Miller8786's Profile

My sister and I have used Airbnb twice for vacation stays (once for Washington, DC and more recently for New York). We find that not only do we save tons of money versus a hotel, but we definitely get more of a "native" experience of the city. Both times, the host has left us information on local restaurants and attractions that we might not have come across had we stayed in a chain hotel. For some reason a hotel stay, in comparison, feels very stale.

I highly recommend everyone look into renting a home on their next vacation!

Storage space is definitely key since nothing makes a room feel smaller more than clutter. It is a nice when your stuff also makes for an interesting focal point, like the books in the picture above. There is no need to keep them out of sight!

We too had a mini infestation of ants in our kitchen this spring. I tried peppermint extract which I also heard they dislike. I just put some on a cotton ball and swabbed around the edges of the cabinets & counter tops, the kickboards, anywhere I saw cracks, and around the windowsill. Guess what? It worked! Haven't seen an ant since. I am thinking about just putting some peppermint extract in my kitchen cleaning solution so I never have to deal with them again!

I was going to say paint it white or cream (like many of the other commentors) to lighten up the space but I LOVE @hellcat's idea of boarding it over! I am picturing something like this:

http://pinterest.com/pin/187180928235319147/

I think it would be cheaper than tiling, stuccoing, or putting stone over the existing brick. I would still treat the wood, just in case you end up using it someday. But I think it would work in a rustic desert look and make it a neat focal point in the room!

Please keep us updated!

Anyone know of any cute sleeve/bags for 17'' non-Apple laptops?

I have scoured the internet and only found a couple in Martha Stewart's Staples line and many from Vera Bradley (but those aren't my taste). Everything else is too plain and boring! I would love something like the striped ones above. Help!

It'll be a doozy (might want to consider hiring it out), but I think you should stencil the entire thing. It could be something really bold or even a tone-on-tone color scheme. Either way, it would become a large scale focal point for the room/entire condo!

I am surprised to see that a lot of commentors (at least in the first half) don't like #3. It is my favorite! Sort of like turning a realistic still life painting into something more abstract. The colors that were added are more bold and fun than what was originally put on the canvas. Honestly, I would not hang the original in my home (not my style), but would totally put it's altered version on the wall!

If you ever wanted a cat, now is the time to get one :)

First of all, do you own? You said it was an apartment, which to me suggests you are renting. I will assume you own though...

I'm going to go with those who voted for taking them out and leaving columns for support and house wire only where necessary. Then, if your budget allows, extend the hard wood flooring into the kitchen area.

My second choice would be to transform them to open shelving as others suggested. Put your favorite serving pieces, cookbooks, pictures, etc. in there.

@em_470 - you can definitely find stuff like in the pictures in stores, you just have to be prepared for the hunt!