apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Erin, if you read this ---- I emailed you the info you were asking for but it bounced back to me. I need another email address for you.

I know this has been answered before, but I don't have the patience to go in search of the definitive answer, so please humor me ;-)

What are the ideal proportions for an area rug in a living room seating area? I seem to remember a rule of thumb as to where/how the furniture is placed vis-a-vis the rug.

Anyone have any experience with a microwave convection oven? My kitchen is too small for a range so I was thinking of getting a microwave and a toaster oven but then thought I should investigate the combo microwave convection oven option. Does anyone know the difference between a convection oven and a toaster oven - they both seem to bake/broil/grill. Any response much appreciated.

Sara,
In my limited experience (through my parents' experiences), the key difference between a convection oven and a toaster oven is the size of the oven compartment. My mom once roasted a chicken in a microwave convection oven and did a cake in a stand-alone convection oven, items that wouldn't have fit into a toaster oven.

And the claim is that convection ovens work faster than conventional ovens (which a toaster oven would be).

Thanks Michelle - this is helpful - I'm doing my head in trying to understand, what would seem, a fairly simple issue. I have used a toaster oven in the past and loved it but just trying to avoid having two appliances in an already small kitchen space. Thanks again.

I have a question - Anyone know when the AT:Boston launches? I wasn't sure if I missed an announcement...

Also, Maxwell if you're reading this, I don't know if you've selected the colors for the Boston site yet, but I'd like to cast a vote for a red bar along the top. I don't know, I just always saw red as a Boston color. Maybe it's the Red Sox pride. Plus, it would look sharp with your teal AT header, don't you think?

None of my business, but in case you hadn't had time to think of it, there's my $.02


:)

Holly

I just read about the 80/20 color rule. If beige counts as a warm color is it still a neutral and will it be okay with other cool colors in a room? (I am thinking of a beige or taupe for walls in a living room with a blue couch)

Ditto on Mama's rug question. I too am looking to get an area rug (a flokati) for my living room. Its a fairly square living room with one corner housing my desk and bookcase, and a (soon to be DIY built) narrow "bar" table and stools for dining next to my open kitchen. The main area is taken up by sofa/lounger chairs/coffee table & I want a rug that will define that living room space.

Not sure if I should be aiming at have the rug just go under the coffee table (like, a 5 x 7) or go all the way under the seating (like, a 8 x 10)

I am looking for a functional desk with drawers that still has a clean look. No country, no traditional executive feel. And I want it to be low (28inches high as opposed to the typical 30). Any ideas?

Hey, Holly at Decor8: Care to weigh in with your professional opinion?

i don't think it's as complicated as all that.

beige is the definition of 'neutral'. the issue here is whether the specific shade you choose looks good with the cooler tones of your couch. i have a lot of warm and cool colors mixed in my place. i don't think you have to go all warm or all cool. also, sometimes two colors which are both in the same category might not look that good together. there are a lot more variables involved there than whether they're both warm or cool. i do, however, think that one very warm note can be jarring in an all-cool room. or vice versa.

the best way to pick a wall color vis-a-vis your couch is to get chips of beiges and taupes you like and hold them up to your couch (preferably in the room to be painted so you can factor light and such into the equation). find one that looks nice against the couch and go with it.

sure mama.

mama and dave: I'm not one to follow strict 'hard and fast rules' when it comes to throw rugs, pillows, window treatments, etc. because a lot depends on the existing flooring and the scale and proportion of the existing furniture, ceiling height, rug pile, shape of the rug, and what you are looking for out of it - merely as an accessory, or are you looking for warmth to nestle your toes in while you're watching television. Maybe your apartment gets cold in the winter and you require a larger rug, or perhaps you have kids and want to see them playing on something soft vs. your hardwood floors. So much to factor in. That's why many decorators/designers need to see the space and ask clients lots of questions to determine what the needs for that particular client will be. Budget, as always, is a factor as well.

I've seen zebra rugs beneath sofa tables that didn't extend beyond that and it was enough. Same with flokati. I think flokati rugs look best when they don't flood the floor, but that's just me. If the rug has an interesting shape to it (zebra or cow hide often does) or is fluffy and very tactile (like flokati) I tend to like the rug to remain as an accent to the space to add warmth and texture. If it's huge, meaning it goes beneath all of your furniture in the space, I find it's overkill.

If you're looking at oriental rugs, or something more farmhouse style like Company C rugs, or perhaps something a bit modern like an Angela Adams rug, I tend to go for 8 X 10 in a living space, so that the rug goes a few inches beneath the sofa and a good portion of the seating area.

I hope this all makes sense, I'm a bit fuzzy today (major migraine) so I am really trying to make sense here. :)

If you have any more questions, ask away. I'll do my best.

Holly

Thanks Holly! Really helps my thought process - I had been leaning in the direction of an 8 x 10 flokati, but I hadn't really thought much about where that might look like fluffy overkill and overwhelm the room. Great food for thought!

Here's a follow-up question, if you don't mind. Any thoughts on how it might look for a room to have one fluffy flokati accent rug in the "conversation" area and another non-fluffy rug in the "office" area? would the textures clash too much?

As something of a Boston boy myself, while I like the idea of red and teal as a color combo, I can't say -- or cahn't say -- that red is a particularly Boston color, even if we're talkinga bout the red bricks of Bulfinch buildings. I would think of the green of the parks system created and connected by Olmstead or the wabi-sabl blue-grey of the sea and the Charles -- or charhles. Or perhaps that fun funny color of Trinity Church at Copley.

So sorry to hear about your migraine, Holly. Hope you feel better soon!

BTW: Ours is a tiny living room with hardwood floors. Right now I'm leaning toward FLOR tiles just because they are cheap, can be rinsed in the sink and, if ruined, can be replaced by the tile ;-)

I want to spruce up the bedroom with a colorful, pretty duvet and pillow shams. Any suggestions where to shop for this? Catalog/Online or NYC stores preferred. Department stores don't seem to have anything I like. POttery Barn has some decent things, but I'm looking for other suggestions. Thanks.

So I just got this Alto Leaning Desk from Crate and Barrel and the instructions call for securing it to the wall-obviously I can't do that in my rental. I was wondering if anyone found alternative ways to make the desk secure without drilling holes in the wall.

kgirl--
I think any landlord will allow a fair amount of wall penetration (oh my!) as normal tenant wear and tear. You just may need to spackle before you move out.

newbie--
I love Garnet Hill. Also check out the Hotel line at Macy's and both Dwell and Area bedding. Room and Board and CB2 also bedding contenders.

Confused--
Don't get hung up on the "numbers." And not everyone is onboard with the "no mixing warms and cools" rule... I personally LOVE taupes and blues. But it sort of depends on the blues.

One way to make sense of it, from a lsightly less intimidating way... look at men's suits in department stores and catalogs... suit color, shirt color, tie color. I've found frequent inspiration in color schemes (and mixing and scale of pattern) by looking at clothing.

newbie--
Whoops, just saw the "no dept. store" caveat, so nix the Macy's suggestion.

Try also West Elm. Loving their bedding lately.

JonathanB - I never thought about those things, good points. I don't see green fitting in at all though, I just don't look at Boston as a green city. If anything, I see more of a navy blue given that much of the city was built on a marsh.

I actually gave it some thought and think red and a navy combo would be nice, I realized that the AT teal header isn't teal on all of the pages as I thought, just the NY site. So, Boston wouldn't be stuck with the teal so why not a navy header with the crisp words "Apartment Therapy" in white. Then the red bar beneath it.

Along your idea blue... I like a solid navy blue, like the blue of the Charles and ocean, also red and blue are patriotic and we all know how patriotic Boston is... Plus the NE Patriots and Red Sox are in blue and red. And like you mentioned, the red brick that is so popular in the city - the brownstones - the cobblestone streets...

Some more food for thought:

The red line and blue line on the T...
The reds in the trees during autumn, and don't forget our landmark, the old John Hancock Building, that we look to as a weather beacon...

"Steady blue, clear view.
Flashing blue, clouds due.
Steady red, rain ahead.
Flashing red, snow instead."

Remember in Oct of '04 when it flashed red and blue to commemorate the Boston Red Sox World Series victory?? Our other major landmark, the Citgo sign, is red, white and blue also.

Also, Harvard University, the nation's oldest institution of higher learning, uses red and white (MIT and BU are also red/white, along with other local schools).

The state house is red brick... And the state flag proudly displays a blue shield. Our #1 news website, boston.com, is also red/white/blue.

AND if you're at the top of the Pru looking out over the city, red and blue are the colors you see the most between the architecture and water.

I don't know, I'm still seeing red as THE Boston "it" color, along with navy blue.

Holly

newbie,
Also take a look at CompanyC
http://www.companyc.com/html/home.htm

I got my summer duvet cover, which I am using with nothing in it for a light cover.

Also The Company Store
http://www.thecompanystore.com/

Newbie: You might also try linensource.com and thecompanystore.com.

yes, but as that wiley old hugenot Paul Revere said (according to Longfellow) the red coats are coming, the red coats are coming.

or one could comment as hillaire belloc didn't quite say, Boston's sins are scarlet, but its looks are red. or more shakespearean: this village green, this new england?

and while beacon hill boston is red brick, back bay boston isn't. (For those who don't know boston, that's in the English style v in the French style.)

And what is boston's "lung" from the common to teh arboretum if not green?

newbie,
Here's another site. Jonathan Adler, from which I've never purchased, has some designs I like:
http://www.jonathanadler.com/shop/home.php?cat=251

JonathanB: Great points, too! But I'm a huge sox fan so I think that's why I'm so devoted to red/blue. And I love that darn tacky citgo sign.

Holly

As a Boston transplant here in SF (who is missing his Red Sox terribly even if they suck this year), I have to agree with holly. Boston has never struck me as a terribly "green city," even with the Emerald Necklace which I have always found far more apparent from an ariel view or in the mind's eye, than in reality on the ground.

Boston is also a city of stone. (Think of all the grey stone in the old downtown areas, such as the Custom House Tower or the buildings along the waterfront.) BUT, even more so, it is a city of brick. Brick, brick everywhere. And not just Beacon Hill. Most of the North End is also brick. Also the Back Bay - the style of the Back Bay was inspired by Haussmann's Paris, but many of those 3- and 4-story townhomes are built of brick, esp. along Comm Ave as well as Newbury Street. And most of the townhomes in BU's Back Bay campus are brick. There is also the in some ways even more lovely South End, which is almost all Victorian townhomes made of brick with lots of brick sidewalks. And of course, there is Fenway Park.

Although, I do like the color of Trinity Church... Made of our own local sandstone known as Roxbury Puddingstone.

/architecture geek rant

I went to school in Boston. Let me be the first to say here that boston SUCKS. the restaurants suck. the long haired, drunken townies suck. the nightlife sucks. the red sox suck. the fans suck. their horrid accent sucks. i hate everybody.

Jonathan you certainly love to stir the pot. How long has it been since you've stepped foot in Boston? You mentioned that you went to college here, when was that, 1960? I don't see long haired drunken townies that often. With all of the transplants up here now, the accent has faded quite a bit - although SOuthie will ALWAYS have that Boston accent.

Jonathan I have to agree with you on one point though, the nightlife does somewhat suck now. It was fun in the late 80s early 90s, but things have fizzled out quite a bit. You sound like a fun guy, perhaps you took the great nightlife with you.

Landsdowne street isn't the same... SIGH. Cambridge isn't the same - Mass Ave had some decent places but now they are a little boring.
I haven't been to a club in Boston in a few years, I just can't get into Avalon.

When I was single, we'd drive all the way to NYC to go to clubs - we were Webster Hall regulars. The bouncers knew us by first name. We never had to wait in line. :) It made it worth the 3.5 hr trip.

Holly

Holly,

Like many things in Boston, you just need to know which rocks to turn over. Take Great Scott's in Allston at the corner of Comm Ave and Harvard Ave. Most of the time it exists as a cheesy college bar for the frathead types from BC and BU. However, it has slowly been taken over by the indie scenester kids and now hosts a respectable Britpop/Indie dance night with DJ Ken called The Pill on Fridays and on Saturdays, The Plan is there, which features live indie bands like the Bon Savants or the December Sound.

Of course, I believe O'Briens is also still around further down Harvard Ave, featuring Boston hardcore on most nights.

On the other side of the river, I assume the Middle East is still rocking. And River Gods, not too far from Central Sq., usually has a DJ spinning good electronic stuff. Charlie's Kitchen in Harvard Square has a fun karaoke night, I think on Mondays. Phoenix Landing in Central Sq. turns from an Irish sports bar to a decent danceclub during Wed. evenings with good DJs spinning electronica/prog trance/house stuff.

And, of course, there's the Hong Kong in Harvard Sq. which once a week has an open mike standup comedy night which rates an 8 or 9 on the unintentional comedy scale.

But me, if I was back in Boston, I'd just prefer to have a couple of beers and some decents, affordable eats jawing with the punker girl bartenders at the Delux in the South End.

Holly: Feeling better?

Dave - I love the Hong Kong in Harvard Square - my friend was the DJ there on Saturday night for years. Things have changed though. Well, maybe I've changed. I've entered my 30s now and partying with the college crowd makes me feel like I forgot my walker and dentures. :)

Have you ever heard of the Cantab lounge? I loved going to see Little Joe Cook + the Thrillers on Saturday nights. He doesn't play as often since his heart attack about 6 years ago, but he rocked the crowd. I loved that place. Reminds me, I should get over there sometime.

I haven't been the Middle East lately, but some of my friends that live in New York City and are professional musicians tell me that the Middle East just doesn't draw a crowd like they did at one time. I can't confirm that though.

SO FUNNY that you mentioned The Pill, Dave! It was formerly the "Upstairs Lounge" and was located near the Harp over by the Boston Garden. I loved that place - my friends and I love Britpop and 80s music (Morrissey, the Smiths, the Cure, Depeche Mode, etc) and they always had the BEST music there. If we weren't dancing, we were shooting pool in there. The Pill is in Alston now, right? I know it was over in Chinatown for awhile... Went there for a Morrissey night. :)

Holly

unfortunately i spent my college years selling handjobs in bathroom stalls to pay for tuition. those were brutal, hard years. how i miss them.

Mama - Yup. All better. Can't you tell, it's hard to shut me up when I'm wired on tylenol/red bull/starbucks latte/and an hour of running tonight.

Mama, I've not seen you on here before - are you a newbie? Do you live in NYC? I'm in Boston.

:) Holly

Holly,

Yup - the Pill is in Allston. After it left upstairs of the Penalty Box, it moved to Allston, then shortly to Chinatown and now it pretty much got a permanent home at Great Scotts. In some ways, the Plan is ever better - similar music, but live. The event listings for both are here: http://www.greatscottboston.com/

Also, the Common Ground in Allston used to have Britpop/Mod and an 80s dance night. Wed or Thurs. night I think.

You might be right about the ME, but most of the band I saw there were smaller, more local bands playing upstairs, not in the larger room downstairs. upstairs was so small it was always crowded!

Jonathan you are *so* naughty. :)

Holly

Dave,

Thanks for confirming that. I have to go there now - takes a non-local to school a local I see.
I feel like I've been out of it for awhile (club/bar scene) so I'm thinking that I'll get back in the saddle again and try some of your suggestions out. :)

You mentioned a place near Central Square that plays electronica. I am a big electronica fan. My husband has a cd and actually composes electronic/techno music as an after-work hobby. His music has been compared to Tangerine Dream, not sure if you know who they are. Anyway, I need to check out this electronica place. Maybe next week...

Re: the Pill - did you go there when DJ Dave was spinning? He's the guy that started British Accents in 1999. He's still around...

http://www.britishaccents.org

Holly

Hey - its the Dave and Holly show!

As for DJ Dave, I can't remember. I first went to the Pill when it was at the Upstairs Lounge, probably around 97 or so? There was a martini bar on one side back when martini bars were all new and underground cutting edge and the other side was the dance floor. I think it was DJ Ken & Jen back then. Reminds me, after the Upstairs it moved to the Milky Way in JP. Have you been to the Milky Way - its a cool bar and live music joint with seven bowling lanes in the downstairs of the Bella Luna restaurant on Centre St. Check it out if youve never been.

Anywhoos, I think the Mod Night with DJ Vinny is still on Wed. at the Common Ground.

The place with chill electronica is River Gods: http://boston.citysearch.com/profile/35411104/

The Irish sports bar cum techno dancehall is Phoenix Landing, one block down from the ME. Oh, and I forgot about Lizard Lounge (more live music) in the downstaris of Cambridge Common. Then there is the Enormous Room, an unmarked place with an elephant on the door next to the Cambridge Kitchen - its a large, chillout lounge type place, although a little bit too see and be seen for my taste. And how did I forget the B-Side Lounge, also in Cambridge. I'll assume you are familiar with the regular Cambridge haunts (People's Republik, The Cellar, The Field, Plough & Stars)

OK, I wil stop now. Its making me homesick.

Jonathan--
THAT'S how I know you! Ah, good times!

When you weren't so sad, bitter, homophobic, sad, bitter, married, straight, bitter, such a yuppy, or trying so hard to be loved, understood or appreciated.

But, my, such soft palms!

ps: Spent a lot of time in Boston in college years.

Yes, Boston sucked. But in the VERY good way.

Ah, I miss Buddy's!

Holly: 3.5 hours ... you must have driven like a maniac!

:)

Jane

I grew up in Cambridge. Boston can be fun, but I actually prefer Somerville when I go back. Davis Square is like Harvard Square before Harvard Square turned into a boring-ass open air mall full of chain stores and fake punks.

And Davis Square has Red Bones. Mmmmmm.... BBQ.

Y'all are making me homesick for Boston :( Although after the loss of Man Ray, can it ever be the same?

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great job vlad