weatherman's Profile

This is a really nice conversion - definitely one that would pay for itself pretty quickly on AirBnB too. I love the idea of being able to open one or both of the doors to really get that indoor-outdoor feeling. My only concern would be the lack of insulation on those doors - it must get pretty cold in Denver during the winter!

I feel like I've seen a similar question and almost exact same space here before at AT...though I think that one had a need for a place for the TV and a home office.

Okay, I'm a "boy" and I love the Reading Hideaway, but what's with the "this is a great opportunity to target boys" and "make this a fairy-free zone" stuff? Even double-entendres aside, this is pretty disturbing.

My favorite is definitely the Special Nook. It takes a unique mind to come up with a seating area so flexible as to accommodate almost every reading and working position in one space. I'd kill to have that in my house.

I love wood-look tile - I used it on my bathroom walls a couple of years ago and I still think it's just the right balance of modern and organic. That said, of the above patterns the beehive appeals to me most, and makes me want to replace my kitchen backsplash this weekend. The Escher stuff is fun, but I think it would get old quick, and wouldn't work well in an installation of more than a few square feet.

That's the problem with tile; it's easy to go trendy but it's the kind of thing that gets replaced every 10 years tops, so it's got to be somewhat timeless.

Paying that much for a stool is ludicrous. I bought some Artek-styled stools from Target a few years ago for $10 apiece and spruced them up with a little paint to give them that retro style. Ikea also sold similar ones at one point, though apparently they're now discontinued.

While this is happening in the trendy Shibuya area of Tokyo, so it's something that is probably perceived as a choice for middle class youth, for hundreds of thousands of others it's not a choice. Look at places like Hong Kong where the poor are often forced to live in 16' x 16' x 3' or smaller wire cages - like living in a dog crate or chicken coop. It's really eye opening.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57568111/hong-kongs-poor-live-in-stacked-metal-cages/

I don't think it's as bad as others are saying, but it's definitely on the crafty side of modern. The problem is that he used a circular saw, which means that there are bound to be variations in the width of the slats. A table saw or chop saw probably would have been better (though those are more expensive).

Tangent: the most important thing I ever learned about building my own furniture is that the measurements of any given wood bought from a hardware store are NOT what they are listed at; a 1"x12" is not one inch by twelve inches, but actually 3/4" x 11.25". It wouldn't matter with this project since you just need to count the number of layers (assuming you're using only one width of wood) but if you are trying to build anything else, remember to use the actual wood measurements, not the listed measurements or common name.

You forgot the xfire laser bike lane system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ix2sNGhXJ2c

If those are 30" stools, the area isn't intended as a seating area so much as a standing area and room divider. Get rid of the stools and just use it as a place for people to stand and entertain the chef while cooking, put their drinks, etc. Putting anything on top of it is only going to block the view from the kitchen and make it look cluttered.

An under-the-sink water filter is actually not very expensive at all. I got a two-stage filter for $75 from Amazon (Watts) and it comes with everything you need. Filters are about $40 per year (change them every 6 months). It's relatively easy to install but you can always pay a handyman $50 to do it if you don't think you're capable. The biggest issue is whether it will work with your sink; many sinks have pre-drilled holes to accommodate either a water filter or soap dispenser, and if you have one of those, no problem. But if you don't then you'll have to drill one in the sink (easy-ish) or in the countertop (not so easy). If you do have a pre-cut hole, it's easy enough to take the filter with you when you leave and your landlord would be none the wiser.

The advantage of an undersink filter is obviously that it uses tap water, so that means no lugging bottles, dealing with waste etc. And it also means it takes up no room in the fridge or on the counter where space is limited.