apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We have the longer version of Petrie couch from Crate and Barrel. Although I fought it (because of the size) I have to say now I LOVE being able to stretch out on it at the same time that my boyfriend is sprawled on it.

They will be delivering some vintage eames loungers this weekend so I am just guessing that one of those, with a good reading lamp with become my most favorite seat in the house. Hurry weekend!

Kitchen table! I eat there, I work there, read there. The light is excellent because of two french doors leading into my backyard and I can look at the progress of my garden for a little break.

Plus, I "made" my table so there's some pride associated with that. I took a crappy thrift store table, painted it black, then covered the tabletop with pages from a damaged copy of Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. Whenever I have friends over for a meal (which is often) they all love reading random passages.

I recently learned how useful my kitchen table is. How? I decided to re-do it with mosaic tiles, a project that has taken more than a week now. Being WITHOUT something really helps illustrate the item's necessity.

I have a pair of tall bookshelves. They form the "wall" between the bedroom and dining area of my studio apartment and give the entry to my place a little sense of enclosure before you open out into the main room. Of course they also hold books, knitting supplies, and my more decorative dishware. I'm thinking about getting another pair to put back-to-back with them on the bedroom side for yet more book/media storage.

The kitchen table is definitely number two. I think my couch ranks down around fifth, after my bed, my desk, and about equal with the ottoman/coffee table.

My most useful furniture item is a $40 microwave/kitchen cart I bought at Target 5 years ago. It is now going into its 4th apartment and has been extremely helpful in freeing up counter space putting otherwise dead kitchen space to use in each and every place. Worth every penny I paid for it!

Our 40 year-old dining room table! It's dinged up a little but we eat at it, have parties around it, do art/sew/build models on it, stand on it to pin skirt or pants hems, make potstickers, and watch TV around it. We still have three of the original chairs it came with and they're not in great shape either but they're so comfortable. The couch only gets one visitor--our eldest cat.

it's also my dining room/work/entertainment table. the only thing i don't use it for is sleeping & bathing!

There's a chair and ottoman that I constantly sit on...as well as sleep when I'm too lazy to go upstairs to bed at times. It's so comfortable! It's my favorite chair. I have the tv in front of it, and I eat, read and do my computer surfing there. My bed is wonderful, too.

How do you people afford this stuff? Crate and Barrel? I suppose you shop at "Whole paycheck foods" too.