apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We could include a cheesy tie in to some Beach Boys surfing song here -- but we won't. Instead, we'll just let you admire the Surfin occasional table in peace. We imagine that if a Eames molded plywood mated with a wire-base table and became crunchy granola, the result would be the Surfin Occasional Table.

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

- Aldo Leopold, ecologist and environmentalist.

It's rare that a piece of furniture makes us stop in our tracks and say, "Dang!" but the Slim Slant by Modern Slant does just that. And the fact that it is also eco-friendly, made from renewable bamboo, is the icing on the cake.

We're thankful (and fortunate) that Berwyn has a Recyclable Materials Program. Every Wednesday, the garbage truck swings by and takes our trash and then a bit later, the RMP truck swings on by and takes our recyclables so that eventually, they end up back in our house in a new incarnation.

While reviewing some teen bedding for Ohdeedoh, we noticed that Delia*s now sells lighting. It was one of the lamps we found there, which inspired this Best of Three.

This trio of accents, available at Urban Outfitters, is recycled from various magazines. What do you think?

In an effort to use less air conditioning, we want to install two ceiling fans in our home. Of course, the problem has always been finding one that wasn't a complete eye sore. Part of us thinks, "Well, it is only a ceiling fan." while the teeny tiny aesthete inside us whispers, "Pretty! Must get pretty!"

July is Green Month at AT and while we will celebrate everything green all month long, we momentarily turn our attention to the original green -- the color. And since we've always had a thing for chairs, we seem to love them all the more in our favorite shade.

Is there anything better than sitting outdoors on a cool summer night and throwing a warm blanket over yourself? We have countless childhood memories of sitting in the yard with our favorite blanket watching fireflies in the evening. Somehow, Denyse Schmidt's String Theory Quilt takes us back there. Still, our blanket was never this nice.

We usually think of the Queen Anne as being a bit highfalutin -- like our stuffy cousin who "lunches", personified. Still, we love how Pottery Barn's Queen Anne chairs, in a variety of bright colors, appear to be taking themselves not so seriously.

Known for innovative spaces such as Aqua and SOS Children's Village, Studio Gang is considered, by many to be the force behind the next great wave of architecture in Chicago. What we're really fans of, however, is Studio Gang's office across the street from Nelson Algren fountain, in Wicker Park.

A well coordinated splash of blue can completely enliven a room -- especially if the effect is subtly carried across a few elements. The right tones of blue can generate a calming and tranquil atmosphere that puts occupants at peace with a quiet welcome.

Center on Halsted and Mercy Housing Lakefront are the only major buildings utilizing a grey water recycling system in the state and it seems to be a trend that is continually growing as more and more home owners implement some sort of grey water system in their homes. Alison Cuddy recently explored grey water usage in Chicago and discusses it on Chicago Matters: Growing Forward.

We recently discovered the book Discovering Design, edited by Richard Buchanan and Victor Margolin, and found it to be quite an interesting read. The book is a collection of essays written by scholars in the fields of sociology, philosophy and psychology, among others, in an attempt to examine the value and place that design has in our world. One of the more interesting passages in the book was in essay by Richard Buchanan...

With little space for a dream garden, Joan and William Feldman were offered a clever alternative by landscape designers Mia Lehrer and Holly Kuwayama,"... to hang a garden on the wall, a leafy picture that could thrive without much soil or water."

Whether you love or hate his work, Mondrian's presence is still felt in many places -- particularly in the world of design. The straight line, the use of primary color; here are a few pieces which acknowledge the work of Dutch neo-plasticist painter Piet Mondrian. Check them out below the jump:

Richard Schultz, the man behind Knoll’s Leisure collection, has added a new line to his impressive oeuvre. Debuting last month at ICFF, Schultz's Wing Collection features tables and chairs which give a nod and a wink to the classic wing chair, but are all Schultz.

The Prairie Avenue District, south of downtown Chicago, is a tiny area that houses many wonderful -- almost hidden -- gems within a few steps of each other. Not so long ago, we happened to stumble upon this garden near the Clarke and Glessner Homes.

We recently found this idea over at the Hallmark Magazine Web site, and immediately did a double-take. The idea was intriguing -- what better use of old mismatched plates than to make your garden look good -- but still, we were scratching our head a bit.

Sculptor Paula Hayes' clever planters, created with translucent silicone, are both quirky and ethereal. Made to resemble baby booties and coming in various sizes from tiny to backyard garden-sized, perhaps they serve to remind us that nature and children often go hand-in-hand.

A great bench can many hats: it can sit in your hallway and greet you when you get home; it can sit in front of your coffee table holding your magazines, books and even your feet; it can feel equally at home even in a bathroom. With so many possibilities for a slatted bench, we like that we have just as many choices available. Here are two...