CasaSugar

Casa Verde: Preventing Phantom Loads

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 05:32:52 -0700

In the high-tech world we live in, power strips are as essential as light bulbs. But just as you turn the lights off when you leave a room, you should also get in the habit of turning off your power strip when you're not using it. This helps prevent what eco experts call the "phantom load."

Basically, any time you have a piece of electronic equipment that is plugged in but in standby mode, it's leaking lots of power, wasting energy, and running up your electric bill. And according to Treehugger, it's not a paltry amount: The EPA estimates that 75 percent of energy used in the average home comes from appliances that are thought to be turned off but are merely in standby mode.

Similarly, phantom loads are also created when chargers for cell phones and other electronics are plugged in with nothing attached to them.

To solve the problem, plug your chargers and standby electronics into power strips, and when you're not using the devices, turn the power strips off. Just make sure that any appliances that need to stay on - like external hard drives, fridges, and so on - are plugged in separately.

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Do You Use Layaway?

CasaSugar — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:30:34 -0800

Stores like Kmart, Sears, and Toys "R" Us are bringing back layaway programs. This service lets customers pay a small down payment, and then holds goods until the entire price is paid off. Big-ticket items, such as electronics, are increasingly being paid for through layaway programs, especially since shoppers are reluctant to rack up more debt on their credit cards.

Do You Have a Big Music Collection?

CasaSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:00:27 -0700

I'm really excited to check out Whip It!, the Drew Barrymore directorial debut about roller-derby girls, which opens today. This scene, with lead actress Ellen Page, caught my eye, thanks to the retro music collection on display. While I definitely have vinyl records at my home, our electronics are a bit more updated, and we've tossed the cassettes. Still, I love the overall effect of the two characters being surrounded by so much music. What's the music sitch look like at your home?

How Many TVs Do You Have in Your House?

CasaSugar — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 06:36:34 -0700

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Link Time!

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:00:40 -0700

Add some yellow accents to your kitchen. - AT:SF
Check out these backyard projects to your weekend. - Charles and Hudson
DIY an aviary from an armoire. - Craft
See how her garden grows. - Making It Lovely
Find out how you can recycle those old electronics. - Re-Nest
Look who's in People magazine this week! - Danny Seo
I want to read Extreme Architecture. - Shelterrific

How-To: Beat the Heat the Eco-Friendly Way

CasaSugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:00:36 -0700

San Francisco is in the midst of heat wave, and as much as I love putting on my Summer dresses, I'm not a fan of looking like a stick of melted butter. If the temperature in your 'hood hasn't risen yet, trust me, it will. So, I have a few tips for conquering the heat when it does. Not so fast, they have nothing to do with blasting the a/c: you know that's not eco friendly. To hear my tips, read more.

Prevent phantom loads and the idle emission of heat by plugging your electronic appliances into a power strip, which you can switch on and off when not in use. Use one in your office for gadgets, one in your kitchen, and in any other place your appliances are piling up.
If you haven't already, switch to CFL bulbs, which give off less heat than regular bulbs and use about 70-75 percent less energy.
Ovens give off much more heat than microwaves, so zap your meals instead whenever possible. If you must use your oven, cook consciously by turning off the oven five minutes before the scheduled end time and allow food to finish cooking as the oven slowly cools, and avoiding opening the oven to check on food while it's cooking, which lets heat escape.
Use organic bedding made from breathable fabrics, which will draw the moisture away from your body during those hot Spring and Summer nights.
Plant trees and bushes in front of your windows to block the sun.
Close your blinds or shades on windows that don't face north during the day, to keep out the sun's heat.
Keep your windows closed to keep the daytime heat out.
If you need fresh air, open two windows across from each other to allow a breeze, or even put a fan in each window.

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Casa Interview: Interior Designer Leslie Bamburg

CasaSugar — Mon, 11 May 2009 09:00:30 -0700

Two years ago, Leslie Bamburg formed her company Labexperiment, an interior design business that offers an affordable professional decorator option to the design fiend who lacks mad cash. Labexperiment works on the premise that beautiful design can be affordable, individualized, and integrated to meet the resident's needs. Leslie notes that she doesn't believe that there should be separation between people's fashion, media, tech needs, music, and interiors. With this philosophy in mind, she makes diagnoses of clients' homes, notes what they need to add, subtract, or rearrange, and then prescribes the elements needed to improve a room or home.

I recently sat down to chat with Leslie about her business, design sensibility, and advice for readers.

CasaSugar: Tell me about your initial home visit with a new client. What are you looking for? And what kinds of things do you want to know about them?

Leslie Bamburg: Besides taking all the necessary photos and measurements, I just try to get to know the client, to figure out their style and functional needs for the house. Some things are obvious - if they have little kids and a dog I will want to make sure things are easy to clean. But some things come out only after a good conversation. Inability to keep plants alive (like me), or a childhood trauma involving the color fuchsia, for example. I always bring an inspiration book of magazine cut-outs, so we can look at pictures instead of using vague words like “modern” to figure out what they like.

For the rest of the interview, read more.

CasaSugar: How do you determine where furniture and décor will be purchased from? Does it depend on budget? Do you ever use antique/flea market finds along with retail shops?

Leslie Bamburg: The best thing about a prescription is that with every shopping list item, I explain why I chose it. So if the client wants to look for something similar at another store, or even an antique or flea market, they know what they are looking for and what is important about it. My selections definitely depend on budget, as well as style, timeline, and location of the client. Though I have an ever-expanding list of stores and websites I look at, I like to make sure I personally know the quality of all the major pieces I am recommending. I’m not going to recommend that someone buy a sofa, for example, that they can’t test out beforehand. Comfort is such a personal thing.

CasaSugar: What are your go-to stores for purchasing furniture and décor for clients?

Leslie Bamburg: I do shop at all the major retailers, like CB2, Pottery Barn, and Williams-Sonoma Home, but I don’t want a finished room to look like a page from a store catalog, so I try to mix things in from different sources, as well as the client’s existing furniture and personal items. I like rooms to look like they came together over time, even if everything was purchased on the same day. I also try to take advantage of stores where I get a designer discount, since who doesn’t like to save money?

CasaSugar: How has your fine arts background informed your interior design work?

Leslie Bamburg: I learned a lot about composition, proportion, and color, which I use every day, but I think the most important thing is the ability to edit, and stop when something is done. Also, my focus was on mixed-media art, which meant that I was rarely shopping in the art supply store, but looking for my supplies everywhere - the hardware store, grocery store, thrift stores, and electronics supply stores. This really taught me to think creatively about where good things can come from.

CasaSugar: Do you recommend art for clients as well? If so, how do you go about this?

Leslie Bamburg: Yes, though everyone has a different preference for the type, quality, and price of artwork they want on their walls. I’ve recommended everything from Ikea frames on old family photos to expensive paintings, to DIY artwork like stretching cool fabric on a canvas. From my first meeting with a client I usually have an idea of what they are up for.

CasaSugar: What are some of the most common mistakes or decorating sins you’ve seen with clients?

Leslie Bamburg: When people don’t like to shop, I often see them getting a set of furniture from a store, so they can get it over with quickly. Putting together a well-designed room takes time and effort, so I can see why people sometimes take the easy way out. I also see people who like to shop and have a great sense of their own style, but their rooms are a mishmash of unrelated items, because they don’t have an overall vision and goal for the room.

Thanks Leslie! Check back soon for the rest of the interview. If you want to see what an online prescription looks like, check out the gallery.

View 7 Photos ›

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Cool Idea: Retractable Footboard Flatscreen

CasaSugar — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:30:16 -0800

Esquire magazine recently unveiled this year's Esquire house, a modern Los Angeles man-sion designed as the ultimate gentleman's pad. Though some of the features are a tad over-the-top (like the lime-green-lit tequila bar), there is plenty here to covet.

I especially love this idea from the bedroom: the bed's wooden footboard conceals a flatscreen TV (fig. 3 in the photo), which stays tucked away until you're ready to watch it. I'm always looking for clever ways to keep my electronics out of sight, so what could be better than a retractable television with its own pocket?

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Good, Better, Best: Modern Desk Clocks

CasaSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:00:17 -0800

Clocks have long been a fixture in homes worldwide, with not only a time-keeping function but also an aesthetic one. But as we've become drawn to our computers, cell phones, PDAs, and electronic kitchen appliances, we've found ourselves with little need for a free-standing clock, and these handsome things have fallen by the wayside. Personally, I like to put my gadgets to rest and out of my bedroom so I can have uninterrupted sleep, but I'll gladly grandfather in a good-looking desk clock. Lately, I've been looking for a handsome modern desk clock with a white face. So, I thought I'd round up a few that I'm thinking about. First (Good), the Jonas Damon Twice Once Clock ($80) is a modern reinterpretation of the two-sided railway station clock. I like its minimal face, and the punch of color its orange hands bring. To see two others, read more.

Better: The Riki Desk Clock ($120) is a re-release of a 1970 Riki Watanabe design. I love that its large font makes it easy to read and its cute round shape, but I'm not sold on the pumpkin color.

Best:: The Amadana Alarm Clock ($118) is quite handsome with its simple face, quadrilateral shape, and lack of needless trimmings. It's also an alarm clock with slow, Euro lounge-esque sounds (listen to them here), giving you a natural, less-startling awakening than your average alarm clock. And, it features an LED light that shines on its laser-processed clock face with the press of a button, but doesn't look so "electric" when it sits untouched. Beautiful.

Cool Idea: Shredding Scissors

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:00:57 -0800

It's not often that I have top-secret papers that need to be shredded, but it happens occasionally. I can't justify cluttering up my house with a clunky shredder, or spending the dollars on something I rarely use. I would, however, throw down for a pair of The Container Store Stainless Steel Shredding Scissors ($8.99). For that periodic confidential envelope, or when I want to make confetti or packing stuffing, these shredding scissors will come in handy. Yeah, they require a little more work than an electronic paper shredder, but it's fun work.