January 28, 2005
Paints & Sheets & Bedskirts. Um. Oh My.
Could you recommend good sources for bed linens? Also how would you define high thread count? 400 count and above? And please offer some advice regarding the eternal trauma of bed skirts! It is so difficult to get a decent one and I hate bed in bags.
Hi! Sure.
Word on the street is that Williams-Sonoma Home's new line of bed linens is superb (1000 thread count? excessive much?), but whoa pricey. Calvin Klein has great options too. My current favorite soft amazing sheets are plain old Wamsutta, and they are 300 thread count.
The thing is, thread count is only part of the fabulous bedding equation. Anything above 200 is really fine, but only in pure 100% Egyptian Cotton. For whatever reason, this makes a HUGE difference. My mom got a set of 600 thread count, 100% cotton sateen sheets last year, and they got pilly after about two washings. And she was out more than a hundred bucks. And it was sad. Apparently, Egypt does something super special to their cotton. Thanks, Egypt.
I, like so many others, am so obsessed with Dwell. They're 210 thread count, and yup, Egyptian. Most of all, the designs are awesome. Those are my hardcore wishlist sheets. They have "Lara's tax return" written all over them.
I too hate beds-in-bags. And I must admit, I am anti-dust ruffle/bed skirt. I think they are a little old fashioned, and cause more trouble then they're worth. In recent years I've opted for a platform bed that doesn't need one.
My last bed had a box spring though, and yes, the bedskirt was essential. I got this one from Bed Bath & Beyond and it totally did the job. I chose the white, so it sort of faded into the background unassumingly, as bed skirts should.
BB&B has a really wide selection of bed skirts, so it's easy to find at least one thing you like.
Oh, and an Apartmentalist reader has informed me that Ikea bedding is great quality for the price.
One last note: upscale discounters (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Century 21, Filene's Basement and the like) have great markdowns on fabulous linens of all kinds.
Hi,
I love your website!
Would you mind telling me what paint you used on the following rooms:
Thanks so much!
Thank you! The first room is Behr's Blue Feather, and the second is Martha Stewart's Quaking Aspen. I gotta say though, don't use Behr. Grab the Blue Feather swatch and match it to another brand. If at all possible get Benjamin Moore paint, the best paint ever.
I've never had a good experience with Behr paint. When we used rollers on that blue room, it would dry as soon as it hit the wall, and when we immediately (seriously, like, instantly) recovered even a portion of the the same area, it would peel up and get all gloopy and gross. Like, roll up, fine coverage. Roll down, hey, what happened?
I also had a terrible experience with a Behr red that made my bathroom look like a crime scene. Streaky, drippy, bad bad news.
I really really love that shade of blue, though. And the Martha Stewart Quaking Aspen is so tranquil for a bedroom.
Ask Apartmentalist is a weekly advice column. It'll appear here every Friday. Do you have a question about crafts, decorating, or your living space? Email Lara@apartmentalist.com.
Posted by Lara at 12:53 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
January 27, 2005
These Foolish Things.
It's rather repulsive here in New York this week, just slushy and freezing and filthy. The subway is all messed up, I can't feel my toes, the fantastic & ubiquitous Bahamas ad campaign totally mocks my pain at every turn, and I seriously just want to hide under my down comforter with a bottomless mug of hot chocolate until oh, late March.
One British psychologist even pegged this past Monday as the most depressing day of the year. So I'm glad it's not just me.
How to cope?
I find that a few simple well-placed comforts make the dark days & cold nights a little brighter and warmer. Here are the tools in my winter survival arsenal:
- Aveda Comforting Tea. No matter how foul the weather, this tea's magical powers soothe every last frayed nerve. It's slightly minty with a hint of licorice, has no caffeine, and its natural sweetness needs no added sugar. It is liquid happiness. It may even contain Prozac, but my studies have proved inconclusive. It also makes fabulous iced tea in the (I don't even want to type it) summertime.
- Great bedding. This is one area I seriously think is 100% worth a big splurge. I spent years buying whatever bedding I could scrounge up for less than $40 a set, but one Christmas I received a Company Store down comforter. I. Can. Never. Go. Back. The amazingly warm and cuddly comforter was the gateway drug leading me to the hardcore crack that is high-thread-count, 100% cotton, soft as a baby-type sheets. I am not much of a snob, I almost always prefer a practical knockoff to the real thing, but seriously. Do yourself a favor, buy yourself one nice set of sheets, or even a pair of pillowcases. You'll notice a huge difference. It's like sleeping in a hug.
- Dahlias. This is my favorite flower. There's a deli on the west side of Broadway near Great Jones Street that carries gorgeous, long-lasting dahlias. Grab a bunch of your favorite bloom, trim the ends, and keep at least one simple vase of them in your apartment whenever you can. Buying a cheap little bouquet somehow makes me feel impossibly elegant, and it's a great little reminder of the coming spring.
- Warm Comfort Foods. I have a particular weakness for Lipton Noodle Soup. I ate a lot of it as a kid, and it's fast and easy-to-prepare on a chilly day. I'm sure you have your own oddly comforting culinary standbys.
- GE Reveal Lightbulbs. An Apartmentalist reader brought these great bulbs to my attention, and they truly do brighten a room on a dreary day. The negative effects of sunlight deprivation are well known, and these are a more reasonable solution than expensive tropical vacations and full-spectrum lamps.
How do you survive the cold?
(Dahlia photo courtesy of Kottke.org)
Posted by Lara at 01:42 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 25, 2005
Of a Different Stripe.
I've been planning to do... uh, something... with my hallway. The rest of the apartment is decorated and arranged to the gills, and the hallway is just vanilla and bare.
Don't get me wrong, I love vanilla, and I think it's important to keep a bit of peaceful neutral space in a home. It's especially nice in a transition-type space (like a foyer or a hallway). But compared to the coziness of the bedroom, kitchen, living area, and even the bathroom, the hallway actually has been neglected. Unfinished. Blah.
See?
So my plan for this weekend: more cream paint for the doors, a putty-hued beige for the walls, and one focal point on the left wall, about two-three feet wide, just to add some interest and integrate it with the rest of the very colorful apartment:
I'll be sure to share the finished product!
Posted by Lara at 09:42 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 24, 2005
Throwpillow Talk.
Retailers like Pottery Barn have fantastic fabrics, stuff you can't often find in your local fabric shop. But if you buy their throw-pillow covers, you're out at least $25. Per pillow. Without even buying the pillowform inserts. That is crazy.
So of course, you might consider making your own.
But then sometimes it's difficult to find modern, high-quality, stylish fabrics for your home projects. A lot of fabric stores are chock-full of old fashioned quilting calicos, children's fabrics, and solids, but nothing really inspiring that will really accent your home. And if you do find a great interior fabric, it's often on the expensive side.
One way I've gotten around this: cloth napkins. No really. Napkins. From anywhere that might sell them.
Napkins are great for throw-pillows in particular, because the size is perfect. They're generally pretty inexpensive, even from more upscale retailers. The fabric on the pillows pictured above is from a few Anthropologie napkins.
They run about $4 apiece tops, and you could even use a cheaper solid fabric for the backside. A few quick stitches on a machine or by hand, and you've got nice throw-pillows in a lush designer fabric. For a fraction of the cost.
More advanced sewers can add piping or zippers or tassels. If you like, you could even stitch a few napkins together and make a small matching throw quilt for your sofa or bed.
A few custom throw-pillows are an easy way to make any bedroom or living area look way more pulled-together and unique.
Posted by Lara at 12:05 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 21, 2005
Material World.
can i ask-- where do you go for crafts/fabrics/button maker kits? i've lived in brooklyn for over 5 years and i still miss big stores like JoAnn fabrics... thanks!
-anna
Anna:
I've had the best luck at the Rag Shop on 60th Street, about 2 miles south and west of Park Slope on the N, M, and D trains at the 62nd Street/New Utrecht Avenue stop.
Rag Shop's site has detailed maps.
It's not as great as a suburban Jo-Ann's, but it has most of what I need. If they don't have it, sometimes I go into Manhattan's garment district:
- Paron Annex on 40th Street between 7th & 8th Avenues
- Daytona Trimming on 39th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues
If the staff questions you or acts like you can't buy things if you aren't in the trade (this has never happened to me, by the way, but a friend of mine once had trouble), tell them you're a student at FIT. The student lie also works well if you want swatches. Not that I'm endorsing lying. Or anything.
Other places in that area only sell by the HUGE BOLT, and are to be avoided unless you're covering six sofas, outfitting the cast of a school play, or clothing a small third world nation.
I've also had great luck finding craft supplies online at JoAnn's, Create for Less, Repro Depot Fabrics and even eBay. I also love Make Me Fabrics' vintage selection. Be aware that sometimes you don't receive exactly what you want, or you find that your goods are a little off color-wise, because you can't touch & see things in person. but if you have a very specific product in mind, the convenience can't be beat.
Ask Apartmentalist is a weekly advice column. It'll appear here every Friday. Do you have a question about crafts, decorating, or your living space? Email Lara@apartmentalist.com.
Posted by Lara at 02:30 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 20, 2005
The Written Word.
The January/February issue of ReadyMade Magazine boasts "28 Small Space Solutions," and they totally deliver. This magazine rules so much. There are definitely some FANTASTIC ideas for creative storage and style within cramped quarters.
Highlights include:
- Instructions to make cubbies inside your walls, really like in them
- The ingenious Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy shows off his underfoot storage
- Amazing foldaway nightstand/bar/bench seating instructions
- Paperclip chandelier/art installation idea (not particularly space-saving, but weird and cool)
- An idea for a combo kitchen trash bin/kitty litter box
- Photos and tales of ton of spaces that are tinier than your own, guaranteed
It's on newsstands right now. And if you live in an apartment or small house, or if you have any storage quandaries at all, ever (who doesn't?), I strongly encourage you to get it! Or even better: those of you with DIY proclivities should subscribe.
Posted by Lara at 12:08 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 18, 2005
Lean On It.
Hope you all had a lovely long holiday weekend! As promised, I have details and instructions on upholstered headboard-building. And LOTS of photos. So please do click!
Before
Materials
For the headboard itself:
Tools
- A pencil.
- A level(er?).
- Measuring tape.
- A drill with appropriate bits to drill through both the wood of the headboard and whatever material comprises your bed frame. Bits should bore holes large enough to fit .5" bolts. A smaller bit will be needed if you want to put fabric-covered buttons on the headboard.
- Protective eyewear for use during drilling.
- A Phillips head screwdriver.
- An adjustable wrench.
Materials
- A sheet of lightweight, approximately 1" thick plywood as wide as/slightly wider than your bed (always measure!), and about 27"-30" in height, cut to your desired shape. A plain square is modern & simple, but a jigsaw can be used to fashion a rounded or scalloped edge.
- Two or three 1x3 boards, each cut to about 15 inches long. (This may vary, depending on the size of your existing bed. You'll want the 1x3s to be long enough to bolt to both the bed and the headboard without sticking out at the top or bottom. Also ensure the 1x3s won't stick out further than the legs of your bed, preventing the bed from sitting evenly on the floor. If you have a Queen- or a King-size bed, you will need at least three 1x3s to secure the headboard to your bed frame.
- Four .5" diameter, 2.5" long bolts with four corresponding nuts and eight washers.
- Four .5" diameter bolts long enough to go through your bed frame, the 1x3s, and the plywood. Measure the thickness of your bed frame! And again, be sure to get four corresponding nuts and eight washers. (This is unnecessary for wall-mounting.)
- Sandpaper, if you're very thorough.
- Optional: jigsaw.
(Note: I don’t suggest this, but if you plan on mounting the headboard onto your wall instead of bolting it to your bed frame: buy the plywood and a strong mounting kit or two (like for heavy artwork, ask the hardware salesman for help and err on the side of caution), a stud finder, and possibly some strong drywall anchors.
I scrapped the wall-mounting method for several reasons, the most significant being that I couldn’t think of a method for fastening the whole thing to the wall without scratching the wall with staples and making it kind of uneven due to the fabric bunching around the edges. Not to mention, what if the placement of my bed didn’t coincide with wall-studs? I wasn’t comfortable with making large holes in the wall as a renter, and I feared the whole thing would eventually fall down. If you can find some way to overcome these issues, that is awesome. But I much prefer the permanence and sturdiness of the bed frame-bolting method.)
For the upholstery:
Tools
- Staple gun & lots of staples. You will use more staples than you can even begin to imagine.
- Flat head screwdriver or small hammer for prying out poorly placed staples.
Materials
- Enough polyester sheet batting to cover your headboard generously, entirely, and thickly. A fantastic, highly suggested, much less expensive option: use 1-2 old wool/poly/cotton blankets in light colors. I got a blanket at a cheap linens outlet for like, $5.
- 2-3 yards (depending on bed size) of cotton broadcloth in the color of your choice. Be sure the fabric will totally cover the front of the plywood.
- Optional: Scotch Guard spray or similar.
For buttons, which are optional:
Materials
- Fabric-covered button-making kit, with 8 buttons (this count is approximate, depending upon your taste/bed size). These can be found in any craft or fabric store.
- Strip of leftover headboard fabric, less than 6" by 2", depending on the size of the buttons you choose.
- Embroidery floss, color unimportant.
- A large, 3” long embroidery needle.
- 8 (or same quantity as fabric buttons) plastic, 1", 2-hole buttons, color unimportant, least expensive you can find.
* * * *
Instructions
For simplicity’s sake, have the lumber store cut your wood to the right size for you. And if you want a fancy shaped headboard & you happen to be very handy with a jigsaw, that’s great too.
Step 1.
Back at home, find a space large enough to work in. If you can, recruit a friend to help; it’ll really make it so much easier. Measure your wood into thirds or fourths (again, depending upon bed-size) to determine even, sturdy placement of the 1x3 supports, making sure everything is even and level with the measuring tape and the level.
Step 2.
Mark the proper placement of the 1x3s with a pencil. Again, you'll want the 1x3s to be long enough to bolt to both the bed and the headboard without sticking out at the top or bottom. You’ll need some room around the top edge for fabric stapling, you want your headboard to rest on the frame, and the bed should sit evenly upon the floor.
Step 3.
After figuring out where the 1x3s will go on the plywood, mark two bolt-holes (at least 4 inches from one another) on each 1x3, making certain that they’ll sturdily attach to the headboard. Put on your protective eyewear. Drill the holes with a wood-boring bit, and make sure the bit is not too much larger than the bolts. Be careful not to drill into your floor, your wall, or your furniture (don’t laugh, it happens). I don’t have a work area, so I balanced each 1x3 on an end table (carefully) and had a friend (fine, it was my mom, hi mom) steady it while I drilled. Make sure the 2.5” bolts fit inside the holes.
Step 4.
Place the 1x3s onto the plywood again, make sure they’re lined up with the level marks you made earlier in Step 2, and use the pencil to mark hole-placement on the plywood. If your pencil is too wide, find a nail or something to make your mark. Okay, now ensuring that you won’t harm yourself or your surroundings, have your friend steady the plywood & drill your holes.
Step 5.
Now figure out which flat side of the plywood will be the front. The bolt heads should go through the front and poke out the back to fasten the 1x3s. Do it! Bolt them together! Like this:
Step 6.
Note: This step deals with buttons. If you don’t want to add buttons to the headboard, skip to Step 7.
Now get the measuring tape back out, and evenly space your button marks in two rows of four (or more, depending again upon the number of buttons you want), slightly closer to the top than the bottom so your pillows don’t hide them all later. use your judgement. It helps to divide the board width into five (I even used a calculator to make it as exact as possible). Make sure they are all level and even with one another and make pencil marks. Using a small drill bit (just wide enough for the needle & embroidery thread), make your button holes. You won’t do anything with these holes for a while, but they must be made before you start adding the batting/blankets/fabric.
Step 7.
Okay! Now place the batting or blankets over the front (bolt-head) side of the plywood. I folded my old blanket in thirds, and it made for a very plush & cushy feel. Make sure the padding fits evenly, stretch it taut, and staple away. Again, don’t hurt yourself/your furniture/ your walls, and make sure your wood is balanced and supported. Have your friend arrange and pull the batting while you staple. Start in one corner and go around the headboard symmetrically. Do the left side first, do a few staples around to the top left corner, then go back down to the bottom left corner, making sure the batting is pulled taut the whole time. Keep alternating staples between the top & bottom to make sure it is pulled as secure and snug as possible. Work around the 1x3s as neatly as you can, or even loosen the bolts to tuck the ends in/underneath. If there is a ton of extra batting/blanket leftover, cut it off.
If you can easily feel the bolt-heads poking through the padding, or if it just isn’t as padded as you’d like, get another blanket or more batting and repeat as necessary. It’s really a matter of personal taste.
Step 8.
Duplicate Step 7 using your exterior broadcloth, carefully stapling to ensure the fabric is snug and tightly pulled. Very important: fold the fabric over at least once and staple through both layers to help prevent pulls, rips, and snags. It also worked best to staple the fabric directly atop the batting. I cannot stress enough that this is easier with a friend (or your dad, hi dad) to help you.
Step 9.
Note: more button talk. Skip to Step 11 if you’re not buttoning.
Okay, get your leftover broadcloth and follow the fabric-covered button-making kit instructions to the letter. Sit down and rest your knees and back for this part. Mine went something like this:
I think these are the coolest things ever.
Step 10.
Now get out your long needle, embroidery floss, and plastic buttons. Thread the needle, tie a knot in the end, string a plastic button onto the thread, and don’t let it fall off. Find those little drilled holes on the back of the headboard (remember them?), stick the needle through a hole, go through all the padding and fabric, and grab it on the front side. Poke the needle through the eyelet of your fabric-covered button, and make a different (although very nearby) entry back into the fabric toward the hole in the wood (if you use the same hole, the button won’t be as securely fastened, and the fabric is more likely to rip). Once you have both ends of the floss on the back side of the headboard, pull tightly and tug the needle through the other plastic button hole. Tie a very tight knot around the plastic buttons to tuft the batting and fabric. The plastic button should keep the knot from sliding through the hole. Get it?
Repeat for every buttonhole. Spray with Scotch-Guard or similar if you like & allow it to dry per the instructions on the can.
Step 11.
Okay, place the nearly-finished headboard against the bed to position it symmetrically. Mark 2 drill holes on the frame where each 1x3 intersects it. Move the headboard away so it doesn’t get too saw-dusty. If your headboard is metal, make sure you have a metal-boring bit and protective gear. Then get that drill back out & make some holes! Carefully!
Now place the headboard again, and use the pencil to mark through the frame holes and onto the 1x3s. Pull it back out, have a friend help you balance and stabilize the whole thing, and drill your bolt-holes. Again.
Fasten the headboard to the bed like you fastened the 1x3s to the plywood in Step 5.
Step 12.
Sweep up the sawdust, put away all the tools, make your new bed, step back and admire your work! Have a drink, even.
After
Final cost, assuming you have/can borrow the tools:
$8 for lumber & hardware (I was unusually lucky & got a $3 scrap of plywood paneling from someone's previous cut; Lowe's was just gonna throw it out.)
$7 for 2 button kits
$5 for plastic buttons & embroidery floss
$10 for 2.5 yards of fabric
$5 for blanket
___________________
=$35 total
Many, many thanks to my lovely visiting parents, who totally spotted me, helped me troubleshoot, tag-teamed the drill, mastered the staple-gun, and drove me to Lowe's hardware at 10:30 pm on a Sunday night when we realized a few of our bolts were too short. With their help, this was only about a four hour project, start to finish, counting the breaks we took to watch some of the Golden Globes.
But dude, I did most of it. And it was my idea. I promise that my parents don't do my homework, internet.
Posted by Lara at 10:12 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
January 14, 2005
Can't Live with Them.
Can you talk about or give advice for decorating with roommates? Like for example in my house there are three of us and although we are all nice people it's hard to get people to agree/do things your way/compromise--it's just even hard to get started, so we have a spare room with nothing in it, and our living room is also really empty by default.
And a related, smaller problem: how do I broach the topic of wanting my male roommate to take his Nintendo stuff and put it in the closet when he's not using it, considering he uses it maybe once a week (if that) yet it is always sitting on the floor?
All the roommates I've had in the past were pretty stubborn, and I didn't like most of their decor taste... One was a total slob in shared areas, and another filled the apartment with hideous furniture (like a gold velour suburban nightmare 1970s armchair that clashed with everything in the entire universe. I am still not over it.) and tons of knicknacky clutter. This same roommate would select & buy big expensive things out on her own. Ugly expensive things. Like rugs.
And then she'd ask me to pay for half.
Hey everyone! Don't do that. Unless all parties have agreed to this arrangement, pre-purchase. You don't want every apartment move to be like a divorce, wherein your roommate demands her $19.50 back for half of the blender. I think splitting the cost of shared items is a really bad idea in any context, unless perhaps you are married to the person. If you haven't committed to live with them forever, splitting stuff creates problems down the road.
It's better to say, "Hey, I am providing the TV (or whatever), can you provide a microwave?" That way when someone moves out, they just take their stuff, and there are no awkward conversations about who owes whom $14.95 plus tax for half of the wineglasses.
/end rant
Sorry about that.
Anyway, back to your question. You are way more justified in yelling at your roommates to clean up than in, say, yelling at them for having different/no/bad taste. You have the right to walk through your living room without accidentally sticking your toes into a week-old milky cereal bowl, but you don't have the right to force your roommates into replacing perfectly fine shelves because they don't match your table or whatever.
So there was very little I could do about the conflicting taste of my roommates without disrespecting the fact that these ladies paid a portion of the rent. I just pouted a lot, mostly. And held it inside. And then I decided to live alone for a year, reveling in the fact that I GOT TO MAKE ALL DECOR DECISIONS IN MY KINGDOM. I was a little lonely, but I never had to share the couch or look at someone's weird collection of religious icons.
With my boyfriend, sometimes I'll kindly provide him with a solution (usually some sort of storage paid for by me) to eliminate or fix the thing I hate. That way everyone wins. What if you bought your male roommate a nice canvas-covered box or some sort of lidded basket to keep his gaming controllers in? That way, the stuff can sort of stay out & near the TV, but you don't have to look at it. Is that fair?
As far as filling up your empty spaces, that is clearly a larger issue. If it really bothers you and you can get at least one of your roommates to back you up, then you should just get it started on your own. Share your plans with all your roommates, take their suggestions, answer their questions, accept their vetoes with a grain of salt, and if they're totally unexcited or ambivalent, pay for & execute the changes yourself. If the ideas are good ones, usually they'll love the end result.
That's what always happens in my apartment. He'll go, "Ew. I don't know." Then I build it/make it/move it and he's all "Oooooh, it's so nice!"
Ask Apartmentalist is a weekly advice column. It'll appear here every Friday. Do you have a question about your living space? Email Lara@apartmentalist.com.
Posted by Lara at 08:55 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 13, 2005
Light up My Room.
A fact: nice lamps are usually really expensive. I guess that is why a lot of us ended up with lamps like this in college:
A confession: that is my exact lamp from college. Bugs would die and collect in the bottom of the plastic cone, and it was gross. Make no mistake, I was still all about decorating. I sewed my own velour leopard print duvet cover (Don't judge! That was extremely cool in 1997!), but for some reason I chose to bathe it in plastic cone nightmare light. Why? Why did I do this?
Money, that's why. That lamp was--and still is--$9.99 at Kmart. And I had to buy beer and books, so my lamp budget was limited to yup, about $9.99.
Years later, I tossed the cone and took a good look at the base. And realized that the lamp itself? Was fairly sturdy and neutral. It worked with 3-way adjustable lightbulbs. And... I COULD REPLACE THE SHADE, BY GOD.
A wide range of retailers carry inexpensive stand-alone lampshades. You can find them in any specialty lighting store, Target, Anthropologie, even Wal Mart. I bet some digging on the internet will unearth even more. The best, most simple shades have a clip at the top that'll hug your lightbulb, like this one from Urban Outfitters:
That's a slight variation on the shade I have, and it cost me about $15. So for $25 dollars + a soft pink hued bulb (Very slight pinkness makes everyone pretty!) I have this:
Comparable to: CB2, Restoration Hardware, RetroModern, or Lamps Plus.
Other fun, inexpensive lighting ideas:
If you're stuck with your apartment's harsh overhead lighting, I have two words for you: Dimmer. Switches.
Posted by Lara at 01:08 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 12, 2005
Set Tazers to "Overwhelm."
The bedroom has been the problem area of our place since we moved in. We chose a very extreme, daring paint color (Benjamin Moore's Tequila Lime; it's fantastic yet blinding), and although the space is a decent size with natural light and skyline views, it still looks awkward and unfinished.
One of the issues: the room is really busy. It doubles as an office for my boyfriend, so it must serve multiple functions. It's jam-packed with color and clutter and pale wood furniture. In one 14x16 space, we have a huge desk, two dressers, a full size bed, a big bookcase, a blanket chest, a nightstand, and our big laundry hamper.
Whew.
So it's not really a calm haven for rest and reflection, as bedrooms should be. It's more like Grand Central station at rush hour.
I have a few ideas for simplifying and calming the room. I'm adding dark, stable color (chocolate brown! everyone is doing it!) in the form of a $60 Ikea rug, perhaps some custom bedding & paint effects, and a chocolate curtain (cotton & velcro) to cover the front of the bookshelf, which I hope will eliminate some of the appearance of clutter.
The piece de resistance: an upholstered headboard.
For some reason, the retail cost of upholstered headboards is freaking astronomical... Some charge more than $200 for the ugliest, 1980s nightmare versions. Even Target's lovely version is $449. Interestingly enough, the coolest design I could find is made by a company called Zeeboard, and it's also the best deal, but at $159 it's still a little rich for my blood.
So this weekend I will be constructing my very own custom headboard out of plywood, chocolate brown broadcloth, polyester batting, and fabric-covered buttons. For less than $50.
And I'll show you how!
Chocolate actually looks lovely with the lime green, and anchors it well. I hope that I won't feel like I'm "living inside a brownie," to quote the nice woman who sold me the 10 yards of brown fabric.
Photos and drawings to come!
Posted by Lara at 11:11 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 10, 2005
Find.
Out shopping for a friend's birthday present this evening, I couldn't resist poking around inside a local furniture and interiors shop called Mostly Modern (7th Avenue in Park Slope between 11th & 12th Streets)... "Hey," I thought, "I could find someting for her in here." I was kidding myself, of course. I just can't resist a good furniture store, even if I'm late, starving, or on fire, even when I have absolutely no money, even when I boast an apartment entirely too full of stuff already.
Mostly Modern is pretty cool. As the name implies, it deals in mostly modern furniture--primarily 20th century originals and reproductions, as well as a great selection of accessories by Angela Adams. I must admit: I have never been able to afford a single thing in the place, even though I've browsed a lot.
But. Today.
As I pictured retro 1950s throw pillows on my very traditional friend's french-country-type couch (remember, I was pretending to birthday shop), something caught my eye next to an expensive original Eero Saarinen tulip stool. Oooh, it was a red Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ottoman. I crept closer. My hand reached for the pricetag, expecting three digits at least, and more likely four...
Wait, only $75?
$75?
$75!
Shocked, thinking it was a typo, I questioned the clerk. Yup, he assured me it was $75. I inspected the piece more closely. Yup, it was a total fake. Instead of supple, buttery Italian leather upholstery, it was a covered in a poly ultrasuede. In place of the classic 23x21x15 dimensions, it was a diminuitive, apartment-friendly 18x17x15. The steel legs didn't have the same great swooping curves, and they weren't as pure and shiny and chrome-y as Mr. van der Rohe surely intended.
But I didn't care. I laid my money down, and walked ten blocks and up three flights with a fake Fendi of an ottoman under my arm. Now it's happily & comfortably underfoot as I write this entry.
I can't imagine a day when I'll easily be able to drop a thousand dollars on an ottoman anyway, and my new little imitation is absolutely perfect for me. Well. For now.
Oh, and I got my friend some really pretty earrings.
Posted by Lara at 09:06 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 09, 2005
My City Dwellings.
In February of 2004, my boyfriend and I were unceremoniously evicted from our place, a 700 square foot, two-bedroom apartment I'd lived in for two years. The space was okay, if a bit lacking in personality... It was just a cement box with new flooring and appliances, nothing special. The windows were high and small, the front & back doors leaked. It wasn't situated in the greatest of neighborhoods, either: the no-man's land between Park Slope and Sunset Park, sometimes called "South Slope" by realtors, and occasionally labeled "Greenwood" on detailed maps of Brooklyn. It was clean and inexpensive, but a long distance from the subway, and far from feeling legitimately "New Yorky." The outside looked like a West coast dental office, and the inside wasn't much better. We did our best to make it cozy.
Another issue: we were on a bad corner, one notorious for drug deals and traffic accidents. There was no stoplight, and drivers were constantly disregarding the big red stop sign, and then colliding into traffic with the right-of-way, twice plunging directly into our apartment. We boasted two large dents in the exterior of our place, one of which left a chunk of bedroom wall entirely uninsulated; only a square foot of thin drywall shielded our bedroom from the elements. We begged the landlord to fix it, told him we could feel a draft, that it was wreaking havoc on our heating bills, anyone could break in with a crude saw and a little elbow-grease, etcetera. The landlord, (we'll call him "Hal,") made some vague assurances and promised to repair it, but he never came through. We soon discovered why.
Hal had decided it was time to rip down the whole building and construct something taller, a structure with more units, a building that would make him more money. Our lease was about to run out, so we had few options unless we wanted to squat... A suggestion made by many of our friends and neighbors.
But we'd had enough of Hal's absentee antics, and preferred the legitimacy of a lease and an apartment free of car-holes. So we moved. I found a new place within days, thanks to Craigslist, and we were out of there within two weeks.
So we've been living in our current digs since March, and have grown to love it. It has faults too, don't get me wrong. 20-somethings living in NYC almost never have a perfect living situation, unless their names are Hilton or Olsen. The place is a fourth floor walkup in Gowanus, it's only got one bedroom, the kitchen is so tiny that only 1.5 people can stand in it (and only if the cabinets remain closed), the passage of the F Train rattles the whole building, the toilet runs all night on occasion, a hooker frequents our streetcorners, and an innocent little boy was accidentally shot right outside during a police chase this past summer.
So yeah, there are flaws. But the place somehow really suits us. We have learned to adapt to its quirks. We think they are charming most of the time.
Things I love most about it:
- It's got a neat layout. Just bizarre and interesting and full of unexpected angles.
- Outside the bedroom window, we have a view of uptown Manhattan and a pretty tree that's always full of singing birds.
- Laundry room in the basement.
- Roof access.
- Great water pressure in the shower.
- Close enough to all the amenities of central Park Slope, far enough away that it's within our budget.
- Cars really can’t crash into our bedroom up on the fourth floor.
So we’ve adapted pretty well, and learned to work with what we have. Apartmentalizing is a little like love in that way.
Please share your own apartment stories!
Posted by Lara at 01:29 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
January 07, 2005
Genesis.
We live in windowless studio apartments. Or we share personal space with several smelly roommates. Sometimes our landlords won’t allow us to paint. Above all, most of us spend about half our paychecks on rent. It’s a bit of a travesty, but it’s a fact of city dwelling.
Urbanites are generally surrounded by fabulous design. We tend to dress ourselves with flawless style from head to toe, in any weather. Our favorite bars, restaurants, and shops have cutting-edge interiors. Some of us are lucky enough to work in great-looking offices, every streamlined desk and decorative fixture perfectly in place.
As a result, we know what we like.
We drool over the $7000 couch in the window of that store on Madison, but then we slink home and leaf through the Ikea catalog. We look around and see our crappy hand-me-downs, that old futon from college, the one cool chair we found on the curb/through Craigslist/on eBay, and a sinkful of dishes.
It so doesn’t make sense.
Your home should be a comfort. A haven. An escape. A refuge. And above all, it should meet your needs both practically and aesthetically. You want your apartment to correspond with your great taste, in spite of your small budget. You want it to hold everything you own in spite of having no closets. You want people to love visiting. You want it to provide comfort. You want it to make you happy. You want it to be easy.
Fantastic, customized, personalized design can be accessible to everyone, even those on a budget. And when you have space and wallet limitations, it is all about innovative, attractive problem-solving.
Everything in life should be both smart and beautiful, and this ideal is very attainable.
I created this site to meet the design needs of my friends, my clients, and my fellow city dwellers.
My name is Lara Murphy, and I do budget design and DIY consulting for homes all over the five boroughs, for people whose taste is beyond the reach of their wallets. On this page, you will soon see photos charting the progress of my space & my clients’ spaces, DIY project ideas, interior tips, low-budget finds in the tri-state area and on the internet, and advice on every kind of apartment-living quandary.
Welcome to Apartmentalist.