TSPD's Profile

Beware of going all the way to a 6500K CFL. It will definitely throw more light, but it will be much bluer and will make food and skin appear grey. I will repeat what Ive said to many clients - if the problem is light, you need to fix the light, not the paint/flooring etc etc. Undercabinet lighting works wonders as any ceiling lighting projects your shadow onto whatever you are working on at the counter. Just like in a bathroom, kitchens need multiple sources of light from different angles to support task functions appropriately.

Try a CFL in the 3500-4100K range for a balanced color of light, and inexpensive undercabinet lights such as these: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20219390/

You could also install these inside your open-front cabinets to highlight items in there, and paint the back wall inside them a cheery color or even cover the wall inside that cabinet with mirrors.

wall-mount the TV on the wall that currently contains the armoire, leave the sofa where it is, and get the swivel barrel chairs to replace your green chair & love seat. Here are a few inexpensive ones:

http://www.shop.com/Dark_brown_leather_like_vinyl_upholstered_barrel_shaped_accent_side_chair_with_swivel_base-776262754-805152787-p+.xhtml?sourceid=298

http://www.futonland.com/index/page/product/product_id/17136/product_name/Enterprise+Swivel+Chair+by+Adesso+Furniture

http://www.furniturebarrel.com/pluto-chair-white-zuo-modern-500104.html?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=cse

Do not rush is the best tip you're seeing above. If you really want a finished home quickly, and do not want to fall victim to trends (or over eager salesman that may be posing as designers), collect some room images you like, and hire an Interior Designer for a consult. The designer can help you sort out what is timeless and works for your space, and what does not. If you find the right designer, they will allow you to do all your own sourcing (shopping) and simply provide you with a floor plan & measurements for the large pieces, and a shopping list. For just a few hundred dollars you can get a designer's valuable input and still do all the legwork yourself saving money, and avoid costly mistakes.

Collecting room photos prior to calling a designer is a good tool to help the initial conversation by communicating your style preferences with images. Designers are visual, pictures tell 1000 words.

Good luck!

Also, consider a second hand dining table for more surface space, in place of a traditional desk. You can add pedestal cabinets below it for storage.

Love my Aeron (also refurbished), and my Equa chairs. Herman Miller, like a Volvo, is always a good investment, even used.

DampRid for sure. Hang Towels somewhere with more circulation. And, ask your landlord if he would mind if you install a surface mount fan, like these:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_198677-88854-LP8075LBN_4294935502__?productId=3576600&Ntt=ceiling+fans&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dceiling%2Bfans&facetInfo=

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=331102-88854-LP8076LBN&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3284042&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

http://www.lowes.com/pd_428798-1811-CE-JP13EB6RC_4294935502__?productId=4459553&Ntt=ceiling+fans&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dceiling%2Bfans&facetInfo=

http://www.lowes.com/pd_440493-47788-DI-TB-WD+STANDARD_4294935502__?productId=4545858&Ntt=ceiling+fans

If you have an existing ceiling fixture, you can wire one of these in, and then put the previous fixture back when you move.

This is a considerable improvement over working from a sofa on a laptop - ergonomically speaking. Although the monitor looks a bit high to me - not knowing how tall the user is.

For those of us that need work, workout and lounge/pj outfits each day: wear yesterdays lounge/pj outfit to work out in the next day, and then it goes in the wash. Of course this doesn't work if you dont like shorts/sweats/tanks/t's to sleep in, or if you sweat in your sleep.

Towels - definitely not 2 weeks but if you hang them they can go through 3 uses or so before laundering. Sheets & towels: buy all in white so they can be laundered and bleached if necessary, together.

The wrinkle- and iron-free shirts, pants and sheets are a must, way too danger prone to iron other than special occasions like weddings and funerals.

Anyone planning a visit to Fallingwater should include the nearby usonian Kentuck Knob. http://kentuckknobs.com/?page_id=107 It is one of Wright's last completed projects, and is an interesting contrast to Fallingwater in both scale and progressive design principles.

Being a designer, I see & specify common furniture, art etc every day. That means I dont want any of it in my own personal space. I made 1 exception - my leather sofa, I have dogs and so something simple, durable and easily replaceable makes sense. Everything else in my home has a story, or was produced by me or a loved one. Luckily there are several artists in the family who have given us beautiful watercolors, oils & acrylics.

My husband is a history teacher, he collects newspapers from significant dates. We have framed many of these, also. I prefer color in wall art, but it does have a great effect with many hung together in our stairway, and visitors are always intrigued. The reason I support framing and hanging them isnt just the history. Not long after we met he took me on a tour through his newspapers (at the time stored in cardboard boxes in a closet). He saved one local movie page from its original print date, when he was just 10, because it had so many notable movies on it. Godfather II and Caberet are two of them. The date of the paper: 9/8/72. They day before I was born. When he realized this, it was the first one framed and on the wall.