apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm going to IKEA for the first time on Monday. A store has opened and hour away. I'm imagining it will be a madhouse. I have a few ideas of what I want to pick up. I'm easily distracted and need to focus. What would you buy? I always love to read new ideas and products I haven't thought of.

Is it fair to ask two questions? I have a pair of nesting end tables from Target. They are brown wood, I want to paint them white or a color. How should I go about this? I've painted a couple pieces of furniture before with less than professional results. I want it too look as nice as possible. Thanks!

has anyone ever ordered from RUGSDIRECT? more importantly, has anyone ordered from their clearance site, CLEARANGERUGS.COM?

Are they ok? Reseller Ratings has only 2 reviews, and they're both negative. But I found a 5x8 rug for $60!! And that's about my budget, really...

Should I just go for it?

I have ordered from RugsDirect, not ClearanceRugs.com though. RugsDirect was fine. I don't remember having to wait and the rug was perfect. I saw it in a showroom and ordered it from RugsDirect for much less.

For sixty bucks I probably would go for it.

fastkat, I have read it so many times here: wood is a color. Especially dark wood is very pretty, do not paint it. You'll regret. I do, during my shabby chique phase I ugly-painted everything white :-((

PS: enjoy Ikea. It is like going to Disneyland!

fastkat, if the side tables are a laminate, just give them a light sanding, then paint them with a primer first. Use a foam roller for the primer and the paint, with a good brush for the places the roller can't reach.

thanks fastkat! the price is right, but now i'm wondering about the rug itself.


the site says the rug is made of "Fiber: 100% Olefin (Polypropylene)"

is that, er, RUG LIKE? or is that...MAT LIKE? maybe i just won't be able to find a rug that's soft and cushy for under $100. and i should just get over it.

Olefin is RUG LIKE. It's just an artificial fiber used to make a rug; there's no reason there wouldn't be a normal pile.

You're not likely to get wool new for $60, so your choices are among various fibers that started as petroleum products.

GUYS GUESS WHAT! Bf and I are FINALLY painting (he wouldn't let me do it by myself because he wanted a say in it, but i has taken him since february to finally give up and let me run that department)!!!! we are starting with the "hallway" - which is really just a dark little cave where all the rooms meet up, and we are going to paint it mustardy yellow. wende - wasn't it you that said you also have the brown trim? well i thought that was the perfect room to paint the yellow because it is so dark, and we're painting the bedroom chocolate froth that sarahc is painting HER bedroom - because i consider my trim dark chocolate and it would look like chocolate milk next to it. i'm SO excited!!!!i'll take before and after pics.

Not me... we've never had dark trim... but your color ideas make a ton of sense, and congratulations on finally getting to paint!

How much would you pay a professional to paint a loft (15 ft ceilings) condo with 1150 sq ft in NYC? The walls are white now and there are no holes or anything that would need spackling. I'm providing the paint. Thanks.

fastkat, I make a trip out to IKEA every few months to load up on pillar candles. You can't beat the prices. $3.95 for a tall pillar! They now make much taller pillar candles - 2'-3' tall. I grap a few bags of 100 count tealights ($2.99) and a box or 2 of tapers. All in white.

I like their vases, kitchenware, candleholders. And IKEA is a good place to pick up a shower curtain, bath accessories, glasses, lighting, light bulbs, mirrors - oh, you get the idea. They also have lots of room setups so you'll get how-to ideas.

nat26, I just used a painter here in the city and she's great. Her name is Jennifer and she charges $275/day. Her info is in the Services section here on AT under painters.

I'm still hoping someone can recommend a good electrician here in the city. I've got to get some lights hardwired soon. Please, anyone out there know a good, reliable electrician other than the ones mentioned in the Services section?

anne (and even nat), my brother is a general contractor here in nyc and could recommend his electrician and even a reliable painter or general pricing...

i double checked to make sure he wouldn't mind a phone call... it's SEVEN ONE EIGHT - EIGHT EIGHT FIVE - SEVEN EIGHT FOUR TWO. his name is peter maslow.

wende in phoenix, you've sold me. i'm gonna grab it up. i imagine it's also cleanable, too? i've got cats, and god knows if a cat has to puke, it always pukes on the expensive rug.

About cat vomit - (hahaha, how's THAT for an opening!) - pick up just what's on the surface and don't rub it in, then wait for the rest to dry completely and use a small wire brush to get the rest off. Then vacuum. I also highly recommend Gonzo carpet cleaner. It's only about $3 at BedBath&Beyond. I've tried everything on the market and Gonzo is what works best for me.

Kdkaboom -- Olefin is color-fast and extremely cleanable. Cat vomit should come right up. Because of our Feline-Americans, I do tend to worry more about the density of the weave (does the rug use enough knots-per-inch so that the pattern looks good, not uneven -- you can just eyeball that and see if you're happy, you don't have to get a number) than about the fiber content.

Isn't it clever how the little darlings aim for the rug? Ours even oop-slop on the light-colored parts of a multi-colored area rug.

kdkaboom, I just talked to your brother and to the electrician he recommended. I'm meeting with him next week to outline the job. Thank you so much for passing along the information.

Oh yeah, wende, I can relate. I came home the other night and one of my cats decided my all white bedding was a perfect place to throw up. There are plenty of hardwood or tile floors to vomit on but they never do it there. It's always on the bed, sofa or carpet. Thank god all are washable.

anne -- and the worst part about the throw up is that when you ask who did it, they try to look so innocent...and they never rat out the culprit...

anne, thanks for the Ikea ideas. Shawn, thanks so much for the painting tips. Pommette, I agree with you about the wood. I might hold off, but I think I can't go wrong either way. The nesting tables are super cheapy.

anne, wendy, and vickya - i love my little darling kitties, but i once came home from a huge trip, and it was 1am and i was tired and wanted to just crash...and there...projected across my entire bed...was...yes, you know. and chunky, ok? horrible! soaked through the blanket and sheets and pad and so friggin' disgusting.

obviously they were pissed off at me, but can't they just confont me in person or via email?? ;)




thanks so much for the rug help and the experience with cleaning it. i've ordered it! i feel so grown up buying a rug!

hey anne, i'm so glad my bro was of assistance! i hope your project goes well :)


cheers,
katy

Your kitty barf stories take me back. Loved the fatty, but do not regret giving her to the Cat Lady when I married the allergic one.

My question--I'm in a new rental and not up for painting it until we have some idea of what's going to happen with the rent (my first time not in a stablized apt--NOT LIKING THIS). I need some green and some vertical in my living room (sorry no photos to link to) and I was thinking...ficus tree? or a tree wall decal? Truth be told, I think I'm already over the decal thing.

So...how hard is it to keep a tree alive? It would get so-so light--not ideal but not hopeless, either. I'm a bit inspired by the Toronto color contest entry with its spiky tall plants. The only thing I've managed to grow before is a windowsill mint plant. Any experience to share? Thank you.

Wende - when you said it wasn't you I remembered I think it was lorijo. But that doesn't change how excited I am!!! It's like getting to do my own little cure, however slow and small it may be, and it helps me to forget how stressed out I am with all the other stuff going on. It's such a small thing but brings SUCH joy into my life right now!! whoopee! After painting, I will have beautiful colors in my home, and I've already finished doing some hard gardening in the front near my rosebushes - and it just feels so good to put so much hardwork into your home. Sorry guys, just felt that little ping of YAY and had to share it.

HOWEVER, does anyone know how to get rid of yucas? Someone planted some very oddly in front of my rose bushes among the monkey grass. Since the monkey grass was dead and had a lot of fire ant beds, we tore it out and got out the bulbs of the yucas. Now they are back and not only infront of the roses, but behind them mixed in with the coleus (sp). Any ideas?

Cmcinnyc,
I have found Ficus trees to be very persnickety. If I even looked at mine, the leaves fell off. Perhaps a large/tall plant with more durability? I found one site with info that might help. See plant-care.com.

Now hear this: TJMaxx in Chelsea has Caldrea hand soap for $9.99 (68 oz bottles)!

Thought you'd want to know.