apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My home doesn't have a good spot for a wall-mounted landing strip, so my "ah-ha" moment came when I found an old school desk/chair (via AT) that fits neatly at the entrance to my living room. The desk surface is ideal for sorting mail and paying the bills, the seat provides a place to sit while putting on my shoes (and a good spot for my handbag), and I can easily move it somewhere else when necessary.

(Point of correction: right and left shoes existed by the 17th century. They went out of favor for 200 years because heeled men's shoes became common and that alone was enough work for most cobblers!)

I don't cook all that often and generally prefer to eat out or order takeout most days of the week. Sometimes it takes me 2 hours just to make a decision on which restaurant to order from.

My "Aha!" moment happened about 5 months ago. I was in the grocery store picking up some snacks and ice cream when I saw this kinda hot guy standing in the section where they keep the bags of ice used for cocktail parties. Well... I decided to move in closer to get a better look at him when I noticed that he was picking out several frozen microwave dinners. And I said to myself OH MY GOD, grocery stores contain entire aisles of frozen microwave dinners!

I mean, I knew they existed because I sometimes see people with them in the kitchen at the office, but it's never occurred to me to actually go to the store and buy them! Why did I never think of this before!?! I immediately phoned two of my friends and informed them of my life altering discovery...

My "a-ha" moment has to do with color choices in my house. I recently moved into a new home and immediately started painting various rooms to better suit my taste and the furnishings I brought from the old one. Although I considered "fixed" things like woodwork and floors, plus furniture and rugs I knew I wouldn't be replacing, I failed to take into account the impact of the EXTERIOR of the house and the natural surroundings when choosing wall colors.

This revelation has helped me in several ways. Because the house has a lot of angles, from some rooms you can look out a window and see the exterior of another part of the house. My siding is an almost-black oiled cedar with dark green trim. So all my color choices have to work well with those colors (meaning, slightly dull, fairly saturated colors in most rooms). I cut swatches out of a paint fan book that match these "non-negotiable" colors, and everything I choose for the inside has to work with those.

In my living room, there are two walls of windows and the dominant effect is of evergreens (right now, covered with snow). Plus there are lots of brown branches visible, and of course the sky (which in the winter is often gray). Because of the dominance of the outside, I realized I had to keep that room white--something I would otherwise be loath to do. But I am tying the outside to the inside with upholstery and accents that draw on the natural inspiration.

Before I came to this realization I made several big mistakes, choosing colors I happened to like in isolation but that don't work within my new-found constraints. (For instance, my upstairs bathroom is a beautiful spa blue--it's nice but it has to go).

I wish I had applied this discipline when I first moved into the house, rather than believing that I already knew what would work. So my "a-ha" also includes knowing when I've made a big mistake. :)

i hava yet to have that A-ha moment - I sit frustrated in my crappily situated apartment trying to figure out how to make it better... But I do LOVE Those Lady Kier shoes. Now i'ma be humming Groove is in the Heart all day.