I grew up in an Asian American household where we only had one utensil for the whole meal: chopsticks. The typical European table settings with multiple pieces of flatware and china looked so fancy and luxurious to me especially when compared to a humble rice bowl and chopsticks. But over the years, I’ve learned to …
I am a very very picky person. It’s terrible for when I’m trying to find a place to eat, but great when it comes to finding good products. Contrary to what this website might portray, I rarely shop. So when I do, I make sure I spend my money carefully and effectively. With that said, …
Before I left for Australia, I had a chance to visit Kei and Jen’s kitchen to get a better idea of the space. I also made some design changes based on their needs and wants. If you haven’t seen the initial kitchen design, check out my previous post. As you can see from the current kitchen photos …
My friends, Russell and Melissa, purchased a home in San Ramon, California 2 years ago. San Ramon is located in the east bay and boasts highly rated schools and low crime rates – which inevitably comes with a huge price tag. It didn’t leave a lot of leftover cash for renovations or finishes. The 40 …
After posting my kitchen renovation, I’ve been getting a lot of requests from people to do more kitchens. I’ve recently been helping some friends design a new kitchen and Google Sketchup has been my goto 3D modeling program. It’s incredibly intuitive and best of all it’s free! I use Sketchup all the time to mock …
Let’s face it, throw pillows are often laughably expensive. Finding a decent throw pillow to adorn your living room sofa can cost you between $20 – $60. That’s acceptable if you only plan on buying 2 pillows for your entire life. Most of the time the pillows are made with polyester fillings that lose their …
My kitchen was the first room I tackled when I moved in. It was in dire need of some TLC. The flooring was old linoleum, the cabinets were too dark only to be illuminated by harsh fluorescent lighting. The appliances were in decent condition so I sold them to put towards some new ones. A …
I love copper. It’s like the masculine version of gold and the rustic alternative to stainless steel. But boy is it expensive. And there are a lot of imposters out there. Look at the color first Real copper boasts a rosy brown shine that is difficult to recreate with spray paints or plastic films. Even …
Live plants are really amazing. Most houseplants can propagate from a single leaf or shoot, allowing the possibility of growing them for free. Many people are afraid to get living plants because they’re afraid of killing them, but most houseplants are incredibly easy to maintain. While there’s nothing wrong with artificial plants if you are …
