Apartment Therapy Archive: Jun 2010

Name: LJ, Elena and Teo Location: Downtown Brooklyn Size: 550 square feet studio Years lived in: 5 years Long-time Apartment Therapy fans may recall LJ’s impressive work in progress! Well, LJ finally finished and it looks incredible! This home is a labor of love and sweat. LJ, an architect, built almost everything you see! Major elements that he didn’t build with his own two hands were often salvaged from other people’s architectural projects.

Name: Marc Gomes, actor & directorLocation: Hollywood, CaliforniaSize: 2,000 square feetYears lived in: 5 Originally built in 1896 in Glendale, Marc’s home was moved to Hollywood in 1937. The house still has many of the original architectural details and Marc has added another level of depth to the architectural character with his choices in design and decor.

This morning we checked out the house tour of Naseem Alizadeh of The Bureau for Architecture and Urbanism and were psyched to see that Naseem works at the same desk as we do. The Ikea Melltorp was originally designed to be a dining table, but we’ve noticed more and more people using it as their home office workspace. We’re not surprised since it’s a pretty wicked desktop.What makes it so special? It’s simple.

My task was simple, or so it seemed: create a chic, boyish nursery for my second baby. It should’ve been easy – I’ve been designing and decorating kids’ rooms and nurseries for years – well before I had my first child and fully understood what and who they were for: the parents. I’ve researched and reviewed baby and kids’ furniture – I know what’s out there but more importantly, I know what I like.

While using air conditioning can sometimes seem unavoidable, there are ways to design homes that don’t need air conditioning at all. It’s easy to forget, but many homes didn’t have this amenity even as recent as 10 years ago, and most often naturally cooled environments actually feel better than artificially cooled air. Find out ways to inexpensively and easily incorporate naturally cooling into your home, after the jump.

It’s around this time of year we always get a little jealous of everyone’s outdoor spaces, full of lush green plants and veggies. We’re plant killers, through and through, and are always on the lookout for advice on how to grow anything. We called a popular nursery in Austin and asked them for their five hardiest plant species that can withstand heat and black thumbs.

When we think about our dream home someplace and sometime way out in the future, we think we’re going to have to go with one of the basins from Native Trails. These beautiful hand-hammered sinks are made by skilled artisans and crafted out of recycled copper and reclaimed wood. Each sink takes several days and

Name: Naseem Alizadeh of The Bureau for Architecture and UrbanismLocation: Boston, MassachusettsSize: 600 square feetYears lived in: 2 Yet again, I experienced apartment envy when I arrived to take photos of Naseem’s Back Bay rental, a lovely home we first spotted in her Apartment Therapy House Call. It’s easy to imagine the two years Naseem has lived here morphing into ten. This is the kind of place that would be hard to leave.

Whether it’s a minuscule Austin studio apartment, a slightly more spacious Boston pad, or a still modest duplex for a family in New York, there are plenty of inspiring, smart examples of tech working together with home decor from our Apartment Therapy house tour archives.

Rugged and durable, these outdoor doormats not only stop dirt and mud from entering the home, but they also help keep rubber and plastics out of the landfill. Check out these five great examples that give new life to materials like tires, flip flops, and plastic bottles.1 Mudhog Doormat made from recycled plastic bottles, $59 at L.L. Bean2 Flip Flop Door Mat made from recycled flip flop remnants, $29-89 at VivaTerra3 Recycled Tire Doormat, $19.

Do you love the idea of a pond, but don’t have an actual yard to place one in? No fear — you can cultivate a mini watery paradise on your balcony or terrace with very little effort by creating a container water garden. By selecting a variety of plants and containers, you can create a customized water garden in any outdoor space that receives six hours of sunlight every day (a little bit less if you are using bog plants).

When we moved into our apartment five short months ago, we hit the ground running with decorating our new digs. But lately, it seems we’ve been paying closer attention to the little things. Take for instance our bathroom floor (white tile which is classic and goes perfect with our decor). Unfortunately, the dirty grout is trumping our style.So we set out this weekend to attempt to clean it with supplies we already had on hand.

Stocking your home bar for a summer party? We’ve got a few ideas for affordable places to shop. If you need a few dozen wine glasses, a nice big ice bucket, or a cocktail shaker and jigger, here are our suggestions.

Nipping on the heels of the upcoming Dwell on Design show next week here in Los Angeles (where you might see a few Apartment Therapy contributors roaming the floor, so please say “hello” if you’re there between the 25th-27th) is a collaboration announcement from two personal favorites, Heath Ceramics and Dwell. • Read the full

If you’ve spent any time at the beach, you (and your house’s pipes) are probably in love with the idea of the outdoor shower. Even far from the coast, many local gardeners — including one from an upcoming House Tour — use these alternative bathing spots in the warmer months too. Here’s a peek at some favorites, and a few sources for creating your own.

We love strands of white string lights for outdoor spaces. Our favorite layout? A canopy of them overhead in a zigzag pattern. It looks so casual and somehow “European” to us. Sounds silly, but that’s just how it makes us feel:The zigzag pattern of hanging lights is one of the easiest, too: Simply fix the strand in place back and forth across a space.

A vintage bread box offers the perfect countertop storage, especially when its design is charming and pretty. Whether you’re looking to further an Americana vibe you’ve already got going on or add an earthy element to a modern space, here are seven smart ways to repurpose a bread box into a chic and functional organizer. Keep it in the kitchen but tweak its purpose; tuck adorable mini spice jars inside for cooktop-side convenience.

Whenever I’m out and about in the city, I’ve always got one eye on the sidewalk and the other scanning the curb for attractive junk that I can recycle into planters for my roof garden. Even old fruit crates are just deep enough to accommodate leafy greens or herbs with shallow root systems. I decided

Name: Julie ThompsonLocation: Portland, OregonSize: 410 square feetYears lived in: 4 You might remember Julie’s Cozy & Vibrant home from this year’s Small Cool contest. She was gracious enough to let us stop by and take more photos of her eye-catching place. This small space is teaming with personality, yet has a great balance of bold and calming attributes.

We’ve talked about using paper decorations to punch up a last minute party, but there are ways that you can incorporate paper into your everyday décor as well. My favorite paper creations of late are tissue paper cherry blossoms, which are as pretty as they are easy to make.A few weeks ago I was charged with the task of decorating a ballroom for my daughter’s school auction. The theme was cherry blossoms, and the result was magical…and budget friendly too!

Growing up on a horse farm, where galvanized tubs were not for decor, I can’t say I ever imagined I’d be writing about all their fascinating design possibilities. But hear I am, and to confess, I’m a sucker for almost anything galvanized. So in the spirit of summer, kiddie pools, and beer bottles chilling in metal tubs, here’s a bit of visual inspiration for your enjoyment.

What if the box you sent in the mail was more amazing than whatever present you put inside? The Life Box is a new type of cardboard box that’s filled with hundreds of tree seeds that you can easily grow. It’s the brainchild of mushroom expert Paul Stamets, one of the most inspiring speakers at the recent Sustainable Brands conference.The seeds are interlaced with beneficial fungi to help them grow better.

Name: Dave JohannesLocation: Austin, Texas Size: 392 square feetYears lived in: 1 You may remember Dave’s place from his Small Cool entry — we liked so many things about Dave’s apartment we knew we had to visit for a House Tour! Sure, Dave lives in a hip, urban apartment complex close to downtown Austin, but it’s not his location that makes this tiny studio so great.

Name: Dale & Adam — Dale’s firm is DRD Studio (website underway)Location: Chelsea — NYCSize: 1,070 square feet — 2 bedroom duplex Years lived in: 7 years Five years ago, I had the pleasure of documenting Dale and Adam’s home for a pioneering Apartment Therapy House Tour! Since then, they’ve had a few changes: a new kitchen, new half-bath, and twins! Dale is an architect so all the designs for the renovations over the years were home made.

Piñatas are typically associated with children, and the sight of candy scattering can certainly make them come running. But we think they’re for more than just kids. Even if your party is adults only, that’s no reason not to blindfold people and watch them whack things with a bat. An adult piñata is also a fairly easy way to add something unexpected to parties–and a low-key, low-pressure way to create an activity that will get people buzzing.

Brian’s bedroom office is a streamlined, minimal setup that could easily fit into a living room or dining room nook in a small apartment. The pieces he’s chosen have a simple style that can be recreated for very little money or a whole lot, depending on what you buy and where you buy it.Like most furniture, the price of a folding chair depends on where it’s sold, the quality of the materials, and who designed it.

So apparently we have piñata fever around these parts. We just can’t help it. They’re perfect for a party, a backyard get together, or could even be a fun way to pick summer chores (who says they can’t come pouring out amongst other things?) for little ones, but sometimes we’re not into all that sugar. Here are a few non-food ideas instead!1. Bubbles: You can find small packages of bubbles (check with wedding supplies) that won’t weigh things down too much!2.

Earlier we mentioned this tip on pre-portioning your piñata prizes and one of our lovely readers suggested another great piñata tip that’s perfect for tots too tiny to swing a bat. Make one that stays on the ground to get kicked around instead — here’s how!Ohdeedoh reader Jo Joebi made mention of an idea that was a smash hit at one of her parties and has already been requested for next year.

We are madly in love with all the new metal planters we’ve seen the last few seasons, though they do have one small downfall: heat. Just like metal in any other location, these planters increase in temperature rapidly making the roots of your plants dry out quickly. Instead, try this super simple trick!Before you fill your new planter, our friends over at Shelteriffic suggest wrapping a layer of bubble wrap around the inside of the container.

Just like most people, you’ve probably got a few old routers lying around. It’s true that unlike computers, phones, and tablets, routers are somewhat of a less obvious upgrade choice, but if you want to improve the reception of your home network, it’s best to have a good one on hand.The new standard for wireless routers is Wireless N. This standard promises a faster connection with your wireless devices, faster transfers, and streaming speeds between devices.

Name: Ed and Ellie GroverLocation: Roseville (near Sacramento), CaliforniaSize: 1,872 square feetYears lived in: 1 year Ellie and Ed bought their first house about a year ago. While they would have rather purchased a good ol’ fixer upper, market conditions meant a brand new house made more sense. Fearing that her home would fall into the tract home rut, Ellie quickly set out to “make the new look old and add a little character to the cookie cutter-ness.

Clearly a pattern can’t be claimed strictly for male or female use and sometimes a reference to the opposite sex can add an element of surprise to a space, but these patterns have a long-standing connection to the masculine, both in fashion and design.Pin Stripes: A favorite fabric for suits and baseball uniforms, pin stripes represent men at work and at play.Paisley: At home on business men or cowboys, paisley is a remarkably versatile pattern that manages to be both manly and playful.

Ok, this one may not be as cool as the venus fly trap that I spent weeks saving up for in grade school, but it takes the cake for simple genius. A wooden frame, some screen, a little bait, and it’s off to the races!I came across this contraption at a horse farm in Ecuador where the flies are nearly as abundant as the wild flowers. That mountain at the bottom of the cage is the fly accumulation in one week!

I’ve always thought of wood burning as something I failed at miserably during Girl Scout Camp, not as a true art form, but these burned wood pieces by Boston artist Cecilia Galluccio are a surprise in their beauty and charming folk-art inspired intricacy.Galluccio draws her designs directly onto furniture, serving boards, and adorable sets of spoons, making each piece totally unique.

Last week we discussed about getting started on wrangling our cords and cables in our home office, a project that required us to get moving on painting the interior before installing the cable channel guides we purchased. And painting we did!

I don’t have air conditioning. Most of the time, my apartment, which is on the bottom floor, stays cool. But then there are those nights that are almost unbearable, and I break out the fan. Easy, right? Set it up, so it blows directly on your face. Uh, not so much. Luckily there are some tricks you can use a fan to help make it more effective.Since heat rises, the coolest air in your home will be hovering around floor level.

Name: Nathan & Hannah (Foxy, our long-haired Chihuahua)Location: St. Louis, MissouriSize: 1362 square feetYears lived in: 5 Eero Saarinen’s Gateway Arch is the tip of the mid-century iceburg in the Saint Louis area. Case in point: Tucked in among more expected suburban homes, is the gem of Ridgewood, a time capsule of a subdivision, peppered with modern ranch homes built as affordable and efficient homes in the the 50s.

We recently moved into a new place where the previous tenant had contact-papered the bathroom windows, and a stubborn layer of glue just doesn’t want to come off. We’ve been looking into more easily removable window films, and we’ve found a bunch of options — from inexpensive to pricey, basic to baroque.There’s no standard size for window films — sizes range from generous rolls to small sheets that would just cover the bottom panes.

Summer months bring bugs and one of the most annoying of then all (besides bed bugs, termites, and mosquitoes) are fleas! Not only do they give humans the itchies, but they bite and bother our beloved pets. While there are incredibly effective topical treatments like Advantage and Revolution, these toxic chemicals have recently come under review by the FDA for their safety. So where do pet lovers turn to next? Technology!

Driveways with a grass strip down the middle are something we don’t see a lot, but when we do they make us really happy. We just found out they have a name — they’re called Ribbon Driveways.We mostly see Ribbon Driveways on the cape, or in older homes that haven’t been renovated. It’s easy to see how their design evolved and we love how simple they are. Before driveways were paved, a car would have driven ruts into the dirt.

Educators will remind you how important it is for kids to keep reading over the summer, but I’d rather remind you how enjoyable it is to share books as a family. Why not all dive into the zany world of Pippi Longstocking or walk through the wardrobe and take a family vacation in Narnia this summer. Below I’ve listed some of my favorite book series as well as suggestions from readers. I hope you’ll add to it.

Name: Violeta Konieczna & D.P. KellyLocation: County Limerick, IrelandSize: 1,500 square feetYears lived in: 2 Violeta lives in a village in Ireland that looks like it’s straight out of a movie. Her home is just as picture perfect as the surrounding land. Each and every item has its very own place and purpose. Sure, there are a lot of strictly decorative elements, but the home doesn’t feel over done.

Instead of getting glass put back in our empty frame after it broke, we decided to just hang it on the wall. A friend of ours suggested hanging a wall vase (or two) inside the empty frame and we were happy for the advice. Having fresh flowers in the bedroom is a luxury–and we love that our cat can’t reach them.1. Pottery Barn, Simple Wall Mount Vase (Set of 2). We purchased these from Pottery Barn not less than a month ago and unfortunately they’re no longer available.

Summertime is a season for rustic retreats, a time to tune out the world and go on a hike, visit farmer’s markets, sit in an Adirondack chair by a quiet lake, maybe even start raising chickens in the backyard. The allure of the rustic is not a new phenomenon, going back at least as far as the Romans, whose philosophers and scholars did their best thinking in countryside lodges.

After spotting this tip on Lifehacker and sharing it with friends, we discussed ad nauseam different strange and contrived situations you’d have to be trapped in to make use of it. But in case you do ever find yourself as a spy involved in an international scandal where your laptop is seized by the feds in an unannounced house raid where they’ve also managed to break and/or lose the part of your charger that plugs into the wall socket—whew!

It’s true that some smaller home offices start out their lives as closets or nooks and crannies, but this is the first that we’ve seen that started out as a bathroom. The conversion was done in an artful manner, as this room also doubles as a craft room.When you look at the photos, it’s hard to imagine that this room started out as a bathroom.

Create your own oasis in the tiniest of spaces.

Live without much natural light? These off-the-radar options are for you.