Julie Carlson - 16 Aug

The Remodelista Manifesto:
10 Rules to Live By

A Users Guide to
Kitchens

A Users Guide to
Bathrooms

Foreword The Internet changed everything for me. In my pre-Google days, I found my design sources by tramping through neighborhoods trolling thrift shops and hardware stores, tearing pages out of design magazines and scouring the resource sections, and inviting myself into the homes of those whose taste I admired. Oh, and by sneaking into showrooms designated to the trade only! My results werent bad, but my methods were hardly efficient.

But suddenly there was the Internet. And I was renovating a house in Montauk. I wasnt even calling it a renovationI just wanted to clean it up inexpensively and quickly, so my family could move in the following summer. I decided I would source everything myself and have it sent out to my contractor, Eddie Eurell, piece by piece. He would call me every morning at 9:30 to give me a progress report and tell me what they were ready to install. And I spent every spare moment on the Internet sourcing light fixtures, faucets, and cabinet pulls. It feels great to discover a plumbing site that stocks most pieces and can overnight them to you, but it is mind-numbing to plow through eighty-one pages of really unattractive extralong bathtub fillers, only to find out that the one you like is the sole piece custom-made in Italy. And has a twelve-week lead time. So when I Googled outdoor lighting and a page popped up that said: 10 Easy Pieces: Outdoor Lighting, I couldnt believe my luck. I liked them all! Someone had edited out all the ugly stuff and had chosen ten lovely and easily obtainable outdoor lights. So I ordered some. Boom.

That was my introduction to Remodelista. Upon further exploration (daily on my part), the website proved to be a beautifully designed and curated collection of images, sources, and information about decoration and remodeling, my most passionate avocation. The features are fascinating and useful10 Easy Pieces, Architect Visit, the ever-popular Steal This Look. (I admit I felt a huge surge of pride when I found my own house in the Steal This Look section.) I had a hard time understanding how four women unknown to me so often shared my taste. Did I know them? Maybe I did! I developed an enormous curiosity about this Julie and this Francesca and Sarah and Christinehow did they manage this? Where did they find their sources? Where do they find the time? Why do we all like the same stuff? But at the end of the day, I ceased wondering and just availed myself of their expertise and their generosity.

After I completed my Montauk cleanup, I continued to frequent the website for purposes of education and entertainment, and when I renovated my Manhattan town house for the second time, it was Remodelista I turned to when I needed to very quickly choose several shades of white paint Architects Favorite White Paint, not the five-pound Benjamin Moore paint wheel. What a relief. I now have two new very interesting doormats (10 Easy Pieces: Doormats) from Commune, and I didnt have to troll every hardware store in lower Manhattan to find them. And when I worked in Toronto last summer, I shopped at the coolest Scandinavian/Japanese store ever, Mjlk (City Guide: Toronto), and finally found flatware that I liked. And before I knew it, I realized that Remodelista had become the first source for me; the first place I turn for information, ideas, and, sometimes, even direction.

Anyway, Julie, Francesca, Sarah, and Christinethank you. Thank you for the help. Thank you for the website. Thank you for now putting out a book of resources, inspiration, and advice for all of us. And it turns out that I dont know you, but with all that youve shared with me... I kind of feel like I do. Julianne Moore

Introduction Look around you. If youre at home, chances are you see room for improvement. Youre not alone. Empowered by the DIY movement and the increasing accessibility of good design, weve all become curators of our domains. The rule-driven, to-the-trade-only approach to home design has flown out the window. In its place, the personal and the meaningful rule the roost.

With this democratization of design, however, the possibilities (and the choices) are endless. Literally. The average kitchen remodel requires 2,500 decisions. And therein lies the hitch. Whether youre a professional or a novice, and whether you live in a closet or a chteau, the question remains: exactly how do you track down what you love and can afford, and how do you corral it with confidence at home?

Six years ago, we launched Remodelista.com as an answer to that question, creating a digital guide to the home design process. Having survived more than a dozen remodels (thanks to midnight phone consultations and rapid-fire e-mail debates about the merits of one drawer pull over another), our four founding editors decided to pool their resources. Our thinking went like this: why go looking for the perfect faucet or sofa or front hall mirror if your style-savvy neighbor has already found The One? Remodelista is that neighbor, with all the information youll need cataloged and documented. Who has the interestand staminato spend months tracking down the worlds best light switch covers? We do.

And who are we? Were a group of far-flung friends who share a pared-down aestheticwhat we like to think of as a collective design DNAand a near-obsessive interest in the details. It adds up to a desire to live well and thoughtfully. We research every major (and minor!) purchase to the ends of the earth. And were never quite finished. Were continually fiddling with our quarters and seeing what the design world is up to. We hope our book inspires youand that you apply its can-do spirit to your own rooms the way you see fit. We have made it our mission to demystify home design on all fronts, whether youre contemplating a complete overhaul; updating a corner of your living room; browsing for easy, affordable upgrades; or simply looking for a design fix.

This is our start-to-finish field guide to creating your own domestic sanctuary. Use it as both a starting point (flag the looks that speak to you) and a go-to resource when questions ariseas they willabout paint colors, furniture arrangements, and whether its time to upgrade the kitchen. This book is a companion to our site, but its not a recaptwo years in the making, it features original photographs taken by the talented Matthew Williams expressly for the book, and 95 percent never-before-seen houses, rooms, and design ideas (though avid Remodelista readers will be glad to discover that all-new shots of the founding editors houses are included).

Living the Remodelista life neednt be expensive or involve outside experts. It also neednt require grandeur of any sort. Its all about training your eye and finding whats right for you. So join us, and make yourself at home.

We prefer the personal to the perfect, and when it comes to design, were broad-minded, antirules, pro-improvising, and all about mixing things up: Eames meets Etsy. That said, we do have a few firmly held beliefs: