apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The most interesting couple of design things in Northern California newspapers...

Sacramento man builds modern-Asian occasional furniture from recycled chopsticks: http://www.kwytzakraft.com/

Even wealthy writers who can afford a whole house here prefer to write in little tiny rooms (out of solidarity with the rest of us?):
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/09/HOGANEMICS61.DTL

Speaking of building furniture - I could build a room full with the design mags I have laying around. So I'm going thru some on this cold day and found a paint color I love. It's Amelia from the Historic Collection of California Paints. Anyone ever use Cal. Paints? Is it any good?

And here's another question - I have a studio apt. that measures 12 x 22 (main room). I painted the "living room" part of it a soft gold and have to paint the "bedroom" area. Should I paint it the same or should I go for another color to deliniate the spaces? For anyone who wants to help me in this minor dilemma I can email you the photos of the room.

Anne-I think it would be a great idea to build furniture out of design mags. Or room dividers, or walls...you could probably get an article written about you or get onto "Small Spaces" on HGTV. Anyone of us probably could do this with the "materials" we have on hand.

The Ellen Degeneres show is coming to New York in a couple of weeks and she said on yesterday's show that she wants to bring her cameras to one of New York's closet-sized apartments. Maybe someone from Apartment Therapy's Smallest Coolest Apt. would want to try to get on the show? http://ellen.warnerbros.com/

Well, I have mixed feelings about taxidermy, but I must say that if peacocks have to die (and honestly, they actually do have to die eventually, don't they?) and if their ridiculously beautiful selves can be "recycled", I'm not so sure that's so horrible. And they just ARE ridiculously beautiful.

I posted that on the wrong thread. Can't take me anywhere.

It's amazing what you can do with recycled or cheap materials. Last week our set designer created about 9 gorgeous knockoffs of the Random Lights (http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=6621) for under $100 total. String, appliance enamel, varnish, and a secret ingredient from the grocery store.

hmm, was the secret ingredient spun sugar? i'm guessing you could use a beachball as a mold and throw some melted sugar at it. cmon what's the secret?

Sugar.

We did the same project back in grade school. Use a balloon as a mold.

DWR's stock is tanking--guess Wall St. isn't a DWRjax fan.

As my view slowly diminishes around me because of all the new buildings going up I'm more and more inclined to buy stock in TYVEK.

Faith. Do you have pics? I love the Random Light fixture! Could you ask your set designer friend to post a DIY?

Am I losing my mind, or were two of the four homes shown on last nights "Small Space Big Style" recycled from other episodes? And if so, why? Weird.

Cool yet inexpensive wedding gift ideas, please? I hate giving standard registry gifts. For instance, What's the best independent bookstore in NYC or Brooklyn? Or is there a place where you can go sit in a hot tub? I mean, a nice, relaxing spa-like place but not like a Ladies Who Lunch place? Help.

um, it's, late, it's friday, and I'm not the other one. i'm the first one. oops. time for a good dinner and a good glass of wine.

me (too)--
No, you're not crazy! I think they are creating a complete stash of shows with the new host.

Well, maybe you are a LITTLE crazy. :)
Except for the wine part!

Random question, but I'm just leaving the office, end of a long Friday at work.

Does anyone know how to get tix to see the Martha Stewart show?

I love her new talk show. I know it's corny and got mixed reviews here, but I'd really like to be on the show. Also, I left a candle buring on my farm tables and I'd love to get her help fixing my table on the show! Weirdly, I had a dream about this.

Chris,
You can get tickets to the new Martha show by going to her site and clicking on "the new Martha show" and then either "Be on the Show" or "Get Tickets." However, it looks like they're booked thru year end. It says to try back since they may offer up last minute tickets. I went to the taping of the premiere episode and loved it. If you're a Martha fan, it's like Mecca! I hope you get in! Good luck!

Enrique - It was powdered sugar in water, actually. A ton of it. String was soaked in it and wrapped around a giant balloon. They were really beautiful, especially after the enamel was sprayed on.

I don't have any pics up, unfortunately. But if you want to see some of the globes you can email me at faith dot hopler at gmail dot com.

My friend is an interior/set designer in LA and she has done some really beautiful stuff for us...

Help! I recently saw a squib for a coloring book for adults (no, not porn) which looked like a promising gift. However the squib had disappreared. Does anyone have an idea?

Word on Martha Street: not only is Apprentice canceled (NYT) but heard that daytime show is also about to be canceled...

Re: "Cool yet inexpensive wedding gift ideas, please? I hate giving standard registry gifts."

Oh god, please no. No no no. We got married last year, and I hate to sound ungrateful or snippy, but PLEASE stick to the registry. Thank god the internet is anonymous -- but 99% of the non-registry gifts we received will be regifted. They can't be returned, so its either regift, donate, or ebay.

I know you just want to get something original for your friend (or perhaps you think your friend has horrible taste?) -- but honestly, in most cases, non-registry gifts are really not welcome. People register for things THEY like. A non-registry gift is something YOU like. Please consider the bride(s)/groom(s) when you make your wedding purchases.

It was really wonderful getting married last year, and it was also really overwhelming receiving many gifts. But its also really horrible to have your small city apartment be overrun with things you don't want or need.

The older I get, the more merrily I just buy off the Happy Couple's registry, figuring they have registered for what they need, and that if they have invited me, they already appreciate how wonderfully hip and creative I am (or they've forgiven me for being so blasted artsy and eccentric).

If you must buy non-registry gifts (for instance, the registry is sold out or is inconvenient for you), there's much to be said for gifts that are luxurious but ephemeral: a basket of deluxe bath supplies, all the non-perishable ingredients for breakfast in bed, that sort of thing. That way, the gift will *probably* be a hit, but if it's not, the HC doesn't feel a whole lot of guilt in disposing of it when expiration dates roll around.

I could not agree more about buying off the registry. Don't try to be creative. I have known one of my best friends since 8th grade, and when I saw her wedding registry (we'd known each other 20 years at that point), I realized that I really didn't have an accurate take on her take when it came to housewares.

If someone takes the time to choose things, just make it easy on everyone by sticking to that list. Isn't that the point of a registry?

We should start a new thread: "weird wedding (or other) gifts I have received." My weirdest one was a painting of a guest's summer house -- the guest was NOT the artist (so it wasn't something created for us), and we'd never been invited there so its not like we had warm memories of the place. Huh.

You know, I really would have preferred those cool Orka silicone oven mitts.

Oh, me, you're giving me flashbacks to a certain sappy poem, calligraphed with pink roses and such, enclosed in a lucite frame that also played "We've Only Just Begun." This definitely reflected the giver's taste rather than ours.

Another thought for non-registry gifts, if you know the person's basic style/color scheme: nice storage boxes or organizers of various sizes.

If you're going off registry the only thing I can think of that is nice and pretty generic is a sterling silver frame. The couple can put a wedding shot in it.

Okay, you're all freaking me out! I was planning on painting an art piece for a good friend's bridal shower. I thought that would be a lot more personal that buying her a gift. I'm planning on buying her something off her registry for the actual wedding. She has commented that she likes the artwork I've painted around my house but should I just buy off the registry for the bridal shower too?

I got married last year and some people did buy off registry. Oddly enough, it was friends of the in-laws that didn't really know us that bought off-registry whereas our close friends tended to stick to the registry. Suffice to say we have a plethora of cut glass crystal bowls dotted around our otherwise, minimal and contemporary house!

Reef

Reef -
I saw you should have a chandelier made with those cut glass bowls, etc. And I do mean a minimal and contemporary chandelier.

thanks, all. i was figuring that you can't lose with a gift certificate to a great bookstore or for a spa retreat, but i will now beat a hasty retreat to the registry. luckily it's on a cool website but the only gifts left aren't very exciting. oh well.

p.s. reef, i'd rather have the art, but i appear to be in the minority.

I wouldn't take your advice from "us" on this particular area . . . there's just too much variation in experience and situation here.
Silver frames? Really? Where is AT headed?
My pals wouldn't love those.

My take on the wedding registry is if you know the people really well you can bypass it. I provided massages once (deployed a professional, that is) - the groom requested his for the morning of the wedding and we were all really happy about it. Relaxed . . .

I also concur with wende's "luxurious but ephemeral"

A basket of Kiehl's can't be registered for, but can be relished mightily . . . if your friends are those kind of people . . .

maybe this works better with my friends because they are mostly established couples who already have lots of *things*

It's just so tough to veer off the registry, even if you know people well. I've gotten gifts of spa certificates/massages from good friends, and I really can't imagine something I'd like less, but that's me. If you absolutely without question KNOW they would love it, that's another matter.

I say buy from the registry choices and save the non-registry ideas, paintings and more personal gifts for birthdays. Remember, at a wedding you're buying for the couple (in spite of what the bride thinks!!) ;)

But I don't know why the suggestion of a simple silver frame means AT is "coming to" anything.