apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Does anyone remember the name of that website where the women was reupholstering vintage Louis, Queen Anne & Bergere chairs with really bright patterned fabrics and painting the wood trim in corresponing bright colors (lime green, turquoise, etc.)? I can't find it for the life of me. Thanks!

If the link works
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7340332@N05/
– here’s what happened to the fallen flying mantle. A friend of mine figured out how to remount it in the same spot, but more securely than before.

He develops issues when he’s over-stimulated visually and doesn’t want to see anything on the mantle piece. I must say after my experience, I’m a little object reluctant in this case myself.

Here are my two ideas.

The first is to install a floating shelf (like the ones at West Elm, say) above the top of the mantle and then put the long pot (with egg and lizard) on that shelf.

The other is to create a row of masks (of which I have plenty – I think the collection is about three dozen now) which, like the two already there, are wall-mounted.

What do you think? Other ideas are welcome.

Aha! The triumphant return of the mantle!

I'm leaning toward the row-of-masks plan because the idea of another shelf above the mantle top seems disorienting... but I'm also feeling especially apt to be visually overstimulated right now, so take my opinion with a sprinkling of salt.

I think the second shelf could work if it was painted the same color as the mantle. I chose the shelf option over the wall-mounted masks because I like a mantle surface available for re-zhuzzhing on a whim.

WHITE CEILING PAINT HELP!!

can anyone recommend a benjamin moore white ceiling paint that is not "decorator's white" which is a tad too bright for my taste?

Ignore my earlier post, after 2 days of searching I finally found it - Chair Couture.

I saw La Vie en Rose last night -- the movie about the life of Edith Piaf.

The interiors are amazing, especially in the parts of the movie where she's not completely dirt poor. There's a wonderful upholstered headboard that seems hug the bedside tables, and there's another one that has them built on.

Plus, the movie is just good, but you really have to go look at the furniture in it, while you're watching.

That didn't sound right. The performances are flawless, and the furniture isn't distracting unless you're really looking for it, but I was, and I loved the furniture, too.

wende and robyn -- thanks for your comments. wende, can one ever be overstimulated? but yes, it is the triumphal return of the mantle.

curtis -- I think you dug yourself in pretty deep there. I'm always suspicious about good someone found a film when he or she comes out whistling the production design.

no, Curtis is right, the performance was flawless.

Hooray for the return of the flying mantle!

Why mount a shelf above it? I'd like to see the lizard and the egg directly on top of the mantle. Then (gasp) there would actually be breathing space and the space will highlight the mantle and the objects on top and give them importance. That would be my preference. A little negative space goes a long way in your apt. Does that sound nasty? I hope not. I love your walls. You have 3-D wallpaper.

Not fond of the masks, sorry, though design wise they would certainly work: rough vs smooth, round vs square.

So I quess I'm no help.

o.dear.god.

I bought an IKEA bedframe, used. My mom is coming to visit, and so a guest room is being created.
I have to assemble this thing.

The Ekeberg.
No longer in production, but rather attractive.
Anyone have it, or have the instructions or have a good idea for me? I've looked on the Ikeafans site, and it's not in their library.

p.s.
It looks like this, vertical wooden slats headboard.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IKEA-Ekeberg-Beech-Double-Bed-with-matching-side-table_W0QQitemZ160147883204QQihZ006QQcategoryZ38184QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

Anyone have a Euro pro toaster oven?

We need a new one, and seem to be leading toward a Euro pro, good size, features and price.

However it seems the reviews on amazon and target websites are either 5 stars or 1 star. People are saying (for the same model) that they are cheap pieces of junk, or that they are the best toaster oven available.

Was wondering if there used to be problems, that have been fixed recently, which could explain it?

Thanks

Buying a condo in Brooklyn and will be closing soon. It is new construction and eventhough I've been advised that a proper inspection isn't needed, I'd prefere to err on the cautious side and hire a professional. Does anyone know any great inspectors they would personally recommend? Any other tips for a first time condo buyer would be greatly appreciated as well. Thanks!

wende, can one ever be overstimulated?

I've been going back and forth on that one, actually, having developed a yen for color lately.

now that's even more tantalizing....

hey, has anybody seen any hot shower curtains lately??? I like the one's at plush living, but none of them are calling my name...

mikey hong,
a lot of the new construction in Bklyn is shite I'm sorry to say. Substandard materials, corners cut in the pennywise/pound-foolish manner.
So really really check it out!

Google the address, and check blogs -- there's plenty with specific real estate focus, so it might be covered if it's a big development. On my neighborhood site, people have talked for ages about the lack of services in their new construction building, a renovated hospital. The heat went out for days, there were problems with the water, it was crazy.

In a building on my street, there were rust trails on the balconies as soon as they were built -- they didn't spend the extra penny a screw for the outdoor galvinized.

PERFECT Danish Chair... HELP!

I am in love with a chair. It is Model 45, designed by Finn Juhl in 1945. The One Collection still manufactures it today. It is, in my view, the perfect chair:

http://www.onecollection.com/MODEL45/?sprog=eng

We are moving next month and I've been waiting to purchase this. HOWEVER, as the U.S. Dollar continues to sink into irrelevance, the chair price has risen from $5k to $6.8k! For some reason I was rationalizing the $5k, but as it nears closer to $7k everyday I am questioning my loyalty.

Have you seen anything like this chair around? I've been looking around and can't seem to find a fair replacement. I need to find a few more Danish vintage stores that may have some older similar pieces.

Any suggestions?

We're moving house this summer and I'm ready for a complete interior overhaul. I want to simplify, un-clutter and re-load.

Generally, the direction we're aiming for is a mixture of sophisticated modern and Danish/American mid-century, offset with a few timeless pieces we have collected from the different countries we have lived in.

My favorite store for interior inspiration is Liberty in London - a perfect combination of both eclectic and practical furniture, housewares, linens, clothing... practically everything. I would love to just move in there. I also like Graham & Green in the UK. The Conran Shop is my favorites here in NY.

It's important to me that our home doesn't feel like one specific era or catalogue selection. So many of the mid-Century or modern interiors I've seen lack a sense of individuality to me. I want our home to feel like us. A combination of old and new; simple standards complimented by a few stand-out pieces.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11823904@N03/

Living Room:
What do you think of the color schemes here? Brown, wood & green?? Something about it feels both comfortable and sophisticated to me. But I may be over-biased because I like each of the pieces individually so I WANT them to work together. So tell me the truth.

Family Room:
I need a rug here. Any suggestions?

The other photos show the Tolix dining room chairs and bar stools from Parisian cafe's in the mid-40's.

Would appreciate any suggestions you have...

I Love Upstate, that furniture was in London, made by Lisa Whatnough and her company or the store is Squint or Liberty. I loved it and wanted to see it again myself.

Jack Ryan -

Chair of that general shape used to be so common that I once plucked one off the street when I lived in Hell's Kitchen, and put some alizarin crimson oil paint in some polyurethane and varnished it and then I created a very strange-and-wonderful upholstery fabric by fusing a felt tapestry thing of Elvis onto a clear shower curtain and the whole thing looked like it was dipped in molten glass. It was a very wild kitchy kind of beautiful. And I sold it for about $400 or so.

Anyway... I think that $5K is kind of steep for a chair. You could get a couple of computers for that, or an old car!