apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Looking forward to the Spring Cure!

Yep, ready to go.

I hope the links for the Spring Cure are more prominent this time around than during the fall cure. After all, the cures are what this site initially was all about!

after reading another complaint by another reading about the use of "we" on this site, I'm curious if the Maxwell or any other member of the editorial staff has given a decent response to these complaints.

it was cute and helped with consistency (although I think the pronoun "I" would be much more consistent and logical in most circumstances), but it's clear that readers don't like it.

run a search of "first person plural" in your search bar, and see the unanimous disfavor for what is described as "awkward," "difficult to read," "really annoying," "bloody irritating," "pretentious," "ridiculous"...and the list goes on and on.

I've heard a lot of people respond with the "chill out" or "it doesn't really bother me, so relax" argument, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone explain why/how it is preferable. anyone chime in.

and I'm curious why you would ignore the adamant complaints of so many readers that you are "driving crazy" with this method in favor of sticking to your guns and remaining "consistent" because there are at least some people that don't mind it.

each post names the writer. we know who it is. we know it is their voice and their experience. you're a group of many voices. we know there are individuals in that group. at best, "we" is passable, but usually it just detracts from a great site.

Ha. I just re-read that I wrote "the Maxwell." that was unintentional, not an awkward attempt at a jab of some sort.

@amt230

Marissa Mayer, Google's style maven (aka VP of Search Product and User Experience), agrees.

From a recent profile in the NYT: "If we use the word ‘we,’ then users think we are picking their words for them."

Does anyone know if you can launder a shower curtain liner? (Like the kind you can buy at Target)

angry kitty...is it the more fabic type rather than vinyl? Mine is the fabric type and I launder it regularly. If it is vinyl, I don't think you can launder it. I would soak it in the tub and scrub it that way.

I wash my vinyl shower curtain on cold in the washer. Once the cycle is done, I just put it in a clean trash bag and carry it up to the shower to hang.... It is a bit wrinkled but that calms down after a day or two. Works like a charm every time!

hmm good to know angietq

Awesome. I have two vinyl shower curtains (I have a window in my shower) and they are getting kind of gross and I would like to not have to buy new ones if I don't have too! I'll give it a whirl!

I wash my vinyl shower curtains all the time.
You'll be ok!

I didn't think you'd have anything to say, Maxwell.

I dare you to put "using 'we'" up for a "Hot or Not?" post and let the community decide. Probably won't respond to that either.

Whoa, I'm no fan of the royal "we" either, but want to pipe down self-righteous petulance a smidge?

JH4825, I think Mayer didn't mean the editorial "we." Rather, I think she meant things like, "We all know that..." or "When we make sacrifices, we benefit in the long run" -- the presumptuous collective "we."

I've said this before, but I think the editorial "we" is fine when it can be replaced by the phrase, "We here at AT...." As in, "We love this new sofa from Anthrpologie." That's fine. But "We here at AT helped our boyfriend move this weekend" is totally preposterous, so that's an appropriate occasion for "I."

I suppose I'm in the minority of not minding the "we" as used on AT. But its use or lack thereof is not why I read or don't read AT. I read it to be inspired.

Speaking of which, I'm considering replacing the decal in my bathroom but I'm at a loss as to what else might work in the space. I'd love more storage but I really want a sleek clutter free space.

Here's a link to my bath now:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdeathstar/2637291378/in/photostream/

deathstar, very nice bathroom! so why not put a sleek glass shelf there under the decal? if you don't like the decal anymore, remove it and put in a few glass shelves. just don't load 'em up with crap ;)

Thanks - we remodeled last year and it has made all the difference to my peace of mind in the morning!

Well, I just think it's lame when a website represents itself as being "community" oriented, but makes no efforts to interact or respond to its community.

Apologies if it came off a touch strong. I know Maxwell is quite busy, and I have no expectation that he reads every post, but if he read at least some of them he'd notice that the community he speaks to (the product he sells to his advertisers) is trying to send him a message.

Ironically, I don't even care that much about the use of "we." I just care that it comes up so often from so many people, and is never even addressed. It's troublesome that a website that I trust as being down-to-earth and truly interested in reflecting the interest of its community members ignores them. Makes me question

So, my suggestion to Maxwell is that it is put up for a hot or not. It'll be fun, if nothing else. I don't claim to speak on behalf of the readers, but just actually read Maxwell's blog enough to notice the readers are speaking and aren't being listened to.

Cheryl -

I'm pretty sure she meant the editorial we too. From another part of the same article,

"The guidelines are devised, she said, from myriad internal experiments to gauge users’ preferences. Avoid first- and second-person pronouns. Always write 'Google' instead of 'we.'"

Hmm. Yeah, I missed that the first time. But she's arguing in the opposite direction from most of the posters here. She favors avoiding the first person as well as the second, note. The AT peanut gallery wants "I" used instead of "we" -- at least where it's senseless to do anything else ("our boyfriend").

The whole image she's trying to project is of Google as a unified entity. AT is a blog with a bunch of separate bloggers and each post is identified as being from a particular one. It makes little sense to try to project AT as a monolith when personal anecdote is involved. "AT helped AT's boyfriend move" sounds even worse than the "we."

Were the winners of the December giveaway thing ever announced?

Here is a great article about inexpensive upgrades for the bathroom.
http://www.mydesignsecrets.com/2009/02/23/affordable-upgrades-for-a-cozy-bathroom/

dear amt,

we've used "we" since the very beginning for strong reasons, though there are places where we use the I instead. I am sorry that you feel it's awkward, but it is more important to me that we work as a collective both behind and in front of the scenes.

Seems like a "because that's the way it is" argument, but I appreciate the response.

Seriously, dude, you can't come onto someone else's site and tell them how to write. If you don't like their style, go read something else.

totally, dude, I was acknowledging a voice of the readers and was curious about the seemingly absent response by the editors, which is what the posts say. but thanks for laying out the ground rules on posts for this site.

Well, I find the occasional "we" quite cute, but I'd also like to see "I" more often. At least I can tell the "we" on AT doesn't have the same corporate feeling like it would on Google.

Question to the team: is there also a meaningful place (eg. this thread) where we can send pics of bathrooms?

Whoa, what's up with the layout today? Posts are stretching into the side bars.

Re the shower curtain liner: If you have a problem with soap scum, consider adding some vonegar when you wash. It really helps. When I had a clear vinyl liner, I would just wash the liner with vinegar and no soap--there was plenty stuck to the liner already!

I/we (ha ha) need AT's help finding the simplest thing that I can't find anywhere -- plastic coat hooks. I have a small outdoor space that is subjected to the harsh northeast weather -- but in the summer, we use to hang up our sandy beach towels, etc. Any metal hooks I have tried don't last long .. they rust within a year. I can't seem to find anything made of plastic, acrylic, fiberglass, etc -- any tips?

@robyn

What about aluminum? It won't rust.

A neat feature in today's NYT on redecorating with accent pieces. Includes pretty convincing looking Saarinen and Bertoia clones from Target.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/12/garden/20090312_CHEAP_INTERACTIVE.html

Hi there - hoping someone might be able to help me: I have this dhurrie rug from ballard designs, which I love, but no matter how much I vacuum, it always feels like it's dirty and full of crumbs underfoot. Kind of gross. I even had Stanley Steemer clean it and it didn't do the trick. Is this just a common issue with dhurrie rugs? Believe me, I am not a particularly dirty person at all. Any thoughts? Can you wash these carpets? Thanks for your help!

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/Rugs/By-Color/Neutral-Rugs/Damask-Dhurrie-Rug/p/3635?path=1%2C2%2C1466%2C1518%2C1624&iProductID=3635

lindley13 - Assuming the rug is clean (vaccuming & steaming should certainly have taken out any actual dirt), could what you are feeling be tiny frayed threads? The rug is flatweave, so you might even be able to see them. If this is the case -- try ironing it on a low setting with a towel on to of the rug, this will help them lay down flat. If not, I would call Ballard Designs ... that rug wasn't cheap!

It's unlikely, but it's worth a shot: sometime between 8/05 (when I moved to my current condo) and 10/06 (when my computer was stolen), this website did a post about a sofa that I liked. I bookmarked it, but as I said, my PC was stolen, so here I am, asking if anyone remembers the couch I'm talking about.

It was similar to a tuxedo style sofa, but it had exposed vertical walnut supports behind the angled back. I believe the sofa was shown in both taupe and grey. (Note than I'm not talking about Modernica's Florence Knoll knockoff in walnut; this had much curvier supports.)

And yes, now I religiously make backups.

Thanks

Let's go Spring!!!

Is there nobody left from the old days when design was serious business on this site?

I need some help with medicine cabinet organization. I'm looking for some small containers to hold things like cotton balls but they need to be acrylic or bamboo--no glass or metal. I prefer acrylic so I can see through them, and I'd also like lids if possible. Any suggestions?

I can't find a newer open thread. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this table through this company. Its a knock-off:
http://www.evincodesign.com/eero-saarinen-tulip-marble-dining-table.html