CasaSugar

Midday Muse: Everyday Art

CasaSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:00:07 -0700

French photographer JR is known for his political art installations, but that doesn't mean every picture he captures is rife with controversial content. Sometimes, the message is more subtle. While JR may simply be showing us the gorgeous colors and patterns of the clothing on this line in Monrovia, Liberia, I, of course, will use the image to urge you to create your own fabric art installation in your backyard - on your clothesline.
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How-To: Get Into Albert Hammond Jr.'s Bedroom

CasaSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:00:25 -0700

The bedroom of any member of The Strokes is something that millions of girls (including Yours Truly) have dreamt of seeing. So, it's my pleasure to announce that you're all one step closer to Albert Hammond Jr.'s sheets - but not if I beat you to it. Hammond has put his 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom, 1.5-bath East Village apartment on the market for $899,000. The property was originally listed for $1.2 million last August, but you know how the housing market is these days. Even though the guitarist and solo artist may not come with the deal, I'd be happy to own his digs (if not his heart). Bright, oversize windows and high-beamed ceilings give it a loft-like feeling and terrific views of the hipsters in Alphabet City. I'm loving the retro red bar stools and blue kitchen tile. Fabulous California Closets, used to store the menswear designer's extensive collection of three-piece suits, are also a plus. Oh, and aspiring rockstar girlfriends, there's bike storage in the basement to keep your fixed-gear safe. See pics when you read more.

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NOLA Musicians' Village Makes Progress

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:45:46 -0800

In December 2005, three months after Hurricane Katrina, Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis, both musical forces in New Orleans, along with Habitat for Humanity, announced plans to build Musicians' Village, a neighborhood of the Upper Ninth Ward centered around the Ellis Marsalis Center For Music for displaced local musicians and other qualifying homeowner families.

Musicians' Village is intended to both preserve the city's musical culture, and foster the education of its residents. Now, two years later, 70 single-family homes are either under construction, or have been built on 8.1 vacant acres, which the New Orleans Area Habitat For Humanity purchased in early 2006. Habitat For Humanity has plans to build 300 additional homes in the surrounding Ninth Ward area on other lots which they own. A portion of the proceeds from Connick's new CD Oh, My NOLA will benefit the Musicians' Village. I like that Connick is sporting the Saints hat, too. Who Dat?

Check out our gallery to see photos of the progress.

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Casa Verde: Ed Begley's Top 5 Ideas For Going Green at Home

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:00:31 -0700

Environmentalist extraordinaire and star of hit eco show Living With Ed, Ed Begley Jr. recently chatted with Green Muze about his ideas for green living. Ed also shared his ideas for the top five ways that people can go green. Many of them are surprisingly easy! Check out Ed's ideas below.

Get out of your car as much as you can. Walk, take public transportation, or ride a bike as much as you can.
Get energy-efficient lighting for your house. The earth and your wallet will both thank you.
Put weather stripping up around your doors and windows, making your home tight and efficient.
Start a compost container or pile, and use it for starting a home garden - it will deliver great food through a great pastime. If you live in an apartment, get part of a community garden!
Practice the 3 Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle.

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Get the Look: Sherlock Holmes

CasaSugar — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:00:13 -0800

As I've mentioned before, I'm a little excited about the release of Sherlock Holmes. Sure, it has something to do with my huge crush on Robert Downey Jr. But it also has a lot to do with the fabulous set design of the film itself. See how you can get the look of this film in your own home!

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Get the Look: Sherlock Holmes's Office

CasaSugar — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:00:36 -0800

I don't know what you're doing on Christmas day, but I'll be indulging in some Robert Downey Jr. eye candy with a matinee screening of Sherlock Holmes. Besides my obsession with the film's leading man, I'm also digging the set design. I especially love the eclectic, layered look of Holmes's office, which shows the era's obsession with Eastern design, as well as Holmes's love for books, smoking, and the violin. To find out how to get the look, read more.

Albert Hammond, Jr.

CasaSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:44:49 -0700

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In the News: Unwanted Heirlooms

CasaSugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:15:24 -0700

In the New York Times story "The Tyranny of the Heirloom," writer Joyce Wadler explores the idea of the unwanted family inheritance. Melodie Bryant, a New York composer whom Wadler interviews, for example, inherited a portrait of her Great-Great-Great-Uncle Ivins, even though she had no desire to hang the painting in her tiny Chelsea apartment. Add to this a moving accident, which ripped the canvas and cost Bryant $3,000 in repair costs, and you can understand why this portrait became a wall hanging you'd avert your eyes from.

In the article, Wadler writes,

Ambivalence and guilt, it seems, are central elements of furniture inheritance, the anchoring pieces around which everything is organized, like the sofa in a living room. Barry Lubetkin, a psychologist and the director of the Institute for Behavior Therapy in Manhattan, has observed this in a number of patients living with inherited furniture they hate. It’s an unhealthy setup, in which people become “slaves to inanimate objects,” he says. “Once you’re defining it as something you can’t get rid of, you’re not in control of your life or your home."

Of course, you probably know that my philosophy for decorating and design goes something along the lines of "less is more." That doesn't mean that I'm not living with some inherited pieces, but luckily, thus far, all of the pieces are ones that I love.

Have you been saddled with any unwanted heirlooms? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

This Just In: Condé Nast in Talks to Acquire Dwell?

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:00:56 -0700

According to Women's Wear Daily, sources close to Condé Nast say that the company may acquire San Francisco-based shelter/architecture magazine, Dwell. Although Dwell's publisher and president, Michela O'Connor Abrams, told WWD, "I have not been involved in any discussions with Condé Nast," and a spokesperson for Condé Nast declined to comment, it is well known that Condé Nast chairman S.I. Newhouse Jr. is a fan of the independent magazine. "One person familiar with the negotiations said they began in December and quoted the figure of $30 million as an asking price," says WWD.
Condé Nast owns two other shelter magazines, Domino and Architectural Digest, and folded House & Garden, a title launched in 1901, this December. Considering all of the pruning of shelter magazines these days, including Blueprint, I am anxious to see whether this pans out. Though small (with a monthly circulation of 325,000), Dwell had ad revenues of $45 million last year and has a solid following in the shelter world, so it seems to be an desirable purchase. Do these rumors surprise you?

How To: Replace a Thermostat

CasaSugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 06:30:56 -0800

Back in the Midwest, where most of my family lives, it's been snowing like crazy, and the temperatures have been dipping down to below zero. Energy prices for heating your home are always crazy in the depths of Winter, so it makes sense to try to make your home as energy efficient as possible. One way to save a significant amount of money this Winter is by installing a programmable thermostat. Check out the video from Home Depot and Ed Begley Jr. to learn how to replace your old thermostat with a new programmable one.

Update: Apparently this video was just removed from YouTube! For another video on how to install a programmable thermostat, just read more.

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