apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I need a long (~ 10 ft x 2ft) hallway runner. I haven’t found very many options and would appreciate suggestions. 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. Has anyone ever done this? Is it expensive? Thanks

i love the nelson ball clock that many retailers sell for about $300.00, but recently saw an almost exact reproduction of the clock at gracious home for about $40.00. is it ethical/okay to buy the cheaper clock?

the gracious home one:
http://www.gracioushome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=188747&langId=-1&categoryId=70001&parent_category_rn=61507&top_category=61507

the "real" one:
http://www.dwr.com/search.cfm?Ntx=mode matchpartialmax&N=0&Ntt=nelson ball clock

Hi southernwayfarer,

That's one possibility. You could also look into Flor rugs. It's this company that basically make squares of rugs that are self adhesive. So you can order as many squares as you need for your hallway; and they have lots of colors, textures and patterns to choose from.
Hope this helps!

Kita

I've got a new living room with big empty walls. Looking for some larger format original artwork, but most everything I see on etsy is teeny. Everything else I can find online is either too expensive or a poster of babies kissing or something. Any tips? I can always go the route of multiples but I'd love to have one big piece for this particular space.

thanks!

I'm selling barcelona chair and ottoman reproduction frames - check out the classifieds...could not upload a picture there but quick search on craiglist and you'll find the pictures...the frames have white leather straps and they are brand new.
I have 2 sets for sale.
figured talented people here will find ways to get cushions for the chair and the ottoman.
i will deliver anywhere in the city or hoboken! email hobokenroom(at)hotmail(dot)com

Where does everyone get their decorative pillows? I have been looking & looking, but haven't found anything special. It is so hard to look online becuse I need to feel a pillow to know if it's right. I am looking for well-made, substantial pillows and I am willing to pay for good construction and quality fabric. It seems that if I like the looks of a pillow, it is crappily made and if I find one that is well constructed, it is a needlepoint job with tassels. Can anyone suggest some shops in Northern NJ/NYC area?

Emilymiller, what about art.com?

Has anyone here ever used Decorating Den?

I second FLOR for a hallway runner. They have so many options. Be sure to order the samples first, as there is a wide variation in the feel of different catgories. They will send you 6 samples for $5.

Southernwayfarer, I think that most carpet stores that sell roll-end remnants can arrange the binding for you. There is also a carpet-binding tape but I don't believe that it's as durable as a sewn binding.

Buying a cut from a roll end will be very economical for you since it can be cut from the width of a 12-foot roll. If you need less than 12 feet the small extra piece could be bound for a doormat. Once when I needed a strip of carpet 3 feet wide and 24 feet long, I had two 3-foot strips cut across the width of a 12-foot roll and joined end-to-end.

Hi There

This is not decor related, but I am hoping that you New Yorkers can offer some suggestions. I will be visiting your beautiful city for the first time next weekend, we only have two days and I want to know, if you only had two days...what would you do/see/shop?

Thanks
Carder in Toronto

Flor tiles are 19.5" sq. That means she would have to use just one long 10' row of single tiles. It would look like a landing strip.

Have you considered buying 2 runners and sewing them together?

Your idea of getting a remnant and binding the edges is also a good bet.

robyn, there are beautiful pillows at The Golden Calf in Williamsburg. Beautifully sewn felt in amazing patterns. It's on the corner of N. 6th and Wythe. Great store. There are other wonderful stores in the 'hood. like The Future Perfect, so it's worth the trip.

Carder, Soho and Tribeca are great neighborhoods to wander around. Soho has the bulk of design stores, both clothing and home.

I'd definitely try to take a walk in Central Park. If you start at Columbus Circle (newly renovated) and enter the park there you can walk to the promenade that leads to Bethesda Fountain. Two marathons are this weekend in the park so it'll be buzzing with exhausted runners wrapped in silver cloaks. Maps are available at http://www.centralpark.com/

I wouldn't make a special trip but if you're in the area of Grand Central Terminal definitely go inside. The "new" main area is breathtaking!

Others here will have more ideas, I'm sure.

emilymiller:

I don't know about original artwork, but I got a nice poster from rightbrainterrain.com and one for my cube at work from allposters (!): http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Hop-2000-Posters_i915172_.htm

The allposters one was surprisingly nice - very thick, matte paper.

emilymiller,
for affordable art, check out the brooklyn waterfront artists coalition shows in red hook, by fairway. bwac.org. the season just finished for the year (there's no heating in that civil war-era warehouse!), but you can view some of the artists' work from the website and try to make a deal.

robyn:
the conran shop (e. 59th/1st) has gorgeous pillows.

Thaks Anne!

If you have not gone to the NYT Arts section today you are missing a wonderful slide show of the Richard Neutra Kaufmann House in Palms Springs. The place is beautiful and fully answers the question of why people love mid-century design.

My husband and I just purchased our first home, and would like to paint our bathroom walls, which are currently white, with a nice green color. I'm thinking along the lines of apple, pear, lime greens, etc.

There are so many different colors out there and we are feeling overwhelmed. Someone even told me recently that you should never use green in a bathroom! It is a very small room with not much natural light, so I don't want to overwhelm the space. The tub wall is actually surrounded by built-in cabinets that we plan on leaving white, as well as the ceiling. So it would be three small walls that would be painted green.

We've got a very subtle Asian theme going... a small figure of the seated Buddha, a framed hand-made card written in Chinese that was given to us on our wedding, that sort of thing. The plumbing fixtures, lighting, towel bars, etc. are all brushed nickel. The sink top, toilet, and bathtub are all white. The floor, medicine cabinet, and vanity base are all black.

Any suggestions? Tried and true green colors? Picture examples that could help?

Thanks in advance!

emilymiller, Check out sites like Zazzle and Imagekind. They're both print-on-demand places where anyone can open a shop, so there's a lot (a lot!) of not so great stuff to sort through. But the upside is that you can get really large art for cheap. Look for coupons online too, especially with the holidays coming up you can get some good deals. I bought a 35x45 WPA poster on nice heavyweight matte paper from Zazzle for $35. Plus another $10 for some foam core and trim to make a frame, and it looks awesome.

Carder in Toronto, I could tell you a zillion things to do. On top of all the Manhattan tourist destinations, try to take a walk from lower Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn Heights. Take in the view from the Promenade and just wander around. If the weather cooperates there's nothing nicer. Have fun!
http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridge.html

ALS1--

I recently painted my living room a wonderful light green color from Behr. I don't remember the exact name, but it came out very nicely on our walls.

luckysquid - my personal opinion is that everyone can't afford the "real" ones of nicely designed items, and if you like the other one just as much, go for it - it's all about personal taste (or should be, at least).

robyn - depending on what kind of pillow you're looking for, you might want to try Pier One or Crate and Barrel, or a few of my online favs:

http://www.brightandbold.com/pillows.html
http://pillowsandthrows.com/

Carder, check out www.chowhound.com for good restauraunt recs - you can do a search for what you're looking for, or just browse the manhattan board and see what looks interesting. They are crazy foodies and know EVERYTHING food-wise on that board.

I would recommend you see the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. It's fantastic, SO different than other museums, and provides a real look into a part of New York that has so much influence on what New York is today. And the Lower East Side is full of stuff to do, like eating a pastrami on rye at Katz's Deli!

And may I encourage you, if you aren't already planning on it, to see a show? If you want some rec's, you can email me at moxiethemaven [at]yahoo[dot]com and I'll gladly give you some suggestions.

Have fun!

I have a 500 sq ft rowhouse. One of the walls is all brick which I just painted white/off white (still decided on that too).

My did decsion right now is the tilie for the floor. I want to keep it open and airy. I am thinking about doing dark colored tiles on the main floor. Can someone tell me will dark make the room look bigger or smaller? How about tiles sizes? They will be at least 12 x 12 but could be larger. How will that affect the perception of the size of the space? Lastly, I'm in Denver, any good resources for affordable tile?

Thanks! Karen

Carder in Toronto,
The Cloister Museum on the Hudson is great. Go to at least One of the quintessential restaurants like Grammery Tavern.

Karen

southern wayfarer: It is very easy and common to have a carpet bound into an area rug, and it doesn't cost much....I purchased carpeting recently and watched as a man quickly bound the edges of a room sized remnant that someone else was purchasing--he unrolled the carpet and used a serger to stitch around the edges right there on the floor. They add a bit of a surcharge for the binding, but if you visit a place that specializes in carpeting remnants, you can get a fantastic deal!

emilymiller: first, I'd recommend visiting local gallery openings and art school receptions...you'll find some amazing artwork (and enjoy conversation and a few glasses of free wine) plus you'll be directly supporting a local starving artist.

some other ideas you could diy: for a unique one of a kind artwork, take a photograph or image you love an rasterbate it for free--then you can mount the individual pieces under those inexpensive clip frames ($1.99 for 2 8x10) from ikea and hang them very close together on a wall...you can make the artwork any size you like
http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/08046900

also, I love the marimekko fabric hangings
http://www.cb2.com/search.aspx?query=marimekko&headerControl%3AimgSearch.x=0&headerControl%3AimgSearch.y=0
you could find any bold fabric you love (not necessarily marimekko) and staple it to a wooden canvas stretcher or purchase the hanging hardware system (I think it's about $25)

Southernwayfarer --

I had several rugs bound at ABC Home & Carpet's Bronx warehouse outlet. It wasn't that pricey and took about a week.