apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Okay since a new thread has been opened and i posted at the end of the old one.....does anyone know of anywhere online either a local artist or big site, where I could get photograph prints or what have you of nyc? Art.com has them but there are just too many and they are quite impersonal. I really like the idea of transferring them onto canvas but they also charge you a lot for this. Any links or recs would be appreciated!

What do folks think about the floating bed described in the link below?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060807/od_nm/dutch_bed_dc

I'd love to have a bed like this (if I could afford to spend the $1.5 million asking price), but I also think I'd be worried about the possible health effects of sleeping on top of a magnetic field.

Also, with magnets that powerful, wouldn't it mess up your electronics (television, cell phone, pace maker)?

Meg,

New York Public Library has a good selection of photos of the city, which you can buy at reasonable prices.

The main site for NYPL's Photographic Services and Permissions is:

http://www.nypl.org/permissions/

The site for the photographs of NYC is:

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?parent_id=100160&word=

Good Luck!

I bought pinhole pictures from Michel Bayard, and love how funky they are.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/visual-artists-photographers-painters-etc/michel-bayard-pinhole-photographer-004807

Desperate to get new bookcases.

Any comments on Ikea "Billy" vs. "Expedit"?

Also: Anyone here tried using a "Lack" shelf sideways as bench/storage for kids toys?

Meg,

There is a local artist who takes aerial pictures of NYC...Great stuff. Usually sells his art on West Broadway just north of Spring Street on the east side of the street on Saturdays and Sundays and I posted his web site as well.

DavidO, I thought that was really cool, but I'd be concerned about the dangers of certain piercings, wedding rings, leaving a fork anywhere in the room.

The idea of a floating bed is pretty cool though. I would venture it could be approximated using either ceiling mounted hard-points cables or perhaps heavy duty springs under the frame. Good times.

City-Dwelling Mama, I have the Ikea Expedit 6-cube bookcase, and so far (I've had it for 3 months) it's held up fine. Click my name for a photo of it in my living room.

Thanks for all the links. I'm not nyc based (I live in London) which is why the need for the online store. I'm off to check all these things out

Hello, my name is heps, and I'm a serial lurker.

I'm coming out of lurkdom to seek help in my search for the perfect dressers. I want a low, long one and a medium height, medium wide one.

I was trying to keep it affordable, so I had narrowed it down to the narrow leg dressers at west elm . . .

http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODf076&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1FRNDRS&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1FRNDRS

. . . or some combination of the Inzoni system from Bo Concept, . . .

http://www.boconcept.us/default.aspx?id=55876&ImageID=804

. . . but neither I nor my husband were that excited about the quality when we looked at them in person.

I'm now considering the Linear Custom line from Room and Board:

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/dept.do?dept=RB313

There is no Room and Board near me, however, and I'm nervous about ordering something I haven't seen in person. What is the quality of the Linear cabinets? Is the drawer hardware at all flimsy? (That was our biggest complaint about the other options.)

I love the Zurich line at Room and Board, as well, but the tall cabinet is too tall for my space:

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/coll.do?coll=RB3584&dept=RB130

If I could find a medium high, medium wide dresser that would coordinate with the Zurich low one, I might consider that as well.

Our bed and nightstands are an espresso color, but I'm willing to mix woods, if necessary.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

mathaifenn.blogspot.com/

- found a chair made from a mason's tools

City-dwelling Mama,

Can't comment on the Expedit or Lack, but here's my two cents on the Billy. It's their basic modular system, so it does a basic job. Whatever you do, don't overload the shelves, as they sag and bend over time. They give a max. load of 66lbs, I think it's far less.

City-dwelling Mama,

The Lack unit used horizontally is a fine fix—I know a few people who use it as a base for the TV and A/V components. If you are using it for toy storage be prepared for it to get scratched easily....especially the darker colors.

I vote for the Expedit, too. Though it may seem a bit wobbly when first assembled (the center pieces are held together by small wood dowels), the shelves are actually pretty sturdy once you've loaded them up. Also, the smaller surface area on the shelves means no bowing or bending... (Assembly tip, have a rubber mallet handy for pounding in the dowels. It'll save considerable assembly time and effort.) Here's a pic of mine loaded up with heavy books, DVDs and assorted tchotchkes and small artwork. http://www.flickr.com/photos/83851528@N00/75041991/

enrique, those shelves look great in your apartment! what a lovely home you have...i remember your bedroom from the "i've got color contest" i love that you have carried some of those colors into other rooms. : )

enrique, and i just scrolled through and saw your patio! wow! i love it even more, incredible.

city-dwelling mama: we have several billy bookcases in our home office and they're fine. functional and simple. we've been using them for about five years now with no major problems.

but if i were to buy brand-new bookcases now, would i pick those? no. the expedit is more stylish and, as enrique pointed out, they can withstand more weight. i also like that the expedit can double as a room divider.

Heps - Have you seen the 'ready-to-assemble' line from Crate and Barrel? The LOOP or ELLIS dressers both look good.
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/ready-to-assemble-bedroom-furniture/furniture/v

Also, CB2 has some low dressers:
http://www.cb2.com/spill.aspx?c=400&p=1&viewall=1

In general, I haven't been all that impressed with the WESTELM furniture quality. CrateBarrel stuff has a better feel to it - but I haven't seen any of the items that I've mentioned.

I personally have 2 IKEA MALM 3drawer dressers side-by-side Doesn't get much cheaper than that! I plan to upgrade in a few years...

heps,
I have a dresser and nightstand from the Sherwood line at Room & Board for 6-7 years now and I've been quite satisfied. I believe Linear is either their "top of the line" version or close to it (I recall it was more expensive than what I ended up getting).
No complaints with regard to the hardware either, I went with the heavy natural steel pulls and they've worked out great.

[Aw... Thanks christina!]

I bought some ottomans from Target yesterday and want to recover them with nicer fabric that can get washed as needed. Any recommendations on where to get fabric in NYC and what I should look for? I was thinking about thin canvas or muslin but I'm open.

Any thoughts on which of these would make the most attractive bedside lights?

http://www.ylighting.com/kvc-p058-077.html

http://www.ylighting.com/kvc-p004-01-077.html

http://www.2modern.com/index.asp?PageActionfiltered=VIEWPROD&ProdID=692

Jonathan, The 2modern link went to their main page, so I didn't get to see that lamp, but of the two on ylighting, I would go with the Mercury Table Lamp (the 1st one). I like its shape more, and the lampshade would let you use a halogen bulb without letting the world know.

Jonathan, I vote for the mercury lamp.

Thanks - this is the correct link for the 2modern product:

http://www.2modern.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=692

Tough call. I like the mercury, but now I think the 2modern lamps would would look really slick next to a low platform bed.

Enrique,

thanks for posting pics of the shelf -- you really amped up it's grid proportions with the paintings, vases and books mix-up. Really shows off the beauty of a grid, which is my favorite thing about that Expedit shelf. Lovely!

Also, I spent a bunch of time checking out your place, esp. the kitchen. Lovely, lovely, lovely. My current design project: galley kitchen almost identical to yours. Yup, Ikea cabs. So this is real apropos. Thank you. Kudos for mixing up the white and light blue cabs (if that's what it is). It's clean and simple AND interesting. Every day I tweak the design and add/subtract. Tomorrow I drive to Ikea to fine, fine, fine tune. Unfortunately every time I go to Ikea I get so depressed about the quality of their stuff i leave so uninspired:(

So my strategy is: design sketch in hand, early am weekday, only look at what I've chosen, get in and get out, carb up, enjoy the drive (which is why I may go to the one on Long Island instead of New Jersey).

And of course, Enrique, the supadelicious Moroccan patio/garden! Can never get enough of that smorgasbord of color and texture. Totally up my alley:)

Thanks.

I bought the Meridien lamps from YLighting - the prices were comparable and the delivery was free. The only difference is that 2modern carries a broad range of options for the shades including the adorable orange mums.

We are STILL being asked to vote on lamps?!? How close to completion is this room/house?!?

olga. I (along with a host of others) can't say enough good things about IKEA kitchen cabinets. They have a new line of cabinets in a high-gloss blue with thin, full-width, aluminum pull-rails build into the fronts. Really lovely, modern and clean-looking. You should definitely take a look at those badboys. Good luck with your kitchen! (For me, using IKEA whenever possible helped to keep me within budget... )

Azul,

There is a great store for warehouse prices on upholstery fabric called Harry Zarin. They are on Grand St. in the Lower East Side and you can look them up in the yellow pages. But, you mentioned muslin or canvas which isn't really for furniture. In that case, go to the garment district and wander around the shops on 38th & 39th between 7th & 8th ave. You'll find something there for sure.

City Dwelling mama,
I have four of the Billy bookshelves - with extensions to reach the ceiling - in white. I have had them for about four years. I've even moved them (fully assembled which was a pain for the movers but worth it as IKEA's connections often degrade each time you put them back together). Most of my guests assume they are built in (I painted the back to match the wall which looks really good). They are simple, minimal and really do work well for the price.

I also have the lack shelving unit - for about eight years and three apartments. I have hung from a wall horizontally (as a shelf over a bed), stood upright as book shelves and laid horizontally for a TV shelf. It's okay - it chips very easily which would concern me if kids were playing around it (for damage to the unit and internally to the kids). Personally, my unit has served it's time and is looking pretty bad so I am planning to get rid of it in the next three months when I go to IKEA to buy more bookshelves.
My favorite shelving at IKEA is the Bonde -which is more expensive than the Billy shelves - but it is deeper and won't sag with the weight of lots of books. I love the honeycomb shelves typically found in architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen's houses and this is the closest I have found without going custom.

Hope this helps.

JenPDX-

Thanks for the suggestions! I like the style of the Loop dresser, but I'd like something lower. (I have a vision of a long, low dresser sweeping across the expanse of the room.)

The True Low Dresser at CB2 was actually my initial choice, but my husband didn't like it. I think I'll give the bisect dresser a closer look. If I added handles, it might even coordinate with the Zurich.

As a fellow pdxer, I'm also far away from an actual CB2 store. Has anyone seen the bisect dresser in person?

Kathryn -

Thanks for the feedback! I do like the Linear line, although it and the Zurich are the most expensive options I'm considering. Is the Room and Board quality worth the jump up in price? I'm upgrading from a somewhat-broken dresser, purchased at the unfinished furniture store when I was in junior high school, so anything is going to be an upgrade for me.

Heps,

I have a linear custom piece from Room and Board and can vouch for the quality. My piece is about a year or so old and in cherry with stainless steel hardware and feet. It's wonderful, although I wish I'd sprung the extra bucks for walnut. I'd ordered previously from Room and Board (dining chairs, a few mirrors) so I was confident the quality would be good despite not having seen the item in person (no store near us either). Good luck!

Jonathan,

The mercury lamp looks very fairly industrial but the coolest and the 2modern one looks more zen. What's the look you're after?

Azul, you can follow in the footsteps of Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame and go over to Mood, 225 W. 37th, 3rd Floor. It's overwhelming but it has everything.

Whoops...that should have read:

The mercury lamp looks CLASSIC, THE MUSHROOM LAMP LOOKS FAIRLY industrial but the coolest and the 2modern one looks more zen. What's the look you're after?

azul,

Why do you want to upholster with such thin fabric? It will tear & wear through in a hurry, which is why it's not generally used for furniture covers.

Harry Zarins is great for choice. Mind you a lot of their fabrics are $40 a yard. However, their linen is $18 a yard.

the look i am after is as sleek as possible. we have the walnut platform BoConcept bed, a large sheepskin on the floor and a fireplace at the foot of the bed. the wife hated the mushroom lamp and called me a moron, but i plan to ignore her and buy what i think is best.

Jonathan. I like BoConcept's walnut platform bed. Here are 3 suggestions for bedside lamps that might look nice in the context of your bedroom. They are a bit on the pricey side:
1. Flos Spun Table Lamp (white, medium)
2. Artimede Castore Table Lamp (small or medium)
3. Fontana Arte Uovo Table Lamp (medium)

Reef -

Thank you for the personal recommendation on the Linear cabinets! I think the walnut would coordinate best with my dark wood bed. I've also thought about putting up walnut panelling behind my bed someday, so that would tie in. But first things first.

This is unrelated to today's discussion, but I just wanted to share that my landord has just agreed to let me take in a new kitten. I am soooo happy--waiting for next year's Pet Month on AT.

You can see him/her (will find out soon) by clicking my name.

The kitten is so cute! And in classic modern colors, too.

The Flos Spun lamp is gorgeous. Starck's Miss K lamp reflects a similar theme:

http://www.retromodern.com/item_detail.asp?5916.

It's less expensive, but it's also plastic rather than aluminum.

There's also this one, which is "designed to be 'mistreated', deformed, and touched":

http://www.retromodern.com/item_detail.asp?8866.

That might appeal to some. :)

That kitten looks FRICKIN' delicious!

I want to know how the AT design Gurus would design a NY 5th floor walk up for this guy:

U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein dismissed a lawsuit brought by Antoine Yates, whom authorities discovered in 2003 was hiding a 10-foot-long, 450 pound Bengal tiger named "Ming" and a 6-foot alligator called "Al" inside his fifth floor apartment.

Let's see... steel bars... hefty leash... and the apartment could be converted into a sex club later, with minimal rehab!

I've had a heavily loaded Billy with a base cabinet (crammed with stuff) since 1988, and I've seen no sagging at all. Maybe they don't reinforce the shelves anymore. In fact, I don't think I've seen that mentioned in the last few catalogs.

I also have one of the cheaper white MDF ones from circa 1994 or so, and that one is *very* heavily loaded -- at the open diving board-like ends -- without sagging -- a big surprise to me. It looks a bit like the current item I linked, or (mostly) like the Bratby, with a solid back middle panel and the two solid side panels.

I've been pretty impressed with how they've held up; it sounds like those days are over for new buyers.

What storage system, desk, etc. would you recommend for a 8x9 room that has a fireplace and a window in it. The fireplace takes up almost the entire wall. The wall where the window is takes up practically the entire wall. Only half of the third wall is available because a staircase begins along THAT wall. The room does have high ceilings, maybe ten or 11 feet high.

My goal is to turn it into a study/bill paying area/media room. I was thinking about having shelving installed (like Ikea) that wrapped around the room up on all three walls (except the fireplace wall) and have the shelving start about chest-level, so when I sit at my desk I see the wall and not bookcases at eye-level.

I need to be able to get 22 inch tele in there along with a Bose sound system (very compact) and a small dvd player. How would I position this so it is not in front of the window or fireplace? I also have two standard size file cabinets that I could possible turn into a long desk by placing a worksurface across the two.
Can such a thing be accomplished in such a tiny space?

I have about $1,000.00 to spend on the project. I'm a "practicing minimalist" meaning I am fairly adept at keeping the paper, media and books to a minimum, however I've got to be able to make this work in order to do that. CAN this be done? Do you have any better or additional ideas? All are welcome. Thanks!

Juliet

Enrique: You are my new design hero. LOVE your place. You've done a fantastic job. Wish you could come to SF and be my design mentor/fairy godmother.

BTW: Are you latin? I saw in your flickr stream that you've been to Mexico City -- my home "town" ;-)

isn't s/he? I just bought a ton of stuff at Petco on my way home from work tonight. Can't wait till I get him/her home this weekend.

Going to surf for two suitable names now...

Hi,

My building has a dark hallway. I need to brighten them up. I can't add new lights and the doors are navy with taupe trim and taupe walls. I think I need a bright white for the ceiling. I guess a bluish white (not sure). Which color by which brand do you suggest????

I hope I've started a new thread and not just posted a non-sequitur.

Hey Enrique design fans-

Did you know there is a fabulous spread on his place in POPLife Magazine?


Expedit vs. Billy

I am a fan of the expedit, as I like the look of the squares much better. But the Billy is useful if you have a very narrow space and can't take the depth of the expedit.

Hi everyone! I was wondering what you all think about rugs on top of carpet. My new apartment has wall-to-wall beige carpeting throughout, and I was hoping to use rugs to define sitting areas and make it more interesting. is it okay to put a rug on top of carpet? thanks!!!

I recently saw a bed pictured in one of your slideshows. It has these great contoured panels that you can lean on while reading or watching tv in bed. I think it's called the 'Sensay' or "Edo" bed.

Does anyone have this bed? It it comfortable? Sturdy?

thanks!

Debra,

Re: non-sequitur

I'm assuming that statement was referring to my kitten post. What is wrong with a bit of good news every once in a while? This is an open-thread AND welcoming a new baby or pet in one's home is even more exciting than a new piece of furniture.
Would you make the same statement if fellow users mentioned they're pregnant?

This is "Apartment Therapy" after all.

Madsy, if you read the discussion of Olga's house tour (link at my name), the bed is discussed there in detail. Of course, that's assuming that that's the bed you're talking about.

City-dwelling Chilanga Mama! (Love the name, btw.) Thanks for the kind words... You should go to the AT-SF launch party next week. http://sanfrancisco.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/080906/news/launch-party-countdown-8-days-011528 I'm trying my damnedest to make it up there next week. So, maybe we can meet up? I'm not Mexican; straight-up Pinoy here, but I LOVE the DF. Crazy scene over there, esp in Centro Historico, Condesa, etc.

Lori 2: You are so Bobbi Fleckman to my Spinal Tap. Such the publicist, you! Stop it already... BTW, I'm going to keep hounding you until you and your mom let Jon from AT-LA do a house tour of her Palm Springs house!

Enrique-

You are too funny! (She is SO one of my favorite characters !!!)

Don't worry, my mother is working on it! Should be in a couple of weeks...

Bubble,
Thanks for linking me to the discussion of the EDO bed. Really appreciate it.

Cannot believe that this bed is available on Costco. Who knew?

Best,
Madsy