Tag Archives: bed
Things We Like: San Francisco Micro Living
Post by Kyle St. Romain.
How small is too small when it comes to the size of your apartment? Sure a one bedroom would be nice and a three bedroom would be even better, but you could probably get by just fine as a single adult with a studio. What about a micro studio?
Popular in urban centers like London and Tokyo, so-called micro studio apartments have developed to meet the needs of cost conscious, single adults who want to live in the city. While micro studios aren’t the epitome of luxury living, they provide all (or most of) the creature comforts an urban explorer needs.
Embracing the trend towards smaller, more affordable urban apartments, San Francisco city officials recently passed an ordinance that allows the development of what will be some of the smallest micro studios in the world. At 220 square feet these new micro studios will feature a bathroom, closet, and integrated living space that serves as the kitchen/dining room/bedroom/living room (though not all at the same time as the bed has to be folded up before the dining table can be used). To meet code, each unit must have at least 150 square feet of integrated living space, a bathroom and a closet. Space will be tight! The plan calls for an initial 375 test units to be built before finalizing the ordinance.
As you can imagine, furnishing such a small space requires a lot of careful planning. A while back, I wrote an article on maximizing bedroom space in a small apartment, and many of those tips are equally applicable to micro apartments—you just need to scale down the furniture even more.
The bed is the first thing you’ll need to plan for in a micro apartment, since even a twin-sized bed can take up just under 21 square feet, or 15 percent of your total living space. A Murphy bed is a given to help maximize your space in a micro apartment. The dining table is also another space hog. However one clever combination of sleeping/dining area had the Murphy bed fold onto a support table, which doubled as a dining table when the Murphy bed was folded up. I thought it was a pretty smart use of space.
If you want to read more about San Fran’s micro apartments click here.
Could you make it in a micro studio? Maybe they could be marketed as a luxurious alternative to Alcatraz. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Breakfast in Bed: Cranberry-Orange Holiday Crêpes
Post by Alison Hein
I’m standing on the checkout line at Trader Joe’s, wheeling my shopping cart to the register, chatting inanely with the cashier as she scans my selections…
Me: “Nice day, no?”
Marge (the cashier): “That’s for sure, especially considering the terrible weather we just had.”
Me: “Yes. I see you had to replace the floor.”
Marge: “And all the registers, too!”
Me: “Yikes.”
Marge: “Say, what are you going to do with these cranberries?”
Me: “Uh, make cranberry sauce?” (Didn’t want to tell Marge I wasn’t exactly sure.)
Marge: “Here’s what you should do – chop up an orange, juice and all, and add it to the cranberries. Then stir in ¾ cup of sugar, and just let it sit in the fridge overnight! People love it and are so impressed I don’t have the heart to tell them how easy it is!”
Me: “Thanks! I’m gonna try that!”
Well, I don’t have the heart to tell Marge that I couldn’t stop myself from cooking the sauce, but I will go back and thank her for the inspiration for a festive holiday breakfast in bed recipe!
Cranberry-Orange Sauce
1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
1 orange, chopped into small cubes
½ cup orange juice or water
½ cup honey or sugar
¼ cup slivered almonds (optional)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
Place cranberries, orange, orange juice, honey, almonds, cinnamon and cloves in a small, heavy pot. Bring to a boil, stir, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook at a bubbling simmer for about 10 minutes until the berries pop and the sauce begins to thicken.
Makes approximately 2 cups sauce.
Crêpes
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 – 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Powdered sugar for garnish
Preparation
In large bowl, mix together flour and salt. Whisk in milk and egg until batter is thick and smooth. Let batter rest a few minutes before cooking.
Heat about 1 teaspoon oil in a heavy 6-inch pan over medium heat. When hot, but not smoking, add ¼ cupful of batter to pan, swirling to cover bottom. Cook pancake 1 to 2 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned, flipping once. Keep warm while cooking remaining pancakes, monitoring heat and adding oil as necessary.
To assemble, place crêpes on serving plates. Spread each crêpe with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cranberry-orange sauce. Roll up, top with an additional tablespoon or so of cranberry-orange sauce, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Makes 6 to 7 pancakes.
Bedroom Design: Branching Out
Post by Laura Cheng.
In my spare time, I shop. Mostly online shopping during the wee hours of the night. Insomnia shopping is dangerous. Items that I don’t recall purchasing find themselves on my doorstep. Stores that I have visited recently include Anthropologie, West Elm, and Pottery Barn. These stores actually have more things in common than my credit card. They all have items that are featured in my blog this week about branch decor. A companion to my leaf decor blog a couple of week ago, branches are showcasing themselves within the bedroom as a natural and interesting alternative to decorating this fall. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there was definitely not a shortage of fallen tree limbs. Inspired by mother nature and my shopping addiction, and not to mention Veteran’s Day is today, this week’s blog is a eulogy to all the fallen branches.
Towards this end of Anthropologie’s winter catalog, you will find this masculine water pitcher. Its antler like branches mean business. The Surroyal Pitcher is a creative alternative to the plastic water bottle that I tote to bed to alleviate any late night thirst. If not used as a pitcher, it could also be used a vase on the nightstand.
Source: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-serve/A25768599.jsp
Branch decor can be in many different widths and thicknesses. Sandy’s aftermath brought down not only limbs, but entire trees. Throughout my neighborhood, tree trunks were being piece-mealed for disposal. What a shame to see such organically beautiful trunks being tossed out as mulch when retailers such as West Elm are selling them for close to $200. Stumps can be used alongside the bed in lieu or in addition to existing nightstands. The latter will give you the extra real estate space you need to set down Anthropolgie’s branch pitcher above.
Source: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/white-bedding?before=1345787771
At Pottery Barn Kids, Christmas is in full effect. Despite the overwhelming Christmas decor, the four poster tree branch bed was the only thing that kept my attention. Close up, the tree trunk was the perfect selection and texture of gray and white. It was attached to the headboard and footboard of a simple oak bed using nautical rope. Truly inspiring considering similar types of branches are currently being tossed as rubbish. Despite the havoc that Sandy caused, there is still beauty to be seen in it, even in the bedroom.
Bedtime Stories: Myths and Heroes
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Look and Find Myths and Heroes written my Melanie Zanoza Barteime; illustrated by Douglas Holgate.
So you love looking for Waldo but perhaps you have found him already. Or maybe you long to seek something hidden in a crowd but also want to tell yourself it’s “educational”? Well, then, look no further! Look and Find Myths and Heroes has it all! Is that Artemis I see, poised with her bow? Look out, Theseus! There’s the Minotaur, right behind you! Now where is that awesome Heracles T-shirt?
Okay, so this isn’t high art or cultural studies, in fact despite the subject matter, there is practically no information about any of these personages from ancient Greek culture. And they are not nearly as challenging as the Waldo books; each page looks like one corner of Where’s Waldo? blown up into a two-page spread. But you know what? It’s still pretty busy and it’s still pretty fun. There’s tons of stuff to look for, including protein shakes for Heracles, Apollo’s lyre and souvlaki for, well, all the Greeks! Nevertheless, if you are looking to learn anything about mythology, this book is sadly lacking in even the most basic information. But for a quick little mental challenge before bedtime, it’s definitely worth a look.
Bedroom Design: The Power of Two
Post by Erin Sears.
Many years ago when I was an art student I took a course in the Art and Culture of Western Africa. My professor was a lovely man and a consummate storyteller. One of the tales he shared with us was about the Yoruba people of Nigeria. The Yoruba have the highest rate of twin births in the world. Twins are revered in their culture and seen to be fortunate. They are given special names and the entire community rejoices at their birth. The story that stuck with me the most is that for Yoruba people, the first twin born is actually considered to be the younger twin. This twin enters the world and checks things out, letting the older, more dominant twin know that it’s safe to be born. Throughout the years, amongst twins I’ve known, I’ve seen this pattern repeated time and time again. The firstborn twin is the twin that is more extroverted and active, while the second born twin carries a quiet wisdom and confidence.
What does this have to do with bedroom design? Twin beds show up frequently in good design. Just like with their human counterparts, twin beds add something special to a room. Twin beds give a room symmetry and balance. They are both a bold and an innocent choice, reminding us of our youth and the good fortune of having enough room for everyone. Twin beds are not just for children; they are often enjoyed in vacation homes and guest rooms- joyous spaces that are meant to be shared with others.
Here are some of my favorite sets of twins:
Source: http://myoldcountryhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday-makeover-twin-beds.html
The graphic prints of the headboard and the two rugs really attract me to this room. If you head over to the blog, it shows the transformation of these beds from yard sale find to what you see above. Really cool DIY idea.
Source: House Beautiful
The sweet sophistication of this room makes me want to curl up in one of these beds and sleep for a really long time. Clearly, the room pictured is for a child, but what I find compelling is that the room also has real “adult” furniture and accessories that make it versatile. Anyone could sleep comfortably here.
Source: http://www.nuevo-estilo.es/espacios/img.htm?404/404_4_10g.jpg
Turquoise! Tufted velvet! These unique twin headboards could be dressed up with different linens for adults, but are totally kid appropriate too.
May twin beds bring good fortune to your home.
For more on the Yoruba people of Nigeria and their magical twins: http://www.randafricanart.com/Yoruba_Customs_and_Beliefs_Pertaining_to_Twins.html
