MizLoo's Profile

LandsEnd.com still sells bottom sheets - right now on sale. Thrift shops have great old sheets. Bring them to a laundromat, sealed in the plastic bag you brought with you to transport them and wash in hottest water. Bedbug concern resolved - and old sheets are fabulous. Also - tell all your friends and relatives you are looking for old sheets - you'll be amazed!

Maybe a wider than the window very light Roman shade? Hang it a foot or more from the wall, and attach from the ceiling so air flow is unaffected. Leave it up for light, but lower it for aesthetics?.

Very reminiscent - in the dense darkness of the woods, the arch of the concrete, and the overall spareness - of the missions in the American Southwest. But the absence of color gives an entirely different feel. I agree with the term "monastic."

I've a sense that the interior here echoes the stark Nordic winter, just as the exuberant landscape of the Southwest brings that verdant ambiance indoors.

Much too minimal and bleak for me to live with - beautiful to visit.

Well last year's color and this one explain why it is nearly impossible to buy a cherry red sweater this Christmas! Yuck!

All very interesting, but most apartment dwellers lack terraces, and window boxes are a no-no in my highrise - not an unusual restriction.. How about what to put inside if you have limited light, north light, south light. That would be more generally helpful.

Best choices -
*insisting on a kitchen layout our contractor didn't like - I cook there, not her. After she took me to a kitchen design/cabinet store that was wa-a-ay too pricey, I went to Home Depot & got a plan and prices that suited us & told her this was how I was going – did she want to do the installation or should I have Home Depot do it?
*Going with my personal preference – white & black with red accents, instead of whatever current trend. Love the 50’s diner look.
*Black and white tile on the kitchen counters. No worries about where to set a hot pot down and if I crack a tile (hasn’t happened in 3 years), no worries about expensive replacement.
*Extending the counter to a counter-height “breakfast bar”-workspace when I need it, eating/gathering space most times
*lights and plugs under every cabinet.
*where there were only 6 inches, we put a cabinet – ideal for food storage containers-they don’t get lost.
*under-counter drawers, I wish they all were
*Lowe’s for appliances on sale, after checking Consumer Reports, not HGTV.

Worst mistakes –
*not checking for an electrician’s certificate – her hubby did the work, not the subcontractor she promised, & it’s not up to code. Gotta re-do it when we can afford to.
*Related issue – not researching lighting - we got contractor grade pot lights – a bi*ch to replace the bulbs. But glad we didn’t do pendants.
*Laminate flooring in the kitchen – everwhere that water splashes there’s just a bit of surface lift. Floor will need re-placing in a year or two..

A moderately tough crossword puzzle does it for me most nights. I replaced reading in bed with puzzles. Seems the cognitive effort clears the worries, without overstimulating. Works about 95% of the time..

Read "Half Broke Horses" for a description of long-term wearing of unwashed jeans that will turn your stomach. NB-the wearers did lack hot water.

Well this is the second AT post on air purifiers that does not mention the kenmore Progressive 295 from Sears. In 2008, I paid less than $300 (including filters) for this unit that was top rated by Consumer Reports. Pretty isn't the same as effective and persons with allergies are not well-served by the ionizing type of unit.

What I personally liked a lot was the juxtaposition of lovely woods with neutrals that were not pure artist loft whites. Elegant. And the use of wrought iron curves to balance the rectilinear molding rang my chimes. What I loved was the office, for its personal touches, and the photographs (cannot bring myself to call them just photos).

The organization of space was thoughtful and practical, too. What didn't work in some areas for me, despite the careful placement, was scale. That huge square sofa with the big ottomans was kinda scary - and that room seemed big and bare otherwise-perhaps it was the media space? Contrarily, the two medium size chairs sharing a huge ottoman was cozy and warm looking, as well as unexpected. Sweet.

Fun to look at a grand home once in a while, and this one is thoughtfully composed and serene, but - personal preference here - I too prefer the tours that focus on less grand spaces.