apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I want opinions on the comfort of the Bertoia side chair. I found an old one for a decent price. I am thinking about using it as a desk chair which means sitting in this chair for pretty long periods of time (doing homework). This will be in my tiny apartment so I don't want a big office chair. I don't think DWR would like me sitting in their store for 3 hours "test driving" the chair and not buying anything so I thought I'd ask the AT community. Thanks!

Borderline design-related question. I received a beautiful orchid plant as a gift over the weekend and I have no idea how to take care of it. There are thousands of websites with different bits of advice, but some seem to contradict each other. Orchids appear in many design photos, but does anyone really have these in their home (successfully)?

Asking again if anyone can recommend a carpenter/furniture maker to make a large mirror, wood framed, tiled, piano-hinged to a wall.

Also, does anyone have any experience with any Estate Sale companies in New Jersey? Unfortunately, my uncle has been placed in assisted living and his belongings need to find new homes. He has a lovely collection of Asian decorative items, AND a HUGE stash of vinyl LPs. In theory, I'd eBay it all for my Mom, but unfortunately, time is not on our side.

robyn--
I think orchids need humidity, more than anything else. I used to have success with them though. The tendency is to over-care for them, which (as with many a gay boyfriend) is very often the kiss of death. :)

gmculp, i just got a pair of those chairs (for cheap too, incidentally). they are not comfortable enough imho for spending more than 5-10 hours a week on them (i.e. during dinner or guest entertainment).
you likely would improve comfort enormously by padding it with some sort of covers.

(btw, i personally love the chair and probably would get it anyway... it is visually and space tiny)

P(too): can't offer help, but just wanted to offer good luck on your uncle's adjustments to his new home. I hope it goes easy.

gmculp,

If your going to use one as a desk chair...i dont recommend it. perhaps you can get a saarinen executive chair?
those are more comfy.

At the showroom we all sit on either Life or Chadwicks. but they are a bit big if your small on space. I use a Tulip chair at home as my desk chair.

Thanks, olya! I had the children's version of the chairs as a child (a pretty amazing hand-me-down from my Dad's ex-wife). They were black and my parents would always trip over them because they blended in with the rug. I don't remember sitting in them but I liked them a lot. That childhood memory is why I want to buy the chair.

I love the Tulip chair, bellaknollie. It reminds me of the Muppets Pigs in Space skit. I will keep my eyes peeled for one. Unfortunately, a lot of other people seem to love that design, too! They are selling for a lot on Ebay and craigslist.

Patrick

You might try Jason at Aardvark Interiors. He's an amazing cabinet maker who did some work on my husband's place before we sold it. He's based in Park Slope. 917-716-8005.

yes its sad that they are being sold for alot on ebay and cl.if i didnt get mine from work i would still be saving for one.

Robyn--
My mother in law has great success with her orchids. She keeps them in bright, indirect lighting and claims the biggest key is to keep them on top of a bed of pebbles with water, for extra humidity.

P2, my compassion for your situation -- we are going through the same thing with my husband's grandfather -- not sure if he will be in an assisted living or nursing home (I pray not the latter), but it is a tough journey. Anyway, there is a place in Linden NJ called Time and Again antiques that does estate sales. A friend used them and she said they were very helpful and respectful of her grandmother's home. Good luck.

http://www.timeandagainantiques.com/contactinformation/

After looking at all of the great outdoor spaces that have been on this site and reading all of the positive comments. It seems that everyone, as myself, would like to have a private outdoor area that would be "attached" to their living space. But I wonder how much space would you like to have and how much would you be willing to pay for it over your normal living costs. I am from Chicago and I would say that the outdoor space could really only be comfortably used about five months out of the year, May thru September. We have those little balconies that are nice but in my mind to small. I would like to have something much larger. Say at least 10 by 10 or even better would be 10 by 20. But then, if I found a place like that I don't know how much that would add on to the cost of the rent or the purchase price. I am not sure how much extra I would want to pay. Even tho I do really love the outdoor spaces. If I could use it year round, that would be a different story. So I guess I am wondering how much outdoor space, within reason, everyone would like to have and how much would you be willing to pay for it, considering the limited time that you could use it. Maybe AT could do a poll on how much outdoor space everyone has and how much they would like to have. Just wondering.

Thanks, olya and Robyn for the personal notes. I am actually quite moved.

And thanks, ELiza for the carpenter tip.

All very much appreciated today. :)

Robyn, I bought a very expensive orchid last year. I was told not to overwater it so I just waited until I felt it was dry under the moss to water it. Well, I killed it! Turns out I did what I was told not to do - overwater. So when you think it's bone dry wait a couple of days to water it.

P(too), sorry to hear about your uncle. I can sympathize having been thru something similar when I had to clear out my mother's home. I suggest you get several estimates. Sometimes the assisted living homes can make referals since they deal with the issue frequently. Most will only do it if they feel there is a minimum value to the items being sold. If they can't reach the minimum you may just be better off donating or storing the more valuable items until you can sell them individually.

P(too),sorry to hear that, hope you're ok. Orchids - don't fuss over them and they'll be fine with enough light and water. Sadly this does not, in my experience, work with gay boyfriends...!

Robyn, I put my orchid in a bathroom, near a window, and pretty much never water it and the plant is thriving. It seems to get enough water from the humidity coming from showers, etc.

P2, no advice, but I'm so sorry about your uncle.

P2 and Robyn,
Not sure that you'll see this since I'm posting at an ungodly hour, but I can't seem to sleep, so here goes. I've been practicing elder law in CA for several years, and am familiar with many nation-wide assisted living and skilled nursing providers. There are good ones out there. But there is also a not-so-nice side to the industry, and if an insurance company is involved, your freedom to choose where your loved one receives care can sometimes be compromised. The best thing any family can do is be informed and proactive. One good starting point is to familiarize yourself with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) website - there is a lot of info there on skilled nursing and assisted living. Most long term care facilities that receive federal medicare/medicaid funding must comply with a host of regulations, and are surveyed regularly for compliance. Often, the state health department does the surveying on behalf of CMS, and maintains the data. As such, state health departments can be good sources of information as well. In CA, there are several ways to obtain survey and citation information that can alert you to problem facilities or, at the least, let you know what you need to keep an eye out for. (E.g., if there are staffing ratio requirements, it's always good if your facility is meeting them.) Wherever you are, there are likely ways for you to obtain that type of information, too. If your facility has care plan meetings and invites family members to participate, go! Communicate with the doctors and nurses, ask questions, be a presence. And finally, this is stating the obvious but, visit! Consider that in a CA skilled nursing facility, the law requires that each resident receive 3.2 hours of nursing care per day, and while a facility may certainly staff above the 3.2 ratio, most don't. That leaves 20.8 hours and, yes there are activities, sleep and such, but ultimately there is a lot of free time. In addition to having health issues, elders who enter long term care give up a lot - their homes, many of their possessions, independence in almost all realms, the list goes on. Those who have a consistent social support network tend to adjust better, and may be less prone to depression and social isolation which can accelerate medical deterioration.

Yikes, I hope this helpful rather than alarmist! It's just that I've seen a lot - bad facilities, but also good facilities demonized by families with very unrealistic expectations. In my experience, being informed is the best way to go when it comes to the health and well-being a loved one who can no longer care for him or herself.

Best of luck, and I hope the insomnia is over so I can finally get some shut eye!

Patrick (the other one) - I would like to extend some warm thoughts your way also - I went through this with my Mother and its an agonising decision with numerous extra worries - one of the harder parts of being a grown-up

I stumbled upon this site (followed a link, maybe?) right at the tail end of last year's color contest, and it's my first experience with this sort of thing.

I'd like to extend thanks to everyone here - I've learned so much in so many areas! I've had a great time peeking into the homes that have been featured and gotten some wonderful ideas for my own when time and budget allows. I've learned how to incorporate more environmentally friendly ideas into daily living, I've learned from others' mistakes so I won't make them, and made a friend on a more personal level.

What I really like is that this site does get into life on seemingly all levels - Patrick (the other one)'s dilema being a prime example, and I, too, extend heartfelt wishes that you and your family are able to successfully deal with all that faces you right now.

My brother and I have discussed an assisted living situation for our mother - she's actually doing fine (mostly) on her own, but she lives alone, 250 miles east of me and about the same distance north of my brother. A 4 hour drive for either of us. Due to a weak knee, she falls. And she had a heart attack in January (did you know that the common symptoms for heart attack usually don't apply to women?? She had a severe headache - her only symptom - and drove herself to the hospital in the middle of the night to find relief - and had the heart attack there!)

She loves her church and doesn't want to leave her town while we'd prefer that she be closer to one of us. As Violetsrose said - it's a hard part of being a grown-up - trying to figure out what's best for everyone while still trying to keep intact the lives we've all made for ourselves.

J - I'd like to say that I'm sorry you couldn't sleep last night, but it's difficult since your post is so incredibly good. If you don't mind, I'd like to copy the whole thing into an email and send it to my brother. He (and my mom) live in another state, but the advise is wonderful and will give him reference points.

I'd also like to comment on Sushi's post, but perhaps this post is long enough (too long?) for now.

Again, my thanks to everyone here.

oceandreamer56

Oceandreamer56, by all means share the information. There are no easy answers but, in the event that a facility becomes necessary, being informed about your choices will hopefully bring some peace of mind.

J - thank you for your advice -- we are learning as we go just how difficult the 'system' is. Right now, my husband's pop is in a rehab (his 20 day coverage after the hospital stay) and I did as much research as I could in the short time I had to get him into a good facility. Even though it is highly rated, very clean, etc., it is the downtime that is the most bothersome to us -- he seems to be deteriorating physically instead of rehabiliting. We are there every day in the evenings, but both work full time, so he is alone for most of the day except for 1/2 hour therapy most days. When we're there, we do our best to get his spirits up while, as you say, having a presence with the staff. We are trying our hardest to get him well enough to get out of there -- we want him home so badly, but just don't have the feeling he will every be ambulatory enough to get there.

So sorry to hijack the post with my depressing issue -- but really, J, your message was warmly received & appreciated.