Last Sunday, I got slacky with my husband, BFFs Katrina, Steve, and their little rug-rats. They invited us over so they could show off! Their house has never been one to snub, but recently they made some cosmetic changes and the end result gets a standing ovation from me. A few years back, the couple purchased a lumbering building, and set out to customize it. Kat, a professional photographer, got tired of schlepping around gear and decided to have an all inclusive photo studio and live in space. It was an incredible task.

Their stylish shack looks like the kind of place where one of the brats from Gossup Girl would live. They have made a large effort to warm up their modern home. Added to the wide open space is swell wallpaper, contemporary furniture, a tiled back splash in the kitchen and a “penny tiled” wall in the kids bathroom. They decorated the place with modern and mid century furnishings. Added to their existing collection of furniture are key, surprisingly affordable pieces from Blue Dot. The rest of their house is arranged with stuff from Design Within Reach, chairs from Room and Board, a little IKEA here and there and throw pillows from CB2. They also stained their hard wood floors mahogany, knocked out some walls and added a glass sliding door that connects the photo studio to the first floor. It has a vibe that makes me want to snap my fingers and be all groovy baby.

As I explore the digs, Kat shares more of her resources with me. “The wallpaper in Augie’s room (the DJ wallpaper) is Aimee Wilder…she is hot shit, and the wallpaper in our bath is Makelike. The upstairs living room is Graham & Brown and the downstairs studio wallpaper is Osborne & Little“, she explains.

I love the orange and brown, boom box, pop wall paper that decorates their toddler son’s room funny enough, their son is wearing a t-shirt that says “I still live with my parents“.  He’s three now, but I can’t help but wonder if he will still wear this at forty! I could hardly talk, let alone stoop drooling. But I had to stop drooling because Steve and Kat had a very important agenda. No, I wasn’t just invited over to eat cheeseburgers and act like a lush. They needed me to move in…be a part of the family!  We flirted with the idea in the past.

I realized that if I had to squat in their space, it would take a little adjusting, I mean, I’d be leaving my husband and my own cool bungalow behind—but I could feel a sense of urgency. They needed me. Who else would teach the small children how to bartend, play poker, swear and learn the lyrics to every Snoop Dog song?

On second thought, if they weren’t interested that didn’t stop us from having a perfectly swell slacky Sunday!  We taught Kat’s six year old daughter how to shoot with a macro lens and we took creepy pictures of our eyes.The kids kept me busy, forcing me to drink chocolate milk and showing off their drawings. Kat taught me how to make this super yummy cole slaw that has ramen noodles as an ingredient. How slacky is that?

Oriental Coleslaw recipe
2 – 1 pound bags of cole slaw or broccoli slaw (or similar amount of cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, broccoli, etc. that you process yourself)
1 bunch of green onions chopped

Combine salad ingredients and dressing ingredients separately. Toss salad with dressing and crunchies right before serving.

Do not add dressing until just before ready to serve. If taking this dish away from home, transport the dressing and the noodles/seeds/nuts in a separate container.