S-K, GOR-geeeeous as usual.

But who's the hottie with the tripod?! ;)

Dying to see more pics of the apartment!

265? Really? Suddenly my 320 seems ostentatious! Congrats on the O nod -- and if Tripod needs another apartment to check out, let me know.

Keep up the great work!

Congratulations on all your successes, G-Rs!

I'm super excited for you!!!

At the same time, if you do go on the show, this place won't be the same anymore. I'm a little anxious about the changes that might be coming.

I never new how beautiful Sara Kate was, and you could never tell she just had a baby.

and WOW Oprah, I guess you've arrived.

Congratulations!

Congrats!! That's awesome news. Fingers crossed that you come to Chicago! You might want to wear about 15 of those Small is cool t-shirts while you're here. It feels like the artic as of late.

holy toledo batman...hold on to your AT caps--we're in for the Oprah ride.

"But who's the hottie with the tripod?! ;)"

I think P2 is referring to the guy with the camera/lighting equipment and not ...

Am I crazy or is the raised floor in the bedroom gone?

I guess get your fill of the blog before everyone from Oprah-land invades!!!

this is so wonderful guys. After so many publication praising your success, it is time to go national.

Also when i was going through the magazines this month, I come across couple apartments that was shown in part of the AT contests last year. Whic means you are giving other people an opportunity to share their ideas :-))

Thanks for creating this wonderful site

This is so exciting Maxwell - Oprah? My God. Your readership will go through the roof. Prepare your servers!

SKGR looks beautiful.

Congrats to you all - this is HUGE.

Holly

Congratulations on the exposure; richly deserved! I too am in fear of a mass invasion of Oprah-worshippers and their ideas on architecture and decor. The next online design contest could be a real nightmare.

i know, i'm torn here. one hand: yay yay yay, much-deserved success. other hand: this little helpful, supportive, snipey, snarky community of
ours will change. sniff. and i was already a little annoyed with oprah's home mag for recently ripping two apartments from last year's smallest coolest (jane and darko and the kip's bay one) and into their pages without so much as a nod to a.t. sigh. but i'll end on yay, because ultimately, more people will get the benefits of a.t.

Congrats!!

decor8 is right, PREPARE your server. ;)

Harry

that is not a tripod. it's a PIC light stand.

The thing about Oprah is that a lot of her watchers are home during the day and if they have computers, they will be logging on at the same time as they're watching.

Meanwhile... WOW! Oh! My! God! This is HUGE!

Congratulations!

I hate to break this to you but the Oprah-watchers are already in your midst and have been for quite a long time. I DVR the show every day.

jane--
Um, three legs makes it a tripod... or a REALLY good date.

P-Too,

HAHAHAHAHA.

Maxwell and family,

Congratulations!!

I have been a fan of this site for quiet some time. I visit often to get ideas and love the format. Congratulations on Oprahs recognition. I've noticed that you don't respond to questions directed to you pretty consistantly and hope that you realize that the people whom you disregard are the reason for your continued success. I hope that in the future you are able to appreciate the people who have brought you to this heighted state, and will reward them with the respect that they deserve in the form of a response.

Best of luck!

um, if you asked for a tripod on set, i assure you, you would not be handed just anything with three legs...that includes the hottie

and if you asked the grip if he wanted a tripod to hold the pepper light, you would not score the date for lack of correct terminolgy.

see link:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&Q=&is=REG&O=productlist&sku=219333

So exciting! I hope you get to come to Chicago- although it is crazy cold here lately- can't wait to see Apartment Therapy on Oprah!

hey, where's oprah?

ooh, any word on when it's gonna air? i want to set the tivo!

sjv, i'm with ya, i dvr it every single day.

mention your books, of course, and you are guaranteed to sell MANY more!! i've got to say, i love oprah and have a soft spot for nate berkus, he's just do damn cute. this really is a huge opportunity and honor, congratulations.

sara kate is gorgeous, what a beautiful, inspiring family of three you are.

p.s. i have a feeling you are headed to chicago!

Good luck, yup, Oprah. Good for you. I guess now whatever happens to the blog is out of our hands. Everything changes and usually that's a good thing. It's been fun seeing you through a new baby and the growth of all of this.

Dear idk: Actually, I've had personal responses from SK in the past and she's quite the lovely lady. It's their time in front of the camera. And their reason for success isn't just their readership, its their good taste, selflessnes, and hard work that caused them to acquire the readership. If they were dolts, you wouldn't have participated.

P2: You have such good taste!

Let's all be happy for good fortune, whoever is enjoying it at any given moment.

Dear IDK,

We get, quite literally, hundreds of comments posted to the site each day, as well as dozens of emails every day asking great questions and giving helpful tips. We try to answer as many questions as we can and to pass on as many tips as possible, but you can imagine how challenging this is. Please do not take an unanswered question or comment as us disregarding you.

We post Open Threads often and hope that readers will participate in them by asking each other questions and giving each other feedback - this, after all, is about the community, and not about Maxwell and myself.

That said, as "Jackie (the original one)" put it, we do respond personally sometimes. It's more a matter of how much time we have. Lately, between newborns, books, and new blogs, there hasn't been a ton of time, but do know that we watch the site closely and count on our readers to give each other a hand.

We love and respect all our readers and hope that by continuing to provide this service, you will all feel rewarded.

Thanks for reading and being a part of the AT family!

Maybe Maxwell should make a play to become the new 'Nate' on Oprah ;)

oh snap, does this mean i'll have to watch Oprah?? like, i haven't been able to stand her since the 80s. I could run her over with a bus, along with Maya Angelou/Gail/Dr.Phil/Steadman/
that decorator guy/and all their ilk. I hope it doesn't get out i turned to Channel 7 at 4:00.

By the way, when does it air??

Wear the new SQUIGGLE T-Shirt, if you go on.

Yay!

Jakie,
Thank you for your comment. I'm sorry that you couldnt have taken it with a little more grace like Sara Kate. She didn't get offended, so I dont see why you should have. I never called them dolts, nor did I use any other, more common negative adjective to describe them. I believe that I congratulated them and wished them the best. I was not being fecicous. I do visit the website a couple times a week because it is a good site; however talent doesnt necessarily come hand in hand with humility or gratefullness. It has been my observation that questions posted remain unanswered.

Sara Kate,
Thank you for your response. I do understand that life can pick you up and spin you round and I appreciate that you do obviously take the time to read what is being posted. Seeing that you were able to find time to respond to what I had to say today gives me hope that we will see more of it in the future.

Again, Congratulations, your success is well deserved and I wish you the best.

Ohmigod! Oprah! Congrats! SKGR looking more lovely than ever and Ursala is adorable.

So Patrick(too) have you located Nate Berkus' new Village apartment yet?

Mother & Child look fabulous!! wow...Oprah? invest in more server space maxwell.

Ok, Jane, on terminology you win.

But that hasn't stopped me from getting several well-placed grips over the years...

Christina:
re: soft spot for Nate Berkus
I sooooo have the exact opposite problem.

Wow, if you get to meet Oprah this will be the highlight of your life, the apex of everything; everything will be downhill from here. Just kidding (sort of)! Congratulations! Start printing up a lot more books A.S.A.P.!

I like Nate, but does he have to be on every design-themed episode? I can only see a nice neutral space he's designed and hear about the magic of framing a special note or putting your favorite seashell on a shelf, and Oprah's "oh your such a genius design god" so many times in one lifetime. It would be a nice change to get to listen to you guys.

Becky

talking about oprah's going to jinx it.

Congratulations Maxwell: a beautiful and smart wife, a lovely daughter, an insighful site and now Oprah. I am really happy for you, you lucky bastard.

And P2, despite everything Maxwell does, this site is not the same when you're not around.

Cheers

Wow SK, you look fabulous!! Having a baby sure serves you well!

K - I was thinking the same thing about the storage floor. It looks like it's gone.

That camera crew must have been both crammed in and amazed at the great tiny apt. I know we all are.

CONGRATULATIONS - not only on O but also the really nice spread in House Beautiful.

WOW. This is huge! Congratulations!

so funny! I happen to be home for a few days and was watching Oprah yesterday and they had a feature on cluttered homes and how to live with less. i can't remember the name of the guy they interviewed about his de-cluttering book, but i just kept thinking "this should be about apartment therapy instead!"

SK looks stunning! I hope you guys get on the show - would be great to have a more green & urban twist to the usual Oprah-type setting of what family & kids mean. Good luck!

OKRA???

Who is OKRA?

Never cared for the stuff myself....

rockin' good news! congratulations! let us know when it will air.

and how in the heck did that woman just have a baby? SK looks amazing!

They came and shot our apt, too; the same very nice 3 guys. It was definitely nervewracking and, assuming they use the footage, I'm sure I come across as a complete dork (Darko decided being on TV is *not* for him and left for work very early that day, before they arrived). Still, it was quite an interesting experience and my thanks to AT for putting us on Oprah's radar ;)

Wow. I discovered something before Oprah! I'm hot hot hot!

CC

WoW! Congrats all!

I'll say I knew you when...!

Long time reader, infrequent poster... congrats on such exposure. It's definitely big time stuff...

AT, Maxwell, and all the other "crazies" have become a daily routine and a constant source of inspiration (and amusement when the claws come out).

The aftermath will be interesting to be sure. Rev up the servers (and unsheath the claws!)

SK and Ursula are looking gorgeous.

congratulations!! that is very exciting. best of luck!

As a long time reader, and more recently, a dissatisfied one, I congratulate Maxwell and SKGR on their success with their blogs, books and business.

As to questions, I have submitted questions by email, and received answers, and I have also seen questions submitted to which no real meaningful answers have been submitted by any members of the so-called community.

For me, the biggest unanswered question is what happened in that crazy kitchen installation. I assume SKGR is sincere when she says they respect the readers. But there was so much interest in the installation, and yet, no follow up on how the issues - the uneven walls, the cabinets that didn't appear to line up - were answered. People were dying for these answers, because they wanted to use them, or know if they could rely on what contractors told them. I don't know why those questions never got answered, but I strongly suspect that respect for the readers or the community had nothing to do with it. This is a business. Businesses do not get their feelings hurt when customers complain (nor do they need other customers to stand up for them).

Still, I have to give credit where credit is due. It takes discipline and effort to live in that small a space even if you have a weekend escape.

A

Dear Maxwell and Sara Kate,
A big , giant Congratulations! Maxwell, you were one of our very first blog supporters and we will always remember that and always wish you the greatest of success. This is a well deserved opportunity and is going to make AT a household name!
Sara Kate, we only got to meet you once, but you look fantastic and the baby is adorable, congratulations!
Tell Miss O. she must have you on the show!

Marcai Zia and Paul Priven
Zia-Priven Design

Dear A,

I apologize if your questions about whether or not our walls got straightened out, etc. were not answered. Did you read the final post in the Nine Month Cure series? The series covered the whole process from beginning to end. The end wasn't as detailed (although there were finished photos), because the end happened to coincide with my 50 hour labor, giving birth to Ursula, and ensuing days at home with a newborn (ouch!). That last post does talk about finishing it all up and includes a photo.

If there's something specific I can answer, or Maxwell can tell you, please let us know.

You're right that this is a business, but it is a business that was borne from our hearts, and continues, on most days to be driven by our hearts, especially Maxwell's, so we do value both your input and your opinions. That said, we're human, so we don't always dot all our i's or cross all out t's. And we sometimes are a little shy about sharing every single intimate detail of our family's home. (Sometimes I have to put the breaks on Maxwell!)

Thanks so much for continuing to read. We hope you stay!

idk,

Thanks for your kind words. As for unanswered questions, if you're talking about ones posted on the Open Threads, there's not much we can do to help, other than to continue to foster this community and hope that people continue to chime in with their ideas and thoughts.

Is there a burning question you have now that you'd like to ask? People seem to be listening...!

Oops I was away and missed the day this posted. Sara Kate you're lovely! And how fab that you two get to show off your nest to the world. All that hard work of renovating is behind you and now you can revel in the results. Yay!

I wish I had known sooner about the upcoming Oprah small space show. I just submitted a few pictures from over here on Thompson Street, hoping to hear back (what exactly I don't know!). Last summer a downpour from the apartment above wreaked havoc and recovery seems far away.

idk: Hmmm. I rarely apologize since I try to be careful when I write. However, I can see where what I said might have had a bite and therefore,I do apologize to you. It wasn't intended to be mean. I don't think my sense of humor always translates well and perhaps I should read my posts many times before I click off.

I had difficulty with someone's repeated rude posts last year and was quite annoyed. I wouldn't want to be put in their category or to be hypocritical.

Your point is well taken. Thanks.

Dear all, thanks for your props and also for your questions. If we go to Oprah, we'll rock it out for you.

We are very excited about Oprah for two reasons, that it may carry the ideas that I've been working on for the past six years to a larger audience and give us - and I mean all of us - a bigger readership and pool of commenters.

No one wants this to remain a small group forever and I, personally, would like to see it continue to grow organically as it has done since 2004 when we were 500 readers a day (BTW we're now at @ 40k readers a day so if you think if feels clubby, you should have been here in '04!).

As for my involvement, I write to the site every day and always will, because if I didn't I don't think I would feel like I am breathing. But, as we try to grow the sites and make a living from this work and the other work that we do, we are - admittedly - time challenged, and certain things will change. For example, all QUESTIONS will not always be answered for the simple reason that we don't have all the time or the answers.

For a few years, I have tried to answer every question, but I have always done so in the hopes that others would follow my lead and step in. I am trying with questions to step back a little bit now and grow the comments. At some point we'll have a forum and that may take questions over completely.

My private hope is that as much as this site was started by me alone, readers will realize that they have as many answers (and very often better ones!) than I do, and everyone will realize that it is the group knowledge that is the future of this site. Questions are the testing ground for this.

Finally, and I have to say it is a pleasure to chat about all of this, I just want to add that as much I would like to pretend that I am superman, I certainly am not and I DO have real issues with keeping up with my email and comments on the site at times. Which is to say that I am always here, but I may just be watching or catching up.

I also always pick questions to post that have pictures, so if you want your posted put "QUESTIONS" in the subject line and add a picture. Sometimes people add silly pictures just to catch my attention and I usually post those, so go figure.

Finally, finally, finally - and i know it sounds corny, but it's true, this project is, always was and always will be about spreading Love and providing service to the world, so please help us add to it and keep on truckin'.

All the best, Maxwell

SKGR,
Thanks very much for your response. I have looked back at the whole 9-month cure posts, but it never really solved for me how you handled the issue of the wall not being plane for the cabinets. From my experience, living in a building built in 1925, there are several ways - strip the wall back to the firebrick or lathe, and rebuild; strip as much as possible and use drywall or gypsum board or something like that; or fill as much as possible with joint compound/plaster and hope that you don't lose a couple of inches. I'm wondering what you did - because those cabinets are really, really heavy.
In my kitchen, they selected item No. 2 and then put in a bracing bar, at the bottom line of the bottom cabinets, from firebrick wall to firebrick wall. The cabs are attached at the low end to that wall, and through a wood shim at the top. The cabs at top are into the firebrick but at bottom, they are essentially supported by the steel bar.

As a result, I lost 4 inches of depth, resulting in a 44 inch width for my half-galley kitchen.

Last week, I lost 3 inches in a closet when they had to rebuild a riser for similar reasons (but some of that was due to code issues, it was a plumbing riser).

I am also interested in the electrical in your kitchen - in early pictures it looked like you had an outlet in the wall; the later pictures make it look like that outlet has been moved. I tried to move outlets into a cabinet and was told its a code violation in NY to have them anywhere but in the wall. I've seen some in countertops in new construction. I'm curious to know how you solved that.

I would also love to know what usage you get from the space that I think is to the right of the refrigerator - is that a cabinet or shelving?

Finally, I think everyone would love to see as big a shot as possible of the main kitchen area, but I figured the layout doesn't permit it. Maybe screen shots from the O.

And for the nursery, I just saw a friend off into a cab - her stroller turns into a carseat. Wheels flip down, handle flips up. Nice looking? no, but not terrible. Functional? you bet.

A

Awesome Maxwell and Sara Kate!!! I can NOT believe you guys live in 265 square feet. Whoa. That blows me away. CONGRATS on the Oprah thing. You've arrived!
~Monica