Growing up, I would always sit on our high stools at the kitchen island and watch my mother cook dinner as I did my homework. It was basically the only way for me to spend time with her alone at night, and it was also how I learned to cook. Sometimes, my sister would practice piano in the room, or spread her books out on the dining table to study. In the mornings, we'd all hop on the stools and eat cereal together as my mom made sandwiches on the other side. We had an open-plan living space (a kitchen and casual dining room combined), and it worked for us; I can't imagine growing up any other way. But, some chefs prefer the kitchen to themselves, far from where their family actually dines, and others simply prefer the privacy of a separate kitchen. Where do you fall? Source
These fishnet drapes are found in the gorgeous Ideas House in the Hamptons. I love almost all of the photos of the house, but it seems like this is a misstep to me. Am I crazy not to love these curtains?
Unless you're a celebrity with money to burn, or just one very successful lay-dee, most of us have to cut back somewhere when it comes to furnishing and renovating our homes. I myself have been known to drop big bucks at high-end design shops and haggle over flea market finds in the same day. And although I'll concede that spending money on my house itself is in most cases a better investment than purchasing furnishings to fill it with, sometimes I just can't restrain myself from bringing home a beautiful lamp or having a chair reupholstered. Some of you may be renters, and it wouldn't make sense to spend on renovations. Or maybe you'll splurge on an antique dining table, but pair it with Ikea chairs. Maybe you spend on your interiors, but haven't given a thought to buying even a plant for your front stoop, let alone hiring a landscaper. Maybe you don't spend any money on your home at all. Tell me where you fit in by commenting below! Source
Perusing 1st Dibs recently, I came across something unusual. No, it wasn't giant ORGY letters or a gift box of bloody hands. It was a house. Apparently 1st Dibs lists homes, along with their antique and vintage design furnishings, or at least so long as they're as stunning as this Modernist Home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico ($675,000).
Nestled in a hill, the property was designed and built by Luis Camarena, a renowned Mexican architect who emulated the modernist tradition of Le Corbusier and Luis Barragan. The home itself is three stories tall, with three bedrooms and three and a half baths on a 3,500-square-foot lot, with unobstructed views of the town and the Sierra Madre mountains beyond. San Miguel de Allende is a historic town founded in 1542 by a Franciscan monk, and is known worldwide for its mild climate, thermal hot springs, and colonial architecture. The town has become an attractive tourist destination for wealthy Mexico City residents, as well as a retirement locale for a large quantity of American and Canadian ex-pats. Sounds pretty fab to me. I may not be able to add this purchase to my "cart," but I'm certainly enjoying gawking at it, and contemplating all of the furnishings I'd fill it with. It's just begging for an LC3 Chair, don't you think? Is anyone out there looking for a Mexican getaway spot?
This very realistic, glazed, ivory porcelain skull ($439) was designed by Bavarian sculptor Franz Ignaz Günther in 1756, well before skulls were cool. It is still produced today by the same Munich-based porcelain manufacturer, Nymphenburg. Given that it was designed as more of a sacred figure than a trendy home accessory, does it appeal to you?
Baking soda doesn't just keep your fridge smelling fresh. It has oodles of uses around your house. You might know some of them already, but I bet you don't know all of them. Check out my top 10 favorite uses for baking soda below.
Safety first! Keep a box of baking soda by the stove. If you have a grease or electrical fire, toss handfuls of baking soda on it to extinguish.
Do you have marble-topped tables or furniture? Then clean it with baking soda. Mix three tablespoons in a quart of warm water, wipe it on the marble, let stand, and then rinse.
To get your laundry sparkling clean, add 1/2 cup baking soda to your washing machine load.
Get your garbage cans smelling fresh by washing them with baking soda.
In the mornings, we'd all hop on the stools and eat cereal together as my mom made sandwiches on the other side. We had an open-plan living space (a kitchen and casual dining room combined), and it worked for us; I can't imagine growing up any other way. But, some chefs prefer the kitchen to themselves, far from where their family actually dines, and others simply prefer the privacy of a separate kitchen. Where do you fall?
Giorgio Fedon
Episode
Kova And T