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Find: Lee Valley Hardware

Jan 29, 2010

{Short & Sweet Friday}

I happened upon this online/mail order hardware store while looking for a sleek solution for hanging flower baskets on my porch. I knew I'd never have to face another white plastic atrocity when I found these at Lee Valley. Then I started browsing and finding other things I loved at reasonable prices, like all this great stuff (click to enlarge):

Enjoy a little Friday shopping, but be careful. You're going to end up wanting things you never knew existed! —Diane

TAGS: lee valley hardware tool catalog

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Green Idea: Wool on the Floor

Jan 28, 2010

Remember when the carpet installers left, how the house had that "new" smell for weeks? That's chemical off-gassing. The air you breathe in a room with new, synthetic (i.e., petroleum-based) carpeting is not good for you. What are some healthy alternatives? Minimizing the amount of carpeting or rugs in favor of bare wood or tile is one option. But there are certain spaces in your home where you really want a plush, warm surface underfoot. In these places, natural fibers are called for: in particular, wool.

• Unlike synthetic fibers (nylon, polyester, olefin), wool emits no chemical gases. But it goes a step further by actually absorbing contaminants in indoor air— and it won't reemit them.
• Wool has a natural dirt-repellant quality due to the overlapping scale structure of its fibers. It has a tendency to keep dirt near the surface of the rug where it can easily be removed.
• It contains a lot of moisture and protein, which give it natural flame-resistance.
• Wool fibers are more resilient than synthetic, so it will retain its loft and shape longer. Each wool fiber has a spring-like shape that helps it retain its original appearance, even with repeated foot traffic.
• Wool resists static electricity.
• Wool has natural repellancy to moisture. (Cue sheep grazing in the rain.) This means it's naturally mold- and mildew-resistant.
• Wool has superb insulating qualities, helping to control heat loss through the floor. Consider it for window treatments also, where it can regulate temperatures year-round.
• Wool is a sustainable, renewable, biodegradable resource. There is some question about conventional wool production and textile manufacturing, regarding the treatment of sheep and chemical usage in factories. The best-quality wool is organic: produced from free-range, organically fed sheep without the use of pesticides/herbicides or synthetic medicine

So why isn't wool a more popular choice? Price, of course. Wool rugs are more expensive than synthetics, for all the reasons stated above. But always consider the cost of an item over time. Buy a synthetic rug, and you'll likely have to replace it in 10 years or sooner. A wool rug that's properly cared for can last 50 years or more. And in that case, you'd better choose wisely.

Here are a few stylish and well priced wool rugs.

Brown Wool Rug from Overstock.com, 5x8, $118

Current Rug from Overstock.com, 5x8, $174

Royal Quill Rug from Overstock.com, 5x8, $144

Baxter Plum Rug from Crate and Barrel, 4x6, $249

Rodeo Drive Rug from RugsUSA.com, 5x8, $224

Enter discount code JP50 at checkout to get an extra 50% off! This is a fantastic deal, with many wool rugs to choose from in the clearance section.

Need some help making your space more stylish and more eco-friendly at the same time? I've maximized the green in my own home, and I can help you do it, too, with a room plan that emphasizes sustainability and re-use of pieces you already own. Just email me!

TAGS: wool woolen rugs carpets carpeting eco-friendly green flooring chemical off-gassing air quality budget discount wool rugs

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Easy DIY: 8 Fast Fixes to Help Your House Sell

Jan 27, 2010

Everyone knows that selling a house right now is hard. You have to remove as many design barriers as possible to make your house stand out from the many choices buyers have. There are a lot of opinions about where to spend your staging budget, but not everyone has a staging budget! Here are some things you can do yourself easily, without spending much money, for a big impact on buyer impressions.

This vintage illustration came from retrorenovation.com and its very cool blog. If your home is circa 1940s–1960s, check out this blog post for ideas to update your home while respecting its retro roots.

Clean.

If you've browsed the MLS lately you'll see that not everyone thinks this is important. Remember that most buyers can't visualize or see past what's already in the house, including your dirt and clutter. And after curb appeal, scent is the first thing that will make an impression.

Seriously critique the outside of the home.

The front facade and entrance to your home make its first impression. It should look inviting and stand out as one of the nice houses in the neighborhood. Simple things that can improve its curb appeal include a fresh coat of paint or a power-washing, clean windows, a neat front yard, new house numbers and mailbox, a new doormat, and a polished knocker. If you have a seating area outdoors, make it look inviting with furniture. Borrow it if you have to.

Touch up paint.

The scuff you've grown to overlook will stand out to buyers. And this is probably the only situation where I'd advise against no-VOC paint. The smell of fresh paint instantly tells buyers you've taken care to freshen things up.

Uncover wood floors.

Wood, bamboo, and even wood-look laminate floors are a huge asset right now. If yours are covered with carpeting or large area rugs, uncover them! Be obvious about your home's strong points.

Uncover views.

If you have a nice view out a window, remove or minimize window coverings. Make sure all shades are raised for showings. The more natural light, the better.

Dedicate a weekend to finishing all those projects.

Small details may not seem significant to you, but buyers see unfinished details as a sign of your general care of the home. Anything unfinished raises questions.

Start packing.

You have to do it anyway, so do it now and get the place decluttered. Forget about that moving sale in the spring— just get the junk out before buyers come in. Rooms should look furnished but spare. Let buyers see the open space and create a nice traffic flow. Also store personal items like family photos and pet gear.

Create a showing checklist.

Be prepared to get your house showing-ready in an hour or less. Make a list of everything that needs to be stowed away (or even thrown in the car), and have a routine for cleaning touch-ups. This is one time you aren't going for a lived-in look.

Need some help getting your house ready to sell? I offer both flat-fee consulting appointments and staging sessions where I work together with homeowners to make the most of their house with resale in mind. In most cases, homeowners don't have to buy anything to outfit the house— I can work with what you have. An investment of $100 to $300 can result in a faster sale and a higher price. Email for more information.

TAGS: home staging how to stage a house to sell real estate realty tips put house on market

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Outdoors in: Rocks!

Jan 25, 2010

We Great Lakes dwellers are sort of obsessed with rocks because they're  so plentiful and so beautiful, every color of a desaturated rainbow and worn smooth by the waves. Last Monday I featured Lisa's fabulous DIY rock lamp. Today, I'll show you a simpler way to enjoy the beauty of rocks in the house. Lisa got her hands dirty with a power tool and all, and yes, her results are truly enviable. But what did I do? I went to the beach and got some rocks. And then I put them under the foot of the bed. In-stalled!

I like a simple, unfussy bedroom, so I have a platform bed with no boxspring, no skirt, no nonsense. It makes a nice space for a little natural accent. Here it's dressed in its winter look with darker bedding, a textured throw pillow, and a faux-mink throw draped over the headboard. And I have a confession to make: that's not the real wall color. I've been thinking about sliding it down the spectrum in a cooler direction, so I played with it in Photoshop. Right now the walls are Sherwin-Williams Rainwashed, a soft aqua. But I like the looks of this cooler, greyer hue. I think the rocks like it, too. —Diane

Resources: Maple/ash bed, Baronet. Side table: Crate & Barrel. Wool area rug: Pier One. Bedding: Bed, Bath & Beyond. Throw pillow: Ikea. Wall lamp: George Kovacs. Panoramic photograph of Crystal Lake, Michigan: Brian Confer, Studio B Photography.

TAGS: rocks stones decorating decor modern bedroom acessories natural organic unusual ideas

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Find: Graphic Wildlife Prints by Eleanor Grosch

Jan 21, 2010

Art makes a great gift. For Christmas my husband bought me a print (The Fox and the Crow, above) by Eleanor Grosch of Pushmepullyou Design. Eleanor has a way of minimizing wildlife to a geometric simplicity, reminiscent of the great modernist illustrator, Charley Harper. Eleanor sells her prints on her own site but also at charleyharperprints.com, which states: "Eleanor may be the protege [Charley] never knew he had." There certainly are many pleasing parallels between the works. But the differences are equally enjoyable. Eleanor's work features a lot of asymmetry and has a fine-lined flow that contrasts with Harper's harder-edged symmetry and repetition.

While Charley's work has increased in value since his late-in-life popularity and his death in 2007, Eleanor is a young artist whose work can be had for a reasonable price… for now. Here are a few of my favorite prints. Most are 12.5"x19" signed limited edition prints for $40, printed on heavy French Paper made right here in Michigan.

TAGS: eleanor grosch pushmepullyou design charley harper charles graphic prints limited edition serigraph

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