apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love seeing how people use a limited budget (by force or by choice) to decorate their homes. I was wishing you had purchased the bedding, I love the fabric!!!

Ooooh, a screen as a headboard, I like that!

I love the bedroom, but what I really want to know is what breed that dog is?! LOVE the dog!

That record player is fantastic!

Spidy looks like a Golden Retriever/Chow mix to me...very fluffy!

Your bedroom is so playful, I love it! Is the screen freestanding or did you attach to the wall?

Hi all,

Spidy is a Lab/Chow cross, but good guess Molly the Scavenger. He's a real sweetie though, thank god he didn't get the chow "attitude",but oh the hair, oh lord that hair....

Angie

Coolest record player ever.

Very cool lamps - thanks for sharing!

I think its cruel to make a dog live in such nonsense. *calls PETA*. Seriously, this is ugly. Its not eclectic its a mish-mash of cast off flea market "finds" and Ikea cast offs. If you don't have the money, just get a better job or save up until you do.

Damn thats cold Edina ... but true

Jesus, I can't escape cruel tongues!!! I like the screens. Can I just ask, is AT for a certain socio-economic group? I don't recall when I signed up that there were questions regarding how much I earn or where I went to college or what is my bloodline. So you think they could something more with there apt, can't you give constructive suggestions to those of us less talented than you?

Edina Monsoon, please share your bedroom with us, as you're obviously quite brilliant with design by your post. Otherwise, you're denying the world the opportunity to swoon over your ability.

Stop drinking all that coffee Coco
Settle down
Secondhand Chic ain't for everybody and it sure won't win a design contest for best small apt

agreed, but that was just hateful--over and beyond.

hateful Na uber sensitive to criticism more like it

edina monsoon just wants attention. i think there's been a *bitchy* comment on most apartment submissions. full of hot air. whether or not the opinions are valid--sometimes she's on point--her approach is childlike and, honestly, just a loud cry for attention in my opinion.

i think if we just ignore edina that would be the most effective solution. it's too bad, though, cuz sometimes it would be fun to get in to a "dis-off" like we used to in the fifth grade....oh well.

Good Lord I expected these responses from the goodniks on this board who are always trying to find something positive about even the most tacky of designs.

Shari: Your response is silly. I am all allowed to criticize and I don't have to show you my bedroom in order for my negative criticisms to be valid. But rest assured it is better than this entry.

Coco: Grow up. The Khmer Rouge were hateful. The Rwandan genocide was hateful. Me making a design comment about some disastrous bedroom on a design site is hardly hateful and beyond.

Fritz: good looking out.

I think the bedroom would benefit from a more cohesive look. I don't mean it shouldn't be eclectic if that's what you like, but there should be something to tie the disparate elements together and make them work as a single whole. For example, the boutique hotel style pillows don't really go with the look set up by the Chinese screens and mid-century modern side tables.

Is that Tyson from Concordia?

While not my favorite, I think there are some nice pieces in the room and things are neatly put together. Good job on the arrangement of furniture!

Hi everyone, just tuned in again and wow, thanks for fighting about our room, really makes us feel awesome and, um ... inspired...special?

Edina:I agree with you, your negative comments regarding our room are totally valid, you are entitled to your opinion of course. Your flip comments regarding our dog, however, are irrelevant and solely meant to be hurtful. Your comments regarding our supposed income are not based on any facts and are therefore irrelevant.

Fritz: It sounds like maybe you think Coco is the room owner? I don't know why else you would say she is sensitive to criticism, my misunderstanding?

Chris: The screen is not attached to the wall, it is held up by the bed frame and the two end tables. Probably not the safest option, but it hasn't fallen yet...

Formerly from Montreal: nope, sorry, not Tyson from Concordia, really now, Canada's not THAT small!

Everyone else: Thank you for the kind words and comments, all points are helpful. We are quite happy with our room but there's always room for improvement. We think that interior design is really never done. Hopefully some day we will own a place again which we can put a ton of effort into decorating, but for now we're just going to cuddle up together and enjoy our rental. We're grateful for what we've got, and no matter whether the chinese screens match the console table perfectly, we will always remember the night we pulled them out of that damn dumpster and Tyson got some weird garbage juice on himself.

I love "found" furniture and objects, and this room has some very nice things. But I agree with Allison in that it would benefit from some work on making it more cohesive. I think the walls should be a warmer color (can still be light) and bring together the different pieces in wood and other natural materials. I do not think the bedspread or curtain fabrics go well in the room--the cooler colors don't provide a contrast and the curtains particularly don't work, in my mind, with the mostly earthy, natural look of other items--it's the pattern. I'd warm those up too. But I agree that items in our homes with a "provenance" (even if it's the dumpster!) are enjoyable to have.

I can't believe that people would be so harsh in their comments. I think you guys did a great job with 'scavenger-chic'.

The TV area seems a bit cluttered and messy, I would probably get rid of everything except one plant, and maybe the mirror depending on how it looked once the table, tv and trunk were gone. But, then again, you may really enjoy watching TV in bed.

I love your bed area. The screen is great but I just don't like the red parts on it. It distracts me. I like the bed cover, great colors. Not so sure about the curtain fabric.

But these are just my opinion.

And your dog is beautiful. A dog on the bed just 'makes' the room.

I very much like that this is about cleverness on a budget, not about having so-called "disposable" income to throw at fancy designer choices. Whether or not those of us commenting like the look or are inspired to be snarky, the fact remains that your bedroom reflects a lively energy and a creative re-use ethic.

"If you don't have the money," carps the sainted Edina, "just get a better job or save up until you do." I would hope that, even if you discovered yourselves to be millionaires tomorrow, you'd resist a copycat/consumer junkie mentality of just Buying Stuff to fill a room. Besides, even if you were a millionaire, Edina would still dislike your taste.

It's not everyone's cup of tea - fair enough. That said, I look at this room and my first thought is - these are interesting, fun, quirky people and I wish they would let me play with their dog!

Hi again,

Thanks for the further comments.

Elevenhounds: You read (no pun intended) my mind, those red sections of the screen totally drive me crazy as well. I've been meaning to paint them a soft gold since I put them up, but alas, time has been tight since Tyson and I just opened a boutique/art gallery a few months ago. But your encouragement has kicked me into gear, and I'm going to really try to get that done!

RE the "TV area", oh boy, don't even get me started. This is one of the compromises you inevitably make when you love the person you live with. Sigh. Tyson MUST watch DVD's while he falls asleep. Nevermind the HUGE rabbit ears...we're avoiding getting cable since it sucks so much time out of our life!

This boutique/gallery?
http://hqgalerieboutique.blogspot.com/

How cool if so! :)

Yes, that's us. You're a good detective, I remember mentioning our place to kiminottawa (a while ago though!)when she was looking for some affordable art to place above her couch. Ottawa is only 1hr from Montreal.

Angie - I actually had that page open in my browser because I was going to send my sister who's visiting down to your gallery today.

Ottawa is only an hour away? That would mean you drive like 200 kilometers an hour! I know we Montrealers drive fast but that is pushing it :-)

Rich: Maybe 1 1/2hrs then? Really, I should not sleep while Tyson drives ... maybe Tyson is driving too damn fast! And yes, as someone who did not grow up in Montreal, you do drive really fast, and recklessly too! ;-)

Allison: We actually just took down our most recent show "The Light Show", but we are putting up our next exhibition "Delicious Burdens" right now, it opens on Saturday. All the info is on our site, I won't bore you with the details here.

Edina,

My post is silly and your post is pretty much just cuntlike and bitchy. Criticism? That you need to tell someone to "get a better job" is so uncalled for it goes beyond the pale. Was there anything remotely constructive? But, please, make sure you feel superior, why don't you.

But that's what trolls do. I'll opt not to feed you further.

The colors go well in this room...love the warm, honey toned floors and the high ceilings, very dramatic. The folk art is great (Croatian sailorman, horse artwork). The lamps and the stereo remind me of that 50's space aesthetic. You might have some different themes going on here, but a bedroom is about what you love to be surrounded by, not matchiness. Good job on a short budget. Spidy is wonderful, he seems proud to be there.

Shari - Edina shouldn't have to show us her bedroom because whorehouses usually just have a mattress on the floor flooded with neon red lighting.

Tyson and Angie - I really like the bedding, both the duvet cover and the pillow cases. Spidey might work better as a rug rather than a throw pillow. Just kidding - I love Spidey!

Tavis

I also forgot to mention that the clock on the nightstand is awesome! Is that a Furni piece?

Tavis

Wow, I think you've got style. The bedroom might not be to everyone's taste, but have they checked out your blog on blogspot? Amazing.

Your bedroom speaks of a person who is busy, has a life, and sparkles with creativity. Kudos, my dear, kudos.

Angie, do you have any tips for furniture/decor thrift stores to check out in Montreal? I'm on a budget at the moment, and sometimes I'm not in the mood to Craigslist it.

Thanks!

Oh, and Spidy is adorable.

Hi Amanda,

At first I thought you were a friend of mine here in Montreal named Amanda, which was funny at first because she knows every thrift store in the city!

Personally I find that craigslist in Montreal really sucks, I sometimes try kijiji, but it's usually a waste of time. Everyone's selling their "designer italian dining room suites" for like $800.

My suggestion since you're on a budget is to head down to my neck of the woods, St. Henri, and check out a few of the shops on Notre Dame. Not the fancy pants "antique shops" (although they have beautiful non-budget friendly finds) but rather the "Marche aux Puces" and "Les Amis St. Henri" (great name huh!). Both are close to St. Henri metro stop, just a few blocks east.

Also, the Salvation Army farther east on Notre Dame has a great second floor furniture section. You can always find great dressers there, and often good couches, coffee tables and dining tables.

A little higher priced but definitely worth it is the St. Michel flea market (at St. Michel metro). You can basically skip the first floor, and head right up to the second floor. Good for a great mid-C splurge or two, and GREAT lamps and collectibles (art glass, sculptures, paintings, etc)

Lastly, the Fripe-Prix Renaissance at De Castelneaux (sp?) metro (blue line) has a great furniture section, that's where I got the couch for the gallery (not sure if you've been there yet)

If you really want to head into the ghetto you could go down to Point St. Charles, Center Street has a lot of good thrift stores as well, although I'm not as familiar with them, only been a few times.

Hope that helps, happy shopping!!!

Gathering Browse,

Didn't want to forget you, thanks for the kind words! And if I might say so myself, you have some pretty impressive items on your blog as well! Are you here in Montreal?

The company I design for is moving digs, and we may be needing some new office furniture. I'm trying to get them to stay away from corporate "office furniture" companies, at least for the main design office! I will keep your blog in mind when I'm picking out items for the new space. In particular I am looking for a giant wood slab/rustic wood table for the showroom. I want the room to be a white shell with a stunning wood table, great lighting and simple comfortable chairs so all the clothing can shine on its own.

If you're in Montreal it could work out perfect, let me know! My e-mail is on the blog.