I was just dreaming about a Chicago version of Apartment Therapy and here you are. Yay!

Great timing. I've just started blogging "the cure" (link on my name) and having all these great local resources to inspire me will be wonderful.

Great! I'm in Iowa City, but close enough for now...but next stop--Des Moines!!!

No? *Sigh* I guess you're right.

Here's a question that residents of the Windy City may be able to answer.

I have a balcony that has iron railings. I also have 3 cats that love to hang out on the balcony during the warm months. I put an old bamboo blind across the railings and it looked great but the wind tore it to shreds after a few months. What can I use to cover the railings that looks cool but won't fall apart in the wind? I've tried lattice but tired of that look a long time ago.

Any thoughts?

well done! much needed and beautifully designed site. and great content, especially for a single Chicago man who needs all the help he can get putting together an interesting living space.

Glad you're here.

Anne,
You might check at Ikea. Last year, I bought these plastic-coated fabric panels that were meant to be tied to the upper and lower parts of a balcony railing. Unfortunately, they didn't fit my (atypical) sized rails nor could they stand up to the intense wind my deck gets. But they would probably work on your deck (judging from your photos).

I apologize that I can't remember the name of the product, but if you look through the website, I bet you could find them.

Kathryn

I have been reading AT-New York for a long time. I am so excited that a Chicago site has arrived!

Yay Chicago!!!! (and I second everything Michael wrote!)

Congratulations AT Chicago!

I will be hanging out on the NY page, but glad to know Chicago, my home town, has its own page too!

Longtime AT reader, happy to see the Chicago edition. Congrats!

Love the woodgrain/green title bar treatment... Welcome, Chicago!

Welcome, Chicago! I've never even BEEN to your city, but I'm sure I shall ever so much more tempted now that you guys will let us peek into the windows of your shops!

As a long time fan of Apartment Therapy, I'm glad to see you've come to our little city.

Sweet. I'd heard AT Chicago was coming but nice you've finally arrived. There are a fair number of 'housebloggers' in Chicago, and I'm sure they'll find your stuff relevant--we'll point them your way. :-)

My apartment will soon be cooler. Thanks AT!

Hallellujah! A perfect resource just in time for my and my husband's move into our first condo! We've got work to do and will be relying on you all for some great tips and advice. Everything looks great so far!

Gee, this just makes me want to move to Chicago even more!

Kathryn, I think I'll check that out on my next IKEA run. I have the catalog and haven't seen it yet but I'll be sure to look for it when I go there. I could also look for plasticized fabric in the garment district. That kind of fabric always reminds me of old kitchen tablecloths. I'm sure there are nicer ones now.

This is making me happy - I love the NY and LA versions, but the Chicago area has some house dwellers as well - so I'm interested in seeing some *midwest* and house inspired designs and resources. And chicago is reachable by 1 day in a car. :)

which...now that I think about it...makes me wonder why the husband and I haven't taken a long weekend and driven to chicago for an ikea run....

hmmm......

Anne,

It doesn't look like you have an immense amount of actual railing - how prohibitively expensive would thin plexiglass be? You could have holes drilled in the corners and fasten it to the railing with zip ties. Get it in funky colors or frosted ... I think it could look pretty cool, and would definitely stand up to the wind.

Do any of you roofdeck BBQ'ers have some suggestions for storing your cooking & eating supplies on your decks?

Last year, I tried storing the grilling tools, paper towels, plastic dishes and glasses in a big Rubbermaid tub. Even though I washed everything before putting it back in there, I always suspected it wasn't clean when I got ready to use it.

Any suggestions?

Closet help! Why do they make closets that are 7' wide x 9' tall x 2' deep, but closet doors that are like 4' x 6'? How the heck do you make use of the space up top and on the sides (in our case the side "cubbies" are at least a foot-and-a-half deep, so built-in shelves or clothes on a full-length rod are hard to get to.

In my myriad apartments I was willing to grin and bear it, but now that I threw down for this baby-sized condo, I think we deserve some real closets. We're willing to improvise on the doors (curtains, whatever)--how easy is it to enlarge the door area to make access to the whole space easier? Any books on DIYing it?

Meghan, I put shelves into the side cubby on one side, and then hung a 2' rod on the other - I store long dresses on that side, and have little boxes for underwear and socks, as well as purse and sweater storage on the shelf side. I arrange my clothes so that the shorter things are on that side so I don't have to look to see much.

Heather and Janel, congratulations on the launch! Great job! I was out of town during the official launch hullabaloo on Monday, but, ironically enough, I met a woman from Chicago at my hotel -- between her description of the city, and this new and wondrous Chicago AT, it makes me think I should definitely plan a trip in your direction.

(And now back to prepping SF AT for its launch. . .)

Meghan--

Tearing out a wall isn't that hard and you shouldn't have any trouble doing it- if you open the above area you can put some hefty storage space there. Any contractor could do it for you in perhaps a weekend and shouldn't be too expensive.

so excited about the chicago edition. can't wait for all your tips, ideas and leads and then can't wait to have lots to share!

hello! i need some window treatment advice. i'm moving into a downtown highrise apt. my living room has more window than wall space: floor to ceiling 9ft corner windows and two other floor to ceiling windows on the walls that meet at this corner. i want to get the view but i think i need curtains bc the room faces southwest and for a finished look. i'm thinking nuetral solid silk or linen on invisible rods but i don't want to get it wrong because there is a lot of curtain? i saw some nice premade curtains in the current crate & barrel catalog. or should i get custom (from who?).
thanks

Thanks for the help on the closets. I think there's some drywall dust in my future.

Yay! I await my next IKEA trip with glee! Congrats from down south in Champaign-Urbana.

maureen,

I've heard good things about Eddie Z's draperies and decorators. Consultation is free.

http://www.eddiezs.com/

Hi, I recently discovered apartment therapy and I'm hoping you all can help a girl out!

I have gathered from AT that many people prefer to use wall mounted track type systems rather than bookcases, in order to save some space. With my budget, I'm thinking along the lines of elfa, but I'm worried that it's not strong enough. we have lots of books, many of which are three-inch-thick computer manuals (thanks hubby) that are *heavy*. We would be moutning on plaster walls that are almost 70 yrs old. Anyone see a problem with this? can elfa handle it?

Thanks!!

Cat,

I have used elfa shelving for many years and in many different apartments and i think that, for the price, it's great stuff.

I have stored books (click on my name for an example) as well as used the closet application. I believe that as long as you mount the main support piece correctly (for your wall) it will be fine.

I would suggest that you purchase it at the Container Store. Bring your measurements, the approx weight of your books and the people that work there can tell you exactly what you need and how to do it.

Good luck,
Kathryn

Perfect. I'm so glad you're here. I was so jealous we didn't have an AT of our own and now we do.

Thank god you are here! We have been waiting!

I, for one, am tired of finding things I want to buy (or look at in person) on design blogs and finding that all the stores are in NYC or LA.

I am currently passionate about dishes so if anyone is interested in Red Berry Dinnerware made by Bodo Sperlein or Black Forest Fine Bone China by Dibbern, both can be found locally at Lille, 1923 North Avenue http://www.lilleashop.com/subcategory.asp?categoryID=6&subcategoryID=98

And if anyone knows where I can locally find Tablestories dinnerware by Tord Boontje in red I will be forever grateful!

Kathryn, Thanks for the thoughts on elfa!

Maybe you could store your dishes/glasses/utensils in separate bags or boxes within the rubbermaid, which would ensure they don't come into contact with your other supplies, like your grill brush. I'm thinking those soft boxes they make to store "fine china". they're not too expensive and of course they're re-useable.

Happy Grilling :)

Thanks Cat,

That's exactly what I decided to do. I took advantage of my day off and hit Target first thing this morning. I got two Rubbermaid tubs, one for grilling stuff and one for tableware, napkins, glasses, etc. Because I'm a little compulsive, I had to make labels for the lids.

When the BF gets here, he can lug them up two flights of stairs to the deck.

2greetings from a former naperville-ian (current San Francisco resident, lived there as a child in the 70's. i fondly remember the A frame houses with the red doors scattered in our subdivision, the name of the architect i've forgotten.
(maybe because our brains declined in Ca? seriously!)
incidentally, lately i'm enjoying, on soma fm, the "illinois street lounge" channel, a world of music i haven't tapped into into for almost ten years, so i'd forgotten how happy it can make me.
enjoy your AT chicago!

greetings, that is

Heather and Janel, great job ya'll! Even though I live in a house as opposed to an apartment, I thoroughly enjoy all the interesting items and also love your creative choice of content. Also looking forward to the edition from my late and great beloved city of San Francisco as well. Keep up the good work!

Fab! Now time to get the stores/products section filled out! I'm tired of looking jealously at the NY AT site and seeing all these stores I want to check out that are about 1,000 miles away.