apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I see that apt. therapy is a media sponsor at CABOOM in LA at the end of March. I've booked myself into this thing - including the Friday reception. I'm an east coaster (albiet not a New Yorker) and was wondering if any others are planning on going. It would be very cool to meet some of the regular contributors out there.

I'm looking for a round mirror - similar to the BDDW Captain's Mirror, but without the hanging strap. The diameter of the smaller size Captain's mirror is still too wide, and my ceilings are not high enough to accomodate the hanging. I thought that I saw something from Crate & Barrel, but I can't find it anymore. Has anyone seen this mirror?

I'd like to get a high table or bar for my narrow kitchen. IKEA has some okay table tops but it doesn't look like they offer tall legs. Any ideas? I'd also be open to building one if anyone has suggestions for materials and/or plans.

Horchow has lots of mirrors.

I'm not big on IKEA, but last time I was there they stocked a nice, unobtrusive round mirror with a plain black wood frame.

I'm looking for a recommendation for framing a large poster (it's signed by the artist and I finally have the perfect place to hang it after 15 years). Preferably on the UES. Thanks!

i love, love, love the magazine Living, Etc - which i discovered at the recommendation of this website, and just found this online photo gallery that is also inspiring and worth passing along...

http://www.livingetc.com/gallery/main.php

Oh ckg as if i didn't waste enough time at work on AT - now I have another reason to procrastinate!! Love Living Etc., thanks.

any ideas on where to get a cowhide rug that isn't real cowhide?

i'm looking for a bedroom dresser. Something with very clean lines, black or ebony-stained in either an asian or art-decoish 20's or 30's glam style.

my bedroom is light blue and i have a black asian armoire. i need something to go with this.

any thoughts or ideas? i've already looked at the usual suspects - crate & barrel, room & board, p. barn.

thanks!

does anyone know who makes the leaping zebra wallpaper that is on the walls at gino's restaurant on lexington ave ??

thanks!

i was very inspired by everybody's suggestion to stretch fabric over a canvas frame to help un-blank my walls. and i found some great fabric!

so, does anyone have any tips for successful stretching, before i run amok with the staple gun? i am hoping to make a pretty big panel to hang over my bed like a headboard.

thanks!

Ingrid,

in response to your question of high legs for a bar table, I actually got these expandable legs at Ikea along with the table top, and it worked out really well for a bar table.

Not sure if they still have those, but it's just an idea...

good luck!

Liz,
I did this with an 18" x 18" napkin, and it looks great. Before stretching the fabric, I ironed it well, and applied iron on interfacing to the back, to make it stiffer. Then I stretched it over a pine frame I'd made, and had someone help me hold it taught while I tacked the edges to the sides of the frame. I used a hammer and tiny nails, but a staple gun would probably work fine. One thing that worked well was tacking one corner, then doing the diagonal corner next, to keep it as taught as possible. The difficult part was the corners, you have to fold the cloth over neatly like you would wrap a present, to make sure it doesn’t bunch up weirdly. And since you're working with raw cloth, you'll probably need to hem the piece before hand, to keep the edges from unraveling. Hope this helps!

Lesley...Click on my name to see what Manhattan Users Guide recommends

I think Apartment Therapy mentioned their choices as well at one point.

cnyc-
I remember seeing a new Flor tile somewhere that was a cowhide print...

Ahh- cb2 catalog.
FLOR- Stampede tile- $14.95 Brown and white

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=170&f=3534

Otherwise, you can make you own by stenciling your own design and painting a floor cloth. Just remember to seal it well.

Good Luck- Jeen Marie

PS: I love my REAL cow hide. It does freak some people out.

Thanks, Rosie, for the tips on stretching fabric over a frame. I, too, am planning a headboard effect using this technique, only I'm planning to do three smaller frames (unlike liz who's doing one big one). I'm thinking three 16x20 frames. I was originally planning to do them horizontally (like printing in "landscape" mode), but when I looked at the size of them, and looked at the size of my bed which is only a double, I wondered if I'd have to go vertical (portrait mode). Anyone have any thoughts? (This is pre-cure planning ahead.)

hey liz... my grandmother is an artist and ive watched her streach her own canvas, she uses pushpins first to streatch the cloth all around and adjust the tightness... then when it is streached to her liking she uses a staple gun for a more permanent fixing. it takes patience and time to do a big one... good luck

Liz, For hanging a large panel of fabric above your bed you could consider using only 2 strips of wood. The both pieces would be cut to the width you want your hanging to be. Your fabric would be stapled or tacked to the wood and like a window shade you would wrap the fabric so the anchors were against the wall with fabric cascading over the wood. I would just screw this to my wall, or use anchors, or some of those 3M removable sticky pad things. To force your fabric to hang straight and true I'd staple the second piece of wood to the bottom of your fabric. Walaaa you have a large fabric wall hanging. :)

thanks, everyone! can't wait till the fabric arrives...

Hi. I'm starting a new feature on my blog, MARBARGARBO, called B.I.Y. :: Branding It Yourself and I'm trying to get the word out. I want to help other people come up with self-promotional materials for their businesses, blogs and personal life, much like Maxwell has done with Apartment Therapy. Tell whoever you know that you can get good advice on how to make your own branding materials, flyers, books, packaging materials, etc. I think every well-designed person needs well-designed stationery, postcards, business cards,mailers, etc.
MP

AT Boston? Last year (if I recall correctly), Boston earned its own Apartment Therapy section. What's the timeline for that to appear? No offense to the New Yorkers, but I'd love to see a Boston-specific Scavenger!

-Jim

Jane, take a look at these:

http://www.americandrewdigitalcatalogs.com/Tansu/Documents/Tansu_24_Full.asp

http://www.centuryfurniture.com/productcatalog/Items/ShowItem.aspx?CG_Item=631-201

http://www.thomasville.com/Item5233/Nocturne-Dresser.aspx

http://www.thomasville.com/Item4769/Cinnamon-Hill-Drawer-Dresser.aspx

Carla-

Thanks for the link!

Can anyone recommend a good iron? I've found that "newer" irons don't get as hot as my old General Electric. Are Rowenta's worth their hefty price tag?

I have a 10-year-old down comforter that I am looking to replace in the next 6 months. What will be the consequences of throwing it in the washing machine for it's final cleaning? I'd hate to pay to have it cleaned, given its sad state.

I LOVE my T-Fal ultraglide iron. I think those are the BEST. They glide across your clothes and make ironing a breeze.

Ingrid,
While it's quite dark and a bit heavy (and thusly may not be what you're looking for), I always adore this high dining table/bar from CB2. It looks a bit boring in the photo, but in person it looks quite chic and modern, and it has storage, to boot. I am always tempted to buy it for my small living/dining area.
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=115&f=3005

MP, I wash and dry our down comforters twice a year with no problems. Don't use too much detergent. The down will clump so you need to dry it with a clean sneaker or tennis ball to fluff it back up. We sometimes even have to manually pull the clumps apart. But it always looks and feels like new when it's done.

Does anyone have any experience with the West Elm low platfrom bed and headboard? I love the look of it, but I've read some not so great reviews of West Elm beds in general recently. I don't want to get something that looks great, but will break. I know you get what you pay for and all, but I'd like to hope it won't fall right apart. They didn't have this one at the Chelsea store, so I couldn't see what the quality was like.

http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODp055&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=Ehttp://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODp055&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1FRNBED&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1FRNBED

Another Annapolitan,

I do think that Rowentas are excellent irons, but they are expensive. I decided when I moved back to the US that I would buy a cordless iron, because I iron a lot. The cordless iron by Panasonic got good reviews from Consumer Reports and users, and isn't terribly expensive. I decided to give it a try, and I have been extremely happy with it.

You can take a look at the reviews on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/32tzpr

I don't know, my bf's mom got a Rowenta for Christmas because Scott and his brother thought it was the best but she didn't like it as much as her black & decker. I still think the Ultraglides by T-Fal are the best. Once you use it, you'll love it. My dad, who HATES to iron, even loves his T-Fal iron and will use it.
MP

ironing is the last thing i want to do, evah, i would rather take a sharp stick in the eye.

but i did like the t-fal i used at a friend's house recently and now would definitely take the t-fal over the sharp stick.

Olivia, thanks for the link to the cb2 table! It's too big for my space but a great template with its storage sides.

Also: I second the motion for a Boston scavenger section!

i'm currently visiting nyc from LA and wanted to check out some fun design and furniture shops. i'm particularly interested in buying some cute pillows for my couch. any recs?

Mar, get thee to ABC Carpet & Home on Broadway and 18th or 17th Street. There are two: go into the one with home stuff in the windows, not the one with carpets in the windows. They're across the street from each other.

Right now ABC is in the middle of an India promotion, so everything is very, well, pink. Even the pillows.

Sheherazade and Timbuktu in the east village/lower east side also have good pillows -- among other esoteric home furnishing items. Leekan in Soho -- as well as Calypso Home. There's a place on Mercer Street that has Fortuny pillows that are fantastic, but rather expensive, even by ABC standards.