yesteryear's Profile

Another commenter here who has dealt with the same issue in an older home (which had so many plusses like character, hardwoods, huge closets, etc. that the outlet thing was not a huge problem). Just use an extension cord - you're not going to burn the place down unless you're running a space heater, a blow dryer, and toasting bread at the same time. My adorable hex-tiled and 12ft ceilinged 1930s kitchen had one, ungrounded outlet (the stove was also plugged into this), so plugged in a power strip and hid it on a shelf behind my microwave. I made sure to unplug things when I wasn't using them so I'd be conscious of how many I was plugging in when I did need them (and in doing so, was always reminded not to run multiple appliances). As for the bathroom - mine had zero outlets - I don't blowdry or use an electric razor so the only thing I had to deal with was charging my sonicare on my dresser right outside the bathroom door - no biggie. If you are a bathroom gadget user, just do the power strip thing. Like I said, just be conscious of what you're doing and only run one thing at a time. People have lived happily in that apartment for at least 80 years -- you're going to be fine! Enjoy the period details and the pride that you can survive without a counter-full of dumb appliances that each do one thing.

the dimensions you have to work with would be helpful. i.e., is the room so small that you can't build a half or 3/4 wall to divide the "shower" space from the rest of the room? are you contemplating the toilet cover because you'd basically be showering directly beside or over the toilet? if you're going to be doing the construction required to add plumbing and tiling to a room you're creating, why not just build a wall that goes up to about 2' from the ceiling and fully tile that, and then add a small lip/faux step to the floor where the 'entrance' to the shower area is to keep a majority of water out? personally, i like glass blocks... and they'd make it feel a bit more open and reduce claustrophobia. here's an example http://images.vebra.com/tp/11131/4/ECIMAGE10/408198.jpg the color choice for tile is ugly IMO... if you're going to use glass blocks i'd just run with it and tile the entire bathroom in whites and cool blues/greens.

So it IS possible to have a beautiful home with wall to wall! I'm stuck with it myself, so this is inspirational - and one of the few house tours to feature it. Also, to parrot the previous commenter - the bathroom wallpaper is amazing.

ugh. i would never want to hang out with about 99% of you. relax. get outside for a bit. take in some fresh air. smile. laugh. EAT PRAY LOVE. just kidding, but sheesh... those comments seriously bummed me out.

I hate to be, well, a hater, but with the exception of the first listing, all of these items are incredibly overpriced. I see ads like these on my daily Craigslist hunt and laugh to myself. The leather couch has to be the winner of most ridiculous ad. Awesome that you paid $2,500 for it brand new, and bought it at Bloomie's - but that was almost 10 years ago, and right now it looks awful... and you're charging $60 just to view it?? Do the math, $200/cushion, PLUS the leather (which would have to match perfectly)... you're now pushing $1,500. Why not just plunk down another $500 and buy yourself a new leather sofa? This one isn't even vintage! When I'm looking for projects I always check the free section first: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/zip/3081796759.html

I have to agree with the previous commenters - this would not improve usability, especially if you use your phone to read things that are longer than a text message. If my phone had this feature I'd use it once or twice and then be done with it, like most novelty apps. Nice video production though - if the filmmaker is putting this out with the hope that Apple will see it and hire him, I wish him the best of luck :)

Thank you for this article. Finally something on AT that is thought provoking and more than eye candy (though I love eye candy and that's why I visit this site daily). I'm fascinated by the effect the internet, and what I'll call interior overdecorating-oversharing (that includes oversharing what's in your home and the interior of your head/stomach, etc. - via tumblr/twitter/facebook), has had on everyday folks. I was just talking to my boyfriend about this very thing the other day. We're both mid-30s and were marveling at how advertising and just about every motif in pop culture (aside from those promoting things like Taco Bell) seem to be reflective of this over-articulated cutesy/Wes Anderson/Etsy/Amateur chic that we lived through in its early form in the late 90s-early 2000s (and have since outgrown and find somewhat repulsive). Were our parents, who were in their early 30s in the early 80s, aware of the same trend? Were commercials for Sears bedroom sets in 1984 shot in front of a backdrop of yachts and with a soundtrack by Loggins & Messina? Is it just that advertising execs are now my "peers" and therefore it is natural to assume their love for Zooey Dechanel-esque baby-voiced girls strumming ukuleles (blech) would surface in TV commercials for everything from Target to Home Depot? Yes, probably, and I should just calm down. Judging by the ads in my vintage magazine collection (that is in a box in the closet and not propped, thank you!), 60s counterculture/art had an impact on mainstream advertising - think Peter Max-inspired Maybelline ads and taglines like "tune in, turn on, drop out" used for everything from stockings to sport coats. OK so this is not new, but why does it bug me so much?? (excellent book on the topic: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0226259919)

Perhaps I'm digressing here, but even with the knowledge that this has been happening since the dawn of advertising, I still worry about the effect this has on the idea of "authenticity". If that even exists anymore. Well, people certainly want it to exist, and strive for it. However, the distance between something that is a "new trend" and something that is a "tired fad" has shrunk considerably thanks to people's ability to immediately post their every thought, whim and fantasy (pinterest!) on the internet - and in return for others to consume these ideas and frantically try to make them their own before the next big thing comes along. The ping-ponging, back and forth of it all seems to compress the time frame for just about everything in pop culture - decades become years, years become months, and seriously - there are "memes" across the internet that have a shelf life of something insane like a single week! What happens when we finally collapse into ourselves? Will we find that the only thing left is a black room with a sheet over a window and a bag of garbage in the corner with a solo harmonica warbling in the distance? Should I forget about the midcentury credenza and instead invest in a blindfold and a set of noise canceling headphones? Maybe it truly is time to leave the house/computer for a few hours and actually experience the world around us. But if we find a few branches and a rusty railroad spike on our nature walk, it's OK to put them on a bookshelf next an owl figurine and take a photo for our blogs, right??

I'm actually intrigued by the overstock.com sectional. The fact that it's just a sofa with an ottoman that can be configured on either side means it's not *technically* a sectional, but you can at least lounge on it. Unfortunately there are no reviews posted at this time - would love to know if it's comfortable. After spending months searching for a sectional to complement my 70s danish decor and finally decided I wanted to be comfortable while I looked and bought a pretty amazing (and gigantic) one for only $150 at an estate sale. @Lynell: Now that the pressure is off I may have to check out that Dania furniture site - it seems VERY affordable compared to some of these (Jonathan Adler, whewwww!!) pieces and the one you got is AMAZING!!

I like it too! But if quaint and cute is not your thing and you're going for something a bit more modern, I'd say keep the shutters (definitely would make the window look oddly small as a previous commenter pointed out), but paint them, the brick and the angled facade bit in darker, contrasting colors. Maybe slate and/or a dark gray?

If your concern is the angle - add some taller foliage or a tree there to balance the height - maybe two or three manicured column hedges if you like a modern look. Finally, I don't own a home so I'm not thinking in terms of whether it would damage the siding, but a modern-styled trellis with a climbing vine or understated flowering plant crawling up that wall might also make it stand out in a good way. I recently saw someone using high-grade plaster sheet rock wire (like chicken wire but thicker and more industrial looking) as a trellis and it was awesome.

OR you could just embrace the cutesy look and put a bunch of geraniums in the flower box, flouncy gingham curtains in the window, then buy an apron, give yourself an up-do and call it a day.