Fixing is Up
Remodeling Still Popular
Monday, January 07, 2008
Despite a depressed housing market, remodeling is hot.
A recent Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies noted that 2007 was the second-highest year on record for remodeling, with spending reaching $173.6 billion compared with $177.7 billion in 2006.
Dan Fritschen, author of “Remodel or Move? Make the Right Decision,” says that remodeling in a down market can make a lot of sense. His company, RemodelEstimates.com conducted a survey last fall among 5,000 homeowners and found that people are planning to spend about the same amount on home improvement this year as before.
One trend seems to be that homeowners plan to do at least some of the work themselves, a boon for DIY retailers like Home Depot. Surveys indicated that consumers seem to be remodeling with an eye toward comfort rather than enhancing resale value.
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Dry Grass
Bamboo Fiber Soaks It Up
Sunday, December 30, 2007
The latest arrival in trendy bathrooms is bamboo. Not on the floors or in cabinets, but in the towels.
Pure Fiber’s 100% bamboo towels are plush and soft. But besides the softness and silkiness of cashmere, bamboo yarn gives you the absorbency of fine cotton. Even better, bamboo yarns are more environmentally friendly than cotton, which accounts for a quarter of all crop pesticide use worldwide. Bamboo fabric requires less dye than cotton, modal or viscose, and the color is much more vivid.
And when you’re ready for new towels, the old ones are biodegradable. As a natural cellulose fiber, bamboo can be 100% biodegraded in soil by microorganism and sunshine.
Pure Fiber’s towels come in a range of colors like midnight blue, coastal blue, zesty orange, sunny yellow and, of course, white and natural. A set of bathtowels retails for $42.
Locally, Bambu Batu stocks bamboo towels and other bamboo items.
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California Romantica
Sunday, December 23, 2007
For a glimpse inside some of the best examples of California Mission and Spanish Colonial homes, it’s hard to do better than California Romantica. This lushly illustrated book features homes by George Washington Smith, Wallace Neff, Richard Requa, Lilian Rice, and other noted architects.
From whitewashed stucco walls and cloistered patios to tile roofs and glorious gardens, each house is a rare masterpiece, splendidly appointed with authentic California furnishings, including Monterey furniture, California tile and Navajo rugs.
Among the magnificent seaside estates, canyon villas, and courtyard bungalows shown is Diane Keaton’s former home in Beverly Hills, which she thoughtfully restored with noted designer Stephen Shadley, and for which she has been recognized as a committed preservationist.
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Thrown a Curve
A New Shape in Showers
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
A new shower from Italian design firm Aqvadesign was inspired by the use of wood in beautiful ships, where it withstands the action of sea and sun.
Suggesing the graceful curve of a ship’s hull, the 2-inch thick Aqvaplana shower panel is designed in solid marine Okumè type wood. It might seem counter-intuitive to use wood in a bathroom where it’s in direct contact with water for extended periods. But the idea of creating a shower panel of wood normally used in boat-building and further protecting it with special marine-type varnishes, actually brings the natural warmth and beauty of wood directly into your bathroom, without any problems related to mildew or deterioration.
Available in 6 wood colour variations (Zebrano, Ebony, Wenghe’, Teak, Oak and Paduk), the panel has an ultra-thin frame (5.5 cm at the base and 3.5 cm at the height of the shower head), that is entirely concealed (no connection between the faucet and shower head is visible externally). For even more wow factor, the fixture can be installed free-standing.
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More Door
Glass Becomes Sculpture
Monday, December 10, 2007
ClearCast Glass extends the traditions of specialty architectural glass. Impressed graphic lines carry the legacy of lead lines in stained glass. Bands of optical refraction recall the cut areas in beveled glass. An array of curved forms recalls conventional bent glass. Simple grid and patterned building blocks rejuvenate the concept of glass block.
ClearCast Glass doors are distinguished by a high degree of transparency and a deep, smooth, seductive texture. The panels create delightful atmospheric effects when light rays are bent through the curvatures of each design. The Echo panel represents the embodiment of sound, while Orbit suggests circles of light.
Thermal performance is enhanced by additional air space created in compartmentalized hollows, which can result in more than double the typical insulating air space used to make insulated glass. Increased air space also has a positive effect on reducing sound transmission levels.
ClearCast Glass doors are crafted using mortise and tenon construction and custom moldings are milled in the shop to give your door a truly distinct look. Choose from 16 styles framed in mahogany, fir and other woods. From Sculptural Glass Doors.
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Hot Topic
Towel Warmers Go Designer
Monday, November 26, 2007
Just in time for chilly weather, Thermique’s glass towel warmers are creating buzz in design circles.
Say goodbye to those familiar chrome tubes and welcome a sleek, silent heated glass version. The electrically heated, energy-efficient glass panels are suspended between wall-mounted brackets. The glass can be customized with your monogram or other designs. Brackets are available in polished chrome, oil-rubbed bronze, brushed or polished nickel, and polished brass.
In addition to the wall-mounted panels, Thermique plans to add floor models soon.
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