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Abby Stone

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    Change The Fabric, Change the Look: Upholstery Magic
    Apple green plush or tweed linen? Each one gives a different lookIt’s true that even a simple change of fabric can change the look of a piece. Take this sofa, the Chet from CB2, which we’ve blogged before. In apple green velvet, the sofa reads nouveau 80s, modern and sleek. In linen, the look is softer and would easily fit in amongst the simple wood pieces we’ve been seeing a lot of.A good upholsterer can: change a straight arm to a rounded or flared arm.
    Abby Stone
    Oct 12, 2022
    Tips for Making a Fan More Effective
    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.
    Abby Stone
    Sep 16, 2022
    6 Tips for Moving to a New City (Even If You Don't Know Anyone)
    Learn how to meet new people and (gasp) have fun.
    Abby Stone
    Aug 29, 2021
    12 Things You Probably Own Too Many Of
    Do I really need 20 t-shirts, a dozen towels, three teapots? I need multiples of certain things, yes, but at some point, a few turns into too many.
    Abby Stone
    Oct 23, 2020
    How To: Callus Succulents and Cacti
    Callusing cactus? No, that’s not a description of how your feet look after being in flip-flops all summer but a technique for sprouting cacti and succulents from plant pieces that have fallen or broken off, with minimal effort which we, novice gardeners that we are, had first heard about Sunday night from Ryann Davis of Succulent. She assures us that it’s so easy that even the darkest of thumbs should be able to do it and, from one plant, create many offspring.
    Abby Stone
    Jul 16, 2020
    Raina & Robert’s Modern Farmhouse Makeover
    Name: Raina Kattleson of A Stylist’s Life & Robert Butscher, an architectLocation: Hudson Valley — New York, NYSize: 1200 square feetYears lived in: Bought 1 ½ years ago — spent 15 months renovating and now rent it out. The popularity of makeover shows, before and afters, and rags-to-riches stories points to our continued fascination with those who have the gift to see the potential in something. It’s not a gift everyone has.
    Abby Stone
    Dec 19, 2019
    Odd Couples: Mismatched Bedside Lamps
    Two matching lamps in the bedroom? Fuggedaboutit! For a lamp lover, the bedroom’s a great place to mix it up. Combining table lamps, office lamps, sconces, standing lamps — even chandeliers — together can show off your style, shave a little off your bedroom budget and keep it modern. Our favorite new trend: mixing a standing lamp with a task or table lamp.
    Abby Stone
    Dec 19, 2019
    Warm Up Your Bath Towels…Without a Towel Warmer!
    The other day, I was talking to some friends about our dream bathrooms. A sunken tub, said one. A shower for two, was another vote. His and Hers sinks, was on a third friend’s wish list. Top of my list? A towel warmer. I got that one covered, said my sunken-tub-wishing friend. Really? I’d been to her house recently and I didn’t remember any towel warmer or even any space for one. She shared.
    Abby Stone
    May 8, 2019
    Tricks for Dealing With a Hairy Home
    I have long, dark hair and lots of it. You’d know this if you went into my home even if you’d never met me because it is everywhere. Whether the hair in your home is your own or belongs to your pet, dealing with shedding hair is a challenge. Here, some tips on how to deal with it!Dust with a dryer sheet: Yet another use for the all-purpose dryer sheet! They’re a magnet for hair (the used ones work just as well as the new ones) plus they leave behind a fresh scent.
    Abby Stone
    May 6, 2019
    Crazy Ideas to Make Your Life Saner
    Don’t knock it ’til you try it, the saying goes, and in this case it applies. While some of the things I’m suggesting might sound a bit nutty (and too meticulous) they’re tricks that work, and hey, isn’t that really the bottom line? Keep a marker in the freezer: If you’re the type of person who cooks a lot and freezes the leftovers, or someone who likes to buy in bulk, keeping a marker in the freezer might mean the difference between “what is this?
    Abby Stone
    May 5, 2019
    Tips for Getting Around at Home with a Broken Limb
    The day before Thanksgiving I slipped on my front steps and broke my foot. Suddenly, life became a lot more challenging. Hopefully you’ll never break anything, but if you happen to come home from that holiday skiing trip with a souvenir, here are some of the things I’ve learned that will make your life a lot easier.Roll Up The Rugs: Rugs, especially those without a rug pad under them, can slow down a wheelchair or slip under a crutch. Roll them up or remove them.
    Abby Stone
    May 5, 2019
    A Mediterranean Style House
    Name: Christina Nickerson, Owner of Olmay Home, and her husband, two daughters, and their dog Location: Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California Size: 5,000 square feet Years lived in: 15 years I’ve always been surprised that the classics, things like great jeans, a beautiful white mug, a plain dark chocolate bar, someone who makes a good martini — which you would think would be so easy to locate — can be so hard to find.
    Abby Stone
    Feb 20, 2019
    Jonathan’s “What I Did Last Summer” Rental on a Budget
    Name: Jonathan Lo of Happy Mundane Location: Solana Beach, California Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Last year, Jonathan Lo circled back around to his fondest childhood memories and rented a place in Solana Beach for long summer weekend escapes. Of course, since it was only going to be used in summer and because the space was temporary, cost was a primary consideration. When costs need to be kept low, turn to imagination to keep the final look high.
    Abby Stone
    Feb 20, 2019
    Design Inspiration From a Palm Springs Desert Chic Boutique Hotel, The Amado
    Name: Jaime Kowal, The Amado Location: Palm Springs, California Size: 3,200 square feet interior space, 11,200 square feet exterior space Years lived in: Purchased and renovated in 2013; opened as a desert chic boutique hotel in 2014. I was heading out to Palm Springs for the weekend with friends; we were nine adults and a half dozen children all in. We wanted some of the amenities of a hotel with the isolation and privacy of a house. The answer to where to stay?
    Abby Stone
    Nov 1, 2014
    12 (Okay 13) More Items You Probably Own Too Many Of
    There’s something about the new year that puts me into declutter mode. So, it’s not surprising that Thursday morning, the New Year’s Eve hangover now thankfully a memory, there I was, donation box in hand, tossing, tossing, tossing, starting with my favorite gotta-goes, the multiple multiples.
    Abby Stone
    Jan 7, 2014
    Natural Curiosities’ Endlessly Inventive Offices
    Name: Natural Curiosities, an art house/art studio Location: Echo Park, Los Angeles, California Size: 5,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 1/2 years at Jensen Recreation Center’s Bowling Alley Space. How do you imagine your dream office? Lots of light? A historic old building? Lots of hidden nooks and crannies filled with things to discover? Working with a bunch of talented and creative people? Check, check, check and check! Welcome to the wonderful workspace of Natural Curiosities.
    Abby Stone
    Jan 6, 2014
    Erik & Paul’s Happy Los Feliz Home
    Name: Erik Perez, Senior Director at HL Group, and Paul Hardoin, Associate Director at Ernst & Young Location: Los Feliz, Los Angeles, CA Size: 2,800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned I often joke with Erik that, given his smoldering looks, he could’ve been a film star during the silent era. So I wasn’t surprised when he posted a photo on his Instagram of an actor from the twenties to whom he bore striking resemblance.
    Abby Stone
    Jan 5, 2014
    The Power Of Paint: My Lamp Before & After
    Though I’ve been doing this a long time, the power of paint to transform things still astonishes me. Take this lamp (or lamps, since it’s part of a pair) for instance. They’ve been moving from room to room as I’ve tried to work their weird green base into my home’s neutral color scheme. But it wasn’t working.
    Abby Stone
    Sep 25, 2012
    9 Things I Wish I’d Known About Decorating a First Home
    I was talking to a friend who’s about to decorate her first home. She asked me if there was anything I wish I’d known when I went to decorate my first place that would have saved me time or money. There are a few things…1. Buy your big pieces of furniture secondhand: This is not just about saving money, it’s also about how your style will change as you learn what you like and don’t like.
    Abby Stone
    Oct 5, 2011
    Ann & Bart’s Patiently Furnished Home
    Name: Ann DeOtte & Bart Kaufman Location: Capitol Hill — Seattle, Washington Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1 — rent Large windows with treetop views, high ceilings and gorgeous wooden floors; Ann and Bart certainly lucked out with their home in one of Seattle’s oldest buildings. But an open plan space has its own set of issues. The first is figuring out how to let the architecture shine while still creating a sense of coziness in Seattle’s damp and dismal days.
    Abby Stone
    Mar 1, 2011
    5 Tricks for Moving Furniture
    That’s me. And that’s my credenza. which probably weighs in somewhere around 300 pounds, maybe more. I’m not kidding — it’s a monster. And I weigh about 105 wet. But I was able to move it from one end of the room to the other without breaking much of a sweat and without ending up in the hospital or with residual back pain. How’d I do it? I have a few tricks up my skinny arms.
    Abby Stone
    Jan 19, 2011
    Ingrid’s Wood and Wool Wonderland
    Name: Ingrid Jansen (living with husband Henk, son Minne and daughter Pippa
Location: Dordrecht, the Netherlands 
Size: 160 m² Years lived in: almost 7Like many of you, we’ve been obsessed with wood and wool’s crocheted stools practically since Ingrid Jansen decided to share them with the world. In fact, they’ve got pride of place on our inspiration board for our dream home.
    Abby Stone
    May 5, 2010
    Juhi, Jayant and Aksh’s Beautiful Bangalore
    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.
    Abby Stone
    Mar 26, 2010
    Ta Da! Turning Brass Into Silver
    Although we’ve been hearing rumours that brass and bronze are back, many of us still prefer the clean cool look of silver. But, what if you fall in love with a bronze something? Now what? We found this tip that will turn your brass object into silver faster than you can say Abracadabra!According to this post we found on new blog The Modness (and Madness) of 9251, all it takes is a can of KleanStrip KS-3 Premium stripper.
    Abby Stone
    Mar 10, 2010
    LA House Tour: Lindsey’s Perfected Sophistication
    Name: Lindsey DannLocation: Los Angeles, CASize: 1620 sq/ftYears lived in: 4, OWNED >> We met Lindsey Dann via a coffee table we were both coveting. Although it turned out that the table wasn’t for sale, we knew we’d found a kindred spirit. When she emailed us the pictures she’d had taken of her own home, we asked if she’d mind sharing them with our readers at AT.
    Abby Stone
    Jun 13, 2008
    How To: Strip Hardware with Baking Soda
    So the thing about living in a rental is that someone lived there before us. Someone lazy who did not tape off the hardware on the doors or remove it entirely before painting. We are a little frustrated by the fact that all the hardware is encrusted with paint and nothing works correctly. We go to the hardware store and we stare at the shelves and we wonder: which product will best remove the paint?
    Abby Stone
    Feb 29, 2008