Attention: This book is not just for apartment dwellers!
In Apartment Therapy, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, shows you how to create a home that works for you-physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  It really is all about whether or not your home is a healthy place for those that live there and how to make the necessary changes to your home to bring it back to health. And starting March 5th, Apartment Therapy: The blog, is getting ready to introduce The Spring Cure of 07. They are going to interactively be reading and working through the eight step home cure in earnest, so if your ready to cure your home’s sicknesss, hop on over to AT on Monday, March 5th for some good medicine!

Until then, be sure and check out my favorite chapter in the book called, "Seeing Your Home In A New Light".  You will come to a clear understanding that your home is like your body with four limbs: bones, breath, heart and head.  The bones of the home refer to the physical structure of the home. It is very important that the vessel within which you live is kept clean, and in good condition or else they will store stagnant energy and transmit a dull feeling.

Breath, in relation to the home, refers to the arrangement of your home. This takes into consideration the flow through each room and your use of space. Furniture, lighting, and storage all effect the flow of a given space.

The heart of the matter refers to the emotional life of your home.  Color, shape, texture, and scent all give your home a conscious awareness of the emotional stability of your living space.

Finally, the head, or the purpose of your home; this is primarily the reasoning behind each room and refers to the meaningful activities that go on in your home.  Consider this, what do you do in your home and where do you do it?

If you are truly ready to give your home (the body) a makeover, Apartment Therapy: The Book has many chapters that will address your homes medicinal needs on every level. The book will keep you on track as you take care of repairs (bones), rearrange (breath), redecorate (heart), and focus your space to suit your purpose (head). Go pick up a copy today!

Besides color, art is one of the most defining elements in a home.  Whether it is a Kodak photo or an original piece, art can add a special sophistication to any space.  Why then, are so many homeowners afraid to hang art?  Author and designer Jayne Pelosi says, "The single most occurring faux pas I see in client’s homes when they have taken the leap to decorate, is "art hung too high on the wall."

Most interior designers recommend hanging art at eye level (no one wants to strain their necks to look at something beautiful) and the bloggers at Apartment Therapy recommend that the center of your piece should be about 57 inches from the floor. Evidently, this measurement represents the average human-eye height and many galleries and studios use this as a standard measurement. 

The same standard holds true if you are hanging a gallery display. Simply start with the center of your display at eye level and work your way out. The bloggers at ArtCorner offer three simple rules for hanging art that will ensure you are getting the most out of your space. 

I recently watched an episode of Designed to Sell on HGTV and designer Taniya Nayak  made an interesting observation.  She suggests that art in the dining room can be hung a bit lower due to the fact that people are usually seated in this room.

The most important thing to remember when hanging any type of art is hang what you love.  No matter what that includes, (pictures of the kids, paintings or even an abstract metal sculpture), the art of displaying art is in the eye of the beholder.

This last weekend we braved the weather and put up with an hour of traffic to see what was new in decor and design at the St. Louis 30th Annual Builders Home & Garden Show. We found plenty!

A.E. Schmidt Billiard Co. is just about to release their new Carsten Dining Table and it is like no other.  Inspired by a family that had no room for a dining table and pool table this table doubles as both. With seating for 8-12 people, the Carsten table is modern, and elegant with clean lines and a simple design. It certainly looks a lot more fun than your normal everyday dining table and is just as beautiful as a normal dining room set.

Available in the standard Oak or Maple, with 12 stain options and 30 cloth colors, this innovative table retails for about $6000. You can certainly customize your table as well with different wood choices and sizes. Delivery on this specialty item is approximately 6-8 weeks, like most custom furniture, but is well worth the wait if you don’t have the room for both.

We wanted to CELEBRATE OUR BIG LAUNCH by featuring one of our very favorite blogs, Decor8. 

An interior decorator and freelance writer, Holly Becker, wanted to create a blog that would catalog what she loves, and reach out to others who share her passion for design and need for creative living. She has done an outstanding job by bringing cool ideas, unique finds, and a community of friends we can only dream of having, to the blogging world. 

In an exclusive e-mail interview with Holly, she opens up about her life, her goals, and what makes her happy. You can tell right away what a real and genuine gift to the on line world she truly is…….

1.  With the wonderful design career that you’ve had what made you decide to start blogging?
I really haven’t had a wonderful design career, but thanks for saying that. I actually managed facilities and communications for most of my career, only recently leaving to pursue my passions in writing and design. After working with clients for only 7 months, I decided to start a blog (1/06) because I wanted to catalog my finds and back then, only a handful of design blogs existed, so it felt like the perfect time to get started. I am a vintage modern kind of girl with a love of textiles, sewing, flea markets, art, and travel. I wanted to blog about things I was passionate about.

2.  How long have you been blogging?
I started in May 05 but didn’t know what to say, so I sat on it for 8 months until I knew. In January 2006, I blogged for the first time and haven’t stopped talking since.

3.  How much time do you spend writing posts, doing research and reading comments per day?
2-3 hours on posts and 24 hours a day on research, ideas are all I think about.

4.  What other blogs do you read (work & pleasure)?
My list of daily reads is long, you can look at my blogroll on decor8 (left column) to catch a glimpse.

5.  Where does your inspiration come from?
First, inside. I have a very creative and vivid imagination, things pop up in my brain at random and I find myself extremely creative in spurts based on that. On days when the creativity isn’t there, I turn to my favorite books and magazines (I am very visual), or have a stimulating conversation with my husband or a friend. My husband and I are together a lot, so I’m able to bounce ideas off of him constantly. He is brilliant, deep, amazing, talented, wise… One 10 minute chat with him, and I’m lifted from a low valley to a very high mountain. I adore him. I also flip through flickr images. I am flickr obsessed. Starbucks coffee helps, as does browsing bookstores and boutiques.

6.  How do you stay motivated?
I’ve wanted to cry, take a day off, eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, throw my laptop against the wall, and hide under my blankets, but I’ve never wanted to quit. This goes for everything in my life. I’m a total fighter, a soldier. My mother has been telling me this since I was a young girl, and she’s right - it’s more and more obvious to me as I grow older. I am motivated by my own personality. Sounds weird, I know. But I have this ability to stay positive and focused. Being positive. Looking on the bright side helps me head forward. I always have a smile on my face, it’s there because I’m convinced that despite my problem or worry, I am still wayyy better off than so many, and I’m very grateful for what I have. I’m happy in my own skin, with my life, and knowing when to say "time out" to refresh is the key to staying motivated. Do the best you can on your own work and support others - what "comes around, goes around" is not just something your grandmother said! 

7.  Do you have blogging goals (like what you want to accomplish with your site)?
Yes, many! But world domination isn’t one of them. I rather use my blog to promote others, not myself. I promote my own business outside of my blog, not through it. I want to continue to be a spot where readers find a positive, interactive, inspiring place that feels supportive and stimulates their creativity. I don’t care if others blog to promote their work, because that may work well for them and half of my friends do it, so I am most supportive. I just don’t want my blog to be a workplace for me, that’s really all it comes down to. I want it to be my freedom, a place where I can hang out and be myself.

8.  What is the most important thing that you want readers to take away after reading your posts? Positive. Inspired. And that your home is the one spot on this massive planet that is uniquely yours. Make the best of it - don’t neglect your space or your family or other parts of your life will start to suffer. People thrive in a home that supports them. 

9.  When you take a break what is your favorite indulgence?
I love to travel, even if it’s just a day trip to the coast or a weekend in Montreal, and if I’m home, I love to sew, read an entire book in a day, or go out for coffee + dessert. I also love to take long walks in the forest with my camera. I really enjoy visiting animal shelters and pet stores. I do this weekly, my lifestyle doesn’t allow me to own a pet yet because I’m in Germany 2-3 months each year and travel a lot on the weekends, but someday… I will have a dog and a cat, and a huge iron cage with brightly colored finches. 

10.  What is the key to getting comments?
I don’t know, I don’t ever think about that, sorry!!  Maybe I should though, huh? So many people email me that I always feel like things are flowing fine. But I guess asking questions so readers can get involved? Or an open thread? In the past, these things seemed to work for me…

11.  What is your favorite part of blogging, eg. Making friends, community building, getting heard etc.?
I love being a somewhat ‘alternative press’ option for business owners looking to promote their work. When someone writes to me with a really great product or service, and it fits my aesthetic, I write about them and then, sit back and wait. Very often they write in with lots of good news. Items selling or selling out, being contacted and featured on HGTV, in Domino, Real Simple, Hallmark, and other magazines, linked by other great blogs (which I always love because the more blogs that write about a business, the better for the business - which is great!), and some even picked up by stores because decor8 has several shop owners reading the site. I also enjoy blogging because I have a space to catalog things, as I mentioned already, and all the wonderful contacts I’ve made. I feel extremely grateful that I’ve come in contact with this whole world of talented men and women that exist out there, people I may have never met had I not created decor8. Like you Kristen! Thank you for interviewing me.

Thank you, Holly! It’s been our pleasure to get to know you!

If you happened to catch Oprah, yesterday, then you saw a one hour episode of the luxury of living in a small space. Not just from a design perspective created by Nate Berkus, (cutie patootie) but the actual pleasure people are getting from living in smaller spaces is giving the word "minimalism" a new meaning.

As little as 96 square feet is what Jay Shafer, founder of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, is actually living in and he loves it! Jay says,

"This place has more storage per square foot than most houses would"

Makes perfect sense because when you own a house this small you have to get creative with the storage issue. This is exactly what Nate Berkus did for Martha, owner of a 250 square foot apartment in midtown Manhattan. He saw her small space as a challenge and rolled up his sleeves and got to work. The result? A regal space with storage galore.

The interesting thing about these folks and their itty bitty digs is that each one is living in these small spaces by choice and they don’t consider themselves to be "suffering" by any means. Sure they could find something bigger but they love having everything at their fingertips (literally) and their primo locations.

Hattie, at Motherpie, says, "small might be the next big thing".  Whereas years ago a small home represented poverty,  the NY Times says, today’s small homes are becoming a trend, such as this 120 square foot home in California that sits on 160 acres.

Trends are fun and it does sound tempting, but Hattie brings up another very good point, "where do the children play?"

Decor8 has put together a potpourri of decor and design books that are a must have for any homeowner’s design library. Every book that Holly has listed has a brief description and is linked to Amazon and available for purchase. Over 50 beautiful creative books and timeless decorating ideas are to be had when you enter in to Holly’s on line library.

Becky, at Hatch: the Design Public Blog, makes no bones about the fact that no one should enter in to this library if you don’t want to be tempted to buy a whole bunch of design books….

"It started for me with Mid-Century Modern, a Holly rec, which then led me over to Fifties Furniture by Paul McCobb: Directional Designs, and after that it was Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream."

Read the rest of this entry »

Quick! Set your DVR’s and Tivo for Tuesday, February 20th, as Apartment Therapy is among the guests of honor on The Oprah Winfrey Show!  They endured a 28 hour train ride and endured huge amounts of snow to create an episode that is a definite "must see".  Along with Maxwell from AT is Jane, from Apartment Therapy’s "cool contest" last year and Jay Schafer from the Tumbleweed Tiny Home Company.

The show is set to feature "Nate’s Small Space Miracle"…..

"Nate calls it the most challenging makeover he has ever done! Only 250
itty-bitty square feet…now, watch the big reveal! Then, inside Nate’s
new, tiny Manhattan apartment. He is tearing down the walls…see the
results! Plus, incredible inventions, the latest products and big ideas
for your small space."

Don’t miss it on Tuesday, February 20th and then check back here on Wednesday for a wrap up of the show.

CeLee, at Dress Your Nest, is definitely the woman to go to if you are in need of simple, straight forward, affordable, and modern design advice. Her mission is to show everyone how to really design within reach and I must say, she has accomplished her mission!

CeLee’s recent recommendation of affordable, fabric, wall hangings for the jazzing up of blank wall space, in her blog post, Mid Century Modern Wall Hangings, led me to purchase the fabulous 28 x 54 Marimekko Textile Arts Kivet Kit. The assembly required was extremely minimal (which is good for me) and the final product is a modern, abstract, art piece that looks great in my office and adds a contemporary look to my
work space.

CeLee was right, if you spend enough time perusing with her around her blog you will tap into you’re own inner design diva; I never knew I had it in me. Thanks, CeLee!

Episode 3 of Top Design was tropical, fanciful, and whimsical, and yet left me wanting more. I think because the challenge was a bit more awkward due to the fact that the nine finalists were put into groups of three and I felt like I spent more time watching the groups try and "work" together as opposed to experiencing each of their individual talents as in the weeks prior. Summer bummer. 

Each beach cabana was unique and exotic in its own way but clearly the judges were disappointed in all three to some degree. Holly, at Decor8 was just glad that the challenge took place on the beach and not in the Pacific Design Center. Although I will say, I do enjoy watching them shop with loads of money in that place.

Franki, from Life In A Venti Cup has jumped on the Top Design Bandwagon and is totally hooked. Even though the show in itself still falls short in some areas, Franki comments in her blog, that you can’t deny the talent of the off-screen designers that are involved in the show, especially that of Jonathan Adler….. 

"Jonathan has taken quite a bit of heat (as have all the judges) for
being less than warm to the competitors. But in the end I applaud his bravery for blogging
and sharing experiences that viewers don’t get to see. The camera may
well add 10 pounds, but TV show editors posses the power to add 10
times the drama. Why else would we watch?"

In light of all the "poor" decorating choices the designers made in this episode, I suggest they spend their next shopping spree at the Jonathan Adler Mega Sale going on now until February 24th. Decor8 says, "hurry"! Frank says, "scandalously low prices for tabletop couture." Shakinstyle says, "see ya later, decorator, I’m off to the sale"…..

If you’ve ever shopped Crate and Barrel’s fascinating, contemporary online store, you’ll know that they have an incredible outlet section that you can find some amazing deals on. This 3-day weekend only, Crate & Barrel is offering up to 60% off their already reduced prices in their outlet store. Check it out!

Just marked down savings include, tabletop and table linens, barware and barstools, accent furniture and accent pillows, and cookbooks and cookware. There is even an early bird spring saving on patio furniture, garden accessories and plasticware.

"The Crate and Barrel look is such a fresh and anticipated part of
today’s furnishings aesthetic, that it’s often quite easy to
overlook the considerations that go into creating it. Put simply, there’s
a lot more than meets the eye."

So take the weekend off and step into huge savings that will no doubt, get you ready for spring!