couric or her show before. That kind of "news" is for godamned morons. These people have helped dumb down america and we pay them millions to do it . i don't think i'm ever going to be happy until i'm on an island, drunkenly shaking my fist and yelling epithets at the (plasma) television screen.

Q >what's the matter with this stupid nation.

A >Ann Coulter deserves all the respect.

I just have to jump in and say that Tat, YOU are the total airhead for believing that Ann Coulter deserves ANY respect whatsoever. In that interview with Katie Couric I found her views EXTREMELY disturbing and frightening. To think there are people like her, and apparently you, in this country with those beliefs and misunderstandings is very, very, VERY disturbing.

dude, look what you did, Jonathan. :)

now i'm really sorry. ok, time out people? weren't we talking about wallpaper or pillows or something?

How does this scintillating conversation about Katie and Ann have anything to do with apartments, home decor, or space design, exactly?


just...

Fongcy - you make me giggle. A good thing when I'm at home with food poisoning.

Ok, so Rasil, you're making ME want peonies in my house. I'm trying to figure out how to walk the line from modern/clean/spare to french country/shabby chic (dear god, did I just say that?) and that kimono image on a low coffee table seems like the way to go.

I'll be over here dreaming about it all if anyone needs me. ********

Might as well reupholster the couch while Rome burns.

No, Henrietta, what's wrong with this country is that half of its populace call the other half stupid without any factual basis for it. On the contrary... but that's a long talk and I'm home, in my lovely apartment, and am going to enjoy the fruits of my labor in peace and let you be.

Casual Observer - good, I like it that you find Coulter's views fightening. Be afraid, be very afraid. And I have news for you (if you somehow managed to miss last election) there ARE many people in this country whose beliefs I share.

Tat, did I call you stupid?

No, I didn't think so. And anyway, I thought you pomo cons disdained facts in favor of creating your own reality. That worked out well--

a USA bust-out courtesy of the gangsters in Washington you support. Thanks a lot.

yeah . . . whatever. this is not a political blog.
and there is nothing more tiresome than debating politics with your interior designer or other tradesperson. Ask me the one about "guido and the born-again window restorer" . . . no, don't!

enjoyed the clip tho

Wasn't someone looking for 2nd hand ART BOOKS in NYC, other than The Strand? There's a nicely stocked bookstore on Seventh Ave in Park Slope, between 3rd and 2nd Streets - Park Slope Books, next to Seventh Ave Books. A wall of used art/design books, another couple shelves of architecture. I think all the places that used to be in Soho are long gone . . .

Certainly there's a factual basis for stating that half of the electorate is stupid. In fact, slightly more than that psince 51% voted for DUHb(never saw a surplus he couldn't deplete)ya. As for Coulter, she's an amusing puppet.

Certainly there's a factual basis for stating that half of the electorate is stupid. In fact, slightly more than that since 51% voted for DUHb(never saw a surplus he couldn't deplete)ya. As for Coulter, she's an amusing puppet.

*guido,
I don't discuss politics with my clients or "tradespersons", and nobody on this blog are my clients. Or you were considering asking for my help?

and yeah, about the peonies - *rasil, you totally seduced me with them, too. Thanks to Andree, I now have whole bunch of peony-related sites to salivate over. Oh well, May is around the corner, with lilac and peonies for everyone.

Sorry, Guido. You're right

>and there is nothing more tiresome than debating politics with your interior designer or other tradesperson.

How patronizing.

deepa and andree, thanks for the links, and rachel, i think deepa's link is actually a nice transition btw modern and flowery.

and as for the rest, "so many things I will refrain from saying" from me too.

*ebrown, right back at'ya. It could be said that, in fact, less than half of this country is stupid - look, less than 50% voted for the unprincipled demagogue who betrayed his own country, repeatedly. And the surplus thingie is mulled and gnowed over so, so much..in any case, if I wanted to discuss it further, I'd go to qualified blogs, like Asymmetrical Information (link at my name), or Chicago Boyz (http://www.chicagoboyz.net/)


Yaaaawn.

I wouldn't say a word, of course, if some wouldn't assume that ALL visitors to this site are liberals who will cheer at any attempt of cons' smearing. Hope I cleared the issue.

Let's get back to our usual fare.

Great clip!
Jonathan - I couldn't agree with you more!

this makes me wish for the days of the shoes off or on in the house controversy. whoddathunkit?

please, I beg, let's not do the political thing. please? I'm really begging.

and Henrietta, snobbery has nothing to do with the wisdom of NOT talking about something as divisive as politics with a person whom you have a professional relationship with. trust me.

regards,
trillium

Thank you for proving my point, Tat. It's good to know you use the same "fact" checker as Coulter.

you had a point?

Why, yes, dear. Didn't the person who reads to you include that bit?

A lot of you guys are Platonists who can't tolerate any distractions from the plane of ideal esthetics. This just in: your preference is but one way of looking at design, and design has often been bound up with politics. Your beloved modernists, to take an obvious example, had quite the political dimension.

Invariably the AT police start moaning that the discussion should stick to pillows and peonies. And who came down from the mountain with this edict?

Rita,
I know everyone has commented on the mirror walls but here's my 2cents... Try hanging art in front of the mirror, thus treating it like any other wall. If you have crown moulding, you could anchor hooks in the moulding, then run fishing line/wire down to the frames that you hang over the mirror. Or you could put the hooks in the ceiling. I have done this to great effect. If you wanted to be splashy you could even hang a mirror over the mirrored wall (this is especially pretty in a bathroom). I find that if your room is not particularly sunny, the mirrors are less obvious but I'm not sure what your apartment is like.
OK that's it.

I feel sorry for the new readers stumbling upon this site and the open threads for the first time ever... the stuff going on here lately is so not what this site is about (Or at least used to be).

Who can we thank for today's derailment and subsequent catfight/bitchfest?!

An Henrietta, it may seem trivial and superficail to talk about pillows when there ARE bigger things going on in the world, but some of us consider this site a welcome refuge.

Plenty of other places to go for lively political debate and social responsibility.

I'm a big fan of pillows, They can make a huge change in a room for relatively little money. Vern Yip has rectangular gold pillows with changeable bands that I've been considering for a while. cool concept

Surest way to make someone lose respect for you when they don't know you? Espousing your political views...and it's an argument you'll never win. I enjoyed the catfight, though.

Yes there are important/scary/awful things happening--but in times of unrest, it makes your home environment that much more important to general sanity. And, in some ways, respecting the home you have and work for, when others have none and there is such horror in the world, is a way of giving thanks...So, we discuss pillows, because you see where discussions of the *other* stuff go...

henrietta, it isn't platonism for me, it's more pessimism of the intellect. i have optimism of the will too, but it wilts when it's too close to encomia to ann coulter.

bread and peonies,

r

Christine,

Surest way to make someone lose respect for you when they don't know you?

Trotting out a personal conviction masquerading as a truism. But clearly you'd rather moralize than acknowledge my point, which was not, of course, that interior decorating is bad because it's not politics.

And I find your sentiments about giving thanks disingenuous. You must be exceptionally virtuous if that's the case.

Peonies are magnificent. So are branches of flowering quince.
Sumer is icumen in,
Lhude sing, cuccu!
Groweth sed and bloweth med
And springth the wude nu.
Sing, cuccu!

rasil,

After all, peonies are pretty.

Jinx!

wow. you guys are still at it? i do really feel bad about bringing up this nonsense (sorry 'tired', but jonathan started it!). at least the rick santorum/urban outfitters and dalai lama yadda yadda debates had a some interior design connection. i naively thought ann coulter was such an easy target, no one was going to start sh*t about it... unfortunately life isn't the f'ing West Wing. really unfortunate.

let's hope tomorrow's new open thread starts afresh and clean or at least relevant to design if politics cannot be avoided.

jonathan, you are wise beyond your assholiness, and i agree with and am enlightened by your last comment.

btw, SHOES OFF...unless i'm the visitor and i'm wearing boots or ugly or no socks. for that reason i think the no shoes thing should be a suggestion, so i'm not cool with the guest slippers idea. and especially not the nonslip slipper socks idea - Andree you are smoking crack, but that's what i like about you. though it makes me cringe a little how much you "LOL". anyways, if you have a guest who minds taking off their shoes (rare), you shouldn't push it and just suck it up and vaccuum after they leave. damnit, just realized that horrible pun. ok, i'm going to bed now. should've just stayed a longtime lurker. btw, i so almost posted as 'longtime lurker' the first time i posted, but thought it sounded kind of dirty (i'm neurotic asian), but i'm glad someone else did though! awesome. good luck with your wallpaper search.

Fongcy, I am always laughing...er...except when I'm not. It might seem annoying, but maybe it would help if more people added in "LOL" when they ARE laughing or kidding around, so that the rest of the group wouldn't get upset. It's darned hard to tell by the words that are used whether or not someone is serious, really upset, or just jokingly upset.

And just what the heck is wrong with not falling down on Jonathan's highly polished new floor? I slip and skid on my kitchen and bath floor here...in socks or barefoot. I either need to wear shoes or have something that won't slip.

I will NOT track mud all over someone's home. I stood politely at the entrance to the leasing office because I had muddy boots. Inside those muddy boots are twigs and leaves that got in there anyway, and I'm not grinding fresh green leaves into Jonathan's new floor either.

If any of that nasty stinging nettle gets on someone else, especially the baby, they could have real problems. I'm used to it, but you wouldn't be. And you could end up with welts and tingling for a day or two.

And, GEEZ, Fongcy, I am definitely NOT smoking crack. I'm naturally this way. Scary, ain't it? I'm just a regular, above-average-intelligence, living-the-life-of-a-nun-without-the-religion-part person who has little money and a whole lot of time thanks to being disabled.

Shoes keep feet warm and protected. Shoes are most necessary in colder, wetter, muddier elements. Those wet and muddy shoes are most likely to cause damage to flooring. Some moisture may have penetrated the shoes, giving a person wet feet.

I don't want wet feet sloshing around on my floor, and that's why the clean socks are a great idea. Make the guests have warm, dry, comfortable feet.

Vacuuming? Well, what if it is mud? What if that was really expensive carpet or an area rug? I don't want to pay a fortune to have it cleaned when I could have provided dadgum nonslip slipper socks.

This all changed since I got here. I'm sure it's all my fault.

Hey Andree:

I hope you find my response here.

You wrote me as follows:
----------------
"...the wallpaper could be mounted or framed, and placed on an easel or propped...look here:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/SlippingIntoTheSeason_02082002.xml&psrc=dg052

...the IDEA of seeing colors and being able to change those colors seasonally.

You use your created wallpaper art on a floor easel. Even if you don't have a sewing machine, you can probably sew a bit, and make your own pillow covers from prehemmed napkins:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/pillows_onehourpillow_09252002.xml&psrc=dg052

The button one would probably be the easiest, and instead of buttonholes, attach ribbon or cording loops. Combine that idea with IKEA throw pillows, where you can buy different covers for the same size of pillow.

Then choose the covers and fabric napkins to coordinate with the wallpaper you've framed or mounted on wood.

There are some great fabrics too, that I just couldn't afford to have in pillows. But all you need is a piece for that frame, and then add in less expensive accessories to highlight and complement the expensive piece.

And, you've actually saved money for other things, you didn't spend money on paint, or fuss over window treatments. Use that money to make the most impact in your space.

Check out this trio of ideas in the same room, same sofa, same chairs:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/12354.xml&psrc=dg052

Look at the picture over the fireplace in the Sophisticated Modern picture...that picture is a lot like the "splat" wallpaper looked like from a distance on the wood background.

Remember also, if you're using wood, wallpaper (you can also adhere an art print) and an easel, you get a bonus. TWO SIDES. Oh yes. It can't get any easier to change the look, the colors, the art by flipping it over."
----------------

So, Andree, decorating so as to adapt to the seasons has always been a huge challenge for me.

I learned a lot from looking at the links you sent me; I saw how some minor changes could make a difference in changing a room from a warm to an airy feeling.

Perhaps you can offer some advice: since I've lived in NYC, I've always had trouble gauging the right weight for curtains to use during the colder months. (I hail from Mexico, where this is not an issue. Generally, at least in the region I lived in, we use light-weight window treatments and don't worry about seasons.)

Additionally, hanging heavy-weight curtains is mystifying to me, as I don't ever quite know what sort of bolts, etc. to use to support anything heavy. (In Mexico, walls are brick and plaster, and one puts up a nail and that's it.)

Anyway, do you have any thoughts?

I thank you, thank you, thank you.

Who is this Ann Coulter anyway?

Just reading yesterday evening comments and I'm a newbie to the board and just wanted or hoping to get some advice on my old couch.

(I posted this yesterday)..

I have a couple of questions regarding my sofa:

I have a hand me down sofa and for the most part it's in good shape but I think some work needs to be done. First off the sofa sits low and when you sit it's hard to get up. What can I do?

Also, the cushion for the sofa is multi-colored stripes and the color on the arm of the sofa is faded. The sofa is a dark brown color. What kind of sofa cover should I get that is thick enough to hide the stripes?

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Fongcy-LOL!

I wake up with Katie Couric every morning. Guess I'm a moron.

>Who is this Ann Coulter anyway?

Ann Coulter is a right-wing demagogue.

Another fan of Fongcy here but not a fan of Henrietta for dissing regulars who contribute positvely to this site. Not a biggie really but I'm just sayin'

I can easily live with that.

If anyone wants to know more about Ann Coulter, just google her name. Doh!

Back to our regularly scheduled pillows and peonies.

Henrietta: Glad YOU can live with that.

Hey Terry! Glad the links were helpful! Sometimes it's just a few things that will make a difference.

There is a lot of heat loss via the windows, and heat gain in summer, so it can make for a more comfortable environment with proper window treatments. However, what "proper" is...well, it seems to depend on exactly what kinds of windows you actually have and the framework around them.

My walls are drywall over concrete block, so I can't hang heavy pictures without a masonry drill. Hah!

Ideas for windows, without seeing them at all, would be to layer your treatments.

First layer is in the window frame itself...check out hunterdouglas.com and use their neat questionnaire. It will guide you though their own products, asking you questions like "how important is noise reduction" or "how important is insulation" or "how important is light reduction". It will ask you what sizes or orientation you'd like for blinds, lots of good questions for you to think about as you do the questionnaire, which will help you choose a blind or shade for the window, whether you buy them from Hunter Douglas or not (they are expensive).

This layer at the window level is actually the only layer you need, and think of it as your "practical" layer. It's the one that's like the electric blanket in your bed, it ain't pretty to look at, but if you're cold, it sure will make a difference. Many of the blinds and shades ARE nice to look at, though, and I like the unadorned window look much of the time.

The next layer might be a lightweight sheer. And the top layer would be the heavier curtain. You do NOT need to keep both layers up...sheers for summer and heavier ones for winter.

Is your goal purely heat retention? Or is it to change the appearance of the room? A little of both? Can you do the appearance in other ways without having to dangle curtains?

Browse! Browse window covering sites. Browse catalogs. Browse decorating or design sites. Go to local window covering stores and pester them with questions. Pick up any free brochures at the home improvement centers.

When browsing, look at what they are hanging the curtains and drapes ON. You'll see little rods with lightweight curtains and big thick rods for heavy curtains. Even the measurement of the rod pocket will clue you in to what size of rod to get and then what will need to be used to hold that rod on the wall.

Remember that the only dumb question is the question you didn't ask. We're all experts at something.

You're asking me, but I don't know so much about the curtain rod hanging aspect. That's when you hit the experts IN THAT FIELD and bug them about rods and drapery weights and insulation value and fading and cleaning and all things textile related.

Having done the questionnaire at Hunter Douglas, you'll already know what you need for your home whether it's in blinds or shades or draperies. You can make a list to take with you to the local stores, and tell them that insulation IS important but something else isn't...then they can help you select from what they have that will meet your most important needs.

Jeeeeeeeezzzzz....ouch! I was just trying to make peace by saying that trying to argue politics is futile (um, particularly on a DESIGN site), it makes people judge you unfairly, and I was waxing a little poetic towards the end because it was late at night after a long day (though, having started reading the Apartment Therapy book, I would say that it isn't all that far from the kind of philosophies in the "cure".) Thanks Henrietta, for enlightening me on MY moralizing when that is how you started yourself...I'm sorry I even posted.

V--Thanks for being on point! Depends on how much you want to spend. They sell boards to stick under sofa cushions to provide some support--but you can just as easily get some plywood cut. Also, you could add padding/batting to the cushions. I'd say a good microfiber slipcover would serve you well in a chocolate brown, if you want to stay in that same family--surefit had some tailored-looking ones I was looking at before I decided to take the plunge and just buy a new sofa. I liked the variety they had, as compared to some other places. Can't vouch for how they look when you actually buy them and use them, though. Target also had an interesting selection.

Christine, I completely agree with your thoughts on The Cure vis a vis the larger world. I've been Curing (in more ways than one, but anyway...) for the past year. It has really helped my outlook a lot.

I haven't even finished Part I of Apartment Therapy, but thus far it has to do with identifying individual environmental needs. The attraction of Maxwell's approach, it seems to me, is that by optimizing your home you will be liberated to live better.

To construe this perfectly legitimate purpose as some kind of social consciousness is a conceit as far as I'm concerned. People will inevitably project their own biases on The Cure; it's the nature of the beast.

So, you will no doubt project negativity, pessimism, and cynicism on your Cure, eh?

For the love of Pete, lighten up or have a cookie or something.

Well, it depends, but you're probably right. I certainly take a dismal view of therapeutic fads. Apartment Therapy is the first self-help book I've ever bought, and I blushed when I paid for it at the bookstore. But my interest in Maxwell's ideas is sincere.

I didn't know before that Maxwell had taught children, but it makes perfect sense. He's just the kind of earnest and sweet-natured person you would want influencing your child.

Pixie, I didn't really want to know - who cares! That was the point. Duh!

Henrietta, you need to get laid.

Cyndie, the yellow brick road is that way.