apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Is the OT so empty because we're all busy posting our cities?

I'm relatively new to AT--within the past month--so I'm not familiar with the more boisterous and, uh, "less kind" AT. From the comments I've read, though, it seems like some people move from the realm of enthusiastic into mean. It seems totally unnecessary to attack people for personal, political, or even design choices in a hostile fashion. Comments and constructive criticism are great, but there's no reason to be insulting.

Entertainment is great, but I don't come to AT for smackdown.

I think that while in the past certain threads reached a point that a lot of people felt crossed the line, the new, kinder-gentler AT is boring. When there were more boisterous people posting, this site was much more thought-provoking and entertaining. Just my humble opinion, but it's an opinion that I'm really very sad to hold. On the plus side, however, I get a lot more done at work now.

Personally, I like AT as it is. It serves a purpose. It gets peoples' heads together. It shares ideas and points out things that people may yet have thought on.

Plus, it's Wednesday, guys. Come on now. ;)

I've just had a very upsetting experience with Drimmers Appliances, which I've relied on for two kitchens and have been sending customers to for ten years. They delivered a SECOND damaged refrigerator and told me they will not replace it ... I'm stuck with it, because I "signed for" the first fridge without unwrapping it and inspecting it, and they only offered to replace it with their floor model as a "courtesy." (This, after I waited all day on Friday for the delivery which never came, and then they tried to deliver it on Monday without even confirming with me!) Luckily I had the presence of mind to have the driver take away both fridges last night, so I told the salesman that I wasn't "stuck with" anything ... so they have to refund my money. SO ... does anyone know where can I get a comparable price on a Summit counter-depth fridge in NYC? This has been an outrageous experience, particularly from a company that I have done lots of business with and whose number I have given to many people ... and I told them so! They've been promoted here on AT, and people should know that they no longer provide the service they did 10 years ago!

I'm about to move into a 650 sq foot 1 bedroom in the E Village and have always lived in nice, roomy, West Coast spaces. Can someone recommend a good design book for me to try to tackle this challenge? Something basic....

Thanks!

Knock-Offs or the real thing:

What are your opinions on getting knock-offs or the real thing -- as in the Eames Lounge Chair. I'm considering purchasing a few items at Modern Collections or Sleek Spaces, cause I can't justify spending $3,200 for a chair. I don't even know if the quality of these knock-offs are any good. Any words of wisdom?

Juliet,

If you haven't read "Apartment Therapy" yet, get that book first, read it, do the quiz, and reconsider your predictament.

If you've already read it, I suggest _Big Ideas for Small Spaces_ by JoAnne Liebeler and _Small Spaces_ by Terence Conran. The second book is almost fifty bucks, but well worth the purchase price.

For color, I recommend _The Color Scheme Bible_ by Anna Starmer. If you're color-challenged like I am, this book will help - it's spiral bound so you can remove pages, and all the schemes are premade with lots of helpful tips on what sort of accessories to use and which color would serve best on the walls. Good luck!

Julia, 650 sf? That's huge!!

I don't mean to be sarcastic, I know that if you are coming from something more spacious it is always hard to make an adjustment.

This website is probably the best place to look for tips. A lot of people also seem to be fans of that Small Space Big Style show on HGTV. My suggestion would be to spend some time in your new space when you arrive before rushing to solutions. Then make a list and some drawings of what you want to do. It's all about storage in my opionion in small spaces. Container Store and Home Depot will be your friend.

Hanna,

Knockoffs are one of those hit and miss things. The best thing for you to do, right off the bat, is research.

First thing's first: If you've already identified the knockoff you're interested in, check it out on Amazon or Cnet or etc. Find a place that will give you a -comprehensive- review of the product.

Second, if you're not quite sure what knockoff you're looking for... don't look for a knockoff specifically. Identify what you like about the piece - on the chair, do you like the arms? The back? The color? - and find it in another, cheaper piece. On that $3200 chair, you may like the claw feet - you can find BEAUTIFUL claw and ball feet on many cheaper stores (they're back in this year!).

Don't buy something unless you love every part of it. Ask yourself: Is this comfortable? Do I WANT to afford it? Does it -go- with what I imagine this room to be?

Good luck, hon :)

Great suggestions, thanks!

About the square footage...I know it isn't dire--my larger issue is that I haven't really committed to sticking with a design plan in the past, which is easier to get away with in a larger space. I'm hoping to do that this time around...maybe being somewhat more limited on space (goodbye, extraneous clothing!) will force me to pay more attention. I love this site, despite the eyes-bigger-than-stomach problem it's giving me.

Julia,

Hee, I so called you Juliet (Shakespeare on the brain much?) - Apologies, luv.

Just remember to take baby steps :) You'll be fine! And we're always here when you need us.

julia, it will be okay. just think of the amazing neighborhood you will have outside your door. : )

ivy gives some great advice here to take baby steps. take some time to get a feel for the neighborhood and what you want your nyc apartment to contain. (and not contain!)

this website has helped me very much in refining my own design style. just allow yourself time and know that it's okay to make mistakes if you learn from them. (just ask me, i learned how to wallpaper a wall and how to remove wallpaper all in one weekend!)

Julia - I like "Living Large in Small Spaces," "The New Apartment Book" and "Making the Most of Small Spaces."
The authors are Abrams, Michelle Michael, and Anoop Parikh respectively. And I always like to go the store and browse a particular book a couple of times before buying it. That way you're sure you love it and you don't accumulate too many books, which is a problem in small spaces!

I have questions. Anyone mind answering?

I live in a house in Texas. Do I not belong here? I love this place but always feel like I am intruding because y'all are NY apartments and I'm...not. Are there limits to my participation? Should I not comment? If I have questions about my own design issues, this isn't the place for them, right? Is there a House Therapy I should know about? Help.

ps. no matter what you say I'm still coming here for great design ideas ;)

Hiya,

So yesterday I bought an old sewing machine that comes with a desky thing that it folds into off craigslist. The desk is pretty cool as it folds out to provide a good sewing surface and when folded up, though no leg space to use as a normal desk, it hides the machine away tidily and does have a flat top. However, it's not especially beautiful, being 1970s wood veneer and rather clunky. I don't really have a good space for it and I'm unsure what to do. Getting rid of it would be foolish since I'm not going to be in the apartment forever and this isn't something I could replace easily. Is there a way to paint veneer? If it were white and I changed the drawer pulls, I'd probably not mind it as much. I guess part of the other problem is finding a good space for it. What do other sewers/crafters do about space? (There's not room in my office/guestroom I don't think ... though the layout of that room is another question I desperately need help with.)

TIA for any suggestions/ideas.

Jane-
How upsetting!

Sassy-
Welcome!

Allison-
Can you post pictures so we can have a better idea?

If you don't like the look of it, could you put something like a table cloth over it while you are not using it? I have a not-so-pretty hand-me-down kitchen table and I use it by putting a kilim I got in Turkey over it.

I sew too. In my living room I have a desk and a lot of shelves. I use the desk when I am sewing. All of my notions are in cigar boxes on the shelves, and the sewing machine goes there as well. In my entry hallway, I have cabinets with doors where I keep lots of cloth.

The thing I am struggling with is where to put fabric and patterns mid-project once I have already ironed them out. I am working on designating a corner of my bedroom for this. I just bought a folding screen, and plan to hide things mid-project behind that. I was thinking to get one of those folding drying racks or install rods (like for towels) along the wall behind the screen to hang the pieces while I am still working on them.

Sassy - I'm pretty confident you are more than welcome as long as you don't complain that your three bedrooms and backyard aren't big enough! :)

here's the craigslist post w/ pics

http://montreal.craigslist.org/for/181337711.html

Wow Allison,

What a great deal!

I agree white would be better. Others could give you tips on how to do it exactly. It is such a light day on the OT, so you might want to re-post when more are around.

As for the layout, if you can post pics of your place on a flickr site and/or post the floor plan, that would help us be able to give you advice on where to put it.

Congrats on your wonderful new baby!

Hi Sassy :

Every house, big or small should be treated as small space, otherwise every space - even the one who has ample space will have furniture where you will start tripping.

NY is a place for everyone. You are most welcome here. A little big of texas heart will help us all some good as we are always grappling all the time.

So please, come, sit and have some tea. :)

Thanks so much for the warm welcome Lori 2, Sharon and dwell :) I promise not to compain about a thing except the heat and the fire ants :)

Lori 2 - thanks, I will try re-posting when it's busier. I was especially chuffed with my bargain since the guy was even able to deliver it. Pretty amazing. I will put together some pics and make a flickr account to post that question another time.

Williams Sonoma Home Sale Alert!

The local store (Portland, OR) just marked down floor samples to 50-65% off list! The sales associate told me it's happening at all locations.

Not everything is available as a floor sample, but they are making way for new fall merchandise and need to get some things moved out!

I couldn't believe the prices on some stuff!

Sassy,

As a New Yorker, I welcome you. My inlaws, are Texans, and I'm from Tennessee... but I've been in New York all my adult life. I'm a New Yorker (even if I find myself in Tennessee and Texas a couple of times a year).

cheers,
Chris

Thanks for the sympathy, Lori 2! I checked out recommendations on AT for other discount appliance dealers, and one was EBA ... but they seemed to have a number of complaints against them with the BBB, which makes me nervous. I also saw that a number of AT'ers have had bad experiences recently with Drimmers. I think this is a perfect example of a formerly small and excellent company that's gotten too big (they've acquired a few showrooms) and have been written up as "Best of" in NY Magazine and Zagat. Suddenly they are getting the kind of volume through their doors that means they can treat people shabbily because they no longer have to rely on repeat customers and word of mouth. I'm checking out a few other places, including AppliancesBuyPhone, which seems to have a good rating, and I'll let folks know.

Should have wrote "has been written up" ... sorry!

Sassy, welcome!

Allison, I sew, on occasion. But, because I'm such a lightweight, I bought a small, light machine that I keep in my linen closet. I use my dining room table for this and other crafts. It's far from ideal, as I have to continuously clean up. I also use it as my desk. Storage is in a sideboard and closets (which my apt is rich with, thank heavens). You definitely got a great deal! Score! As for its appearance, it wasn't as bad as I thought from your description. I recall Curtis redoing a piece of furniture in veneer that majorly impressed me, that is on his flickr site.

Julia--I echo the Conran book. Very nice. The one thing I find about many small space books, though, is that they focus a lot on structural design changes that are not doable by renters. They're still good inspiration and you can glean a few ideas. Check out your local library, definitely, though--because that's where I got the Conran book. Sure beats spending $50 and having to store it later!

Allison - if you get a good primer (ask the hardware store about it) you can paint that sewing desk. You might want to sand it lightly with a gritty sandpaper to scuff the surface and help the paint adhere.
Just prime, then paint whatever color. I'm not sure if you should go for latex or oil based paint, for durability... but you can search old posts for information about that.

Sassy -
Welcome! I say you should ask what you want and contribute what you want; be prepared for what you're already seeing on various ones of these threads, that some people will be cranky and some people will be supportive.

LJ--

Is was precisely the NON-kinder, NON-gentler crap that sprung up here then that has made me back off somewhat from my previous AT addiction....

And some of us are severely depressed that these days, when we post a straight line that ought to elicit a classic p(too)ism, p(too) ain't there.