Apartment Therapy Archive: Mar 2010

Name: Sara Jade Pesek and Rogan KershLocation: Manhattan, New YorkSize: 1,350 sq/ftYears lived in: 2.5 years In New York University’s Goddard Hall, on Washington Square Park, most doors open on the chaotic lairs of 200 college freshmen. But door #702, dotted with notes and nametags, reveals an unexpected oasis, the tranquil home of “dorm parents” Sara and Rogan.

Let’s say you’re upgrading or renovating your bathroom, and you don’t know what to do with a couple of leftover shower pipes, an old medicine cabinet, or a sink you no longer need. Here are a few ways to rethink those things. Install a medicine cabinet on a bedroom or entryway wall to create a space-saving vanity, or use one in the dining room as a wall bar. Hang shower curtains on the windows.

Hideaway desks can’t be beat when it comes to small spaces, and chain stores are recognizing this demand. The inclusion of computer enhancements makes many of these slim packages even more appealing, with cable management, data ports and USB hubs for your clutter free computing convenience.Incognito Ebony Compact Office by Crate and Barrel ($999)This dark ash cabinet is my favorite of the bunch, with trunk styling and plenty of hidden compartments.

Geopolymers &mdash they look like a ceramic, feel like a ceramic, but they’re not a ceramic. A geopolymer is actually an inorganic compound that is positioning itself as eco-friendly replacement for Portland cement, the highly energy intensive and carbon dioxide producing binder used to made concrete. Not only are geopolymers stronger and less damaging to the earth, but they can also be made with byproducts of other industries such as slag and fly ash.

Q: My husband and I are buying our first home. I’m slowly packing up less-used kitchen items to put a dent in the packing. Do you have any suggestions for eco-friendly shelf liner? I grew up with my mother using contact paper. My mother-in-law uses the contact no-slip-but-not-sticky liner in her cupboards. I could use old tea towels, but I’d like to use something that will stay put for the most part.Sent by RachelEditor: Rachel, we might recommend a cork liner.

Name: Brad & Kendra — Small Cool 2009 Little Division WinnersLocation: South End, BostonSize: 820 square feetYears lived in: 5 years — owned Our memory of Brad & Kendra’s Small Cool entry last year was summed up in one word: WOW. Rarely does such a small space pack such a punch. Soaring ceilings, acres of custom-painted moldings, patterns and textures galore, delightfully aged wood floors, and layered lighting design create an epic impression upon entering.

Name: Suzi and Tchotchke, a 3-year-old schnoodleLocation: Yukon Studio Lofts, in Columbus’ Short North neighborhoodSize: 557 square feetYears lived in: 3 Suzi West has gone big by going small in her Short North studio condominium, which, in the living room alone, features show-stopping “branchelier,” a 3-foot-wide chandelier of white willow; an oversized zebra-print ottoman and an 8-foot-tall cupboard.

Who doesn’t love a hidden room? The adult in us, even, is still drawn to this children’s play room that’s just a short step through an unassuming armoire:The home’s owner found the old armoire secondhand. He then hired a woodworker to take out the back and install it up against a doorway into his children’s play room. The result is a simple-enough-looking armoire that opens to a hidden room of magic and play. We love this idea because A. it would be so fun and B.

Since we get tons of requests from our readers for floorplans of the spaces we show here on Apartment Therapy, we thought we’d share a simple and painless way to create your own floorplan drawings with Google SketchUp.You can do amazing things with this free, downloadable, and user-friendly program. It’s incredibly easy to draw any 2D shape and then extrude its surfaces into 3D.

According to a rep from the Emily Post Institute it’s no joke that so-called ‘small nuissances’ like stubble left in the sink or bathtub, a loose toothpaste cap and wet towels on the floor really can build up and lead to major quarrels between housemates and couples.

Few household purchases make you feel like a real grown-up as your first set of matching towels. Mine were a hastily chosen seafoam green terry that felt soft and silky to the touch, but left my skin a damp, linty mess. Now on my fourth set, I can confidently identify a quality bath towel. But that doesn’t mean I can afford one.Here are our top picks for soft, absorbent, durable towels that feel like a million bucks, but cost a lot less.

Name: Juhi, Jayant and Aksh PrabhuLocation: Bangalore, IndiaSize: 1,400 square feetYears Lived In: 5 months When Juhi sent us photos of her family’s recently renovated home in Bangalore, asking us if we wanted to feature it as a house tour, we jumped on it! We’ve found the homes we’ve featured from India to be especially beautiful in their use of vivid colour and this one is no exception.

Name: Katherine HammondLocation: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn I would like to share my bathroom! It is a 5′ x 6′ shower room which is used by our two kids (6 & 8 years old) my husband and me. I designed a shower room , popular in Europe, to meet our long term and immediate needs. I used red subway for the walls and pennys for the floor, tiliing high on the walls to create the feeling of more space…Summer before last we bought a 4 story limestone building in Prospect Heights.

Renovation and rental are two words that you don’t hear too much in the same sentence, but even though you might not be able to completely overhaul your rental apartment, there are ways to cover up that old avocado-green tile, add storage to your small shower, or transform an ugly overhead light without making your landlord angry in the process.

We aren’t in the habit of buying plastic bags, but we do keep a small collection to wash and reuse. Drying the bags usually entails propping them around utensils in the dish rack or over chopsticks in a jar. The thought of purchasing a plastic bag drying contraption for ourselves seems like a waste of money and resources.

This is a true story. Salvation Army had a two tiered laminate topped table with beat up, yet solid and attractive, wooden legs. The table was a mess so I asked one of the attendants who was moving furniture around if I could remove the legs and leave the tabletop. He not only agreed, he removed the screw in legs, taped the four gems together and priced the the whole set at fifty cents.

When we go back to the root of all technology, evolution and development, one of the very first things discovered… was fire. The kitchen is a great place to start fires (hopefully intentional) and there’s several great ways to get things going, here’s a few of our favorites — along with a few words of

Name: Catrin Morris, husband Chris, and daughters Lucy (4) and Miranda (2.5)Location: Woodley Park, NW Washington DCSize: 5 BR historic “Wardman” townhouse built in 1909 Years lived in: 3 Like probably many of you, I first spotted Catrin and Chris’s beautiful living room in Domino‘s 2007 decorating contest, and I immediately filed it away in my “dream house” folder.

Earlier this week we shared our future plans to move to a new apartment, starting with removing art from the walls as a symbolic first step of transitioning from one space to another. But upon coming home, Emily noted, “We still have over a month to move…no need to start packing already!” Was this a case of pre-packing-elation?My reply was simply, “It’s never to early to start packing.

In the same way a few well-placed lamps can revitalize a room, neighborhoods get a face lift when given the proper lighting. A well-lit, bright street is far more more welcoming than a dark row of creaky houses—but does that make it safer? Is it mother-nature-friendly? Should you leave your porch light on all night? DON’T leave the light on all night. It’s not green. DO set any overnight nights to a 1/2 power dimmer setting.

Did you know your bathroom sponges, loofahs and poufs can be a serious breeding ground for some nasty bacteria and germs? It seems silly since we soap them up and rinse them clean, but we recently learned they should be tossed out far before you see any wear and tear. We were shocked at how short their lifespan really is!

Canopied chairs carry a sense of drama and ceremony fit for a monarch. Kelly Wearstler, glam queen, loves to use them in restaurants, to add a touch of romance (images 1 & 2). So it surprised me to discover that historically, they were used as chairs for hall porters to sit in while they kept watch at the doors of grand homes and palaces — like very well-appointed bouncers!

Regardless of your kitchen size you most likely have a pantry. This might be as small as a shelf in a cupboard or as large as a walk-in closet. It is where we keep the foods and supplies used most often. The history of the pantry, or kitchen storage, is an interesting reflection of what

Name: Philip Leeming & Leong Ong of FallsLocation: East VillageSize: under 600 square feetYears lived in: 9 years — rented The apartment that Philip and Leong call home during the week is in the heart of the East Village — just east of Astor Place on Saint Marks. In addition to being their weekday home, the apartment functions as hub of the couple’s fashion line Falls — it functions as their design studio but also hosts meetings, photo shoots and model castings.

Most older rentals have them. Those knobby little built-in soap and toothbrush holders. There but to hold a sliver of melting Ivory.Tough to remove without taking a chunk of the wall with it. And they rarely seem to fit adult-size toothbrushes. Although the above Preserve Toothbrush does a nice job with its sleek, simple design.And if you’ve ever tried to precariously balance a cup in one of the drink holders you’ve no doubt scrambled to catch it from crashing to the floor.

We’ve all been there. The day of the big presentation, date, or picture day and we wake up with a huge zit. What to do? Since we are Unplggd and are always looking for electronic solutions, we decided to take a look at electronic zit zappers. These hand held devices just exude promise, but do they actually deliver?These devices claim to clear acne fast through using light or heat or both.

It’s a widely held belief that children who help prepare food are also, natch, more likely to eat it. As if this gift were not enough, the folks over at the website Kids Cooking Activities have compiled a lengthy list of all the tangible skills – from math to history – waiting to be picked up in the kitchen.

Looking to save water in the kitchen? Although the majority of water-saving faucets are manufactured for bathrooms, we searched high and low to bring you a list of faucets for the kitchen. Here are 10 handsome models ranging from $120 to $1,200 … and if that’s still a stretch for your budget, we’ve included a $2 option, too!Note: the standard flow rate for faucets is 2.2 to 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm).

Although the idea of using grow lights is appealing, it’s easy to feel like we always have the space to put them to proper use in. It doesn’t matter if your home is 400 or 4,000 square feet, we have 5 places perfect for grow lights that will keep a low profile and blend right in to the rest of your decor.Although grow lights seem like something that should mandate a larger footprint in your home, they really don’t have to.

Recycled paper, flax, and cork are just some of the materials that comprise eco-friendly cutting boards. Here’s a list of five materials worth keeping an eye out for, along with examples that are beautiful, durable, and in many cases, quite affordable. With so many options, there’s sure to be a cutting board to suit every

Name: John GuthrieLocation: Jamaica Plain, MassachusettsSize: 1,350 square feetYears lived in: 13 years — rented Apartment Therapy first introduced you to the beautiful artwork of John Guthrie in 2008. Since that time, I’ve been so drawn to John’s work that I was more than delighted when mutual friends connected us for an Apartment Therapy House Tour. I thought that if John’s home bears any resemblance to his artwork, we’d all be in for a treat.

Name: Trish Grantham (along with Pablo the dog and Georgia & Arlo the cats)Location: Portland, OregonSize: 900 Sq FtYears lived in: One Month (yep, ONE MONTH!) Portland artist, Trish Grantham lives on the ground floor of a pretty amazing house in North Portland. Inside her living space, collections abound. Outside is a large fenced backyard that makes the house feel removed from the tightly packed neighborhood it is set in.

50% of the time we head to the hardware store to have new copies of our keys made, they don’t quite work right. There’s alway some jiggle or wiggle involved, making us look like fools when we aren’t granted access to where we need to go. Forget the hassle and simply make your own, even those pesky “do not copy” types!

Regardless of your kitchen size you most likely have a pantry. This might be as small as a shelf in a cupboard or as large as a walk-in closet. It is where we keep the foods and supplies used most often. The history of the pantry, or kitchen storage, is an interesting reflection of what was going on at the time socially, economically and architecturally.The word “pantry” comes from the Old French word “paneterie” meaning from “pain”, the French word for bread.

I confess…years ago, Apartment Therapy posted an image my business card on the internet (above), and I still get emails about the color “blue” I used. That color wasn’t blue at all, but Benjamin Moore’s Knoxville Gray, a mysterious and amorphous neutral that changes color throughout the day — greenish at night, bluish in the morning and more solidly gray in full sun.

Do you have plants in the bathroom? There are actually a number of houseplants that thrive in this room’s typically tropical conditions of low light, warmth, and humidity—not to mention that they help freshen the air and your spirit! See our list, along with a few that thrive in bright and sunny bathrooms.

Making the right color choices for your home can sometimes be intimidating, especially if those color choices are attached to large price tags. In the kitchen and bathroom, most color selections, from floor to ceiling, can seem very permanent (tile) and very expensive (cabinets).[image: Coastal Living]As most Apartment Therapy readers have noticed, color inspiration can come from anywhere but not all colors work everywhere. The trick is finding the right colors for you and for your room.

Recycled paper, flax, and cork are just some of the materials that comprise eco-friendly cutting boards. Here’s a list of five materials worth keeping an eye out for, along with examples that are beautiful, durable, and in many cases, quite affordable. With so many options, there’s sure to be a cutting board to suit every cook and kitchen.

Name: Galen GondolfiLocation: Saint Louis, MOSize: 2,513 square feetYears lived in: 9 years It takes a special gift to wrangle the random and disparate into something functional and beautiful, whether it’s a diverse community of people or an apartment of stuff. Galen – a long time community organizer and housing advocate – shows commitment to both.

The word grow lights might have you conjuring up something from the TV show Weeds, but in all reality, if you don’t have the most well lit indoor space and outdoor space is only a dream — they can be the perfect thing! Plant what you want, eat what you want and best of all, save electricity while doing so!

Q: I am in desperate search to find a way to shred fabric. I have tons of scrap fabric I can’t do anything with along with lots of kids clothes that are beyond repair. I would love to turn this into a fiberfill of sort. It’s been challenging to me to find a way to do this, so I would love if you all could help me find a solution.Sent by KelliEditor: Suggestions for Kelli?Have a good question? Email us! Read other Good Questions here!

Around here we love flowers in the kitchen. There’s nothing quite like the color and energy that fresh flowers bring to a room. But of course it’s tough to keep flowers around all the time, so why not consider a longer-lasting solution: kitchen accessories with floral motifs. • Read the full post at Apartment Therapy

I’m a little hesitant to broach this subject, but as it’s come up in several conversations this week I thought I would turn to you Apartment Therapists for input. Growing up in family of artists, I encountered nude sketches in practically every room in my childhood home, and I was quite aware of how uncomfortable it made some of our visitors.

Most of you probably remember this fabulous Before & After: $1,000 Bathroom Makeover that we featured this summer. I, on the other hand (with my failing memory), forgot about it until I saw it again on Remodelista. What I was particularly drawn to on a second viewing of this bathroom was the corrugated tub surround and its $21 price tag.In theory, corrugated metal sounds like a rust disaster waiting to happen, it’s actually quite durable and corrosion resistant.

When you visit Etsy to search for something it gives you the results in small doses, 33 per page. Now, thanks to PicClick’s new Etsy browser, you can see ALL of the results on one page. It is fast, easy, and totally addicting!To try it out for yourself, visit PicClick, type in your search, and away you go! All of the results will appear on the page. As you scroll down more results will show up. If you find something you like, click on it and it will open in a new window.

In small spaces, sometimes having a large luxury fridge isn’t always an option. Even though they seem insanely small for those of us used to stocking our chill chests to the limit, they’re exactly what’s needed in small spaces across the country. Plus, they are pretty darn cute — in fact, if they had cheeks,

Given its very nature, eclectic style is hard to pin down, and even harder to get right! Add in a global edge, and an eclectic room can translate into a cheesy one, or as one of my clients stated, “a little too Pier 1.” Not that Pier 1 is all bad, it’s just that there’s something distinctly unauthentic about that type of global variety all in one room.

If you’re not into a toilet-night light, a more traditional version might be in order. Some models are motion activated, others can be toted around, but our favorites are built right into the wall and require very little hands on work to install!Pictured Above, Left To Right• Oxo Candela Blue and Green Tooli Rechargeable Lights: These will always and forever be at the top of our list.