New York Magazine – July 22, 2019

july 22–august 4, 2019 | new york 45

bets: low-lift renovations

Swap in a black toilet

seat for a prewar feel

Mayfair toilet seat, $50

Change out your toilet seat

for a black one. Make a note

to be sure if you need round

or elongated. It instantly

makes any bathroom look

more traditional. —l.f.

Create a sculptural fixture with leftover cord

Cast triangle pendant, $80

Embrace the exposed-wiring look by choosing a fixture

with an extra-long cord that can make geometric patterns on

your walls and ceiling. The cone pendant below is from Flos,

but Menu makes equally nice ones under $100. —ming

thompson, co-founder of atelier cho thompson

Fake a Shaker dining

room with DIY wainscoting

Shaker profile panels, from $83

It’s super-simple: Just go to Wainscoting

America’s site and put in your room

dimensions. We went with the Shaker

style. Nail the panels to the wall, then

paint them. It adds a ton of character.

—barry bordelon and jordan slocum,

the brownstone boys

Install dimmer switches for mood lighting

Push-button dimmer switch, $33; brass wall plate, $12

The best advice I can give to a homeowner for instant

sophistication: Install a dimmer. Lighting is the

great special effect that changes everything in the room.

For a vintage-style home, I like push-button light

switches with mother-of-pearl detail. —barbara

schmidt, creative director of studio bstyle

Top a simple pine box with a circular piece of marble. You can

often find ugly marble tables on Craigslist or eBay for cheap and

just take the top off. —jesse kamm, clothing designer

Or use all plywood

for something Donald

Judd–inspired

Pine plywood sheathing, $14

Get plywood sheets at Home

Depot—they’ll cut notches in the

wood for you. Improvisedlife.com

also gives a step-by-step. —e.w.

Or top it with
Plexiglas
Acrylic sheet, from $40
Go to Canal Plastics and have them
cut custom clear-pink Plexiglas for
table surfaces; depending
on the size, it can be around $40.
—amy silver, set decorator

Cover your Karlstad

with a slipcover

Bemz slipcover, from $89

Bemz slipcovers—which

are for Ikea pieces—are

machine washable. Great

for clumsy people like me

who have always wanted

white chairs. —t.w.

Reporting by Katy Schneider & Simone Kitchens

Build a coffee table out of Craigslist marble

Pine drop box, $30