How did they know?

So, being an Apartment Therapy freak, I couldn't resist trying this online quiz about what my decorating style might be. And here it is:

This is so me, it's not funny. Especially the scent thing. Whenever I'm home, there's a candle burning--right now it's Pacifica's Brazilian Mango Grapefruit (which is also the soap I'm currently using--thanks, Tee!) After my belongings arrived from Paris, I felt like I was back there because the boxes smelled of the candles/cleaning products I used there. This place smells differently because now I'm using Method cleaning products--they smell fantastic (cucumber, anyone? Or how about some mint?) and are safe for kitty paws to pad across.

It's also very, very important to me that people feel like they can kick back and relax. Because of that, my living room is on about its fifth iteration since I moved in. I still don't have what I would call the perfect flow, mainly because the other day I moved my desk from the enclosed balcony into a corner where once sat a big armchair. Yeah, it might sound precious, but I don't feel settled if I don't have the right work area. I thought the balcony was going to be perfect but the floor slopes, so my chair kept sliding sideways, I didn't like having the french doors behind me, the windows were too high, and it got hot/cold in there pretty quickly. So instead I turned it into a sitting room and created a work space in the living room. The windows are at the right level, I can regulate the heat (yesterday when it was 90 outside, it was 75 at my desk--and only 70 down in the kitchen), and I've strung icicle lights outside so it feels magical at night. Here's what it looks like:

I'm getting a different office chair--either lime green or chocolate (or maybe white?!), I haven't decided--and keeping the furniture off-white. My happy home colors are a little brighter than the quiz came up with--I have quite a bit of lime green and orange and pond blue, but mainly as accents. And red! I can't stay away from the red! Which is great come Christmas and winter, because I can change out cushion covers, etc. I luuuuuuurve seasonal decorating.

The section on the outdoor room is spot on, too, and I've made a start on that. Bought a few pots of lavender and geranium the other day, and only lost 1 geranium head to the resident possum. I'm hoping there's something I can spray on them to keep him/her at bay. The other problem is I seem to have lost possession of my Ikea rocker to a certain kitteh (seen here sniffing the air because a neighbor was cooking something delicious-smelling):

It makes my heart happy for the boys to have a safe outdoor space after 5 years on a small balcony. At 17, they're too old to go climbing over fences. I make them come in at night, though, because of the possums--which means that Pumpkin comes whining to me around 5.30 because he needs to get out so he can keep his space safe from passer-by dogs, who've learned, to their displeasure, that the boys are not interested in being their friends, so keep your snout out of the fence holes, thank you very much!

And as for the ice and limes...well, no truer words were spoken. And in that spirit, I leave you with the formula for my new favorite drink, which I'll be happy to serve you if you drop by. It's called a Paso Noble, but I'm renaming it HELL YEAH BABY!!:

1 part tequila
1 part Mandarin Napoléon
passionfruit juice & pulp
lime juice

You're welcome :-)