Electric Patio Heaters Indoors: A Different Kind of Risk
I own five electric patio heaters. Five. I said the number out loud to myself while writing this and had to sit with it for a second, because that is…
Sleeping Right on the Mattress, Sheets Optional
I keep a mental tally of how many nights a year I sleep on a bare mattress, and the number is higher than I’d admit to most people. Somewhere around…
Mattress Quizzes: Useful Nudge or Sales Funnel?
In the spring of 2016 I took a mattress quiz on my laptop at the kitchen table, four minutes long, cheerful little progress bar filling up as I answered questions…
The Humble Side Table and How It Won Me Over
I ruined a rug that belonged to my mother in law over a cup of Earl Grey and a wingback chair that sat exactly four feet from the nearest flat…
Bed Bug Spray: Does the Can Live Up to the Label?
Bed bug spray sells itself as a small, controlled act of war. You see the thing, you reach under the sink, you point and spray, and something in your nervous…
Top of a TV Stand: What Sits There Besides the TV
I currently have fourteen objects on top of my television stand. I counted them this morning, out of what I can only call morbid curiosity, and then I stood there…
Patio Table: What Belongs on It Through the Seasons
I counted the other day, out of pure nosiness about my own habits, and I go out to that patio table roughly eleven times a day between April and October.…
Bed Frame Colors That Stand Out Against White Walls
My sister walked into my bedroom in April, took one look at the new bed frame, and said, “Well. That’s certainly a choice.” Then she sat on the end of…
End Tables for a Dark Gray Couch
I did a rough count of drink rings on the current end tables in this living room last month, purely out of curiosity, and got to fourteen across three tables…
Vanity Top Colors for a White Vanity
I currently have four white vanities in this house, and five vanity tops sitting on top of them, because the powder room got done twice when I couldn’t leave well…