apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

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:

July Sales...

• Modernica
  
• Case Study Shelving Unit Promotion
  
• 72 Hours Only
  
• Sale prices effective July 4th 12am to July 6th 12am
  
• Online only

In Streeterville, a brand new Union Dining Table from CB2 is being sold for $250. Currently on sale for $299. retail, this would save you $50 plus tax. Jump below for links to this and more good finds:

Apartment Therapy Furniture Classifieds are open for your business in our Shopping Guide.

We got a quick email from AT:Chicago reader Jacqueline, without much text but filled with inspirational photos of her small space - one of our favorite things to find in the inbox. She told us: Here is some Apartment Therapy...My TINY Hyde Park studio turned into a livable space! Done on a nearly zero budget! Jump below for all the photos:

A roomful of dramatic pieces. The overall look is dark tones set off with metallics - gilt, chrome, etched brass. Add in a seventies meets art deco meets chinoiserie vibe and you are all set for a modern day mahjong parlor (or simply a place to have a few cocktails)....Jump below for links, prices and details:

Found on the web today and worth a longer look: a blank wooden toy sculpture, very cool Italian photos, a twig table DIY and a collection of vintage album covers used as a headboard. Jump below for all the links:

Queen of modern patterns Orla Kiely is adding another product to her lineup - and it is one that makes perfect sense - bed linens. The cheerful, fresh and modern designs are so well suited to bedding, it seems unbelievable that they haven't existed before...

Eros sent in a good question: As I am working on a client's project I found what I consider to be the perfect chandelier, can you tell me who makes this piece?

What do you think of the trend we've been seeing of mixing two different patterns or colors of wallpaper in a single room? Jump below for voting, links and info:

Below the jump, our quick roundup of the best of what we blogged all last month on AT - the outdoors and gardening. From backyards to patios, gardens to swimming pools, here was what was hot in June 2008:

Found on our travels through the blogs today: patterned bug art, an epic lantern roundup, mossy mushrooms and a new book. Jump below for all the links:

Cookie has a great post up with info Laurie David's book The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming. Included is a chart listing six very easy to implement simple steps that not only are eco-friendly but wallet friendly as well. Jump below to check it out:

Name: Janel
Location: Chicago
Profession: AT Editor

Don't get me wrong, I'm far from a green expert but (thankfully) that is not required to be part of our Green@Home giveaway - our goal for July is to gather and share some of the small steps that we have all taken to move to a greener place at home. As we all know, the little things really do add up and seeing what everyone is up to should be interesting and inspirational.

So, to help kick things off and (hopefully) inspire some of you to send us in info on how you live green@home, here are some of the small green "moves" my family has implemented at home...

Cara sent us an email: My parents are replacing their living room flooring and are trying to decide between carpet or laminate/engineered wood. (Hardwood is not an option right now, unfortunately.) Based on the colors in the room, I'm really pulling for the engineered wood. I think it would tie the room together, and would look more warm and welcoming. Not to mention the fact that wood floors are less dirty and easier to clean! However, my parents are afraid the wood will be too cold....

Annabelle Gurwitch is one of the faces of the Planet Green channel - she did the Tribune's q&a session on her home life this past weekend. Here are a few good bits:

What do you think of an indoor composter? We're taking a second look at these personally, as a convenient (and now less expensive) solution for city dwellers (like us) who want to start composting...

From the AT:Chicago classifieds, ES in River North has some black and white Dwell Design accent pillows for sale at $60 each. They are less than six months old and retail for $110. Jump below for links to this and more good finds...

Apartment Therapy Furniture Classifieds are open for your business in our Shopping Guide.

Ok, you'll have to forgive us. We don't mean to drag this out, but our background check to confirm the exact answer on this one is taking longer than we hoped, as we are waiting for a call back to confirm. BUT we know that we promised an answer today, so here goes with a partial answer to hopefully tide you over...

We're devoted to the home, and next month we plan to address the recent frustration over going green at home. We're calling it Green @ Home, and it's designed to be a month long sharing across most of our sites of green moves/tips/solutions that you've implemented at home.

In return we've teamed up with Ecover to give the first 100 posted submissions a special green gift of their products. Interested in sharing? Read on....

News from our inbox: Beginning July 1, Jayson Home & Garden is having a one-time-only storewide sale. This sale is being called "The Really, Really, Really Big Sale". For the first time we have put every area of our store on sale at the same time, from the basement outlet to the outside garden. The sale will be in store and online through July 20. Some very substantial discounts are in the offering, jump below for details:

Ariel sent in a good question: I have a back patio that is quite large (the prior homeowner - pre-remodel) poured this concrete so he wouldn't have to maintain the grass. It is nice for our toddler to play on and may be a great place for an impromptu roller hockey game but it is not very inviting for entertaining or just hanging out. It is east facing so is in the sun (which is strong) from about 9 am to 1 pm. We have interviewed a couple of landscape architects but have yet to feel inspired....

Some interesting fresh posts we ran into this morning: a "designer" tote, laundry room inspiration, the new nest and fauxidermy. Jump below for all the links:

One of the greatest parts of the Cure is the outbox - the collection of things that you are getting rid of. Having a waystation for items that are making their way out of your life makes the "goodbye" that much easier. You can place something in the outbox, knowing that if you decide you really NEED it, it can be retrieved before the box is emptied (and, honestly that is something we rarely end up doing - once in the outbox it usually goes....). That said, outboxs are a good idea anytime your home needs some attention and are most effective when well organized - here's a method for managing the madness: