Polyrevenge's Profile

@Borage--a great question. What about housing cooperatives? It's at the top of my "If I ever have a cash windfall" list: buy a building, create a housing cooperative.

@Sherrybinnh, Agreed. I think there's some confusion in the thread, though, as the original question posted by the article's author was "What are some of your tips for hosting overnight guests in a small space?" All of these tips (and opinions) seem valid to me, whether it's the guest who mentioned "why bother; it's too much trouble to scurry about guessing..." or the guest who suggested "adding special touches to make others feel at home" or the guest who added "I think folks need to remember what hospitality is." They are all just ideas/tips/opinions that speak to the original questions and observations posted by the author. I'm actually somewhat confused by the "why are people being so opinionated" observations, because the answers don't sound unduly snarky or mean to my ears, just thoughts on the subject of hosting in a small space and hosting, period, from various experiences--and all highlighting the points brought up by the author. I actually thought many of them fine ideas. I love hosting and take great pride in doing it in a loving, thoughtful manner. (I wouldn't not be able to, having "were you raised in a barn?" as a backnote thanks to my parents). I host often and have come to be known as someone to stay with because I take great pride in it. It's not everyone's cup of tea to be so anal about it, no, but those points on why it's not are just as welcome to me. I just take it as learning how to be a better guest. Speaking of spare toothbrushes from the dentist--I do the same! I also pick up product samples when I can that I tell my guests to use freely. And airplane-sized products are obscenely cheap and take up very little space. There's not much one can do in a small space, so little things like that make it welcoming without going completely out of one's way. Like you, I also set things out so that folks don't have to go digging. One good tip that I just did on the last friends' visit two months ago was to pack little Ziploc baggies of snacks and keep them ready to go on the counter. People can grab them at any time and you're not crowding any limited space with boxes and such. It especially came in handy on day trips walking around the city and saved money on unnecessary in-between stops for food.

I'm a self-appointed expert host with some tips of my own.

1) Wash bedding and thoroughly clean all common rooms and private areas that guests will use. I once slept on a pillow that smelled of the owner's fondness for garlic, was put in a room that had crushed cockroaches hiding among the dust bunnies, and showered in a bathroom that had a giant poop stain on the shower curtain (no lie) and mildew thick enough to hold forest creatures on the wall. I'm not anal, but c'mon!

2) Have food. Good food. Gauge what the person likes to eat and drink BEFORE they visit by asking questions and make certain that you have really yummy snacks and food at hand for late-night munching. Don't chintz on these things and don't attempt to force folks to eat in the same manner that you do. When folks are vacationing, they don't always want to eat "what's good for them" and you ALWAYS want to be known as "the friend with the good stuff."

True story: I once stayed with a close friend out in the middle of nowhere who thought I drank too much coffee and wanted to teach me a lesson. I barely held my tongue, being a caffeine junkie, when I noticed that there was a coffee maker, but no coffee. Instead of beating them senseless with the coffee maker, I made sure that we stopped at a grocery store later that day for coffee and loaded up a beer stein of it the next morning, which I slurped with loud oohs and ahhs, much to their chagrin. Keep your lessons to yourself when someone's staying at your home. Unless it's an issue that will affect your health or your house, it's not an argument worth having while someone's on vacation.

3) Make an extra set of keys, show folks how to lock up things and how appliances or special-delicate items that they might use work. And keep your cell phone charged and on at all times during their visit in case there's an emergency when you separate.

This all seems like common sense to me, but you'd be surprised.

4) Have extra toiletries available in non-offensive forms (It also helps if you let folks know that you'll have good toiletries ahead of time so that they don't have to lug this stuff on the plane.) I keep an extra toothbrush and all my airplane-sized hypoallergenic soaps for this very reason, but I also have "nice" toiletries available if they want to indulge. I make it clear where everything is, too, so that they don't have to ask. Bottom line: No one wants to use that one bar of soap with hair on it in your shower, so keep out the good stuff.

5) About the bed: I'm a "hot sleeper," which means that I need something like 50 blankets in order to fall asleep. Please provide enough blankets. It ain't prison. Also, I've tested many couches, airbeds, and friends beds. If you're going to get an airbed, which I highly suggest because they're cleaner than permanent furniture, pack away, and can be resold easier, splurge on one that's high enough to be a good two feet or more off the floor and one that has a fleece or fabric area on top so that sheets don't slide around. Your guests will be in heaven after a long day of traipsing. You'll also want one that specifically mentions "fast inflation and deflation." Prices are around $70 for these, but they're worth it. Ikeea also makes chair beds if you're still set on permanent furniture for small spaces, but they're extremely uncomfortable past a day's visit and twice as much money and only attractive for about a week in your home.

6) And last, and my personal motto on being a host: Barring financial reasons, go where your guests want to go, without complaints, and within reason. It's not your vacation/trip to a new(ish) city, it's theirs.

Does anyone else think that Nixon probably doesn't elicit the same immediate emotional response for a Brit that he does for an American? Ditto the American flag (and how it should be officially hung)?

I think of Mao and Che paraphernalia in American homes as comparisons. I don't know if Americans have the same emotional reactions to these political figures as the Chinese and Argentinians/Cubans may have, and I wouldn't expect them to.

Graphically speaking, the flag looks better hanging vertically than it does horizontally. I'm not certain if it's because of the novelty of that positioning or--and not to get all new-agey--just that it seems to express better "chi" that way in that it syncs with the table.

What this says to me:

A) I want to be inspired

B) I want to be inspiring

C) I love to make art

D) All of the above is not relegated to one room or area, but instead is the purpose of the entire space, and

E) I don't care if others are impressed or uncomfortable by this approach.

Love this.

What a fantastic job you've done! I second all of the positive comments already made, but also want to say what a great job you've done storing everything into that one closet!

@ fearand7oathing I've seen this type of comment quite a bit on AT, and I know I'll probably start a firestorm, but studio, at least to my knowledge, means an apartment without a bedroom. There are large studios and small studios, just as there are large 1-bedrooms and small 1-bedrooms. I don't think it has to do with the size so much as it has to do with whether or not there is a separated room for sleeping.

@ bejeweled I thought the same thing, but then realized that when you're surrounded by warm tones, it makes sense to want a room that's cool. Like Laura, I like a spa-like feel to my bathroom. Warm tones in a bathroom make me feel like the bathroom is dirtier or grittier, for some odd reason. It's probably a lifelong association with bathroom = white and cool. I love that Laura mixed it up with this beautiful bathroom. It really does look like a place where one could scrub away every trace of city grime and balances that saturated feeling that the rest of the apartment gives off.

Lovely porch. Can you tell a bit more about them? I've seen the fiberglass (?) ones in photos of many South African homes and in SF-based movies (The #1 Ladies Detective Agency comes to mind as a recent sighting). Who makes them and why are they especially ubiquitous in SF?

Just confirmed. It's Tretchikoff's "Miss Wong"

What I love about this place is that everything in it seems designed for an immediate reaction. The floating bed, the weighted crib, the disorderly books, the grounded and stuffed birds...it's conceptual, yes, but what I take away most from it is how to design with shocking elements that beg for an immediate response. I may try that disorderly book shelf and see how many of my guests feel the frantic urge to tidy it up right away.

This is tough. It looks like a piano window from the height and photo angle, and I'm assuming that you don't want to cover it, thus the question. There is light-reflecting window film (generally used in offices) that will probably cut down on some of the heat and bounce a few UV rays back out. It's a bit pricey at $20-$30 a roll, but it works very well.

If you do decide to cover it, I'd skip curtains (if, indeed, this is a piano window) because they always look a bit odd on those kinds of windows and go with roman shades or plants. You can either get plants that hang from hooks or build a window plant shelf. The right plants will provide a natural shade while still allowing some speckled light to filter through.