Gregory H's Profile

Beautiful. When I saw the "before" living room I was terrified that the "after" would have paint covering the beautiful ceiling. What a relief that the owners didn't fall for the dark=bad mindset most people fall into. Talk about a house full of character.

Those shades totally ruin the rest of the room.

I love painted floors. I painted my floors black, intending to add a checkered pattern, but ended up leaving them all black. I used paint that is made for porch floors, and it has held up incredibly well. It hasn't even worn off in the heavily trafficked areas over the six years its been done. The only thing that would make it better is if it was a lighter color like gray, because the black shows dust, pet hair, and scuffs really well.

Landlord's don't own rental properties to be charitable. They take a financial risk purchasing a property and should be able to reap the rewards. In New York, currently the ceiling is very high for what people are willing to pay. That doesn't mean it will always be that way though, and that is the risk. On top of that, property owners in NY pay exorbitant taxes so this is part of the reason they must charge such high rent. They should be able to reap the reward of their risk. There are too many regulations taking away personal freedoms. Cheap rent in Manhattan is not a right. I would love to live there, but I can't afford it, and I don't expect somebody else to subsidize my lifestyle.

My college apartment was under 160 square feet and it worked great.

DOCTORECKS Your post made me laugh. It is funny how everybody is turning up their noses at these chairs just because they are common. Some of the ugliest pieces of furniture I've seen are also the most expensive. While they are not the chair of my dreams by a long stretch, I have to admit amazement by their global domination. I've seen them in the most remote, impoverished African villages, and also in very posh posh American cities. I've always wondered about their history, and it is ironic that awards are bestowed upon modernist designers who make chairs that probably nobody will buy, but the Monobloc, which is wildly successful, is laughed at. Thankfully, I am reaching a point where I can look past the prejudices I have picked up against "common" things and see the functionality in them. Last summer while hosting an outdoor party for 50+ people I swallowed my pride and purchased a stack of these. They certainly won't show up at future smaller gatherings, but their cost, comfort, and ease of storage allowed me to have seating that otherwise would have been out of my reach. So THANK YOU MONONBLOC.

Impressive project, but is anybody else tired of exposed brick?

Unfortunately, the building that is the most different from the rest owns the streetscape. On a street where all of the buildings go well together except for one, the odd building is what the eye will settle on. The builders of these structures always stress that "it will create a great contrast to the other buildings." This always seems like a weak rationalization because contrast is the easiest thing to accomplish. A truly gifted designer can create a building that can stand on its own while also blending with its surroundings. I think it is not only aesthetically distasteful, but socially distasteful as well because it basically is saying the the only value the neighborhood has is as a blank canvas on which I can display my buildings.

Wow! My favorite San Francisco victorians are the ones with gold accents, so I love this. It manages to be both gaudy and classy at the same time, unlike the brightly colored ones that are just gaudy.

Why don't you cover how the occupy cooks complained about the homeless taking part in their wonderful communal meals? Do you see the blatant hypocrisy there? How about the horrible condition these people have left public parks all over the country? How about the rape, theft, racism, and other shameful acts encampments have been a haven for? You can not gloss over dirty truth behind these hypocritical freeloaders by writing about their eating habits. So they eat. Big deal. So do I. The only difference is, I PAY for my own food.