In addition to its thriving music scene, finger-licking grub, and propensity towards too much fun, New Orleans architecture is what makes it one of America's most unique cities. In other hoods, brand new, $20 million manses are coveted by celebrities and money makers alike. In New Orleans, where you'll find at least six distinct styles of architecture, old homes are the truest treasures. read more

A new Ikea store in Karlstad, Sweden, is currently installing a geothermal system, drilling 101 holes 390 feet into the ground to tap 50-60°F water. This will provide 85 percent of the stores heating needs and 75 percent of air-conditioning requirements. A geothermal system is a heat exchanger that uses the earth, ground water, or both as sources of building heat in the Winter and as a source of air conditioning in the Summer. Ikea stores in Uppsala, Helsingborg, and Malmö are tapped for similar systems. Swedish Ikea stores get 91 percent of their energy and electricity needs from renewable sources (mainly hydro and wind), while globally the average is around 40 percent.

Ikea is also proposing an upcoming energy plan that includes cutting its global energy consumption by 25 percent. In addition, they plan to supply power to all of its stores, warehouses, and offices with all-renewable energy sources, such as wind power, solar power, biofuels, and geothermal. Eva Stal, a spokeswoman for Ikea Sweden, said that "without going out on a limb, I would say that this will probably happen already between the next three to five years, globally."

This is definitely a stop in the right direction. Kudos, Ikea!

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Brastilo, a line of home furnishings made from indigenous wood harvested from renewable resources from Brazil, takes a casually elegant approach to entertaining with their earth-friendly products. This Brastilo console ($1259) brings together a hand-finished solid pine frame mixed with cast-brass handles and aluminum hardware to create a strikingly beautiful effect. With two sliding doors and two shelves, it makes a great addition to a dining room when used as a buffet. Made of solid taeda pine frame with cast brass hardware and solid aluminum door tracks, this console is perfect for displaying a buffet spread or can substitute for a stylish bar at a dinner party.

Pink isn't the only color that you should decorate your Love Shack with this month. In fact, green is my favored choice for sending valentines. The Heart Garden ($10) is the perfect Valentine's Day gift for that green-thumbed friend of yours. Each heart garden contains a heart-shaped container, creeping thyme seed, soil, and granite drainage medium. It's the kind of fun, simple, and reasonably priced present that will keep on giving months from now — and if you live in a harsh Northern climate, it'll be a fun kitchen window gardening project to tide your gardening friend over until the snow melts.

Maybe you're shy. Maybe you're not quite sure how to initiate a good make-out session on the sofa. If that's the case, then these panky hankies have found you just in time for Valentine's Day and getting romantic at home.

Can you think of a cuter way to tell your significant other that you're ready for some loving than by demurely blotting the corners of your mouth with this hanky? I'm certainly hard pressed to come up with a more lady-like solution.