apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

On Saturday I was on my way to Crate and Barrel, from Ikea on Rt 17 in Paramus, and just short of the Crate and Barrel is a Brand New West Elm. It wasn't open (It opens this Wednesday) but the clerks let us inside for a peek. They have ALL the new fall stuff and the clerk said it was the only store that did. Already a few things caught my eye.

Just a heads up.

I thought I had said this on an open thread, but it looks like I hadn't, although I had kvelled to friends.

Anyway...although by now one might think that I am thoroughly in love with everything that could possibly have been created in 1941 in my apartment, the truth is that I
no longer was finding the quaintness of that fusebox to be something I really had to hold onto. Yes, the "G" with the lightning bolt through it had a certain amount of charm, and I'm embarassed to admit that I will KIND of miss it.

BUT.... I will most certainly NOT miss dealing with changing fuses! My new circuit breaker panel is installed and I'm as happy as a little girl!

Yay, circuit breakers!

Curtis, I still remember my parents' excitement at the big switch from fuses to circuit breakers -- this actually stands out as a major event of my childhood.

Retro covers for circuit breaker boxes would be cool, though.

Wende -

Thanks for sharing my funny little excitement. For some reason he didn't put any door on it, and since the box is thicker than what was there, it sticks out from the wall slightly as it is.

What I'm planning on doing -- and I'll probably document this in pictures, of course -- is to frame out the edges of it neatly with molding, so it at least has a finished look around it, but to hide it (and the enigmatic little silver box to the left of it that really does nothing), I'm going to hang one of the two framed paint-by-number paintings versions I have of The Last Supper -- the version that has colors that are slightly more compatible with the color of the pattern on my kitchen walls.

I'm going to install a little 18" piece of molding centered above the both of those little boxes on which I'll hang the wire of the picture frame. So that will be my cover.

Oooh oooh oooh! I thought there might be a Curtis Creates story to go with the new circuit breakers.

Much excitement about seeing those photos when it happens...

(You have me restraining myself from going into the laundry room and stroking our circuit breakers while reminiscing to the cats about the annoyance of fuses in other places we've lived.)

Hi everyone!

My husband ordered a print for me as a birthday gift from Mahar Dry Goods' website about four weeks ago. It hasn't arrived yet and he's left several voicemails and emails with the company's contacts with no response. Anyone ever shopped from that site or had any issues with their customer service? I was so excited to learn he'd bought me the print, but bummed out when it sounded like it was never going to get here!

Thanks!

has anyone used cork tiles before ( sealed of course) im bout to order them and use them as a backsplash in my lil kitchen but i want to get some feed back first.

Quick Q: Just bought a still-in-the-package Jonathan Adler shower curtain, made by Croscill.

The package says nothing about whether or not it needs a liner. Would you assume it does or does not need a liner since there is no mention of one?

BTW, it is machine-washable and 80% cotton, 20% poly.

get a liner....

MamaChilanga -

If a shower curtain isn't, itself, vinyl or plastic or something like that, you really kind of have to get a liner. I'd say that if something felt like fabric and did NOT need one it would probably have some huge star really big on it saying "LOOK! No liner needed!" and it would be enough of a big deal that it would say so, just like that.

bellita -
I haven't done it, but I would love to. Where did you order your tiles from, and are you installing them yourself? I would LOVE to see pics if you do it!! Good luck!

Anyone have an LG washer/dryer combo? I started to install an electric washer/dryer in my condo, but due to plumbing/venting issues, am thinking I make backtrack on the whole thing and get an LG combo.
If there's water backup problems with a conventional washer, will an LG have this problem? I've been told I will have to vent the washer line to avoid backup, and in my building this will be expensive and difficult.
Also, I've heard LG is coming out with a new model. Anyone know about this?

Belita,

We did cork tiles in my husband's old apt before we sold it. We put them on the kitchen floor and they looked fantastic. They attach just like vinyl tiles, with contact cement. We sealed them with polyurethane though we made the mistake of using a roller, which created tons of little bubbles. We managed to sand it down a little by hand and redo the finish with a brush.

We ordered them from from Jelinek Cork. You can get a sample kit of their tiles for about $10. It was totally worth it and they were also really helpful about what to order and how much, etc. Oh, and did I mention that they're cheap?

http://www.jelinek.com/

Hi, does anyone out there have any furniture covered with Ultrasuede? I am seriously in love with DWR's Theatre sofa in off-white ultrasuede...but I do have a cat who has on occasion thrown up on my furniture, and I love my red wine. Does it clean up as easily as they claim? Or will it become a nightmare for me? Thanks for any input!

i'm ordering my tiles from habitus ( www.habitusnyc.com)

but my research bug is tell me to keep searching..lol

THANKS for the roller tip i was going to use one but now i got the heads up.

don't worry i will take plenty of pics when its done ( im in the middle of renovations) my studio is small and slowly getting packed with knoll furniture and textiles. so i decided its time to redo the pad and use all my materials.

Initially i wanted a bamboo backsplash, but something of the cork that draws me in. also i think it would distract the eye from the HORRIBLE counter top my landlord installed when i moved in. YUK.

Curtis, gold leaf it!

Random question: is it common for ikea to put 'extra' screws etc, in their boxes? I put together a newish bedframe and it was great (no extra parts.) I'm starting on my reno of my kitchen and put together my first Akurum sink cabinet (I'm pretty comfortable with their direction style) and I noticed that their instructions include drilling for a spot where you don't have to (they've pre-punched a hole) and they include a few small items that aren't needed. I guess what I'm asking is this: do they find out sometimes there are issues in the installation, so they toss in extra items to address those issues but don't always reprint the instructions?

Oh and Curtis, I just replaced my twist in fuse service from 1948 (did it myself) and I can completely related to your enthusiasm. Something about that new panel box makes me want to hug it everytime I see it. Oh and if you have room in your panel, put in a whole panel surge protector. GE makes one to fit in its box. It's a nice extra level of surge protection (or at least it is out here in lightening alley.)

Oh Curtis, I just read there's no cover. You have to have a metal cover (in case of arcing) but you could put the last supper over the top of that. ok, I'll stop now.

Well, maybe I'll get a piece of sheet metal and put it behind the painting, as a backing, but there is no other way to attach a cover the way this panel is installed.

I am planning on ordering mdf cabinet doors and drawer fronts cut to size for my old kitchen cabinets and painting them myself. Does anyone know of a reliable online supplier? I found a few called "Wholesale Kitchen Cabinet Doors" and "Naked Kitchen Cabinet Doors" online but their websites are pretty basic with just an email address and telephone number for contact. I tried Lowes but they don't cut to accurate sizes and to be honest my little Honda won't be able to carry all the door and drawer fronts anyway. Anyone....? Thanks!

Lisa2,

I strongly advise visiting ikeafans.com for info on any weird stuff going on with ikea kitchen components (like, they were the only ones to alert people that the 12" cabinet came with a 15" template -- long story, BUT incredibly infuriating). Many of their parts are interchangable with the addition of another part, etc. So often there are screws and stuff left over, or they include extra hardware for attaching in alternate ways. And yes, I think there are discrepancies that may be dealt with without alerting the public. Hence ikeafans.com. Or call up the long island or paramus store in the afternoon and ask to speak to a knowleadgable person and explain in detail.

I put together an entire ikea kitchen and at times it bordered on paranormal rocket science -- I had to just figure it out by trial and error.

Good luck.

curtis: well, I covered the metal cover on my fuse box with a sumak bag cover I picked up at a tribal arts fair.... Not sure that would work with what you're doing though....

speaking of Ikea and electric panels I'm determined to cover mine with the Ikea Jagga magnetic board on hinges. But both flippin' stores in my area have been out of them forever! Please, do not ever under any circumstances try to call Ikea or talk to the virtual Ikea lady or contact the Ikea catalog. If something is not available, it is not available. They will not ship it from another store, they will not tell you when it will be available, they will not call you when it is available. I think it's the "what the hell do want? our stuff is dirt cheap, if it's not at this store and you can't order it we don't care, go buy something else" attitude. I have this strange fantasy that if somebody bent the protocol a little bit and shipped a $25 item from out of state to my local store it would throw their entire global system off track. It would be like something out of the movie Brazil. It's a love-hate relationship.

Just wanted everyone to know that apartmenttherapy is largely responsible for my growing paranoia about bedbugs. It was almost unbearable when, a couple of weeks ago, I found a note from the landlord under the door: a couple of tenants had reported infestations!!! Luckily, no one on my floor had any problems, but I figured it was only a matter of time. Happy ending (hopefully): I received another note under the door today indicating the entire building would be visited by specialized pest control this coming Monday. There would be a $25 fee if someone missed the appointment.
By the way, my building was recently taken over by new landlords, and I almost kind of like them now. Previously, my landlord (a genuine slum lord!) had been voted by The Village Voice to be one of the top 10 worst land lords in all of New York City. My god the bastard earned that recognition. Had to vent!

and i just want to say that AT is on my list of new addicitions.
along with: shoes, textiles, mid-century furniture, new ways to annoy my dog, ice pops, and c.o bigelow lipgloss.

*hanging my head* wooo is me

We had cork tiles nearly everywhere in one of our old houses - they are wonderful - warm and soft to walk on - waterproof and easy to clean when sealed properly - and a lovely warm wood colour - thoroughly recommended!

Curtis - I would suggest you get the electrican back to finish the job & put the panel cover on. It is code violation (and slightly dangerous). There are surface mount and flush mount covers available. In any event, please be careful if you hang anything with metal in front of the panel, especially a picture with metal wire on the back!

Samantha S -

Congratulations on getting rid of your slumlord, and actually, if the bedbug situation in your building is actually getting taken care of in a very real way, that's almost better than it not having happened in the first place; especially if it never happened to you to start with.

One thing that a new landlord might eventually do, is take your building into the world of going co-op, which could or not be good news for you.