apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love ideas like this. Fabulous!

very clever, and exactly what Apartment Therapy is all about......

Just to clarify something that instructions site got wrong - those are wall grates. Floor grates sit flush in the floor. If someone is popping a wall grate in the floor vent, and it's sitting an inch or so above, that's a mistake or cheapskate fix.

I'm curious about the half grate. I'm not sure I love these, but the green grate as shown doesn't seem to be the full grate. To get the effect of a pocket, a grate would have to be sawn in half so the middle of it was open at the top and three edges were closed against the wall. This grate even has a division so that top was not spiky and uneven. A lot of the really decorative grates would not accommodate a split down the middle with such practical results. Many are grids, however, so that would work, but you're probably not going to find half a grate for sale anywhere unless someone bought a lot of grid heat grates and produced them for sale in this form.

I'd like to have a source for these- and instructions for how to chop them in half.

The ones I've seen look like those above and have not been chopped in half. They can be found at antique fairs, garage sales, flea markets, etc.
-lily

Why, oh why, do AT contributors and readers continue to perpetuate this whole "landing strip" idea? Who started it, anyway? And, why would one want mail stuffed into heating grates hanging on the wall in the entrance to one's home?

I am a lone voice crying in the wilderness, asking people to re-think this cluttered, messy, unattractive way to "organize". It isn't organizing when you merely take a stack of something from one spot and throw it in another.

AT has had some great pieces on home storage and organization, yet still presents these junky, messy, disorganized ideas.

Oh, I need a drink, I can tell. Or, a nap. Or, a drink and then a nap. Getting cranky from all the clutter before my eyes...

Thanks for the clarification K T G and Lily

This is such a cute idea!

I am looking again, and maybe these grates go with vents that are long and narrow and close to the wall, or something with a hinge in the middle? I have never seen vents like this, we'll just have to say I haven't been everywhere. I've only seen whole grates that are basically what you see continued on the top to a complete shape and edge. Usually a fancier pattern or a grid or combination also that wouldn't very neatly configure to a pocket when halved.

But like, if they sell these in California, great.

i don't know where one would find grates like these.....anyone seen one?

Ms. Pea, you are indeed a lone voice. The landing strip idea is a core concept to home organising in Apartment Therapy.

It's also common sense and practiced by people who've never heard of this blog or the 8-step cure.

I'm not opposed to having a spot to put things by the front door, but I'm wholly against the repeated use of the term "landing strip." Gah! It's a wax job people! Re-read the entry thinking waxing and lines like "the landing strip is one of our favorite spots to decorate" and "we're all for instant gratification" take on a much ickier tone. Call it a door station, or a entry station, or a entry catch-all, but enough with the landing strips please!

When I think of the term landing strip, I think of a place where airplanes touch ground at an airport--i.e., the runway. I'm an English major; If I thought of all the negative connotations attached to certain words I wouldn't get anything done all day.

Yes, PLEASE stop calling it this. And I agree with the poster above - this isn't an organizational tool. It invites clutter and "forget about itness"

@Ms. Pea

The idea is that when you walk in and your hands are full, it's great to put something away and not just toss it down somewhere to be put away later. And then, when you're leaving in a rush, all the items you need are at hand and not scattered throughout your home (keys, outgoing mail, umbrella, shoes).

In my experience, this is a fix for clutter, not a cause. When I lived with 4 roommates, I could never find my mail in the "obvious" places they would toss it. I made an organizer labeled with our names and hung it in the kitchen, and voila, no more problems.

You sound like a bit of a curmudgeon. If this isn't for you, that's fine, but that doesn't mean it's not for everyone.

@LilyC
Agreed! A landing-strip is an anatomical term and I don't apply it to my decor. Ick.

For those who don't understand why some of us cringe at the term "landing strip": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_strip_(pubic_hair)

If you are looking for these types of grates, you should check out a salvage yard. They're becoming more popular...a lot of Habitat for Humanity groups have a "Re-Store" and I know I could find something like this at Community Forklift in the DC area. Generally, anything that could have value is deconstructed and resold when a house is being removed. That way, people just doing renovations can buy period wood flooring and paneling, fixtures, grates, doors, etc. Also a lot of surplus materials (tile, carpet, hardware, paint) and used materials (appliances, kitchen cabinets, windows) show up there. The inventory tends to vary widely, so you have to go regularly and be ready to pick through the piles.

What an attractive way to keep the mail off the entryway table and still in sight!
Good idea!