apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've just moved into my first apartment (started my first job, got my first car, etc), and I've also started getting my very first bills and all of that other paperwork that doesn't exist until the minute you graduate college start working.

I'm planning on setting up an office in my dining alcove, but file cabinets are so... ugly. Does anyone have suggestions for filing?

Hi! I read AT all the time, but this is my first time posting. I just bought a round dining table from West Elm (click on my name for the link....I got it in chocolate). I would really like to get red chairs to go with it. The t-chairs in the picture would be absolutely perfect, but they no longer come in red. Does anybody have suggestions for somewhat inexpensive red dining chairs?

I would go with the Jules visitor chair from Ikea, but I live in a studio and my bedspread has dots on it, so I think the dots on the chair would give my room polkadot overload.

Thank you so much for any ideas!

Jenny,

I immediately thought of Pottery Barn's Morrow chair which was on sale last week online and now I can't find it. I'm not sure if it's available in stores, but you can google it and see if you like it.

there's also this one from Ikea

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15564&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=11422&langId=-1&categoryId=15656&chosenPartNumber=S19823757

As a work-at-home freelance writer, my file cabinet issues trumps yours. I took a slightly different approach than getting file cabinets, however. I had California Closets design a system that included places for my files as well as my clothes and the other sorts of stuff that tends to get stored in closets. I did that 15 years ago and am still delighted with the results.

jenny,
there are several options of red chairs over here: http://www.inmod.com/diningchairs.html

The New York Times had a small piece on file cabinets a few weeks ago:

http://tinyurl.com/yusz9z

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for bedroom advice---I have the lewis headboard from PB in a beige linen with similar colored wall color. Because of space constraints, I have to put my bed in front of the window (which I hate)--the bed is wider than the window and can't be centered under it. Also, I look out at a brick wall. Any ideas of things I can do to cover up the window entirely? I was thinking of getting drapes the width of the bed and hanging them from the celing (so the window would still be functional) but any other ideas would be appreciated...

Thank you very much for your red chair suggestions so far. The Morrow Chair from PB would have been perfect, but it doesn't seem to be available anymore. I have just discovered the Globus Chair at DWR, which is so incredibly lovely, but more than I had wanted to spend....

I totally covet these from Knoll:

http://www.knoll.com/products/product.jsp?prod_id=619

They look great freestanding, really sculptural, the back is really sweet and I love the colors. Unfortunately, they're in the $200-$300 range. But then again, a really crappy file cabinet from Staples is going to be at least $100!

CB2 has a few red chairs:

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=206&f=3524&viewall=1

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=206&f=3418&viewall=1

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=206&f=3420&viewall=1

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=206&f=2997&viewall=1

I saw the Eames molded plywood chairs in red someplace...Room and Board? I thought they were really cute!

Another decorating question: I have black leather couches, mostly dark wood furniture (some with beige upholstery) and apartment-off-white walls. I would like to liven up the place by painting a couple of walls. I was thinking (a)lime green or (b)tangerine.

I paid attention to the color contest but didn't see anything exactly perfect. Is lime green dated? Will tangerine walls and dark furniture make it look like we celebrate Halloween every day? Any other great ideas?

Thanks JonathanB and Design Dabbler for your filing suggestions!

This is a great site, but all threads are starting to look like this:

"We got up this morning, passed a little gas, then brushed our teeth for two minutes while lying on the R&B couch with the new gas-electric hybrid S-XL4. As we did this, we pondered how we might make our teeth smaller. Smaller teeth, we realized, is not about size. It's a state of mind."

- maxwell
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What an inspiring story!!!

Posted by K.
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What a fabulous way to brush teeth! You can stretch out or snuggle up while the toothpaste flies. Can't wait to see more pics.

Posted by Drish M.
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i think tooth brushing is so romantic...i've never brushed my teeth that long but would love to sometime, especially on a private couch : )

Posted by Kristina
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Wow this is super exciting news. I love that you brushed your teeth, somewhat romantic... We all have fingers and toes crossed for you.

Posted by decor8 Folly
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Yay!!!!!

Posted by Chris
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That's a lovely story and pix and makes me want to be on that cozy couch with the toothpaste flying by too.

Posted by Trixie
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Should you really be brushing your teeth on the couch? What if you stain it?

Posted by Design Doubter
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Kinda sucks how this lovely, sweet, idyllic post prompted stain horror stories... Now do you see why I don't post here?

Posted by hattrick (the other one)
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H2, this is your site; we want you here.

Posted by Trixie
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Couches, sinks, bathtubs.......Some good, some not so good. In each...it depends on what you make of it. Maxwell seems to be having a good time. Let it be. It's an adventure.

I met H2 at an AT function in April and he is a great looking fellow with a brilliant smile. I agree with Trixie. We want him here.

Posted by Mackie (the original one)
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shani-o: you're welcome

xyz: don't you dare post things like this until after I've swollowed my coffee.

AT at large: what decorative accents go best with medium brown splattered walls?

Thank you Sasha. I love the cb2 hippie chair....I had seen it awhile ago and forgotten about it. I think that may be the winner!

I remember seeing a cheap chair somewhere that reminded me of this Tom Vac chair at DWR: http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=0203

If I recall correctly, it was stackable, and I swear it was Ikea, but I can't find it on their web site. Can someone help?

ocgirl, i know what you're talking about and it was really bugging me! after some thinking (and coffee) i remembered seeing the Orbit chair in the CB2 catalog - is this what you were thinking of?

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=115&f=80&viewall=1

I don't know if it stacks...

Kate--thank you! yes, that's it! It was driving me crazy too. You've saved me another sleepless night.

xyz, your first post should have been:

Passed a little gas? What little gas? Why have I not heard about this before? When did this occur and why did you not tell us as soon as it happened?

Posted by Ma Tilde
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Maribeth, everybody seemed to be doing lime green and tangerine in the contest.

Pick what you like best, but those colors are feeling a little too popular for me.

I'd look through some art you have, or art books, and pull a color out of that. I'm liking a darker blood orange or persimmon color right now.

But if you love tangerine, go for it.

Nancy,
have you considered theater lighting gels to cover the window?
even just one solid color, they come in many colors, from full range photography shops
(20" x 24" sheets are about $6 each)
or a border/centered rectangle sort of Rothko thing.
(i wonder about how to affix them tho, without getting ticky tacky.)

Jenny -- if you're still looking for red chair suggestions, one of the people in the Fall Cure bought some from Ikea that looked absolutely fabulous. The unupholstered Ingolf chair, in red. Needs cushions to make it really comfy, but red cushions also look great on it. Link in my name.

Valerie, I didn't see either of those colors with darker furniture in the contest. I like them, and I think they look great with white and lighter wood furniture, just not sure if they will look ridiculous next my stuff.

I guess I can always paint over it if it looks terrible, but I was trying to see if anyone was going to give me any warnings beforehand.

I like the persimmon color too, but would it be too dark?

Shani-o,

I file my papers, bills, etc. in binders, and then keep all of my binders on shelves.

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm gonna ask again: I have that typical 70s ugly drop glass lampshade thing going on in my apartment, in all the rooms (the sort that is secured by a screw/cover going through the center). It has two or three bulbs in a circular formation inside. Is there ANY sort of shade that is made to fit over a fixture like this? I've tried making things, and they never turn out right, and it seems like there must be something that is reasonably cheap that I can do to cover this (?) or replace it (?) without removing the entire fixture. Ideally, I'd love to just have one bulp coming down, so I could use one of those paper lampshades, or something comparable from ikea, but there are THREE there...ugh...please help. Thanks! Emily

Wow! Thanks, smallcitybeth! Now I'm considering that.

xyz, aka design dabbler, aka concerned citizen...

Wow. And I thought *I* needed a hobby.

But good to see you are so proud of your satire (actually, more paraphrasing than satire) that you posted under an assumed name. AGAIN.