Anna at D16's Profile

GO, DANIEL, GOOOOOOO!!!

I'm just here to say that in addition to having a rad apartment that deserves to win because it is awesome, Daniel himself is one of the best people I've ever met in my entire life.

That is all.

Glad to see voting has been reopened, but it was accidentally closed for a full 7 hours. Will the contest be extended by 7 hours to make up the difference?

I'm sorry to get quibbly about this, but it was really disappointing to have this error happen right on the heels of my last-day "get out the vote" campaign for Manhattan Nest!

Um, I definitely was NOT the first person to hang IKEA kitchen cabinets down low. Yes, I did coin the horrible word "fauxdenza" (which Morgan gives me credit for in the blog post these photos were taken from—and really, anyone who wants to say "fauxdenza" is more than welcome to do so, HA), but at least 50,495 people thought of doing this before me.

None of that should take away from the awesome job Morgan did with her execution of the project. The proportion of the width vs. height is PERFECT (again, if you click through to her post, you'll see how great it is from all angles), and the wood-wrapping looks great. It's just right for the space she has, and that's what matters.

Love it.

Daniel really has made the most of a small, somewhat awkward floorplan. I'm so impressed by how stylishly he's managed to outfit his pad on such a teensy budget, too! Major props for being so innovative (and fearless) in his approach.

That swirled plaster business was really popular in the '60s (um, that's 1960s, not 1860s!), and it's totally incongruous with the Victorian-style moldings I see in the distance. I can't tell if the medallion is plaster or a resin/plastic repro, but again, it's not the same style as the textured ceiling.

To each his or her own, but I think these swirled ceilings are horrible -- on the same level as popcorn ceilings, and I understand completely why Ann wants to get rid of hers! They were put up to hide cracks, repairs, and other imperfections without having to use (and pay for) a skilled plasterer.

In order to avoid damaging the moldings (assuming they are plaster/original), I would recommend having the highest points of the swirls sanded down, and then getting a REALLY skilled plasterer to go over the whole thing and give you a smooth surface. You could cover it with drywall, but then you'll lose the profile of your moldings (which, if they're synthetic repros, might be just fine).

One VERY important thing to keep in mind: Depending on the age of the textured plaster, it COULD contain asbestos. You definitely do NOT want to be sanding or otherwise abrading anything with asbestos in it. Whatever you do, I strongly advise you to get the material tested for asbestos content before removing it.

I never thought I'd see STARLA in an Apartment Therapy house tour!! STARLA!!! I'm obsessed with that dog.

The decor isn't my style, but so what? This place is very Chad, and that's what matters. Anyone who's seen him individually bagging every item that goes in his suitcase knows this guy is a neatnik and a perfectionist, and given his profession, this is a space that suits him perfectly.

But more importantly...STARLA!!!!

Thanks for the nice comments, everyone!

@sunan: I grew up in an old house, and believe me, I had my fair share of sock-footed stumbles down them! We've managed to go five years in this house without falling, though, probably because the wood under the paint is very rough and splintered.

@talktoearthworms: That's not wood you're seeing in the "before" photo, it's a million coats of paint! We actually completely stripped the paint off of the newel post and banister, not the other way around. That's the stripped wood in the "after" photo.

We did consider stripping the stairs as well, but the wood was too heavily damaged (very deeply splintered and gouged) to consider it. We opted to repair the wood as best as we could and then paint it.

And just like that, they've reappeared. OK!

@Janel: Thank you for asking me to take part in the survey, even though I'm possibly the least summery person alive. :D

@MJade: Go for it! We didn't know how to do anything when we bought our house, either. All of our knowledge comes from the internet!

@t3d: That is an astute observation. (Is it also a haiku? Kinda?)

Weird. Most of this stuff has been out for nearly a full year already, at least in the NYC-area stores. I'm glad I didn't bother attending this "preview".