apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hello "h in china'! Glad to see another ATer from Asia.

I need help with furniture placement in a room? My living room has a big window that overlooks a garden: where's the sofa supposed to go, facing the window? Are there 'guidelines' when it comes to furniture placement in terms of flow and looks?

Thanks

Do you have any plans to open an AT Miami site? or I'm the only one????

Thanks!

Joel

Max:

FLOR shipping

I called FLOR and talked to them. The "free shipping" ended May 9th.

BUT, I have TWO, TWO, TWO BITS OF GOOD NEWS!

One: You can get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $49.00 at Lowe's. Lowe's carries FLOR.

Two: Lowe's has designs that are not available through the regular FLOR site/catalog

http://www.lowes.com/flor

There you will find the same kind of setup they have at the regular FLOR site, with the calculator, etc. I'm waiting for the Collections page to load. Dial-up sucks.

Cool, the guy on the phone said he thought the patterns at Lowe's were "nicer" than the ones FLOR itself carries. Hah! And yeah, they have some distinctive designs that might appeal to a different group. Or the same group. Whatever. I like the mod Princess Cut that has the rounded square pattern. I like them all. Daily Exercise is invigorating, but I'm not so sure it would make me exercise daily.

Oh, ONE MORE GOOD THING. I asked where all the discontinued FLOR patterns go. I figured there wasn't a flor-heaven, and I've never seen a clearance section in the catalog or online.

Flor-heaven is by calling "RadStock" at 1-800-336-0225. That's where all the discontinued patterns are. I haven't called to verify. I guess you'd have to have old catalogs to know the patterns/colorways.

Andree, very interesting! I actually got free shipping just by calling up and asking if they were still doing it. They came through for me, which was great (saved about $80 there!). I'll keep an eye on that RadStock thing. Could be useful!

Max, I just saw that on the previous Open Thread. Glad to hear you got the free shipping. I don't see a website for the RadStock, and they didn't have one for me, but if you're familiar with FLOR, they could probably describe it for you by phone and you'd know what they meant.

I may have to call to find out what they have and what they're charging anyway. A lot of the FLOR tiles are arty enough that I'm thinking they would be neat wall art.

They'd also serve to help dampen incoming/outgoing sounds.

And if they can do it with these items, I think we can do it with FLOR (for a lot less):
http://www.loophouse.com/wallart.asp

They'd probably be better at damping interior sounds rather than exterior. A heavy limp mass (get your mind out of the gutter!) is good at damping vibrations that impact it directly, but by the time the entier wall you've attached it to is vibrating it likely won't do too much.

Curtis, are you out there? i just read your reply on the roller-wall pattern roller thread.

i really like the flower better than i have liked any other stencil i have seen -- more texture, detail -- even though i dislike the extra stuff around it (leaves, little asters).

my question to you (or anyone who has had personal contact with teh roller) is -- is it easy to remove the rubber from teh roller? i wouldn't mind just placing the rubber against the wood and hand-painting, that way getting just the bits i want, using a couple of different colors etc.

i feel dizzy with excitement, imagining flowers blooming from every item of furniture.

rasil--
I'm imagining it to be the same consistency as a linoleum print block (or even less dense) so I'd guess you could easily "subtract" from the design.

But you may need the knife designed to cut designs into/out of linoluem blocks (when handprinting).

Has anyone ever been to the Chatsworth Auction Rooms in Mamaroneck, NY? If so, is it worth a trip?

The downstairs bathroom is DONE. Here are the pics.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/148343937/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/148343951/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/148343944/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/148343962/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/148343981/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/148343985/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/148343974/

Posted by Jonathan at 05/17/06 4:20 PM

I don't know that this is something I should ask on this site but what the hell - does anyone here have a clue as to how to find offshore manufacturers? Starting a new design venture I think I need to get a specific product made overseas. So, HELP! I have no idea where to start.

Curtis here!

Rasil, when I bought mine, I did the "buy 2, get one free" because I wasn't dead sure that the one that I thought I wanted would be perfect for me (but it DID turn out to be).

Anyway... the feel of the stuff is actually a little more rubbery and jelly-like than linoleum block is, but I'm sure that if you were very careful that you could cut it with a very sharp Xacto knife or something to get rid of the part you wanted to get rid of.

But whatever you do, keep in mind that as it's rolled on, it's a repeating pattern, so make sure you keep that in mind. I think that if you wanted to use that kind of flower pattern and you wanted it to seem kind of modern, you could either paint a satin finish paint over the exact same shade of paint that was in a flat finish.

Or possibly white over grey, and then go in with a small brush and flesh out some forms with black. That would be a very interesting grisaille effect.

If you click on my name in THIS particular post, you'll see how (in my very own dining area) I used it in combination with a few other things:

Taping off stripes with blue painters tape; then a store-bought stencil; and THEN the Rollerwall; and THEN doing a small stripe with one straight tape edge and one decorative edge where I used some deckling shears like they use in scrapbooking.

In that my own dining room using 3 shades of a sage green color, the lightest of which ALMOST seems white, but isn't.

So, don't let the patterns that you see on their website scare you TOO much. And don't let the sample rooms they show scare you too much, because mot of them are pretty frightening.

Really nice, Jonathan. And that sliding door--wow.

I'd love to have a pocket door for my bathroom!!

Pocket doors are nice until someone smashed their fingers.

Curtis, my mother is singing the same song - says the townhouse is a "death trap" for the baby and I need to load the place up with various safety precautions. I view my home as sort of a Darwinian jungle and, if the child cannot survive it, so be it.

How "Ayn Rand" of you, Jonathan.

c & p2, thanks. curtis, i was thinking of *not* rolling it on, i.e. somehow cutting out the part i want, laying the part i like flat and using it as a normal stencil. perhaps it wouldn't work.

white? grey? heaven forfend. i was thiking more a "manly pink" with a little gold.

Nice, Jonathan. I just bought an almost identical bathroom faucet. I like the pocket door, too. I think I will end up doing something like that when we rip out the wall in between our 1940s "his and her" closets in the bedroom.

PS - I see you got your optimism from your mother. ;)

I do have to say that you just can't completely kid-proof the whole world. I can't remember what it was (wires?) but when I was tiny tot I stuck something into an electrical socket and my folks heard me from the next room say, "HOT!" but it didn't kill me, and it really did make me never do such a thing again.

Jonathan!

Beautiful! LOVE LOVE LOVE the ceiling tile treatment. Really bounces the light around, and blends perfectly with the mosaic wall and floor treatments. I also like that you did the ceiling on the diagonal, rather than lining it up with the wall/floor items. MUCH more interesting that way.

And I like how the mosaic that is on the walls in the sink area is what is on the shower bottom. Or appears to be, anyway. The mix of larger squares and smaller squares, lined up or diagonal.

I'm a huge glass block fan, and love to see it used anywhere and everywhere. The way your bath is set up, it almost appears as if one would feel like they are underwater, while taking a shower. That's cool!

Again, I'm going to ask, did you ever look at the couple of feeble attempts I made for your backyard? I'm leaving them up until you've seen them.

Also, I posted a suggestion for your mum, in your photo groups, in the stairway picture that has the lovely shiny treads. Get her slippers. Don't change the treads. I love your treads. The way the contrast is between warm shiny wood and cool, matte mosaic tiles on the risers.

I did look for treads, but I didn't see anything that would be as nice as what you already have.

Well, stencils are cut out, and this is raised, rasil. So, maybe you could use it like a "regular" rubber stamp? That's about as regular as you could do with it.

But to me, the think itself is really great fun.

Another thing you could do is just roll it on, and then paint over the parts you don't like!

But seriously, what I did was make little samples of my combinations on illustration boards first.

Andree: I DID see your garden suggestions - thank you - but not anything related to treads. As of now the garden is simply growing and I have not had the bandwidth to deal with it. Meanwhile the wife (who is apparently pregnant, ostensibly from me) has done NADA.

What I most need for the backyard is an actual photo of a townhouse garden that I like - I will basically show it to the contractor and he will replicate. So if there are any actual PHOTOS out there you know of involving a gorgeous townhouse garden, please do let me know -

Jonathan. The bathroom looks great. It looks as if you've successfully achieved a contemporary zen/spa/retreat feel. I dig it.

Jonathan:

The tread/slipper comment is on YOUR photos.

Townhouse Gardener book:
http://tinyurl.com/qaq9v

Before and after shots of a terraced townhouse yard;
http://tinyurl.com/qr6ud

Click on View Photos at the bottom here, :
http://www.grasshoppergardenescapes.com/townhouse.htm

Text article, http://tinyurl.com/n6p4c Just to remind you that depending on the fence shaded area, the landscaper may not be able to PUT things where you wanted them.

I'll try to find more stuff.

I think the PC thing to say is "Congratulations" for the pregnancy.

If you haven't seen this already:

IKEA Claims Another 10,000 Lifestyles
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30546

thanks, arin! that's the funniest thing I've seen today!

i'm hoping someone here will remember this: what is the website that was featured in domino magazine a few months back that sells arty indie-rock posters (i think they were mostly by one artist)? it was even one of their "domino deals" in that issue. thanks--i hope someone remembers this!

Rasil, you need to start checking out stamps
http://www.deltacrafts.com/Crafting/DecoStamps/

They describe the Single and Giant Stamps there, but no pictures. I crashed while trying to download the pdf file, part 1 of 2.

I did search around earlier and didn't find anything to actually SHOW you. Sorry.

NDinDC,

I placed my living room sofa facing my balcony garden and highly recommend that.

In fact, I often offer that sofa seat to guests when they arrive so that they can enjoy the view.

I know these aren't like the kimono, but look around the sites anyway:
http://www.naturesblessings.com/store/mcart.php?ID=235

http://www.stampin.com/online/new/0506-1.htm

http://tinyurl.com/hq9vj

One more, getting closer:
http://www.naturesblessings.com/store/mcart.php?ID=331

Even though it's a chrysathemum

julie, was it this:

http://www.pushmepullyoudesign.com/

http://www.designpublic.com/shop/pushmepullyou-design/4662

i came across these a few weeks ago and was planning to order a few for my apartment.

Just went on an Ikea binge. Fortunately, I emerged making no large purchases--only a few "dimma" light dimmers, some cord management, and s hooks for my utensils. Phew.

Thanks, Christina. It was actually this one: www.option-g.com, but the one you posted is cool, too. More graphic.

hey gekko... :) where are you located? i'm in southern china.

i've changed my photos on flickr to public... thanks curtis... here are the links again.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29114399@N00/146651971/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29114399@N00/146651970/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29114399@N00/146651969/in/photostream/
any comments are welcome :)

thanks,
h

Karla, thank you! Great source! I'll go thru it today.

h - one quick comment. Pull the sofa out from the wall. You've got it tucked in there so tight that it can't breathe. I love furniture on the diagonal so you may want to try that if it fits. And a rug will warm up the room quite a bit. A large sisal would be nice. BTW, love love love your large Chinese cabinet.

When I have time to look at the photos again I'm sure I'll have more to say. But I know the rest of the group will beat me to it. Thanks for posting them.

haha gekko... hello from guangzhou. :)

Hi, Anne,
You may want to go to www.globalsources.com. It's an online marketplace where buyers worldwide who want to source from China can find suppliers.
You can source anything from the hardwares and DIY, fashion and textiles, gifts and home, baby and children, computers and electronics industries, among others.
Good luck with your sourcing.

Ni Hao h in china,

Land of Smiles, Thailand. : )

Jonathan,

This is the best site I've found for contemporary outdoor landscapes. They are based in London and do some gorgeous stuff. I hope the pics on their website help.

http://www.mylandscapes.co.uk/index.htm