Oh, and if you have kidlets, be sure to check out our great ongoing giveaway over at Ohdeedoh...
Thursday Giveaway Roundup: 07.04.08
Happy Fourth of July Thread
"Today is Independence Day. On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, and the United States officially broke from the rule of England. The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson in a little second floor room on Market Street in Philadelphia, on a little lap desk that he designed himself. The Congress had wanted Benjamin Franklin to write it, but he declined, and then John Adams declined because he said Jefferson was ten times a better writer than he was...
CHI House Tour: Dominic's Vintage Gold Coast Gem
Name: Dominic Albanese, owner of Metropolis Modern
Location: Gold Coast, Chicago
Size: One bedroom
Years lived in: 1
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Sometimes it's just a good email day - we had one earlier this year, when Dominic got in touch offering to share his apartment with AT: Chicago. His one bedroom is in a 1920's building in the Gold Coast and has all of the beautiful vintage details that add so much style to a space, such as coffered ceilings and graceful archways. He is the owner of Metropolis Modern, which explains his eye for design AND for spotting a bargain - his home was done on an extreme budget. Jump below for all the (thrifty!) details...
Living Faux Real at the Americana at Brand
We've been to the Americana at Brand just once, and we have to say, once was really enough. For those of you who don't know what the Americana, or it's older precursor The Grove is, it's a theme-park re-imagining of mainstream USA, complete with trolly and courtyard fountain. The Americana has the added feature of lofts and townhouses, providing an opportunity to literally live in a mall. LA Times Home & Garden writer Chris Erskine reports about what it was like calling the Americana home during a short stay...
Close-Up!: Monique's Found Style
Speaking of found style, Monique is one of the masters...
Photo of the Week: Stephanie Congdon Barnes' Cat
We don't think it's just because it's almost 5:00 on the day before a three-day weekend (hello, holiday!) that this photo has us totally rolling on the floor.
AT on... Keeping Books
We've moved a lot in the last few years, causing us to frequently have to purge lots of our stuff in order to get from point A to B with some sanity left. But now that we don't see any plans to flee the country in our near future, we'd like to fill out our home a bit. The concern, we suppose, is where to draw the line. In reading The Cure, we started thinking about books and how important they are to our vision of home.
The Backyard Tool Shed Office
We're so green with envy right now of Brian DeHamer's amazing San Diego tool shed conversion. Brian purchased a 8' x 15' Tuff Shed Standard Ranch Storage Building and placed it in a vacant 10′ x 17′ space behind his garage. Nothing unusual, except he then went ahead and added insulation, drywall, carpet, interior paint, wired it all up with electrical, cable, phone, and Ethernet, creating a comfortable place to work just outside the door of his SD home. Pre-fabulous job! Check out all the details of his construction job at his site DeHamerSpace.com.
[images via Brian's Flickr Office Set via LifeHacker]
Patterned Jute Rugs
Jute rugs have a lot of good qualities. They're durable, inexpensive, and made from natural fibers, but they usually come in just a few solid colors. That's changing as we see more designers and manufacturers working with products made from renewable materials. Click below for a few examples of cheap, chic jute rugs in several patterns...
Look! Hidden Home Office
If you don't think you have the space in your place to put a home office, take a look at some of these tips from House to Home magazine. They're showing some pretty great solutions on how to create a workspace in a dining room or a bedroom that doesn't detract from the main purpose of the room.
[ Photo from House to Home ]
ATLA Blogger Search: Just One More Day
We've received a handful of applicants for our search for additional bloggers throughout the Southwest states, Australia and Asia. But there's still time left for you to send in your submission to join the Apartment Therapy Los Angeles team.
Remember, you can be from anywhere in the Southwest, so that means places like Austin, Las Vegas, Phoenix...even out yonder in Hawaii. We're also looking for correspondent reporters in Australia and Asia with a passion for decor and design solutions from a regional perspective. Read all the details here and we hope to hear from you soon!
How Do You Recharge Your Creative Batteries?
We juggle blogging four posts a day for AT with a day job, a couple of other freelance gigs, a very active social life and other assorted and sundry projects. Needless to say, we get very little sleep so we're looking forward to sleeping in over the long weekend. But we're also looking forward to it for other reasons...
Handwoven Rugs by Gene Straus Designs Weaving Studio
The rugs out of Gene Straus Designs Weaving Studio are made mostly from recycled textile scraps, including wool and denim. Available in a standard 3x5 size, the rugs would be beautiful at the foot of a bed or in front of a fireplace.
A Photographer's Home, Medicine Box, New Kettle & Hoop Bulletin Boards
Seen, noted and found interesting. Slinks for 07.03.08
Some favorites from touring around the design sites today: the beautiful home of an interiors photographer, a swiss medicine box, a new teakettle and hoop-de-doo bulletin boards. Jump below for all the links:
Biothinking's Top 40 Greenest Products
The green top 40. This list of The World's Top 40 Greenest Products by Biothinking is a helpful and interesting introduction to green product design. Some of the standouts for us:
For Dummies Books
Last night we found out a friend of ours is writing a Dummies book. We've never really paid attention to the titles before. We guess it's the whole "dummies" thing that kind of turned us off. Anyway, we went to their website this morning and, whoa! There are a lot of interesting titles in their Home section!
Long Weekend Roundup: Best Garden Tips, Tricks and Inspiration
As we prepare to sit back and relax for a nice 3 day weekend (we're going out of town, yay!) we thought we'd round up our favorite garden related posts from last month for those of you who plan to do a little digging, or for those of you who just want some inspiration. Our favorite plants, inspiration, products and tips from the month of June after the jump:
Simple Green: 5 Ways to Clean Up Your Laundy
We hate doing laundry so we put it off and put it off until we have a full load. And we wash everything together in cold water on a short cycle (Even more hateful than laundry is waiting around for it to finish).
House Tour: Amy's Green House goes Platinum
Washington, DC
Name: Amy
Occupation: Real Estate Agent
Location: Mt. Pleasant in Washington, DC
Type: row house built in the late 1800's
Size: 1900 sq/ft
Years lived in: owned for 2 (renovations took a year)
A real estate broker for over 8 years, Amy was tired of seeing the bad quality of homes being quickly but inefficiently built. Amy set herself the goal of proving to builders that an energy efficient home made from local resources is less costly in the long-run. Mt. Pleasant was the perfect place because of the similar neighboring houses, which can be easily compared...
LA Good Question: Updating Wood Panel Walls?
ATLA reader Natalie sent us her condo renovation question about wood panel walls and restaining them:
"My condo was built in 1963 and I have a huge wooden wall that runs from the living room, through the dining room, and into the kitchen. The floorplan is completely open, so the wall becomes the main feature. I love the look of the wood set on a diagonal, but I can't help but feel it's a little outdated..."
Tricks for Decorating Small Spaces
Domino
If you live in an apartment in any of the metropolitan areas covered on Apartment Therapy, chances are you're dealing with a minimal amount of space. So what to do? Learn how to maximize every inch you have by utilizing these clever space enhancing tricks.
Color Combo: Blue and Black
With all the black walls floating around AT, we thought we'd pull together a dramatic color combo that we rarely see: blue and black. It's a combination that can come off as romantic and moody or crisp and elegant, depending on the shades you choose and whether or not you balance the combo with a lighter neutral. Click below for lots of inspirational photos:
TileVault: More Cement Tile Inspiration
Boston
Maxwell posted a photo of Morrocan cement tiles recently and we love their time-worn beauty as well. In an entryway or kitchen where there's no upholstered furniture to clash with, they draw your eye in and welcome you. And they are a perfect antidote to all things sleek and shiny...
How To: Clean Stove Burner Grates Without Chemicals
We've got a vintage stove which we use daily. It also seems like we've got some vintage stains from all the cooking this week, so we're going to give our petite appliance a cleaning by taking off all the grates and soak them in a baking soda and hot water bath. Pretty darn simple: completely submerge them in boiling water in a non-aluminum pot for a few minutes (be careful about the splash), remove and allow to cool, rinse and scour off those formerly difficult stains with a scouring pad.
[via Baking Soda Bonanza]
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