apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I recently purchased this cat tower in Birch. It is huge and I don't know what I was thinking. Anyone want it? It's brand new and free. I live on 20th btwn 7th & 8th.

http://www.therefinedfeline.com/lotus-cat-furniture.htm


Vanessa

Hello!
I just moved into an extremely small DC one-bedroom condo. As a move in gift from the seller, i received a 42" flat screen tv.
I really want to have a stereo below the television, but the only thing that would hold it, would really be too big.

My question is this... Are there invisible shelves that are strong enough to hold a stereo??

All answers will be appreciated.
Thanks!

vanessa, that thing is pretty cool! i'd take it, but i'm in brooklyn and carless. :(

i hear ya on the "what was i thinking" thing. i do that a lot, it seems. so i keep every receipt you could imagine hehe

has anyone remodeled and put in a wall hung toilet? does anyone have any experience in buying one? i'm speaking of residential versions not the commercial version with a 'spud" (that cracks me up)....i have to start on my bathroom soon but it's the classic 5x8 and i'm thinking that will save me tons (as in inches) of space, but none of the plumbers i talk to here have experience with them, and don't want to install one.

Question-

I have a set of hammered solid silver cups from Thailand. Is it safe to drink from them? If so, how should they be cleaned? Would the silver chemically react with wines, etc? Can they be sealed? I'm tired of not using them, as they are very beautiful. Thanks.

Windwolf

I bought this pendant lamp from Ikea. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80071338

The lamp is set up to plug into a wall outlet, not to be hardwired. We connected it to the ceiling and have the cord running down the side of the window, so it looks alright. The weird thing is that it doesn't have any sort of on/off switch.

Our first thought was to get a Clapper--pretty ridiculous, but the idea of being able to turn it on without pulling the plug seemed great. The Clapper is a piece of junk, however, and made it turn on and off without warning all the time.

Are there any other options out there?

Windwolf -

Oh yes, use your silver! It's such a pleasure. I use solid sterling silver utensils for my every day, and I don't have any problems. A few tips I've learned over the years.

- Don't put them in the dishwasher. Some people will tell you this is fine, but over the years I've noticed that the dishwasher can impart a cloudy sort of tarnish to the silver. AND the knocking around that happens in the dishwasher can dent or ding pieces. Silver is soft!

- When washing, don't use any kind of scrubby sponge or abrasive soap, just plain soap with a soft sponge or cloth will do. Soak if you've got crusted stuff.

- Wine, vinegar, etc, is no problem in my experience. Silver was historically used for serving and eating precisely because it doesn't react with food.

Silver does, however, conduct heat very well and very quickly. Resting a spoon in a hot mug of tea will quickly make the spoon's handle far too hot to touch. So be forewarned if you use your cups for hot liquids.

- The more you use your silver, the less it tarnishes. Everyday use keeps it shiny.

Finally, make sure your cups are indeed sterling silver or silverplate before you use them. Not that you would have willingly bought fake stuff, but you could have problems wine or other acidic stuff if the cups have some other metals in them.

Free?! Oooh, Vanessa, I'll take it if you haven't had any other takers yet. My cat just might like that!

Hey, Jenny -

I used this on the light I just hung from my ceiling. It's idiot-proof installation, too. My local hardware store carries it.

http://www.prolighting.com/lulcatonladi.html

Hi Jenny in DC,

I have a great solution for you, but I can't remember the name of the product. It's a RF remote switch set which comes with a receiver and a transmitter (come in three channels A, B, and C). Plug the receiver to the outlet on the wall and connect the light plug to the receiver. The transmitter looks like a car alarm remote switch. I bought mine from Lowel, but I am sure Home Depot stock them, too.

I recently moved into a loft which has a black metal stair way. At night, I realized it was difficult to see the steps, so I installed the LED light (bought from Ikea) so that it will be lite from the under side of stairs. I bought two, A channel remote switch units so that I can turn on and off from second floor as well as from first floor (similar to the three way switch setup). I got a quote of $500 dollars to do the wiring by licensed electrician.

Melissa,

It's yours! My email is vvonh@hotmail.com.

Vanessa

Jenny,

You can cut off the plug and just hardwire the lamp to the ceiling.

Vanessa

Questions from a colour-challenged person...

I'm tossing up whether or not to buy a dark grey couch for my apartment. The apartment has dull white walls and beige carpet. I'm renting, so I can't paint. The grey couch will be replacing a bluish/indigoish couch. My furniture is beech, white and/or birch (IKEA Magiker!). I'm apprehensive about the dark grey couch because I'm not sure if I can co-ordinate the room colours properly. I'm a bit of a colour dunce (maybe even a design dunce, but I'm trying to overcome that!) so I can't even picture the grey in the room. The apartment is small and I have kids, so I want the space to look as spacious as possible.

So (finally), my questions are...would the dark grey couch work? How can I make it work in a house with little kids? Can anyone point to me to pictures that might help me visualise what I can do with the room? Am I better off spending a little more to get it in a brown fabric? Any advice would be so, so, so appreciated!

Jenny, just buy a little switch that you can splice into the cord at any point. They cost about 50cents at any hardware store. Ask the salesperson how to do it but I think you just cut the wire, open the little switch and connect the wires to the inside of the switch. You see these switches on a lot of lamps. I bet you know what I'm talking about.

Windwolf, I wouldn't use these cups to drink from. Sterling silver utensils are fine but even silver cups made here in the US are not that safe to drink from. And if you did, you'd probably get a metallic taste from it. Use them for flowers or a quick toast but don't use them as your regular drinking vessel.

Cool. A lot of these suggestions sound really good. I don't think we're gonna hard wire it to the ceiling, because we already have a flushmount overhead light, but I like the idea of trying to cut the cord and create a switch near the plug at the bottom. Thanks everyone.

Jenny, Ikea also sells switches. They're like short extension cords with sliding dimmer switches. Plug it into the wall, place the switch wherever it's convenient, and plug in the lamp.

Anne (and Windwolf) -

I respectfully disagree. Sterling silver, solid or plate, is completely safe for drinking and serving. I also use my silver teapot, coffeepot and pitcher fairly regularly with no problems. (My only regret is that, living alone, I don't get to use them more!)

Of course, Anne, I'm totally with you if the cups aren't sterling. I'm just such a fan of using "the good silver" and "the good china" for everyday living that I encourage everyone to.

More info on sterling silver here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_silver

Related to JennyinDC's question -- I too have a light which I'm going to fasten on the wall and run the cord down along a window frame to a socket. Question: what's the best way to secure the cord -- neat looking (that is, duct tape is not an option!) and long-term (nothing that will pull loose when the heat comes on in the winter)?

And related to the discussion of sterling silver cups -- for goodness' sake, use them -- you and they both need the regular attention.

I need a long hallway runner. I'm considering buying a piece of carpet and having a binding sewn around the edge. Has anyone ever done this? I've read that many carpet stores/suppliers provide a binding service. Anyone ever done this? Is it expensive? Thanks

Deborah, I usually use the plastic, half-circle clips that attach to the wall or baseboard with a small nail. They keep things in place nicely, and the holes are small enough that they can be easily spackled if the clips are removed later.

I live in a brownstone in carroll gardens with those fantastic pocket shutters. trouble is, they're in serious need of refinishing. i foolishly thought i could do it myself, and gave myself tennis elbow in the process. i tried stripping the shutters, which was a messy, painful process that has left the shutters stripped down to the last couple coats of stubborn paint, and me wanting to give up.

the other day i walked out on the street and there was a stoop sale with a complete set of excellent shutters - i bought them, took them upstairs, and found they're an inch too narrow, and an inch too short. (anyone want them?)

so i'm back to square one. any ideas on how to fix this? is there someone i could give these to who could strip the paint off? i'll happily paint and rehang them, but need them stripped and sanded... thoughts? or tips on how to do this better?

moira, I also use my good china and sterling silver everyday along with the good crystal for wine. I, too, live alone and can't think of a single reason why I'd keep all those things wrapped up in the back of a cupboard. I'm totally worth it. :)

pdxinnyc, I don't know if what I'm going to say has any validity to it but if the shutters you bought are just short/narrow by one inch, can you add a strip of wood to them, seal the seams, sand and paint? Would that solve the problem or is there more to it than that?

actually, anne - that's a brilliant suggestion... and probably better for my elbow than more sanding! i'm checking the hardware store this weekend for all the necessary supplies...

Jenny in DC, I think I had something like iaintgoingthere had. I bought something like this for my little boy's room when he was a baby... we plugged a table lamp into it (and then plugged the unit into the wall) and hung the wireless remote on a hook just inside his bedroom door. I was able to dim the lights or turn them all the way on or off using this little gadget. I think it saved me from spraining an ankle in the middle of the night. Wireless remote works on batteries, upto 100 feet apparently.

http://www.autobarn.net/remote-lamp-6008.html

i suggest cut off the plug and just hardwire the lamp to the ceiling

http://www.modern-sofa.net/products.php?id=00000001

I think that if you have good china and silver, DO use them. I have Fiestaware because I love the colors and the style for my apartment.

Since I'm the only one in my family that didn't have wedding silver, I inherited my grandmother's silverplate set in the pattern called "First Love" and I love it and it's all I use -- I think I probably actually got rid of all else but it when I got it, because there would be no excuse not to use it, and no excuse to keep what I wouldn't use.

Funny thing is, there were salad forks, but no dinner forks, because she could never afford to buy them, and I guess she stopped noticing that salad forks were small. So, I bought matching dinner forks on eBay, because I guess it was a popular enough pattern that it wasn't hard to find.