mopar's Profile

Very few magazine writers make much money. Fewer everyday since magazines are closing. I presume Rita has family money or has scraped together a bit here and there from her work, such as interior design.

Even though not everything everbody does is always to my personal taste, what does that matter? I find her style and writing charming and refreshing. She is also so unpretentious. I look forward to her column every week.

Another trick is to find the spring green color you are using at the bottom of the paint chip, then paint the walls one of the pale versions of that color -- usually one of the top three colors on the sample chip.

I did this once with a Benjamin Moore olive green that matched a lampshade in the room, and got a fantastic taupe-y-moss-cream shade on the wall that went great with every color in the apartment (red, blue, olive, brown, etc.).

Sadly, Benjamin Moore subsequently reconfigured some of their sample cards to range from gray to green. But they still make the traditional colors. You can find them at any store that carries the full range, such as Janovic in NYC, which owns Benjamin Moore (or vice versa).

Farrow & Ball isn't too big on yellow-greens, but check them out because if they do have a color you like, the paints are all very soft and receding because they are natural and they are also low VOC.

Paint Library might also have something.

I agree you must always test everything in your own environment, and also that Benjamin Moore and Farrow & Ball are very high quality, and Behr is to be avoided. Their paints are cheap and the colors have a greyish cast. Very unattractive.

Morgan, for those of us planning to decorate with vintage/garage sale/flea market/craigslist like you have done, is the secret to buy more than you think you can use, stir and shake, then sell what you don't need? Or just buy the perfect items you know will work?

I think they had great stuff at a great price and was definitely planning to buy something. But I have to move first, because I don't need anything right now. I don't think they were very well known, however. And I had a hard time remembering their name.

Oh my lord, don't get rid of that! Too late. Yes, call Moon River Chattel selvedge in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They will buy it. It's the perfect size for the small bathrooms in 19th-century two-family townhouses in nearby Bushwick. Then I will buy it, as soon as we close on a place to live.

These are good ideas. Also: Buy what you love. I figure at the prices I can pay (under $2,000) nothing is going to go up in price, it's all going down.

Does anyone else wonder how this could possibly go together? Black and white, dark brown wood, silver, brass...what a mess! Also, there doesn't seem to be any unifying style theme, although maybe that will make it interesting. I think black and white can be tricky, because stark colors, particularly white, can make an apartment look cheap and cold. I would also like to see a photo, agree this is just a shopping list, and a mystifying one at that.

When I lived in a 1939 coop, my super simply turned off the radiator in one bedroom that was much too hot. Removal was not necessary.

Agree heating system throughout building must be bled periodically to prevent knocking. This is routine maintenance and should be done regularly to keep the system in good condition.

Her house is gorgeous and stunningly original. Beautiful mix of prints. No one else will have them and she won't get tired of them because her children created them (well, two of them). Love the clash of prints and rugs together.

One of the most beautiful homes I've seen on this site. I like the subtlety of the paint backdrop, the furniture, the kitchen, the vignettes, and especially the art the children have made. This house is comfortable, chic, and understated at the same time. One question: Are the downstairs moldings new?