apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Now that I know what you like, I can find it. You can spend $202.60 for your bronze finish, halogen in-ground light, or you can spend $13.81 on a bronze finish, halogen in-ground light from here:
http://tinyurl.com/qhsrx

If that doesn't work, the link, go here:
http://www.usalight.com
Select: Landscape Lighting
Select: Well
It's Part: LV-301

It has four Phillips screws, rather than three Allen screws. I'm pretty sure I don't judge a man by his screws. Uh...

Chaps:

Those of you may recall I am turning townhouse back yard into a Mr. Miyagi-inspired Japanese garden. Walls are built but the center, full of plants and bushes, now needs to be violently transformed by (unfortunately) pulling up the plants and putting down slate and stone. TWO QUESTIONS:

1. What is a good resource for designing a space like this, and does anyone know any good landscapers in Park Slope who can handle this?
2. I want to put IN GROUND, RECESSED HALOGENS that shine up against the walls. I can’t find anything at Lowes or Home Depot and only find one website that sells them for $200 each…that can’t be right. Where can I find good outdoor lighting and is there a fixture anyone can suggest?

Here is a link to a picture of the garden
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/123254657/

here’s an overhead view from the bedroom balcony:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/123254653/

I really, really hate you guys

Good morning everyone,

A friend of mine is having his art displayed in a gallery in Philly, and I wanted to let people know about it! The opening is on May 5th. I have one of his pieces (which is at the framer's right now).

Click on my name to see some of his work, and to see the gallery announcement....

Has anyone in DC been to any of the restaurant supply stores the area that they would recommend? Also, any recs for online sources that anyone has used. I've wanted to take a look at restaurant dishes for quite a while and I'm inspired by Week 2 of the Cure, focusing on kitchen, to follow through and check it out.

Maxwell, this is my life! I don't have a lovely wife or husband or children or job or hobby or income. I have a chair on which to place my buttocks that I dragged in from the dumpster in the parking garage, because it was better than the one I had. If I knew more about all the set-up stuff for fab websites like this, I could be very useful to you.

So while everyone else has other lives and people, this is it for me. I pick a spot and move in. AT hath been chosen. I am learning a lot so far, thanks to everyone's contest photos, posts, links, ideas. THANKS EVERYONE!!!
***waving to everyone***

Even bantering about names of styles and furnishings makes me look them up and try to remember them.

And some of those posts were actually short. I even made one post only one word.

So, do I get a prize for lots of comments? Or do I get kicked off? I'd rather have a prize. Can I have a prize?

There IS a benefit of my oodles of posts. Other folks will see it's okay to post too, folks that haven't posted yet. No matter what they say, they still won't get picked on as much as I have been. ;)

Maxwell, you have my email address, you can always just say "get outta here, you wascal wabbit"

Hi all,
In the previous thread, we were asked which finalists are our faves. FWIW, here's mine (kind of in order):

Jane & Darko
Shauna
Greg & Em
Jed
Hakarl & Jili

Pixie. In case you haven't heard of "Fishs Eddy," I've sent you a link. It's "commercial grade sturdyware" anc comes in basic "deco diner white" but alos offers some offbeat and witty stuff. Not cheap though.

Thanks junedanish. I explored that site a couple of years ago but will take a fresh look. Didn't they start selling through another store too?

Andree:

I, for one, enjoy your posts. They are written with lively passion and a welcome respite from the snide, down syndrome-esque posts that pump in like a sewage line from the likes of pphilip and his evil cohorts.

I'm looking for something that will work as a shelf over my two radiators. I'm assuming wood is not good as it will warp so I am considering marble but cannot find a source in NYC for a simple marble slab roughly 12" x24" Any suggestions? Is glass a better (and cheaper) idea?

Pixie,

Gracious Home.

Stacey -- Have you looked at architectural salvage stores? I don't have a specific recommendation (we always did that kind of shopping upstate, closer to where we lived and where stuff is cheap), but that's where we've gotten various sizes of marble for radiator tops.

I can't help myself; I love this Andree dude.

Stacey, wood works. Radiator covers are made of wood.

Thanks Lori 2 - I see Fishs Eddy on that site.

wait a minute...Andree is a man?? Not that it matters but i sort of assumed Andree was a she. Andree, please confirm gender.

Pixie,

The Washington Post home section chat is at 11am this morning. They might have a rec for a local restaurant supply place. Good luck....

Andree's manifesto yesterday on Open Thread 184 was un.be.liev.able.

Andree has boobies.

I guess they could be man boobies but she also said that she was woman and she could roar - or something.

Do you feel a stirring in your loins J?

"...snide, down syndrome-esque posts that pump in like a sewage line from the likes of pphilip and his evil cohorts."

Get a grip.

Stacey --

I agree with Julianna, go with wood. Not too expensive and you can add vertical bits to make it 'fitted' over your radiator (esp. handy if the top isn't level).

Glass is certainly do-able, but I don't like all the noise when I put something on it, or the rattle when I take something off. You also have to keep the top of the radiator and the space behind nice and presentable.

(this is an Andree post)

Jonathan, we all really, REALLY love you. We know that all we have to do is take everything you say with a spoonful of sugar and a sense of humour and just switch "hate" to "love" since you're such a hard case.

You can play with garden things at the BHG "Plan A Garden" online tool (www.bhg.com). Enter the measurements of your garden area and play around with various plants they have to get some approximate idea on what you might want where.

Helpful because that little tree you pick up now ends up with a 30 foot spread in 2 years, growing into your home. It would be better to know that now.

I'm going to ask you, based on the picture from overhead, why you would choose in-ground lighting to shine on the newly built walls? You have a long, narrow space. Illuminating the walls will actually bring the walls in closer in appearance, making it look boxier. Is that what you want?

There are so many different styles that the KIND of lighting you choose depends on the kind of garden you have...
This:
http://www.stonebridge.com/SHIGEMORI/shigemori_49.jpg
Which would totally work in your yard.
So would this:
http://tinyurl.com/kmxdb
You'd not really want the water path, with the little one, but it could be out of stones.

The recessed lighting is to be all around the entire perimeter of the yard? That would look nice with the stone and gravels, I think. But I'd use a completely different tact with the meandering path style, emphasizing the pathway, while the edges fade off into darkness or other lighting of varying intensities. Giving the illusion of much greater space.

There's a reason what you want is so expensive and harder to find. Please don't try this at home. Can you use a regular lamp under water in your tub? Uh...what a shocking and deadly experience that would be.

Same kind of thing, Jonathan...putting a light under ground where it will be exposed to water/wet soil.

Anyway, these are in-ground lights, with varying degree angles, NOT HALOGEN, aluminum (non-rusting) lights, $12.00:
http://tinyurl.com/hqew9

You could use wet-location wall sconces to boost the lighting, and you could install these at any height, top of the wall or near the base of the wall:
http://tinyurl.com/ghgrm

Wire them separately to control and adapt the light to the mood. Consider also an energy-saving set of lights that could be left on most of the time.

This style of well lamp, ranges from $40-60 each, and a couple have variable angles:
http://tinyurl.com/jwyyd

Up to about $100.00 now, and I'm learning new terms to help with the search, such as "well" and "grade-mount":
http://tinyurl.com/hxqnx

That's the important part of the search, using the right terms. Not using the right terms gets no results. Unfortunately I don't always KNOW the right terms.

Anywho...notice that the last one says it uses MR 16 bulbs...which is the same kind that the first one said it uses...the $12.00 one. Big range of prices. You'll need transformers and whatever crap to make it work and not burst into flames. I'd give them all a jingle to see if the various lamps above can use halogen.

You want lighting rated for "wet locations".

Like any of those? Now that I know what terms to use, I can probably do better, once I know what styles you like.

Hey Andree,

Speak for yourself, okay?? *We* DON"T all love Jonathan!!

***placing duct tape over Jim's mouth***
"Shhhhhush"
***looking up word "manifesto"***
Oh, okay.

Please let it all fade into oblivion, beneath the floral hammers and nesting dolls, a fitting burial. Otherwise I may have to explain my explanation, and the gods know that is not what the public wants.

I'm thinking it's kind of fun to be a woman or a dude. Anyway, yes, Jonathan dearling, I am woman, hear me belch.

Andree,
THANK YOU for the leads. I can’t help it…I like the in-ground recesseds because when I was at the Oberoi in Agra in December they were used so perfectly, and so gorgeously, I was speechless and haven’t gotten over it. There is something…cloddish about spotlights that stick out of the ground and if I could have dim control on hidden, recessed lights I just think the look would be more artful.
I think these would look prettier, maybe 2 in the ground along each wall, with perfect triangulations. But too expensive.
http://www.lightology.com/index.cfm/method-light.store_profile/sku-0812EL-LAWNLIT-006H1-00BZ/dept-Ext%20Recessed%20Ground/szdept_label-Ext%20Recessed%20Ground
These are also cool, albeit not halogen, but they do have colored screens. So I can color the up-light, further convincing my wife and the lot of you that I have uncontrollable urges towards the cheese.
http://www.lightology.com/index.cfm/method-light.store_profile/sku-1200EG-LEDPORT-002L1-WHSS/dept-Ext%20Recessed%20Ground/szdept_label-Ext%20Recessed%20Ground
RR: I will not get a grip. Grips are for golf clubs and women on 34th street who give happy endings. At present, I require neither.

*I*...okay...*I* love you too Jonathan.

"Do you feel a stirring in your loins J?"

I just about fell out of my chair laughing at this!

Chicago reader:

If I lived in a city where people talked funny, the guys all have hideous mustaches, the food sucks and pretty much everyone you look at looks like they waddled out of a Botero painting, I might resent me, too.

Why don't you snarf down some cheese fries, lardass.

michelle, Thanks so much! I posted to that and here's the answer on restaurant supply:

Try Adams-Burch 301-341-1600 or Best Supply, right off Florida Ave., 413 Morse St. NE, 202 544-2525 or 202 365-1818.
Also check out www.fisheseddy.com which specializes in American diner china and sturdy dinnerware.

I'll have to keep that chat in mind and explore the other chats on WP.

"I'm pretty sure I don't judge a man by his screws."

Andree, are you sure about this? :D

Hi Pixie - Good to know! I need to venture out more. I shop at A. Litteri and had no idea there was a restaurant supply store in that area. You should check out A. Litteri. Their address is 517-519 Morse Street NE (a block away, so embarrassing). Super cheap wine, great olives and a nice selection of olive oil. Hope you enjoy this beautiful day! Michelle

Andree, if you want "a place on this site" for "what [you] have to offer", go to the thread linked in my name.

Just the ticket.

Andree: those are perfect. I just bought them. You rock. Problem solved.

Jim: that string is a joke, right?

Jamie Pup:

Still here?

I only came to AT when I saw the apartment contest advertisment from DWR. I'd been here before but I didn't find anything interesting for me. I like pictures. I'm a visual person. Having all those pictures to look at of small places, it was like being a kid in a candy store.

I don't remember you mentioning remodel photos. I was probably in the midst of sobbing or being pummelled. Or both.

Again, I sincerely wish for a message board. Questions don't get lost as easily. You could then post a link to your photos and we could talk about all the details in one thread. And refer other folks to the thread later on.

On the Prospero boards, there are many options, such as getting an email when a new post is addressed to you. Being able to email each other, without the recipients email being revealed (and that's a personal preference that can also be turned off, so noone can email you, and you don't get notifications).

That would also be handy if someone comes along later and has to get details from you that weren't posted in the thread originally.

I do want to see pictures. More pictures from regular people on a regular basis. I'll just end up leaving if there aren't more pictures. There'll be nothing for me to DO here.

Andree, don't mess with jamiepup. He's been a valuable and gracious contributor to this site offering suggestions when they are asked for, showing pictures of his projects and being an all around nice guy. He was here long before you, and hopefully will stay long after your attention wanders.

If you need to have constant online attention and like to look at pictures and do things, why not start your own blog or message board since you've got unlimited time? That way we can be spared the unwanted and unasked for details of your breasts and home life on a DESIGN blog. Many of us are here for the design, not for you.

Jonathan, do NOT mess with Chicago!

Michelle,
I've had A.Litteri on my list of must-dos forever. I just looked it up and it's right near metro. I will check that out too.

Jim, I get it. You're wanting to be mean to me too. Right? I was in tears before even clicking the link. :'(

Look past the stuff in the pictures, you'll see that kitchen is MASSIVE compared to many other entries. There are several people here in the contest and even in the finals that would LOVE to have a kitchen that size.

We'll just do a Wayne to it, and remove everything that isn't nailed down, swapping all furniture. We'll also remove anything that is clutterish and all personal artifacts, replacing them with contemporary and modern artwork.

Many of the contestants for the contest had to see beyond their original space to see it's potential. I was saddened to read the comments on that page.

Many of the contestants built up their home furnishings and accents over time. But they probably didn't sleep on the floor until they got the nice bed. And they probably didn't sit on the floor until they found the right chair and the right fabric to go on the right chair.

And speaking of the right thing...

YEAH, JONATHAN! Very cool that you liked those.

Now, what do I get to look for next? Did you ever find a stool? Did I ever post this idea for you?
http://tinyurl.com/f9go2

Yeah, that's in Sweden. But the idea of a seat that will fold up or down isn't a bad one. It doesn't have to look like movie theater seating...although...a cup holder would be nice.

Not Jamie Pup...

Huh?

I was responding to Jamie Pup's post from earlier today in the 187 thread,

Here in full text:
------
I think you finally figured out what it is you really want Andree. After having voiced your opinion on how you think this particular competition should have been run and what kind of enries you wanted to see, you realized that all it takes is for ppl like you or me to send in their pictures - before and after preferably. Nothing to do with this competition.


I asked if anyone wanted to see progress pics of my bathroom remodel (no pros involved except the contractor and the cabinet maker - I "designed" and chose everything) but no one answered. You even posted quite a lot in that particular thread. I guess you hadn't figured out that maybe you did want to see pics of other ppls' places outside of the competition.


I also have, on video so I will have to transfer when I get time, pics of a kitchen I re-did for my sister in law in a rental for around $200 including the u-haul rental to get me to Home Depot in Brooklyn. The difference was quite substantial for such little cost. I decided not to ask about whether ppl wanted to see that because no one said they wanted to see the other stuff.


BTW, I'm not complaining. I am simply aware that ppl were concerned about Jonathan taking over threads with his remodel pics and that he should start his own site so I wanted to ask ppls' opinions first. I just acted - or rather did not act on the lack of opinions.


Posted by jamie pup at 04/20/06 9:49 AM
------

Now, read that and then read my response above.

This is yet another good reason for a message board. In that I could have addressed this to Jamie directly in his remodeling thread, and not been attacked by someone using part of his name. How terribly rude.

Jim: I almost fell off my chair with your post.

Well I'm going to be at tonight's celebration and hope to see all.

Didn't someone post that Jonathan and Andree were the same person? I read that somewhere.

Was repeating all that REALLY necessary?

It's like having acid reflux over a meal you didn't even enjoy the first time.

:P

Really, Jackie? You "read that somewhere"? What book was that in? The Self-Help Guide to Being a Godamned, Fat-Assed Moron? That you must have several well-worn copies of?

I have never posted under an alternative name, ever. Andree is far too nice to you wretched ingrates, and while I appreciate she is so nice, I assure you that I couldn't stomach even pretending to be that way.

Ah, female. Well, I still heart her even if I never get past the third line of any her posts. The gal's got dedication. I give her that.

Prevacid taker...
You mean the copy and paste? Of course it was necessary. It wouldn't have been necessary if "Not Jamie Either" (who is giving Jamie Pup a bad name by association) had been able to find it in the first place or had bothered to look.

Jonathan starts off with a request for assistance and what I thought was a funny ending. I feel like I'm being picked on by even Maxwell. And suddenly everyone is being mean again.

At least I was able to help someone.

So anyone wanna go to Philly for Dave Goss's opening?

Andree, I was perfectly serious. You want to share suggestions and resources, right? You could be helpful AND counter the meanness on that thread.

I don't think the kitchen is massive, I think it is more open than we've seen elsewhere.

Based on my exceptionally limited experience with him, I cannot imagine Maxwell picking on anyone.

Holy cow Jim! I had not seen that entry before now. That was brutal.
I do find it ironic though that I, as a self professed miminalist, actually found some appealing parts to Diane's apt. Can't put my finger on it but it was not as bad as ppl were making out. It actually looked like someone cared about placement and had color coordinated it well. Bear in mind that I am not good with color and most ppl would hate the whiteness of my place.

Hey Andree, you do remember don't you that my first post to you was one that praised your contribution? I'm sure you do but the other ppl that thought I was showing no love probably had not seen that.

Another irony is that my post about my bathroom pictures was the first post in a thread re-iterating that this was bathroom month. I.e. very much on topic. Your provocative (in that it did provoke subsequent reaction) post followed maybe 20 minutes later with no reference to mine. In other words no one had started attacking you before you posted. You could have read my post abbout the pictures with no thoughts of defending yourself.
The thread then went off on the tangent that you started and never looked back.

You will notice that ppl have since said that they prolly missed my post because they now skip threads that are too long or are being monopolized. Some ppl defending your posts said that ppl should simply ignore them but my point was (and this has been borne out) that ppl not only ignore your posts but skip the threads altogether so no one else gets heard except you.

Can you see how your massive and prolific posts have this effect? Hopefully you can.

As I have said to you before, you provide great help but I only wish you could do it in shorter and less frequent posts so that others don't skip the threads entirely. Ok - I know how long this post is getting!

For example, in your massive reply to Jonathan you asked why he liked a style of light and then proceeded to post all sorts of other styles without waiting for an answer. He gave a reason and you understood so you posted a more relevant link. Great! But all you had to do was ask why he liked that style and stop right there.
Please consider typing less.

Jamie Pup: is it possible for you to respond to someone without somehow dragging my lilly-white ass into the fray? I am persecuted enough around here by you nitwits.

Jim: I just read the whole string. I'm sorry...you are wrong. I just can't believe that wasn't a joke. Those posters, and you, fell for someone's prank. No way was that real.

Look how stupid and excited and naive I was when I first found this place:
http://tinyurl.com/jmhua

And Lisa's former single wide drawing floor plan, at 8'x40' is certainly small, which only cost her $500.00. A good space lesson even for the people here.

Oh, yeah, and you can see sort of what I look like there, click on my name. something happened to the picture though, and it's kind of stretched out vertically somehow or squeezed horizontally.

jp-what have you previously said to me and to others? Don't feed the...

jaime pup, I don't know if it matters to you, but I'd love to see pics of your renovated bathroom.

yeah jamie, several of us said so in the previous OT. let's see!

Lori2--

Your chair guy!!! Cool! You going to the AT party tonight?

P2-

If I believed in god, I would ask her to bless you.

Thank you for (again) being the only one to repond to my posts.

Yes, I will be there tonight! You??

I hope there will be name tags tonight as well. Is Maxwell planning to continue to do that, or should I bring some??

Lori 2, your friend's artwork is impressive. I've actually been trying to get to Philly for a visit, but have been thwarted thus far.

And P2, I've had the pleasure of meeting Lori 2 in person, and she is charming--so I hope that you will also get to meet her tonight!

Yes, I've also had the pleasure, no?

Jeez guys, thanks.

http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=7082

Apropos absolutely NOTHING...check out this lamp on sale at DWR.

A study in form and proportion, Verner Panton’s Pantop lamps (1980) have an evocative and timeless perfection that is not easily matched outside of the natural world. (BLAH BLAH BLAH)

That's a great lamp. Am trying to figure out exactly where such a thing might go.

Anyone know where I can find a round mirror like the one Shauna has above her sofa? Thanks a lot.

JR, I don't know about that exact mirror but check out olystudio.com. They have a couple of very nice round mirrors that you may like.

Finally, peeking into today's OT... Lori 2: Is your chair piece back from the framers yet? You really need to share pics of your living room. I know you're still working on it, but what you've done so far looks fantastic!

Thanks Enrique!

The chair drawing is still at the framers :(

Once I get a few more things framed and on the walls, then I think I will feel better about showing pics of my place (thanks for the encouragement!). In the meantime I can show off my mom's place. She is just finishing up renovating her bathroom and I can't wait to post the pics once she is done. I havenn't even seen the pics yet myself!