AKK730's Profile

I live in the neighborhood and I miss the pod! (Someone had to speak on the Pod's behalf.) You could see the structure through the loft's large windows at night-- I always look forward to spotting it on my walk home from the subway. I think the Before picture doesn't entirely do the structure justice-- you need to read the Dwell feature to understand the family's former needs and aesthetic. http://www.dwell.com/my-house/article/hive-minded

It's definitely 'out there' between the shape and the exposed OSB, but I'm surprised to see such a universally negative approach here. Some people take architectural risks, some don't! I'm not sure I would have the guts to build the pod in my home, but it felt like a neighborhood landmark that i always admired and enjoyed pointing out to friends. (Also guys, exposed OSB isn't THAT radical these days...)

I don't know what your budget is like, but dwell studio has beautiful (though expensive) taupe + mustard bedding: http://www.dwellstudio.com/modern-bedding-and-bath/duvet-cover-and-sets/draper-stripe-ash-duvet-bedding-set.html

Paint color remorse! Specifically, Benjamin Moore's Silver Half Dollar. When my boyfriend moved into a beautiful old brooklyn brownstone with sky-high ceilings all sorts of original moulding, he asked me to pick out a pale gray. I agonized over the right gray. I painted a million samples patches and looked at them at every time of day. I read every AT therapy post I could on paint colors. Finally, I went to show house and found a north-facing room (same exposure as the apt) painted in BM's silver half dollar. It was exactly what I imagined.

So we shelled out money to have painters come with their super tall ladder and paint very carefully around all the original wall and crown mouldings. It wasn't cheap, but we wanted to do it right out of respect for the original detailing.

When they were finished, I ran home from work to discover that I had painted a 30-year-old bachelor's apartment pale lavender. Beautiful for a nursery, not so great for a dude. It hasn't really grown on us, but we can't bring ourselves to spend the money to have it painted again (and even as a DIY enthusiast, think it's too risky and too big a project to try it ourselves). So I just live with it and let my resentment for the paint color fester.

I am SO glad someone asked this. I think about this all the time. I've tried a few different venues, but am not in love with any of them. I wish someone would open a DIY space (with tools and basic supplies) somewhere in Brooklyn. Here's what I've tried:

I've done big multi-day projects in the living room, but I hated it-- it was pretty frustrating to have a disheveled living room for as long as I did. And every day I couldn't work on it, I felt like the project was just sitting there taunting me (which might work as incentive to some, I suppose.) Having people over was impossible, bc there was nowhere to sit.

My favorite, although not super practical, solution is to drive everything out to my parents house. Do you have tolerant friends or family with a yard within a couple hours of the city? It's a real pain to cart things back and forth on the train or bus, but it's worked out well for some small projects.

So far my favorite solution IN the city is the sidewalk or the roof, especially for painting. I'm lucky to live in a brownstone with a "garbage area" on the sidewalk where a tarp or cardboard box can be laid out for spray painting, but I've also just used curb. Again, not ideal and people stare at you, but any port in a storm, right?

Found the article, from Rue Feb '12. "Two weeks to fully furnished" Two weeks! I could never decorate that quickly without expecting serious buyer's remorse: http://www.ruemag.com/february-2012/

Found even more examples of Pantons paired with antique-looking wooden tables! (So I guess it's not exactly an original idea, if that's the sort of thing that bothers you...)
http://pinterest.com/pin/233553930646390221/
http://www.designsponge.com/2010/09/best-of-dining-rooms-square-tables.html
http://pinterest.com/pin/221802350368336143/
http://pinterest.com/pin/206673070369947022/
http://pinterest.com/pin/241435229993042265/

Bemz to the rescue! Their textured cotton in Rose is especially nice: http://www.bemz.com/en-us/textiles/

It's interesting that people have had bad experiences with Ikea 365+ line. I've had my set for 5 years and they are in mint condition. I can't imagine it's anything that I'm doing, because my dishwasher is low-budget and I'm not especially gentle with my dishware. Maybe I've just been lucky! But I agree on the glassware. It's thin, so it breaks easily. Love love love my dinner set, however.

I'm interested in information on the backsplash. Is it scored concrete or tile? Thanks!

The number one question you need to ask yourself is, "Do I want a true white or an off-white?" If you want a true white, then you significantly narrow your field of choices. Personally, I like Simply White or Decorators White on walls with Super White trim. Both true whites. But when I want a white room, I want it to be indisputably white.

For that reason, I am not a Najavo White fan. It's an off-white with strong yellow undertones. Many people prefer off-white, because a warm white is said to flatter the skin and hides dirt and scuffs. The latter reason is why people often refer to Navajo as a "rental" paint color. They're not being derogatory or saying it's "passe"-- quite the opposite actually. It's continues to be a classic go-to color for landlords because off-white hides marks, true white doesn't.