Sideboard Blocking the Radiator: The Heat Problem
I was on my knees in the dining room with a tape measure, which is not a dignified position for a woman my age, but there I was, trying to…
A Sideboard in the Living Room
I counted it once, out of pure boredom during a work call I wasn’t paying attention to. Nine times. That’s how many times I opened the sideboard in my living…
Round Rug, Rectangle Table: Odd Couple?
I own seven rugs right now. Seven. Two are rolled up under the porch getting slightly damp because I haven’t dealt with them, one has been in the back of…
A Patio Heater on a Wood Deck: Base and Heat
Okay so I counted this because I am that person who counts things: nineteen times last month. That is how many nights between October and now I have dragged my…
Gas Patio Heaters Indoors: I Would Not
I was standing on my back porch steps last November, in two coats and the fingerless gloves my mother thinks are ridiculous, dragging our propane patio heater six feet closer…
A Futon on a Bed Frame: Will It Sit Right?
My mom walked into my apartment in October, took one look at the bed in the corner, and said, “Chloe. What is that.” Not even a question. Flat statement, the…
Fire Pit on a Concrete Slab
I bought my first fire pit off a clearance rack in early October, the kind of purchase that made complete sense at 9pm on a Tuesday and almost none the…
A Fire Pit Inside a Gazebo: Cozy Idea, Careful Answer
Marcus texted me a photo at eight o’clock on a Friday night. New gazebo, cedar posts, asphalt shingle roof he’d put on himself over a long weekend, and sitting dead…
Chimineas on Wood Decks: Tall, Top Heavy and Spark Prone
Everyone talks about chimineas like they’re the polite, contained cousin of a fire pit. Something you can tuck into a corner of a deck, light with one match, and forget…
A Chandelier in the Living Room
I put a chandelier in my first condo before I owned a single piece of real furniture, which tells you everything about my priorities and also nothing about my judgment,…