apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I still want to know who the intellectual posters - who no longer post - were. I wanna go back and be edified.

Just kidding.

Don't follow my lead ;p

Andree??

Hmmmmm.

Anyway, the nyc site needs this:
http://chicago.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/news/want-to-be-on-the-front-page-heres-the-plan-011128

That's a great idea.

who had the glorious living room in icy blues with one red floral anthropolgie chair and a white shelving unit whose top row was all tall white vases in different shapes?

it really inspired me to use my top of cabinets/bookcases space more effectively. i only wish i'd bookmarked their apt pictures.

rasil, this one? :

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/at-book/the-cure-week-30-the-landing-strip-008323

Ahhh, marm, you beat me to it! ;)

Anyone know where I can find fabric that has shades of Pink Panther blue? Yes, blue -- not pink. I recently acquired all 124 Pink Panther cartoon episodes and am just stopped by the gorgeous blues (other colors, too, but that blue makes my mouth water) that are often background to the ol' feline's adventures.

I've looked at http://reprodepot.com and at Tonic Living on eBay (thanks to the AT'er who recommended them!) but am not seeing what I'm after -- a kind of deep but nuanced brightish blue made lively with greens somewhere in it, perhaps, and further enhanced with funky/lovely "mod" motifs.

marm, yes! it is really impressive. somehow i remember a different red chair but my memory might have merged different apts.

If anybody's thinking of buying furniture at Gothic Cabinet Craft, I have a store credit for $475 that I probably will not be using.

Full story on my blog.

Hi all! posted on July 17: Justine and David's Home Away from Home -- does anyone know where I can find that aerial view map of NYC they have on the floor?
I checked websites and have not found it, er, them-it looks like a few images put together and covered with laminate. I want to do this to a wall.
Thanks for thinking.

Hey, where's a 9 month cure update? I want to see the new floor!

Hello you miserable ingrates:

So this isn't a HOME design question as much it is a design question, but at the end of the day this is all about aesthetic appreciation, right?

Question, is this necklace too "out there" for the chunkster wife?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31415264@N00/202921261/

By way of explanation, it is a hand-done 22K necklace from india. if you have friends with dots on their heads, and have been to their weddings, you have probaby seen their relatives decked in this sort of thing. The chunkster wife is a "chinawoman" by background and manages to carry off extreme jewelry pretty well. thoughts?

Jonathan - that necklace is pretty and I think your wife would probably like it. I've seen pictures of her in your renovation photo stream, and she really isn't that chunky, even though she is probably bigger now because of the pregnancy, which is also your fault... anyways, I'd say go for it for the necklace, it's pretty and would look good with dark hair and dark eyes.

Jonathan: LOVE the necklace. I have a short neck and would never be able to pull it off, but it is gorgeous. You'll have to spring for the perfect little cocktail dress to go with it, too ;-)

JW, the only thing I can think of (because printing sat images from google maps doesn't cut it) is to buy 2 copies of this book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060594993/002-4206188-5745667?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

and carefully cut out pages with a razor.

There seems to be plenty available second hand so you don't need to shell out $120.

BTw, apologies to amazon dislikers. I bought my copy there so it was easier to find. BTW, I paid $36 new in 2004.

Melinda, the reason Ikea pieces say they have to be mounted to the wall is this:

Tall things have a tendency to tip over. Especially when people put more weight at the top than the bottom. Especially when the pieces have doors that open, shifting the weight forward. Since most of these Ikea pieces have cardboard for a back rather than a slab of wood or MDF, the center of gravity is even more forward than a standard piece of furniture.

Jonathan,

I tend to like big jewelry, too, and I think that's gorgeous. Go for it!

Max, that's what I'd suspected. Which is why the idea of "real wood furniture" appealed to me. Also, I want a cabinet that's 24" deep, and many of the MDF ones are only 18 or 19 inches.

Is anyone watching the new show on HGTV - Design Stars? Last night they divided into 3 teams and were given a room in someone's house to do over with $2000 ea. The living room team took a large sofa, cut it in 2 and made a small loveseat. When they were finished the room looked almost empty and when asked why they destroyed the owner's sofa they said they thought it was too big for the room. It was horrendous. The kitchen team didn't do any better. Now we know where the next design host is coming from. Scary, huh?

Hey Melinda, I'm not sure but maybe you are using the term MDF when you mean something else. Perhaps particle board?

Max used MDF and slab of wood in the same context, in that they are both heavy enough (if mounted on the back) to even out the center of gravity.

MDF is a fine material for building furniture and I'm sorry for the problems you have had with your gothic armoir but I have posted before that gothic employs "tricks" to get you to think that you are getting quality just because it's real wood. An MDF piece with wood veneer would be much stronger, more attractive and less prone to warping than the stuff that gothic builds.

I hate, hate, hate our living room rug. It has *got* to go. It is fussy, busy and too old-fashioned for the sunny, happy modern vibe I hope to create.

However, I must confess that its busy design has proven to be quite useful with a messy toddler around! It hides a multitude of sins.

Any ideas for stylish rugs that can withstand active, messy kids? (We live in a small one-bedroom, so the living room is the family room/playroom/dining room).

I want something beautiful that I don't have to be paranoid about ;-)

jamie pup:

Yes, I was getting MDF confused with particle board.

Jamie Pup, great book -that I will get regardless of what I do with the pics. Thanks!

CD Mama - Home Decorators has some contemporary rugs at a good price.
http://www.homedecorators.com/Rugs/Contemporary/

Also check out Rugs Direct
http://www.rugs-direct.com/rugsdirectory/home_page.aspx?Nu=color_id&sid=10CC4DE8C746&Ns=Most_Popular%7c1&N=4294967198&Nf=IsActive%7cGTEQ+1&Ne=1+3+6+7+8+9+10+111+112+113+115+121

ANy thoughts on materials in terms of their child-friendliness and esthetic (wool, acrylic, olefin)?

What about manufacturers? Any to avoid?

Jonathan,

As someone who has been to many weddings where people wear necklaces similar to the one you are considering, although it's gorgeous and I have a similar one myself, it can only really be worn to weddings and extremely glamorous parties. That being said, if your wife frequents those kinds of affairs, go for it.

jonathan, that necklace is beautiful. a definite yes!

jonathan,

although it could be very formal, i kind of think that necklace would go best with a great pair of jeans and a white tank top. hair down, shiny gold flat sandals, dinner someplace in the west village...

sorry to go off home design topic, i'm also a huge fashion junkie and that necklace is fabulous.

Arrrggh! A half day off work without pay to wait for the elusive cable tv installer is turning into a full day. Sorry - just needed to vent.

>:^ (

Thanks for your communal support. you've convinced me! i am going to get it...i shall venture back to jackson heights where i found it and pick it up.

would it be TOTALLY wrong to hit on the saleswoman while I am there buying it??? i kind of enjoyed zeroing in on her cleavage with the camera while she was modeling it.

Melinda, just buy an Ikea PAX system. It's 24" deep, cheap, and provided you get good doors on it will last pretty well (our's are 4 years old and running). Their drawers are actually quite nice. We put together a 12' long set of them for about $600 total, including lots of their nice drawers.

Whether it's wrong to hit on the saleswoman is between you, the wife, and the saleswoman.

The necklace is lovely.

Anne, Yes, I watched the show last night. I about passed out when they were showing the "finished" rooms. Gimme $2,000 and you would at least know I had done something. I think they should put Temple, Donna, and is it Vanessa? in the Big Brother house and get some of the All-Stars from the AT website and see some creative work in action.

I think the forced false pretense of Design Stars is the totally far-fetched time limit, and it creates catastrophic results.

Time is a SERIOUS obstacle in home decor and interior design.

The living room team decided they were going to try doing the room on $1000 instead of the alloted $2000. As if time constraints and pressure isn't enough, they decide to add one more obstacle. The rooms looked like crap. Well, the bedroom was nicely done even though there was more they could have done. But considering what they had to work with they did a pretty decent job.

I just got the Home Depot Direct catalog in the mail today. They have some really nice things in there. A lot of black/white. For some reason the black/white houndstooth shower curtain and the brown/white striped bedding reminds me of P2. Why?

City-dwelling Mama,

What about something like a kilim or tribal flatweave? They are easy to maintain and don't show spills easily. In fact, the post above that Rasil was asking about has just the types of rugs I was imagining. Click through her flickr site:

http://tinyurl.com/qjapt

The only problem is sometimes they aren't the most plush/comfy/soft surfaces to sit/play on.

Hi everyone, I have a slight problem with my 20 foot ceiling… I cant change the light bulbs on the track lights. Any suggestions on where I could rent a 16 to 2 foot extension ladder south of 20th street?

Thanks!!

Is anyone else NOT surprised by the Mel Gibson news?

Jonathan,

The necklace is beautiful. A+ on a great choice.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=pd_sl_aw_tops-1_blended_15178976_2/002-2220469-1348012?search-alias=aps&keywords=light%20bulb%20changer

These are cheap enough. Why not just buy one?

Yay, Thanks Anne! This should work. See, it does take a blog to change a light bulb.

That cracks me up!!