Eleanor Büsing's Profile

Hi everyone, I thought I'd come answer some questions for MH and G (after all, I know quite a bit about this home!).

Re: where they eat. G specifically designed their coffee table to be a little higher than normal, so it acts as a tray table. It's also at the perfect height to re-purpose as a bench in a future home, which I thought was very cool. But let's be honest, this is NYC and these two have great social lives- so they do eat out quite a bit!

The apartment can comfortably seat three on the sofa, one at the desk and one on an ottoman (which lives in the closet when not in use). No, they won't be hosting dinner parties anytime soon, but I've definitely enjoyed some good hang time with various friends in this space.

As for the cost/space/'hood ratio, I don't know what my friends pay in rent but I do know that they looked into a larger place earlier this year (as mentioned in the article) but decided against moving. They love their neighbourhood, and prefer to spend their extra money on experiences and holidays (and in MH's case, shoes) anyway.

Hi everyone, thanks for the nice comments! I was wondering if someone would mention the stairs/layout, which is a little difficult to understand. Unfortunately I didn't have access to a floor plan, so I can understand the confusion ;)

The living areas pictured are all on one floor, and stairs lead you PAST the new apartment on the upper floors, to the pavilion on the roof. So essentially this home sandwiches another one. Hence the need for a new elevator!

As for the outside, like I mentioned in the article the house is actually hidden from the street by a newer (but lovely) property- but if you go to Pereen's website you can see a great photo of it from the other side of the Thames.

http://www.russianforfish.com/

Arthistorian, that's a great point, and one that occurred to me while I was collecting these images. A great photo of a lighting fixture almost invariably isn't showing that fixture in use, so it is difficult to see just how effective the fixtures are, I suppose (though I can vouch for four of the above, which I've seen in the flesh!).

As for originality, I wasn't really going for that here, just simple and chic shapes. I'll be rounding up other lighting styles later in the month, so perhaps there'll be something more unique there!

Haha, and here I thought everyone would think I was weird for "putting a puppy on it"! New AT-led design craze, perhaps?

I can't believe I forgot to mention the Domino book! I love that one. I'm also a BIG fan of Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces, but I felt it might be a tad disingenuous to include it here ;)

@Miami's Elaine - I'd love a rec for a good all-around housekeeping guide if you have one! A sort of Mrs. Beeton for the modern world would be great.

@SUMMILUX35 - A Pattern Language has been on my amazon wish list for months. Maybe it's time to hit "buy" on that one!

Hi everyone, Eleanor here. I love reading your comments on this matter, it's obviously one that's close to my heart. I wanted to mention that I didn't choose the lead image above as an example of what NOT to do- I'm a big fan of modern architecture and would happily live in that gorgeous home (which I agree, integrates well), or indeed either of its lovely, traditional neighbours. But I'm also aware that that kind of contrast isn't everyone's cup of tea, which of course is the crux of the matter here.

@Username26 - Yes, I'm most definitely talking about Westboro, and I agree the area has a very strange, patchwork feeling these days. I'm a big fan of my hometown but NOT a fan of the city's lax attitude toward developers.

@Nataliyak - I agree that Westboro (or any North American neighbourhood, for that matter) might not have the historical significance that European cities have. But the area still has charm and beauty (or used to) - many of the homes in Westboro are 100 years old, and have lovely features. Surely that is worth preserving? I too think a well-designed modern home in the area is perfectly fine, but unfortunately I see very few that meet that description!

I also loved The Big Orange Splot as a kid! Great book.

@Kaete - The chairs have no holes in the back, so I think they were only originally caned in the seat. I did think of upholstering the backs, but opted to take baby steps with my first project ;)

@UrbanCricket - I admit, my original plan was to paint the chairs white (it was a phase I went through, thankfully I'm over it now), but once I began to sand off the dark varnish I was smitten with the wood. I opted not to use any chemical strippers, so there are still places where you can see the various layers of varnish that were used over the years - in the scrolling on the legs, and where there are occasional nicks and chips. I finished the wood with a few coats of natural beeswax, and it's held up well so far.

@Hyzen - The "mixed hair" I used is actually a combo of horse hair, wool and coconut fibres! The black stuff is the coconut- it's really coarse. It's an alternative to using 100% horse hair, is a bit cheaper and more suited to certain styles (like these seats, which are very firm).

I think you made a great choice - I received a Briggs & Riley suitcase for Christmas and I'm totally smitten. I have the 22" upright, not carry-on size but pretty much perfect for the kind of travel I do. B&R are SO well designed, and very durable (my parents have used them for years without suffering so much as a scratch).