apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

please help !

I bought the primary pouf from DWR 3 weeks ago and one of its leg broke when it was knocked down by a 4 year old kid. Any glue for putting the plastic back to the foam -

I bought it on clearance so cannot return it back.

My name has the picture of the pouf on it

I am looking for that post about those stacking shoeboxes with the clear fronts. They are a strange shape and are multi-colored and in the post, the photo showed them being used in the livingroom, sort of as a decor element. This ringing any bells? I want to send the link to a client and I can't find it anywhere! I think it was in the last few months, but now I'm wondering if it was AT NYC or another city... eek! Help! :) Thanks!
~Monica

Monica:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/shelving-storage/hotel-by-pure-nomade-016337

I (and others) have found that often the best way to search for stuff on AT is to just google it. I googled my name and shoeboxes, since I knew I had posted a comment.

my windows need replacing, which i'd been procrastinating about thinking about, but it's getting to the danger point. any suggestions for contractors/handymen? i think that the frame as well as the glass will need to be changed.

i am really terrified of what the prices are going to be on this.

(reposted bc i think i posted in an old thread)

We just got our windows replaced last spring, and they were not nearly as expensive as I had imagined. We used Bella windows ((718)706-0266) and it was a rather pain free experience.

Pixie, THANK YOU! I hadn't thought of Googling it with my name but that is a great idea. I always learn something new here at AT! :)
~Monica

Hi AT,

I am looking for a spa-style wooden bath mat for my bathroom. I really like the look of Viva Terra's Hinoki Wood Bath Mat (linked above). Has anyone seen this used in a small bathroom? What do you think? Is there another resource that you know of that will have the same effect?

Thanks so much!

Lovers of mid-century style, I'd love your opinions. I'm buying a house with a knotty pine panelled den. The house is a 1957 ranch. I'm conflicted about this den. (click my name for a picture) If this were your house, would keep the paneling or lose it? If you kept it, what would you do in this room? how would you furnish it and use it? What kind of floor would you love to have (hardwood in the rest of the house...)

Thanks for any suggestions.

Instead of nightstands, my boyfriend and I want to install reasonably deep, short shelves beside our bed--think Ikea Lack shelves, but half the length of the smaller size. Has anyone seen anything this size, and sturdy enough that it would hold all the regular stuff, i.e., glass of water, book, lamp, alarm clock...?

Kumon,
I wouldn't be so quick to say you can't return your pouf, clearance item or not. The website says "supports more than 300 lbs". Unless that visiting child was a hefty little sucker, I'd at least phone DWR and plead my case for an "adjustment or store credit".

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a kitchen cabinet that's white paint on solid wood? Also, something simple in shape and finish. No antique-ing or bevelled edges. Just a simple frame, maybe recessed panel and a nice, white paint.
Thanks!

I bought a '30s house with dark pine paneling and we painted right over it, a creamy white. It looked great but it definitely gives you a cottage look, not mid-century modern at all. I wonder if you could do something fun with some contrasting stripes?

OCGIRL, you could paint it which would be a start. You can also get this heavy wallpaper that is specifically for painting over paneling (I can't think of what it's called, maybe someone else will come up with the name of it). Anyway, you hang it like wallpaper and it gives you a nice smooth surface to paint over, obscuring the grooves of the paneling.

You can also consider getting doing a finish like Venetian Plaster over the paneling, which would hide the texture of it but again, you're getting a whole different look than mid-century. I'm just throwing some ideas out there to spark your imagination, sorry if it's not what you had in mind. Good luck!
~Monica

The woods behind the house is FABulous ! and the wood floors. For me wood is never enough ! But if you want to do away with the wood panelling you can do a minimal white wash - show a little of the wood and more of the white. But it is not mid century.

Another idea not midcentury could be - paneling one of the walls with fabric - of your choice, depending on what kind of mood you want to evoke in this room

ocgrl. Personally, I'm not too crazy about the knotty pine ONLY because that's what I had in my bedroom growing up! That said, if you decide to keep, check out this gallery of pics from the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland OR for inspiration. They seem to have successfully incorporated knotty wood with updated-lodge-means-hipster-lounge aesthetic. These pics should give you some ideas. http://www.dougfirlounge.com/gallery.html

grazie, bella erica

We have an old farm house that got knotty-pined in the 40s, from trees on the property. When I first saw the house, I figured I'd paint all of it but I'm going to wait and see. I've been filling the house with modern furniture and bright rugs.
I think the hardest thing about these wall is lighting. This stuff eats light.

My sister had wood paneling, but hers was an even darker color, and it was real walnut or something, but it was just soooooo dark. Instead of painting all of it, she just painted the top part and did a chair rail stained to match the bottom part. It was a good compromise for her, but that did lend kind of a cottage look to it.

I'm really not a fan of knotty pine at all, myself. I'd be tempted to paint it a satin white I think, and then emphasize the verticality in the furniture even more somehow by doing some of it VERY vertical and some of it VERY horizontal if you're trying to be modern at all.

But

Amanda--I was in Crate & Barrell tonight and I saw wooden spa bath mats; I can't remember exactly how much they were, but they were under $50.

I had an interesting problem with my front door in my rental. There was a huge gap (1 1/2 inch) between the bottom of the door and the threshhold. Its also made of metal so I couldn't drill a doorjam into the bottom to fill the gap. So I took liquid nail and just nailed the sucker to the door and it worked perfectly. Now I don't have to smell the daily hallway floor polish!

amanda, i was in bed bath and beyond this week and saw not wooden spa bath mats, but nice looking, inexpensive ($9.99ish for 24" x 30"ish) bamboo bath mats made of strips of bamboo and backed in rubber. there were two sizes, both bound with either black or tan canvass.

ocgirl

Painting the knotty pine panelling will make it look like a porch or barn. (Been there, done that)

You will decide on the use of the room after you have been in the house awhile. These panelled dens were used mostly for TV rooms back in the 50's.

Go to eBay and get a decorating book from this time period. You will get a kick out of it and maybe even be able to adapt some ideas from it.

Personally, I would keep the panelling and do the room with an Asian theme. Western themes were big in the 50's also.(lodge-look)

I've always loved ranch homes and I think yours is gorgeous and that setting! WOW

OCGIRL, I notice from your pix that this room is off the kitchen and opens to the outside. Is this a finished "breezeway". If it is treat it like a porch and go ahead and paint the panelling if it is too dark.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Diane, I've been checking out pics of a Better Homes and Gardens decorating book from 1957, and I'm keying on this photo for inspiration: http://www.swankpad.org/rooms/room13.htm

Sis, I wouldn't call the room a breezeway. If it were a breezeway, I think I'd have a less of a problem because the room would probably be brighter. I think Priscilla is right about these walls eating light.

Hi, ATers,

Seeking your advice re: finding a lovely, simple, round, wood *small* coffee table in NYC.

I've gone through all the store links on AT—the perfect table is the Wegner low table (see link in my name), but the price is too steep for comfort. We also like the Eames plywood table, but it's slightly (but definitively) too big for the space we've got. I'd like to keep the cost under $500 if at all possible, but I'm starting to feel like that's going to be difficult. Max diameter: 30"; height 17-18".

I've been checking Craig's list for a few weeks and haven't found anything quite right—are smallish round coffee tables strangely rare? I never knew....

Any and all ideas will be cherished and investigated.

Thanks a million!

L

West Elm is clearancing out a round coffee table for $50 on their site.

Does anyone have any experience with painting OVER chalkboard paint? I'm renting but I really want this look. On another blog, someone suggesting installing cork tiles on the wall, which is a good idea, but could get pricy quickly.

Any thoughts???

OCGirl: I just love the picture that is linked in my name. Fantastic example of Eero Saarinen mid-century style. You could go for a look like that.

Nicole, thanks--that's a beautiful room! love the fireplace!