apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

must...see....pix...of...apartment....
or has the blessed child arrived? Is that why no update? Inquring minds want to know!

Ditto.

Hey, let's not put any more pressure on them. ;-)

Seems like this blog has really slowed down, in general, lately.

I think part of it is that they seem to be posting far fewer open threads, which is where most of the casual congregating took place (for good or bad).

OK, I just looked back through the open threads and realize they've been doing pretty much the same all along- 1 per day.

Maybe they aren't leaving as many things on the from page? It use to seem like there were at least or three open threads on the front page. Is that what it is, or am I wrong there, too?

does anyone know of any place in the city, or in brooklyn ideally, where one might find home improvement classes? i know out in the 'burbs the home depots give classes like that, but i can't find any info indicating that our communist breadline of a home depot offers them. my partner and i are interested in learning the basics of wielding hammers and powerdrills, installing a surround sound system, basic home repair empowerment, essentially. anyone know of anything like that?

ps - maxwell, sorry i just drooled on your new flooring!

Matilda, Pixie -- there are pics now if you scroll down a bit, they were posted some time this afternoon. They've made a lot of progress! I have to admit that I scrolled through the comments thinking "What will Matilda have to say about the baby bed, etc.?" and I guess you hadn't seen the pictures yet. I'm really eager to see the finished apartment -- and the new little GR when he/she makes an appearance (which apparently hasn't happened yet.)

I'm in Boston right now so I'm doing this from memory (which at my age is a bit of a forgettery), but the learning annex used to have such a course. reasonably priced as I recall. no idea if it still exists though. this is going back a couple of years. I'd also check the listing in the local freebie papers, though that's a long shot.

ooooh nooooo...

minor emergency.

so i was putting the finishing touches on my brand new bathroom, right?

and i was installing some lovely new hooks on the bathroom door. the bathroom door which is one of the lovely WW2-era details not gutted in the late 70's "update". these doors look really thick and hard and substantial and indestructible.

but, as i have just discovered, they are not. the teensy short nails i was using to hang the hooks went ALL THE WAY THROUGH the top of the door. and now i have 4 lovely nail points coming out the other end of the door. the beautiful irreplaceable 40's era door which is original to the space.

fuck. what can i do about this? i mean, the door isn't ruined. and i guess i could saw off the protruding nail points, spackle over them, and repaint the door. but ????? is there a better way? how does one go about sawing off nail points?

i have a feeling this is going to be the "fix something yourself" portion of my cure next month.

Smaller nails can be clipped with wire cutters.

How thick is the door? My 1920s doors are about 1-1/4" thick, with very thin inset panels. If you're nailing through a similarly thick part, you may want to just try even smaller nails (then use wood filler on the holes -- it comes in tubes like toothpaste if you don't want a whole pot of it).

my 40's doors are about the same.

i was nailing through the uberthin inset panels, which seemed a lot more substantial before i started nailing through them...

these nails look a bit too hardy for wirecutters. but maybe i'm underestimating the wirecutters (which i don't think i have around the house anyway).

the hooks do look fab, though. actually, i'm doing a serious deep clean today in anticipation of visitors, and i kinda forgot how sweet my whole pad is looking these days. there are few corners that need work, and i'm looking forward to a once-over via the cure, but seriously, i take this place so for granted when i'm flipping through decor mags.

Ooooohhhh! I was afraid you'd say you'd nailed through the panels! I didn't realize how thin those were until I went to measure the main doors.

Before we started packing, I'd come home from trips and be thrilled and faintly surprised at how the apartment looked post-Cure. Needless to say, I'm *really* looking forward to unpacking in a couple weeks. (Nope, no sense of freedom at having less stuff around -- only frustration that I can't do things because the necessary tools are packed.)

I was admiring your Flickr photoset just a minute ago -- you have a really nice place.

Opo, this is sort of an "out there" suggestion but I think it would suit you: why don't you use the nails that are coming through the door panels to crucify a small squirrel to the door? it can serve as a sort of Milton-esque warning over the doorpost of any unfortunate sap who might be spending the night with you..."Beware all ye who enter here!"

P2,
Where are you?
Always enjoy your posts but haven't seen any from you lately.
You even missed Maxwell's firm v. soft survey.

yes p2 we need more of your wit and wisdom. come back to the 5 and dime p2 p2. i am putting my philadelphia home on the market this week and it would really calm my nerves to read a comment or two from you about almost anything. or at least come over later to make my home look perfect. a girl can dream.....

thanks wende!

btw, can't wait for the unveiling of the phoenix place.

This is another "out there" question. I live in a rather small house (1400 sq ft) with my husband, three children, dog and two cats. Our house was built in 1936 on one acre of land in a wonderful community. I love where I live, but the on-going debate with my husband has been our lack of entertaining. I think our house is too small, but it could be considered palatial compared to some other digs on this board. How do the other posters on this site manage the entertaining issue? How many people have you crammed into your apartment? I've seen many movies where this huge parties are held in tiny New York apartments, but they always seem so fun!

Muffy,

Definitely not necessary to have a BIG place for a party to be successful, or to be able to entertain.

Check out AT archives for party tips ranging from music, to flow, to number of people per sq ft., to food, etc. (believe it was from the Christmas/New Year holiday period)

If you feel your place is RELATIVELY small (remember, plenty of folks in the world have smaller homes than yours), then how about starting with your entertainment on a small scale at first. Could be as simple as having two or three friends over to watch a game on TV while munching on salsa and chips and enjoying homemade frozen margaritas (AT archives should also have Maxwell's recipe).

Remember that the most important tip for making your guests feel welcome is your smile and hospitality and not the size of your home. Guests want to feel welcomed and comfortable.

After a couple of successful small get-togethers, then try the cram-'em-in big bash.

i don't think you have to be able to have a lot of people over to be able to entertain. my dinner table fits maximum 6 people, and i guess if i needed to i could do something buffet style (or maybe just cocktails) and have 10 people over. but more than that would be pretty impossible short of the Holly Golightly house party. but mostly, it's nice to have a friend or two for dinner.

i never have fun at those crazy crowded NY apartment shindigs, and i don't think the inability to throw one is a weakness at all.

Help- Just bought a mid-century-modern-esque desk with 3 small drawers on one side(not sure what kind of wood--Maple? Walnut? Cherry?) And now I'm stuck--what kind of (comfortable)desk chair would go with this? Most of our furniture is wood, and the sofa, etc. are neutral colors. We really don't have anything black in the apt., so, I'm thinking most of the black desk chairs wouldn't work. I'm going to try to link a photo. Thanks!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53628443@N00/tags/desk/