Home Decor

When we were looking at this flat, before we signed the lease, there was no furniture in it. The owner of the building told me, "I know you Americans will want simple, nice-looking furniture. And if we get something you don't like, we'll end up having to take it out and store it somewhere." He told me all that, and then his brother--the building manager--went and bought this!

And it's not just a couch--we also have a loveseat and two armchairs that look just like this. Their (literally) breathtaking looks are exceeded only by their extreme levels of discomfort. When a big group of people are here, they fight to sit on the tile floor instead of the couches! We're in the process of having some new furniture built--with foam padding and a boring, plain blue fabric. Watch this space for pictures of that.

Any guesses what this is? No, not a UFO or a strange fan. This is the light fixture hanging over our bed. One friend said it would be like sleeping under a waterfall. My favorite quote on this one came from Beth: "I hope he wasn't looking at it when he picked out that light fixture." Maybe it was just a number in a catalog list.

Overall, we're loving our new flat--even if it has a little polishing to be done. As I write this, however, we're listening to the unbelievably loud music from a wedding party going on on our roof, about five floors above us. It sounds like they're having a great time. And it's already 11:15, so just a few more hours and they'll all go home!