apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Darn it Andree! Just when I thought you were getting it!

Just kidding - a little bit.

What I was going to post to you over the weekend (at the BHG site after reading what you thought about AT) but didn't because I'm one of those weekday posters:

I'm impressed Andree that you modified your posting style having ascertained what works in a blog format, what does not, and why. Not many ppl would bother to come back and try again in a different way and for that I commend you. However, I do think that you have not seen how open AT regulars really are. Diane's thread was full of posters that I, as a regular, have not seen before or since. You did not see a representative thread there.

What you did see on other threads was something that you understand very well now and that was frustrated ppl asking you to consider others because your posting style was killing the discourse that we had been enjoying for a while. I certainly was not attacking you and I have said before that my very first post to you was a welcoming one of praise to you.

What I want to add after seeing your posts here:
Despite getting what works, what happened to you, what to do about it, you still seem to want to voice what happened to you even though you understand why it did. Why not move on, confident in the fact that we are going to get a forum, and keep posting in your new modified style because you do post some good stuff?

jamie pup -
YOU were one of the missing ones at that party the other night! I was trying to figure out who else should have been there, and it was you! It was really a lovely time.

I'll eventually fit into that nice little box, but I won't be me anymore. I know, Jamie, how about if I type the usual amount of words, but just use one hand and one side of the keyboard. :)

I'll un m o popl o ply, lik o ml o o kin
(It'll be a fun game for people to play, like word scramble or code breaking)

Andree

That's not what I am talking about Andree. You don't have to change who you are or feel that you are being pigeon-holed into a box but I give up now. I tried.

I thought, at the very least, the winner would be posted here this morning.

I guess I will have to resort to refreshing my screen every 30 seconds until I find out who the winners were.

The winners were posted in the "Who do you want to win" thread by Curtis. He says he thinks he got it right.

Uh...

Jenny & Clove and David & Im tied for first
and...uh...
Hakari and Jili and Jane and Darko were in the other two winning positions, but I forgot which order. check Curtis' posting!

Matt the Plant Guy -

The link is attached to my name...

All my kidding aside last night, I have to say that your feature on AT is one of my very favorites. I wish you posted more.

AND um, Matt is ADORABLE.

In a very masculine, manly way, of course. :)

Can I get hanging lamp opinions? I need a pendant lamp to go over a 48" round walnut dining table.

Unfortunately, at the moment, the entire room is in flux. I have some Danish dining chairs I will either reupholster or get rid of, and I am thinking of putting grasscloth on one wall.

I like these two lamps, but am now paralyzed by indecision. (Apartment Therapy, indeed.)

Thoughts?

http://tinyurl.com/f3dkf

http://tinyurl.com/eehf6

I like most of the Seascape Lighting pendant lamps, so I'm open to any other suggestions there, as well. (I'll link to that site in the url box)

And Matt is adorable, I agree! (I can without embarrassment, since I am a safely married lady.) I also really enjoy his posts, though they are, as yet, aspirational for me.

Also so fun to meet uber-stylish Hakarl and Jili. They seemed so genuinely pleased to be there and win what they won, it was very nice to see.

RR, looking ever the rocker chic (in a TOTALLY good way). And we approve of the BLUE-EYED Igor. :)

Fiona--

I am on a BIG wood veneer shade kick right now, so I like that one. But the seagrass shade IS nice... :)

Fiona-
I'd go with the seagrass one. Walnut table and walnut shade may either look too matchy matchy, or not matchy matchy enough if the colors are a bit off, if you know what I mean.

Fiona -
I like that espresso one (as you register shock on your face), but not just the color, but also because I think unless there's some compelling tie-in elsewhere (like some kind of majorly fabulous mercury glass vases with kind of of a similar beady look to them?), methinx the beads of the grassy one kind of bother me just a little.

Also, the seagrass on the wall may make that one disappear.

Any photos from the party last night?

Hey Pixie, thanks for posting that restaurant supply post you sussed out the other day. I have only seen these place on line (with prohibitive shipping charges). Who knew there was one here in our backyard?

JenDC-the Cure (sounds like a cult) is making me move forward on things that I've long thought about doing, such as actually finding out where the restaurant supply places are!

Fiona,
I like both and Seascape let's you pick the chain of your choice. I like the link chain best.

For pendants, check Stonegate designs -- www.stonegatedesigns.com

I'm looking for a pendant over my 42" round chocolate wood table. For now, I bought a drum shade at "Just Shades" and hung a ceiling plate and hung it until I decide exactly which fixture I like best.

Fiona.

I love the dark wood veneer light. I've sent a link to two other more whimsical options.
I especially love "Classic With a Twist" and "Get Shady" both by Dutch designer Nicolette Brunklaus. She's so talented.

By the way AT folks, what are rules about hanging pendant lights above a table(such as the one Fiona shows)? I've heard 36 inches above the table?

I hung my shade yesterday and hung it 34 inches above the table and really not sure if it looks right.

Thanks.

junedanish--
Waht a cool site that is!!!

OhmyGOD I love those birch log lights!!!

Fiona(Hi!)-don't repeat the seagrass, go with different but organic texture and same (or close) color as the seagrass wallcovering. For example-this lamp in wood (via designsponge)

Check out this site. It is a social bookmarking site, but really is probably most interesting to this crowd for the ability to easily save links to design products you like.

http://www.stylehive.com/

I keep reading things about "mixing wood." All jokes aside, are there any rules for this?

My condo has tons of dark wood molding, lighter wood floors, and mahogany cabinets. What to do about wood furniture!?!

Thanks to everyone who commented so far. Junedanish and Tat (so nice meeting you in person last night)--those are very cool. I love the ideas I get from people here!

Can someone post pictures from last night? I creepily want to know what some of you, whom I shall creepily not name, look like.

I would have come but I was busy getting rip roaring drunk on the Peninsula rooftop. Now I am sitting here trying to vomit all over my keyboard.

Busy morning at my office and haven't had a chance to post until now. Sorry I missed you Fiona, I'm so socially inept at these parties. But it was good to see familiar faces Ruth, Curtis, Tat, Nora, rr(Robin) and meet new ones, Jackie, Molly as well as Harkarl and Jili (I'm still envious of their capiz shell entry lamp. Now if my apartment only had an entryway). Matt (the plant guy) sorry I failed to introduce myself, but you seemed to always be surrounded by your adoring fans ;-).

Thanks to Max and the entire AT and DWR crews for a fun evening.

If nothing interferes, Jonathan, I'll post some pics tonight @ my place and give you a link.

Go get some pickles and milk, that will make you going at no time.

(Comment thingy for the award ceremony doesn't seem to be working, so I'm posting my commment here.)

The tie should be between Shauna and the Thicket! I'm trying to figure out how to combine hollywood glamor and a treehouse cubbyhole in my apartment at this very minute :)

It was great seeing you guys yesterday, I had a wonderful time.

Ciao

Nice to meet Tat, who was witty, sweet, stylish and charming in person.

Also so great to meet Frank's "plus one"!!! Hope you both had a good time! Such a cute couple!

And to the charming DWR ladies who share my wacth lust, I bought the Nixon wood-faced player today (from https://www.boardco.com)

Lucy--
re: "I'm trying to figure out how to combine hollywood glamor and a treehouse cubbyhole in my apartment at this very minute"

I'm guessing you could look up the Las Vegas home of Ziegfried and Roy. :)

MichelleNCheese -- If all the fixed wood must stay as it is, I'd treat the dark woodwork as architectural and the light floor as a surface to be covered with rugs, then go mahogany with furniture to coordinate with the cabinets.

If it doesn't have to stay as-is, I'd vote for darkening the mahogany to go with the rest of the dark woodwork. Then you can decide if you want dark furniture to blend in or light furniture to pop.

Speaking as the owner of a much-loved mahogany-finished dining table that really needs to be demahoganized someday, it is *not* an easy wood to force into cooperation with less red-toned finishes. Our super-dark-brown coffee table plays nicely with the surrounding light wood furniture (possibly because it's on a dark rug), but the mahogany-esque dining set is just one bitchy diva in its half of the room.

Fiona: I love the dark wood veneer lamp. Sleek but with a nice texture.

And...I really enjoyed meeting you, Lori2, JimKK (you are not at all inept), Curtis (Curtis you're wonderful!), P2, and Ruth, thank you Ruth for everything. And Matt (the plant guy) - surrounded by fans - I couldn't even get close.

Nice evening. I'm inspired to make some changes at home. thanks.

It was great to see you all again, and to put names to new faces. Curtis is a total sweetie (and a pro in front of the camera!). Fiona, Lori2 and Tat were in fine form. Enjoyed talking film with Frank. And great to see JimKK and Sara again, and to meet Andra (hope I have that right), who's starting her own design blog.

Jeez. I should have gotten there earlier. I missed Matt and Jackie altogether and had only an "oh that's you!" moment with Fiona, Lori2 & Tat. Next time...
Always a pleasure to see P(too), Curtis & JimKK - and to meet Paul. Glad you liked my young comrade.

About mixing of woods. Ya know how some people can work white-on-white-on-white?

Well, there's this room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that is all wood marquetry from the home of some very strange duke from a couple of hundred years ago, and it has all sort of woods in it, and I think that it might be lovely to see a sophisticated urban apartment that was mainly a mix of various woods.

And with almost none of them being rustic, but letting most of the pattern and texture and color in the room come from those woods. For instance, some zebra wood for pattern. In fact, throw a little marquetry in the mix, while you're at it. That would an awful lot of "warm" but that could be countered with a coolness in the space by way of using a predominance of straight clean lines.

Hey Curtis: Have you done any faux wood graining? My experience is that when you do something faux, and do it well, put it next to the real "thing", one can not really tell. I'm curious now about how a room might look with some faux effects to simulate rare wood.

Actually, I have done some. Although it's not on my flickr thing, in the very first home I did a paint-by-number mural "kit" for, the walls had frame moldings, so I painted the turquoise-lines-and-numbers within the frame moldings, and painted the moldings themselves to look like a wooden picture frame.

Since I actually did two wildly different scenes on the two big walls, I painted the "frames" to look like different woods, and on one of them, I actually went over an inch "outside the lip line" so-to-speak so that it would like a more completely different profile of frame.

I made the frame around the "Sea Battle" look like a driftwood frame, and the "Abstract Number One" one to look more like oak.

I painted everything around that (the "wall" parts of the walls) sort of a jadeite green to set it all off.

I did that whole thing to be a "kit" for the occupant to paint himself, and he never actually filled it in, so it still looks like an enormous "kit" on the wall to this day, as far I know. He really seemed to like how that looked at the time.

Click on my name in THIS post to see what that "Sea Battle" would look like if the guy ever filled in the spaces. Picture it -- this is really in a bedroom, but it's still just the turquoise lines! Ha!

And click on my name in THIS post to see what the wall behind his bed (kind of like a big headboard) would look like if he ever paints it!

Jackie -
WHAT a different tangent I went off on, but your idea is also great.

What a great idea - and the guy didn't finish it? Silly fool that he is. Curtis, I hadn't really thought of a "kit". I like this idea.

I did a lingerie chest years ago. It was plain unfinished furniture (and not cheap - that stuff is just not cheap - one is better off taking an old piece and redoing that). I did a faux burl on the body and faux marble on top. It's a bit dated now but if I can locate a close up photo I'll give you a look.

As we discussed last night, faux stuff is fairly out of fashion but the faux bois done well is still really nice.

And I love that kit idea! The Sea Battle finished! Nice.

Sorry, rsw! I just realized that I left you out of my earlier post. Thanks for your suggestion, too, and thanks again to everyone for feedback.

Fun meeting everyone last night! New people for me were Tat, Nora, Curtis, Jackie, Ruth, RR, Matt. I wanted to meet Jimkk, but he got away!

Fiona-
Of the lamp choices, I like Tat's the best!

Lori 2!!!! I was wracking my brain to try to think who else I had met! You too cute, 2!

Oh, and yes... Tat's lamp idea is just gorgeous.

Jackie -
That was kind of a faux-wenge thing I did on the oak laminate bedroom set of the Jersey fella in my flickr thing.

OK PEOPLE, LET'S DO SOMETHING NICE -

I dunno how it works online (paypal?) but I think we should take up a collection and send Diane (#34 West Coast) some nice flowers just as show that there are good people here.

I overlooked her entry before and just now saw it - the comments were so brutal. She was put through the ringer in a way that is so hurtful.

It's one thing 'observing' these contests, but as any entrant can tell you, it's nerve-fraying when you're in it. I'm thick-skinned, but it's hard not to take things personally in this context. I had no idea when I entered.

The poor woman just happened to read about the contest in Newsweek (didn't know the site) - which, by the way, is great PR for Maxwell, his book, and AT - getting more visitors from a wider, dare I say, 'less stylish,' more mainstream crowd.

So, Diane, loving her apartment, decided to enter. And she got ripped to shreds en masse! (I'm not talking a little constructive critcism; but public humiliation up on side and down the other).

Can you imagine if you read people publicly snickering about your place being a jok, etc? I don't think everyone meant to be awful, but the cummalitve affect was awful and wrong.

It needs to be righted somehow. Heck, I would send her flowers myself, but I know the addresses are confidential.

I promise I don't mean to be Polyanna or self-rightous, but reading that thread made my stomach hurt the way it does when I see someone kick a dog.

It's my only regret in having participated in the competition, what happened to Diane.

http://tinyurl.com/rsxqh

Rasil - if you happen to be lurking - here's a floral rug link for you...

I agree with you, Shauna. That was truly unpleasant. I mean, okay, you have to expect some criticism when you enter a contest--it's inevitable--but it should be fairly tactful and ideally, incorporate constructive suggestions, and that did not. At all.

What is the difference between a quilt, a coverlet, and a bedspread? I'd like to buy something new for the warm spring/summer nights ahead, but it's hard to tell by looking at different products online how heavy (warm) they actually are.

Also, any recommendations for a NYC store or websites for great (yet not too expensive) bedding?

I have an idea of what her address is, but I still don't know how we'd do something en masse.

The problem is, she also stated she was uncomfortable that several of us had a good idea of what her address is, so receiving flowers might push her over the edge entirely.

I agree that her thread was not AT's finest moment.

spcy,

How is the organizing thing going? I did respond to your post again, but I guess late...

spcy--
I think the biggest difference in those items is size (not weight)...

Bedspread is big enough to drop to the floor and accommodate a folded-in pillow.

Quilt: Almost as big.

Coverlet: Slightly smaller.

I'd add to P2's definitions this way:

A quilt is pieced. I don't *think* a coverlet is pieced, and it is definitely lighter in weight. A coverlet is essentially what you'll see described as a "blanket cover." It neatens the bed, provides some decoration, but you don't use it for warmth. There are (well, were, in the old days..) "summer quilts" which were pieced and lighter in weight than usual quilts.

But, that's just my take.

Click my link; you'll see the differences.

Great contest! Congrats to all the winners. I enjoyed every single minute of the contest except everyone ganging up on CHRISTINE after she submitted her finalist photos. (That was hard to read.) See everybody next year for BEST SMALL APARTMENT CONTEST 2007.

And by the way, flowers aren't going to make DIANE feel any better. That will only come with time. Leave the woman alone already. We've done enough damage.

Shauna, that's a very kind suggestion.

It's my opinion that it was a mistake on the part of AT to post the entry. As the AT "management" has seen how people here can be, they should have known that this dear heart who sent in her apartment would be blessed with comments no less violent than a shark feeding frenzy. After which vultures would pick the carcass clean.

A simple note to Diane, with links to previous contestants, would have sufficed. Perhaps stating that modern/contemporary elements were preferred. No harm done.

And Diane, if you read this, you are more than welcome to come to the BHG Decorating Boards, at BHG.com. I guarantee no one will ever be as cruel as was seen here.

and once again, the winner is shauna.

and once again, the winner is shauna.

jenpdx, thanks, it's nice.

i liked the floral wool rug linked in my name too, but neither of them are in the same universe as my beloved emma gardner. i think the asymmetry of the emma gardner floral really makes it special.

You guys are probably right to let Diane be. Maybe I'm just biased b/c flowers always make me feel better ;). That, and a bitchin' new pair shoes.

Shauna, I don't see any woman turning down a bouquet of bitchin' shoes. I think that's the solution. We must send Diane shoes. A bouquet of shoes. One dozen, long heeled pairs of shoes. Well, maybe some flats mixed in as filler too.

Well, I posted a lot in her thread, with some thoughts and ideas, maybe some good will come of it after all. Or maybe she'll dislike me even more than the insulting and rude people.

Sigh.

Holy crap. I hadn't looked at Diane's thread since it was originally posted. It sucks that people felt it was appropriate to be less than tactful or mean-spirited (even if jokingly), especially after Diane herself responded multiple times to some of the negative comments. I won't get on a Pollyanna-ish soapbox about decorum since Shauna so succinctly struck all the right cords in her first posting above. Such a shame. The negativity present in the thread wasn't by any means an earth-shattering event; but still, it was rude and unfortunately reflected badly on us.

For those of us who were bothered by it, it's probably best to process what went down, adjust our own behavior accordingly (if we so choose), and move on--leaving Diane alone. [She seemed rightfully pissed off on the thread, and might read any more overtures from the AT community as either patronizing or an even greater breach on her privacy... Although it might not be out of line if Maxwell or Alec wanted to reach out to her since they made the final decision to post her entry, and are the only ones who are privy to her contact information.]

I'm just glad to see not TOO many "AT familiar names" on that thread.

Of course some, like tuck, beeatch and Edina Monsoon are fairly familiar... and kept their previous "reputations" intact by being (once again) generaaly uncaring, unfeeling, and tactless.

I can't WAIT til they themselves (and all the others who jumped in on the negativity bitchy bandwagon) share their FABULOUS homes with us...

Wow. I just got back from Diane's thread, and it seems she's been the unfortunate soul to bring out the ghouls who so often haunt around online -- stirring up message boards and hijacking blogs with their nastiness. I agree with ptoo -- let's see their impeccably decorated apartments. Then again, it's rather hard to pass off the water heater in one's parents' basement as a "design element"... Seriously, where's the pest control? I'm all for open discourse, but sometimes a little thread fumigation is necessary to get rid of vermin.

Diane, if you're still reading (I wouldn't be), congratulations. Your living room is tremendously tricky, and you've found a way around it. You didn't use a plum line to straighten the edges on your bedspread, you showed your room as you live in it. You do exactly what I do -- pretty up your toiletries by bunching them up and putting them in a sweet basket. And most importantly to me, you have the entry at which I'd most like to have a dinner party. Fajitas in that big kitchen, the hockey game on TV, then board games too late into the night.

The New Ulm Debacle, as I shall now call it, exactly illustrates the reason I don't want the lovely Jill over to my place to do a House Tour. After all, I think my place is perfect. People with credibility have accused me of having a "good eye" and fer chrissakes -- I work for AT! You'd think I'd be waving her in to chronicle my impeccably space for all to see.

But.

You see my cluttered desk; it reminds me of how busy I am and how much I have to accomplish in my life.

The pink magazine cover that clashes with the red wall on which it hangs is the first freelance story I had published, lovingly framed by my friend Elle.

That red paint smudged on my mouldings is the triumph of picking the perfect color for my living room.

My passe Furbies are the only pets I can afford right now.

The bachelor's degree incongruously hanging in my bedroom reminds me that I can accomplish incredibly difficult things if I try hard enough.

I wouldn't change a thing. I don't want a pared-down, super-designed, Eames Danish mid-century modern, minimalist innovative space where I have to put into storage things that don't "go" with the space. I want to be surrounded by things that remind me of the people I love and the experiences I've had. That, to me, is what makes an apartment truly cool.

Guys, I'm sorry for this late alert.
As promised, I posted some photos from yesterday's party.
Apologies for the mediocre quality (hmm...what an oxmrn)

Click on my signature if you're interested.

Thank you Tat! I just have no idea who anyone is, but they look happy. Whoever they are. And I started getting an anxiety attack just from looking at the pictures and the mere thought of socializing. Egads!

Can you tell us who the fine looking lads and lassies are in the photos?

Um, Molly and Diane? I have stuff in a basket on the back of my toilet too. I have a ton of nicely scented deoderants. And each morning is an adventure in armpit roll-ons. Should I go floral? Musk? Spicey? Sage and Chamomile? Oh, and the pile of half-burned tea-lights from when I read in the bathtub by candlelight.

And, uh, I have another ton of various scented creams and lotions. No, they aren't in a basket. They're in one of those big plastic storage containers in the closet. Well I can't use them all at ONCE, ya know. I like certain scents during certain months and seasons.

2 Great resources people here might like.

1. http://www.stylehive.com/tag/lighting

2. http://www.stylehive.com/tag/modern

I have found some amazing stuff on here.

Good morning (yawn) -

Lori 2 I did not forget my promise to look at that device for watering plants. I cannot believe we all missed that the first time you posted about it! I will be honest, I think this all deserves a its own Friday post. It is a big issue for many plant owners in the city. So I will put something together for the coming week or so, there are MANY devices on the market.

And hopefully some people who have had experiences with these devices will come out of the woodwork.

I like the one from your link, but think it would work exactly like the string device I mentioned, just a little tidier. A plant will pull what it wants from the soil, which will in turn pull what it wants from the string. I will try to find a good picture for you. Also there are soil additives that you can add to soil now that will store water and slowly release it. Think of them as teeny tiny little bladders that soak water up and then slowly release it as needed.

Okay, enough for now.

It was wonderful to meet people at the party the other night. Next time I will have to make sure I meet even more and get there as early as possible - the time flew by. It was nice being one adorable (yet manly) guy in an ocean of adorable, friendly people.

The event was like one of those addictive Starbucks drink samples they always have at the counters- I loved it and realized I wanted to get the Venti even if it would kill me. I look forward to the next event.

http://tinyurl.com/qpvuz

Fun article from the washpost spring style section about not "outgrowing" the habits of small space living.

And if you look at the inset box - there are a host of other special-edition shelter articles - including one about a very narrow house in Alexandria VA. Great pics.

I love that article!

The not-living-in-the-rest-of-the-house is exactly our experience. We went from a 1,000-sq-ft 2-BR apartment in Minneapolis (we owned the fourplex building) to a 2,100-sq-ft three-level rowhouse in upstate NY. There just weren't enough hours in the day to use the extra rooms.

If we lived in a different place, I could see going as lavish as a two-bedroom cottage -- but that's it.

Tat -
Thanks for the pix!

Andree -
I'm the bloke in red talking to Ruth and Jackie.

Molly -- hear hear! I've noticed that a lot of the apartments on display get slammed for either having a place that's too frigid and decorated or too lived-in...

I've been looking into getting a Lytegem lamp over at DWR:

http://dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=6457

...but here's the thing -- it only takes 12V/25W automotive bulbs, which just isn't a lot of light. The woman in the store suggested that I buy two lamps instead, but, um... I've been googling, and I found that people make LED replacement bulbs for autos. Can anyone find a drawback to putting one in this lamp?

Enrique, I was not a part of the disaster string...but i have to say, looking at it a second time...I still think it's a joke and someone is chortling somewhere at this whole mess. Are we absolutely positive it was real??

Well, Diane [+ friends] posted and was pretty hurt about the whole thing. Her posts felt completely genuine. Wende was able to find her in google. My ex-roommate used to do internet hoaxes as part of a group. They laid down tracks, but usually they laid down wierd tracks -- the payoff for looking into their pasts was usually something very funny and strange. They also would make a bigger mess and spectacle out of the whole thing, so unless all of those new people chiming in are also in on the hoax, I don't think it is one. The payoff for internet hoaxes is usually really bizarre and weird and makes for great reading. This one just doesn't strike me as being a joke. We would all be in on it by now otherwise...

I've been here too -- people get huffy when they feel like they're attacked, but sometimes the other side doesn't feel like they're attacking. Back in the day, I got very confused by the argument that broke out between Paul and Hijiki over my mini-fridge. It's just the internet, and it's just a fridge, but I kinda felt like a fight had broken out in my house. It wasn't bruising, but it was weird to be a spectator on that one.

A couple of people have been hurt by the contest lately, not just the entrants. Not to single her out, but Andree was very hurt after posting advice for someone. [She also gave Diane some of the nicest advice and even suggested a design community where she might be more comforable...] You can tell people to not post mean things, but mean is subjective -- surely Jonathan knows that best -- and you definitely can't tell people not to post advice! I don't know what the answer is, other than to remind people that the internet is not always friendly, and this is not your private blog where your mom and five best friends will comment... Maybe when the editors screen future contests they need to spell that out a little better and apologize in advance.

how about a bit more discussion related to apartment therapy. I am weary of scrolling threads with greetings, idle chatter etc.. I had hoped to find ideas, innovations and resources for the apartment dweller.

Hey Matt-

Thanks for the feedback. That would be great if you could do a post about the different options. I am looking forward to test driving something before my next trip. I am also thinking about buying a lot more plants, but won't if they are just gonna look sick when I get back.

Fiona-

The lamp that Tat suggested is hanging in the window at Starbucks on 6th ave & 56th st, on the NE corner.

Mary, thanks for the nice comments. I spent hours doing some pictures for Diane, but I don't think she's been back since her last postings. I don't know if I did it more for her, for me, or to thumb my nose at the people who were mean to her. Diane could change out her entire apartment overnight. Mean folks couldn't change their personalities overnight.

And I sent a letter to Alec about the whole thing. My analogy was:
I'd be darned upset if I entered a flower contest, proudly holding my wilted petunias, only to find out it was a dad gum orchid show and everyone was mocking me. I'd be really upset at the people that took my entry and put my wilted petunia on display for everyone to mock. Maybe that's the best petunia I ever had. Maybe it wilted a bit on the way over. That doesn't mean it's not a good petunia or a good flower, it's just not an orchid.

And in my pictures area, there they are, petunias. Geraniums. Not orchids. And compared to MY neighbors, it IS a pretty balcony. But none of them are orchids and should never be accepted into an orchid show. Or a daisy show. Or a jasmine show.

By the way, I found a picture of Jonathan:
http://apartmenttherapy.com/photo/042106planttherapy/3

Seen from a distance, at an angle, all that might be noticeable would be the pointy fence warning people away.

But if you dare get closer and look beyond and between the points, you'd see a lovely garden of beautiful colors, and a lot of heart. I've seen the reds, oranges, yellows, whites, pinks from the beginning.

The protective, defensive fence is there for a reason, perhaps far too many people have trampled his garden before, plucked his blossoms, damaged his yard. so that now the fence reaches out to poke people before they're even close to the blossoms.

I haven't been poked by the fence yet, but maybe it's because I always bring water and nutrients for the blossoms when I pass by.

Lori 2, I didn't even know such a thing existed, and I LOVE that idea.

I had purchased an indoor/outdoor mini-hose reel, like what you'll see mounted at stores to water all their plants. It attaches to the kitchen faucet, and then you can walk around your home or balcony and water your plants without toting a watering can.

It's a great idea. However, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, especially when I'm using it. Too much water pressure from turning the faucet up to high, and I manage to water the bookcase too, as well as displace a bunch of dirt in the pots.

Another time I was on the balcony and seemed to lose pressure, but kept on watering anyway. Figured it was a kink in the line.

Uh, no kink. A hole. The hole was the result of kitty saying "Oooooh, neato wiggly hose thingie that MUST be chewed on!" And subsequent thorough carpet watering.

I'll be that auto waterer would be great for a collection of plants in one area that need lots of water too. Like the jungle plant corner where you get lots of light that the plants need.

Then you wouldn't have to MOVE them all to get to the ones in the back.

Matt, another thing that might be handy for plant info would be to talk about plants that cats don't eat. I think we talked about that somewhere here. A place where folks could put in their comments about the success or failure of keeping kitty out of the plant. Also tips on growing their own cat grass/wheat grass. Or best prices of wheat grass in the area.

In my area, the pet stores have much higher prices on wheat grass than grocery stores. And they're both organic wheat grass. Which is just wheat sprouted.

So tips on where to buy whole wheat (feed stores, bird supply) instead of the ridiculous and costly tiny bags of wheat in the grocery store would be good too.

Jonathan is a poor, misunderstood lovely garden.

Oh my lord.

Jackie of 8:11 PM:

I just got here myself. Well, I came over when the contest was announced because I'm in an apartment and I'm interested in apartment decor. This site has been a bit of a puzzle for me, because it's not like a usual "decorating" site. People have told me "It's a DESIGN BLOG" which doesn't really help me out at all in knowing what to do here.

There are no message boards in the usual sense. There's no place to ask for advice other than plopping it in an Open Thread somewhere.

However, I've been incessantly chewed out for being a "Thread Hog" and a "Troll" for posting more than 25 words at a time.

I've been jumped on for putting more than one topic (or addressing more than one person) in a post. And I've been jumped on for making several smaller posts. Can't win.

Here's what I think I've figured out. The Open Thread, during the weekdays, is generally populated by folks that are sneaking in here while at work.

So it's quicky comments, hellos, etc. They don't have the time to look up links or to post long replies, nor do they have the time to read long replies...like the one I'm making now.

Weekends are a different story. Most of the people who are here during the week are now at home. And they don't really seem to come here, unless they're at work, I think. But there are other people that come here and go into more detail on the weekends (notice they don't make new threads for the weekends usually either, just a carry over from Friday's Open Thread).

Best places to visit for visual ideas are the current batch of contestants for the Smallest Coolest, and there was a contest last year too, and those pictures are still here.

TONS of pictures that I've barely begun to browse in the link that is at the top right area, that says House Tours (below the Email Us link). Pictures that go back to June 04.

Right below that link is "The Guide" with links to a trio of goodies, Products, Stores, and Services.

You can look up some items by category and head over to their websites to browse. You can also contribute via the email link, stores or websites you found while looking and maybe they'll put the links in there for the next person to come along.

If you're looking for something specific, like Jonathan was looking for in-ground landscaping lights, just ask! The more info, the better. He posted a link to one he liked, that was $202.00 each. I found a similar one that was like $13.00 each. He bought them.

There are also places for comments under EACH AND EVERY TOPIC posted on the main board. That ought to confuse you even more, like it did me. Then again, if you see a picture of a sofa you like on the main page, zip into that comment area, and say you want one just like it, but at a fraction of the cost, or at a retailer closer to you, etc. Maybe someone will be able to help.

I came here before the contest and left, because I didn't understand how it was set up. I still really don't understand it. But I'm learning where things are, and I'll take ideas wherever I can find them. Pictures of other folks homes are often the perfect prescription for the decorating blues.

Face it Andree--you just don't like the people here.

A gross generalization. There ARE plenty of nice people here, many of which are posting in The Cure sections. There are, unfortunately, an ample supply of vicious, petty, juvenile, snooty people too.

The clubby-clique behaviour shown by some people alienates newcomers. Rather than greeting new people with enthusiasm, a hearty "helloooo, welcome to Apartment Therapy" it's been my experience the greeting is more like "And just what the hell do you think you're doing here? Get out, this is our place, go away."

It's not a private club. It's a public site. Bad behaviour should not be tolerated.

Whoa. Sounds like it's time to write a rousing new Fib.

Small
cool
contest--
entering
is not a cry for
help in changing whole apartment.

Andree, do your back problems allow you to get in and out of a low-slung car? We need to get you out of the house (assuming neither you nor I are secretly ax murderers, which would only be funny if we both were).

Andree, more often than not AT posters have expressed sympathy and appreciation for you, and every time someone finally blows their top a chorus rises to your defence. Yet it is not enough, because you weren't greeted with candy and flowers when you arrived to liberate "folks" with your prodigious help. (I recall otherwise, but I see the historical revisionism has begun.)

I also think you are wrong to generalize your ambivalent experience here to include other newcomers. Someone usually pipes up to provide friendly advice to requests regardless of whether or not the person is new. You are not exactly as low-key as the average newbie, and while you feel free to dish out criticism when you see fit, you yourself are impervious to criticism.

Now I see you've joined the AT Police: "Bad behaviour should not be tolerated." Why don't you let Maxwell determine what or will not be tolerated on his site. He seems to be operating on the wise assumption that some conflict is inevitable on a chat board but that self-regulation will win the day.

And anyway, AT is a freaking tea party compared to what's out there.

I agree w/ Henrietta about this being a relative tea party. Having just joined in as a procrastinating grad student for the fun of the contest, I found it to be an amusing panoply of droll humour, wit, NYC 'tude and, above all, sound and smart design tips.

Now I can procrastinate more profitably *offline* by moving furniture around in my own home. Thanks to some of the finalists for the inspiration of their finely-tuned aesthetics. I esp. enjoyed Shauna's, Jen & Clove's and the colours in Hakarl & Jili's. It's been fun -- now time to move on...

I think some commentors might do best to move on as well (of course up to them!) but to an extent, like all blog spots, this is just simulicrum for real life and the giddy chatter that comes w/ it, and fun as witty web repartee is, it is after all (to use a design analogy) just a limited use of lived space...

til' the next annee fete de conception! merci beaucoup les toutes!

et au revoir....

Hmm...is butterfly trying to tell us that Pinkerton is never coming back? I know that she's right, but there's the Cure...well, we'll see.

Addio, butterfly!

Henrietta: I don't know what "Fib" means. I do know the difference between "some" and "all". Some people...Some have been splendid. Some have not been. Some people are clubby-clique and ignore new people, some aren't and don't. Those people (some, not all) that are so territorial alienate other people (some, not all).

Comparing the behaviour shown here by SOME people to the behaviour shown by others on outside sites is like saying it's okay to beat your wife rather than kill her. One IS a little better than the other, but it still shouldn't be acceptable.

Wende, it was Jim's suggestion that I reach out to Diane in the previous thread. And it was okay with Melanie to suggest alternative arrangements. I'm TRYING to get better with the paint program, and the only way I can do that is to practice. It's simply not fun to move things around for no reason.

Nobody has to USE the ideas. but maybe someone somewhere will find them useful in the future, for some other purpose.

I wish I had a digital camera so I could do my OWN apartment.

What little energy I have is alloted to taking care of the animals, and if there's anything left over, it has to go to the backlog of chores.

Jamie~! We're speaking different languages. Someone will eventually say it in a way that I can understand, and it will be an "A-ha" or "Duh" moment. Figuring out on my own that the Open Thread was for quickie chat for folks at work to make it through the day while at work without going postal, was hard.

Because it LOOKS like (to me) that the Open Thread would be THE place to ask questions. And THE place to provide answers.

I'm not the only one confused by this. Scroll way up to see what "jackie" said above. Tired of scrolling through chit-chat.

Jamie, I wasn't aware that forums were coming, only that I really wanted forums to come.

Say, I'm guessing it's okay to chat in a thread that isn't the current one, since most people won't be coming here, right? I mean, nobody is going to jump on me now that there's a new Open Thread. Right?

Andree
Yes it's a dead thread.
so I'm going to take a stab at discussing this with you.

Your posting comes off as manic.
I think that is what puts people off, and clears the virtual room that the OT is. Jamie gave you a specific example about asking a question, then running off a bunch of things without waiting for the answer.
People appreciate help on this site, but the way you are offering it makes it hard to get to. You might as well be screaming at us in another language, that is how little of what you're saying gets through.
Do you want attention, or do you really want to help people? Do you really want to communicate?
Dial it back so we can hear you.
Dial it back so your own noise does not drown out your message.

if you're interested in how this might work,
go back to read OTs from last year, where you'll find lots of good information, and a community that respects polite rules of engagement more than many internet communities. AT readers have been incredibly generous to each other, without being burdensome or trying to hog the spotlight. Many of us hope to preserve that here, but are being rapidly run off as all the air is sucked out of the room between your stream of consciousness and some other newly developed bitter diatribes. Some of the regulars I looked forward to reading have all but abandoned the OTs since they are such a mess these days.

Have a heart!

Andree,
I think by saying (and believing):

"Figuring out on my own that the Open Thread was for quickie chat for folks at work to make it through the day while at work without going postal, was hard."

you're reducing other posters to a nice little oversimplified package in a way that is condescending and rather dehumanizing. You may not mean it that way, but that's how it comes across. You might want to check out things like that with others before making such pronouncements.

Also, by believing that, you're second-guessing that people don't want to read the excessive posts for reasons other than what they are saying.

I'm following your suggestion, and read some Open Threads.

66: 5 posts, reviewing Thomas O'Brien at Target, no chit chat

50: 30 posts, travel in Italy, West Elm and zebrawood, questions and answers.

40: 18 posts, lamp rewiring, japanese fabric sources.

THOSE are the kinds of things I expected in Open Threads. A few topics, questions, suggestions, tips, solutions. Good stuff!

Hey, how about that, someone asked for my advice and I never even saw it, in 179. Things get lost in Open Threads.

I don't know if all the recent postings about nesting dolls, Russian vocab, Jennifer-Brad-Angelina theories, Anne Coulter-Katie Courik are the NEW norm for the Open Threads, or if people just would rather talk about that than decor and tips?

I didn't start any of those topics. And I found them as frustrating to scroll through or try to read as other people say my LOOOONG posts have been.

Most of the time, my posts, they have to do with someone's question. Except when I'm feeling hurt or picked on.

And I did see other people questioning the validity of non-decor posts, in several threads. They weren't answered, any more than my wondering about them (the non-decor-related posts).

My question regarding What Is Good Design has yet to be answered by anyone.

Yeah, I'm totally manic when it comes to posting. Jamie Pup's name reminds me of what I do...like a puppy. I get all excited and leap and jump and race around and and and and

Y'all ought to be glad I haven't made an excited puddle in the Open Thread room or stuck my wet nose in your crotch yet.

A puppy's nature is to do all those things, as it is mine. And people respond in two different ways. They might love the attention and enjoy the activity. Or they might seek to squelch the natural behaviour via a swat with a newspaper.

Okay, I'm trainable. Maybe I won't knock you down with my lengthly posts as I learn to shorten them a bit. But my essential nature will still be to slobber all over you if you even look in my direction.

I'll never be a bird dog or a guide dog or a guard dog. I'll never be quick and to the point. Sometimes I'll obey and other times I'll just wander off and pee on something or dig up what you just planted.

Pixie, thanks for coming by! Since no one initially defined the Open Threads, nor could I find a definition, I had to go by what I saw.

What is YOUR PERSONAL DEFINITION of an "Open Thread"? What's it for? What's it's purpose?

Browsing a few OLDER Open Threads is much more what I expected. Questions, problems, suggestions, answers, solutions.

Thread 189 seems to have a theme or topic that relates to decor/design.

But SOME of the threads have been mostly chit-chat, which offers little to people that come in late to a thread. There are no helpful solutions to problems we might all be dealing with. No sources. No ideas.

People need to define the Open Thread, and be willing to agree on that definition before they can say that someone is "doing it wrong" or "using it wrong".

So, I ask the same questions again and anxiously await everyone's reply...

What is good design?

What is the purpose and proper usage of the Open Thread area?

"Open Thread 1
Gather around the water cooler...discuss any apartmenty topic you like...

- maxwell
01 Feb 2005"


The "purpose" and "proper" use are pretty clear.

Jean! My heroine!

APARTMENTY STUFF!

***tries to give Jean a big hug and gets slugged instead***

Woo hoo! Apartmenty. (I'm such a big doofus)

Okay, now can someone PLEASE help me with "What is Good Design?" I'm serious. Apparently I don't know.

This site is is not about "Apartment Therapy". I am not interested in reading (adolescent tit-for-tat) arguing and berating dialogue. What a shame.

And another thing, Helper Monkey:
You say:
Jamie gave you a specific example about asking a question, then running off a bunch of things without waiting for the answer.

The original post was from Jonathan, asking two questions, about a garden plan, and about lighting. In his original post, he did not provide a link to the one he liked. Therefore, I suggested several lighting options. And a couple pictures of gardens, as well as an interactive garden planner.

Are we limited to ONE idea or suggestion or link per post? Jonathan, the original poster, was thankful for the leads. So he said.

If Jonathan had posted the one he liked originally, then I could have found one for less, faster. He didn't. I posted a smattering of items. I don't see that to be a problem.

However, I probably could have cut the chattering part out, and that would not have affected the links. I'll work on that. Thanks for the suggestions.

HI Andree
Thanks for taking the suggestions, esp of the very old threads, with examples of what the OTs are for, and how they might work.

Nobody gets all their questions answered - maybe nobody knows the answer that day. Or maybe the question is so broad, and the answer so vast that no one feels like taking it up. That could be the case with "What is Good Design". We are all here for our own pleasure and amusement, no obligations for service.

To answer your question about ONE idea or suggestion, of course not. But a buckshot of ideas isn't the most communicative either. Jamie is a great example on that one -- in the past he has been very thorough and posted really long HELPFUL posts. All meat, no fluff.

So there's not a word limit, or an idea limit, or number of posts a day, or number of days a week to be on the thread. There IS an Effective Communications limit, that I hope you are on your way to getting a sense of.

Thanks again Helper Monkey. I'd spell out sagittarius, but I think you spelled it wrong, and I think I spelled it wrong, and it's not in my dictionary next to the computer. And I don't want to call you "Sag".

I'll watch for more Jamie posts or look at some older Open Threads again. There's plenty of good stuff in the older Open Threads, just hard to find that info.

Jamie's right about one thing, most people wouldn't try to adjust. Most wouldn't ask how this site works. Even when *I* tried to help Jackie in this thread, it wasn't helpful. I'm the new person and don't know nuffin!

I've been terribly frustrated and embarrassed about this whole thing. The links to other threads at the top of the Open Threads have led to threads in which I was upset (which is upsetting). It's like "Look at the boob!" And the worst was when Maxwell put that "record number of comments" thing at the top. I coulda died (yeah, yeah, y'all wish I did too).

I don't want the attention, I want to GIVE the attention to other people. I want to give them my time. I want to look things up for them. I'm kind of good at that.

I can't do that if I don't know how things work, and if I'm being picked on for not knowing how things work.

I found Open Thread definition on SF-AT, OT 1, more in detail:
AT's Open Threads are a place where you can pose a dilemma, offer up a topic or a resource for discussion, or just mouth off on whatever's top of mind (and on topic, of course).

Maybe when there are message boards, all these frustrations will be lessened. Daily Chat along with specific questions posed by individuals. That way nothing gets lost or buried, and if someone thinks of a source for the elusive whatchamacallit that someone was looking for, they can easily find that message.

Andree: I for one have enjoyed your posts. I'm sorry some people have been negative, but that's life in the blogosphere, I suppose. I think that some, maybe even many, folks have enjoyed your posts and found them useful. You've been unfailingly amusing and helpful, and the only person I've seen you have negative comments about is yourself. I thought your comments about and to Diane in the Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest were touching. Hope you stick around AT for a long time!

I wish I could answer your question about what good design is, but I don't have the answer. I'm not sure anyone does or even that there is a single, universal answer. I'm hoping that continuing to check out sites like Apartment Therapy will help each of us develop our individual answers to the question you posed.

P.S. I hope you saw that Jenny gave you a positive comment in response to one of your suggestions on her and Clove's entry in the apartment contest.

Thank you kindly DL in DC!

Yes, I finally did venture back into Jenny and Clove's thread and saw they had saved one of the pictures I made, which might be helpful to someone they know in the future. That's splendid! They show the same thing being done in the IKEA catalog, but I like to show what it might look like in the person's actual home.

I found this awhile back and nobody commented, on Good Design:
http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html

I'd sent a letter to Alec at AT-LA and he offered to post it, about the comments made to Diane with a link to the pictures I'd made. He said to be ready for negative reactions...which made me laugh. I'm wondering how negative it could get? Geez, I've already been poked at for my height and weight and nobody has actually SEEN me. hahahahhaha

I was scared to even look at ONE comment made on my pictures. Which said mostly what you said. That I was consistently helpful.

Your comment, that person's comment, those are the reasons I stay here and try to figure it out.

Most everyone else gets to work, have a job, feel productive, do good for the world. Since I don't have that option, THIS is how I try to be productive.

So glad to hear you'll be sticking around, Andree! I checked out the bhg.com boards you mentioned just a little. Looks like a very different crowd than AT -- I'm guessing older and more suburban/country than this site, and people mostly in houses rather than small apartments. Lots of personal discussions too, which don't seem to raise hackles there.

Yes, feeling productive and feeling like one is contributing to the world is definitely important. So sorry about your pain. I've had intermittent back pain over the years, but nothing debilitating like yours. I'll be interested in the reaction to your letter. I expect it will be lots of positive statements of support and lots of negative reactions, but you can't say you're unprepared . . .

Thanks much for the link to the article -- I'll read it more closely later.

P.S. The plates you posted on a different thread from the LA site were cool, though rather pricey. With all credit to Google, I'm guessing the answer to your question about bowls looking like boys playing leapfrog is The Birdcage.

I said it wasn't necessary to post the letter, as I'd said what I said in the letter all over the place here. It would probably just make things worse...for me. hahaha

Yes, you got the movie right. It was just one of those movies that I loved, parts were sooo funny to me. But those dishes (bowls) really stuck in my mind. I'd just never thought of using "erotica" and "tableware" in the same sentence before.

I always meant to look that up, but I'm afraid of what I'd find that had nothing to do with dishes, plates and bowls.

At least that would be one way to get people to eat everything on their plate, they'd want to see the image underneath. Maybe? Maybe not!

Check out the drum shade pendants at www.alluminare.com. They come in various sizes and can be customized with different fabric and trim.