aptsr4kidz's Profile

the art work is phenomenal (so glad that you didn't downsize there! personally, i really love the geometric horses) and your home is stunning, so beautifully put together and also so inviting. kudos!!

ikea kramsfors :) i don't know if they still have it in white, but there are many airy colors to choose from, the sofa is super comfy and sits a large group. i have the kramsfors in brown leather - it's held its shape amazingly well (people sleep on it even and it is still bouncy and the leather is firm) and it comfortably sits 5. hope this helps!

i can't fully express how disgusted i am by both gregory's post and the majority of the reader comments, but i'll stick to the issue at hand:

there's so much difference between the spam on craigslist and doing business with a nigerian. people spam all kinds of nonsense on craigslist -- but how dare you all single out and prejudge an entire nation of people solely based on the fact that there is a well known fraud criminals use in their country (particularly when criminals use this same con in many other countries, including the us)?

there's a huge difference between spam email that's (supposed to have originated) from nigeria and fraudulent, and real email from a nigerian. i know because i get both on a regular basis -- the first, because i have an email account with yahoo and spammers are talented, and the second, because my best friend is nigerian (yoruba to be exact) and a biotechnologist at glaxo.

quite literally, before i read this atrocious diatribe, i emailed him to say "yo tunde -- are you on skype?" -- he's currently in switzerland and his team is working on phase 1 of a new sub-h pharmogenomic.

so if you're still confused about why this kind of post is ugly and maligning, consider this: while you all waste each other's time on AT making up stuff to worry about -- like the world's scammers and spammers that, under ridiculous pretenses, worm a couple of dollars out of the absolute basest of greedy idiots (because you *really REAALLLY* have to be dumb to fall for one of these scams) -- the nigerian i know most personally, closely and dearly is working like a dog *RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE* to save millions of lives!!

i hope you all feel like the jerks you are.

but just as gregory didn't go so far as to 'call all nigerians scammers', i won't go so far as to call all of you who whined "what's the big deal? this post isn't so bad" self-absorbed bigoted as*holes.

instead, i'll just hang my head in shame for you all since you don't seem to have the good sense and/or decency to have shame for yourselves.

i said something else, so here's my reason.

i think it's more nurture than nature. you can have difficulty with material possessions, no matter what your gender.

for example: my mother, father, and brother all are packrats. growing up, my parents were disappointed that their stuff was occasionally and indiscriminately thrown away. now that they are adults, they imbue everything with sentimental value, and so, they keep everything. my 10-yr old brother is a packrat because he learned the habit from my parents.

on the other hand, my girlfriend is extremely spare. her parents are refugees who immigrated to america with only a few hundred dollars. she and her siblings were taught to enjoy their belongings but to understand that they are just material things.

when i was in high school, i used old staffordshire teacups to hold my costume jewelry... all five pieces of it, haha. now that i have more jewelry and less space, i use a tool box and cotton balls to protect the rhinestones. not glamorous but practical :)

please? thank you :D

i like what you showed a lot!!

i don't feel like i can vote though; five pics were of your living/dining area.

amazing! i'm particularly impressed with how the spareness of your home is part of it's captivating charm! congrats

personally, i think the mix of dark and light woods is fine. to my eye, the problem is more that the room looks unfinished, and that perhaps this table is the holdup?

you have so many options!!

if you want to change the finish of the table itself: are the table and chairs stained or painted? if they're painted, you can always sand them down and then repaint another color. or you can whitewash. if they're stained, you can still 'brighten' the color by sanding the wood down lightly and then staining with a warm yellow -- i did something similar to a front door once, taking it from a mahogany stain all the way to a natural cherry. i see from your arrangements that you like flowers, so put a runner down the center and an elegant vase to fill to overflowing with your favorite buds.

another way to make the table look purposefully mismatched is to replace the armchairs at the head and foot of the table. for example, you have white wire barstools; you could tie the room together with white iron upholstered dining chairs.

if that's all too much time and work: you can paint the wall along the dining table a slightly richer shade than the other walls of the kitchen (maybe a sage green) and then finish the wall with pictures and shelving.

i'm not a big fan of carpeting under dining tables (too difficult to clean after eating!), but if you are, a traditional floral rug in contemporary colors could look very nice

hope those are some helpful ideas :) best of luck

white and off-white... why white and off-white? are you trying to keep a designer white feel, but "warm" the room up at the same time? if that's a reason for your (as michael w. said) daring idea, you will probably get the same feel from the shadows and natural lighting -- your new built-ins will create gentle variations.