Let's Visit Lily, Luna and Kirsten's CatHouse!!!

[kimlovescats]

Knock, Knock .... anyone home? :D

[Kirsten]

Yes, we're here, come in please! Everyone's welcome! :)

Here's the house, my apartment is under the roof, the one with the little windows. I have the entire floor for myself:

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home1.jpg


When you enter, you have to walk up to the second floor, and there you'll find my entrance door. Please note that the yellow curtain behind the glas is pretty much ruined by a little naw-tee girl called Lily: ;)

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home2.jpg


This is the hall (with the view into the living room). You cannot see in this picture that the entrance door is on the left side, and on the right side, there's the door into the bedroom. Luna's litter box is in the hall also (on the left, hidden behind the fake plant). You know, she has many litter box accidents, so I often have to wash the creme colored rug on the floor. I also have to clean up kitty cakes from the laminate, almost every day!

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home3.jpg

My telephone corner in the hall:

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home4.jpg


When you enter my apartment, you'll first notice the view into the bedroom. Here are the two windows which Luna and Lily prefer for bird watching.

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home5.jpg

The computer corner, which is also in my bed room. Here I have some of my photos and my map of Middle Earth! :)

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home6.jpg

My bed with my three Lord of the Rings-posters and a little tv (for which I'm really thankful at the moment because now I can watch while having some rest).

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home7.jpg

My bedside table with Luna photo, lavender and my little Viggo Mortensen shrine... ;)

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home8.jpg

[Kirsten]

Here's my living room, I prefer warm and natural colors here. Since Luna has peed onto the sofa last year, it's covered with blankets. I'm not too happy about that, but I'm afraid there is no other way:

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home9.jpg

My tv corner with dvd player, vcr and stereo, and another map of Middle Earth. :)

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home10.jpg

A little dining table (which I only use when I have guests):

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home11.jpg

The cabinet on which the girls love to climb, and - on the right - a scratching post I have once build for Luna:

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home12.jpg

My "sand collection", in the jars is sand from a beach in Florida, deep red sand from the Australian Outback and from a desert in Namibia. Above a photo of my mother as a young girl:

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home13.jpg

My Katz memorial corner:

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home14.jpg

[Kirsten]

A tiny room behind the living room which I use to dry my clothes and store things. I have also my sewing machine there:

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home15.jpg


My ugly little bathroom. I'm not responsible for these terrible tiles and floor, but I'm planning to get a new, creme colored floor in the near future!

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home16.jpg

Here's the self-made frame for my bathroom mirror, created during my "sun flower-period" last year. Again, please don't mind the tiles, I would never have chosen those, but my land lords are old and have a funny taste. :eek:

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home24.jpg


The cat room: Very ugly as well, I have plans for a new decoration, but I have to wait until my back is better. However, Lily loves to sleep on the top of that ugly old cabinet!

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home17.jpg

Luna on the scratching post: There's also the chair on which I'm usually sitting when I'm brushing her.

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home18.jpg

[Kirsten]

Pictures of my kitchen. Don't like that kitchen very much, but I've tried to make the most of it. :o

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home19.jpg

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home20.jpg

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home21.jpg

My favorite spot in the kitchen, especially when the sun is shining. Lily loves it, too.

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home22.jpg

Well, there's no room here that won't remind you I'm a LotR-fan! LOL :D

http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home23.jpg



So, that's it! Hope you've enjoyed the little tour through Luna's and Lily's home! :)

Kirsten

[thelmalu99]

Kirsten, I love your apartment! There is nothing ugly about it!
I live in an apartment as well, so I understand having to do the most with what you are given. It's like we have to constantly work to give it a personal touch. My bathroom tiles are yellow and black, with more yellow and black on the floor! :eek: I try not to look at it too much! ;)

It looks to me like you have done a great job making it yours. I have been working on mine as well. I fact, I just recently painted my hallway a nice shade of orange, just like you have in your living room. I love earthy colors as well. A little bit of color goes a very long way!

I love your plants; I have many as well. They really do make an apartment look and feel so much more like a home.

How do you keep your dining room table so neat and clean?? Mine has become my "drop-off station" when I walk into the house. My bag, my mail, everything gets thrown on there when I walk in. It's a disaster, LOL! Needless to say, I never eat there, and it only gets cleaned off when I have company!

Your aparment looks very cool! Thanks for sharing, and please give your beautiful babies kissies from NY! :D :D

[kimlovescats]

Your home is very nicely decorated ... I love the warm earth tones you have used, and all the nice little artifacts and such you have lying around. The sand bottles, and such and the maps are really indicative of your tastes and love of nature, and I think they are beautiful!

I love the fabrics you have used for curtains and all of the plants too ... very nicely done!

Thank you for a lovely tour!;)

[Kirsten]

LOL, you're right, yellow and black tiles don't sound too great! :) I can relate to that!

Well, I think I only keep my dining room clean because it's so far away from the entrance. Most of the stuff I'm bringing in ends up on my kitchen table - at least for a while, until I'm getting tired of it! LOL

However, I know there's still some work to do. All the doors need a new coat of paint, and I need some plants for the cat room, it looks too boring. I'm also getting a new table, corner seat and chairs for it, and I also plan to get some shelfs. And when my back is better, I'm going to build a big new cat tree for the girls!

Some of you may know that I have lost my job soon after I moved here, so I cannot buy new stuff at the moment, but I got most of my furniture second handed from my sister when she moved.

Kirsten

[bluekat]

You have such a beautiful and cosy home!:D I love your living room...I love the colors.

I can tell that you're a big LOTR fan:p

Thanks for the tour!:)

[Kirsten]

Thanks! :)

I could never live in a place without plants!! However, the ivy I have at my walls are fake! One reason is that I was never really lucky with ivy, and of course I know they are toxic to cats - so they're banned from my place!

Kirsten

[Kirsten]

I can tell that you're a big LOTR fan

LOL, I can't deny it, right? :o Well, in fact, I would love to live in a place such as Bag End... but my place looks still kind of different! LOL

Kirsten

[catcrazylady]

Kirsten, you have a WONDERFUL apartment! I love the colors and I especially love your sand collection! It's just so different. I think you have a great place to live and we know from past pictures that your view out the windows is marvelous! I agree that I would not have chosen those tiles for the bathroom but the way you have decorated around them makes them look good!! I love your home and would love to come visit often. It makes me miss my time in Germany.
I think Luna and Lily have a wonderful place to live. Thank you so much for the tour and the visit.


p.s. I too am a big fan of LOTR but I dont have all the stuff you do. I really love your map of Middle Earth! Too Cool!

[sirrahbed]

I loved having a tour of your home:) Everything is so warm, cozy and nicely decorated. That sunny window spot is also one of my favorites!! Thank you for inviting us in:D

[nibblets]

Kirsten, you have a very warm and inviting home. Great kittie windows! I love your sand collection and the photo of your mom.
Also, the Michaelangelo print of the hands is nice. A perfect home for three lovely young ladies!

[trayi52]

Kirsten, I love your home, I really love this color! What color is that? I am wanting to repaint some of my home and have just fell in love with the color here:
http://www.tillyschanze.de/pix/home13.jpg

I really do like your home. Hey have you ever heard of any Zenkers living there in Germany? My dad was a Zenker, and also german, his mother, dad and grandmother came over here in the early 1900s.

Well anyway, I really enjoyed the tour of your home, and thank your for the tour!

Willie:)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Kirsten, your apartment if beautiful. Thanks for giving us a tour.:)

[catnapper]

Kirsten, you have an absolutely lovely apartment. I have always loved the looks of it whenever you've posted pics of the girls. The colors are so rich and beautiful. I've loved the curtains sicne I've first seen them.

I think your sand collection is too cool! :cool: And I love all of your LOTR collectables. I was looking for one to send to you when you were in the hospital but couldn't find any :(

Question about your bathroom though... is that a small tub with a lid in front of the window? It looks like you have a shower curtain there. I've seen a tub/shower with a lid once a long long time ago in a very old house. It had a very similar setup, so I was wondering. If it is, are most German bathrooms set up like that?

[Kirsten]

Thanks everyone for your nice comments about my apartment! :) Too bad that everyone's living so far away, it would be so nice if you could be my guests here! :) The girls are also enjoying company, especially Lily!


catcrazylady, if you should ever come back to Germany one day, you have to stop by. :) We could even watch the LotR-movies together, I'm always watching them in English! ;) The map above the tv is scanned from the SEE version btw (printed in 4 parts and then glued together LOL).


trayi52, that color is called terracotta. It's no paint, it's a wallpaper. It's a very popular color for wallpapers over here for the last couple of years.

I don't know anyone with the name Zenker personally, but I think it's a very common name. Do you know where your dad's family has lived in Germany? I could try to find out if there are still Zenkers living in that area.


catnapper, that's sweet of you that you've tried to find some LotR-stuff. :) About your bathroom question:
Actually it's a very strange tub, more like a combination of a tub and a shower, you can only sit in it. It has a seat inside. And no, there's no lid, it's only looking like that because the photo is overexposed. Usually bathrooms in Germany are not looking like that, they either have a "normal" tub or a shower, or both of them. I don't know why my landlords installed that stupid thing, I never saw something like that before, and I only use it to take a shower. I'm never taking a bath in that thingy, it's just a waste of water because it's so uncomfortable.

Kirsten

[AmberLee]

Your seems very cozy and snug to me, and very welcoming. I'm sure you're glad to be back there now and I'm hoping that you are feeling better very soon.

I, too, was very impressed with the sand collection: very unique!

{{{hugs!}}}

[jazzcat]

Wow Kirsten that is gorgeous!! I love the colors you've used. It looks so warm and inviting. I can't believe you live in an apartment, it doesn't look like one at all. I'm used to the typical white walls you can't paint apatments around here.

Beautiful! Thanks for the tour.

[catlover4ever]

Kirsten, thank you for having me over. I really love your home. With your apartment on the top floor you certainly do have a beautiful view. I love the colors you have choosen. I like the sand collection....when my family went on vacation to Maine I did a sand collection for them...I guess great minds think alike.

Thank you again for the wonderful hospitality.

[catmandu]

You have such a Beautiful Home , its no wonder , that you missed it , so much , when you wwere in the Hospital! The Found Cats , will be in Germany soon , and will drop by , to See You, Lily and Luna!

[CatMama78]

What a great place. Your colors in the living roon are gorgeous. Favorite piece I saw was the cabinet. I also live in an apartment townhome which is not really decorated yet, but I'm working on it :)

[Felicia's Mom]

Thanks for the tour, your apartment is beautiful.:)

[Kirsten]

Thanks for your visit everyone! :)

jazzcat, I didn't know that you cannot paint apartments where you live. Here in Germany, it's always the tenant's duty to do that, and in most cases, you also bring your own stuff, such as furniture. I'm very happy about that. I would never feel comfortable in a home in which I don't like the colors of the walls! Used to have white walls for a long time though (combined with blue fabrics and metal, it's been a really cool atmosphere), but a couple of years ago, I turned to those earth tones.

And as far as the sand collection goes... My sister has just told me that she brought some sand from Botwana for my collection! :) I find it very nice to have sand, soil, leaves or stones from othe countries here. I don't travel much (for several reasons, the cats are one of them), so it's nice to let the world come to my place instead! ;)

Kirsten

[Miss Meow]

Kirsten, your home is lovely :)

It's so nicely decorated and feels like a happy place.

[leslie flenner]

Is so homey!!! You know what I love the most? (i know zero about lotrs!) It's the photo of your mother! I think, if you have more, you should put up more! She looks gorgeous (well, you are very pretty so it runs in the family!). I think old family photos are so nice and give us a sense of connection when we're feeling down... Almost as comforting as having a cat curl up next to you,, or comforting in a different way. Where are you in relation to Munich? I spent 3 weeks in Germany several years ago and thought it to be beautiful (and lots of beer- even at McDonald's!). I don't know how you can afford to live on your own (I don't know how I do it either!) but you have an adorable apt and me thinks you might like a couple more cats? hee, hee...ps. how are you feeling?

[NoahsMommy]

Oooooooh! I really like your place, Kirsten!!! I love how you have so much light...it really compliments the use of color and the plants.

I love your sand collection because its different, beautiful to display and so memorable. What a truly great idea. :)

Thanks so much for sharing your home with us. Its so clean and put together...not like my apartment! I wish we could paint the walls, it would inspire me much more to decorate. I also wish I could have house plants...Noel is my little lawn/plant mower and eats anything that's green and alive. :rolleyes:

[Kirsten]

Thanks for your visit everyone! :)

Leslie, you're right, there's always something special about these old photographs. I also have some of my father as a young boy, but that was during the darkest time of the German history :(, and they were all wearing those horrible uniforms. Not the kind of photo you should have on your walls. But I love this one of my mother. It's been taken in the 50s, when the horror in Germany was already over.


NoahsMommy, I'm really sorry for you that you cannot paint for walls. That would be hard for me as well, and also depressing. It's so important to have colors around that you like and that make you feel comfortable!
BTW, as far as the plants go... Have you ever tried Bitter Apple spray? It's only available in the USA; it's a spray that gives plants a bitter taste (non-toxic and natural), and it works very well here.

Kirsten

[Barbara]

Kirsten, your taste and creativity for sure made the most out of the apartment. I know that kind of bath tiles. I wonder why landlords like them.

I think Luna and Lily have a purrfect plave to grow up:)

[Kirsten]

Thanks! :)

Barbara, are you back home now? Hope you had a wonderful trip and a great time! :)

You're right about the tiles! *sigh* I guess they'r at least 30 years old! Some of them are getting loose now, so maybe they're gonna be replaced soon! :cool:

Kirsten

[lynnestankard]

Kirsten what a lovely tour - many thanks for asking us round. It seemed a really large apartment. It has such a lovely 'mellow' feel - must be the earth colours - I could happily live there!
I think the only thing I'd miss - is my garden!

By the way - lovely lady taking the photo in the bathroom?!!
:D

It was lovely to meet Lily and Luna and have a cuddle with them.

Lynne

[Kirsten]

Thanks!! :)

Oh, there is a little garden, my landlords are looking after it. But we're allowed to use it in the summer.

Ehm, well, yes, that's me in the mirror. :o

Kirsten

[Cataholic]

Such a lovely home, Kirsten! I actually don't find the tile in the bath that offensive. Maybe cause I have seen worse! :eek:

Jade plants are my favorite kind of plant. I think I have about 10 of them. Do Lily and Luna like to bat at the leaves, bite them, and play hockey with them? Mine do, and they always do so much better (the plants) when I move them outside in the spring.

Thanks for having me over.

[Kirsten]

LOL, yes, I agree, I guess there are even worse tiles than mine. Actually I think it's the combination of the tiles and the floor that makes it look so disgusting. When I'm feeling better, I will replace the linoleum by a cream colored one, that should look much better.

These jade plants are growing very fast! I got mine as a birthday present 2 years ago, and it has grown a lot since. Unfortunately, Lily has knocked down the pot a while ago and the plant broke, it has been looking so much more impressive before!

Kirsten

[anna_66]

What an awesome apartment! I would have never dreamed looking at the outside that it would be so big inside.

Thanks for the tour, I enjoyed myself:)

[Kirsten]

Thanks, anna! :) Yes, it's big enough for one human and two felines. :)

Kirsten