Home Projects

We’re quickly running out of space on our own balcony; it’s getting cramped with little pots that look almost like (egads!) clutter. Plus, in a freak sweeping accident over the weekend one of our prized pots got knocked over and broke to bits.

Since we’ve been looking for ways to maximize the use of a small balcony or outdoor area (see here, here and here to catch up) we’ve run across a lot of the same kinds of ideas: tier plants, keep it clutter free, make sure you have a comfy place to sit, etc. But never would we have thought of this idea for growing a canopy of vines on a balcony:From flickr user living in penny’s:This is my balcony garden. I wanted to have a canopy of greenery to have a feeling of intimacy.

On many occasions, we’ve been tempted to grow our own potatoes. They’re fairly low maintenance, can be grown in a pot or in the ground, last a fairly long time if stored properly, and can be very nutritious (high in potassium and vitamin C). Here’s more incentive: according to this article, you can grow 100 pounds of potatoes in 4 sq. feet.

保持室内植物带来大量的能量和生活e into a home, and with relatively little effort. Like most household items, however, plants need a deep cleaning every once in a while. Even though you probably dust them regularly, plants tend to accumulate dust in crevices and on the undersides of leaves, and because of the texture of the foliage, sometimes dust will adhere to them stubbornly.

当春天和夏天走近,我们做梦our ideal patio and garden. There are of course eco-friendly lanterns, lots of edible vegetation growing from our containers, and the sweet sound of a tiny babbling brook coming from a D-I-Y fountain. Installing a solar-powered pump for a backyard pond or fountain not only saves energy, but also omits the need for an electrician’s help to bury a line…saving you money on all fronts. Jump below for resources and fountain ideas!

We were going on day six (no, that’s not a typo!) of living with the horrific lingering smell of burnt popcorn. The usual drills of opening the windows, spraying air freshener, and lighting candles seemed to have little lasting effect, so it came time to do some research. Here’s a roundup of the helpful tried and true advice that restored our home’s air quality to breezy good health… 1. Vinegar.

Lately, every window of every flower shop we pass seems to have a stunning display of blooming orchids. Despite our fear of killing the notoriously finicky plants, their beauty finally won us over and we brought one home. We found that perhaps their difficult reputation isn’t so warranted after all…We got our Phalaenopsis from Plant It Earth on Divisidero, and the staff there was very helpful in giving us the lowdown on what our new plant would require.

We’ve been running outside all winter, and our skin is starting to show the effects of winter weather. We thought about buying a humidifier—but then we’d have to plug it in, listen to its humming noise all night, not to mention, have one more thing to clean. Then we heard about this DIY version—which doesn’t waste water or electricity… Hang your shower towel to dry in your bedroom!

You can find rough measurements or distances using easy-to-find items you already have on hand.

We love the idea of an in-ground water garden or a water fountain, but we don’t have a backyard. This water garden could work even in a small area like a balcony or a patio. Check out step by step instructions after the jump…Think of it as “a miniature water garden in a box.” The size of the box could vary and you could create additional sections if you have more space. This could be a lovely addition to any balcony or a patio.

Right up there with putting your pillows in the sun, this tip comes directly from my grandmother who was matter of fact and eco friendly back when it was just called being frugal. Not only was she an avid gardener, but because she was a southern california gardener she was always very aware of water consumption.

Bromeliads are some of the most popular house plants, and with good reason. They come in a beautiful array of colors and foliage; they reproduce on their own, growing cute little baby bromeliads right in their very pots; and they will basically live forever with relatively low maintenance. Sometimes, though—every few months, if our specimen is typical—they need a little attention to their coiffure. Find out how to pamper them after the jump:BeforeSee those yucky brown tips?

We know that folks are pretty divided over the concept of a flatscreen over the fireplace — there are concerns about the aesthetics of this location, as well as proper viewing angles and the impact heat may have on your tv performance. But, let’s say you have decided that it is the way to go for your room and are now facing the second part of the equation — how to place it just right.

There’s some disagreement about whether plants in the bedroom is a positive or a negative. Feng Shui practitioners say that plants in the bedroom are not good feng shui, unless your bedroom is fairly large and the plants are located far from the bed. Also, since they represent growth and vibrancy, that goes against the calm and restfulness associated with the bedroom…Although plants improve air quality, they compete with you at night for oxygen.

I learned this fabulous little party trick when I was a school teacher years ago and have been showing other folks how to do it for years.

We’ve shown you gorgeous modern concrete planters before on AT, like local artisan Zachary Aric Zamora and his variance vessels. While this particular company we have to show you today isn’t local to Austin, we can’t help but notice how great these products look with some succulents in them. Of course, they’d probably look good with anything planted in them…Obleeek Objects offers simple yet stylish concrete planters of different sizes.

Settling in for the winter? Considering a few house plants to lighten up your interior? According to a NASA study, certain plants can be chosen to best purify your home’s air.

Cats love trees. In fact, it’s most likely incredibly exciting for your furry friend to see you gussying one up with shiny hanging things on it for them to play with indoors. So it’s important to consider how to cat-proof your holiday evergreen before you end up with broken ornaments on the floor, with it falling over, or worse.Toppling over tends to be the biggest concern when it comes to owning a cat and a Christmas tree.

Good Question: My boyfriend and I just moved into a beautiful old house with wood floors (no carpet) in LA about a month ago. I love it, but there is a distinct old-house smell. I’ve tried candles, Lysol, Meyer’s plug-ins, throwing dryer sheets in the closets…. to no avail. Any ideas? Ideally we’d just get rid of the “old” smell, not mask it with something else. Thanks!

Parting is such sweet sorrow…especially if you’re parting with a mattress that you wished you could keep forever and ever. Such was the case a week ago when we bid our BoConcept review Fahrenheit Mattress farewell after a 30 day trial period.

We were a little concerned when we saw that all the text on this site is in Japanese, but we realized pretty quickly that the instructions for assembling this set of twelve cute little trains (and their accompanying paper village and infrastructure) were pretty self-evident. All you need is a color printer and you’re good to go.

Do you have allergies and pets? The LG Steamwasher may be able to help, with its exclusive Allergiene allergen reduction cycle. We read a bit about it and found that the effectiveness of the special cycle is even backed by an independent non-profit foundation dedicated to helping consumers and patients with asthma and allergic diseases…LG states that Allergiene removes at least 95% of pet dander and dust mites.

Letting your own animals scamper on your grass is one thing but if you live in an area where other people’s pets consider your lawn their own personal way station, the result can be a ruined lawn and a bad temper. We’d love to think that a well placed sign asking pet owners to keep their animals off your lawn would do the trick but that is not always the case.

Outside of using them for composting, worms just haven’t been on our radar. That is, until they invaded our Walnut tree (worm jerks!). So we sat down with our old friend Google and tried to find out exactly what was taking over our tree and how to make it stop. Were they web worms? Bag worms? Or the Eastern Tent Caterpillar? Find out the differences on each and how you can keep your trees in check after the jump.

Welcome back to Laura! One of our six bloggers trying out for a NY spot. Comment away… Item: Huggable HangersDesigner: Joy ManganoPrice: from $14Rating: Strong Recommend Shopping on the Home Shopping Network (http://www.hsn.com/) is not a frequent pastime, but for a product as great as Joy Mangano’s Huggable Hangers, we’ll make an exception. Covered in flocked material, the hangers have a fuzzy texture.

愈伤组织仙人掌?不,that’s not a description of how your feet look after being in flip-flops all summer but a technique for sprouting cacti and succulents from plant pieces that have fallen or broken off, with minimal effort which we, novice gardeners that we are, had first heard about Sunday night from Ryann Davis of Succulent. She assures us that it’s so easy that even the darkest of thumbs should be able to do it and, from one plant, create many offspring.

People often plant ivy out of desperation realizing they need to cover up a concrete block wall in the yard or quickly fill in an eyesore. We can’t urge you enough not to do this. Once you plant Ivy, it’s all over, you’ll never get rid of it and once it’s established it isn’t very pretty. Did we mention that when it’s overgrown it’s a favorite spot for rats to nest in?

The good news: we just came back home with a heavily discounted Smith & Hawken Biostack Composter bin from the City of LA Bureau of Sanitation/Griffith Park Composting Education Facility. The bad news: the inside of my car smells like earthworm burps…We purchased the Biostack, the square model above, which normally sells for $129 from Smith & Hawken. But if you make it to one of the workshop/sales events sponsored by the city, you can nab one for a reasonable $45.

With the recent onslaught of hot weather, we’ve been scarfing the guacamole and thought it a shame to just chuck the avocado pits. We grabbed a couple of our trusty Spega yogurt glasses and did our best to recall the glory days of elementary school science class. Jump below for a refresher on how to turn your seed in to a little tree…. Straight from the official avocado website: 1. Wash the seed.

Two years ago Sara Kate and I took a sweet trip to Paris in March. It was delectable, like jumping into a design chocolate box, and I chronicled a number of our finds in posts like these:>> Paris Design Notes: Trees, Chairs & Chairs>> Paris Design Notes: Bonpoint>> Paris Design Notes: Perriand & BottlesOne thing that really surprised me, however, was a new park chair design we saw in the Luxembourg Gardens.

It’s no secret that we’re into succulents. They’re easy to take care of, cheap, easily propagate, don’t need much water and come in tons of beautiful colors and textures. Looking for some fresh succulent inspiration? Want to expand your succulent knowledge and find a new love? Discover our favorite succulents for ground and container planting after the jump. The beauty of succulents is that they can take full sun and can live in a container or in the ground.

Living with three cats means living with three sets of turds, sometimes twice a day. Now put that in a studio (we know – crazy cat lady = us) and you may as well have a cot within the sewer system.It’s truly amazing how long we, as a culture, have had cats as pets and how little the litter box has advanced. It’s only been of late that some high tech solutions have shown themselves.

Tassels are a great way to add color and texture to absolutely anything. Beautiful additions to gift wrap, home decor, and fashion —they are a project you should absolutely add to your DIY repertoire. Tassels can be made out of an array of materials, from silk and wool yarns to basic cotton embroidery threads. While there are a number of ways you can construct a tassel, we chose a basic method you can use on any material. Yarn or Thread Scissors 1.

Over at ATNY today, Aaron posted about an interesting New York Times article discussing local and federal laws governing VOCs and insight about various “green” paint products. A serendipitous discussion, as I spent a good part of late last evening discussing eco-friendly interior paints with a friend who is moving into her first apartment.

Going vertical isn’t just for organization, try using wall-mounted and hanging plant containers to create a garden in a small space like a deck or a balcony:Using the walls and the spaces at eye level, you can create a garden in even the tiniest balcony or corner.

在选择蝙蝠隐私和光线都是大问题hroom window treatments. Natural light is really important in a small space, but bathroom windows need some serious cover-up. Click below for 8 solutions for bathroom windows, whether you rent or you’re planning a renovation… Top: Wooden blinds are a popular choice for bathrooms because they go with a wide range of decors, they’re simple to clean, and they let in light while obscuring the view.

paperwhites by Adam Graham via flickrA recent writing in Old House Garden’s Bulb Gazette said what we have been thinking – Narcissus can be stinky: “Spring Starts with Stinky Narcissus Spring has sprung for many of you (we’re jealous!), and your tazettas may already be blooming. These cluster-flowered narcissus include paperwhites which are often forced on pebbles for winter bloom.

Last week, I had a discussion with an architect friend about the prevalence of separate bathtubs and showers in new housing and condo developments. While I think they are a huge waste of space (especially in New York City), she agreed but knew most developers wouldn’t stray from this “new standard of luxury.” Here is a solution!

Some people will reply what we’ve got is not so much a problem, but a blessing: over the weekend we hosted a holiday white elephant gift exchange party (you know, the game known as “I steal, you squeal”), and we cooked up a storm to accompany the festivities, including my signature bacon wrapped tenderloin with a balsamic pomegranate rosemary glaze and some bacon wrapped dates.

Product: Jig-A-Loo All Around LubricantPrice: $14 Rating: Recommend*(This is from our guest tester, Jenny G., who won a bottle of Jig-A-Loo in this post. Thanks, Jenny!)Short version:The incredible squeak of the front door still exists, but we still really like this can of Jig-A-Loo. Long version:The first test was, of course, the squeaky front door hinges. The squeak won’t stop–apparently, as one of the original commentators said, we need to get inside the hinge to stop this squeak.

Great for floors outdoor and in. Starting in 1949, Bolon, a Swedish company began manufacturing this vinyl “sisal” for use as kitchen mats. Four years ago it came to the states and has been slowly finding more use both indoor and outdoor as a colorful, durable, easy to clean rug replacement.Ideal on decks, in summer houses, or in the kitchen (we’ve used it numerous times in hallways and kitchens), Bolon is warm underfoot and a great way to wake up or cover a drab floor.

We never liked stainless steel so much. With the bright shine of high nickel stainless steel, Alpes Inox kitchen elements are the most beautiful, high end, small kitchen solution we’ve seen. Are small and high end mutually exclusive? Not in NYC (sorry for the pics, we had to scan them all).Alpes Inox is an Italian company with one distributor in NYC: DOM showroom on Crosby street.

Welcome again to Ann, one of the writers vying for a blogging position at the upcoming AT:Home Tech. Comment away. I love the moment on the decorating makeover shows when they bring out the 40″ LCD display and show how much more style-friendly it is than that clunky 50″ box-television that had been looming over everything. It gets even better when the display is cleverly hidden beneath a framed old master on hinges.

Product: The Monkey Hook picture hanger Designer: A Monkey & A Marketer Price: $11.25/30 hooks (10 original, 10 gorilla grade, 10 flush mount) Rating: Recommend* Like trying to reinvent the mousetrap, a product comes along every now and then that DOES make a significant improvement in an ancient field. The Monkey Hook is one of them. An ingenious and simple design, The Monkey Hook uses one rigid piece of wire to replace the need for a hammer, pin and hook.

This is an oldie, but a goodie. We thought that this would be hard. It wasn’t. And yet it has totally changed the rusty, scalding pipe in our bathroom into a *decor moment* that we are very happy with. If you ever want to cover up a pipe and provide some minimal insulation, this is a far nicer fix than insulation foam.

产品:Sonno MattressDesigner: UnknownPrice:from $1,098 Rating: Strong Recommend*We made the leap! After thinking about it for a few years, we bought a DWR Sonno memory foam mattress two months ago and have been testing it every night. The verdict? After a funky, stinky, off gassing beginning, we couldn’t be happier. It just sucks you in when it is time to sleep, and you can feel all of your muscles relaxing the second you lie down.

I bought a lovely blue wool rug for my kids’ room from Ikea. It’s bright, the wool is soft and warm and, importantly, quiets the stompity-stomp of little feet– however, there’s a problem: it stinks. It took a while for us to nail down what the smell was but then realized, it’s the jute or hemp or whatever on the underside. It smells like wet musty hay in their room on nights when we close the window.