apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Dan Ho is my new idol. Click my name for the NYT article. Did anyone catch his show on Discovery Health?

Re Dan Ho: anyone who owns a single bath towel and a single set of sheets must spend a *lot* of time doing laundry. Wouldn't it be more efficient to own two sets of sheets and three or four towels, thus freeing up the laundry time for more valuable pursuits?

I agree with Wende. It sounds like he's going from one extreme to another. It's strange and likely not efficient to have six sofas in a house, like he did. It's also strange and not efficient to have one towel. Having one towel and one set of sheets is like saying "I am never going to have someone stay overnight, ever. I am never going to knock over a water glass on the bed at 3AM when I'm blindly reaching for it in the dark."

And what's the problem with having a toilet paper holder?

At a certain point divesting yourself of so much is just as silly as constantly chasing more more more.

I think he sounds gimmicky and like he's trying to figure out a way to make a buck.

hi guys, i posted this in the last open thread, but, well, it got buried, so i'm copying it below -- i'm really daunted and could REALLY use some advice! thanks in advance!

okay, i was waiting for a new open thread, but i guess there might not be one today
yesterday i looked at an apt and, it has great bones, but two minor (or possibly major) problems
one, all the surfaces are painted in deep, dark, oxblood red or black
and two, theres a full wall of mirrors in the living room and a full CEILING of mirrors in the bathroom

so, does anyone have advice on what would be the best way to paint over all that dark, gothic nonsense and does anyone know if its easy to remove mirrors from walls/ceilings???
any advice would be hugely, and greatly, appreciated
i'm a total renovation novice!!

I used to love Dan Ho's rescue magazine. While it seemed a bit egocentric on his part, it had a lot of great tips for living with less, making do, and appreciating life. I'd be curious to see his show, but I down-sized my cable a year or so ago. How was it?

See, I only have one set of sheets--I put them in the washer Saturday am, and remake the bed before sleeping. Usually. If I spilled water in the bed at 3am, I'd just avoid the wet spot. Getting up and remaking the bed would just leave me awake anyway.

And yes, I am a spinster with 3 cats.

So, does anyone have good online/big boxy retail sources for curtains? I need some thick ones for keeping in the heat and keeping out the light in my bedroom.

I was ready to hate the guy, but I watched a bit of his show because it was obviously NYC-based. He didn't make anybody over and wasn't critical of others--just seemed to have a refeshing perspective. The opposite of HGTV's "I Want That!"

Ann, for the dark paint, I'd say a couple coats of primer, and then several coats of whatever color you want, should do the trick.

As far as the mirrors go, it depends on how they're attached to the walls/ceiling - screws, glue, etc.

Good Luck!

Ann-I've never actually removed mirrors from walls, but have always seen on design shows they tape large X's over the mirrors, I guess so if the mirror breaks or cracks it still stick together and you aren't left with dangerous shards everywhere.

wende, you're so unkind and cynical, anyone who is buying $4k trees no doubt has a towel/sheet with magical self-cleaning properties.

or a maid.

"spilling water in the bed at 3 am" -- euphemisms used to be more succinct in my youth.

Hi Ann,

Removing mirrors from walls is not hard, even if they have been glued. You will need duct tape, wooden shims (like used to level furniture) and a hammer. The best way to do this is to cover the whole mirror in duct tape for safety. then pick a side of the mirror (usually the top, though ceiling mounted mirrors you'll probably want to pick one of the long sides). Use more duct tape to create a hinge between the mirror and the wall/ceiling. The take your wooden shims and start slowly hammering them in along the non-hinge sides of the mirror. Try to do this as evenly as possible. As you work the shims under the mirror you will create enough flex to pop it off the wall, where it will hang from your duct tape hinge. Then you shout "Ta da!" and do a happy dance.

Oh, and rasil, ensuring you have enough overnight guests helps prevent any "water spilling" of that sort. So it looks like this guy is screwed either way. Or not screwed.

wow! thank you all SO much!
I can't believe it's doable!
now, everyone keep your fingers crossed for us, and I promise if it happens, I'll document and share the whole shebang!