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April 07, 2005
It Might As Well Be Spring.
Does anyone else have insane Spring Fever? I can hardly sit still! I can't wait for all the events and excitement and inspiration of the coming months. Summer is my favorite season, no matter how hot it gets, and it's especially intoxicating and wonderful in New York.
Now, I know I've promised you some tutorials and updates on projects, but I'm having some technical difficulties with my ISP and photo program, and hope to have that (at least temporarily) resolved over the weekend.
Here are a few neat links and tidbits to occupy you while I iron out the kinks:
- PropertyShark enables you to dig up all sorts of dirt on your apartment building. Mine is worth about 700K (the whole 8 unit building?!) and was built in 1931. Awesome.
- Kate's Lazy Meadow is a bed and breakfast in the Catskills owned and operated by Kate Pierson of the B52s. I am kind of desperate to spend a few days there this summer. Tour the rooms, they are insane!
- Design Without Reach. Fun/innovative/nearly free DIY design. This is getting blogged and linked everywhere, and ooh, I want to make the lollipop Nelson clock and maybe the paperclip Breuer chair. Oh! And the Eames cards!
- Speaking of Eames, a friend of mine is thinking of getting this chair, which, at $379, isn't really all that hard on the wallet. Especially for such a classic. I hope he chooses the light blue, although the orange is nice.
- I recently bought this bathmat for myself and I think it is the most lush and luxurious thing ever. It almost makes me want to nap on the bathroom floor. I got it in kiwi.
- I also got this awesome red cookware set pretty recently, but there is no photo on the page. Let me assure you: it is awesome.
- I recently took a trip to Horseman Antiques in Brooklyn, and it was really really something to behold, if somewhat overpriced. That block and a few blocks west of Horseman boast great big and little shops to poke around in. Lots of treasures waiting to be discovered. Highly recommended.
- This exhibition is the coolest thing I have ever seen. Ever. Period.
- I've been browsing a lot of sites like this in search of a new pedestal table for my breakfast nook. I like the size and shape and durability of the tables I see in restaurants, so I figure a trip up and down the Bowery may be in order soon.
- I'm hostessing a party this weekend, and it looks like my tiny place will be bursting at the seams. I'll be taking notes, so after I recover I will share hints and advice about successful party-hosting in tight spaces.
One final, but very crucial announcement:
- I got a new job! You're looking at the site of a brand spanking new assistant designer for a great architecture and design company in SoHo, which shall remain nameless. I start April 18, and the hours are flexible enough that I'll be able to devote a chunk of every morning to Apartmentalist. I'm really excited!
Enjoy the lovely warm weather while it lasts! Is anyone taking bets on at least one more New York snowfall before summer?
Posted by Lara at 10:45 AM | Comments (3)
April 05, 2005
Walking Backwards Looking Forward to Getting Done.
So now my apartment is 100% Lara, 100% of the time. It is clean and gorgeous and organized and rearranged and feels like a beautiful, peaceful haven. I only have to pick up after myself and I revel in the fact that I will no longer find random papers or socks or ANY OTHER BOY STUFF invading my nest. Until I find some other man who tricks me into living with him in the VERY VERY DISTANT FUTURE LIKE DECADES FROM NOW. Living alone? Rules.
I have several new projects on my horizon, and I'm slowly but surely finishing up the old ones. The stripes in my hallway are nearly done. Answer me this, why did I want to do any red? Red has never done me right. I've done four coats on the one teeny red stripe and it's still not looking very solid or consistent. Tomorrow or Thursday I hope to have a "How to stripe your own stripes" tutorial and Q&A post. I've gotten lots of comments and emails about my technique, and I'm happy to share.
Coming up soon I'll also have a little photo essay about the transformations and new additions to my place, a goods and services wishlist, and a few goals for the future.
In the next few weeks, after he finishes his thesis, my good buddy Chad will be writing a guest spot for Apartmentalist, regaling us with stories and tales and photos and descriptions of his 100% manly, eclectic, and somewhat hilarious bachelor pad in Brooklyn. Now, I know that I have some male readers, and I am also aware that much of what appears on this site can be a little on the girly side. This guest spot is for you, gentlemen. Mantics will ensue.
Also upcoming: the sexy canopy project that's been ongoing in my client Dora's bedroom, as well as the fantastically BRAVE paint project results of Suzun's (another client) bedroom.
Thanks again for sticking with me, and for all your great supportive comments and emails. Great things are brewing at Apartmentalist!
Posted by Lara at 10:33 AM | Comments (7)