apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Maybe I'm about to embarrass myself by admitting that I watch reality TV but an angry rejected "singer" on American Idol once said to Simon Cowell, "I don't see you singing" to which he said, "That's absolutely right. I DON'T SING." I think it's the same thing here. I'm not putting up my bedroom because it's nothing I want anyone to emulate. But if you put your up, then you're opening yourself up to criticism.

Paul, don't bend to the pressure, although your description is intriguing.

i want to see paul's bedroom. i also REALLY want to see patrick (the other one)'s bedroom. of course - in a purely apartment therapy way. actually, i'll take pot shots at anyone's bedroom, as long as i can leave mine out of it! (seriously, patrick, i want to see your bedroom.)

Seema--
Thanks for the vote of confidence (I think). But I am working furiously toward the entire apartment contest coming up, and afraid a bedroom-only entry (since I live in a studio, it's not even a true "bedroom") will dilute my chances.

Do I want to see Paul's bedroom? Depends on what he looks like. ;)

Thanks Ruth. Wow, did I get compared to Simon Cowell??? I don't watch American Idol, but I've heard he's pure evil... Now I'm all empowered and what-not. I'm-a go lift some weights.

Thank the Gods you didn't compare me to Simon Doonan... Did you see that apartment he shares with Jonathan Adler in the NY Times Magazine this weekend? What a pretentious duo those two make... Some of their stuff was interesting (the print of the girl in the bowl of jello) but the rest was just trash... bits of of carpeting and fabric cut and pasted to the foyer wall and painted white... I mean REALLY... what nonsensical excess is that. I wonder what their grandmother get away car looks like. They're just darlings of the mainstream... Two little charming arbiters of taste.

What.
Ever.

Yes, I still want a nice Jonathan Adler piece. maybe the prize for the small apartment contest could be a gift cert???

And yes, I turned beet red at my desk when I read the opener for thread 5. Thank you for taking me down a peg or two, Apartment Therapy.

No, I won't show you my bedroom... Like I said, I don't really have one as I'm in a studio.

I'll be right there for the AT small apartment competition, though. Promise.

Patrick, let's talk.

In response to Ruth's Simon Cowell comment, I say he's a pussy and I'll put my bedroom up if Ruth and Paul do. Of course, I would also sing and I really am not a singer...

If anyone knows of a link to the Adler/Doonan piece, if you could post it, muchas gracias.

www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/magazine/13DESIGN.html

enjoy.

Took a look at the Adler/Doonan piece. What's that saying, "there's no accounting for taste". I wouldn't call that bedroom the most beautiful either.

well, this is getting interesting...

in paul's defense, way more than 7 people out there trashed the asian retreat or whatever it was called and haven't put themselves out there. maybe they're all in jersey.

Woah chill on Jersey.
I love my neighborhood there, and still only 18 min commute to NYC.

There's more Adler/Doonan decorating in last Nov. Elle Decor, their condo in FL. I like that one much more than the one in the NYT.

As for my bedroom, you'll be a lovely shade of blue if you hold your breath waiting for it. It just isn't decorated at all and is quite messy. But, to reiterate my earlier point, that is why I'm not sending a picture. If you send a picture, you're making a certain claim and open yourself to criticism, even to people like me. I don't make movies, does that mean I don't have a right to express an opinion about them?

sorry- i only meant that those lovely people residing in the lovely garden state would be ineligible to post their lovely bedrooms. that's all.

p.s. i'm in philly. our sports fans boo santa, in case you hadn't heard.

yay all is forgiven

I like a lot of thing's in Adler's store, but that house in the NYTimes photos is truly awful. It's one thing to throw on some trashy glam outfit as an ironic statement, or party gag or whatever, but living with that kind of stuff staring you in the face in every room of your house.... I know irony has taken over every facet of our culture, but I draw that line at interiors -- and food (have you ever been to a party with ironically bad "white trash" food? The joke is funny for about 5 seconds and then you're hungry with nothing to eat.)

Mirrored tables and ceramic zebras... red white and blue bedrooms... it's painful to look at.

I also think that if you're old enough to have lived through an era's bad design (I'm talking about the 1970s in this case) you really can't appreciate a revival of it, even in a jokey context. (Adler and his partner are both old enough to fall into this category, so I guess that theory doesn't apply to everyone.)

Rob's obviously got a gift and we should all pay tribute to him.

Come on Paul, don't be a chicken... post the pics.

Perhaps we should have a "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" thread. I have no illusions about the worthiness of my bedroom, but I'd love to see everyone else's. My guess is the most beautiful bedroom belongs to someone here who will not enter the contest. If it takes putting pics of my digs up to see that room, I'm in.

nope.

Nothing to add really, just wanted to say I'm enjoying the hilarity!

I disagree with the opinion that the Doonan/Alder apartment is ugly. This apartment is what you get when you've been a designer for a while. As a designer you get tired of the trends and fads and what everyone else is doing and want to push the envelope as far as you can, doing what is fun to you.

It is their home, not a client's, and it reflects their design sensibility.
Most people aren't going to get it. You're not supposed to.

Personally, I love it, It makes me excited about design. In this day and age decorator has become a dirty word, they put the fun back into it.

Re Adler apt--It's like how hairdressers always have the worst hair.
And, um, not to be a glory hound (or german short-haired pointer), but as Poet Laureate am I eligible for the Loveliest Bedroom contest?

definitely yes - to shannon

I checked out the Doonan/Adler apt., and while as a whole I was not-so-enthusiastic, there were a few photos that I really liked. The print of the lady in the jello bowl against the yellow/green wall with the lamp/chairs-- I thought that was great. And the green entry-way table with the zebra rug I also liked. My feeling is sort of that I don't like it, but at least there's something there to not like. I think so many people are so terrified of doing something ugly, of "messing up" their home, that they become paralyzed and don't do anything. Why not put fabric on your walls and paint it white? It's not like you can't take it down.

shannon-- but you must submit in iambic pentameter. ;)

Maybe we could have a separate "just take a look" category in the bedroom contest for those of us who could use some advice but don't really feel like their bedrooms are "beautiful". My bedroom could use a some help, but I'm not certain what I'd like to do with it, and the other half of my apartment is kitchen/electricians hell...

Re Rob's comment about the 70s - Jonathan Adler has an exhibit right now at a synagogue in Phila. about how he was inspired by Reform synagogue architecture and design of the 60s and 70s. If you've ever been in one, you totally get it. So he's definitely not running away from the 70s, he's running straight into it's outstretched arms

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend just bought me a mac mini as a way for us to stay in touch as she leaves for Spain for 6 months. Anyways, not having a computer now, I don't really have a desk or anything to put this on. What I would ultimately like to do is find a desk that is not so deep (the lcd monitor that she ordered is really thin, and the computer is slightly larger than a stack of CDs). My preferred dimensions would be 50-60 inches wide by 20 inches deep.

There is a desk at room and company that would be perfect for me, it even has a drawer! It's called the Sri Lanka Computer Desk. Unfortunately, its also 1300 bucks, and I'd really rather stick to under 700. Have you guys seen anything similar?

FLATWARE! I need flatware! I searched this site and there was a link to the Martha Stewart stuff, but that's no longer available online. Who else has good flatware?

Thanks. K

Lawrence,
You can put together a pretty attractive desk in those dimensions at the door store--pick your finish, pick the legs, have them put on the keyboard tray--I just got an 18" x 48" desk to put my imac on and it was well under $300. I had them drill the holes for the legs, but assembled it at home with my trusty phillips head screwdriver, so it was quite easy to transport. I painted my desk top and got the cheap all plastic keyboard tray, but I thought the cherry veneer version was nice looking and they have a wooden kb tray to match it. No drawers, of course...
martha

karenw--
what kind of flatware you looking for?

Karen W,

Have you tried the MoMA shop? As I recall, they had some interesting flatware—

I've gotta go find this Times/Doonan/Adler article. Like it or not, you're all making it sound interesting—

AN ANSWER, and a new question.

Answer-- Hmmm... my first full set of flatware! I'm too old to be using my parents' old camping silverware (hefty, sturdy, v. retro-- "bought" with GREEN STAMPS back in the day. I love it, but there are only a few pieces remaining. those suckers never bend, even with very cold ice cream) mixed with some random stuff I bought at Target back in grad school (which do bend in very cold ice cream).

I'm moving to a new apartment in April and only taking with me what I really, really love. My inspiration is a) this site and b) an apartment I saw in brooklyn (at a party) where it was clear that EVERY SINGLE DETAIL had been carefully selected by the homeowner, from the color on the walls to the magnets on the fridge. It was like, "wow, where'd she get that?" in every inch of the house, from the leather bench in the living room to the collection of vintage-looking mirrors on the walls...

I'm about to make my first purchase of a full set of dishes (also looking for something classic, yet cool) and flatware.

What I want is good heft, classic lines, an elegant feel, nothing too trendy (like colored handles, unwieldy handles, etc-- ever eaten at D'Artagnan on..I think 46th b/w lex and park? too heavy/big/weird, that flatware), something you can eat cereal with but also serve a formal-ish dinner with. Something that makes people say, "hey, nice spoons." If anyone actually says that.

I was looking on Crate and Barrel yesterday at the "Michigan" pattern of flatware, but I'm open to suggestions. I have a couple of months to select with care, and I want to take a good look around first, but I really have no idea where to start looking.

Question-- I picked up some Christy Embrace bath sheets the other day at ABC Carpet and Home. Do only designers shop there? Because they literally ignored me for 45 minutes while I examined every sheet set and towel line in the store (fully looking to buy both-- and to drop the cash), then they sighed and asked each other (in an attempt to NOT have to wait on me), "what does she need?" (while I was standing right there. referring to me in the third person = not necessary) when I finally asked for help reaching the towels that they store up near the ceiling. I got the feeling that if I were dropping $10K on some Bordello silk duvet covers and Pratesi sheets for a client, they would have been, umm... civil? Nicer?

The towels are awesome, though.

But I would rather have a duvet cover custom made than hand over my $$ to snotty salespeople at ABC. It was such a disappointment. I intially had talked myself into buying an amazing duvet cover there (you'll have it forever, you deserve nice bedding, you're getting a tax refund), but they really took the fun out of it, and I decided to find another solution.

karenw--
Sucks about your ABC experience. Do what I do when service sucks-- write a letter (not an email, an actual letter). I had a bad experience in TWO Bloomingdale's, wrote two letters to the store managers and ended up getting two responses, and a big discount.

But if ANY store takes all the fun out of the item, leave it at the store.

Now, flatware--
Just saw a nice new set at West Elm this afternoon. Don't know the name of the pattern, but worth a look. I think you are also on the right track at C&B, since they do actually have one of the larger selections. Pottery Barn also has a few nice picks, and The Conran Shop may also be an option. I'm SO jealous you are shopping "from the ground up". ENJOY the process.

I bought a bunch of sterling silver from e-bay.
All different patterns and makes. It was very inexpensive, from Jensen on down. After having matching silver (sold it), I like the variety.
Same with china.

Back to the super ugly Doonan/Adler apartment! It's hideous, and oh so contrived. Has anyone seen Adler's website with his "manifesto" and bio? It's cringe inducing. And what's with knocking off everyone? His Vera-esque pillows even have his name in a similar font as the original Vera! And all the replications of Danish kitschy pottery. And Albrizzi lacquer knockoffs. And on and on. Sorry to be so negative, but really it is just too much.