gina32's Profile

Ditto on the exercise ball. When my baby was in her first few (screamy and red-faced!) weeks I spent many nights with her swaddled, on her side, bouncing on the ball in the dark bathroom with the faucet running. Seriously, read Happiest Baby on the Block, it totally works. I've found that a pretty nursery is enticing but once baby is here you will really appreciate the functional stuff that makes your life easier.

I second the seaweed trick. That works really well and gives the beans and broth a wonderful rich flavor too. Lots of umami.

I finally got the trick to fried eggs in an all-clad pan. First, use a very small one, just big enough to hold your eggs - this keeps the oil/butter from spreading around too much and you'll keep enough under the eggs so they don't adhere to the pan. Second, the pan has to be hot! Third, don't fear the fat - you need enough to surround the eggs. About a 1-tbs pat of butter works for me. I cook them on one side, loosen with a flexible silicone spatula, then flip them with a quick flick of the wrist. Perfect fried eggs, no sticking!

The book tree just makes me sad. So sad.

I love the ladder though!

Lovely decorating, agreed. I saw the same apartment on a higher floor in this building a few months ago, and it was TINY. I think these owners have done a great job maximizing space by redoing the kitchen to allow for a dining area. Note there's no dining room, and the living room is too small for a dining table. Great location too! I loved the roof deck. Good luck!

Our little dog is black and white, like a cow (!) and he sheds a LOT. So, we tend to wear grey when we're lounging around the house and we keep a blanket on the sofa to protect it from hair accumulation. Now, when making design choices like the carpet, which gets a lot of traffic, we have to choose a neutral color that won't show either black or white. Boring perhaps, but he's adorable and worth it!

I think this is great for a first post-college apartment! In my first place, our decor was all about function, and whatever was free or super-cheap. Flowers were the closest we got to decor. So, I think Lauren's doing a great job with what she's got and it's clear she's thinking about aesthetics.

I also like how she's organized a little corner into a "mudroom." It seems very well-arranged for one person, and although I may not choose to decorate with bags/scarves hung on the wall, I sort of like how it's both organized and shows that the place is lived in by a real person who values and enjoys her things.

Suggestions: since the whole place is rather spare, I think it might be nice to incorporate some artwork or brightly colored panels of large scale to give a little more drama to the place. Curtains would also give it some warmth - and those can be done cheaply or diy. I think the living room furniture could also use some rearranging so the "office" isn't so cramped.

Nice job!

I like the idea of Ice Stone, but I think they used it in the cafe at my gym (Equinox in NYC) and it's not wearing well. The concrete part of it is actually wearing away at the edges and in the most-used parts. It doesn't look so durable.

Please just post the link!

Anyway, I saw the lights in the top right photo in a restaurant in NY and I thought they looked like giant sperm. Weird.

If you want to see Silver Fox used in a great Brooklyn house renovation, check out this site:

http://www.brownstoner.com/windsor_terrace_reno/archives/2008/01/the_power_of_paint_part_1.html

What a pretty color (and a pretty house!).