Apartment Therapy Archive: Feb 2012

Name: The Design OfficeLocation: Downtown Providence, Rhode IslandSize: 750 square feetYears occupied: 4.5 — rentedWhile working from home offers many benefits like a short commute and being able to spend all day in pajamas, it can also get a bit lonely.

Sometimes small changes can make a big difference. In my home, that difference has been keeping a vide poche near the front door.French for empty pockets, the vide poche is simply a small bowl or container kept in a convenient location to empty your pockets into when you walk through the door.

I look like my home. As more and more “lifestyle brands” emerge to outfit homes and people with a single design perspective, the idea of a having a shared look with your home seems pervasive.• Looking Like Your Home Apartment Therapy

No matter how much we love our homes, animal lovers realize that some concessions have to be made for our pets. Dogs need things to lay on and things to chew almost as much as they need things to bark at incessantly for no reason.Unfortunately, they’re not often quite as good as children at putting their toys away, so most dog owners are used to having random toys scattered hither and dither around the house.

I don’t know if I’m not hip anymore or if the people who pick the music that goes into commercials are really good at their jobs, but I often find myself in LOVE with a lot of songs featured on those 30 second segments. Read on and we’ll show you how you can discover some new music when you least expect it……relaxing on the couch and watching some tube.

Timothy and Laura are busy folks – they have a blog (make that two) to run and a new baby. A secret to their “do it all” success? They know that one key to handling new challenges is to plan ahead and do what you can when you have the time to make life easier when you no longer have the luxury of that time.

Dear Beaten-Up, Broken-Down, Ugly Old Plaid Couch: Thank you. As long as I’ve had a couch, you have been my couch. Your ugly, unmatchable plaid-ness has been my curse and my great joy. Now that the time has finally come to replace you, I find I can barely bring myself to do it. What will my living room be without you? What will I be without you? We’ve been through so much together. When my proud parents brought me home from the hospital, you were there.

Rhonda has the kind of friends we all need — friends who give away beautiful solid wood desks on Facebook. Desks like the one above that have strong bones despite the visible wear and tear caused by years of hard use. Rhonda and her husband knew this desk would shine up to a become a showpiece in their home, and boy were they right!Rhonda’s husband took charge of this project, removing all of the old chipped veneer before sanding the wood smooth.

When Lee moved into his apartment rental, the kitchen was stark white and sterile. Check out what some color and black and white self adhesive floor tiles can do… • White Kitchen Gets Color Apartment Therapy

Name: Nicolas, Fabienne, daughters Juliette (13) and Capucine (9 1/2), Burmese cats Won Ton and Dim Sum, and Old English Sheepdog puppy BoweeLocation: Clapham/Battersea, London, United KingdomSize: 2310 square feetYears lived in: 1 1/2 years; owned As French transplants to London, Nicholas and Fabienne describe their style as “a bit different” to that of the average British person.

While adding a pull can seem like a minor home project, if not done correctly, it can quickly make your head ache. Follow these simple steps to learn from my mistakes… • Install a Door Pull Apartment Therapy

Last week we talked about charming home libraries (and the bibliophiles that love them), but it got us (and you) thinking… what good is a wall full of books if there’s not a comfortable seat to let you enjoy them? We rounded up ten inviting chairs that are begging for a well-lit corner, a well-worn book, and a warm cup of tea. 1. Kelly Swallow makes incredibly unique patchwork chairs using vintage and designer fabrics as well as grain sack and linens.

When Lee moved into his apartment rental, the kitchen was stark white and sterile. Check out what some color and black and white self adhesive floor tiles can do…With the help of a hair dryer, he removed the old, cracked vinyl tiles, and replaced them with Armstrong self adhesive floor tiles (cost $90). By positioning them at an angle, he created a diamond pattern that helps to distracts the eye from the railroad apartment’s “long & skinny” shape.

Many years ago a teacher told me that you could steam out a dent in a piece of wood (one where the wood fibers had been compressed, not where they had been removed) using a wet rag and an iron. This technique was meant for unfinished wood, but unfortunately, most of the wood we deal with in our homes has some sort of finish on it. With some research I learned that this technique can work with finished wood but it depends greatly on the type of finish you are dealing with.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) I live in a small apartment and thus have a one in, one out policy for cookbooks. Here are five cookbooks that continue to make the cut… • Emily’s Essential Cookbooks The Kitchn

I’m about to purchase my first couch so this story about the American sofa came at the right time. The sofa, it says, is ‘home base, North Star, study carrel, dining booth and royal throne rolled into one.’ • Meaning of the Sofa Apartment Therapy

As we head into spring cleaning and organizing season, a pantry organization project might be on your to-do list. If you number among those planning to clean out the pantry and get it into working order, here are some of our favorite sources for simple, streamlined food storage. OXO Their POP Containers ($99.99 for 10 pieces) have a push-button top that creates an air-tight seal and doubles as a handle.

Name: Jake and Angela Fleet, three kids and a mini golden-doodle named ChillyLocation: Phinney Ridge — Seattle, WashingtonSize: 2100 square feetYears lived in: 9 years — owned I was delighted to be able to photograph Jake and Angela’s modern Craftsman home on one of the sunniest days that Seattle had seen in months. The sunny rays through each of the huge, gorgeous windows scattered all around the home highlighted details like the boxed beam ceilings and rich hardwood floors.

Wine crates have earned their place as a DIY mainstay. Here are 10 inspiring ideas for how to use them from our archives… • Wine Crate DIYs Apartment Therapy

Like many other small space dwellers, we have almost no closet or storage space in my home. The tenants before us took the first step to maximize the dead space under the stairs by removing a partition wall to open up the area, and installed a drop down hatch under the stair. Unfortunately they didn’t install a railing and instead only those awkward, sharp rectangular boxes — after several falls down the stairs it was painfully obvious something needed to change!

Apps, apps, apps! With so much focus on how the App Store’s 500,000+ apps can enhance your iPhone, it’s easy to forget just how much it can do right out of the box. Apple has spent five years constantly updating and expanding the phone’s software, adding features like HDR photography, FaceTime, and now Siri. Along the way, they’ve also heavily refined, tweaked, and enhanced the basic functions.

While adding a pull can seem like a minor home project, if not done correctly, it can quickly make your head ache. I have drilled pilot holes in the wrong place, made them too big, too small, jammed hardware in the door, broken hardware in half, cracked knobs, and lucky me, ruined fresh paint in the process. Follow these simple steps to learn from my mistakes.

One way to remove the evidence of my, er, I mean ANYONE’S serious Diet Coke addiction is the recycling bin. That way may be eco-savvy, but the neighbors can count, so it’s not terribly stealthy.Perhaps illustrator and character creator Eric Barclay’s way is better. And way more colorful than just green.“Ranjit and Indira,”Eric then applied gesso so that the surface had a bit of texture to it (acting somewhat like a high-adhesion primer).

For anyone who’s struggled trying to assemble IKEA furniture, your prayers have been answered. IKEA has launched a “How to Build” YouTube channel. • IKEA Video “How Tos” Apartment Therapy

Name: David & JohnLocation: West Village, New York City The apartment blends two distinct tastes, into a cohesive style: The traditional taste of John based on the Art Deco style of the building and David’s modern tastes.John, a Philadelphia born lawyer, with fairly traditional taste in interior design had lived in this West Village Art Deco condominium for fifteen years.

Name: Sean and Celesta CarterLocation: Tampa, FLSize: 1,640 square feetYears lived in: 5 — owned We found Celesta and Sean through their incredible shop Paper Street Market in St. Petersburg, Florida. We’ve been going to St. Pete for years, and are always interested in what stores pop up in its ever-evolving downtown area . Paper Street is definitely one of our new favorites. It’s an eclectic blend of Florida circus posters, industrial signage, and vintage furniture.

This past holiday weekend, I took the two hour trek to the midcentury resort town of Palm Springs to soak in some rays, relax, and bask in an oasis of color inspiration. • Palm Springs Color Apartment Therapy

Courtney and her husband are lucky enough to have a wonderful outdoor deck, but weren’t sure how to best use this odd empty corner. Inspiration struck and they decided to construct an outdoor day bed to provide some much needed lounging space for a party or a quiet afternoon. Using a combination of new and reclaimed wood, they built a custom seating area to fill up that empty corner.

Designer Gina De Pasquale renovated this Las Vegas residence that needed a little updating throughout. Her work is most impressive in the bathroom where she did a great a job of mixing high and low pieces, all while staying true to the mid-century aesthetic.

For anyone who’s ever struggled with an allen wrench trying to assemble their CHARKOUCHTABLL, your prayers have been answered. Swedish flat-pack furniture giant IKEA has launched a “How to Build” YouTube channel featuring easy-to-follow assembly videos.The next time you’re assembling IKEA furniture and struggling to figure out which screw to use or which way that drawer panel is supposed to face, check in with YouTube and IKEA’s brand new How to Build video channel.

This before & after renovation stars a once messy, chaotic laundry area in the home of four small children and their busy, creative parents. What’s truly wonderful is that they took an area that’s usually an afterthought, the laundry room, and turned it into a well-organized, cheerfully stylish space.According to Katie from Potluck Love, her old laundry room wasn’t a proper room, but a “hot mess of laundry” crammed into a hallway in the back of their home.

Imagine if you will, a room with some pretty bold stripes on a sloped ceiling and a standard IKEA bunk bed, both in cool shades. Some time later a big, bold, red carpet is added to the mix and suddenly it’s time for a makeover. Are you curious to see what they do with the stripes in the new and improved room?They kept them! Well, they kept the idea of them, they actually painted over them in hot hues that go with the new rug. And the IKEA bunk bed got a nice clean white wash.

Have any plans to paint this weekend? A wall, a furniture piece, even just an element to a DIY project? Then you’ll appreciate these classic painting tips that will make the paint go on smoother, and stay where you want it! Create a masterpiece — not a mess — this weekend with these painting tips.

It’s all about details and materials in this Austin home. Expanding the tiny galley kitchen into an adjacent hallway opened up the space and created room for feeding a family and entertaining guests. • Mix of Styles in Austin Apartment Therapy

Name: Shannon Schelbert of mac+cam photography, along with husband Michael, sons Mac (10) and Cam (8) and dog Tottenham (named after Tottenham Hotspur) and cat Messi (after soccer player Lionel Messi) Location: Aldridge Place — Austin, Texas Size: 2500 square feet Years lived in: 3 — owned It’s all about details and materials in this Central Austin home. It’s also about customizing a home to fit the residents’ needs.

When it comes to absolutely waking up for an important date, taking a chance on missing your alarm clock is not an option. But by setting up multiple alarms and customizing the alarms themselves, you can wake up in stages and make it to that appointment that just can’t be missed.1.

This 2,200 sq. ft. single family home in the countryside of France is comprised of 8 shipping containers that have been adapted to comply with local building regulations. • Shipping Container Home Apartment Therapy

Brit of design blog, Hello Brit, sent in this fun crafting project for tech cables and cords inspired by this friendship bracelets from your youth, similar to the tangle-free embroidery floss project we shared a little while ago…Remember when all you needed to have a good time was a few spools of colored string and a friend to give a bracelet to?

I’d been scheming to create a reclaimed planked wall for several years, and finally got my chance when the talented couple behind Ashley & Robert’s Streamlined Bohemian asked me to help them design their new Georgetown chocolate shop.The goal for their shop, Fleurir Hand Grown Chocolates, was to create a vibe that was both clean and rustic.

Photos and memorabilia personalize your home, exhibiting the people you love and the places you’ve been. The hard part lies in deciding which photos to display! You don’t want to leave anyone out, but you also don’t want to clutter your space with too many picture frames.In the space of a single picture frame, you can display dozens of photos, flipping to a new page as the mood takes you. Flip photo frames come in a variety of colors and styles.

Ikat is everywhere these days — as trendy as anything ancient can ever claim to be. Visible in traditional textiles ranging from Southeast Asia to South America to the Middle East and beyond, this type of pattern now lends interiors a kind of dressed-up bohemian vibe. But what is it, and where did it come from?Think about a typical patterned textile, say a floral upholstery fabric.

Family is definitely the essence of this modern home. Karen and Guy designed it but the kids have also added their own personality to the space. • Guy & Karen’s Home Apartment Therapy

Determined to host dinner parties in their tiny space, Josh and Lauren came up with an idea that allowed them to have an instant dining room. • Table on the Wall – Apartment Therapy

I’ve been looking for different ways to listen to music other than random radio or the latest thing I’ve downloaded. If you’re like me then your mood determines what you want to listen to and luckily there are ways to get your mood involved in your music selection, no matter how you plug into audio.1. Habu (Android)Habu generates playlists based on your mood and Gracenote’s database of music moods.

A day spent going through documents in our office closet made us realize we had accumulated quite the collection of product manuals. A previously forgotten and random assortment of booklets of every shape and size taking up a significant amount of space. Maybe, it’s time to go digital with these things and send their paper versions off to the recycle bin…If you haven’t noticed already, it seems nearly everything is now available online.

I posted this Before & After on Design Sponge a couple of years ago, but I never had the chance to show how I did it. You can figure out the paint part, obvi, but here’s how I actually tufted the seat. Enjoy!What You Need: 1 yd.

What do you get when you have a vision, passion, finances and patience? The re-birth of a 100-year old building into an astounding renovated home that will be cherished for a lifetime.Amy and her husband spotted this beat up century old brick building that used to be a trolley depot back in the day and just fell in love with it’s look, feel and history. They saw tremendous potential in this bare bones space to be the start of something much larger.

Whether you’re photographing your child, a project or just shooting for fun, you can dramatically change the look of your photographs instantly — you just have to know where to go in your home. • Improve Your Photos Apartment Therapy