rbartimmo's Profile

I think Lisa has created a beautifully ordered, creatively inspiring home that reflects her desire for structure and productivity. It is also peaceful, something every city home could use!

I would have loved an organized home like this as a child...there were 5 of us and despite my mom taking toys away for a week if we didn't pick them up, our home was a mess most of the time.

Toys are not essential, although our consumer obsessed society would have us think so, but materials are! A child can make a toy out of anything if given the opportunity. My interest in interior design started with a bookshelf that I turned into a doll house...each room designed to reflect what I considered beautiful and organized. I made most of the furnishings and decorations from scraps of fabric, cardboard, Lincoln Logs, Monopoly game pieces and magazine clippings...no one taught me how to do this. It was in me (nature is more powerful than nurture)

Children need structure when they are little and freedom as they grow. I am glad my parents raised me according to their personal convictions not according to social conventions.
I could also argue that children are over socialized, over fed and over stimulated in our culture and perhaps it is a good thing to reevaluate the "norm".

Most important of all is loving and nurturing our children with the time, tools and knowledge that we have...it would appear that Lisa is doing that for her kids as reflected in the design of her home.

Great renovation! I love how edited it is and that is the beauty of just starting out in home ownership. I had the Malm bed and head board in my Miami condo and loved it. Only down side was that I would hit my shins against the side occasionally and I wish they had the foresight to put drawers underneath it.

Textiles take time to figure out, esp rugs. I do agree though that if someone lives below you, rugs help cut down the foot traffic noise. I was tortured by inconsiderate neighbors above me in Miami Beach (built in 1949). I could hear them walking at all hours in boots and heels and all the creaking! It was a nightmare.

Bravo on your creative solutions to undercabinet lighting, kitty litter and cat hair in general (black furniture...so smart with black cats)

You can sit back and say Ahh...the worst is over...don't kick yourself about the windows...it's hard to think of everything esp the first time! There should be a special design degree/certification for DIY home renovation ; )

Some things just can't be taught in design school and life experience is one of them.

I forgot to mention that I loved the ceiling fan fixture in the master bedroom and I hate ceiling fans! Who makes it?

I love their use of painted tiles and the hood which really tie in nicely with the rustic ceiling beams! Although I am not crazy about the glass tiles, it is refreshing to see so much color in a kitchen! I can't tell you how frustrating it is to design an amazing kitchen for my clients only to have them install granite counter tops and back splashes! Colorful glass knobs...excellent choice for pulling it all together...Bravo!

A homeless shelter in "the new socialist republic we are creating"! Now that would be a waste of space unless of course it is part of a rehabilitation/work program and the owners donated it...otherwise what right do you have to assume that the "socialist republic" has any claim to a property they have done nothing to preserve or create! Communism is a wonderful theory but time and again it disproves itself in the real world...and socialism is no better...talk about stifling creativity...how would that be any better than the other extreme...another overpriced real estate development? I'm inspired to see individuals exercising freedom of expression, the right to own property and basically the pursuit of happiness! Good for them!

It's not that I don't care...If I really didn't care why would I have spent so much time looking into the logistics of doing cloth diapers in NYC without my own washer/dryer or clothesline...it's pretty wasteful in terms of water and energy too unless you are a hardcore environmentalist or live in a remote village without power where you wash your dirty diapers in the river! Come on, let's not get high and mighty...we little folk can all contribute to a better world for our children in many different ways and my soap box moment is about requiring manufacturers to change their process and create a biodegradable diaper that can be recycled or composted! I would if I could but I am no scientist with mega buck backing! I'm just a first time parent trying to do her best and my comments were intended to alleviate some of the pressure other parents feel ; )

I researched all the various diapers from Pampers and Huggies to Seventh Generation and G Diapers. I spent hours reading customer feedback, company info and cloth diapering websites that offered info on how to use and launder cloth diapers. After being completely shocked by the fact that cloth diaper options were more expensive than Seventh Generation diapers, not including the amount of time and energy spent cleaning cloth diapers/g diapers...I chose to go with Seventh Generation and am happy with how they fit my baby girl. No problems with rashes so far. I feel it is completely unfair to ask parents to spend extra time and money (esp if you live in an apartment in the city with no clothesline or laundry room) to save the planet! I chose to go with a more eco friendly disposable diaper choice in the hopes that these companies and perhaps our government will see the financial gain of manufacturing a healthier, biodegradable disposable diaper ASAP! I believe the solutions for our planet are only to be gained collectively and while us little folk scramble to do our best, big brother, China and the wealthy elite sit back, relax and create more waste than I could ever dream of in a lifetime! As a little folk...I am choosing my battles...I'll just have to live with the fact that my baby's estimated 6,000 diapers will be rotting in a landfill for 500 years...at least they are chlorine free and made by a company that has better eco practices than most.