apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Morning,

I posted a question on yesterday's open thread about lighting shops. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thx.

Good morning! I'm having a paint crisis and would be grateful for help, especially from anyone with a Benjamin Moore color fan. My living room, kitchen, and hall are painted Powell Buff, HC-35, which I adore, a perfect, balanced gold. The other colors I have going on in those rooms are a red that leans toward rust, pumpkin, dark brown, and green. I have light maple floors. Now for the problem: My guest "bedroom" (really a glorified closet) is in view from the living room and I want to paint it dark brown. Temporarily insane this past Sunday, we painted it Clinton Brown, HC-67, which turned out to be way too dark and nearly purple on the wall. I need a brown that's going to have the same mellow balance as the Powell Buff, lighter, and without a purple undertone. I'm thinking Plymouth Brown, HC-73, but have lost faith in my own judgment. Can anyone help?

Diane--

I recently did my bathroom in Branchport Brown (HC-72) and love the results. It doesn't have the purple undertone you mentioned, and I really like the color. I painted it over a darker brown (a junky behr dark brown that i inherited from the previous owner) and have liked the results. good luck!

Hello!

Recently purchased a metro sectional from room & board (scheduled to arrive in December--and waiting as patiently as possible). Just wanted to see if anyone has had good/bad experiences? I was kind of limited in what would get through the door...

Thanks!

Nancy--Branchport Brown was my other choice, but if anything it looks even darker than Clinton Brown. It doesn't seem practically black to you?

It is a very dark color, but my room has very pale tile and lots of light, so the darkness doesn't seem as stark. If you're concerend about the darkness I'd go with the Plymouth.

I'm sure this will be posted here soon, but I couldn't resist posting this here from the kitchen site:
http://kitchen.apartmenttherapy.com/food/news/welcoming-myself-back-to-the-kitchen-014119

i need to outfit my loft space with a quality mattress that is AS THIN AS POSSIBLE - any suggestions? the height of the sleeping area is only 3.5' so i need to really keep the mattress as thin as possible, but i don't want to sacrifice sound sleep...is there anything out there?

the obvious thoughts have been to opt for a quality futon mattress...also, i have quite a bit of space up there so i am considering getting a custom fit/cut mattress - any suggestions?

someone mentioned the place off of houston and allen that does custom foam and stuff - never been there - anyone familiar?

thanks - kind of have to take care of this asap as i agreed to donate my mattress this weekend.

BK,

I would go with Dixie Foam. I love their mattresses more than any other. They do custom work as well.

click on my name...

How long would you wait before removing the blue tape on a paint job. I just spent all day painting dark grey stripes in my hallway, and I'm DYING to see the finished product. The paint can says wait four hours before adding a second coat of paint. Having waited the four hours and added the second coat, how long before I can see my handiwork in all it's glory?

Anthea I've found sooner is actually better for pulling blue tape.

If anyone has any feedback on Crate & Barrel Petrie, or Room and Board Grace or Burke,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauriecrist/286160164/
I really need a chair in my living room to sit and read in. It should be cute and light, but cozy enough to curl up or throw my legs over the side. Any and all feedback appreciated.

anthea, zurie is right. Go pull that tape off!

anthea, how did it go? do tell please - or show pics even :)

Looks like the editors of "O at Home" are avid ATers, too...

The Winter issue features both Maragert and James' very chic and inventive apartment on page 57 ("The Great Divide") and Jane and Darko's "Cozy Thicket" on page 108 ("Where the Wild Things Are").

Congrats to both for the (beautiful!) coverage. Both places look spectacular in print!!

Whoops.. I meant "Margaret" Sorry 'bout that!

zurie- I have the petrie, and I LOVE it! It needs a throw pillow, but I always sit on it sideways with my legs either curled up or dangling over the arm. Surprisingly comfortable.

thanks cat that was exactly what I was hoping to hear!

Well I have pulled the tape and I have to admit I have mixed feelings about it. I chose Behr's color Sled, which looked on the test stripe as a dark grey-- almost black. But now the color looks like a very deep purple, black in most light. I'm okay with it, but I wonder if it's going to look weird with the black accents and funiture I'd planned to put in the room.

Also, although there was very little bleeding, there are places where the paint pulled away from the wall as I pulled the painters tape off. I was super careful, but every stripe has at least one problem area. What should I do? I was thinking of taking a razor blade to these areas, re-taping the sections that have issues and then repainting tomorrow. I have to do the baseboard tomorrow anyway.

I promise to post pictures someday. Unfortunately I have no digital camera. I just finished my 24 disposable camera this weekend, and it will be ready with a disk of picutres on Friday and I'll add them to my flickr account. I'm working on my second disposable camera and I'll add those pictures when I get them, which should only be a couple of weeks.

Thanks for your help everyone.

One crucial thing about pulling tape off....assuming you used the Scotch blue painter's tape, but regardless of what you used, you should pull straight down so that the paint edge doesn't "wiggle". Straight down is the only way to get a clean line. And leaving it on too long bonds the paint to the tape. Ok, one more thing, when you lay the tape down, it works best if you run your fingernail (or something sharp) flat edged only along the side of the tape that will touch the paint. 99% of the time you'll get a perfect edge.

I'm sure you did a great job. Curious to see.

Did anyone answer GZgoingMod aka Geraldine's question? I'm curious also for the info.

I was surfing around and discovered this US company www.showroomgarage.com. Frankly their cabinets look too good for a garage and a total wank for an area that is supposed to be where you can get messy. Can you imagine anyone who owned this stuff spilling paint, glue etc.

However I submit it for examination & comment by ATers

Does anyone remember what rocker Maxwell got in the Nine Month Cure? I searched but can't seem to find it. Thanks.

Deb of Oz, holy cabinets Batman! Those "garage" pieces are incredible. I could make the most kickass kitchen out of those bits! Love the look. A little terrified of the cost. Any idea on the price range? I would never put those things in my garage, they're too nice, I agree.

I don't usually care about kitchen cabinets, but those garage vaults are gorgeous. They remind me of an aga stove, with those colors. I couldn't find prices on the site, I guess if you have to ask, you can't afford it anyway.

But I do hope some adventurous investigator will report back to us on prices, just for curiousity.