I love the New York Times Home slideshows. Even homes that aren’t my taste are always made interesting by excellent lighting and relevant commentary. This week’s line-up, however, looked more like the makings of an episode of Wife Swap then hard-hitting journalism. First up we have a genuinely interesting, if not insane, article about a couple living in a yurt. Yes. A yurt. Directly next to that on the Style homepage was what could easily be considered the most boring home-shoot ever to hit the interwebs, and I’m even including google “boring home” image search in my ranking. I couldn’t help but hear the snarky voice of the anonymous Wife Swap narrator when sifting through the images. Let’s see if we can make this work
Meet the Higman-McKittrick family: Mother, Erin and father, Bretwood live in a yurt 90 miles from civilization in the Alaskan wilderness. The Higman-McKittricks have forsaken running water and indoor heating in exchange for life in a $14,000, 400 square foot tent, which can only be reached by plane or boat.
This week on Wife Swap, Erin will be flying over 3,000 miles to swap places with a woman she’s never met who lives in the Bronx.
Meet the Khinda-O’Donnell family: Elizabeth Khinda is an algebra teacher while fiance, Thomas, is a telecommunications worker. The Khinda-O’Donnells live in a standard size apartment outside Manhattan, Elizabeth claims to love anything pink and girly while Thomas wears a windbreaker. The Khinda-O’Donnells engage in a rare interior design activity known to few as “seasonal decorating.”
Without the benefit of an accessible grocery store, mom, Erin begins her day with a quaint round of front-yard ice fishing.
Back in the Bronx, Elizabeth admires the Ikea light fixture her electrically-inclined fiance hung over their holiday table.
Father, Bretwood prepares for the long winter by building a fire from the wood he hand chopped this morning and lining the yurt with quilts woven from angel tears
The season is well underway back in New York for the Khinda-O’Donnell family, who, again, pride themselves on their seasonal decorating techniques.
With baby Katmai strapped to her back, Erin cooks family meals on the only working electrical appliance in the couple’s home.
Back on the east coast, someone finds this photo of the Khinda-O’Donnell family kitchen relevant to seasonal decorating.
After a long day of trekking through snow and chopping wood, the Higman-McKittrick family settle into bed on their shared futon nestled behind a curtain hand-woven by Erin.
The Khinda-O’Donnells take one last look at their bedroom dressers, one appropriately bare, suiting his masculine sensibilities, and another with a mirror and wind-up ballerina reflecting her girly outlook, before snuggling into their boring bed with only one nightstand.
This summer, the Higman-McKittrick family will be embarking on a 200 mile journey by inflatable raft (this is real) to unmined coal repositories in northwest Alaska
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Khinder will be swapping out her holiday decor for this target pillow to usher in the new season.
See what happens when these two families swap lives for two weeks: new husbands, new children, new rules.
So, are you dudes tuning in?
WTF? I don’t know whether it’s just me because it’s 5 in the morning or if those NYT people were smoking crack when they put this piece together…Wow.
YOU ARE AMAZING! Caps intentional. Oh how I wish the Times would publish your “article” alongside this crap-o-la! So, so good Karly. “Thomas wears a windbreaker.” I spit on my computer reading that. Sorry mac.
I have to agree on the windbreaker comment. Guffaw.
I agree that the “boring home” slideshow was baffling, but I believe the original article ran in the Sunday Real Estate section (very pragmatic and financially oriented) as opposed to the Thursday Home section (style and lifestyle). Maybe they had some slideshow quota they had to fill or something.
I like reading about the yurt people though. And your commentary!
What the F is a yurt? I wouldn’t make it 2 seconds in a “yurt” much less 2 weeks. No running water?
I like this post!
I love the NY Times and usually enjoy the homes section but the seasonal decorating feature was very boring. The family living in the yurt, on the other hand was a compelling and crazy bit. Thanks for making my morning with your genius wife swap idea. Love your blog in general.
I marveled that the yurt dwellers shunned propane yet had Ziploc bags above the stove. That is a battle that propane would win every time for me. I think the last interesting and memorable piece, including photographs, was the one on The New Antiquarians w-a-y back in June. And the “seasonal decorator” makes my stomach hurt. The only positive -Thomas clearly adores Elizabeth. How he looks at her so admiringly in his windbreaker…
I read both of these articles and rolled my eyes so hard I damaged a retina.
telecommunications worker = employee at call center
Thomas O’Donnell = D-bag wanna be hipster with a bad haircut.
This post is GENIUS! I know people who’s glorious hopes for life are pinned on lives like either one of these families. Yurt, indeed. Ikea chandelier, indeed. I guess it is comforting to know that mediocrity and insanity are truly not much different.
Hee-lar-ious!
The yurt needs more fur to work for me.
Is that creepy guy staring at her breasts?
It is all so confusing….
Hahahaha wonderful commentary. that second couple really made it into the New York Times? Dang, I need to get published. I can be both crazy and boring if need be.
Ha! Your commentary was priceless. I’m loving this post.
This post made my week. And it’s been a pretty awesome week. You’re hilarious!
OMG,seriously, I think I love you!
Friggin hysterical! Brilliant, I found you through Decorno.
Best,
Jaime
Wow! Thanks for the love everyone! I was feeling kinda silly when i wrote this and wondered if it would go over well. You dudes are awesome!!!!
High-larious.
I would pay to watch this swap!
I laughed myself sick! Thank you so much and also in agreement on that windbreaker and the his and hers dressers.
Came from Decorno and loving your site!
You made my day as I am a huge fan of both Wife Swap and windbreakers. Seriously.
I’d rather live in a yurt sans heat and running water than in that shitty house decorated with floor samples from the Roomstore.
And I really, really hate the cold.
OMFG. I can’t believe you did this — I’m DYING. I must have said, “WHAT? WHY?” about 309450394 times while I was looking at the photos in that Khinda-O’Donnell article. WHY? WHY? WHY?
Soooo much better with the Yurt mixed in.
LMAO!!! The windbreaker comment takes the cake!
Having a hell of a day. However now all is right with the world because of your post. Haven’t laughed this hard in a long while. Thank you!!!!
Love it when you’re silly. I think the Bronx kitchen shot is seasonal because of the holiday themed towels hanging below the sink. Yurts are too f-ing weird but that apartment was too f-ing gaggy. Surely, in all of NYC there must be a better looking, seasonally-decorated space to shoot. Good grief.
That is one episode of wife swap I would tune in too!
LMAO. That’s great.
where’s the TV? How do they watch Netflix? There’s a netflix envelope next to the bed. HMMMMMM!!
I’ve been looking at this post all day! It’s the best! do another one!
OMG, Ceci! You are so on to something… that is Netflix!!!! You should be a private investigator!
how funny are you – i love the seasonal decorating comments…
great posts…
i’ll be tuning in for wife swap…
Brilliant!!!!
Thanks so so much for the laugh.
This is GRAND!… hoping for more of the same….it brings smiles!
Brilliant post – you’ve made my day!
I love you! What a lovely new year’s treat of the absurd. This joins the house with the tree in the kitchen and the David Bowie Labyrinth makeover as my top three favorite blog posts ev-ah!
Oh I’m so late to this fun. Karly, this has to be your most brilliant post ever! Why on earth would anyone live in a yurt 400 miles from anywhere in frigid Alaska. Crazy. And Netflix? Also note the laptop and outlets behind his head in the futon photo. They must have a generator and a post box in the nearest town. Oh yes, Karly — we need another! This was great fun!
My friend Anna sent me this link after we had a heated discussion on the ridiculousness of the NY Times feature of the Khinda-O’Donnell apartment. I have no idea why anyone would write about that lame apartment. The kitchen gave me cooties. At least the yurt people had a sense of style, however revolting it may be.
Holy crap! What a fabulous post. I laughed so hard. The quilt woven out of angle tears is as funny as the wind breaker detail.
“whilet thomas wears a windbreaker” and “Back on the east coast, someone finds this photo of the Khinda-O’Donnell family kitchen relevant to seasonal decorating.” killed me. genius post.
while, not whilet. whilet just sounds like a really bad preppy made-up name. as in “whilet (pronounced will-et) has riding lessons that day, you’ll have to go without her.”
Karly, you already know I love you with all my heart, but this is just adding reason #4,721 to the list. The windbreaker! [Cue Rachel Zoe] I die…
I agree with Susie Q. This may be your most brilliant post yet – and that’s saying something! Windbreaker.
More mash-up’s please!
That first family who lives in a Yert…I had their dollhouse in the 70′s..the Sunshine Family…but she was still pregnant then, glad to see she has given birth and moved from the trees to the ground…maybe the treehouse is a vacation home now…When will that be featured in HB?
have been following Decorno’s post on the NYT article, just found this! Haven’t laughed do hard since Vodka Has No Carbs!!
To Anders:
Above post. You are clearly a foul git with nothing better to do with your time than to view other peoples apartments on line. I’d love to see what your apartment/house looks like!
Telecommunications workers do not work at a call center- they hook up phone lines, internet connections and work with fiber optics overall. I am thoroughly disgusted…
Hahahaah!!
I found your blog from a friend who linked it to my FB fan page because of those plastic bag thingies, and I loved your sense of humor, I’ve just been reading for hours.
But this gem? HILAR.
Now I love you.
Happy Sunday.
xo
Would love to know how Elizabeth got last name Khinda – it is a rare tribe.