joliephare's Profile

Ah, I see. Thank you :-)

Don't threaten your landlord. BUT, just as he is asserting his rights, you can assert yours. Read your lease again and see what HIS obligations are. I bet he has failed to do SOMEthing. If so, he has breached the lease, and you can probably get out of it. And, as someone suggested above, read the local code. If the space isn't up to code, you can probably get out there. Find a lawyer friend or free tenants' advice hotline before doing this though.

Interesting turnaround given the NYT's takedown notices of a few months ago....perhaps the two are related?

Try mascarpone, vanilla, and honey mixed together on fresh fruit in the summer. My absolute favorite, courtesy (with minor modifications) of the Barefoot Contessa.

Put a plant on each side of the TV. Not too bulky, but you have natural light...use it!

Put white gauzy curtains up, going from the ceiling to the floor. Open the blinds during the day.

If you get a rug, make sure the texture is substantially different from the wall-to-wall. I'm thinking an IKEA flokati under the coffee table.

Mirror! Mirror! Above the TV. Reflect that natural light around the room. It has to be a pretty big mirror to balance the size of your TV.

Lose the floor lamp and put a cool ceramic lamp on each end table. Urban Outfitters has cool, cheap ones.

Put a light-colored throw over the arm of the chaise section of your couch.

Scour craigslist for new, cool end tables.

And, don't worry about the couch....it is fine.