by Furnishly | Jun 24, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
As someone who still does everything from home — work, exercise, entertain… trust me, the list goes on — I’m no stranger to making the most of a surge protector. An easy, effective way to maximize your outlets without blowing a fuse? There’s no wonder why my fiancé and I have power strips in practically every room of our apartment. But recently, I had a surprising realization: A surge protector might be one of the most functional accessories in my home, but it’s by no means attractive. In fact, it’s kind of an eyesore.
For as long as I can remember, I’d buy those traditional power strips that would sit idle on my floor, dresser, or media center. Practical? Yes. Stylish? Well… not quite. Not only would my power strips of yesteryear hog up some valuable square footage, but they would also make my cables look unkempt. Almost like Medusa’s mane, and I don’t mean that in a glamorous, mythological way. “There must be a better, less cluttered way to stay plugged in,” I thought to myself.
Turns out, there is. A few weeks later, I went to a friend’s apartment when I saw the perfect solution in her bathroom: a surge protector… that’s mounted to your wall. I immediately picked up two from Amazon and am convinced it’s the game-changer my apartment needed.
For such a simple switch, it’s amazing how much of a difference it’s made. Instead of having a power strip awkwardly on my floor — and trying to find a semi-creative way to mask it — this new-and-improved surge protector blends into my wall. And, with six outlets and two USB ports, my wall mount has ample space to power up my phone, the television, our sound bar, and my fiancé’s gaming console.
Of course, a wall-mounted strip is about more than just aesthetics. Now, all outlets rest nicely above the floor, making my cables less taut than they used to be. And, since my cords have more give, I don’t have to worry about my precious office lamp getting hurled off my desk at the slightest movement. (Yes, it’s happened before.)
The only downside? The surge protector I bought from Amazon Basics is currently unavailable, but don’t worry: there are still plenty of options. If you want to stick with Amazon’s signature brand, Amazon Basics has a wall-mounted option with six rotating outlets. (That way, you can pivot you cable in the direction of your device.) Looking to plug in your smartphone? Belkin’s take has over 75,000 reviews, a near-perfect rating, an “Amazon’s Choice” badge, and two USB ports. Or, for the more budget-conscious, Cable Matters has one for less than $10.
Make no mistake, my chaotic cables still have a long way to go. In fact, I’m even looking for the perfect cord ties to keep the Medusa vibes to a minimum. But, if you’re also tired of looking at the same power strip cluttering your floors, this is a great place to start.
Kelsey Mulvey
Contributor
Kelsey Mulvey is a lifestyle editor and writer. She has written for publications like Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Wallpaper.com, New York Magazine, and more.
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by Furnishly | Jun 5, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
The freezer section at Costco is legendary. It’s the first place I turn to stock up on frozen fruits and vegetables in the cold winter months. It’s also where I go to find crowd-pleasing appetizers and the best dinner shortcuts. Turns out, one of those dinner shortcuts has become such a hit in my household, it won over my picky daughter and my even pickier husband. Honestly, I never would have guessed it. Mostly because I didn’t even know what I was buying at the time (more on that below). That’s how good Costco’s frozen finds are! You can kind of just trust that whatever you’re buying is going to be good! Allow me to explain.
Tattooed Chef Organic Riced Cauliflower Stir-Fry, $9.39 for 48 ounces
I first discovered this massive bag during a rushed Costco run. I saw a picture of the enticing stir-fry from one of my favorite plant-based brands and tossed the bag into my cart … without actually reading the label. I got home, unpacked my latest haul, and planned to make this rice dish for dinner one night that week.
Because everything comes pre-cooked, I simply heated the contents of one of the bags with some warmed oil in a pan for about six minutes (there are four 12-ounce bags within the larger bag). I topped it with some leftover chicken strips from the night before, a drizzle of teriyaki sauce, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds before serving. After the first bite, we all realized that we were not eating rice, but riced cauliflower instead! (I should have known!) Unfazed, we kept eating; the riced cauliflower was seasoned so well and prepared so nicely that we didn’t even miss the grain.
Made of only organic frozen vegetables, Tattooed Chef Organic Riced Cauliflower Stir-Fry has become a permanent staple in my freezer. It’s filling enough on its own, but it also makes for a delicious base for cooked tofu, steamed edamame, grilled chicken, poached eggs, or any other quick (or leftover) protein. It’s a meal that we all love — and I can make it less than 10 minutes. Maybe I should start blindly throwing things into my cart more often. Who knows what else I might find!
Do you have a Costco frozen find you buy on repeat? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Lauren Manaker
Contributor
Lauren Manaker is an award-winning registered dietitian, book author, and freelance writer based in Charleston, South Carolina. She has an abnormal love for sparkling water and enjoys digging into the latest healthy food trends.
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by Furnishly | Jun 3, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
Ever Meister
Contributor
For the past 20 years, Ever Meister has been a journalist and a specialty-coffee professional, focusing on making great coffee more accessible to everyone. She is currently the director of education for the green-coffee importing company Cafe Imports, the author of New York City Coffee: A Caffeinated History, and the host of the podcast In Good Taste. She lives and brews in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
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by Furnishly | Mar 10, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
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The place I used to rent in Philadelphia had four rooms: a kitchen/dining room, a living room, and two bedrooms. Sounds like a standard-sized apartment, right? Not exactly. This house spanned four floors, one room per floor. If you’ve ever wandered around downtown Philly, then you know what I’m talking about: They’re the charming — and very narrow — rowhouses that line the cobblestone alleys dating back to the 1700s, where you almost expect to see Ben Franklin walking out the door in his bifocals and coattails. And they are notorious for perilously steep stairways that often feel more like ladders.
I’d fallen on the stairs once or twice and gotten a few bruises (par for the course for me, honestly… ), but I wasn’t motivated to do anything about it until the first time my aging dog slipped. If you’re a dog owner, you know how the sound of your pet taking a tumble can break your heart, so I immediately took to the internet to find peel-and-stick stair treads that I could apply easily to prevent my little buddy from any other falls. I had 34 steps (!!) and found jute treads to affix to each of them — and they worked beautifully! I felt way more secure when I was running up and down, but more importantly, my dog was able to bop around with no problem.
It was a fantastic solution — until it was time to move. I pulled off the treads only to reveal a gooey residue still stuck to the stairs. After a few seconds of picking at it, I knew it wasn’t going to come off without a fight. I had a choice: leave the treads (goo and all) on the stairs and forfeit a chunk of my security deposit, or find a way to restore the wood to the condition it was in when I arrived. I opted for the latter, stocked up on a few bottles of Goo Gone, enlisted my mom to help, and got to work returning the stairs to their former glory.
Goo Gone has been a staple in my home for as long as I can remember, and it does exactly what its name suggests: gets rid of goo from pretty much any surface. I’m talking glue residue, caked-on grease, gum, window decals, and so much more, all without stripping the surface of whatever you’re working on. I can’t count the number of times my mother told me to “Go grab the Goo Gone!” throughout my life for tasks like removing the stickers from the bottoms of new glassware or getting the double-sided tape off of the windows when the Thanksgiving decorations came down. But could this “magic” potion match up to centuries-old hardwood floors? Well, it took a few bottles of Goo Gone, two pairs of rubber gloves, a few rags, and a lot of elbow grease, but you’d better believe we cleaned off every last speck of glue, and I recouped every penny of my security deposit.
It wasn’t until I was writing this post that I discovered that Goo Gone actually makes a whole suite of products with more tailored uses: Automotive, Kitchen Degreaser, Graffiti Remover, Tile & Grout… the list goes on. I just ordered the Oven & Grill Cleaner — which I am super excited to try on my horrifyingly greasy barbecue — but rest assured, there will always be a bottle of the OG Goo Gone in my cleaning arsenal.
Buy: Goo Gone, 8 ounces, $7.60
by Furnishly | Mar 8, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
Ashley Abramson
Contributor
Ashley Abramson is a writer-mom hybrid in Minneapolis, MN. Her work, mostly focused on health, psychology, and parenting, has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, Allure, and more. She lives in the Minneapolis suburbs with her husband and two young sons.
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