Life Lessons from the Water Fairy
I honestly don’t know how to tell you this, but, well…I sprung a leak in my apartment. I hear you all, the collective thwack! of your jaws hitting your tables. “What?” you’re […]
Tag Archives: renovation
Coming Home (Again)
Nearly two years after I was ousted from my little Paris apartment by destruction and mold thanks to a leak from the upstairs neighbor that took 18 months to fix, my luggage and I moved back […]
The Saga of My New Little Paris Kitchen
If you’re following along, you know I’ve been planning a kitchen update chez moi since 2013. But between the rising exchange rate at the time followed by a leak that made […]
Drying Out in Paris
No, I’m not talking about that kind of drying out. In fact, after the intense month I had in Paris, I think my wine consumption may have ticked up a bit. I’d […]
My Paris Apartment—4 Years Later
Four years ago, on St. Patrick’s Day, I found the tiny apartment that would change my life. I’d arrived in Paris for one day, saw six apartments, and picked one […]
The (Re)Renovation
Well, here we go again. And a mere four years after what was supposed to be the one and only. But a leak in my neighbor’s shower—a leak he refused […]
La Cuisine Parisienne: Chic and (Kinda) Cheap
I’ve spent the better part of the last four months researching kitchen designs for my on-again-off-again-(maybe)-on-again renovation project in my Paris place. What I’ve discovered: high style comes at low […]
Renovation Chez Moi? I’m In Deep, Baby.
A potential television opportunity documenting my heretofore postponed kitchen renovation had revived the project—and put it into overdrive. In order to be considered for the show, I’d have to supply […]
Change of Ownership
On March 17th, I celebrated one year since I found my Paris apartment. It would take three months before I took ownership officially, but it felt like mine from the […]
The Housewarming
La pendaison de crémaillère: the hanging of the iron rack thingie that suspends the cooking pot over the fire. It’s the French version of the word, “housewarming.” In centuries past, […]
Under Water
It was my first stay in my new apartment after nearly three months of renovation. I arrived to find a perfect little gem. Everything was exactly as I dreamed it […]
Paris-o-rama!
Don’t you just love names that end in “-rama?” It just sounds like bigger and better fun, doesn’t it? Try it right now and you’ll see what I mean: take […]
The Homecoming
[Note: This post had been unpublished while we filmed House Hunters International. I’ve recently republished it.] I hadn’t seen the apartment since June, when it was covered in an inch […]
Les Soldes? I’m Sold!
I’d just arrived in Paris to oversee the renovation of my apartment and was profoundly jet-lagged. I threw myself on a bed, my limbs heavy, my head fuzzy. “Moins 30%” read the […]
My (Parttime) Paris Life 