Bart's Profile

@DALI137 - It looks like that table's this Odyssey one by CB2:
http://www.cb2.com/odyssey-white-dining-table/s141243

I like this, but I'm wondering about the way the tiles aren't extended behind the bottom shelf to the left of the ventilator. Same with the way the tiles are placed on that small wall to the right of the cabinets. It makes it feel like the tiles are floating around the things that are on the wall, rather than being one unit that's behind everything else. Wish I could see these pictures bigger, but it looks like there are some small tiles cut directly under the cabinet but then those tiles don't extended to the right of it.

I have a white dog (American Eskimo) and a dark brown couch, so that's a definite no on the couch. But I can't bear to have him be alone all day while I'm at work and not be allowed in bed at night. He usually just sleeps at my feet anyways, where it's safer for dirty paws to be.

Visualingual, I guess we also hold the value of finding something at Target a little differently too, hehe. If I get something from there that looks really good (like the Hudson console TV stand, which is made with real wood and was really fun to assemble), that becomes a topic of conversation. "Wow, you got that from Target!?!?" I don't know if you were referring to me, but I don't consider Target to be the *only* place to find good design on a budget, but I do think it's *a* good place to shop at and am happy that they pay attention to design. Even with product design, now everybody is starting to carry Method products but for a while they were the only place where I could get them.

Another thing to consider is that people who live in small apartments don't get to do some of the DIY stuff mentioned at AT too. Since I don't have a spare room (or garage) for sawing, etc., I'm not in the market for those kinds of tools or have a setup to put together pots, or have a place to sand and stain a piece of furniture without having to find a somewhere to sleep for a few nights until the chemicals dry out. Nor do I even have time to do that stuff on top of other projects I'd like to work on. So I like to buy things, new. :)

@Enamorada If you're interested in design and are on a tight budget, there's very few places *besides* Target where you can do your shopping. Say what you will about the fact that they're selling knock-offs, but Target obviously is a place that cares about design and they hire many designers to create Target versions of their high-end products (and by "cares" I don't mean the "care enough to spend $3,000 on an original well-designed coat hanger" kind of cares), compared to Kmart or Walmart that in most cases don't.

I think anyone who actually owns a dog and has a scoop for their dog food can tell you that this scoop dish is actually *poor* design. When you reach inside with a scoop, the bottom of it gets dirty too, with food crumbs/dust clinging to it and forming a thin film over time. With this bowl, I would be scooping the food and getting those crumbs on the kitchen floor.

I have a wireless light switch from Home Depot that was only $20. Doesn't come in a clear acrylic box like this one does, but my living room didn't have any light switches so the wireless one came in handy. You mount it to a wall either by sticking it on or screwing it on and you can buy extra switches if you need more than one switch to control the same light.

jmorey - I've only had the couch for about a month or two, so no wear and tear yet. But I actually got a package with the couch that they will replace it completely if anything happens to it (even accidental tears, accidental spillings, etc.). I don't remember how long it's for, but it seemed worth it since I have a dog and you never know... Might be as much as 10 years, but maybe just 5.

I just go this couch sofa from Macy's furniture from their Corona collection. Retro modern: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=251414&CategoryID=35377&LinkType=SiteAd&LinkLoc=29391&AdID=42797

It's on sale still and they have good payment plans if you don't want to pay for it all at once. I got the sofa in dark brown (have a white dog and prefer to see his fur so I can clean it rather than getting invisible fur on my clothes).

Yeah I don't understand the toilet seat situation with women. I don't sit on toilet seats willy-nilly. You never know what might have splashed onto the toilet seat the last time it was flushed. It seems like it would be more fair if everybody just left it how they used it. Men don't expect women to lift the seat for them each time they go to the bathroom, so women shouldn't expect men to put the seat down each they use it.