apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

alright, i'll try again.

I'm looking for a modular shelf for my studio, to seperate sleeping area from living and be used for some storage too. Here's the options I've come across so far:

"play"
"flexitube"
"Cubits"
"net" (I don't know where to buy this one though)

They're not all equally affordable - I'm right now looking into building something similar to the flexitube myself. I remember looking at a few others but they were all way too expensive.

Am i missing out on a flexible and possibly white shelving solution here?

Have you noticed that the LA site wakes up much later than San Franciso? Having lived in both places, I though that was funny....wake up LA! :)

I've never lived in either place, but I've visited both. This makes perfect consistent sense to me.

hi again guys.

i got a free dishwasher that is a built in, but the land lord doesn't want to replace the counter top in order to extend it over the dishwasher. the dishwasher will be right in between the counter/cabinets and the washing machine (most galley kitchen you've ever seen!) and i can't figure out what to put on top of the dishwasher. i was thinking a piece of butcher block but how to attach it? any ideas?

That's kinda' what I meant. LA is soooooo different and not so much in a hurry to get to work. I miss that. The hectic pace of NYC in the a.m. rush hour can be daunting, especially where I work which is next door to St. Partrick's. Between the Madison and 5th Ave crowd and tourists, sometimes you just can't walk in a straight line...

Re: Andreas question: If price wasn't an option, I'd prefer Net. What a nice system, indeed, but could it be easily replicated? Why not? Sometimes its less expensive to have something made than to buy it.

Flexitube is very interesting since its roundness would give a nice soft feel as a room divider, but then I don't know what type of space you have.

I know some of the pros on AT will have excellent suggestions.

Hi elizabeth in AL,

I'm assuming people aren't responding because none of us have been faced with your problem. I used to (sigh) have a dishwasher and when they installed it they screwed it up into my countertop with l-brackets that were already attached to the machine to stabalize it. If you get a butcher block with a bit of a lip that overhangs the edge of your dishwasher you should be able to attach it in a simliar fashion I would think - just screw up into the wood from underneath. Good luck!

Just a follow-up note to yesterday's thread about 24" ranges. When I sat down and did some serious surfing of the Lowes website, and although you can't select for that size, if you look through their whole inventory (narrowing what you can) they can order quite a few models. I will probably order through them when the time comes (and shipping is lower if I pick up at the store.)

If you absolutely cannot find butcher-block (I like that idea, by the way, because it's a nice surface, and it will look like the kind of acceptably-different-from-the-rest-that-makes-no-lame-attempt-to-match), then perhaps a butcher-block-looking laminate might work?

By the way... YES, it's true, I've never been faced with any problem that relates to having a dishwasher fall from the sky into my lap!

OH THANK YOU for answering! That's what I had initially thought, but didn't know if it would work, how it would look, etc. Although, how it will look won't matter because a. it is free and b. it is 15 years old with that fake wood on the front. (and since it's 15 years old, I'm going to paint it all crazy like)

As for the butcher block - I don't know where to get it (and I don't really expect any of you hip northerners to, either, in Alabama) I was thinking if I bought a nice (laminate or not, I can do that myself) thick and large bamboo cutting board? No? And do you mean using L brackets to attach to the existing counter top? And then also to the wall behind it? I must be having one of those "not getting it" mornings.

Thanks again, everyone.

and i also realized i understood your comment about laminate butcher block looking. yep. one of those mornings.

ah misunderstood! i'm stopping now!

JacksonMarie: LA is either at the gym or the dog park in the early morning hours.

Elizabeth,
You might want to consider the Lamplig cutting board from Ikea - if it fits. (http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15570&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=61724&langId=-1&categoryId=15678&chosenPartNumber=30087148)

This is what I used in a similar situation my last rental.
I used a underlay sold for rugs to keep it from slipping around. It worked well for only $10 AND is still a great cutting board in my new place!

Am I the only one that's confused about the Smallest, Coolest contest dates? I know the deadline has been moved back to 4/16 (although the contest page has not been updated with this info), but does this mean the posting of entries is moved back too? I know that only the 40 best will be posted (total? from each region?) according to the original rules, so logic would tell me that nothing can be posted until all the entries are in, right?

I now also see the rule on the contest page there there will only be 3 days to vote on each entrant. That doesn't sound like a great idea to me, since many of us want to be able to compare entries and then vote.

Enrique: you made me smile, not that people in LA don't work hard, but its incredibly different.

Thanks for the smile/laugh.

I see my first question has just been answered, since the first selected entrant was just posted!

But, there's nothing in the text for that entrant that says we only have three days to vote - ?!?

A few weeks back someone was looking for a double vanity with two faucets, but one large sink. I found this one that fullfills the requirement... (don't kill the messenger, but the price is astronomical...)

http://www.sinksfaucetsandmore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3159

As an Interior Design student and a new member to this blog I am excited to participate in this community. :-)

Does anyone know the pricing/vendor serving upper Manhattan for a single mini-dumpster load of demolished partition wall (mostly concrete and plaster, some metal)? I think I can get away with a half-cubic-yard-sized one.

And how does it work: they leave it curbside, I roll it up to my apartment, then roll it back and they disappear it from the curb?

There doesn't seem to be anything online about it, except for a full-service company that comes into your place and does all the shoveling, etc. Nice, but overkill for me.

JacksonMarie... :D

Lisa2 (austin),

thanks for posting. What brand are you deciding on? I am heavily leaning towards the Premier Pro, since I can have it delivered for free like tomorrow, if i want. Now i have to decide on the type of backguard or backsplash.

I posted the question on garden web and got the usual response of try the bluestars, capitals, wolfs, vikings and a whole range of other way out $$$$$ euro models. Yeeesh. As if i didn't drool enough already over what i cannot afford.

Good luck. In case anyone wants to chime in:

any experience/thoughts on 24" freestanding gas ranges

Avanti brand

Premier Pro brand

Elba

DeLonghi

Thanks!

24" gas stove seekers:

I'm getting http://www.summitappliance.com/detail/870 from Bronx-based manufacturer Summit Appliances. I like it for its affordability, slide-in look, windowed door, and sealed burners -- but I haven't actually seen it in person, and can't tell you anything about its actual performance yet.

Their other small range offerings are at http://www.summitappliance.com/category/31

Olga,

I feel like I posted this awhile back, but I used to have the 24" Avanti DG200W Gas Kitchen Range. It was better than what I started with (cheapo sponser stove) but nothing incredible. The lighting action was a little odd (European?) so that you had to push in the knob while turning it to the desired flame height. It also didn't always light on the first try.

Good luck with this! Finding a narrow stove ain't easy!

I'm having problems commenting and reading some of the comments. It's probably my crappy computer, but when my comment failed, it said to contact the AT administrator, so I wanted to pass it on.

I am not being allowed to comment on the Smallest Coolest entries either, Doug.

Does anyone know of some cheaper alternatives to DWR's Cubits?

Pixie, I think the theory is that the 3 days to vote rule gives everyone an equal number of days to get votes, but I agree that it's hard to give an opinion when you're basically in a vacuum. I think it would be nice to have a system where the contenders were introduced one by one but voting didn't start until everyone had been posted; then there would be a single post with a recap of each apartment (maybe a link back to the original post) and under each recap/link the voting buttons, but it ain't my site so....

Olga, purchasing a good stove for a 24" space is a stuggle. I understand you. I searched high and low for 6 months. I saw the DeLonghi, and the Avanti, they looked like pieces of tin. We are serious cooks, so we wanted a stove that would take abuse. We settled on Capital. Have had it since October 2006 and it is superb. We have baked meat, and delicate pastries, it handles everything. We found it on sale, a store on line (homeclick) for $2000 I think... I know it is a bit pricey, but worth every penny I think. If you order something on line, or from a store, make sure that they will deliver to your kitchen. Our apartment is a 3rd floor walk up, and they delivered curbside. We had to hire labor and lift 300 lbs thru narrow stairs (things that I had not taken in account prior to purchasing it)
After I had made this purchase, I met a kitchen designer, who knew of a European freestanding stove, Amica. Apparently in 23 1/2 inches wide and I think it costs in the $600 neighborhood. Finding it in New York, but be a bit tricky. She said she had only two sources that carried it, and being an interior designer she did not share that info. Search on line first if you can... Good luck and let us know.

I have to laugh (ruefully) about the appliance forum at THS - it's the same in laundry, if you don't require a washer that not only boils, but perhaps irradiates your clothes!

But there was a message thread in the Smaller Homes forum that discussed ranges:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/smallerhomes/msg0913045115074.html?13

from gardensweb:

"Premiere, according to Appliance Advisor builds "Basic no frills electric and gas ranges for people stepping up from coal." They're obviously not fans of the brand. "

*snark*

elizabeth in AL,

The craiglist here has a butcher block table for sale, but it's really expensive. The craiglist here is so busted!

I liked the IKEA cutting board idea. Or you could call a local lumber yard and have a piece of hard wood like maple cut (or even bamboo if anyone here stocks it) to fit. You could seal it yourself.

Maybe you could put it on top of the washer with the no slip rug stuff but also drill two little hooks into the back edge. Then run a thin steel cable to two corresponding hooks on the wall directly behind. Might keep it from slipping of and smushing your toes.

That sounds kind of funny looking, but I'm imagining it to be very cool in my head.

Just a thought.

oh, and for the front of your dishwasher, I think the Daily Dose blog on Domino a few weeks ago showed how to cover an appliance in contact paper or something like that and make it look really cool.

Anusha,

thanks for the feedback. Yeah I wish I was a serious cook and use that excuse to spend the $$$ on a Capital or some such, it's a beautiful stove and folks love it. But I'm not, or at least haven't developed those talents yet. I do wash a ton of fruits and vegetables, which is how I justified being an uber $$ gorgeous copper sink. So I guess I'm feeling a bit cautious.

But a note on the covetous Amica, they no longer export to the states. Which sucks, cause it sounds like a winner. BTW, this information is available on the thread posted by OK in MA, so thanks. It was the first thread I read when beginning the search.

Going to a UK shopping comparison site gives me SO many more choices for 24" cookers, it's blasphemous!

Actually I just went to the amica website and it indeed does not have representation in the US, but such lusciously colorful kitchen photos! Check em out (although they're Polish:)

http://www.amica-international.com/

Lisa 2,

yeah I know, it's a bit outdated, that remark. Now applianceAdvisor has updated their snarkiness w/ "but wait! there's a professional line!" or some such. It's a great site, but i can't find any actual meat and potatoes information on what I should get!

I almost want to support Premier cause they seem to be like the underdog or something, amongst the giants. The company has been making stoves since 1912 IN AMERICA!

Seems like a good argument to me

YAWWWWWNN [stretch]! What's all the hubbub over here? Did we miss something? ;) Just got back from the tanning salon and sipping drinks with Lindsey at Chateau Marmont [reality distortion field].

I've been living with a toaster oven and cooktop for a year and am just about to start on doing the kitchen (no cabinets even!) So I feel like I've been looking online for the whole year for a passable 24" range. Even having professionally cooked, I still don't want a monster in such a tiny kitchen (and I consider 30" a monster in this little kitchen.) I so wish I had a better vibe from Compact Appliances (since they are local.) I must have a zillion saved searches...I need to look again so I can actually purchase something. I can't afford the $$$$ brands but I can't stand to have an oven that doesn't hit and keep a temp. But anything under $1000 sure looks like tin.
:-(

I LOVE my Avanti 24 inch range. I don't have any trouble lighting the burners (I've never had a gas range that did not require me to push in the knob to light the burner, so that's not a problem for me).

Here's what I love about it: it 1) it is really really easy to clean. Just about all the parts come off for going in the dishwasher, or scrubbing. 2) It doesn't have a lot of fancy features that result in increased repair bills down the line (no digital clock, etc.). 3) Of course, I really wish I could afford a professional range where all the burners are capable of really high heat and really low heat, but my Avanti has a simmer burner and a really hot burner in addition to the regular burners, so I can easily achieve the range in heat that I need. 4) I love the way it looks (mine is a couple of years old though-- I have seen other 24" Avantis that I don't like as much, I don't know if they are older or newer than mine)

I cook and bake a lot, and have only had successes, never problems.

Hoping someone at AT will read this.

I tried to post a comment on the third contest entry:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/small-cool-2007-entries/3-elise-bryans-prewar-family-nest-020890
but got a lengthy error message that asked me to tell AT what happened.

Maybe that's why that post has no comments at all? Elise and Bryan must be feeling so disappointed.

Sea, i just saw that and sent Mark an email. It's wierd and I feel for Elise and Bryan as well.

Same here... I tried to post on their entry and got an error message, too.

Hang in there, E&B... I'm comments are coming!!!

Whoops... "I'm SURE comments are coming!!"

Thanks, Maxwell. Wish I'd put it together earlier, but I hadn't tried to comment till now. Still.... they've gotten a robust number of votes, anyway.

yes they have. and now I know why Mark didn't get any comments on his newest ColorTherapy post. the comments aren't working there either.... strange!

should be fixed by morning.

No, we're just ignoring Mark. ;)

this bug is now fixed...

testing.

Nicole R, thanks for the input - sorry I didn't check back in last night - but that is an awesome idea. I think there's got to be some way to attach it directly to the dishwasher because it was a built in and has that...thing...oy I don't know what it's called..anyway on top of it that looks like it attached to the counter that was initially on top of it, maybe? Are built-ins attached to the counter? Anyway, you can email me at pjpixie1104 at aol dot com (per our last "conversation" about wondering how you go about doing that..) and i'll give you my real email address - don't wanna post that one!!

ps YES the craiglist for birmingham is AWFUL! I'm actually planning on going to ATL soon to get some stuff from Ikea and peruse little five points.

Oh, and do you know if the recycling center is still open for self-sorting? I know it closed for a little while but I heard it's open again...

Hi I am an Interior Design student and I need to find a tutor to guide me with my drawings and model project. This is my thesis project. l