apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I hung a frame by suspending a wire from a molding above and attaching the end to the wire at the back of the frame. The frame leans in into the room at the top by and inch. How do I get the frame to sit flat against the wall?

It seems that the way to do this is to attach the cable directly to the top of the frame. Is there another way to do this?

I haven't heard mention of this on any threads, open or not, but Maxwell has a nice little feature in this new Real Simple, helping a woman transform her small space into something functional and beautiful. Nice work, Maxwell! it looks amazing...

Just posted this on the last open thread in response to people there--I'm always so behind!

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!

There's an issue you haven't addressed - is the frame attached to the top edge of the moulding or the bottom? If it's the bottom, this is much easier to solve than at the top.

If hung from bottom of moulding -

Buy a couple of small eye hooks or "framer's hooks" as we in the biz like to call them and screw them into the top back of the frame. The lower on the frame that you screw them, the more it will lean. At the top corners, it will still lean some, but more like a quarter inch (typical lean for a frame on a wall when hung from a hanger). The eye hooks will be hidden if they're on the back of the frame.

If on the top of the moulding -

This issue's a little harder to solve, since moulding has a normal tilt of about 110 degrees anyway, and if you hang it from the top of the moulding, this problem transfers to your frame.

The way to solve it is, of course, to hang it from the bottom of the moulding ;) That way, you won't obscure you're pretty moulding and your picture will be less likely to lean.

I hope this helps!
Good luck :)

Hello fellow Apartment Therapists, I am hoping someone can help me out with the dreaded sofabed/futon decision for a guest sleeping solution. I have been faithfully following the AT threads on the issue but now I can't find them/it! I have winnowed my choice down to the Bo Concept Zen 6000 (futon?) - anybody with any experience with it? I recall at least two contestants from the recent "Smallest, coolest..." contest who had it. Any comments/rants/rave reviews gratefully accepted.

Sofabed is cleaner than a futon, in that asian "your bed is your sanctuary" sense. When the futon is used as a couch, it will be subjected to intestinal gas discharges, contact with pants that were worn while sitting on the subway, pet hair, etc. Then, if converted to a bed, only a thin sheet will separate the sleeper's face from all that stuff.

I have been looking for weeks for attractive photo albums in assorted colors in an attempt to organize my boxes of pictures. Anyone have any leads for me? Thank you.

Alvin -

This may not be elegant enough for you, but it worked recently for me with some Ikea shadowboxes I had mcgyvered in such a way that they leaned out.

I just put a double layer of felt furniture pads on the bottom back of the frames, so that the whole thing was projected slightly (about 1/4") from the wall. Obviously, it was the angle that bothered me more than the projection itself - not sure if this is true for you!

Alvin--

Decrease the angle of the lean by:
Tightening the wire on the picture
Moving the wire on the picture's back up higher on the frame
Installing "bumpers" on the bottom two corners of the frame, to help counter the lean.

Shoshana--
Did you try Exposure?
http://www.exposuresonline.com/index.jsp

Am I the only one not grooving to these new ads from google? They're kind of distracting from whatever interesting story there is. Can't they be placed off the the right?

Shoshana -
Check out Kolo albums (http://www.kolo.com/). They are made well and come in great, modern colors.

Just for the record, the Anon that posted re:gas is not the same anon (me) who has posted previously. Where are you jonthan and p(too) ?

Um, two posts above yours.

I also am very disturbed by the ads in the middle of posts. I had posted my displeasure last week (as did one or two other people), and asked Maxwell if they couldn't be moved.

I can deal with that crap on the sides, but if it stays in the middle, I wouldn't feel very positive about this site anymore.

I haven't seen a response by Maxwell yet.

Can we have a vote on this one?

Thanks P2 and brian. I should have asked earlier. This afternoon I gave up and bought different colored binders at Staples as well as photo sheets. On the plus side, I can use them as simple photo/scrap books without indulging in the whole scrapbook (one word?) industry.

I've been doing some redecorating. It's not quite a cure because I'm not following the book, but it's largely inspired by the book. I redid the bedroom closet (which was comically bad with a crooked bar and shelf that wasn't properly attached and would fall out) and that led to cleaning up the whole bedroom. I'm hoping it creeps out to the rest of the apartment too. Some before & after pics are here: http://angorian.livejournal.com/21434.html

(I should mention that the bedding is only different because of the weather).

You guys mean that line of text "Ads by Google
Home Decor Pine Furniture Interiors Ikea"?!

Just don't pay attention to it... you'll forget it's there in a day or two.

Um, unless you are one of the paying advertisers. Then, it is pure high visibility, baby!!!

Allison, is that a faux finish on the dresser? looks pretty sweet. the whole room is very serene and relaxing.

can anyone tell me if $20 is a good price for a knock-off tulip chair, missing a cushion and discolored with time?

Lori, this is therapy, not a democracy. I don't think we'll get a response... Just a comment box in which to leave our opinions.

I suspect there are some bucks being generated by these google advert interruptions, and my guess is that they are going to become a regular part of the blog, much like commercial interruptions are a regular part of TV.

Interruptions?

I have never understood ppls' strenuous objections to advertising even though I do FFWD thru ads on the DVR. I simply don't let the ads bother me. I'm with p2 here in that I have already filtered them out and I'm sure others could two if they didn't think so much about them.

Sorry JP, I'm not buying it.

Maxwell justifiably dedicated a post or two to the NYT online makeover a few months back... Wanted to know everyone's thoughts on it. I suppose we've all gotten used to their new format, but the older one was better.

So we've established that design shifts to our favorite web sites will provoke a reaction from the best of us.

I'm just saying I don't care for an ad in the middle of a section of text... especially when the ad is designed to LOOK like additonal text. It becomes an interruption, albeit a split-second one.

AT's getting bigger and bigger, and serious advert bucks can be made... rah rah rah. I just think these new ones are annoying. Please leave them to the right.

the opoponax - no, that was what it looked like after stripping off the orange & yellow paint from the 1970s (which you can see in the "before") and the cream-coloured paint underneath from the 1920s (it was my grandmother's dresser when she was little). I documented that project too:
http://angorian.livejournal.com/tag/decorating

Ooh, meant to add that I'd be interested in what people thought of the dresser now as even with hours spent scraping with stripper, a whitewash of the original paint is left (Note for the purists:the original paint was under another coat of paint, it's not that I tried stripping something of it's original paint, I was getting rid of the non-original garish colours that I didn't like). Should I leave it be as a nice patina (this is what I'm doing for the moment since anything else is more work)? Should I paint it? Should I oil it? Other ideas?

Weighing in on the Google ads bar, I too have become oblivious to them after the first couple of days. In terms of generating revenue for the site, I hope it does the trick. My guess is that their placement in the comments section maximizes the number of audience impressions, possibly resulting in increased ad revenue for the site... To me, they're pretty unobtrusive and seem easy enough to ignore.

i think it looks great as is. especially as wood is such a primary element in the room as you have it now. but i can see it looking good with a coat of paint or a refinishing if the aesthetic changes.

the opoponax - one reason I was wondering if it would look better painted is exactly because of all the wood finishes. The other furniture is IKEA with birch veneer, but there's also the floors and doors and moulding. The more I leave it though, the more I get used to how it looks and think it would be more "boring" if I painted it. And the rest of the apartment has an even wider mix of wood types, so maybe I should just incorporate that as part of my style rather than fighting it. Is it technically a "design no-no" to have lots of different wood finishes?

The design no-no is having a totally random mix of wood finishes with incompatible undertones.

(You don't seem to, from the way the photos look on my screen.)

Wood finishes are just colors and textures. If the colors have a common thread -- and they're used so that some colors are neutrals and others are accents -- and the textures fit the mood of the room, happiness through diversity is possible.

It's rather predictable that j-pup, p2 and enrique rush to maxwell's defence on the ads issue. Their unquestioning loyalty is commendable, but it does make their comments somewhat empty. Is there ever an issue on which they disagree with AT policy?

Allison:

Great Job! When I am torn between keeping something as is or doing something to it, I tend to keep it as is, knowing that when I tire of it (and I always do) I can change it then. It's like knowing you have a "new" piece of furniture in your future.

Nice, Allison!

I think the wood tones mesh well. The dresser looks great as is.

I'm also loving white bed dressing too. I think you did well with the room. :)

Thanks for all the comments ... I needed a bit of reassurance that leaving the dresser as-is was the right thing to do. I'm loving my more serene bedroom and hope it works as well when the winter bedding comes back.

I'll definitely have to put together a floorplan and some pics of my office/guestroom to get help with that layout dilemma since I think it needs an out-of-the-box solution. There's a lot of tedious measuring to do first though.

i actually like mixed woods and don't think they're a faux-pas at all. or, i should say that done right they're not a faux pas. it's a very casual look that should be done casually. i also think that the lines and style of the furniture (sorry, no better way to explain what i mean) is more important than the color of the finish. also the overall aesthetic of the room. i think "don't mix woods" is right up there with "your handbag should match your shoes" in the world of stupid and meaningless fashion rules.

heheh, The Opinionator, you've got us pegged haven't you?

BTW Paul, good to see you back.

LOL. Opinionator: Yes, when it comes right down to it, I guess I'm just a shameless syncophant without an original thought in my head.

Paul,

You may like the old NY Times better, but I do not. I much prefer the redesign.

paul wrote:
> Am I the only one...

Lori 2 wrote:
> I also am very disturbed by the ads...

You people are so pompous. This site is free. A free asset that is provided to you, and paid for by sponsorships, sponsorships through advertising. If you had any decency at all, you'd take the time to click on one, once in a while, to help Maxwell finance this venture we enjoy.

Who knows, you might even find something, someplace you'd like.

I just went through and clicked a bunch of the google ads. I actually found a site for a company that I was not familiar with, Furniture See, and a great coffee table I'd not seen either.

http://www.furnitureseen.com/NY/Lublin_Bench.html

Ads are not bad, ads are good. Advertising is what provides you with free content, services, etc. It's what allows Maxwell to be able to provide this site, and still afford a life. I suppose you think he should do all of this for free, just for the pleasure of strangers such as yourselves.

patrick (the other one) wrote:
> You guys mean that line of text "Ads by Google
> Home Decor Pine Furniture Interiors Ikea"?!

jamie pup wrote:
> I have never understood ppls' strenuous objections to advertising...

Enrique wrote:
> In terms of generating revenue for the site,
> I hope it does the trick.

Thanks for being decent people.

The Opinionator (ie. paul) wrote:
> It's rather predictable that j-pup, p2 and enrique
> rush to maxwell's defence on the ads issue...

If you don't like Maxwell or his site, or simply his decisions on how he chooses to run it or finance it, you have the option to leave. What a self entitled ingrate.

Silly people. Advertisers pay more to be in the middle of the page.
Re: An interesting note on the leaning picture hung from moulding. This was originally intentional so that less dust would settle on the fronts of paintings. Isn't that neat?

I really have to say... I know a critic who always loves the thrill of discovering some tiny little performing arts troupe that manages to eke its way into some sad little un-air-conditioned space hole-in-the-wall in Alphabet City or something, but it seems like as soon as they gain a little bit of torque and manage to surface, and get a little bit of success and some bigger venues and become the thing they had always dreamed of, she decides that they've lost their magic.

Well, I think that she's well-meaning and sweet as a person, but I don't really admire that particular thing about her, and I think it's something to avoid.

Anything that doesn't go forward goes backward, and although I think that market forces and evolution and stuff will naturally make some people drawn to any particular site, and put people off, I think that it's kind of mean not to want any site that you enjoy a lot to have some actual success. And I'm sorry, but yes... that does include getting advertisers.

J-pup, good to see you too, I've been here, but haven't been commenting much.

Chris... rest assured that I'm not the Opinionator. It must be nice having the time to surf though ads during the day. Follow your bliss.

Let's not be children here.

The ads are here for a reason - because we enjoy this site. And because we enjoy this site, we can gloss over the ads if they annoy us.

Those of you who take your addiction to AT seriously definitely should take the time to click on an ad a day. You don't even have to 'surf' them. Just click :)

As a long-time blogger myself, I know the expense of running something other people enjoy reading, so I can appreciate the Google ads. Just remember: it can -always- be worse. We could have popups. Or forwarding links like IMDB has installed.

You're never going to get anywhere by stomping your feet and whining, so buck up and click :) Really, it's for the benefit of us all. I can't -imagine- the bandwidth that this site eats through on a daily basis.

I don't like the google ads in the middle of the text, as I previously posted, but I too have become more oblivious to them after a few days. But I do still notice them. There's absolutely no reason not to give feedback to the site on stuff like that, since we the readers are the customers, right? Even though it's free to us, the revenue comes to the site because of our eyeballs. And Maxwell is a reasonable person who's open to feedback.

I don't know anything about it, but I wonder what the difference is in ad revenue to have them hanging out in the middle like that? And I wonder what the additional revenue is if you click on them? Anyone know?

P2--you've really cut back on your posting. Are you involved with another site? ;-)

Well, it's hard for advertisers to really tell whether people just "see" or "notice" their ads until they get clicked on, so that really would be the best way for them to track what they consider "results" on those ads back to AT.

Referring ourselves as "customers" is really not all that accurate if we're not willing to do ANYTHING to actually support the site, especially when clicking is as simple as it is. We don't actually purchase all that much of the general "cool stuff" that gets shown anyway; it certainly can't hurt to click on something just to be supportive of the site.

Actually, it really NEVER occurs to me to do that, but I probably will now that it's occurring to me to be aware of it.

I never really thought much about clicking--I don't even notice Internet ads anymore--but I can click a link to support AT. I visit the IKEA site anyway.

Here, here, a little perspective folks. It's not like we have to download spyware to use this site, or even to register. Something has to pay the bills, and the Google ads are pretty innocuous. Of course, if these start popping up in my face, that's another story!

Chris(nyc),

While I basically agree with your points about advertising, is there a need to call people self-entitled ingrates? I mean, can't you just explain your position in a calm, reasonable way? You are more likely to have people listen.