Kalakala's Profile

I think painting the walls white (just the walls, not the wood trim) is a fine idea! The existing color scheme makes it look like someone with a hardcore nicotine habit lived there previously. And to me, that taupe color only looks good on walls when it's set off by bright-white trim. I wouldn't worry about the ceiling being a different color than the walls and the trim. I've lived in a place with white walls and a beige ceiling; it never bothered me. On the off chance that combo does look a bit odd, it's got to be less jarring than the tobacco-stained look, right?

Beautiful place, by the way!

I loved my 280 sf studio in a circa 1910 building. It was the smallest place I've ever lived, but it never felt cramped. The entry area was wide enough to attach a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf to the wall and it had a killer walk-in closet (with a window!). The kitchen had a built-in eating area and vintage cabinets that went up to the ceiling (perfect for storing camping gear and out-of-season clothes). Plus hardwood floors, exposed brick, and windows on three sides ... it was hard to leave.

Wow. I spent the first few months of my life living in a geodesic dome built by my dad -- my parents were hippies who met at a Buckminster Fuller seminar -- but it was leaky and creaky, nothing like this gorgeous light-filled space.

That is an amazing art collection! It gives me renewed appreciation for the eccentric pieces that have ended up on my walls over the years, such as the oversized velvet painting of Kenny Rogers that my husband brought home a few years ago. Some may find it tacky, some may find it creepy, but it makes me smile every time I look at it, so I consider it an excellent addition to my home.

According to the house tour, the wallpaper is from UK designer John Lewis and the quilt is from a local consignment shop.

The 1,700 sf house I grew up in was primarily heated by a tiny Jotul cast iron wood stove. When it got particularly cold (low 40s) we'd use electric heat to warm up the bedrooms at night, but the wood stove provided most of the heat. It was my job to start the fire when I came home from school, which would make the rooms we spent the most time in (living/dining room and kitchen) toasty warm in about an hour. We usually went through two cords of wood each winter. Where I live -- Seattle -- a cord ranges from around $100 (you pick up, cut, split, and season someplace dry for a year) to $400 (someone delivers pre-split seasoned wood and stacks it for you).

Fireplaces are wonderfully cozy, but they're ridiculously ineffecient; I would never depend on one as a heat source. A fireplace insert makes it more efficient, but still, a stove will get you a lot more heat out of each piece of wood. I've never spent much time around a pellet stove, but my general impression is that it's kind of odd to buy a specially processed wood product to feed your stove when regular old unprocessed wood is widely available. Heck, I know a family that burns wooden pallets they get for free from local businesses (caution: pallets are full of nails). A commenter above states that a pellet stove can be left on all night ... a well-packed wood stove can as well. It won't be super warm in the morning, but there will be coals available to get it going again.

My ideal house definitely includes a wood stove!

It wasn't a purchase but an acquisition: a former roommate who was moving out of state gave me a vintage redwood armoire. It's built on a smaller scale than most armoires and has simple lines, so it fits in pretty much anywhere and isn't visually dominating. I painted it oxblood red (it was originally painted a creamy yellow) and have used it to hold CDs and DVDs in the living room, linens in the dining area, and (currently) clothes in the bedroom.

I think I looked at units in this building. If it's the one I'm thinking of near the new park, the size was petite, but the light was magnifique!

Love love LOVE the dark paint, white trim, and pictures a-plenty in the entry.

Madsciencechik: they're a variation of binder clips that appear to known as "bulldog" clips. There are lots of online vendors, including:

http://www.rapidsupplies.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=86875

1900 square feet? That's twice the size of my full-time residence. I guess it just goes to show that one person's "modest" is another person's "massive."

I first encountered bidets during a visit to Italy -- where I initially thought they were miniature bath tubs for babies or perhaps dogs -- and quickly became a fan. Not only do you feel cleaner after using the toilet, a quick wash and a splash of cold water is incredibly refreshing on a hot day. It's also very nice after sex.

I suspect a lot of Americans are turned off by bidets because we're not used to the idea of lavishing non-sexual attention on our private parts. It's viewed as self-indulgent or overly fastidious. To me, it seems weird that products for genital-area grooming and feminine "hygeine" are advertised on prime-time television -- gotta keep that bush presentable -- but people think there's something weird about using washing your bits with water after urinating and defacating.