Courtney L.'s Profile

If you are looking for an alternate recipe for cornmeal cakes, try searching the terms hoecake or johnny cake. There are lots of great recipes out there, and this is a dish with a long history.

Quarterlifestyle--I suspect the OP might have an issue with the color this winter. If he just moved there recently, he may not have experienced how dark a Seattle winter can be. When I lived in Seattle, I generally went for warmer colors. My first living room was the color of yellow cake batter. I loved it. The room felt sunny even on the gloomiest day. The second living room I had was painted with a colorwashing treatment that ended up looking like aged terra cotta. It didn't feel as sunny as the first living room, but it still felt warm. My bedroom was a pale blue, which also helped make up for the dreary weather.

PHOEBEK--

My grandmother always called it a divan. :)

Wow. This makes me appreciate my current landlord so much! I initially signed a 12-month lease. As my year was drawing to a close, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I was 5 months from finishing a certificate program to facilitate a career change, so I planned on starting a job hunt as soon as I was done. I talked to my landlord about it, thinking that I would ask for a 6-month renewal. He offered to let me go month-to-month at the end of the lease and only asked that I give him "as much notice as possible" once I knew if I was going to move or not. No extra rent, no drop in the level of service I've received.

Honestly, given my horrid rental kitchen that is shoehorned into a strange space in a vintage building (and doubles as a hallway to the back room), I would love either the before or after kitchen.

I liked the cabinets in the old version better, but I tend to go for warm colors. I can take or leave dark counter tops. I'm not a fan of open shelving (even glassed in shelving). I'm just not organized enough to let people see what's in my cabinets.

As for everyone who is saying, "Ugh! Why?!?!!?" Did you miss the part where the author talks about shooting photos and video in the kitchen on a regular basis and how the existing color scheme and lighting made the pictures and video not turn out as well? It's not a common consideration, but it's certainly a valid one.

@LGS--why is changing the fixtures not worth it in a rental. If she's planning on living here for 4 years, why should she live with crappy, ugly fixtures just because she doesn't own the building?

Personally, I think changing the faucet is a bit of a stretch on a rental, but if $40 isn't too much for her decorating budget, why not? You can get attractive handles and hinges for very little money. You can also take the fixtures with you when you leave, so the money isn't necessarily lost.

The first time I lived alone was my senior year in college. I had a great little studio apartment that had just enough storage space for my stuff, so it was easy for me to keep clean and organized (things which do not come naturally to me.) It was also the "perfect" amount of living space--it felt spacious enough to me to be comfortable to live in but was small enough to naturally discourage me from acquiring too many new things. I loved it, and if I could find a studio with a similar layout in my current town, I would move there in a heartbeat.

After I graduated, I moved in with a boyfriend and then spent the next 16 years living with roommates or a romantic partner.

I started living alone again about a year and a half ago. My apartment isn't as perfect for me as my first solo studio was, but I still love living alone. I've had some great experiences with shared living (and some awful ones), but I really think that living alone is best for me.

As others have commented, when something like a music or film festival becomes very popular, it can become expensive enough to price out the original audience (or the new audience members may bring bad behaviors that the original audience members resent.)

I don't really go in for the hipster attitude about being cool. I'm a dork from way back. I've never been one of the cool kids, and I don't tend to hang out with people who expect me to be. I like what I like. I don't feel superior to other people if I like things they've never heard of, and I don't feel like I've lost my special snowflake rainbow unicorn status if things I like are suddenly being sold at Target or if all of my friends decide to buy one.

Like GOTMILK said--you can get metal and wood industrial/garage shelving at building supply stores, and it is really heavy-duty. There are a lot of options for under $100 (and several for under $50 if you need a smaller shelf.) If the shelf you want comes with particle board for the wooden shelf inserts, you can get some plywood cut down to replace it (and probably still come out ahead on price.) If the finish on the steel isn't what you want, there's always the various faux metal finish paints available.

There's also this post: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/morgans-amazing-diy-shelving-97760 . If they could build that size shelving unit for around $200, then it's probably still possible to build a smaller one for less, even though the prices are from 3 years ago.

For all of the people criticizing the OP's preference for an all or mostly white canvas--the OP asked how to achieve a look that he or she prefers, not for criticism on his or her preferences. If you don't have anything to contribute that provides an answer to the question being asked, why don't you sit this one out?