mc509's Profile

JMBnewsgirl - Thanks for your kind words, it took a LOT of work and years of savings to be able to afford Manhattan, but it was all well worth it. =) To answer your questions, the table lamp in the living room is also from Home Goods (in fact, all the lamps are), but the "Dale Tiffany Lamp" that someone posted is actually the one in thet bedroom with the black/white shades. As for the desk, I found this at IKEA and it was super cheap (warning: this means cheap quality too, it's all particle board). I actually did not assemble that bottom panel where they put the computer CPU because I wanted to be able to fit a chair under the desk. The TV stand is also from IKEA and is very solid and sturdy (but also made of particle board). One of these days I'll switch to something nicer but these are just fine for now!

SpaHa robbi and SBurns - I'm really really sorry but I have absolutely no info on the chandelier floor lamp. This was a gift to me from my Aunt, and the only thing I know is that it was from Home Goods, but there are no tags or stickers on the lamp indicating the manufacturer/make of it. My only suggestion is to take a ride to Home Goods and scan the lamp section, but I know it's probabaly out of the way for a lot of people. Sorry!!! If anyone DOES find it though, please post it here!

Hi guys! Wow I am so honored that people are still reading this post 2 weeks after it's been published! Thanks for all the accolades. =)

cvillian - THANKS for finding the make/model of that lamp! Very cool that you were able to locate it...although I must give the proper shout out to my MOM (thanks mom!) who picked up those table lamps (bedroom and living room) for me as gifts. The floor lamp that has sorta a chandelier thing going on underneath the shade is the one from my aunt - and I'm still curious on the make/model of that one too if anyone knows!

kushkush - I think she may have gone to the Home Goods in Parsippany or Union. She's a lot closer to Essex county so if you're willing to take a ride over, it may be worth checking out! Good luck.

paulmuscat - Haha thank you for your comments and I certainly do appreciate constructive criticism. Regarding your idea with the living room wall, it sounds interesting but because those drapes are dark in color and a thick silk fabric, I feel like going across the whole wall will give the room a very "heavy" feeling. Not to mention I think the oversized curtain rods I used to hold them up would look a little strange going across the entire wall. Lastly, the curtains were expensive ($200 each) which means I'd probably have to spend another $600 to do this...in my opinion, not worth it. Plus I've already got the wall-to-wall thing going on in the bedroom.

I think Jill's professional camera and wide angle lens makes the room look wider than it actually is...I really cannot afford to move the couch 6 inches!

As for the fireplace mantel, those 3 bulbs are actually vases, not candles, but I understand your point. Those actually were originally going to go on the wall where the TV is, I just haven't gotten around to finding the right thing to prop them up. I was going to have them staggered vertically along that small wall on top of short horizontal shelves.

I'm curious about your feeling with the bed though...I thought I already kept it pretty minimalist with just the artwork above and the lamps on either side. Did you mean that the plant and red clock were a little too much? If so, the plant was put there because I wanted to fill that space. And the clock is for functional reasons really....it's the loudest alarm I have and I have trouble waking up in the morning. =)

Thanks for taking the time to comment!

LOL...that bunny is adorable. I was more focused on him/her than the actual wine rack!

Really amazing before and after transformation! Love the hand-stitched embroidery.

hjp922 - Hi there! All of those lamps were from Home Goods, so unfortunately I have no idea who the manufacturers are. (Someone earlier commented that they were trying to find out as well, so hopefully someone else can answer!) The shades came with all of the lamps and they all went for about $79 each. I've seen the block crystal table lamp (in the living room) at Restoration Hardware but it comes with a slightly different lampshade, not to mention a price tag that's 3 times more than what I paid!
http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1233208&navCount=1

As for the vases, they're from West Elm circa Fall 2007. I'm glad you like them because I adored them when I saw them at first, but didn't buy them because I didn't even have the apartment settled yet. When I went back a week later they were gone! I searched high and low and finally found extra stock at a West Elm in NJ. Lesson learned: if you like something, don't wait!

ridge_van_winkle - HA...yes I'll admit that the boiler in the bedroom closet was a bit of a turnoff for me (not to mention that I can no longer take hot showers that last longer than 20 minutes). But for now I have more than enough space for my clothes, and the living room closet is also very big inside, so that's where most of my stored seasonal clothing, coats, and shoes go.

As for the chicken pattern you see in the kitchen, it's actually a dish towel, but I bet they make an apron too. Glad you like it! A good friend gave that set to me as a housewarming gift but I'm not sure where it's from. I will post when I find out!

K8 in Maine - Wow you noticed my Wii! =) Actually, I've never had to move the glass coffee table when we play. Instead, I push the grey armchair all the way back by the kitchen or front door, which gives us plenty of space to move around. I'm also super insistent on the wristbands so that I don't get into one of these situations:
http://geekologie.com/2006/12/07/wii_in_tv__2.jpg

Since the guests that come over are usually adults, I don't get too worried about the glass table, but it's was definitely stressful for me when I had small children over to play! That table is definitely not ideal for families with kids...

BTW - for all of you who are interested in the functionality of the dining table...I know the price tag is a little bit scary, but I first noticed this "transformer" design at IKEA. I loved that it had all this storage and was such a space saver, but unfortunately it only came in one color and it didn't go with my overall look. However, it's considerably cheaper and it's made of natural solid wood, unlike most IKEA furniture that is made up of particle board.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20104718

chrisvilayke - I closed on the apartment on 10/9 and had my housewarming party on 11/3, so it pretty much went from bare bones to 90% finished in about 4 weeks! (I know that is a little bit crazy, but the OCD in me had to get it done quickly so I could feel at "home" as soon as possible.) I will say, however, that I started planning a vision for the place about a month earlier, selecting paint colors and furniture and sketching out some layouts. Plus I had been watching a lot of HGTV all summer to get myself mentally ready and prepped! The first week was the hardest - all the painting and cleaning - but by the end of the week my furniture was moved in (coordinated 3 places to have the movers all come on the same day) and it was really starting to come together. The remaining weeks were pretty much for embellishments and personal touches. Thank you for the positive feedback!