fraise's Profile

Well, Ansela, as an American who's lived in French for 11 years now, I can tell you that they do, in fact, celebrate the Fourth of July on design sites with examples of American design.

*raises a glass of rosé de Provence, refrains from chopping off any heads*

(that's a joke, eh. Bastille Day was when quite a few heads were cut off, in case anyone's not aware.)

Men hang like THIS, women hang like THAT.

Good lord I swear to heavens that if there is one more post based on the premise that men are manly men [zilch about women, we ignore women, no need to target women, preconceived ideas and biased research say they'll read our design site anyway, amirite], I may well never return to AT. Not to mention the fact that probably every single one of us knows men who hate football, prefer wine to beer, and have great color sense.

(Cue the "oh get a sense of humor already" replies. To which I would say, "grow up already, design is for humans, it's all-inclusive, no one likes to be pandered to based on made-up differences.")

Dye the fabric and use it for upholstery projects.

I've had several good repairmen over the years, and every single one of them has pointed to my washing machine and asked, "do you run it empty on a hot cycle with bleach or vinegar at least twice a year?" (I've often heard "once a month" too, but at least twice a year is what repairmen tell me.) It doesn't matter what type of detergent you use; all machines should be run empty on a hot cycle every so often in order to clear out gunk. It's not just detergent buildup, it's also the oils and dirt in your clothes.

(Also, important note for everyone: bleach OR vinegar. Do Not Mix bleach and vinegar, despite what some sites say about that being a good mold deterrent. Okay, it does deter mold... and it creates deadly chlorine gas!!
http://chemistry.about.com/od/healthsafety/a/dangeousmix.htm )

Lavender also repels moths and many other bugs, but I find that cedar is really the best natural moth repellent.

I do put lavender essential oil in other spots since it smells wonderful and does keep other bugs away.

If you leave out cucumber, it may repel ants, but it's going to attract cockroaches... they'll eat practically anything and everything. (Plus they track around all sorts of icky things from their voyages through sewers. I use natural repellents for everything but roaches, which get the heavy-duty chemical treatment. Their little roach souls can stay in the sewers, as far as I'm concerned.)

Whoa, trippy! We have twin apartments! Mine's 485sq.feet (45 square meters) and has a practically identical floor plan, though the windows are placed differently. Floor plan here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraise/2366056593/in/set-72157604224950968/

Love your bicycle too.

I live in Nice, France, where summer temps regularly get above 100F, and despite being on the sea, we don't get much wind since we're surrounded by mountains (y'know, the Alps). But, since we are by the sea... it is humid; usually between 70-90%.

I haven't had an air conditioner in 10 years. As a previous poster said, there are maybe 4 or 5 days in summer where you feel like you can't take it, but you know those times will pass.

I buy fruit juice popsicles, use a fan on the particularly hot-n-humid nights, take cool showers... and actually don't go to the sea all that often. (Like I said, I live in Nice. Ya think there's much room on the beaches here in summer? Nope! It is better in the mornings and evenings though.)

There are neat ideas in your place, but another vote of "meh" for the couches - as others have said, they just don't quite fit, though they do look comfortable.

And, sorry, but a 5'x8' bathroom is not "tiny". That's a bedroom size over here in Europe. (My current bathroom is 4'x4'. My previous bathroom was 2.5'x3'.)

Count me in as another person who is rather tired of having posts say one thing ("small space solutions") only to find another (decorations). And why, why, why the focus on specific stores? Oh, because they sponsor you... so is the focus of this site revenue from sponsors, or reaching out to readers, who may not have access to these stores? Give us ideas, please, not advertisements. (Do you see how many commenters are looking at the table and NOT the rug?)

And... "loose weave". This is a design site and you're calling what are obviously *knit* blankets... a "loose weave"?

Having lived in France for 10 years, I disagree, FantasticMrFaux. Every "ordinary" French family I know does this. I do it as well.

For those complaining about cleanliness, there are options. First and most obvious, the napkins are cleaned when they get dirty. If you're a guest and your napkin gets dirty enough that you don't want to use it for another meal, you can mention it to the host and they'll throw it in the wash and give you a clean one. Hosts expect this; it's considered polite (so long as you're polite with your request). No host wants their guests to feel uncomfortable with a dirtied napkin!

Second possibility, you learn to eat "cleaner". I have some gorgeous napkins with traditional woven French designs that my French ex-mother-in-law gfited me, and as a result, I never want to get them dirty!