Rooms taking shape

Oh dudes, I am tired. Tired, but happy that progress is being made and the house is starting to look like a home and not box storage for wealthy vagrants.

We unpacked the Ektorp sofa (we got the three seater with this gorgeous black and white floral pattern) and set it up. It smells oddly of fish, but I have been assured that will wear off with time. I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a piece of furniture that has given me this much pleasure. Just looking at it makes me happy. It's black and white! And florally! And squashy! And grown-uppy-yet-Karla-funky! It blends oddly well with our black leather/international bazaar/cheap vintage furniture look we have going already.

Our living room? Looks like grown ups live there. This is a first for me. I've been living on college furniture for 20+ years.

AND? I set up the 'fashion room'. There's this oddly shaped sort of middle room, it's right off the entry and it has a very large built in book shelf. Is it a library? Is it a foyer? I don't know. Anyhow, I got it set up with all my fashion books and my collection of Haeger, Floraline, etc etc, vases, and the cow hide floor covering and some mostly black odds and ends and it has come together as a rather fabulous introduction to the apartment. I am hoping it sets the tone of the whole establishment. I call it "Sophisticated Euro Goth". Not-so-subtly suggested by some big black fashion books, one of which is titled "GOTH", on the middle (Biedermeier) table. I'll post some pictures soon.

We took a break from the arranging today and went for a walk in Frogner park today. It's now my local park. It felt very British, like Hyde Park or something. I've been there before, of course, but not in some of the areas we explored today. It was a beautiful day and the roses are blooming their ASSES off in the rose beds in the center of the park. Gorgeous. I can't wait to spend lazy summer afternoons sunning myself on the rolling lawns of the park. I will say, we had a crap summer, but the Fall has been a stunner.

So now I have some potatoes in the oven, which will be served with a brown sugar/chili/fish sauce marinated grilled pork loin, steamed broccoli and rosé. I'm still getting used to the kitchen, I am pretty sure the oven runs too hot and the cooktop is a bit cool. Also? The counter top plugs only work if the lights are on, which is fucking annoying. But the landlord did get us a new fridge when we complained that the old one was not cold enough, and the new fridge is a million times better than the old one, which had really short shelves and so nothing fit.

All told, it's coming together. That makes me happy.