Apartment Therapy San Francisco

SF Scavenger: DWR Sapien Bookcase-Excellent Condition for $200

It's not every day that a DWR Sapien Bookcase - Excellent Condition show up on Craigslist, and when one does, it goes quickly. Grab this tall, grey one before it's gone.

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Look!: Cool Storage at the Curiosity Shoppe

Being that it's Spring Cleaning (and Organization) Month here at AT, we couldn't help but show you this awesome storage we spotted at the Curiosity Shoppe.

Complete Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners

Carpets need cleaning? We wholeheartedly recommend Complete Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners. David Mercurio has been cleaning carpets and upholstery for over 20 years, and we can personally attest to the sometimes miraculous work he's performed on the cream-colored carpets of two of our family members. Stains from printer ink? A bathtub leak? Ancient felines? Gone.

Yukka Collapsible Storage/Trash Bin

Does anyone remember the old-school collapsible cups that were popular among the under-10 set in the 80s? We can't help but compare this collapsible bin to those cups, and wonder now why no one thought of this before.

How To: Change a Light Switch

There are plenty of reasons to change out a lightswitch, from aesthetics to function, and it's a good general skill to have if, well, you live in a home with light switches. The best thing is it's surprisingly easy to do, even for someone with little (or no) electrical experience, and can be done in less than 10 minutes. Click below the jump to see our photo-illustrated how-to.

International Finalist: Simone's Gastown Space

Enter Here: Contest Page & Entries

Name: Simone
Location: Vancouver
Size & Type: 591 sq. ft. owned apartment
Original Entry: Click Here

Enter Finalist Slideshow

Who was your favorite entry and why?

Southwest #22: LouLou & Nico’s Duplex Deluxe is absolutely my favorite. Somehow they’ve been able to create space that conveys passion (must be all that red!), but is also very calm and inviting. It takes skill to create that kind of balance. Plus, it strikes me that everything in their home was chosen with care, which is something I greatly admire.

Michelle Kaufmann's House Tour on Re-Nest

Perhaps you, like us, missed seeing Michelle Kaufmann's own Novato Glidehouse over on Re-Nest?

Outdoor Mats

5-12-08 outdoorrug1.jpg We recently posted about an outdoor rug from West Elm that we thought was really cool, and were asked for more suggestions. Taking a look around the web led us to a few more of the best looking all-weather mats, perfect for summer activities to come...

SF Flickr Finds: Little Green's Colander Light

5-12-colander light.jpg You've probably seen Fethi Atakol's colander as lampshade -- but Little Green did it first. (Her photo in our Flickr account is actually a couple of years old.) Check out the one that's all lit up in the background.

SF Good Questions: Rejuvenating an Eames Shell Chair?

AT:SF, Just got a great deal on this shell. Unfortunately, the fiberglass is badly scratched, making it white all around the edges (see close up). It actually looks like someone did this on purpose, tho I can't imagine why...

Northwest Finalist: Ana and Bob's Bay Area Nest

Enter Here: Contest Page & Entries

Name: Ana and Bob
Location: Alameda
Size & Type: 583 sq. ft. rented apartment
Original Entry: Click Here

Enter Finalist Slideshow

Who was your favorite entry and why?

Midwest #34: James and Emily's Vintage Modern Studio - I'm totally in love with the green kitchen and the entire feel of the place is so warm and inviting.

Portage Bay Goods

7-25-portage bay logo.jpg This welcoming shop at "the center of the universe" (the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, that is) has long been our favorite and fail-safe stop for last-minute gifts and a healthy dose of socially conscious retail therapy.

7-25-portage bay1.jpg With home accessories, toys and miscellany at literally every price range (party favors for that wry and sort-of granola friend's 20-person baby shower on a $50 budget? No problem!), this is the kind of place you can lose some serious time in as you discover one after the other pleasant, humorous, beautiful and/or ingenious creation.

Portage Bay's guiding principle is "to enrich the soul, support the community, and protect the environment." Many of the products sold at Portage Bay Goods are made from recycled or reused materials. And if that weren't enough, 10% of all the store's profits (including those from an abbreviated retail selection online) go to nonprofit organizations.

Anywhere Sofa from Urban Outfitters

We envy people who have dedicated guest rooms, but like many urban dwellers we simply don't have the space. Despite that fact, we have regular over night guests and hauling the futon from the deep recesses of the closet is a bit of a pain. Traditional sofa beds are heavy and you always risk the "bar in the middle of the back" problem, which is why we like the idea of the Anywhere Sofa.

Look! Succulents in Glasses

We have some new favorite glasses from the Crate and Barrel Outlet Store. We picked them up back in November when we were looking for something to hold our paperwhite bulbs and loved the idea of showing off the roots and rocks in simple clear glass containers. At $1.95 each, the price can't be beat and we keep coming up with new excuses to pull them off the shelf....

Clocks - Analog or Digital?

5-12-08 clock.jpg If we find ourselves drawn to the design of a clock - so much so that we want to have it in our home - odds are it is a little analog number (numbers, actually) of some sort.

Little Otsu

Because of our handy PDA's, we often forget about traditional planners. Recently a friend (who doesn't even so much as own a cellphone) of ours had a birthday and we thought we'd get her a new planner, as hers was on its last legs. In our search for a planner we came across Little Otsu. Little Otsu is a local publishing company that peddles its wares on always fun Valencia Street. Stationery, planners, calendars, journals, great art... Little Otsu has you covered.

SF Open Thread 111

Monday design talk here...

SF Scavenger: Scandinavian design upholstered chair for $175

This Scandinavian design upholstered chair is sure to make a stylish statement in someone's house. Now who's gonna jump on it?

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Roundup: More Small Space Solutions on AT, Part II

Maff Apartment by Queeste Architecten

So, what do you think -- are you ready for some more of our small space solutions, pulled from the depths of the AT archives? Grab a cup of coffee, and jump below to check out today's roundup.

Roundup: More Small Space Solutions on AT, Part I

How To: Make a Captain's Bed on the Cheap

As we get ready to plunge back into the Small Cool Contest, it seems like a good time to roundup some more small space solutions that we've blogged here at AT. We delved a bit further into our archives for these products and ideas. Check them out below the jump -- and stay tuned, there's more to come!

SF Hot Posts: 05.09.08

Young Pioneers Stake Claims in the Tenderloin

What were our hottest posts this week? Well, we took a little break from the Small Cool Contest while gearing up for all the excitement next week, and so the top posts on our Northwest site weren't all contest-related... Click here to jump below to take a look.

Close-Up!: Monique and Richard's Wrap-Around Shelf

One of the many things we loved about Monique and Richard's Apartment at a Glance was this shelf that wraps around a corner.

SF Spring Cure: Graduation

PuglyFeet's post-cure dining room - see below the jump for the before/after slideshow

Wow! It's over. Congratulations to the graduating class of the SF Spring 2008 Cure. We hope you enjoyed the process as much as we did.

We loved this idea from TRUE BLUE last week:
"I actually suggested when the book first came out that the apartment management buy a book for everyone in the building. Or start giving them away with each new lease or when they raise the rent (yearly). It makes sense from not just a renter's point of view. But from a management point of view too. For people to make good choices when it comes to their apartment . . . It's something for those of us in multiple resident dwellings to consider suggesting to our landlords. Everybody wins."

And it's true, with the Cure everybody does win. We suspect that living in beautiful, organized and healthy homes affects not just the residents but everyone they interact with - when your home is more together your life is more together, and it shows in areas of your life that you think have nothing to do with your house.

click below the jump to see the AT:SF Cure before & after slideshow

Seattle Late-Breaking Event: West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day

This Saturday, May 10th, from 9am to 3pm, West Seattle ushers in the yard sale season with its Community Garage Sale Day. What this means is that more than 70 individual households, blocks and businesses will be conducting garage sales at the same time.