Why's this little pup grinning? It could be due to that serious skull that's been sketched on the wood beneath his paws. To find out what this skull is decorating, read more
Back in January, I had the opportunity to review Clorox's Green Works cleaning products. While many people (including myself) were initially wary of a natural cleaning line put out by Clorox, I was won over by the fact that the products were 99 percent natural, contained no harsh cleansers or artificial scents, and did the job with a minimum of fuss or expense. Further, I was impressed by the fact that the Sierra Club endorsed these products. This weekend, I tested out Green Works's latest product, its natural dishwashing liquid.
To see what I thought of this product, read more
I'm always keeping an eye out for unexpected centerpieces for your next party. This pretty alternative to flowers, which was created by New York event designer David Stark, was fashioned by first shaping wire into floral shapes. Then, biodegradable sisal twine was carefully wound around the wire forms. The unexpected effect is equal parts modern art and kindergarten craft project — definitely an effect I love. I think this would look great on tables at an Autumn wedding, and it looks so easy to make that if you were going to be DIYing your wedding, you could involve a number of friends and relatives in the process of making these.
If you're interested in seeing more of Stark's ideas for centerpieces, check out the slideshow at The New York Times.
Currently, this is my favorite spot in my house. However, before I moved this chair into the corner, our giant television, which sat on an equally imposing Tansu chest, took up this entire area, and basically obscured the window. These tall, thin windows, which flank either side of our fireplace, are a lovely architectural feature, and I was, frankly, horrified that they'd been covered up by a television.
However, my husband was adamant that the television belonged in the living room. That is, he was adamant on this point until he came home one evening to find that the television had magically moved to the study. And guess what? Now he's adamant that the study is the best home for the television. While I don't advocate secret rearrangements, I do feel that if you're convinced of the advantages of your vision for the space, sometimes it's worth a mini battle (especially if you're certain of the outcome, as I was). With that in mind, I wanted to outline some ideas for taking advantage of a room's corner space. To see some of my thoughts, read more
Known for its colorful, busy, hand-painted designs, MacKenzie-Childs isn't what I would call my personal style. However, I can endure it in small measure, such as one of the company's small ceramic plates. But I find the Felicitous Fish Chair ($1,850) — which is upholstered in striped silk, embellished with a grosgrain ribbon button and copper leaf, stain, and hand-painted accents, and uses two polka-dot fish as its backrest — a little over the top. What do you think?
Interested in getting the lowdown about green architecture? Then I suggest you read the Newsweek article, "The Bad News About Green Architecture." For a good while now, the reporting of green architecture practices has been nothing less than greenwashed, and I've been waiting for a mainstream publication to address our country's problem with its perception and definition of "green" architecture. In "The Bad News About Green Architecture," writer Cathleen McGuigan points out that "LEED rating" is an over-trumpeted catch phrase these days ("more than 16,000 projects are now registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as intending to go for a LEED certification"), and LEED isn't stringent enough with its awards — a long-held truth. But more importantly, she stresses that building green if you're building big (i.e. McMansions), or unnecessarily, isn't green at all. There are various plans to build green resorts in Las Vegas, including the 8.3-million-square-foot Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino, likely motivated by the tax rebates that come with passing LEED certification. While that makes a great talking point in local papers, it still takes "tons of jet fuel that will be used to deliver millions more tourists to Vegas each year," and countless un-green materials to keep the place up and running once it's built. To hear more of my thoughts, read more
Why's this little pup grinning? It could be due to that serious skull that's been sketched on the wood beneath his paws. To find out what this skull is decorating, read more
Dries Van Noten
Swear
Matches Fashion