esz's Profile

Two. One for him and one for me. And the first thing my husband does whenever we walk into a hotel room is to start tossing all the extra pillows off the bed.

Tulips have very soft, hollow stems (they will often crush or break unless you use a lower density foam designed for bulbs). Just run a pipe cleaner up inside and you have instant, invisible support for the droopy stems (especially nice when you are arranging in a clear vase).

I'm a huge fan of floating shelves in small spaces; we did this years ago in our teeny tiny bedroom in our old house, using a single-shelf solid birch Varde unit (long since discontinued) from IKEA. Just enough space for an alarm clock, etc. Worked like a charm.

We still use that shelf in our condo; now it's in our entry way and holds a small basket for our keys.

@amber.fargo: thanks for the links to the wood-look porcelain tile. Price is really great, but I suspect cost of installation will be the kicker. But it may solve my dilemma for bullet-proof floors that will withstand the moisture in the slab in our below grade floors.

Great change in the living room, nice and bright and airy. And I like that you've opened up the stairway. What a lot of work in a few short weeks... good job! But I question the choice of a modern cable rail in what appears to be a very traditional Craftsman space. Are you planning on putting other modern touches in there (and the rest of the house) as well? Otherwise that cable rail is going to look completely incongruous. Is it a specific design choice, or is it simply less expensive to install than a wooden railing appropriate to the room?

We did the same when we first moved into our condo (zero linen storage... why do builders do this?!?). The only spot available was a shallow, narrow corner in the hallway between our bedroom and guest bath. No enough room to build a proper closet, so we installed white IKEA kitchen shelves that were designed to go on the end of their base cabinets as open storage.

Happily, they were just the right size and shape and no modifications were needed; one outside corner was cut off at an angle, so there was no danger of anyone injuring themselves on a sharp corner when entering/exiting the bedroom. And since it is open storage for all the world to see, yes I do keep everything folded neat and tidy just like the pictures. I have no choice. ;)

No. 9 is brilliant. We live in a small condo, and our laundry area is a stacked washer/dryer in a small, narrow hall closet. Unfortunately, they sit flush with the door opening, or I would so do that in-door storage thing... alas, back to the drawing board.

@Rebecka - just an FYI - those "round-leafed green things that smell so good" are silver dollar eucalyptus.

I want to live the dream.

Need. Want. Love.