FoHi fo' real

I've been meaning to post pics of an especially inspiring apartment recently (or not so recently) featured on apartment therapy. The most interesting part -- this designer lives in Forest Hills too.

Commonly called a "landing strip" on AT, we also have this in our apartment entryway. I am still looking for a mirror though, and our little shelf needs some tidying up.

When we were home-hunting, we often saw apartments with built-in shelves that are only deep enough to display objects, not actually store stuff. I really like this idea of converting that space into one large display that frames a vase (or some other large object, rather than a bunch of tchotkes). If you look carefully enough, the vase sits on a bed of little stones, which I think is a great detail!

Speaking of conversion, I LOVE this idea of making the front hallway closet into a little office. I think it's enclosed enough to keep you away from distractions, yet just roomy enough to work. I would do well to learn at least a little of her storage/organization solutions (I am quite dissatisfied with our office).

I also like how the galley kitchen is a breakfast bar but also serves as an entertaining bar when viewed from the living room.

Another lesson to learn: combining dining space into the living room.

And what a great way to use the hallway -- a dressing space.

The bedroom reminds me a lot of a hotel room (not sure if that's good or bad), especially with the console table used as a nightstand/writing desk. But as with hotel rooms, I like how the space is compact, combining several functions for the room as a whole (sleeping/lounging/sitting areas), as well as for each piece of furniture.

One of the sitting areas -- Note how the floors are stained darker. Many apartments (including ours) have that blond-colored wood and I've always wanted darker floors.

I want to do this, but I am looking for a long dresser to go with the mirror we have.

Interestingly, one of the complaints/critiques about this apartment that many people pointed out is that it looks too much like a catalog. But is that such a bad thing? I don't want to see a "lived-in" space b/c that often just means it's cluttered.

* * *

While I have my FH pride, I'll say that we tried the somewhat famous Nick's pizza last night. I called in our order for pick-up, which was a good thing, since there were a few groups outside waiting even though it was 9:30 on a weeknight. I was worried that not eating the pizza right away would cause the crust to get soggy, but surprisingly, it didn't. I think the secret to that is slightly charring the bottom, which I'm not crazy about. I do like the thin crust and the plentiful toppings (big hunks of fresh cheese too), all for less than $20 for a large pie (enough to feed at least 3 adults). The fresh basil gave it a nice flavor too. And I think it was even better when I heated it up for lunch today. The prosciutto flavor really sunk in and wasn't too salty. How does this compare to my favorite all-time pizza ever? Nick's is good, but it doesn't beat Totonno's (it's also elevated in my eyes for being in my old 'hood in Brooklyn *sniff*). I *heart* Totonno's, even if their decor is cheesy (think disposable cups even when you eat in), it''s a bit overpriced, and it's crazy far.

Hello furniture!

This July 4th holiday was such a ruse -- barely enough time to relax before it was time to go back to work again. :( But it was a well-needed break. Dear and some friends finally moved some old furniture into our apartment and it is a marked difference to live with furniture versus without (even if that furniture is not the prettiest thing out there). I thought it would be a huge thing to finally get a dresser, to not have to live out of a suitcase and some shopping bags, but I don't notice much difference, just that my clothes are in a different place higher above the ground. (Maybe I just need to get more clothes? I feel like I wear the same things over and over again and now I know it's probably not because I can't find things.)

The big difference is in the living room. We got a hand-me-down table and chairs from Dear's aunt and I had remembered it to be quite ugly but for some reason or another Dear was guilted into taking the set. It's not as ugly as I recall (though we won't be winning any interior design awards with it either) but it will do until I find the table I want that is right for the space. The surprising thing though, is that after some organizing, I feel really comfortable sitting at the table. (Maybe that's why dining chairs are built a certain height to fit a table, unlike slouchy camping chairs paired with a folding conference table.)

We also switched the position of the sofa and it opens up the space so that it's actually welcoming. When I walked into the living room this morning, and again after coming home, I felt happy being there, enjoying the space, instead of wanting to block out my surroundings by turning on the TV.

how the living room is currently arranged

We left a pathway for the movers to deliver the credenza we ordered but I kinda like the wide open space so I would want to leave like this afterwards too but it's so crowded by the dining table.

possibility A

Once the movers are done, I was thinking of moving the recliner over to the other side but I'm not sure whether or not that will make the space feel closed again.

possiblity B

The recliner is quite bothersome (even though it is pretty comfortable)!

Today I finally finished the second coat of paint in the alcove. Just when I thought I was done painting that area and we could move some furniture over, I realize that the moulding also needs to be painted. GRRRRR!! Who, in their right minds, would ever paint trim to be any other color other than white or off-white?! If the previous tenant had left it white-ish like she did with the living room, I'd be done by now!!
And for moulding, you have to really clean up/sand all the little nooks, otherwise the paint pools up in all those little details (as it already has) and it loses its profile. So not looking forward to this part. :(

[SIDENOTE: If you are interested, that unique-looking ladder was made by Dear's grandfather -- isn't that cool? It's a bit heavy, but I am proud to be able to use something he has made with his own hands, without the help of power tools. I've heard he was really good with his hands and I would have liked to meet him.]

Progress on alcove, or how to remove wallpaper

I took Wednesday off and actually got some work on the apartment done. I am so unmotivated now, it is a struggle which I can't stand more, the mess of things unfinished or the labor involved to finish. Right now, I'm "working" on the little alcove area next to the living room. I dread even thinking about painting the hallway and doors (more funky colors to cover up!).

On Wednesday, I had some help with the sanding (which I detest more than the painting) and then I painted the first coat. Now I have just one coat left (after another light sanding of course, grrr)! Here is the progression:

BEFORE: flowery, paisley-like wallpaper and yes, the baseboard moulding really was painted yellow and green.

A few moons ago, I tested a small area to see whether fabric softener really would loosen the paper and it did! Then I stopped working in this area to finish the bedroom, which we would need so that we could sleep comfortably.

Here's another view of this area, where you can see the confluence of colors that the previous tenant lived with. I am too embarassed to show the other side right now, where there are even more colors.

So the first order of business, after struggling to remove the somewhat plasticky paper was to score it. I got this round thingy with rolling wheels underneath that pierced the paper with lots of little holes without damaging the wall behind the paper. Then I sprayed a whole lot of fabric softener, letting it soak in.

And the sheets became easy to pull down. I think the tiny holes really helped.

Sometimes a few bits and pieces were left behind because I didn't let that area fully soak. I just re-sprayed, waited a few minutes, and then scraped with a scraper.

Dear helped by removing the picture hooks with a pair of pliers.

The last piece!

The holes in the wall, patched up and sanded.

After all the wallpaper was removed, I washed all the walls with TSP, a blue liquid that really cleans your walls and leaves it feeling slightly rough, ready to primed. I thought it necessary to use TSP to make sure all the glue from the paper was completely gone. After washing with TSP, it is necessary to rinse it off thoroughly.

The walls finally primed!

I took the extra step of priming with an oil-based primer so that if there were any glue residue (wallpaper glue is water-based) the oil would block it (since oil and water don't mix).

On a sidenote, I think it will be OK to keep the light fixture here (just need to straighten it out a little). At first, with the busy twirls of the wallpaper matching the curves on the fixture, I thought it was just too much going on in such a small space. Now, I think the curves are a good complement to the plain walls.

Today, I proceeded to lightly sand the walls and then apply the second coat. Unfortunately, I ran out of paint so I only finished a wall. When will this ever be done? I can't wait to roll up the dropcloth in this area because we keep tripping on it and it is so ugly!

The living/dining room's slow transformation

The original wall color -- an old-ladyish dusty rose

At this point the walls were slightly roughed up with 150 grit sandpaper so there was dark pink dust everywhere -- eegh!

View of other end of room, with walls primed

First coat of paint (yes, there's really color there)

The color came out a lot lighter and more yellow than I expected. Everyone kept saying that you should find a color you like, then move up one shade lighter on the color chip thingy because it comes out darker in real life. Well phooey on them because I would have preferred something darker and if you hold the chip up against the wall, it blends in perfectly. It's just hard to gauge how it will look until the entire space is covered. And every little thing affects it, from lighting to furniture, etc. but I'm OK with it (for now). One thing the majority was right about is testing out colors in the room, at various times of day, on a white background. I didn't really have a white background to work with and the color ended up being less beige and more like cream.

Second coat, with potential accent wall left unpainted

I think it's a bit easier to see the color next to the currently white wall. Or maybe it's that the second coat of paint really did make a difference. Speaking of second coats, this color is so light that it was really difficult to see where I had already painted. Such are the perils of painting....

Choosing (or trying to) a color for the accent wall

If it's not already obvious, I have no idea what I'm doing, if this is even the right wall to accent, whether or not any of the color choices clash with the existing window treatment (b/c we're not likely changing those custom-made blinds), and whether these colors will clash with the furniture or other stuff. The idea is to put the dining table in front of this wall and I was thinking of a warm color to cozy up this side of the room and I had also read that warm colors make you feel welcome and induce you to eat more (i.e. feel more comfortable). That said, can you help me choose a color?!

Floor planning

HGTV's furniture and room planner helped create:
Not sure if our living/dining room really will be laid out like this (don't have the exact dimensions of all our (future and current) furniture but it is much better to think about than the mess of boxes and painting and wallpaper removal supplies we currently have scattered everywhere.

A modern room and wallpaper removal

I came across the Kreiss site today and just loved the look of this room: cool, clean, comfortable. It's called the Libra collection and surprisingly has materials that I wouldn't normally consider, like marble (always thought that too high-end shi-shi for my taste) and wrought iron. But I like how bright and light the room is, with several accent colors and the contrast with dark materials. I've always liked the look of a white room with dark floors -- it just looks so spacious and airy (I guess tall ceilings also help in this instance).

And I really like this chair:


for the low price of $2575. It looks so comfy, yet has clean lines and looks solid. Hoping to find a close replication for much less.

Meanwhile, I'm looking into wallpaper removal options for the apartment:

• a step-by-step primer, from This Old House
  
• video and instructions on what to do when someone has painted over the wallpaper, from an episode on Ask This Old House that I saw on PBS
  
• step-by-step, from Zinnser (using their products, of course)
• information on stripping and how to paint afterwards, from This Old House
  
• and lastly, I've heard about spraying the paper with fabric softener mixed with hot water

One of the articles mentioned that you should use an oil-based primer after removing all the paper and glues because the water in water-based paints might reactivate some of the glues. But can you use water-based paint over oil-based primer?