apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hey Design Dabbler--
You seemed to be able to find THAT post out of the archives.

Samantha--
Depends on what you want to do in the bedroom. SOMETIMES, stimulating is good there...

Andrea-- I say go for it, if it's a color you love.

k,
Don't buy those shower splash guards. I bought them once and was disappointed, as they looked terrible and didn't work well. What has worked for me is a heavy duty clear shower liner that I got at Walmart and it has built in suction cups at each side that stick to the shower wall and hold it snug. No problems since!

i need to buy a shower splash guard - like this one:

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/home/improvements/69515-Tall-Shower-Curtain-Splash-Guard.html

does anyone know of other, maybe better looking alternatives? i can only find this one plastic thing... i'm hoping for something a bit more inspired since we just spent a buttload renovating the bathroom...to add a 20buck plastic THING just irks me...

any ideas?

Can anyone reccomend a reliable place in NYC to trade CD's, DVD's, VHS & video games in for cash?
I'm in the midst of downsizing.
Thanks

Good Morning!!!
OK, enough with the caffeine enthusiasm. So I have a question for all ATers who have bought 24" appliances. I have a tiny kitchen that has nothing in it (no cabinets, old, really old appliances) and I'd like to really conserve space. I've been looking forever at 24" appliances and I can't afford top-o-the-line, but I'd like something that works well (I like to bake) and looks good (non-white would be nice.) Has anyone purchased a Summit gas range? Do you like it? Has anyone purchased a major appliance and had to have it shipped? AJMadison seems to be the major small appliance dealer, but I'm wary of their customer service. There's Compact Appliances here in Austin (which has no store front and has some bad customer service reviews.) anyone use them before? Any advice will help me unknitt my brow. Merci! Lisa

Lisa in Austin: AJMadison is good...they're near me in Brooklyn and gave good information, advice, and service. I'd suggest them. Their prices are competitive, too. I heard okay things about Summit but have no personal experience with it. I do know that there are certain "apartment size" appliances made by most major appliance giants.

Good luck!

K - do you really need that thing? We just renovated a bathroom and I just got a nice heavy shower curtain and a liner that has magnets in it so we have yet to see an overspray problem. I'd give that a shot first, a nice shower curtain will hide the liner quite well and the magnets seem very effective to me.

k- I used one of those guards and I ended up scraping it off: they do not work all that welll. I agree with Anne Iin Reno) for a heavy liner.

thanks for the advice! we're a bit overprotective what with all the money we just spent, heh, but i had a feeling that product wouldn't be so great. i appreciate the help!

hey! given that it's bedroom month, i've got a bedroom-related question. i really want to paint my bedroom a deep red, much like the Ralph Lauren Chimayo posted here today. but in a lot of the bedroom design stuff i read, it's all about cool colors or neutrals, and red seems to be seen as a no-no (or just not mentioned at all). what gives? i want to transform my big rectangular bedroom into a warm, intimate space and a deep red seemed like a good way to go, but am i missing something? i don't want to regret the color choice.

Andrea,
Reds are often not considered for bedrooms because warm colors are seen to be stimulating, while a bedroom is supposed to be relaxing. I, like you, always lean towards warm, intimate spaces anyway. I think they key is picking a deep or muted red as opposed to a bright or overly intense one, because then you won't be able to get any sleep! Also, you might want to incorporate lots of cool or neutral accessories for a place to rest your eyes.

I agree with Samantha that you mute your reds. We went with a "manly pink" for our bedroom walls -- a deep color we've never regretted. See OT 205 (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/open-threads/open-thread-205-008982 )for a discussion (search for "dark pink" in it).

Thanks for the info, K...if anyone else has any experience with that appliance question, let me know.

xoxox
Lisa

I have a 24" Avanti range and I love it. Click on my name and I'm pretty sure that's the model I have-- mine is about 2 years old now. I cook and bake a lot. I bought mine from a local company here in DC, so no experience with shipping.

thanks for the advice, Samantha & DesignDabbler! DD, did you ever get pics of your "manly pink" walls? I am intrigued.

Hmm, I think maybe a compromise between restful & warm might be to just do one accent wall in deep red and keep the rest neutral. I'll think about it.

Hey Jenny

who in dc sells that avanti range?? i'm in arlington and i want to get one this summer.

I've slept in a deep red bedroom, where the short walls were painted a deep charcoal black, if the colour works for you, go for it....I didnt find it particularly 'stimulating' or that it was hard to sleep...

andrea: My wife was reluctant to let me post pictures of our bedroom, but I may be able to post a picture of a corner. Watch this thread for a day or two.

Andrea,

I personally think that whatever color is going to make you relaxed/happy is the color you should paint your bedroom. Yes, traditionally it's good to paint in cool colors, but I'm with you in that a dark warm room makes me feel good and cozy. There really are no decorating rules that can't be broken if broken thoughtfully. So I say if you want dark red, then go for it.

A word from the wise though, red is one of the hardest colors to paint with - plan on doing *at least* three coats, and maybe up to 5 to get even coverage.

K- i agree that a magnetized showercurtain will likely solve your problem- if not, maybe stick a little piece of velcro on the shower curtain at about shoulder height, and a little matching tab on the wall (use the little quarter-sized ones, in a colour close to the tile) and stick the shower curtain closed that way. a suction hook on the wall and a grommet in the shower curtain would also accomplish this, and maybe look a little nicer.

I'm about to go buy two tulip chairs tonight without cushions. Does anyone know where I can get cushions for tulip chairs, preferably online? Thanks!

Shannon: Here's one source:
http://www.highbrowfurniture.com/seating/products/tulips/

Scroll to the bottom of the offerings.

That is a nice site!!

I am in need of a not-too-expensive seating that converts to sleeping space for guests for my tiny (no, really?) Manhattan studio. I have been looking at Jennifer Leathers. Any of you guys have any input about their smaller set of sectionals/sofa beds?

Thanks, all!

victoria, there was a recent thread on the Top 10 sofabeds.

I'll tell you two things: websearch Jennifer and you will immediately get a screenful of links to news reports on their shoddy, fraudulent customer service and the three successful lawsuits against them by the States of NY and NJ. Caveat Emptor!

That said, I waited six months and finally rolled the dice on a tiny sofabad they still sell. (Convertibles not Leather) It's $299 microfiber and $399 corduroy. Bought it last April. It arrived a few weeks later than I was originally told but it fits my studio, is a full-size pull out, and is quite comfortable for sleeping.

Okay. AT poo-poo's Pottery Barn's furniture but this espresso colored bedroom set below is the style I'm interested in. I'm just not into a platform bed. (gasp!) I want a frame to hold the boxspring too.

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p8061/index.cfm?pkey=cfurbedall

If AT isn't sold on PB's quality, can anyone suggest an alternative out there in similar style?

Thanks for any help.

I too am getting ready to bite the bullet on Jennifer Convertibles. I've read all the horrible customer service stories, but I'm hoping they won't be able to screw up just one couch (it seems most people who had trouble had ordered custom furniture or multiple pieces).

I saw them listed in the sleeper sofa thread, but no one had much to say, except for one person - I'd be interested to hear other ATers' experiences with JC.

Re: Jennifer conv--
We have a JC pullout in our den. Although we were worried after all the horror stories, it was the only one we could find that was narrow enough in width to fit (we needed 68" but wanted full-size bed so 2 people fit). Surprisingly, customer service was actually okay--delivery was on time. It's certainly not Armani casa quality, and we don't necessarily consider it a long-term investment, but we have been pleased with it. No off-gassing smells that we could tell that you might find in a cheapo couch. Because we didn't do the upgrade on mattress thickness, we also put a feather bed on top (under the mattress pad). Our guests have told us they've slept very comfortably on the bed (and most wouldn't shy away from telling us otherwise).

If you have the room and the budget, I hear the Room and Board sleepers are out of this world.

What, this isn't the argument clinic?
Fritz, that was perfect.

carolynapplebee,

I bought my Avanti range at M&M Appliances in D.C. They advertise nearly every week in the Washington City Paper and that's how I found them. They had a lot of smaller, apartment-sized appliances.

I painted our bedroom white with pale blue accents - supposedly good and calm for a bedroom - but I found it far too light and "morningy" - I sleep much better in rooms painted a darker colour - don't let the supposed "rules" stop you doing something that feels right for you - go for the red walls but make them a dark red - and depending on what colour you are painting over red will take several coats - red pigment is translucent so the purer the red the more you will be able to see the colour underneath - if you go for a deeper red with more brown or purple in it then you shouldn't need too many coats

I've decided to do a branding contest on my site, Marbargarbo, so if you're in need of design help of the print kind, take a look!
xo,
MP

CJ,

try secondspin.com, I'm not sure about vhs and games but they will buy dvds and cds

Good to see you got rid of the Oprah thread those
idiots who like to come to sites to bitchslap each other should head to the argument clinic via Monty Python

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSM

Does anyone know where you can get old doors in NYC? I live in an old building but my bedroom door is an ugly, plain door with a hideous brass door knob. I'd love to get an old door but I don't know where to look for such a thing - is there an old door district that I don't know about?

Thanks.