apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Does anyone know where I can locate the following:

the mechanism used to hold such things as a Kitchenaid mixer in a cabinet behind a door that one can then pull up to counter height to use? I've seen these on some kitchen remodel shows but now that I need one I don't know where to find that one. I'm using it for another purpose but this will do. Any suggestions? Anyone use one?

Jackie, if you do a search for mixer lift or appliance lift, you'll find it. (I definitely want one of these someday.)

Joan A.

thank you. I did a search and find what I'm looking for, although if anyone else has ideas on where to find I'd appreciate more info.

I'm using this for a small printer.

Thanks so much.

Jackie,
My mom had these for both the KitchenAid mixer and the sewing machine - and they were great. She had a local carpenter she used often to install them.
I am familiar with Hafele and I can recommend them based on quality.

One thought - you really want hardware that moves smoothly together. In other words ... don't go the cheap route here. My mom's sewing table was not on the best of lifts and it would tilt and we would scramble to keep it all steady (very I love Lucy). The heavy duty cast iron sewing machine my mom used would definately have survived the fall - unlike a printer.

Alex: Thanks. I will look at Hafele. This is actually for my landlady who has just re-designed her office and wants something to elevate her printer from inside a cabinet. So, your info re: your Mom's sewing table is valuable. I agree that going the cheap route isn't worth it and my landlady (I live in this gorgeous 3 family along the Hudson River)is a perfectionist. I'm helping her with info search. Now, I'm interested in this for myself with my sewing machine so your Mom's sewing machine story is and interesting coincidence.

Nice day to both you and Joan A.

Hubby and I are leaving on Friday for a week in Paris and London. Both of us studied abroad there many moons ago and know the sites pretty well, but we have been so busy with work that neither of us has had any research time for finding good shopping! Yikes! Any suggestions for fun design shops in either city? (Am aware of French Touche and Habitat; purchasing large furniture is probably not realistic). I have also seen a London bookstore, well-known for its vintage books, recommended in several places but of course now that I'm looking for it I can't find it (Pantheon? Parthenon? Nothing remotely close?).

can anyone recommend a place to get a cool cowhide rug? i found random places on the internet but have no sense of what is good/quality/decent price.

Any recommendations for a bathroom designer / architect in New York. I live in a small studio and have a small bathroom...I want to gut the whole thing and do it right from start to finish. Only I have no idea how or what I want to do...I need someone who will take charge and take me through this process.

d in dc:

In Paris, definately the Christian Liagre shop (much cheaper than Holly Hunt, and not to the trade only!), as well as the flea markets (those are a MUST, esp. le Clignancourt!!! Here is some info : http://parisperfect.com/paris-flea-markets/text/paris-flea-markets.html). My husband and I fell in love with Stern Graveur, an engraving shop in one of Paris' passages (arcades). We had Mme. Stern do our daughter's birth announcement as a romantic gesture (very much a lost art). JC de Castelbajac Concept Store, 31 place du marché Saint Honoré is fun, and there are tons of chic ethnic accessories stores around (the Asian aesthetic is very popular). My husband being an impassioned bread baker (Bread Alone), we had to make pilgrimmages to Le Moulin de la Vierge and Poilane. When in Paris, macarons at Laduree and Pierre Herme are a must.

In London, I like Carden & Cunietti's little shop, as well as Portobello Road, and Selfridges is a must-see. I have always loved Liberty, although it does not have much in the way of home furniture -- they tend towards accessories (they are not too far from a Conran's). I would also check out Paul Smith's home store (9 Albermarle in Mayfair) and Twenty Twenty-One for midcentury modern. Nicole Fahri and Armani Casa are both in NY, so you may not be overly interested in checking on the London branches. I should also add Chair, Monsoon Home and Muji. Oh! and Designers Guild.

d in dc - check out design*sponge blog archives for her recommendations - she was in Paris this past spring.

Jonathan, check out www.eq3.com for cowhide rugs. that's the last place i saw them.

Jonathan,
The CW seems to be that the best cowhide comes from Brazil - although I don't know why this is. Texas hides seem to be shaggier - don't know why that is.
DWR sells one for $750 - which is expensive but the quality is good. If you can afford this and can't find a good source in NYC, I'd recommend buying from them. I don't know of a good source in NYC.
In DC, I would by mine at Prua in Georgetown, which imports direct from Brazil. They go down and select the hides themselves. The quality is great and they are priced around $400 - 500. Usually the website has far less than what they have in stock so it is worth going to the store. One problem with the store is that it is not always open (e.g. when they are in Brazil) and doesn't seem to have fixed hours - so patience is important.
I hope this helps. (I can't believe I'm giving out help to someone I think is so uselessly and unrepentantly MEAN to people on this site - hopefully this will help others too)

Which Jonathan is this who wants cowhide help?

a reasonable point

Marm--buy a tester and try it. A great big bunch of it. Your actual lighting conditions will affect its colour on the wall. You can't tell from the paint chip.

Note the sheen in the tester, though...it may be different from what you'll want eventually and as sheen affects your perception of the colour I just wanted you to be aware of that.

Good luck and happy painting.

Hi, I'm trying to replace my old, old Modern Maid dishwasher that's built into a combo unit, with a stovetop right on top of it and an oven over that. When the Whilpool unit I'd bought was delivered, the installer said it couldn't go into that space because it couldn't be anchored onto the stovetop. Anyone have any experience w/this sort of thing and/or know of a model that can go into that kind of space? Thanks!

Hey Jackie
I actually have this one:
http://www.ovisonline.com/store/detail.asp?product_id=RAS-ML-HDCR
I never used it and was just thinking the other day that I should get rid of it.

You are free to take it if you can get to downtown Manhattan or I can send it to you if you pay for the shipping.

I can't vouch for the quality because I never used it (it's still in its original shipping box) but it certainly looks substantial and is heavy.

Hello, color experts. I was wondering: has anyone had any experience with Benj. Moore's "Portland Gray?" Is it really mauvy?

I've actually been enjoying some of the color debates in the contest threads. I've been searching for a particular imagined color for months that lurks somewhere in Taupe/Gray Land. I don't have a lot of experience with color, so it's been a damn hard search.

If you didn't now, Maxwell and Amber were both featured in an article in the Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1004/p13s02-lihc.html

P2, it's ME, who wants the cowhide help. So bugger off, you godamned jackwad.

Here's another thing that's pissing me off: i VERY MUCH SUSPECT the maid is slowly, week after week, pilfering our silver. Since we moved, I began with a full set of antique silver and now I'm down to a few godamned pieces. We aren't taking the stuff to godamned picnics in godamned prospect park, so what the f*ck is going on? i'll tell you what's going on. the maid is stealing them, one by one.

When I raised this suspicion to the chunkster this evening, she said i was a moron and YET she failed to offer ANY COMPETING EXPLANATION for the depletion of my silver.

I'm pissed and want vengeance.

Alana, thanks for the tip. It seems that this shade isn't available in the little tester pot, but they do have samples of the next shade darker from the color chip. I'm at the point where I feel like I've already spent way too much money on little paint testers. Time to just make a decision and love it, hate it, or otherwise live with it.

Feh, I'm often drawn to these really tricky colors that aren't easy to describe. I want a not quite brownish, grayish color with a hint of plum or raisin, but not dark.

Ah, then I'm keeping my super-secret, top-quality, dirt-cheap cowhide source a secret.

marm--
Is Portland Gray one of the Pottery Barn colors? If so, chances are good your local Pottery Barn has a wall already painted in it for your perusal.

Thanks p(2), but it was too good to be true. Not a PB color. Boo. At any rate, I think I've come to a decision on the matter of paint colors for the living room.

Q: Are there any general rules of thumb when choosing and painting an accent wall? Things one should keep in mind or try to avoid?

I know that people come to this site and its open threads seeking specific advice, but I don't want to hog the thread with the million little questions I have. I don't really have any friends with decorating know-how, so I really appreciate the responses and interest from the folks here.

Tis!

P2, vengeance is sweet.

Jamie Pup: LET'S TALK.

P2: Keep it a secret. This is why I adore you.

P2, i know you are tormenting me and know of no such source.

i'm going to ikea tomorrow. does anyone want to come? we can have a meatball eating contest and then purge ourselves in the bathroom, so i can keep my fabulously fit arse

On appliance lifts: However sturdy they are, do they vibrate at all? If so, I'd worry about using one as a base for, say, an inkjet printer, or even for beating eggwhites.

Question about polyurathane on new wood floors. Contractor is wondering whether I'd like a satin or a high-gloss finish. Have no idea. Anyone have any thoughts/experience they'd like to share?

Jonathan, perhaps you could select your favorite hide from a slaughterhouse and tan it yourself. It might make a good bonding project for you and the half savage bastard and he'll always have a meaningful momento to cherish. It might make the pilfering maid have a new perspective on you also. You could even have a kosher hide, if you want to,(?)

Laura -

If you feel like you need to see a bright, reflective surface in order to feel that your floor is "sparkling clean", then use the high-gloss. Or if you have a lot of furniture that's high-gloss and want to keep it in that same vein, do that.

But I think that a satin-finish floor is very handsome, and doesn't call as much attention to itself, nor to the flaws that are in it.

Thanks, Curtis! Exactly the kind of guidance I was looking for.

Re: Appliance lifts. I have only experienced one in my life, in my grandmother's kitchen (from the '60s and it still works today), and there has been no vibration that I could notice.

Jonathan is not that common a name, and at the request of someone last spring the "other" Jonathan (me) posts as JonathanB to avoid confusion. As for Jonathan's disappearing silver, perhaps baby is on a rampage looking for the silver spoon it feels it deserves.

d in dc: to add to your itinerary, I like the Angel Market in London. Also had fun at the Camden Market, though it's a bit toursity on the one hand, and down at the heels on the other. There was an antiques co-op off Picadilly -- Grey's? -- that was worth a browse.

In Paris, the Villages St. Paul in the Marais. Nearby is Ottomania, a great source for Turkish and Iznik inspired housewares and decorative arts.

Also, I was also in the Christian Science Monitor article, if anyone cares.

hey, I hope that some of you are still around on this thread...I desperately need help.

I usually stay away from processed sugar, but some madness at lunch resulted in me eating both a chocolate chip cookie and an apple covered in peanut butter and chocolate.

The end result is that I have just hit a MAJOR sugar low... I am literally falling asleep onto my monitor. This always happens to me with sugar...it's why I try and avoid it. I really really need to stay awaye through the rest of the work day. Does anyone have any suggested remedies?

Well, I don't know about sugar lows, but sometimes when I feel like I'm starting to crash in the afternoon, I drink super cold water, and get up to do some light stretching. It gives me a little boost.

d in dc, Galerie Sentou is a good design shop in Paris. You can check out some of their things online at sentou.fr. If you go to the Villages St Paul like JonathanB suggested, there's a Sentou right there on the rue Francois Miron.

Is anyone else dying to know what happened to the 9 month cure?

jackie

jammypup at gmail dot com

Puh-lease... I am the Queen of All Things Animal Skin, so BE SURE I have a source.

speaking of animals, i saw a papier mache tiger that stands on the floor (it's about three feet high). would it be a sign of lunacy to purchase it for the area in front of my bed?

i find the idea cute and funny because it's me, though i think in a stranger, i'd find it a highly questionable and possibly crazy choice.

(i feel i ought to have posted this anonymously.)