#9's Profile

With one exception, I've gotten good results from making it into a joke. Like saying "I'll waive my $1,500 speakers fee, just to let you in on the secret of closing the front door..." and then go on to say that their door, stereo, tv, comings and goings are incredibly disturbing.

A newer neighbor had been coming home at 2:30 am. It got to the point that I was waking up just before they got home, it was like an alarm clock.

I finally approached one of them after a loud slam (leaving in the later morning) and the young lady had no idea.

And here's why: The rest of the long-time regulars do not slam their doors, blast their stereos/TVs, have loud late gatherings. We already learned about noise.

But, the new people, not hearing ANYTHING, assumed that we didn't hear what things they were doing.

Other joking moments I've used are asking if they are practicing wooden clog dancing. Just learning to juggle bowling balls. Stage diving from their sofa onto the floor.

A recorder could help. Play back to them what you are hearing. You can add it to the joke: "Here's where you drop all three bowling balls!!!"

Sharanne, a few links on refinishing:
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/kitchencabinets

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=HomeDecor/CabFceLft.html

You'll need to know what your current cabinets are finished with. They'll have to be cleaned thoroughly. Pull all the doors and the hardware. Clean the doors, the cabinets, soak the hardware in something to strip off the gunk. Same with the screws.

You'll want a level surface to paint the doors, where they can dry undisturbed. If using oil paint, you'll want ventilation.

As practice, pick up a piece of scrap wood, any kind, and try out your color in the smallest container you can buy. Paint the scrap wood. You'll get an idea on how long it will take to dry. How many coats. If you're getting brush marks, be glad you tested it out on scrap wood first (cabinets are often sprayed, not brushed).

Once that scrap is dry and has the right number of coats with a good finish, prop it up in your kitchen for a couple days. Just to get the overall feel for the color under natural daylight and artificial light at night.

That is the ONLY way of truly getting a feel for the color in YOUR home. NEVER EVER pick out a paint color just from being at the store. Unless you live in a warehouse full of fluorescent lighting, you'll have no idea what that color will look like at home.

Here's another version, the white on black, more flowing:
http://www.unc.edu/~bardsley/nirvana/WordintoArt.html

Do an image search on Google for "wood kitchen" and you'll find pages of kitchens that look a lot like yours. And they are the "after" pictures, not the befores. Full of wood colors and wood grains, custom cabinetry.

Instead of painting the cabinets, which don't appear to be worn at all (and the paint will eventually chip), consider just doing that back splash area with color. Which is cheap and you can redo yearly if you want.

Green back splash:
http://www.susanjablonmosaics.com/userfiles/retromint%20subway%20rb.jpg

Blue back splash:
http://www.made-in-china.com/image/2f1j00seHTVkJZAIotM/Solid-Wood-Kitchen-Cabinet.jpg

Red back splash:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/2313460695_871070508b.jpg?v=0

Checker back splash:
http://themcmgrp.com/db1/00064/themcmgrp.com/_uimages/ShilohKitchen.jpg

It doesn't get much less expensive than a can of paint. And it's easily changed.

Sit down and make lists of what you actually do daily, weekly, monthly. Not your dream life, not your friend's lives, not TV lives.

Emily's comment about her husband working from home is one way to help decide. For instance, realizing that every day is "take your spouse to work" day when a person works from home. There has to be a set up for a good work space that doesn't make you feel like you're living in an office.

Questions to consider:

How often do you eat out and where?
How often do you visit stores and where?
How many vehicles do you have (if any) and where is parking available?
How is public transit?
How is safety?

Everything costs money, not just the apartment. Living farther out might mean a big apartment, but you have to drive everywhere. Living in close quarters may have parking problems, especially if you entertain often.

Parking tickets are costly. Parking garages are costly. Gas is costly.

If it's a question of him moving in with you or you moving in with him, I'd like to suggest that you find a new place for the two of you. New for BOTH of you.

You'll discover more about each others needs that way.

Sometime there will be an argument and the power play will be used of "it's MY apartment".

I noticed you said "MY favorite part of town", not OUR...

Don't forget the Wagon Wheel Coffee Table phenomenon either. ;)

Whoa! It's like living inside a book. Like Amelia Bedelia.
http://www.njn.net/artsculture/starts/season03-04/images/2204ameliabedelia1.gif

It's really neat.

The pieced-together photos threw me off, and made me nauseated. Some of the Escher things do that to me too.

What a fun thing to do, and how amazing it is to see.

P.S. Did everyone notice the old-time child photos updated with coordinating print frames, shown in the center photo?

If Katarzyna can tell us, were those custom made? The frames? Or store bought? They go so well with everything else.

Rotating flaming orbs. That scares me.

"Now you can set things on fire in a 360 degree radius!"

Especially when something goes horribly wrong making the mechanism spin so fast that burning logs are flung across the room.

How does it turn anyway? Says ball bearing. No electricity? Can't turn it once it's on fire?

I don't like it. Seems kind of dangerous. And awkward. Kids, pets, furniture.

It would be GREAT for those designer type homes pictured. But for average homes, I'd pass.

You can always try giving a nod to the color of the wood, like with an area rug:
http://www.target.com/Home-Lockwood-Rug-Collection-Chocolate/dp/B001VFUUQC

Or bedding:
http://www.target.com/Home-Suzani-Bedding-Collection-Gold/dp/B001MAUNXQ

Something that has a little to a lot of golden tone in it.

I keep finding things on the Target site that say "unavailable", grrr, but this is solid gold:
http://www.target.com/Wyndemere-Bedding-Collection/dp/B000RN3F8O

Now is the PERFECT time for you to search, because the autumn items are in stores.

Orange things might work well too, like wall art:
http://www.target.com/Pines-IV-by-Miguel-Paredes/dp/B001UJJ3US

Or this kind of light with mica style orange...
http://www.target.com/Mission-Style-Mica-Accent-Lamp/dp/B0000E55DB

You don't always need paint to change the color of the place. You need color to change the color though, color via other objects, which light bounces off of, or light emanates from, to create a complementary color for your home.

Sometimes it's good to just keep looking while living where you are, looking for something that is more in tune with what you want, or where a landlord is generous with painting.

Make a "pros" and "cons" list of things you don't like and things you do like. Because sometimes you can end up staying in a place a lot longer than you thought you would. And if the prices go up, you could end up being stuck in that one place for a long time. Sometimes this apartment of mine feels like a prison, because I can't afford to move anywhere else (thanks to rent control). It's something worth considering.

Stop. Sell the home to someone who loves what is already there.

Proceed to buy something that is much closer to modern, like here:
http://dougnewby.com/acc/archus/Massachusetts_Architecture%20-%20Architecturally_Significant_Homes/

Or here:
http://www.gilman-guidelli.com/portfolio/portfolioS4.html

Find something that is already what you want it to be. Or something that needs direction, NEEDS the cabinet work, NEEDS lighting work, etc.