[via]
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Coming soon to an internet near you
First of all, a HUGE thank you to everybody who voted for me in the Small, Cool 2012 contest. I'm doing way better than I expected to do. Seriously, you all rock.
And now, onto the other cool part. The Etsy is coming soon, and here are some of the things you can expect to find in the store when it launches, only photographed better. I'm debating between calling the store "Shameless Money-grubbery" and "Nick's Rent Payment". Any other title suggestions you can come up with are always appreciated.
And now, onto the other cool part. The Etsy is coming soon, and here are some of the things you can expect to find in the store when it launches, only photographed better. I'm debating between calling the store "Shameless Money-grubbery" and "Nick's Rent Payment". Any other title suggestions you can come up with are always appreciated.
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| This is a... box. with a drawer. Okay, I have no clue what it is. |
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| Perfect for syrup |
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| 80s nostalgia carafe |
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| Pair of obscenely large ashtrays, made in Japan |
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| Oval candle holder, silver colored, with box |
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| Kitchen Scrapbook: unused and pretty cool. |
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| Circa 1894 and 1902 respectively |
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| Restaurant ware bowls dated Oct. 1976 |
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| 1st edition kids books. |
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| Tennis rackets from Japan, probably from early 1960s |
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| Cookie jar attributed to McCoy |
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| Set of 4 snowflake/Eskimo figure glasses |
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Dreamspaces 2
It's time for another edition of dreamspaces, where I point out a space that I think speaks to that subconscious experience you can only really get while dreaming.
You're walking down a long, curving hallway that seems to go on forever. You can't see where it ends, but you can feel yourself descending lower and lower into the earth. Even standing in the middle of the passageway, the cool of the stone walls on either side can be felt, like the walls are reaching out to touch you.
The space opens up into a large atrium, dotted with candles, and off in the distance down another long hallway, a great light.
This is the Memorial of the Victims of Communism in Estonia, the winning proposal by Armin Valter and Joel Kopli. The driving factor behind the memorial's form was instilling senses of unease and an unending tension not unlike those experienced under communist rule.
Breathtaking.
Via ArchDaily
You're walking down a long, curving hallway that seems to go on forever. You can't see where it ends, but you can feel yourself descending lower and lower into the earth. Even standing in the middle of the passageway, the cool of the stone walls on either side can be felt, like the walls are reaching out to touch you.
The space opens up into a large atrium, dotted with candles, and off in the distance down another long hallway, a great light.
This is the Memorial of the Victims of Communism in Estonia, the winning proposal by Armin Valter and Joel Kopli. The driving factor behind the memorial's form was instilling senses of unease and an unending tension not unlike those experienced under communist rule.
Breathtaking.
Via ArchDaily
Monday, April 2, 2012
It's GO Time!
So my apartment is on Apartment Therapy now.
These are some cute puppies.
Win or lose, I'm still getting a free book out of the deal. And I don't think I really want to win. But wouldn't it be cool if I did?
[via]
These are some cute puppies.
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| You cannot resist their cuteness. You are under their spell. Vote for me you must |
Win or lose, I'm still getting a free book out of the deal. And I don't think I really want to win. But wouldn't it be cool if I did?
[via]
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
The bed conundrum
Apartment Therapy recently posted an article about ways to place furniture in small apartments.
Okay, "article" is a bit generous. It's ten pictures, a blurb describing the problem you want an answer to and an assertion that the answer is contained within those photos.
It isn't.
And that's not really their fault. The problem of furniture placement in a small apartment is that there are so many variations of the ways even a teensy apartment can be arranged. Is the kitchen a separate room? Are there weird nooks or built-ins? Where are the windows? Each possible permutation comes with unique challenges. And today, very general ideas for solving the bed conundrum.
Unless you're one of those crazy people who can stand sleeping on a twin mattress, a bed is going to occupy a lot of space in an apartment. In a small apartment, this is even more a concern; a queen size mattress is about 33 square feet, not including the space needed to get in and out.
Even though it can be close to 10% of your itty bitty apartment, having a bed is good. You're going to get a much better mattress than if you have a sleeper sofa or futon. You can even get one of those Swedish mattresses that's made out of astronauts.
With a studio apartment, you've got the immediate problem that your bed is going into the same room that you're having company over for. Arranging the furniture so you can both have a little privacy and fit everything in is important. Let's look at some ways to solve both of these dilemmas.
1. If there isn't a bedroom, make one.
The bed goes in the bedroom; hence the name. But in a studio, if the main room has generous enough dimensions, you can section off the area you want for your bed in a number of ways.
Melissa used hanging woven mats; they take up almost no floor space, they're cheap and they're hard to see through.
This solution is a mix of curtains and the good ol' expedit. Solves a lack of storage AND is a nifty room divider. Honestly one of my favorite pieces of ikea furniture out there.
2. No peeking!
An easy way to create a little bit of privacy that requires no DIY skill at all is to arrange your furniture so it isn't facing the bed. Yes, your guests can see there's a bed, but you've laid out the room in a way that discourages looking at it, so the message is the same.
In Jay's apartment, the sofa and chairs are perpendicular to the bed. Combined with the shelf "wall" there's a clear bed area that still is separate from the seating: Keeping your bed in a little nook like this can still keep it feeling private, even if it's open to the rest of the room.
Rae put her bed behind a folding screen, and the sofa faces away from it. Even without the screen, the bed still gets a little privacy.
3. Loft it!
Wanted the top bunk as a child? Of course you did, otherwise it's just like sleeping on a normal bed and where's the fun in that? Well, just like you can have cookies for dinner if you want, you can also put that bed over everything else. Here's a really creative DIY route, bed plus storage plus a nifty little overhang for the dressing table
Jason made a version that's a little less extreme. A good choice if you don't quite have the ceiling height, and it still keeps things separate.
Tune in next time when I deal with a lack of storage.
All images via Apartment Therapy, linked accordingly.
Okay, "article" is a bit generous. It's ten pictures, a blurb describing the problem you want an answer to and an assertion that the answer is contained within those photos.
It isn't.
And that's not really their fault. The problem of furniture placement in a small apartment is that there are so many variations of the ways even a teensy apartment can be arranged. Is the kitchen a separate room? Are there weird nooks or built-ins? Where are the windows? Each possible permutation comes with unique challenges. And today, very general ideas for solving the bed conundrum.
Unless you're one of those crazy people who can stand sleeping on a twin mattress, a bed is going to occupy a lot of space in an apartment. In a small apartment, this is even more a concern; a queen size mattress is about 33 square feet, not including the space needed to get in and out.
Even though it can be close to 10% of your itty bitty apartment, having a bed is good. You're going to get a much better mattress than if you have a sleeper sofa or futon. You can even get one of those Swedish mattresses that's made out of astronauts.
With a studio apartment, you've got the immediate problem that your bed is going into the same room that you're having company over for. Arranging the furniture so you can both have a little privacy and fit everything in is important. Let's look at some ways to solve both of these dilemmas.
The bed goes in the bedroom; hence the name. But in a studio, if the main room has generous enough dimensions, you can section off the area you want for your bed in a number of ways.
Melissa used hanging woven mats; they take up almost no floor space, they're cheap and they're hard to see through.
This solution is a mix of curtains and the good ol' expedit. Solves a lack of storage AND is a nifty room divider. Honestly one of my favorite pieces of ikea furniture out there.
2. No peeking!
An easy way to create a little bit of privacy that requires no DIY skill at all is to arrange your furniture so it isn't facing the bed. Yes, your guests can see there's a bed, but you've laid out the room in a way that discourages looking at it, so the message is the same.
In Jay's apartment, the sofa and chairs are perpendicular to the bed. Combined with the shelf "wall" there's a clear bed area that still is separate from the seating: Keeping your bed in a little nook like this can still keep it feeling private, even if it's open to the rest of the room.
Rae put her bed behind a folding screen, and the sofa faces away from it. Even without the screen, the bed still gets a little privacy.
3. Loft it!
Wanted the top bunk as a child? Of course you did, otherwise it's just like sleeping on a normal bed and where's the fun in that? Well, just like you can have cookies for dinner if you want, you can also put that bed over everything else. Here's a really creative DIY route, bed plus storage plus a nifty little overhang for the dressing table
 |
| I admit, I'm jealous |
Jason made a version that's a little less extreme. A good choice if you don't quite have the ceiling height, and it still keeps things separate.
Tune in next time when I deal with a lack of storage.
All images via Apartment Therapy, linked accordingly.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Small Cool 2012, Here I come!!
So I cleaned. I straightened, organized and put away. I made my bed back into a sofa. I didn't have a vacuum, but I cleaned the rug anyways. And I did my best to accessorize. So without further ado, here's my apartment.
Some of the rooms are so small that I had to take the photos through the doorways, and the kitchen photo feels a bit awkward. But I know I'm my own harshest critic, so I'm trying to stay positive about it all.
Going into the contest, I have a number of things I feel good about:
I'm proud of the way I'm using the space, and how I'm fitting so much into this small an apartment.
I'm proud of the way I've taken ownership and found solutions to things that I didn't like. (bye bye, vertical blinds!, see ya, ugly handles!)
I'm proud of most of the furniture: they are exactly the pieces I want and I see no reason to change them.
I'm proud of the art; posters I really like and a couple pieces I've done myself.
They aren't negatives, so here's the spin I'm putting onto it.
I want to work on the kitchen a little more. (ugly counter needs to be dealt with)
I want to find a better dining table and chairs; something a little more modern/not the ikea knockoff saarinen table. (it flexes when you put weight on it; if I had to do it over again, I'd buy a real authentic metal knockoff)
I want to work on the final little bits and pieces: teensy adjustments to things where the proportions aren't quite perfect, or that could have been ironed (cough sofa slipcover cough)
Not bad for 10 months. And a first apartment. And basically no budget after month four of living here.
Wish me luck!
Some of the rooms are so small that I had to take the photos through the doorways, and the kitchen photo feels a bit awkward. But I know I'm my own harshest critic, so I'm trying to stay positive about it all.
Going into the contest, I have a number of things I feel good about:
I'm proud of the way I'm using the space, and how I'm fitting so much into this small an apartment.
I'm proud of the way I've taken ownership and found solutions to things that I didn't like. (bye bye, vertical blinds!, see ya, ugly handles!)
I'm proud of most of the furniture: they are exactly the pieces I want and I see no reason to change them.
I'm proud of the art; posters I really like and a couple pieces I've done myself.
They aren't negatives, so here's the spin I'm putting onto it.
I want to work on the kitchen a little more. (ugly counter needs to be dealt with)
I want to find a better dining table and chairs; something a little more modern/not the ikea knockoff saarinen table. (it flexes when you put weight on it; if I had to do it over again, I'd buy a real authentic metal knockoff)
I want to work on the final little bits and pieces: teensy adjustments to things where the proportions aren't quite perfect, or that could have been ironed (cough sofa slipcover cough)
Not bad for 10 months. And a first apartment. And basically no budget after month four of living here.
Wish me luck!
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