Ask Me Anything: Part 1

Happy Saturday my little chickens. (Quick fun fact: my Puerto Rican mother always called my siblings and me her pollitos which translates into little chicks and it’s just fun and nostalgic, okay?). Thanks for being here on this (hopefully) beautiful Saturday. 

I’m doing something a little different today and I’d love it if you sent me a quick email or dropped me a DM on Instagram to tell me whether you were into it or could take it or leave it. Promise I won’t be offended. Earlier this week, I hopped on Instagram Stories and asked for your questions…on design, on food, on product recommendations, on fashion and beauty. TBH I expected like…two inquiries…one from my sister asking me to move back to Florida (she did not disappoint because it was my first submitted question!) and the other from my mom saying “oh my daughter, I love you so much”—THAT IS NOT A QUESTION MOM. But I was pleasantly surprised that there were more questions than I could count on one hand. It’s SUPER vulnerable to talk into the camera of your phone and pretend you’re someone anyone would care to hear from, so thanks for playing along. Social media is so strange. 

I actually started to answer all the questions here originally, but it got to somewhere close to 3,000 words, so instead, I’m going to answer a handful of varying topics and take the rest to the ‘gram during the week so stay tuned.

Let’s get started with my answers for my first AMA (ask me anything): 

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Q: “What if my rug keeps slipping off the pad in the living room on wood floors? Is there tape or something?” 
A: My friend, you need a better rug pad. Not sure what you’re working with but I find that anything that’s a combination of felt and rubber works best on those slippery wood floors. I’ve heard great things about this one and personally have these. 

Q: Go to styling books and where to get them?
A: I’m not book prejudice, I love them all. If you want to style with books though, I’d say make sure you’re using larger coffee table books (stacked in groupings of 2 or 3). These are so easy to find used and vintage at flea markets, estate sales even on eBay for a great price, considering a lot of these can be upwards of $50 new. 

Q: Favorite kid/pet-friendly dining chairs or couches?
A: I’m going to let you in on a little secret…VELVET IS A MIRACLE WORKER. I wrote this piece on it a while back and I still stand by it. It’s a great performance fabric without looking or feeling like patio furniture (though performance fabrics have come such a long way).

Q: How has your couch held up? We’re looking at one from that company (the Caitlin).
A: She’s referring to my Maxwell sofa from Interior Define. I’ve had it about a year and a half and so far so good. My cushions are down-wrapped foam so they need constant fluffing (and by that, I mean, I lift up the cushions and punch and slap them several times about once a week). The seat is a little softer in some places, like my chaise nook, but honestly, this would happen with ANY sofa. Overall, super happy with its wear-and-tear. 

“Moodboard, moodboard, moodboard.”

Q: If you’re sick of staring at a room, what’s the best way to throw it all out and redesign?
A: Well, out the front door, of course! I’m kidding. You’d be surprised what ONE new piece can do to a space you’re tired of looking at. Before throwing in the towel and starting over, I’d recommend taking stock of whether your room is functioning the way you want it to, and if it’s not, take out everything that’s not contributing. From there, rearrange the furniture to fit how you want to live, not how you’re forced to think it should be. THEN, fill in the gaps. I’m not saying never start from scratch because that’s super fun to do (also sometimes necessary), but it’s also not a very real option for most. If you are starting from scratch, moodboard, moodboard, moodboard. While 2D will never be an exact match for how a space will come together, it’s SO helpful when you need to visualize colors, materials and patterns together. I use Photoshop, but you could use Google Slides, Powerpoint, even pins or glue with real samples. 

Q: Favorite place online for accessibly-priced area rugs?
A: It really depends on your style and what you’re looking for, but RugsUSA, Wovenly, eCarpetGallery (lots to dig through but plenty of gems), eSaleRugs (ditto), Revival (a little pricier but well made natural materials instead of polypropylene), even Target are all shops I regularly pull from.

Q: When are you going to visit me and cook for us and help me decorate?
A: Whoops…how’d I let my sister’s question slip in here?

Q: I’m in search of an awesome foaming face wash..please help!
A: If you have skin anything like mine (sensitive, dry yet very oily all at once, and acne-prone), two foaming face washes I go back to time and again are Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cleanser and the ExfoliKate Cleanser Daily Foaming Wash. Foaming face washes are the best for removing all that gunk in your pores, but unless it’s a cream foaming cleanser, it’ll dry out your skin (at least it does mine). Oh, and if it’s something that’s important to you like it is to me, those are both cruelty-free according to crueltyfreekitty.com.

Q: “How do you feel about TV in the bedroom?”
A: I FEEL GREAT ABOUT IT. I’m only really going to tackle this from a design perspective because I know there’s a lot of sleep science or psychological/relational research around this topic that I know literally nothing about. I know a lot of design-y people hate TVs…just take a look at most of the photos of living rooms on your feeds and you’ll notice they’re typically missing. I do not care that TVs are “ugly black boxes.” What challenge does design pose if you’re only working with pretty things. My take: if you’re able to hang your TV on the wall, that’s great, because you can style the dresser or console underneath to make things exciting design-wise. I also love the move of adding some art around your TV if you really want to detract from it, but I rarely look at a room with a flatscreen and feel like my eyeballs will burn out of my skull like it would appear other design people experience. ::shrug::

Q: Best meal that takes 20 mins/best meal that takes all day to make?
A: OH I LOVE THIS QUESTION. I can’t pick just one so here are a few options: 

20(ish) min:
These shrimp foil packets that Charles gets PUMPED about if I say I’m making them. (I make mine in the oven since I don’t have a grill). 

A massaged kale salad (it sounds boring, but it’s anything but). This was the recipe I started with and kind of evolved from there. I prefer lacinato kale (dino kale…the dark green one not the curly leaf one) and quadruple the lemon. Basically, I use one whole large lemon for one bunch of kale because I like it tangy and also use more olive oil because you want enough to coat all the leaves. Dried cherries and cherry tomatoes are a phenomenal addition. Eat as-is, or top with whatever protein you want. 

Longer than 20(ish) min (I rarely make something that takes all day…unless it’s bone broth or something in the slow cooker): 
One of my absolute favorite meals ever is red snapper en papillote. I just buy fillets and use Israeli couscous instead and WHOA IT’S UNBELIEVABLE. 

TOSTONES FOR THE WIN. Anything with chimichurri is an instant favorite of mine. 

I make this lasagna (with fresh pasta sheets from this pasta recipe) every Christmas Eve and I look forward to it for the next 364 days. 

The roasted garlic orzo from this dinner recipe is outrageous. I typically double the lemon and parmesan but good grief is it good (as are the scallops, tbh). 

Alright, that’s it for today! Not short, but hopefully sweet. I’m ALWAYS happy and eager to recommend products, recipes, or lend design advice, so be sure to shoot me an email or find me on Instagram to pick my brain. Again, I’ll be answering the rest of your questions ASAP, so if you didn’t see yours, stay tuned!