apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Well, yeah, they are "classic" pieces. So if you really want your home to be "classic," well, run out and go get those things. Other than that, the list is just a list.

I agree wholeheartedly with the original art. I don't think it has to be huge, expensive pieces, just stuff you love and that is well presented. My only other must-haves would be a good bookcase and a good dining room table.

Other then that, I like stuff that is long lasting, functional and beautiful all in one.

A leather club chair - Agree. But I'd go with just a comfy arm chair, period.
A decorative throw - Agree. Plus they come in handy on chilly evenings or if you're trying to cut back on heating costs.
An ample sofa - Definite yes. Unless you live in a small space.
A wool area rug - Meh. Not so much.
Quality stainless steel flatware - Agree. It doesn't tarnish and is dishwasher-friendly. I'm using my great grandmother's stainless flatware. Enough said.
A crystal vase - Too fussy.
A 48-inch round pedestal table - Too specific.
Crystal or fine glassware - Maybe if you entertain people who care. My friends are happy to drink out of plain old glasses.
500-thread-count cotton bedding - This is soooooo "Martha". I
White dishware - Disagree. I think we should eat on dishes we love, no matter what the colour.
A pharmacy lamp - Meh. They're cool. But hardly something we should all own.
Original art - I agree with having art, but prints can be just as lovely as originals. Plus, they're more affordable for us youngins who don't work 80 hours a week in Manhattan-type jobs.

A wool rug and leather chair? Not in this climate. No way.

And white dishes? Boring.

My essentials:

*Reasonably nice-looking bookcases
*Matching glassware (I'm too clumsy to justify buying crystal)
*A few mirrors (they go a long way)
*Matching Le Creuset cookware
*Hat/coat rack
*Good lighting - can be from lamps, overhead lights, or the sun, I'm not picky
*Antique silver serving tray (everything on it automatically looks fantastic)

I like Stiletto's list better.

I think the key word here is "Classic"... their list seems pretty timeless in that respect.

One thing NOT on my list? The word "meh."

Stiletto--

Um, I don't hink you are supposed to *wear* the rug... ;)
And I actually really like leatehr furniture in warmer climes.

Nothing in this world aside from loved ones, food, shelter, and safety are "must haves", though certainly a lot of the items on the list are fairly tasteful and good to have around. I agree with another poster about the stainless steel flatware. Few people are breaking out the antique silver at every meal and it takes more effort to maintain than stainless steel.

The list does strike me as being very Euro-centric/North American-centric. A lot of the items wouldn't fit other lifestyles or homes in other countries.

It always rubs me a little the wrong way to talk about "style" and "must have". Style is completely subjective and shouldn't be a very high priority in anyone's life.

Luv my leather in Florida!

I happen to love the idea of an old worn leather club chair, but don't think I've even even seen 500 count sheets ( 400 & 600, 800 & 100, 1500 & 2000, but not 500).

There are all kinds of lists, nothing especially wrong with this one, but I don't think there is any one perfect list. The one below is about as close as they come.

1. Things you love.

Just got rid of my area rug-plac feels open fresh and natural-the way I love it. I might try the other things on thr list and see if it improves my life in any way

Just a quick list off the top of my head. It will probably change as soon as I post this:

coffee table
comfortable sofa
nice towels
artwork
floor lamp
desk
"not too small" area rug
candles
quality flatware
plants

I also prefer with Stilletto's list, though the artwork and good lighting are also good additions and needn't be pricey. Good knives and some cast iron skillets a colander and a good pepper grinder are must haves. Also a large wooden salad bowl.

As far as the 500 count sheets, round tables, and crystal vases -- no way. For some reason I find a 6-ft (minimum) rectangular table much more convivial than a round one.

I hate hate hate "must have" lists. I choose to stand up for pure cussed individuality, thanks anyway.

I hate high thread-count sheets. Hate. Too drapey.
And who has room for a 48" round table? I most certainly don't.
I can see a crystal vase. It doesn't have to be ornate, just something you love but crystal has such a nice look to it.

My "must have" style list:

attractive bookcase(s)
plants
a comfy couch or chairs
cuddly throws/quilts (I'm always warmer than my guests)
good lighting
comfortable dining chairs

We must find and kill Orchid.

Yeah, I agree with the majority of this list. I grew up in a home that was defined by classics, so altho I prefer to invest my money in sweet tech, I still consider spode and crystal ware vases and the classic leather ottoman a must. We'll see if that ever happens.

I agree with the list- it's not a very imaginative list but for basic must-haves it's not bad.

500-thread-count cotton bedding, yes. Original art, yes. A crystal vase? Heavens no! Pretty bizarre list really, some are just way too specific, and I agree with Orchid, they're very US-centric. Have you ever tried sitting on a leather chair in 40 degree C heat and 90% humidity? Eck.

FYI... I remember the original content of this article was published in the Style at Home magazine at least FIVE years ago, so while it is "classic" design, it's also a little dated.

I don't really read style at home. Isn't plain old style magazine the one people read so they can dress "just like the stars! No wonder they are so specific. Cameron Diaz must have all twelve of these things in one of her living rooms.
That said, here's my list:
-an old threadbare oriental rug
-a really fat cat
-tons of books that you actually crack open sometimes
-lots of little side tables you can move around to
eat on because your dining room table is piled with stuff
-a tv for background noise when cooking in the next room
-any vase (not necessarily crystal) full of miniature kale on long stalks. It even grown new leaves after a few weeks, and the old leaves it sheds are gorgeous.
-a beautiful foxed mirror you found at a yard sale
20 years ago
-toys hidden somewhere for when kids come to visit
-original art that YOU like

baba yaga (nice nick, means witch or wise old lady in russian), I'm so with you! Made my day!

A crystal vase? Crystal glasses? White plates? Zzzzzzzz.

I also disagree about the stainless flatware. I got sterling as a wedding gift and use it every day. It goes in the dishwasher just fine -- it gets that nice cloudy patina when you use it all the time.

My plates are black, currently, and I don't have a leather club chair (although I just bought a leather Barcelona) but otherwise I have most of the list... I don' tthink they are "must haves", just stuff I like and that work in my place.

Style "Must Haves" are things that both function well for you and look good, I'd say. Lists like this are merely inmspiration.

I must have comfortable seating with good light for reading. I must have things not easily ruined by my cats. I need a few things that serve to make me smile.

I try to have mostly original art by local artists, both because I am one myself (so I have bought art from other artists I knew, in the past) and because it is often very affordable. But I also buy original work at flea markets -- I have several cool watercolors and oils bought, framed, for less than $10 each!

Crystal is a material, not a style. Lead oxide crystal vases can be modern, contemporary, transitional, or traditional, depending on your personal style. The reason you want real lead oxide crystal is it's weight, heft, and the way it dances with light. Please don't discount crystal when making your glass and vase purchases. It isn't all that much more expensive than plain glass and is destined to become an heirloom. I splurged on the 14" Orrefors Squeeze White and love it.

http://www.crystalclassics.com/orrefors/squeezewhite.htm

patrick (the other one): Point taken. Jerk.

not much is really a "must have" in this world. when i see this phrase in anything i usually skip the article or scroll forward. no need to encourage consumerism or envy.

things that make my life easier and more joyful in my home:

comfortable bedding.
a great sound system.
hdtv. (sorry)
a laptop with high speed wireless connection.
a constantly edited library.
cups and glasses that feel right in hands.
original art and pottery.
furniture with a story, designed on bauhaus principles.
furniture that requires little cleaning or maintenance.
great lighting.
natural light.
fluffy towels.
a well stocked pantry, wine cellar, and liquor cabinet.

It's a terribly prescriptive list, but of it:

--leather club chair - not necessary, but since I've been using my grandfather's beat-to-hell-velvet club chair I have to say it's nice.

--deco throw - well, of course.

--ample sofa - sure, whatever ample means for you.

--wool rug - I'm morally opposed to rugs. I know, I;m weird.

--SS flatware - before I registered for SS flatware, I read Miss Manners saying if you weren't ready for sterling you weren't adult enough to be married. She may have been right, but I grew up polishing the #@$% sterling and I was done. Currently I'm living alone with 2 settings of sterling (which means it's all used enough to not have to polish) and it's fine.

--crystal vase - I have one Waterford piece, and it's lovely. And I bought it for $2 at a yard sale, retail at $200.

--fine glassware is a joy. Waterford glassware's not much more expensive than IKEA (ok, over lots of time), and you can abuse it for years.

--500-count bedding - pfft. I use silk bedding. Much cheaper and wonderfully comfortable.

--white dishware - I'll actually approve of this - my wedding dishware (Mikasa Sweet Leilani) is gorgeous, but it's translucent white with a pale gray underlay and looks weird whenever I mix it with anything else that's a standard white. (Again, you can abuse bone china all day long, just like crystal. Stoneware, meanwhile, is a chippy abomination.)

--original art - yes yes yes.

if your goal is to live in pottery barn, then yes. not for me, but some people like it apparently.

"Classic" Must haves for my Home: (From Newfoundland, Canada)

Original art
Good lighting
Familiar photography
Books I love
Healthy plants
Warm throw(s) long chilly winters here
Warm comfy bedding (prefer duvet) & absorbent towels.
Comfy chair for reading (I prefer a wingback)
Comfy couch for snuggling
Enough glassware/dishware/flatware suited to your lifestyle
Candles
Solid wood bookcases

do so agree with mariegael, the list just sounded like a pottery barn catalogue...yes do like to have nice stainless steel flatware and a large area rug to give my dog more options for places to lay on, but I regifted the crystal vase I got as a wedding present--my go to is a black semi-punk vase made by an art student, and think "ample" sofas look sloppy and very '80's. basically if you love it and can afford it, it should be on your very own list, not someone else's prescription for style....

5/12 - I failed!

After I was talked into popping in at Cigar Masters in Boston when a friend from out of town visited, I wanted to take their leather club chairs. Before that, I would have said you were crazy. When I make a must-have list, it's probably stuff I don't have, but making a mental check list for things to get someday.

I get the highest threadcount sheets available at Marshall's. It's cheap on the one hand but it's so much better than crappy bargain sheets. I used to have those t-shirt sheets and in winter preferred flannel, but it's really hot in my apartment when the heat goes on. I have crystal glassware and it's pretty nice. It's called "selective hand-me-downs" from my mom and grandma, things I requested.

I don't yet own the stainless flatware that I want. I probably don't want silver. I have been keeping the eyes out for a great big rug that I like, for my bedroom. That's another thing like, my grandma had these giant oriental rugs and I really just can't afford anything like that right now. Having a vase is a must-have unless you really hate flowers. Crystal is nice, but I don't think it's imperative. I remember a time when I realized my mom didn't have an actual vase and how the only cut flowers she got were from the yard, and put them in whatever, a jar or something, and I got her a vase for Xmas. It's cute sometimes to find some creative container to reuse, but it's something else to own an actual vase and receive flowers to put on display.

Original art is a great idea, depends on your taste and budget both. A lot of people have prints or whatever is not even really a print, stuff that pertains to your decor minimally as found in the stacks of art at places like Bed Bath & Beyond. There are things for every budget, but I really think art should be honored and not just tacked on the walls to finish a space. It should be like a permanent friend invited into your space, not necessarily as a focal point, but not some joke thing you barely look at either.

I think like the proverbial bride, a home needs something old, something new, something borrowed... ok, maybe not exactly. I definitely like old things, but I do not like the look of some home preserved and/or reconstructed in a specific period. I want to walk in and have some cherished old treasures but I definitely want it to express today, this moment also. Someone who isn't nostalgic for some romanticized version of a time before they were born lives here. I like a good kitchen or dining room table. Spreading out to do things and cleaning up in time to eat. I think high ceilings are a luxurious must-have. I don't know that I can ever go back to the standard ceiling height. I don't know what else is a must-have. My bed-I like my bed a lot.

Lists like this in magazines are like hot/not and pretty much filler. I read Elle Decor and every issue has a designer's dozen things they can't live without, and some of the things are kind of weird, as in, if I took this away from you, you'd die.. Really? You've got some comfortable and basic suggestions, but you know this isn't a dictatorship and you can disagree with as much of this list or any other list as you please, even if it's just on principle and not because you hate the things on the list.

Magazines sell off the newsstand based on tags like short list of things. People need the shorthand version of catching up to the Joneses, and it's hard to make choices. It's easier if someone tells you how to put it all together, and give me a break: if someone put their apartment on a home tour with all of these elements, nobody would say it sucked. Some might call it a little boring, but that would depend on the throw, the flowers in the vase, and the art, and plenty of y'all would ask to move in.

Thank you quiltmaster---and also 356style. The point is to have a good vase that you USE for flowers, branches, etc. A bunch of fresh herbs is also nice. Goes a long way into making your place your home with your own personality, and doesn't have to cost an enormous amount.

I asgree with mariegael - the list seems to correspond to a particular aesthetic promoted by a retail store that supplies many of the items on it. So, to look at the list, I ask myself "who" must have these things and to whom are they classic? A lot of these "must have" lists seem to have a slight undercurrent of insecurity to them that is common to style magazines for home decor and clothing - they are written as if people somehow don't know what they need in their homes (and by extension, their lives) and they need an "expert" to tell them what they need (and by extension, who they are). I think if you are living with intentionality, then you automatically move to acquire the things you need and want and love as you can afford them. Most authentic people that I know have no need of a list created by others.

Silly list. It might be right for some people, of course.

Here's mine.

Art.

Comfortable mattress. Preferably with bedframe, headboard, and sheets. I have a couple of beautiful 200 thread-count sheets I picked up many years ago that are still going strong.

A rectangular dinner table with a leaf, and enough dining chairs.

Cast iron dutch oven, and a cast iron skillet.

Enough dishes, glassware, and utensils for a dinner party.
(my friends do not care that it's mismatched, as long as the food's good. And it is :)

Lighting.

Lots and lots of books.
If very lucky, matching bookcases (a girl can dream!)

Dishwasher.

Desk with chair.

Comfortable sofa.

I guess I have interpretations of all of these things, yet somehow my house is a lot more fun than one filled with the "essentials"...

• A leather club chair - would be awful and gigantic, we have far daintier armchairs
• A decorative throw - an afghan my grandma made is the best version
• An ample sofa - the best $75 bucks I've ever parted with via craigslist, my down-filled sofa *is* my guest room!
• A wool area rug - our cat pees on them, so no rugs
• Quality stainless steel flatware - I had eight place settings 5 years ago, now I have like 4.75; time to make the investment now that I don't have roommates anymore
• A crystal vase - broke it
• A 48-inch round pedestal table - I actually have an oval Victorian occasional table slightly smaller than that, and I always have trouble placing it; right now, it holds the fruit bowl next to the refrigerator.
• Crystal or fine glassware - IKEA glasses and stem wear that match, and 6 crystal champagne saucers plus various and sundry finds in crystal
• 500-thread-count cotton bedding - mine are organic cotton, 300-count, with a print of the word "fuck"
• White dishware - my chef GF would feel like she was at work, and what would I collect at flea markets?
• A pharmacy lamp - that seems really specific; I just have lots of crazy rebuilt thrift store lamps and IKEA clamp lights, and I am installing dimmer switches everywhere I can
• Original art - I have more art than walls these days

I have wonderful 300-tc cotton sheets from the Company Store and I love them......cool, crispy, percale.

Someone said matching Le Creuset cookware.....are you kidding? I have a few pieces of Le Creuset, none match, but I hardly think anyone needs a full set. A 5q dutch oven is all anyone "needs", and frankly I've seen cheaper that seems to be just as good if not better. The enamel on LC is so thin...

nothing wrong with crystal vases - then again, my grandfather was born in Cork and bought my Waterford vase for my 21st birthday on a trip to the "old country". when i graduated from university 2 years later, he gave me a Belleek vase.

i agree with those who find a rectangular table more convivial for dinner parties and i love, love, LOVE my 400-thread count sheets!

I think a "must have" list is just a magazine creation. For it to speak to everyone, it would have to be pretty broad, but then it would appeal to no one! Everyone has different priorities and that's the beauty of design!

~Lorrie @ MyDesignSecrets.com

i'm down with the throw and the original artwork. that's about it. my list would include one favorite vintage/antique piece, a linen tablecloth, and a reading chair.

Eh. No mag list of must-haves for me, but I love everybody else's lists, which are so much more personal and fun. Your house should be full of stuff that you use, enjoy, find beautiful, gives you good vibes, serves you well, makes your life easier.

Miss Manners - oh, poop! I'm with you, morfydd. Nothing against sterling, just against that attitude. Who has time these days??

Hey, and would somebody can the spam?

It's a ludicrous list.
Reason enough to never read Style at Home Magazine.

Does anyone know where the chair pictured is from? It would be a perfect "classic" addition to our new apartment. Thanks!

I need to get off that other website and come back here -

happy cat and all her things
the best chef's knife/chopping board
all-clad skillet/lodge grill pan/generic saucepan
TV/yoga dvds
art stuff
computer
organic bedding and silk comforter
tons of white cotton socks
enough toilet tissue to feel secure
clean everything even in the book corner
massage table
organic toiletries and sunscreen
binoculars
my mother's paint-by-number of the woman peeling potatoes
One white man's shirt
phone

I agree with healthyhome...things that make my life easier and more enjoyable - whatever that might be. I also think the list is probably helpful though - just like the cure helps people realize how having a cleanedup, organized space really is a way to feel differently in your own home - this list might help some people see how a particular item could make their life easier and more enjoyable.

- a lovely bookcase
- a nice looking wine rack, which is full
- beautiful teapot(s)
- comfy pillows and nice linen
- contingency stuff eg - bed/space for guests who stay over, something to serve unexpected guests in the pantry/fridge
- a great sound system
- big wine glasses that you're not afraid to get broken
- a wooden trinket box that is gorgeous
- a serving tray for breakfast in bed
- something you've made/restored/painted yourself

if you don't like these lists, make your own.
this list is for me.

- comfy couch (with footstool)
- lots & lots of sunlight
- fat cat(s)
- books, preferrably floor-to-ceiling on at least one wall
- good, reliable coffeemaker
- down comforter on my bed
- artwork i love
- quirky dishes
- sturdy drinking glasses (i'm clumsy)
- soft throws in natural fibers
- a good, seasoned cast-iron skillet -- speaking specifically of the one i inherited from my mom
- neatness around me