lauraWaHi's Profile

does your landlord have a certificate of occupancy? this really does not look like a legal apartment to me. you need to have 2 means of egress, and windows do not count.

it scares me a little when non architects offer advice about structural modifications without hesitation.
i don't want to offend anyone, but if there is a really large column, then it is because there needs to be a really large column to support the structure. construction is all about the bottom line, so it makes no sense to oversize columns for no reason, especially in this case when it creates akward space.
i would also expect that this column is concrete, not steel.

this unit was designed to sit on the floor, so all the joins were designed to resist compressive stress. if you were to wall mount it you would have to ensure that none of the joins were in tension, because they were not designed to withstand it and they will fail.
the only way to successfully wall mount this is to put a very heavy duty shelf on the wall, and then sit the expedit on top of the shelf. probably not the look you were going for. the unit will also need to be secured with an anti topple device.
the wall mounted expedit that someone linked to will fail along the join on the bottom front edge if it is heavily loaded.
you might consider using a few ikea kitchen cabinets, without doors, mounted side by side, and then frame them with thicker pieces of wood.

i let my daughter doodle on the fridge too. i found that the red dry erase markers leave a stain. the others wipe clean off.

I have this table, and those cosco booster seats too. it really is the perfect table for a even a very young child to sit at, though it might be a bit low for some as a coffee table, not high enough to put you feet up. I think this table was about $300 two years ago, so i was a little shocked at how much it costs now. I found mine on craigslist (NY) for around $150. You can get this table for half price on the pure design basement site, but it would need to be refinished though.

i think this looks really great, i love the color.

i skim coated and painted the insides of my closets in colors that i am not brave enough to commit to painting a whole room.
even though its a small change, it really does make the whole apartment feel better. for me anyway, i feel like i am less likely to fill my closets with junk if they look good.

how about 4 burners and an under counter fridge and freezer?

if you kept the proportions of your stove and sink the same as in your photo, and replaced the fridge with an under counter model, you would have at least 60 inches of counter space on that side of your kitchen. You could even get separate fridge and freezer units, and make up the lost base cabinet space by having the wall cabinets go all the way to the ceiling (a 24 inch tall cabinet above a 30 inch tall cabinet.)

as someone who cooks a lot, I would not be prepared to have only 2 burners, and for those who say that new yorkers don't cook much so only need 2 burners, then what do they need the counter space for?

the dining room looks great, but, as others have said, changing the height of the artwork and centering the table under the light fixture would help a lot.

i really like the color palate you have in the dining room, perhaps adding a little more color in the living room too would be good.

i think the living room furniture is too large for the space, the love seat blocks the window, and the the three focal points of the room, the window, fireplace and tv all seem to compete for attention.

i don't think there is any need to go out and buy new furniture. you could swap the position of the tv and sofa, and then move the love seat to the opposite side of the rug so it faces the window. then wall mount the tv and lower the mantel so they are on the same level. a smaller round coffee table would be a good addition at a future date

"those boys Herman Miller and Ray Eames" ?????

ray eames was a woman;
Ray-Bernice Alexandra Kaiser Eames

our floors were just as bad. we talked to the landlord about it and they offered to have their guy fix it, however we had seen his previous work so we declined. we suggested they contribute whatever they were going to pay their guy towards the cost of getting someone to do a better job and they agreed.
now that our floors our smooth, they are so much easier to clean. it seriously takes 2 hours a week less time to clean my apartment now. even if i only stay here another 2 years i consider the money spent well worth it for the time i will save.
also the floors look great now.

if the landlord wont allow you to lay carpet or tile, then he/she obviously cares about the condition of this place, they might jump at the chance of splitting the cost of floor refinishing with you.

as a plan b maybe you could ask the landlord how they feel about laying some ikea laminate flooring? it is a floating floor so it would not damage the floors underneath, and it is pretty cheap. i used it in my last apartment and it held up well.