chrisbean's Profile

Our bedroom is more than half the square footage of our small (underr 300 sq ft) apartment.

My boyfriend, if he could, would live full-time in a hotel. We put the chaise longue from my tiny studio (a TYLÖSAND chaise from ikea) under the bay windows to give the room a "boutique hotel" vibe, and are really happy with how it balances out the space. Of course, our new king-sized bed is nice, too!

This is only the second time I've posted this in the years upon years I've been reading AT: "When can I move in?"

My project this summer was painting our four Windsor/farmhouse-style wooden chairs (hand-me-downs from boyfriend's mom) a violent orange.

No sooner did I finish than I'm seeing brightly colored wooden chairs EVERYWHERE. Love it.

um, clickable link to security bar video.

Limiting myself to just home stuff (so no clothes, people, pets, etc), I made two lists. One is things I do and must have, the other is things I want and must have.

Haves
1. Kitchenaid stand mixer
2. dishwasher!
3. MacBook Pro
4. king sized BoConcept Fahrenheit memory-foam mattress
5. giant faux-bamboo dresser
6. paintings and art prints by my boyfriend and me in every room and hallway
7. burr (not blade!) coffee grinder and a giant french press
8. Tivoli Model Two radio
9. color! (especially cool grey, orange, and yellow)
10. cast iron frying pans (you can't improve on a classic)

Wants
1. Nelson swag-leg desk
2. stainless steel or granite countertops (for prepping baked goods)
3. dedicated studio space (room for my grandfather's drafting table)
4. white rectangular restaurant-style dishes
5. black & white chevrons painted on a hardwood floor (the black lodge!)
6. Jonathan Adler orange Nixon throw
7. Jonathan Adler "Sins" throw pillow
8. heavy-duty citrus juicer (countertop kind with the big manual lever handle)
9. grow house grow wallpaper (Mrs. Ward in Wedgewood or Milkweed)
10. a Thomas Wold dresser (or knockoff)

And googling ambigram wit hotel gave me the artist's name: John Langdon. And his website, http://www.johnlangdon.net/

Last year everyone went gaga for Jenna Lyon's clever repurposing of a tall bookshelf for shoe storage; I've seen several variants on this.

JL's shoes here on AT: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/good-questions/source-for-super-size-shoe-rack-good-questions-103357

from citified: http://citified.blogspot.com/2009/12/two-lovely-things-chandeliers-party.html

dream closet! http://citified.blogspot.com/2010/09/storage-inspiration-shoes-shoes-shoes.html

and an enviable IKEA solution from Nicole at Making it Lovely: http://makingitlovely.com/2008/12/16/my-organized-closet/

I have a major obsession with the painted built-in shelves in this apartment (from Mad Men): http://positdesign.com/2010/08/dgr-rejected/

Living in the Northeast, my #1 deal breaker is windows.

After living in an older building (gorgeous! two floors! built-ins! balconies! 200 sq.ft. kitchen!) where the heating bill often exceeded rent, if windows aren't weatherproof and less than 5 years old, it doesn't matter what the place looks like, how big it is, or the location.

I mean, that medicine cabinet's squickily old-fashioned, too. It's not even fun-kitsch, it's like irony-free bad 80s country-cupboard style.

So pick colors you love and can live with for the linens. Don't let the unfixable fixtures decide for you.

And here's a thought: treat it like a diner bathroom if you'd like to inject kitsch.

Go to ebay or etsy, and buy some old "men's magazines." Not Playboy (unless you're okay with it; I think old pinups are completely adorable), but men's mags like "Man's Life" or "Stag" from the 1950s and 60s that have cover articles with titles like "I Survived a Giant Otter Attack!" and "The Red Plan to Conquer America!" and "Man-Hungry Hussy of She-Devil Island!"

Frame them. Pick covers, or story pages, or full-page images, or even advertisements. Whatever makes you chuckle to yourself. Hang 8-14 in your bathroom. En masse. Everyone will love it, and no one will notice the tiles.