Use Your Fireplace

If your apartment has a fireplace, make use of it on chilly fall evenings and nights, as your fireplace can provide extra heat to keep you feeling toasty. Using your fireplace also creates a more cheerful ambiance in your home as the weather cools off and the days get shorter.

Keep Blankets Handy

Throw blankets can warm you up while you’re snuggling on the couch this season. Drape a few of these blankets on your living room furniture, so they’ll be within easy reach. When choosing throw blankets, look for ones that go with your current decor or buy colorful seasonal ones to spruce up your home.

Buy Area Rugs

Whether you have bare floors or carpeting, area rugs are an effective way to add coziness to any room. Dress up your living room with a new area rug, or place area rugs near your bed, so you’ll have a warm, soft surface to walk on in the morning. You can choose area rugs that blend in with your decor or area rugs that add some contrast for a more visually interesting look.

Light Rooms with Lamps

If your apartment has overhead lighting, switch to lamps for illumination during fall. Lighting rooms with lamps creates a warmer and cozier look, especially on autumn evenings. If you don’t want to buy lamps, you can also create this kind of environment with candles. Just remember not to leave them burning unattended.

Do Some Fall Baking

Baking meals and desserts at home can keep your apartment feeling warmer while also filling it with pleasant aromas. Make some of your favorite fall recipes, or look for new ones to try this season. Enjoy a cup of hot coffee or tea with your baked goods to add even more warmth.

Our apartments in Lake Oswego, OR include a cozy fireplace to help you stay warm this fall and winter. Contact us to get more details on our available floor plans and amenities.

The post Tips for Adding Coziness to Your Apartment This Fall appeared first on Kruseway Commons Blog.

Residents in Lake Oswego apartments aren't known for being sticklers for tradition, so no one will fault you if you decide to serve up some juicy steaks for Thanksgiving instead of the good ol' turkey standby. But what goes with steak for Thanksgiving? Here are six ideas for creative sides to go with a Thanksgiving steak for your Lake Oswego, Oregon Thanksgiving!

6 Sides for Thanksgiving Steak

• Crispy Sweet Potato Fries: Toss the sweet potato fries in potato starch or cornstarch first and then coat them with oil. Then bake them like you normally would for a crispy side to go with that T-bone.
• Mushrooms on Toast: Give your Thanksgiving steak a British twist with a side of sautéed mushrooms on toast. Cook the mushrooms slowly with some onion slices thrown in and a dash of parsley towards the end. Serve the mushrooms with a fork on a slice of toast.
• Arugula, Pears and Blue Cheese Salad: This is a salad with really bold flavors to go with a nice steak and a glass of red wine. Top the arugula off with sliced pears and crumbly blue cheese, and then drizzle a warm vinaigrette over the top for a dressing.
• Kale and Potato Gratin: This is a recipe that calls for just a dash of milk for the gratin and a small sampling of cheese. The kale adds a dash of sweetness for a great Thanksgiving side dish.
• Balsamic-Glazed Pearl Onions: You might not think onions could make a great side dish, but with Thanksgiving steak you get to break the rules, right? Boil the pearl onions first and then sautée them in summer butter for a minute. Then bring them to a boil in some chicken stock and balsamic vinegar.
• Braised Radishes, Shallots and Bacon: Who doesn't like a little bacon with their steak? Cook the bacon until it's crispy first, and then toss in some sliced radishes. Once the radishes start to brown, add the shallots for a delicious Thanksgiving side.

Don't forget that the community's outdoor lounge has a fully equipped kitchen. You can also check the Kruseway Commons website to see what floor plans are currently available!

The post 6 Sides to Serve With Steak for Thanksgiving appeared first on Kruseway Commons Blog.

Ghastly ghouls, gruesome goblins, grisly gargoyles; oh my! Halloween is in our midst once again. Let's take a look at four Halloween tablescape ideas to get your Lake Oswego apartment looking spooktacular!

Bowl of Eyeballs

If you're wanting to decorate your Lake Oswego apartments, your tabletops are a great place to start. Peel some green and red grapes for a bowl full of jiggly eyeballs. Put the grapes on a bed of red hots, red M&Ms or red Skittles for a bloody bath.    

You can also use opened Oreos, white cream side showing, and put a Skittle or M&M on the white cream to create an eyeball. 

Candy Corn

Create a candy corn themed tablescape by using glass jars in varying sizes and filling them with candy corn. Placing a Jack-O-Lantern to one side can offer some more orange to accent the candy corn.

Or, cut out candy corn shaped paper decorations to add to the flair, and top it all off with a white cake decorated with candy corn as the centerpiece. 

Creepy Crawlies

Get a bouquet of pure white flowers and place them in a black or dark-colored Halloween vase. Arrange 12 black plastic spiders of varying sizes, two black rubber snakes and two black centipedes on the flowers. The perfect whiteness will provide a striking contrast to the blackness of the creepy crawlies. 

Go Simple and Spidery

Simplify your tablescape by using an orange and black decorated tablecloth and place a festive pumpkin on a platter in the center. Arrange pleasant-smelling Halloween candles around the platter and orange and black cupcakes to one side.

Add an element of creepiness by using the simulated spider web material and cover the pumpkin platter and rear wall with the web. Put some black or purple plastic spiders at strategic places throughout the web. You can even put an insect in the web and arrange the spiders as if they're going in for their prey. 

Finding an Apartment in Lake Oswego

Halloween is arguably one of the most exciting times of the year. You get to dress up, decorate and have fun parties with great friends. If you're looking for an apartment near Lake Oswego, check us out at Kruseway Commons Apartments. 

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