Apartment Therapy Archive: Oct 19, 2010

Name: JaimeLocation: Wicker Park — Chicago, ILSize: 1400 square feetYears lived in: 3.5 — Owned Jaime, an esthetician at the much-lauded Maxine Salon, is the enviable type of person who’s innately stylish and who seems to get along with just about everyone. Her casually glamorous, jewel-hued Wicker Park home reflects both these aspects of her personality.

Name: Lisa & Dan and their 2 childrenLocation: Bedford, New HampshireSize: 6,200 square feet (including a small in-law apartment not pictured)Years lived in: 10 — owned Lisa and Dan moved into this outstanding farmhouse 10 years ago after living in a modern home made mostly of glass. It is clear from the first few steps inside that there is no shortage of modern amenities here — but when Lisa re-designed and re-structured this home, she did so with a reverence for the past.

A few months ago I had the pleasure of going camping at Andrew Molera State Park here on the Central California coast. Highlights of the trip included walking down a pristine and deserted beach, watching ground squirrels bravely climb across my husband’s legs in order to attempt a tortilla chip snatching, and walking out of our tent in the middle of the night to see the night’s sky minus any light pollution.

Closets are one of those overlooked places where color can enliven things a little. If you’re looking for ways to bring something new into your day-to-day routine, here are five inspiring closets, each of which uses color in a slightly different way. Benjamin Moore’s “Blue Lagoon” is the dominant color in Mike’s studio apartment, where closet space is limited.

I think it is safe to say that most Apartment Therapy readers do not aspire to have homes decorated exclusively by big chain home furnishing retailers. You prefer to put your own personal stamp on your decor, building your style from a variety of sources — from upscale boutiques and antique stores to craigslist and local thrift shops. The last thing you want is for your home to look like a 3-D representation of a chain store catalog.

I came across this little DIY idea on the ReadyMade project site as part of their ReadyMade 100 contest. It’s great fall decor for a porch or even your kitchen. Why not make three of them and use them as a center piece on your dining table? They introduce interesting color and texture and can be composted once warmer weather comes. Easy instructions are below the jump. How To 1 Cut off the top of the gourd. 2 Scoop out the insides of the gourd. 3 Let dry. 4 Plant plant.

Jaime Morrison Curtis knows two things about you: 1) you may not have time to sit and read like you used to and 2) it will do you a lot of good to slow down once in a while and reflect on this whole parent thing. In Prudent Advice: Lessons for My Baby Daughter (A Life List for Every Woman) Jaime shares tips, lessons and advice she wants to pass on to her own daughter and the book prompts every parent (of a daughter or son) to ponder the same.

Looking through Jen and Moi’s HIlltop Hideaway, there it was again! That lamp! IKEA’s Knappa lamp is a go-to favorite on Apartment Therapy. A few weeks ago, a friend joked that if only he owned a Knappa lamp, an Eames chair and a Saarinen table he too could have a House Tour on Apartment Therapy — the lamp’s certainly a good place to start!

For those who live in a part of the country where winterizing your home is a necessity, there’s a long checklist of things to take care of.Starting at the top is always the way to go, but do you know what chore should be listed as number one? It doesn’t matter where you live; now is the time to tackle it…Clean your windows! Although it can be easy to forget with all your other tasks at hand, it’s a great thing to take care of on a seasonal basis.

Q: I can’t afford geothermal. Is an air-to-air heat pump my best option for heating? I do not have natural gas. Most homes around here [in New York] are heated using oil. I have no heating system at all. What would you recommend? Also, I should mention I have a 7.7 Kilowatt PV system on a south-facing roof, producing about double my electrical needs.Sent by ChrisEditor: Here’s what our friends at Green Home Guide say.

鬼魂、食尸鬼、糖果,(我最喜欢)南瓜!I get a little crazy scouring the web and magazines for new patterns and carving techniques. My least favorite part? When my intricately carved creation meets a premature demise and is nothing but gross fuzzy mold and mush by the time the kids come knocking on the door.So how do you prevent the mold and rot from creeping-in before the big day? If you do a search online you’ll get a few repeated suggestions over and over.

Sometimes people think of decorating as a choice between two extremes – blah neutral and wild color. The truth is that most colors can work as neutrals by using more sedate tones. Yellow is one of the colors that does this extremely well.When there are more attention-seeking colors in a space, yellow can easily bring some life to the neutral areas without immediately drawing the eye in. Yellow also compliments many other colors quite nicely.

Today HealthyStuff.org, in cooperation with the nonprofit environmental organization Ecology Center, released the largest study done to date on toxic chemicals in building products. Over 3,300 home improvement products—1,016 flooring samples and 2,312 wallpaper samples—were tested for toxicity and the presence of certain chemicals, include lead, bromine (brominated flame retardants), chlorine (PVC), cadmium, arsenic, tin (organotins), pththalates and mercury.

Q: Have you tried Ikea’s “Asker” kitchen wall storage system? I cannot, for the life of me, get the hooks to stay on that suspension rail! Anytime I touch one of the little pots or a utensil hanging from the hook, it all falls right out. I’ve searched up and down on the internet for others who’ve had the same problem, to no avail.

Stripes, plaids, and colorful patterns — all of them can work in a nursery (or a grown-up’s space). If you’re searching for an affordable way to cover the floor in your child’s room, here are 12 sources from the baby market and beyond. w.94 h.71 s.centercrop src="https://cdn.apartmenttherapy.info/image/upload/at/archive/b91a7f6bf88604fab267e0a970545083ffc1d57d._w.94_h.71_s.centercrop_.

The small pillows that came with my sofa upon purchase didn’t really accent anything as their name might suggest. I wanted something a little brighter and jazzier. Instead of keeping those pillows shoved in the back corner of the linen closet, try putting them to use with one of these 5 ideas:1. Remove The Covers: By removing the pillow covers, you can switch them out to be any color, pattern or style you want. It seems obvious, but is an easy one to forget.2.

We adore a fancy play kitchen but sometimes simple is best. When we stumbled upon this little play kitchen, we were completely drawn in. • Read the full post at Ohdeedoh