Life

Hi AT, We just bought this high gloss, laquered table. Now we have to figure out how to keep our 17-month old from destroying it (Please don’t ask why we would buy a table like this when we have a small child. We must have been high.) Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.

Hello AT,I recently purchased an antique iron head and footboard for my bed. trouble is, i don’t know how to attach it. as you can see, the place available for some sort of frame to be attached is too high, and the wheels are tiny enough that neither head nor footboard can balance without support. i currently have my headboard against a wall, giving the illusion that it’s attached. that only goes so far. i’m hoping an AT reader might have a suggestion.

Hello AT,I’ve just moved into a new apartment and the bath tub/shower faucet leaks constantly. I’ve used all my brute strength to try to tighten it shut enough to stop the drip, but still a trickle comes out. Is this something I can repair myself or do I need to hire a plumber to come fix it?

Hello AT, I am madly in love with the Roche-Bobois Mah Jong seating system, but it’s way, way out of my league economically. I keep thinking: I do know how to get the *look* (using, say, the silky 9-button pillows and floor cushions from Urban Outfitters), but how do I get decent back support and “spread control”? Is there a way to build a good frame, or to chop off the legs of an existing futon frame or very spare sofa?

Hello AT,I have a question regarding modifying a sliding glass patio door. We live in an apartment with a small yard in Williamsburg.We recently installed an insert into our patio door track, in order to provide a doggie door for our beagle. We weather-stripped the edge of the insert, and the door itself, but the joint is not airtight, and leaks cold air into our apartment.

Hello AT,Dear AT,I’m in the process of buying a tiny apartment in Paris. While it is in fairly decent nick, there are a couple of things I want to improve; as much as possible, I’d like to have a pretty clear idea of what I’m going to do before I meet with the contractor next month (I’m doing things long distance, eek).I have a couple of things I need help with; I’ll space them out so I’m not too much of an irritant. I do think all have general relevance.

Hello AT,Can anyone comment on the efficacy of magnetic paint? I love the idea of putting up photos/notes w/ magnets anywhere I want, but am highly skeptical that it’ll actually work.Thanks, JeanetteEmail questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: editor(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com) Link To All Good Questions Dear Jeanette,It WORKS really well. Check this out. It’s a pic from an office upstairs that uses their magnetic wall for all their presentations.

Hello AT,We live on the top two floors of a three-unit building. We have a new downstairs neighbor who is painting her apartment before moving in and the paint fumes are invading our unit.

A good question from Tiffany: Dear AT, I have a molding about 16 inches down from the ceiling in the master bedroom. I want to wallpaper the wall behind our bed with “Woods” wallpaper (from Walnut Wallpapers, LOVE!) My question is do I wallpaper above that molding? I think so, but I’m not quite sure how it will look with the break in the paper. I thought about perhaps painting the molding black? But then do I have to paint all the moldings black?

Have more guests than chairs? Trying to do a lot in a little? Then folding chairs are essential.These practical sub-species of urban living are slipped into practically every apartment in the city, but you rarely see them. Some fold better than others, some are more comfortable than others and many are just plain ugly.This is a starter list of those we like. Feel free to add or subtract down below and we’ll revise regularly judging on the strength of the arguments.

Hi AT,Virtually everything I read about arranging bedroom furniture insists that that the bed should face the bedroom entrance, and especially that you don’t want to present a side view of the bed.I am not willing to be shredded by shards of falling glass when the next earthquake comes, and I have windows opposite the bedroom door. If I put the bed against one of the side walls, then my husband and I have to play leapfrog to get in and out of bed. What is a SFan to do?

Hello AT,I have high ceilings in my very small nyc highrise apt. This works well in the larger living room, but the bedroom proportions feel wrong. The room is quite a bit higher than it’s footprint. My style is quite modern, most of my furniture is DWR, Desiron etc etc..I’m looking for a solution that will anchor the base of the room and still look modern. I like the idea of molding/wainscoting, and painting the lower portion a darker color.

Help! I want to frame my concert posters (ala the ones they give out at the Fillmore), but I’m having trouble finding cheap ones in that size (11″ x 17″). I just want plain white ones, but at this point, I’d settle for any in that size. Thanks AT! -ShannonImage: e.tNote: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.

Hello AT,Inspired by the beautiful work that Calvin Tsao and Zack McKown did for the Wheatleigh Hotel in Lenox, I’ve been redoing my bathroom. Alas, my bathroom doesn’t have the generous proportions of the Wheatleigh’s; at about 8′ by 6′, I’m wondering if it’s too small a room in which to hang framed photographs.

Hello AT, I live in Copenhagen so I know it is out of your normal range but it’s a general question: My boyfriend and I can’t find a bed that we like in this whole city. They are all very modern and sharp where as we want to create a room that’s friendly, colourful and warm. Rather than buy a bed we don’t really like we have almost decided to do without a bed head but I can’t get over the idea that a bedroom is incomplete without one. Any suggestions/ comments??

Kitty litter in the home is a hot button issue. In our contest, as well as in our emailing with cat owners, the stink of the kitty litter combined with the heinous styling of most bins has garnered the most commentary. Dogs are so much *easier* ;-).Kattbank was created to solve all these problems. Made of lacquered wood and durable hardware, the Kattbank is designed to look like an attractive modern bench, while it luxuriously hides the litter box et al inside.

Hello AT,I have a four-year-old Frigidaire 15,000 BTU window A/C. Shortly after I had it installed (by technicians from my place of purchase on the UWS) in 2002, my neighbor from two floors down saw me on the street and pulled me aside.“Caren,” she said, in sort of a dramatic stage whisper. “There’s something wrong with your air conditioner.” I looked at her, surprised. “It drips!” she said.I looked at her to see if she was kidding. She wasn’t.

Dear AT,I’m moving into a restored Victorian place and it has what I believe to be plaster walls. Thankfully they aren’t the lumpy sort. I’ve had trouble putting nails and screws in plaster before. Usually, the wall crumbles and the screw or the nail bends.I just bought some shelving and curtain rods and I can’t risk the crumbling b/c i have very limited space to work with. How do you do it correctly?

Hi AT, I just bought a great memory foam mattress topper and I’m really enjoying it. The problem is it tends to slide a little bit further down the bed every night. After a few days we have to take off the fitted sheet and yank the topper back up into place. Any idea how to get the thing to stay put?Thanks,Ray Ray,Good question. We did some research, and came up with the following suggestions:According to Best-in-Bedding.

Hello AT,Will sunlight coming through this window damage my leather chair? If so, is there anything I should do to protect it?Thanks, ClaytonEmail questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: editor(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com) Link To All Good Questions Dear Clayton,We thinks leather is very strong. We also think that sun is stronger. We think that you would be okay but not perfect if you took care of the leather. We think that leather care products are multiple.

Hello AT,My girlfriend and I just moved into a new apartment. We’re happy with everything but the vertical blinds and the mirrored closet doors. We can work around the vertical blinds but the closet doors are an eyesor. Unfortunately it’s a rental and we can’t just toss them into the garbage. Does anyone have a suggestion for removing the “college” feel of mirrored doors?Thanks. Michael (Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.

Hello AT,Why are kitchen cabinets (I’m talking about the sort that line the whole length of a wall, especially above the stove or counter) never built right to the ceiling, but have that gap to presumably display big bowls and accumulate dust?Thanks, GraceEmail questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: editor(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com) Link To All Good Questions Dear Grace,Mainly it is a matter of cost and ease of installation.

Hello AT,I’m buying a condo that’s 514 sq. ft. and I want to maximize my living space by creating a “floating” loft bedroom. My ceiling is set at 10′ high and I want a minimum of 6′ to stand below my loft bedroom and atleast 5.5′ for the sleeping area. Should I take out the finished ceiling and expose the beams and perhaps gain some ceiling space? The building used to be an industrial building so I assume that each floor has high ceilings.

Hello AT,I have a tap water purifer for my kitchen sink, and a shower head filter for my shower. do you know of anything similar for the bathroom sink? i have a feeling the unclean water is what’s causing my face to break out. thanks! Telephasik(Pic: WaterPik mini Filter) (Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.)Link To All Good QuestionsDear Telephasik,You must have very sensitive skin. We wonder how much people worry about their water in this town.

Hello AT,Can anyone suggest ways to “dress” a day bed? Because of the depth you need to create back support, but is there way to do so (with pillows, bolsters, etc.) that’s comfortable, modern, and masculine? Any pictures or resources (online or NYC stores) would be most appreciated.Thanks! Lenny(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.)Link To All Good Questions Dear Lenny,Good question.

Hi AT!Has anyone heard anything about the Alli Apartment Sofa from Pier 1 ($750)? It is probably the cheapest, most appropriately sized sofa I’ve seen for my apartment (we only have about 75″ of wall space to work with) but I’ve never seen it in stores, so I have no idea if it is comfortable or attractive in person. Plus, I’ve never bought any big pieces at Pier 1.Any insight?

Hello AT,I have 2 ceiling to floor hot water poles in my apartment. I would like to cover them, but can not find anything appropriate for their size. Does anyone know of a product made for this purpose? Thanks, ks (Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.)Link To All Good QuestionsDear Kimberly,Most hardware stores sell a very basic – and not very attractive – pipe insulation foam. It is grey and comes in a number of different diameters and lengths.

Note: This is LONG. However, it is well written, and this type of issue is about details. We include all of it for those who are patient and can give some good advice.Hello AT,We hired a cabinet installation company [name removed on request of company – editor] to do our new kitchen cabinets–both their ‘design and measuring’ service and full installation. We’re not happy.

Hello AT,My bathtub is scratched (from cleaning my window screens in the tub) and I was wondering if there was a way to fix it. i.e someone who could come in an spray a layer of special paint, etc?Thanks, Keely (Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.)Link To All Good QuestionsDear Keely, Depending on what kind of tub you have, you can fix the scratches in different ways.

Hello AT,Help! My back is killing me and the culprit is the standard issue office chair at my job. Besides being ugly it offers no back support at all. I have gotten the go-ahead to order a better chair, but don’t have a clue of where to start. Is there an ergonomic chair emporium in the city where I can try out various models? Some people have suggested the Aeron chairs, but are they truly comfortable? Thanks, M (Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.

Not one to leave something hanging, we just received a boatload of pics from Jamie PupDear AT,I said in OPT6 that I would send in pics of in wall shelving that I did and also my bathroom. Here are the shelving pics.#1 is a view of the hole that I cut between the studs and the pipes above and below in a 10’X9′ room next to a bathroom and washer/dryer alcove. Hence the pipes and the ductwork for the dryer in that wall.

Suddenly, our raspberry bush is providing baskets of fruit. This was inspiration to tap back into our French Culinary Institute textbook for some good ol’ fashioned pastry recipes. For dinner with the in-laws we had a just-picked raspberry (sorry, that’s framboise) tart with a Crème Patissière and a short crust. Delish.

Super Bloggable. In the past two days we have recieved this tip twice about Jose Vila being sued by Fed Ex. Here’s the whole story.1) Jose Vila launches website, FedExFurniture.com, chronicling all of his 6 original furniture designs and how to put them together yourself. “His bed, couch, desk, chairs, shelves, and dining table are all made from Fed Ex shipping boxes.

(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.)Hello AT,I’m dying. When we bought our co-op apartment, we didn’t know that we wouldn’t be allowed to put a window air conditioner in the bedroom, where both windows open out to the fire escape. The super says it’s against the law. We promptly bought a window fan and a standing one, but it is just too hot and the wakeful sweaty nights are breaking me down.

Paris is a huge town, with thousands of delicious small stores that are too many to cover in two weeks. The taste is decidedly traditional, but the vivid color they prefer will sway you and there is a stripped down contemporary mix going on.It’s all about the small shop. You won’t find many chains here.Here are our top picks on our virgin trip. The stores below are all deserving of a visit (most are available online as well).Everything• Habitat (4th arr – mult.

Overview: Interior Design magazine is the monthly resource for the interior design professional marketplace. Each issue offers up-to-date news on the latest products and trends in interior design and in-depth profiles of influential projects and designers. It’s published by Reed Business Information Frequency: – Published monthly.

Hello AT,I just moved into a new apartment in Brooklyn. When I came to the apartment for a viewing there was a musky odor in the hallways and in the rooms as well. My landlord informed me that was incense, which he is fond of burning. Fast forward two weeks to moving day and as my mover sets foot in the door he says, “Can we crack open a window? It smells like cat pee.” I have a terrible sense of smell, but my mom confirmed it when she came by andeven I noticed it later at night.

Hello AT,After trying to hang shelves into my one drywalled wall this weekend that was just not working my only other options are to consider the walls that are brick behind the plaster.So how do I go about putting up sturdy shelves into an old buildings brick? I’m sure this issue plagues more than just me but I can’t seem to find an answer. Thanks.

Hello AT, I’m trying to do some research (unsucessful so far) in finding out the real deal with Home Reserve sofas. The only feedback I can find is on the Home Reserve website, where everyone claims they are amazing. I’m not fully buying it but they are cheap as hell! Do know anyone that’s tried them out?Thanks, MattDear Matt, Thanks so much for pointing this out to us! This has got to be seen to be believed.

It is amazing what people have in their homes. This gets posted out of sheer curiousity.Rich, out in Park Slope, is selling his 70’s style Terrarium for a song, and we would love to know who its next owner ad home are. It also makes us realize that the Apple’s curvy white and clear style is more 70’s than we had previously realized.Apartment Therapy Furniture Classifieds are open for your business in the NAV BAR.

Hello AT, So I moved to Park Slope in December. …so i somehow thought that i need a sofa. somehow…i have room for it…i even taped the location on my floor because:i like this guy here: The Petrie.and chair and ottoman… i checked them out at the store… they are cool.very solid… sofa works as daybed… very well… i was not so crazy about a white color of the piece, but C&Balso offers charcoal as an option so i got that… ordered on sunday.

Hello AT, I’m trying to hang pictures on my wall. My ceilings are 10 feet 6 inches. I have 14 inches of ceiling moldings and wall, then 4 inches of crown molding, then its 100 inches to the baseboard and 8 inches of baseboard. I have panel moldings at 10 inches below the crown molding and 10 inches up from the top of the baseboard. At what level should I hang the pictures? I heard someone say “54 inches”, but from what? From both floor and ceiling, it looks really low.

Hello AT, This might be a little too Martha Stewart for AT’s taste, but here goes:where can I find good-looking, non-hideous shelf-liner paper? You know, the stuff Mom and Gramma used to line the kitchen drawers so they don’t get filled with (or at least hide) the crumbs, etc? My apt has the previous tenant’s Laura Ashley drawer liner paper in the kitchen. While I appreciate the drawer liners and the efforts at cleanliness, the flowers are not to my taste.

Hello AT, I have a kingsize mattress and frame in a very small room. It is pushed up under the windows, because that is the only way it’ll fit. I’m desperate for a bed to fit the frame, or at the very least a headboard.I don’t want it to be too high and cover up a big part of the windows; it needs to have quite simple lines because the rest of the furniture in the room does as well…and it shouldn’t break the bank. Any suggestions?

Does Bo know? As we monitor comments coming into the site as well as hits on the site, we have noticed that week after week, the one post that gets the worst comments is Bo Concept (largely customer service), but it is also one of the top posts each week (we have stopped listing it) as the result of Google searches on the web.We would love some good news about this store as it has some very eye catching and good designs, but we can’t find much.

Dear AT,I am trying to purchase a humidifier but I am overwhelmed by: a. how ugly they are b. the vast differences in price for similarly-sized units c. the dearth of information on just how necessary it is to have a “germ free” unit d. the need to buy filters and replacement partse. the fact that no one has a positive recommendation (all I hear about are which humidifiers to avoid).Our apartment is approx. 900 square feet. I want a quiet humidifier which blows warm mist.

There are second acts… By last summer we had given up on Hold Everything. Having taken a pounding from The Container Store as well as other, smaller organizational stores, Hold Everything seemed to have lost it’s way. The stores here in NYC were usually empty, depressing and expensive. Parent company, Williams-Sonoma had lost grip on this child. We thought the end might be near….Then suddenly something happened.We noticed that the new catalogue looked better.

Quick tip. If you are donating to The Salvation Army, be present when they come to pick up your furniture.Someone we know had a large hall mirror broken last week by the departing men carrying a sofa. He did not discover it until he returned home, when he called them to find out what happened. The Salvation Army denied the accident, and a loud angry phone call ensued. To no avail. The damage? At least $800. No good deed goes unpunished.

Solid State & Spicy. Most pepper mills stink. We hate the plastic and lucite modern ones that get cloudy over time, as well as the wooden ones that seem to collect the grime of the kitchen and are tricky to clean. In fact, we hate the premise that pepper mill and salt shaker should be matchy-matchy since these two amazing condiments do not need to be any cuter. In all our days, the best pepper mill we have ever had is the aluminum Perfex. It grinds perfectly. It is easy to clean.