apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Ever since I saw Aimee's living room (and kitchen) with the awesome tension rod shelving, I've been thinking about investing in one of those systems for my TV/media area. She told me she has the Rakks system and after looking at their site and gallery, etc. it seems like a better idea all the time.

http://www.rakks.com/portfolio/portfolio_res2.html

Right now I have my favorite piece of furniture, my Paul McCobb credenza, holding my TV and all my components. I think it's sort of a waste of that piece, and would like to have it sit on its own on another wall, and maybe use the shelving system for my big ol tv and all my components. Current arrangement:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambernussbaum/118747699

Thoughts?

Hi there - this is a response to Open Thread 190 which I'm hoping "Laurie" or "Lori" will see. In that thread, MGR referenced someone wishing the Clutter Cowgirl would return e-mail. I don't want to violate the AT advertizing rules, but I do this work, have a Web site and would be happy to return e-mails. Any way we can hook up? I don't know how to reach people under the updated AT design that doesn't allow you to click on someone's handle to e-mail them directly. MGR - may I post how to reach me?
Cheers,
Sharon

I guess you could have emailed Maxwell, described your services, maybe shown him referalls etc. and then let him post a specific thread about you.
You still could.

That sounds a bit snarky but I don't mean it to be. Just suggesting a way of getting what you want.

Sharon, j-pup: It would seem to me that one could simply post a website that points you to services, either in the body of a post or linked to ones name (through the supplied URL box), even if one is oneself the provider of said services. This way it doesn't have to be something that Maxwell officially endorses. It's simply information out there for people to use or to ignore.

Thanks, jamie pup. I am e-mailing Maxwell. I just wanted to try and reach Laurie without bothering him. Please know I genuinely want to help ATers, not to be self-serving. I make plenty of money through other sources and was an ATer long before I started my own biz. I've just been out of the community a while. (Actually, you and I met at a DWR event last September!)
Hugs and Kisses,
Sharon

I wasn't sure if I was allowed to post a site promoting myself. Thanks! It's www(dot)allowmeNYC(dot)com. All welcome!
Sharon

a dollhouse for wende of SF
in today's NYT print H&H, but not online
Kew Palace replica c.1780

chocolate baseboards, velvet bell pulls, green wallpaper

sharon,
I think it's standard practice for people to link
to themselves using the URL in the comments form
for more than that, of course Jamie Pup is correct

This is not a design comment - it's a comment about the human condition.

So apparently, some guy wandered into a stable in Louisiana and was caught on tape having intercourse with a horse.
http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4823631

This begs the question: what is wrong with the American South? It seems like all the crazy sh*t like this happens down there. Human sexuality is so puzzling and, one could argue, is well represented in the more phallic aspects of design.

As I write these words, one of the chaps who works for me, to my left, is watching pornography on his computer screen. He is watching close ups of genitals and studying them as one would study an archaic, complicated document.

I am just perplexed.

Nice site, Sharon.

Guido, you have convinced me to buy a printed newspaper!

Aha! You're *that* Sharon :) How's the Jasper Morrison coffee maker, or was it a toaster? I sooo wanted one of them.

Glad you didn't take offense. Just couldn't think of a way to sound more polite.

DD, I don't mind others doing it but if I had services that I wanted to advertise I would not use someone else's site to do so or would ask permission first and it sounded like Sharon was of the same mind. It's funny but the way you describde it, it does sound like my idea would mean a Maxwell endorsement but I did not see it that way. He has written in the past that the recommendations are out there to allow ppl to post their experiences also and that ppls' results may vary.

I agree, nice site Sharon.

Hail, Equus!

That's what his stare has been saying to me all this time: 'At least I galloped - when did you?'

Jonathan, you either have a special gift for finding these kinds of stories or you are simply a farker sir.

Jonathan,
I think there was a similar story last summer about a man who died after a...casual encounter with a horse. He was in Washington, or the Pacific Northwest, I think. (There is no way in hell I am googling that.) And, of course, Catherine the Great, not a Southerner. I have no problem with your repeated attempts to malign Southerners, but maybe this age-old perversion which crosses regional and national borders isn't the way to do it? Now, grits, on the other hand, that is something we can blame the South for. Of course, that is another forum at another time.

Did you finish your wine cellar?

OMG, don't knock grits, they're YUMMY! I love grits. And I'm nowhere near southern.

Grits are Good!

I hope he at least respects the horse in the morning.

What happened to "don't feed the troll," jp?

Sharon, welcome back!

So, how do I see Sharon's website.

Completely apropos of nothing I previously posted, I was born in Alabama. Let it be said that grits are one of the world's greatest inventions. My dad says if you don't like 'em, you haven't got enought butter and salt on 'em. That said, the "gentleman" studying the genitals at work just goes to show weird human activity is FAR from limited to the southern U.S.
Sharon

Jonathan, please stay on subject and stop derailing the thread or we will have to send you to the corner and put a pointy hat on your head. Best, Maxwell

Sorry P2 but jonathan has inexplicably managed to warm the cockles of my heart so I find myself irresistably drawn to him.

oops, sorry also to Maxwell.

We should take the grits discussin to the kitchen. I'd love to get more grits talk - fried grits, cremy grits with butter and salt, grits with maple syrup, grits grits grits grits.

I love southern cooking. fried catfish, grits, hushpuppies, bbq, yummmmmm....


dang, now i"m hungry for a big southern breakfast with chicory coffee.

I don't know if it's the grits or the bestiality, but some of the funniest people I've ever know have been from Alabama.

Thought this might interest you NYC folks – there’s a crafts “expo” thing going on in Grand Centrals Vanderbelt Hall, and I found two really great vendors that are right up our alley, you should check them out if you haven’t already

www.lmdesigns.info

www.dinner-ware.com

The former does trays (perfect for the Landing Strip!!!), pendant lamps etc from recycled paper and the latter makes “functional art” for the table.

They are going to be in GS for the next 3 wks.

Neal

Jamie Pup.....of course, warm cockles is what we want, but watch out for his tractor beam. ;-) We may need to start a separate thread - sort of Metro Section - for family matters.

Amber--
I actually like the TV on that piece. I personally could not watch TV on a "busy" wall of open storage, but that's a personal thing. Do like the system you are considering. Make sure you have a plan for wire/cable/cord management.

It would be nice to have separate threads for the doctrinaire and the pointy hats, if open threads are not to be open after all.

Amber: I love the credenza, especially with the pink chair next to it and the wall art. The simplicity is wonderful. I can easily envision sitting in the room and watching a good movie. Well done.

Henrietta--

Can't we expect that the Open Threads AT LEAST be about things REMOTELY related to the site's general topics? Tell, me, exactly how equine intercourse falls into that category?

Well, it could fall into the "Home is..." category.

Although I admit that's a bit of a stretch.

I ditto P(too)....

BLUEPRINT MAGAZINE -

I finally sat down last night to read it.

Um...It's ok. I got some ideas. I liked certain things...there was an article about making a kicky hobo bag out of bangles and a vintage scarf that I'll probably try. They also did a piece on enlarging things to make art. There was a room makeover that looked nice, I wouldn't mind the furniture they had....

The jury is still out, however. I was annoyed by the editor's letter, it was a little too "I I I"...and I definitely can't afford the piece they opened with: a $1700 trenchcoat...but overall, I'll probably pick up the fall issue....see where it goes. I'm deifnitely not shelling out $$ for a subscription yet though.

There are pointy hat sites/threads all over the place. We don't need one here, not in my opinion anyway.

Speaking of horses, I am champing at the bit. But I've been trying to be on my best behavior.

Lord it is a trial.

Amber, now that we have put to rest the critical design issue of equine intercourse, i agree with your instincts: the TV cheapens the credenza.

Pay an electrician to hide the wires, mount the TV on the wall where it belongs, and put the credenza in a nice part of the room, and sit on top of it an attractive table lamp, and modern silver tray that holds all your booze bottles or sculpture or something.

Amber, you should also be aware that your last name shows up when you use that flickr link. Since I happen to be of the opinion that P2 and other creeps who abound this site are, in fact, dangerous sociopaths I would be careful about giving them your last name.

On the topic of being off topic, can I just ask has everyone seen the windows on the 5th Ave side of Bergdorf Goodman this week?

I am in love.

(at least this is a design related post!)

Amber, I love my Rakks shelving and cabinets which I bought through the Shelf Shop in NYC several years back, but it is not ideal for TV and audio equipment which is what I've been using it for and I'm looking for a better solution. Best to have something that can roll away from the wall so you can easily access the cables and connections. If you do get it be sure it can handle the weight of your TV and measure the depth of all the equipment for the shelves. You'll need extra deep shelves. Also a good idea to have them cut a notch in the back to drop the wires through.

I was gonna ask what yall thought about putting the TV on the wall. I also have these shelves from west elm in white

http://ww2.westelm.com/cat/pip.cfm?template=8grid&pkey=cslewal&gids=p202&cid=slewal&area=shp

Which I haven't put up yet, but was thinking of putting these on either side of the tv, and putting the front speakers on them, just to get the speakers off the top of the credenza. Then I can display some things up there (my original intention).

You guys think that would look ok?

Weirdness - I posted on the kitchen site and was given a 'hold your comment' message. I've posted there before...

Hm.

Hi all. This is my first post, though I've been reading AT for a while.

My grandmother has an ancient china cabinet that she's giving us. It's very old--probably circa 1870s. I'd like to use it, but I'd love to get it refurbished--it's a bit rickety as is. Does anyone have suggestions for NYC-based furniture restoration? Preferably not that will break the bank. We're located in Brooklyn.

I have my TV mounted on the wall about a foot above the credenza with a center speaker mounted between the TV and the credenza. The two side speakers are about 18" away from the sides of the TV. It works for my set up because the credenza's top surface is lower than your's and I needed to mount the TV at the right height for watching when seated.

So, as much as I like the clean look of wall mounted TV and speakers, and as long as you like the look of TV on top (I know you said you think it's a waste but that doesn't mean you don't like the look) which I do, then I see no reason to change anything. Your place already looks great.

I think the speakers a little too deep to take off the credenza and mount on the wall. I think they look fine for their form factor where they are now but, if you have the budget and want to change them, I can recommend slimmer speakers that look great (and still sound great) mounted on the wall either side of a flat panel TV.

Jackie - You can now just click on my name in blue here to get the site:
Sharon

Rachel, don't worry about it. I just approved your comment. there is some glitch that is doing that and it only started recently. we blanket approve all comments as a default.

Just one more *aside*, Maxwell, please: I want Jonathan to think globally, with this bit of old news (@ my name).
Looks like South everywhere breeds ...er...diversity, shall we say?

Sharon: Thanks, I'm clicking and getting nowhere. Don't know if its your end or mine. Try again?

Thanks Maxwell. :)

jackie, get rid of the sharon@ in the url or click on my name

Jamie, I'd love to hear your recommendation. All the stereo stuff (except the TV and record player) is my boyfriend's, and he's looking to upgrade those speakers. He's a major audio nerd so I'll give him your rec and see what he says.

Jamie Pup, I sent that person an email (on the site that you linked to). My question was how much it would cost to design the backyard of the townhouse. Since I have no earthly idea what this ought to cost, does anyone have an inkling?

Jonathan I don't have an answer yet, but I can give you a general idea after Saturday! I have a landscape designer coming by to help me make up a master plan for my somewhat large, very shameful yard. My mom is actually paying for the drawing plans (birthday present) but I can let you know. I'm in VA though, so it may vary depending on where you live.

Sharon,
Just sent the link of your site to my friend who is desperate need of clutter control. With a job and 2 babies, and a new apt. she has no time. Hope she calls.

Hey J, can't help you on cost of yard design but I bought Living etc. the other day (the one about all white homes - or mostly white homes) and thought of you when I saw a plasma mounted to the side of a fireplace. This is the first time I have actually liked that look (notwithstanding what I have said before thatt mounting above the fireplace is normally bad for viewing angle) so if you have not finalized the installation yet, buy a copy of Living Etc for a really good way of doing it.

Amber, if your BF is an audio nerd he is going to be more exacting than I am when it comes to ultimate sound quality but I have the KEF KHT 6000 range of speakers. Go to Kef.com for details. Because it is a flash site I cannot access it from work so here is a link to another site to show you how it looks:
http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/KHT6000.htm

My plasma has a charcoal colored bezel/frame but the silvery/grey speakers go surprisingly well with it. They are about 4 inches thick so they are basically the same thickness as the plasma with mounting bracket.

I did not get the subwoofer because you can do better for the price but I can't remember the brand I did get. I will find out tonight and post in this thread.

Those do look nice. I'll send him the link and see what he says. He already has a big Velodyne subwoofer (it's what's on the floor to the left of the credenza in that pic). I wish I could hide that thing, it's huge. I'm tempted to find a table that fits over it and just pretend it's not under there.

Jonathan,

Not practical advice and maybe not news to you, but Michael Pollan's "Second Nature" is a great book to read while dreaming of landscaping.

Hi all. Sorry to interrupt the cockle-warming/human condition/AV/landscaping flow of the thread. But I want to take a straw poll from everyone, especially those who are knowledgable in Danish Modern. When I was on a business trip yesterday, I fell in love with a solid oak J.L. Mollers dining room set that's probably from the early to mid 1980s. Set includes dining table with 2 leaves, 6 chairs with the original upholstery (but the shop is currently recovering the seats in a fantastic gray wool flannel). Condition is excellent (as it has been lovingly maintained by the original owners). Lines are typical Danish Modern. Construction quality is top-notch. All the pieces are made of solid wood and are of substantial heft. Asking price is about $1300 (plus an additional $300-400 cost to freight the set to Los Angeles). This is a great price, correct? Any thoughts? Thanks in advance... E.

Velodyne! That's the brand of my subwoofer too.

It is one of their smallest ones though and in piano black lacquer which concerned me at first because our credenza is white lacquer but it doesn't look too bad. Because low freq sounds are not directional you can hide a subwoofer anywhere (as long as your cables can reach) so it does not have to be out in the open and I am seriously tempted to stick it in the credenza but the doors may vibrate too much.

Hey Enrique, I would love to help you but am not knowledgable in Danish modern. However, for solid wood pieces in excellent condition, the price seems pretty good.

Darn it, I keep forgetting to remove that url!

Sharon, what a great website! I love its simplicity and the copy is great, very inviting.

FYI: For anyone who finds themself in the South Street Seaport area, you must check out the work they have done on the new wine store (Pasanella & Son Vitners) on South Street. It was reviewed on The Kitchen here a few weeks ago:

http://kitchen.apartmenttherapy.com/food/wine-stores/pasanella-and-son-vintners-007693

My apartment overlooks the new garden area and tasting room they just built and it has been so wonderful to see this space transformed over the past few months. It's really beautiful and unique and I would encourage anyone who is in the neighborhood to check it out. The design and restoration work they have done is admirable and just beautiful. And the wine selection is pretty nice as well. Just wanted to share...

$1300 sounds like a great price to me.

Signed,

Knows Not a Whit About Danish Modern

Think about it. ONE Paulistano chair costs $1300. And if you get it in carbon steel, it rusts.

Enrique at that price, snatch it up before someone else does! And Jamie, believe me I want to stick that thing in the credenza but the boyfriend won't have it. Vibrations and all.

I hate to bring up what's becoem sort of a sore subject, and maybe I'm blind, but have the other 3 (?) winners of the smallest,coolest contest been announced? are they ever going to be announced?

It's supposed to rust.

I know.

On the subject of design: which is the niftiest, coolest-design hotel to stay at in Miami?

While the wife is in gay Paris at the wedding of someone i frickin' loathe, i am doing a boys weekend in Miami. Which place will make me feel like a cool person and potentially permit me to engage in an extra-marital affair?

Ew, Jonathan. Tacky.

Quick. Tell him what big eyes he has.

amber, you sound like my wife. last night she said 'i am going to a beautiful wedding outside of Chartres and you are going to a cheesey, slimeball weekend in Miami. i can't believe i married you.'

guess what? it's not easy walking around all day as the LIVING EMBODIMENT of class. i need 48 hours of tacky indulgence and i refuse to be judged by someone who employs the name of a STRIPPER

I don't know of any magic hotels in Miami.

Ha! Patrick: although I hate your guts and would dump a bucket of warm cat urine on you at the first opportunity, you just made me laugh out loud. Well done old chap

Sadly, I broke my own cardinal rule and actually read and referenced a comment you made, and now of course I regret it.

I will go back to ignoring you and your posts and IMPLORE you to leave me out of any further comments.

But please feel free to engange in witty banter with those who seem to enjoy your mood, comments, negativity and "humor."

Jonathan,

Miami is my hometown.. as for where to stay the best overall is the Delano Delano on South Beach.

The Mandarin Oriental is fairly new and extremely expensive, but a lovely place (with a nice restaurant and spa).

The Biltmore in Coral Gables if you want some historic luxury.

Have fun!

Until this very minute, I apparently missed the part where this dude is a huge troll. If it's not about design I skip it.

Duly noted.

Links:

http://www.delano-hotel.com/

http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hotel/520000077.asp

http://www.biltmorehotel.com

Lots of South Beach hotels where you could DEFINITELY get laid.

Of course, you may need to expand your definition of "boys weekend."

But it sounds like something you could really, TRULY use...

hate to "engage" but the Standard Miami is nice and sorta cheap.

Enrique, that seems like a pretty good price to me, especially if the seats are all being reupholstered. Buying something of comparable quality new would cost you much more. Moller is a respectable manufacturing company, on eBay I see 4 chairs go for around 300 - 500 depending on the design and what condition and age they're in (older is better), and tables go for 700 on up, the Omann Jun rosewood version of the table I have in teak goes for 1500 usually, with only two leaves (the table I own came with all 3 leaves). If it's the table I think it is, it's very functional, you can fit 4 (or 6 if you're cozy) on just the round table, and the sky is the limit once you start adding leaves.

The table was sold as part of a set with 4 Moller chairs from the same era (late 50's) I chose not to buy, I think they went for around $400 and were upholstered in black vinyl.

One thing to think about is if you want that much teak that screams "Danish Modern". I bought the table only because I wanted to pair it with black chairs with chrome legs (there is a band of black around the skirt of the table) to go for a different look then pure DM. Now of course, I find that the chairs I think would rock with it (Morrison Hi Pad) are so far out of my price range it's laughable and we're still sitting on chairs from the Goodwill!

regards,
trillium

and if you are as dreamy as you think you are, then the boys will be all over your a$$. So to speak.

Henrietta: Thanks for the Michael Pollan suggestion. I've only read (and loved) "A Place of My Own" and had no idea he'd written so many other books. Summer reading list here I come!

Doug,

You're welcome!

What about a nice stables in Miami for Jonathan?

I couldn't resist.

btw, my name is linked to some pics at Bergdorf Goodman's that I mentioned earlier on the thread...the windows are really beautiful.

I love them, but no one has commented, so now I am curious if these are just not the AT crowd style?

Lori 2, those are way cool! It's like looking into someone's studio. I love seeing pictures of other people's creative spaces. Some Flickr groups you might like:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/95232150@N00/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/craftrooms/

Lori 2--
Bergdorf's are the Holy Grail of window display!!!

I just walked by these yesterday. They are, no doubt, still cleaning my drool off the glass. :)

My favorite was the floor completely covered in buttons.

Thanks Amber,

Great links!

I use cigar boxes to organize my sewing notions.

Hmmm, there is a book I recently saw at B&N that was all about people's work/craft spaces...I can't remember if it was just sewing rooms? I don't know the name, but would like to find it again.

For the grail I go with Barneys because of my love for Simon Doonan.

That Bergdorf window sure looks like it could have been done by him though.

The Barney's windows are never quite as sumptuous to me as the Bergdorf's. Partially it's the pure theatricality of the lighting at Bergdorf's, and the dramatic height of the windows those talented visual merchandisers get to play in.

God, I hope they love their jobs as much as they should. Although I know visual merchandising ain't the easiest life.

Well, you're right about the grandeur of Bergdorf's windows.

Lori 2 -

I didn't comment, because I hadn't seent he windows...thanks for posting them! I do like that look. THere's a dressmaker/stuff shop that's down the street from a gallery I regularly show at - it has a very similiar aesthetic. I popped in one day to tell the owner that I just wanted to move in to her space. :)

Lori, I don't read those windows as "magical realism" framed-art-on-big-scale (my criterion for all window displays; a personal quirk, no doubt)
For me, it's finals' week @ FIT all over again.

Thanks trillium and everyone else who chimed in on the Danish Modern dialogue. Appreciated the insight and opinions. I think I need to go home tonight, measure my dining area and really think about this potential purchase. Cheers.

back to the audio thread.

i bought 3 speakers (2 stereo, 1 center channel) + subwoofer from:

http://www.orbaudio.com/

i'm no audiophile - just did lots of research and took a chance - but i'm very happy with the quality of the sound and the price and the small size of the speakers which easily be hidden when i upgrade my a/v cabinet.

Ouch, Tat.

Hi everyone. I just did a bad thing in the AC thread above (answering a question with a different question) and wanted to introduce myself for reals. I live alone in a 3-room attic-like space I rent in a 5-apartment house (formerly a large single family at one point in its life) in western Mass (I visit NYC a lot, however; my sister and her husband own a one-bedroom in Park they bought just before it became ridiculous). I like the light and the windows I have in all four directions, but some of the nooks and crannies formed by the slanty ceilings are kind of odd. I am trying to slowly replace my "free by the side of the road" pieces with things I actually like (whether they be found on the sidewalk or not).

Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself, since I've been lurking for months. Y'all are great!

Hello!

Bad Bad Debl! (j.k.)

Welcome to AT. I hope you find it helpful when redecorating.

The windows Lori 2 shows are but two of a series dedicated to (equally theatrical, equally sumptuous) Oscar de la Renta. So don't judge the series (Tat!) by the windows she shows.

I love the Bergdorf windows for their glorious excess and painstaking attention to detail. A trek to these windows at Christmas is one of the reasons I love living in NYC. But they never disappoint year round.

And I love how (in this case) the pure and utter glamour of the end result came from (hence, juxtaposed against) the humble origins of hand-drawn chaos and the equally chaotic studio environment of patterns, pins and paper.

And the lighting, as mentioned before is as usual, (and pardon the pun) spot on.

Thanks, L2, for sharing these.

Henrietta, mine wasn't really an "ouch" reaction; more like to a kitchen view of a fashionable restaurant. Which isn't a bad thing, just not very glamorous I guess. And I want glamour from Bergdorf, damn it.

Now I have to drag my old bones to the Bergdorf, P2+L2, that's what you've done.


A propos of nothing: anybody coming to see Draper show? Let's combine forces.

most of the time when i shop, i find myself tantalized and tempted and struggling to control my passions by reminding myself that i can't afford, can't fit, don't need, have no space for etc etc etc.

except with lighting.

the world is overwhelmingly filled with ugly lighting and to even not repulse is rare, much less make me feel lukewarm, forget about flustered with desire.

is it a truth universally acknowledged that lighting makes for the most underwhelming shopping? am i the last to know?

Lighting has two components, what it does and how it looks. I have pictures in an older book that shows the same living room lit up from above only, from below only, and across the middle, with table and floor lamps. Dramatically different appearance for the same room. That's what it does.

How it looks is another thing, using it as an accessory to complement your decor works for a lot of people.

Zip over to AT-LA, and check out the first page, lots of interesting lamps. LOTS of them. And pause at the Adam Silverman ceramic vessels. And pause again at the Caleb Sieman blown glass. Because you can have lamps made from ceramics or glass vase items.

Look at the happy pea pod lamps. The IKEA Fado spheres (gotta get one of those). Venetian grape cluster. The optical light coil thing. There was one on one of the AT sites that said "Park Avenue Princess" that was really pretty.

I love this:
http://tinyurl.com/f7ncp
And these: http://tinyurl.com/jy2p3
Head to IKEA, pull up a POANG and watch people as they run their fingers through this lamp:
http://tinyurl.com/kfcmd

How can you not be excited about lighting! AHHHHH!!!

Lori2,

I hadn't seen the latest windows, but those are lovely. I used to work basically across the street in the looming Trump Building, and I would always check out the Bergdorf windows.

Nice pics! :)

BTW, meant to tell you that I checked the Starbucks for the Dform lamp that Tat suggested. It was great! That one is also $1000, which is (unfortunately!) out of my budget. There is one fairly affordable one, but I didn't like it as much as the others. But thanks so much for the tip about where to see it!

Thanks, people. Andee, I just bought a POANG two weeks ago! Ha. So comfy and fake-Eamesy...

Tat-

I just uploaded some wider shots of the windows, and also added a couple more windows, so you can see what P2 was describing.

P2-
I agree with you 100%! I added your favorite window to the set too.

Fiona-
Glad my tip was helpful. Last night I was at Tamarind on 22nd st, and the lamps they had there reminded me of the links that you had originally shown. You might want to check them out.

Debl-
Welcome!

Can someone point me in the direction of flat bedsheets (in any size) in graphic/modern/nice patterns? And that cost around $20?

Lori2, now I see.

The red vitrine is stunning,if abit disturbing..in a good sense.

And I want that blue dress, the one on the second picture.

susan
$20?
Ikea...maybe Target's Isaac Mizrahi line...

when I think graphic/nice/modern
I think Dwell
and that ain't cheap, even on sale

I haven't finished reading it but I thought I'd share.

Courtesy of Arts and Letters Daily
(http://www.aldaily.com/)

A link to powells.com review
http://www.powells.com/review/2006_04_25

The House in Good Taste
by Elsie De Wolfe

Home Alone
A Review by Terry Castle

Here's an excerpt of the review.

Might paging through a shelter mag be seen -- in an analytic spirit and with a certain Freudian forbearance -- as a middle-class coping mechanism? As a way of calming the spirit in bizarre and parlous times? House porn, I'm beginning to think, could best be understood as a postmodern equivalent of traditional consolation literature -- Boethius meets Mitchell Gold. Though shamelessly of this world -- and nowhere more so than in the glutted and prodigal U.S.A. -- it's as spiritually fraught, one could argue, as the breviaries of old.

Which isn't to say that certain people aren't, for complex reasons, particularly susceptible to the shelter-mag jones. Décor-fixated individuals (and you know who you are), according to Praz, are usually "neurotic, refined, sad people," prone to "secret melancholy" and "hypersensitive nerves." Quaint language aside (he enlists the "mad, lonely spirit" of Ludwig II of Bavaria as a historical example of the syndrome), the claim is weirdly compelling. Readers with the obsessive-compulsive gene -- the twenty-first-century version, perhaps, of "hypersensitive nerves" -- will be familiar with the low-level yet troublesome anxiety produced when something in a room seems misplaced, askew, or somehow "wrong." I won't be surprised when brain scientists discover the odd little fold in the cerebral cortex that makes one agitate over slipcovers or jump up and rearrange the furniture.