The bathroom window faces a shared courtyard. By week two in my new apartment, I’d caught myself changing clothes in the dark rather than dealing with it. That’s how I ended up spending three weekends figuring out how to frost window glass for temporary privacy without drilling, painting, or doing anything that would cost me … Read more
The curtain rod fell off the wall at 6 a.m. Three days before my lease inspection. It took the entire panel down with it, and I woke up to a loud slap against the floor, thinking someone had broken in. That was the moment I realized I had no idea how to choose curtain length … Read more
The panel slid off the rod at 6 a.m. Pooled on the floor. Sunrise straight into my eyes, no warning. That was week one of trying to figure out how to hang double curtains on a single rod in my old apartment, and it taught me exactly what not to do. Since then I’ve rebuilt … Read more
I stood in my living room doorway with a cup of coffee going cold in my hand, staring at my own window as it had personally wronged me. The blinds — the same flimsy white vinyl ones that came standard in basically every apartment I’ve ever rented — sagged slightly at one corner, sat too … Read more
The dowel slid an inch to the left the first time I brushed past my own curtains. I stood there in my socks at 7 a.m., wondering if I’d just wasted an entire Saturday. That was attempt one. My lease says no drilling anywhere near the window frame, so when my bedroom window sat bare … Read more