CasaSugar

How Would You . . .

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:00:15 -0800

This ornate pair of cypress wood Chinese Window Panels ($3,750) originally had an architectural (yet decorative) purpose in 19th century China. But, their greek key pattern, which is very popular these days, certainly gives the screen a sort of à la mode flair. I'd love to see them used in a home's interior, rather than its structure, and I'm wondering what ideas you have for them. I'm thinking they'd look quite unique used as a great headboard, coffee-table top, mirror frame, or even a hanging pot rack. The possibilities are endless. What are your thoughts? Tell me by commenting below!

Meg Ryan Reduces the Price of Her Bel-Air Mansion

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:11 -0700

Nearly a year ago to date, I let you know that Meg Ryan had listed her six-bedroom, seven-bath Bel-Air home for the tune of $19.5 million. With no bites, she took it off the market in February. Now, she's relisted the property with a new real estate agent, knocking the price down to $14.2 million. Even though Meg's been reeling in the big-screen bucks since the '80s, I suspect that even for her, a $5 million loss makes a difference. Think of all the Joe Versus the Volcano-style vacations she could take with that moola!

The listing for the Holmby Hills-area Spanish-style compound reads:

Museum quality restoration of a classic Spanish estate sited on promontory with wide open city and ocean views across layers of greenery. Wonderful arches, resort-like grounds and complete privacy. Stenciled and painted wood ceilings, tiles, ironwork, rich wood floors, doors and windows, arches, etc. French doors throughout open to loggia, dining pavilion, expansive lawn and pool. Stunning kitchen, generous living room and dining room, separate bar room, two family rooms and screening room.

To see interior and exterior photos of the property, read more.

View 15 Photos ›

How-To: Stay Safe During a Wildfire

CasaSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:00:24 -0700

Since the breakout of the August wildfires north of Los Angeles, at least 53 buildings have been destroyed, and 4,300 people have been evacuated. As of this writing, more than 12,000 homes are under threat.

While some families have been reluctant to leave their homes, in the end, your home is just a house. It's the nonmaterial things you fill it with - namely your family, pets, and memories - that make it truly a home. This is why I urge readers to listen to firefighters' warnings, and to leave their homes if a mandatory evacuation is issued. Your life is much more important than any piece of property, no matter how much you love it.

Want to know how to protect your family and your home from a wildfire? Check out these smart pointers from the City of Napa, CA's fire safety page:

Maintain a "defensible" space around your home by clearing all flammable vegetation a minimum of 30 feet around all structures.
Clear dead leaves and branches to leave widely spaced ornamental shrubbery and trees.
Clean all needles and leaves from the roof, eaves, rain gutters, and yard.
Trim tree limbs within 10 feet of your chimney and trim all dead limbs hanging over your house or garage.
Cover your chimney outlet or flue with a spark arresting half-inch mesh screen.

To see the rest of the tips, read more.

Make sure your address is clearly visible for easy identification in an emergency.
Check to see if a fire hydrant is located near your home. If not, you should have a water storage supply of at least 2,500 gallons for use in an emergency situation.
Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from buildings, fences, and other combustible materials.
Clear all vegetation and other flammable materials from beneath your deck. Enclose undersides of elevated decks with fire-resistive materials.
Remove "ladder fuels." They link the grasses and the tree tops.
Create "fuel breaks" - these can be driveways, gravel walkways, or well-maintained lawns.
Maintain your irrigation system regularly.
Prune tree limbs so the lowest is between 6-10 feet from the ground.
Dispose of cuttings and debris promptly, according to local regulations.
Keep at least two means of escape (either a door or window) in each room.
Mark your driveway and access roads clearly.
Keep ample turnaround space near your house for fire equipment.
Prevent sparks from entering your house by covering vents with wire mesh no larger than 1/8 inch.
When possible, use construction materials that are fire resistant or noncombustible.

Calvin Klein and Artist Jonathan Horowitz Make Pillow Talk

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:15:57 -0700

The folks over at Calvin Klein Collection’s Madison Avenue flagship store have been telling some bedtime stories - in the shop's window. CK has teamed up with artist Jonathan Horowitz to turn out "Pillow Talk Cases," white pillowcases silk-screened with the names of our president and first lady, and some notable pop culture pairs like Sam and Lindsay, John and Yoko, and Bert and Ernie. Proceeds from the sale of the cases will go to the Art Production Fund, and the limited edition cases can be purchased in-store, at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center (where Horowitz's work is currently on display), or online at the Fund's website.
Source

How-To: Protect Your Family and Home From a Wildfire

CasaSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:30:12 -0700

As most of you probably know, California has been ravaged by fires this Summer. As I write this, one of my friends awaits evacuation notice at her Southern California home, and several others are keeping a close watch on fire patterns in their area. Fire scares me - it is erratic and unpredictable and frighteningly fast. And while I can understand why some homeowners are reluctant to leave their homes, in the end, your home is just a house. It's the nonmaterial things you fill it with - namely your family, pets, and memories - that make it truly a home. This is why I urge readers to listen to firefighters' warnings, and to leave their homes if a mandatory evacuation is issued. Your life is much more important than any piece of property, no matter how much you love it.

Here are some smart pointers from the City of Napa, California's fire safety page:

Maintain a "defensible" space around your home by clearing all flammable vegetation a minimum of 30 feet around all structures.
Clear dead leaves and branches to leave widely spaced ornamental shrubbery and trees.
Clean all needles and leaves from the roof, eaves, rain gutters, and yard.
Trim tree limbs within 10 feet of your chimney and trim all dead limbs hanging over your house or garage.
Cover your chimney outlet or flue with a spark arresting half-inch mesh screen.

To see the rest of the tips, read more.

Make sure your address is clearly visible for easy identification in an emergency.
Check to see if a fire hydrant is located near your home. If not, you should have a water storage supply of at least 2,500 gallons for use in an emergency situation.
Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from buildings, fences, and other combustible materials.
Clear all vegetation and other flammable materials from beneath your deck. Enclose undersides of elevated decks with fire-resistive materials.
Remove "ladder fuels." They link the grasses and the tree tops.
Create "fuel breaks - these can be driveways, gravel walkways, or well-maintained lawns.
Maintain your irrigation system regularly.
Prune tree limbs so the lowest is between 6-10 feet from the ground.
Dispose of cuttings and debris promptly, according to local regulations.
Keep at least two means of escape (either a door or window) in each room.
Mark your driveway and access roads clearly.
Keep ample turnaround space near your house for fire equipment.
Prevent sparks from entering your house by covering vents with wire mesh no larger than 1/8 inch.
When possible, use construction materials that are fire resistant or noncombustible.

Source

DIY: Grow an Herb Garden Indoors

CasaSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:00:08 -0700

Want an easy way to get into gardening? Then try an indoor herb garden!

Supplies:

1 large container with 20-inch diameter (plastic or clay, with a drainage hole)
1 saucer to fit container
Certified organic potting soil mix
Herb plants
Gravel or screen mesh
Certified organic fertilizer

To learn the steps, read more.

Here's how, compiled from Beautyjust4you and GardenGuides:

Choose a location for your garden that gets at least 5 hours of sun a day, preferably near a Southern or Western window.
To keep the soil from coming out of your container's drainage hole, cover it loosely with some gravel or screen mesh.
Sit your pot in a saucer to catch the drainage.
Fill your pot with 2/3 organic potting soil mix.
For better selection and advice, go to a nursery that specializes in herbs to buy your plants.
Choose herbs that need similar amounts of sunlight (i.e., rosemary, thyme, parsley, basil, and oregano all need 5-6 hrs.)
Place the taller herbs (i.e. rosemary) in the center of your pot, and the others around the sides. Place them at about the same depth they were growing in their nursery pots.
While planting, gently loosen the soil around each root ball.
Fill the pot with more soil, to about 2 inches from the top.
Give them a good first watering, but don't overwater them or let them stand in a saucer full of water.
Soak once or twice a week, and allow the soil to dry out before watering again.
Feed your garden once a month with a bit of organic fertilizer.
Your herbs should be ready for use in a few weeks. Always clip the outer leaves only as you need them, leaving plenty of growth on the plant.
To maintain your indoor garden long-term, repot it once a year, and renew your annual herbs (i.e. basil, dill, fennel, mint, parsley, rosemary, coriander).
Check out my post to read about five easy herbs to start your garden.

Source

Your Clever Suggestions: Spanish Doors Re-Imagined

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:02:01 -0800

Earlier this week I asked you to rework these stunning eighteenth-century Spanish double doors ($12,808), available on 1st Dibs, so they served a different decorating or practical function in your home. I wanted to know how you could see these employed in an alternate use in your home.

I was so impressed with your creative ideas!

maisiegirl said "I might use them as doors in the master bedroom, or use them as screens. Or split them up and use them as doors in the bathroom. I don't think there is anywhere in my building plans where there are French doors, but one could do that. They are really beautiful and I certainly would want to showcase them in my home."
nikkeeb said, "I'm with the room divider suggestions. It's smaller than most dividers though, so you could instead take a corner of your room and turn it into a nook, or turn it sideways and use it as the wall of a countertop/bar"
emalove said "I think I'd use it as a room divider or screen . . . it's very pretty."
sarahoerst said, "It would make a great top for a dining room table, if your dining room was big enough for it. Or I think it would make a great headboard with some really lush linens and a huge bed."

To see more creative uses, just read more

mletrav said "How cool would it be to incorporate these into a flooring situation? I'm imagining surrounding them with small marble tiles, and then laying a clear covering on top to smooth things out. Fabulous separately down a hallway, or together in a foyer."
katherynn said "Beautiful doors! I agree with most of the posts here! I wouldn't want to ruin the gorgeous wood or beauty of them so I'd probably keep them together and put a glass top on them and use them as a dining room table. I like the headboard idea too! They would also would be pretty as a door to a guest bathroom or the master bathroom."
mbrown81 said "Split them up and use them to flank a big picture window, or great piece of art. They need to be placed on dark, rich walls."

To read all of the great suggestions, check out the comments section of the post. Nice work, everyone! You really inspired me!

Source

Casa Interview: Patti Moreno, The Garden Girl, Part II

CasaSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:00:57 -0700

Through the rest of the month, as we celebrate Spring and a return to the garden, I'll be screening videos from The Garden Girl. The Garden Girl, Patti Moreno, is an inspiration to aspiring gardeners everywhere. She'd never even touched a trowel until the birth of her first daughter, and now she's established an urban garden paradise at her home in Boston. You can read the first half of my interview with Patti here.

Casa: Are there any plants that you consider no- or low-fail for folks who consider themselves to have less than a green thumb?

The Garden Girl: Mint is pretty hardy and a perennial which means it will come back year after year. I love using mint as a garnish to my lemonade. Last year, mojitos were the house cocktail all summer; I had friends lining up for my summer parties. There are tons of different types of mint. My most prized variety is Chocolate Mint - it's wonderful in coffee and hot chocolate and on ice cream. If you choose something you really love to eat, I think you’ll have more success. Another no fail crop is parsley and oregano. Simple and easy. Like most people, my family eats a lot of lettuce, which is easy to grow in the Spring and Fall, but needs a lot of water in the summer.

Casa: What has been the biggest project you’ve taken on?

The Garden Girl: The biggest project I’ve undertaken was building my new Urban Sustainable Living Garden last year. It’s around 500 square feet and the perfect size to grow enough for a salad at lunch and a vegetable at dinner the entire growing season for a family of six. It was a lot of fun, but the hard part was videotaping the whole process so I could share with others. Adding the video component slowed the process down, because I ended up doing everything at least three times! But I am really proud that I was able to do the whole garden entirely by my self. Ideally, you want to involve your family and neighbors, but I wanted to really show that the system of gardening that I’ve developed can be accomplished, by following through and being committed. I’m only 5’2” so if I can do it, you can too.

Casa: Can you tell us a little about some of the animals you have at your garden?
My bantam chickens are awesome. They’ve become pets of mine. I strongly suggest getting bantam chickens if you are interested in getting livestock. They are about the same size as a pigeon. They are also very trainable. I have Silkies who are perfect for the city because they can’t fly, but my favorites are my Aracauna bantam chickens that lay green and pink eggs. My hen "Rocket" is so cool. She thinks she's an eagle and tries to fly everywhere. Their eggs are delicious and about 2/3 the size of regular large eggs you get at the grocery store and taste so much better. Don't get roosters, it just makes your neighbors angry. I also keep angora rabbits and regular rabbits. I shave the Angora rabbits every three months and spin their fur into yarn, which I make into gifts and hats. My other rabbits just dig and turn the soil for me.

Casa: What are your favorite food crops?

The Garden Girl: Lettuce, lettuce and more lettuce. Growing up I had no idea there were lots of varieties of lettuce. This year I am growing, four season lettuce, bib lettuce, radicchio, kale and arugula. Arugula is so good. It is a huge hit at my mini farm stand I run during the weekends. For herbs, mint and as many varieties of Basil as I can grow from sweet basil to lemon to cinnamon. Fresh basil makes such good pesto sauce that when I entertain I never have leftovers. My other name is the Tomato Lady. I grow mostly heirloom varieties, but my favorite is Mortgage Lifter. Even the name is great. Mortgage Lifter got its name from a farmer who developed it during the depression of the 1930s. It sold so much on his home farm stand that within eight years he had paid off his mortgage. Now that is a tasty tomato.

Casa: What are your favorite flowers to grow?

The Garden Girl: Nasturtiums, which are edible flowers. They add great color to salad and taste peppery. I had a lot of fun with a cool variety of marigolds last year. I love perennials. Peonies are my favorite. I love seeing them bloom and multiply year after year. I have an area in my garden that is a perennial garden that is beautiful all year long. This year I want to get a cutting garden going and be able to have flowers in vases all over my house. I can't overlook my roses though. Not only are they pretty, but living in the city, I have them planted along my fences and under my windows making any trespassers who trespass wish they hadn't.

Source

Casa Interview: Patti Moreno, The Garden Girl

CasaSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:00:50 -0700

CasaSugar Can you talk about how you were first inspired to garden?

Garden Girl Gardening is a great way to exercise and after the birth of my daughter I needed to get active so I started gardening. Going to the gym can be a chore in itself; with travel time and everything else sometimes it doesn’t seem worth it. I found that once I related my gardening to exercise and the notion of supplementing my family's diet with healthy organic food, it all came together for me. It took a while to develop my green thumb; my first couple seasons were pretty depressing.

CasaSugar Does your daughter garden with you?

Garden Girl She does garden with me. The other day she had a play date and they planted their own seeds. It was pretty cool. I love bringing children into the garden; it is part exercise and part science project for children. She’s great with the rabbits too.

CasaSugar Are there any community gardens in Boston that you recommend residents check out?

Garden Girl Community gardens are such a great resource for people that want to garden, but don’t have any space. It’s also a great way to get to know your neighbors. In Highland Park, where I live, there are quite a few community gardens, in fact from Google earth my neighborhood has the most canopy cover and community gardens in all of Boston. I would suggest taking a tour of community gardens around your city or town. They are everywhere.

For more of the interview, just read more.

CasaSugar A lot of people associate gardening with very rural areas. As an urban gardener, what are some of your greatest joys? Greatest challenges?

Garden Girl I think some of the most beautiful landscapes can be brick buildings with ivy growing on it and window boxes with wonderful flowers dripping down. In the city, raised bed gardening is the way to go. You never know what was in the soil, so building a garden up is easy. In just 64 square feet you can grow enough food to feed a family of three a salad at lunch and a veggie at dinner for the entire growing season! Combining industrial cityscapes with nature is a great joy. Using plants that give food brings the whole experience to the next level, I personally want to start gardening on roof tops, I think green roofs are the coolest things. My main challenge is that my New England climate does not allow me to do as much as I want all year long, but I still grow all year in mini green houses!

CasaSugar If someone is a beginning gardener, what’s an easy way for them to start gardening?

Garden Girl I always say start off small and expand gradually. But the key to success is getting everyone in your family involved in the process, and understand that it takes a season or two to find your "inner green," and read and research. Learn from other peoples mistakes, like mine.

Patti has a lot more advice and stories about gardening, so tune in later this week for more of the interview!

Casa Verde: 21 Eco-Friendly Home Improvements

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:02:22 -0700

I'm always looking for new ways to make my home greener, so thanks to Tdamji for pointing me to this list of 21 eco-friendly home improvements. (By the way, if you haven't checked out Tdamji's Minimal Harm - For the Love of the Planet group, I highly recommend it.)

This 21-green salute will help your conscience and your pocketbook, saving money and increasing your home's value. How many of these tactics do you use in your home? Tell me in the comments section below, or share some of your own ideas.

Consider installing solar panels. If you decide to buy some, consider used ones, as they are quite a bargain and even after as long as twenty years have been known to produce a good percentage of the power that was generated when they were brand new.
Replace all the standard light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent ones. These energy-smart bulbs use 70 to 75 percent less energy than the incandescent kind and last up to ten times longer!
Roof improvements. Believe it or not, research indicates that roof color and the type of material used can help to lower attic temperatures. Light-colored tile roofs outperform the shingle ones when it comes to decreasing temperatures.
Install a motion detector outside to replace your outdoor lighting. Outdoor lights left on all night waste energy and disturb wildlife.

For the rest of the list, read more

Don't waste water. Check your home carefully for leaky faucets and get them repaired as quickly as possible. Use cold water when laundering clothes and adjust your clean threshold if you possibly can. Those jeans of yours can probably be worn a few more times than usual before washing them, and can't that towel be dried off at least one more time before throwing it in the hamper?
Install low flow showerheads. They are a worthwhile investment (especially if you live in a rented space, because you can take them with you). They cut down on water usage and save energy costs.
Create a compost pile in your backyard. Mix food wastes with dirt and use a shovel to turn the pile over every week or so to give it some air. Turn throwaways like eggshells, coffee grounds and spoiled vegetables into soil and garbage into something useful.
Install an aluminum-clad storm door. This type of door is energy-efficient and will help to insulate the entryway of your home.
Some considerations when heating and cooling our homes: Invest in a high-efficiency HVAC system that is Energy Star certified and install it in your home. This will greatly reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted. It will also shave your utility bill enough to make you smile reasonably broadly.
Clean out your air conditioner filters or replace them regularly. A dirty filter will hamper the airflow, costing you more to run your system.
Consider investing in and installing an automated thermostat. High-tech thermostats are well worth the cost, and what you spend, you will get back over time in lower energy bills.
Install glass doors for your fireplace. Glass doors are safer than fireplace screens. They also reduce the amount of heat that escapes through the chimney from your home.
Use power strips for your home computers. Even after you turn off your computer, power continues to flow to peripherals like printers and scanners.
Install more fans in your home. Ceiling fans can help reduce your family's dependence on air conditioning during the summer, and they are also helpful in the winter as they can push heat down from the ceiling.
Do an "energy audit" in your home and make a list of what needs to be done to get things up to "green par." Take that list to your online supplier or local hardware store and enlist their help in buying needed supplies.
Insulate your home. Doors and windows are two of the most obvious areas of concern when it comes to home energy conservation. Use weather-stripping.
Seal off unexpected trouble spots. Sometimes the less obvious spots in your home can be a source of energy loss and you will need to be thorough in order to seek out and destroy them! Check out the areas around light switches and electrical outlets.
Live by the code of the 3 Rs; Refuse, Reuse and Recycle. Keep these three things in mind whenever you buy, use or discard anything.
Stop a leak. Organize a "stop a leak day" on which everyone in your family tightens, insulates, replaces, caulks or does whatever else is necessary to make your home as "watertight" as possible.
Add insulation to your hot water heater. Don't forget that the standard water heater found in most homes is on all the time. Adding some extra insulation will save more energy than you would think and knock up to 15 percent off the costs of heating water.
Consider window tinting to reduce the glare of the sun. First of all, it will reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Tinting will also eliminate up to 99 percent of damaging ultraviolet rays and reduce the fading of your fine fabrics and furnishings.