krister's Profile

I made shakshuka, a Middle Eastern dish with a spicy tomato sauce baked with eggs on top, along with couscous and a beet salad for dinner. Perfect in Portland's warmer weather!

Another choice, though certainly not the easiest alternative, is to stain all of your wood furniture, including existing pieces, so they 'match.' While I'm not a match-obsessed person by any means, I like having continuity in the background so other colors pop.

I just prepared a ridiculously early (for us) dinner - a lentil stew with carrots and onion, and steamed rice finished with dried apricots, a splash of rose water, and lemon zest, all topped with tangy yogurt.

Such views! And comfortable, cozy and ideal for Jefferson and Anna.

It's a lovely space that seems to work well for two humans and a cat. To C.Verkota, even if someone can afford a MUCH larger place doesn't mean they would want to do that. Several years ago, I realized how much I enjoyed the challenge and constraint of 820 sf; my partner and I have lived here for six years, and while there are occasions when he wants a den or I would like a guest room, we can't believe our good fortune with these windows, this floor plan, this sense of flow. Bigger isn't necessarily better.

I rented an incredible studio (but it had a separate dining room) on Castro at about 21st Street in San Francisco. The rooms were big. Two walk-in closets, both with windows, provided more than enough storage for me. Rent was unbelievably cheap, but one of the windows in the living room bay didn't quite close all the way. The owner's (then-) partner helped me paint everything. It was bliss.

Looks fine to me, LOVE the Union Jack ottoman (how's that for a Turkish/British collaboration). I don't understand why anyone would comment on the staging - would you prefer to see toilet seats up, not down, or dirty dishes or glasses out? Besides, looking at my living room, dining room and sun room from my vantage point, I don't see anything unnecessary sitting out, since I've always tried to put things away that aren't in use.

As a child, I always wondered why my mom insisted on daily vacuuming, daily bathroom cleans, etc. (and we had live-in "help"), but as an adult, I recognize the value of what she modeled - keep it clean so it's never even borderline disgusting, and keep it clean so it's a simple breeze to maintain.

It's funny, I remember the den of my childhood room - an expansive room with 25' of windows looking west, opening to a covered porch and then a swimming pool and gardens, and a 20' wall of books and redwood cabinetry, and another wall of stone and fireplace. The ceilings were soaring like a cathedral, with early 60's light fixtures. The furniture was mostly low. My mother's taste became my own, from the Rimini blue pottery to the atlases and artwork to the Moroccan carpets piled atop the floor.

We painted our pool a dark turquoise once (my idea), and the color shimmered.