Money Tip: A Cheaper Way to Clean Your Home Many of you are turning over a new money-saving leaf in 2009, so why not begin your money makeover with the things under your sink? You might already have some of the products that can be used as various cleaners, and what you don't have can be purchased for little money.
Over the holidays, some of my friends housesat for us for a few days. When I have someone stay at my house, I try to make it as tidy and welcoming as possible, and one of my go-to tasks is tidying and cleaning the flatware drawer. It's rather disconcerting, in my opinion, to open a drawer, looking for a spoon for your ice cream, and find yourself staring at a messy and crumb-filled flatware drawer.
To see my tips for keeping your flatware drawer tidy, read more
If You Could Wake Up Anywhere Tomorrow, Where Would It Be? Ask 50 people one question and you'll get, well, 50 answers. Fifty People, One Question travels to cities and does just that. Now it's off to New York, Brooklyn specifically, to ask 50 of its millions and millions if they could wake up anywhere tomorrow, where would it be?
Designer Michael Ciancio's Warpaper (prototype) is a series of wallpapers based on different eras of American warfare that confronts the analogy, "Warfare is to natural history what wallpaper is to a beautifully decorated home." Each wallpaper pattern features a weapon motif such as hand grenades, tanks, sniper rifles, or shotguns. If Ciancio is suggesting that war is an important part of natural history, then he must be suggesting that wallpaper is a must-have for a beautiful homes; I'll, at the very least, give him the latter, though I'm sad to think that the former may be true as well. What do you think? Do you like a dose of politics with your walls?
How To: Renew a Tired Sofa Are you tired of your sofa? Is it looking a little dull? Cushions a bit lumpy? Whatever the issue, you have a number of options for renewing your old furniture. Check out my list of ways to turn your tired sofa into something eye-opening.
West Elm has refreshed its inventory with plenty of Moroccan-inspired furnishings. As you might have suspected, I'm thrilled. One of my picks is the Decal Square Drum Table ($199) which, at 12-by-17 inches with silver-and-white Moroccan-inspired decals on porcelain, will add a small touch of North African style to your digs. Set it beside your favorite reading chair or sofa, use it as a bedside table, or even plop it beside your tub to hold towels and toiletries. You'll be stumped to find a space where this adorable table doesn't make perfect sense.
Su Casa member Pipeepoodle recently perked up her new digs with some lovely little chairs that her mother refurbished for her. Her mother had purchased four chairs and offered to reupholster them as dining room chairs for Pipeepoodle. Gladly, she accepted, so her mother stripped, painted, and had them reupholstered in the Alexander Henry Viceroy Black Trellis fabric ($7.49/half-yard). As it turned out, she only had room for two in her living room, but they look stunning nonetheless. To see a photo of both chairs in the living room, read more
CAFe'NOIR
Ralph Lauren
Pedro Garcia