CasaSugar

Open House: Eco Upgrades

CasaSugar — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 05:19:12 -0700

According to CitizenSugar, Al Gore has spent $16,533 on eco-upgrades including solar panels, a geothermal system, new light bulbs, and better windows — and his "house uses enough energy in a year to power 232 regular houses for a month." Yikes! Not to brag or anything but, if you remember correctly, my utility company named me one of 1.5 million residential and 80,000 business customers who had conserved natural gas this past Winter. I may not have solar panels but there's a chance I may still have out-eco-chic'd Al Gore in terms of energy use! What eco upgrades have you made to your home? Solar panels? CFLs? Sustainable materials? Reclaimed wood furniture? Wind power? Planted a tree? Tell me by commenting below!
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Your Most Coveted Outdoor Home Upgrade

CasaSugar — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 10:14:24 -0800

As part of our Best of 2007 polls, you chose a swimming pool as your most coveted outdoor home upgrade. Garden, patio, and porch were all close behind swimming pool, and I'd have to choose garden as my most coveted outdoor home upgrade. This Spring I'll be putting in a bunch of raised garden boxes in the backyard, and I can't wait to show you how to do it yourself! Unfortunately, though, I don't think I'm quite as adept at planning or implementing a backyard swimming pool. My skill set is only so large!

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Your Most Coveted Indoor Home Upgrade

CasaSugar — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:20:51 -0800

As part of our Best of 2007 polls, by a landslide you chose a professional kitchen as your most coveted indoor home upgrade. I completely agree with you on this one. Although it's certainly not a necessity, and I feel a bit bratty for hoping to have one, a professional kitchen would certainly be nice to have. And, since I love to cook, I'd definitely use it. Plus, think of all the home entertaining you could do . . .

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Casa Interview: The Good Wife's Stephen Hendrickson and Beth Kushnick

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:28 -0800

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm a huge fan of the new CBS series The Good Wife. In particular, I adore Alicia Florrick's (Julianna Margulies) apartment. With classic styling and great use of color, it's definitely a look I'm currently coveting. Luckily, I recently had the opportunity to chat with the two people responsible for the look of that very apartment. The Good Wife's production designer, Stephen Hendrickson, and set decorator, Beth Kushnick, answered my questions about the look of Alicia's home.

CasaSugar: How did the production designer and set decorator define Alicia (as a starting-over mom, lawyer, etc.), and how did this play into their concept of her new apartment?

Hendrickson and Kushnick: We defined Alicia as a working mom who wanted to make a comforting life for her kids as they had to downsize from a large house in the suburbs to a much smaller apartment which she purchased and had renovated. We kept some furniture from the old house like the kids' beds and the dining room furniture. In addition the show creators wanted to keep Alicia's king size bed as a visual - that it was too big for her new bedroom and show that one side of it was now empty. We also created a maid's room in the back of the apartment for all of her husband's belongings.

CasaSugar: How did Alicia’s style as a North Shore mom change when she moved into Chicago proper?

Hendrickson and Kushnick: Her new apartment had a sophisticated color palette . . . Alicia's apartment also has more contemporary living room furnishings and an upgraded kitchen.

Read the rest of the interview, and check out photos of the set.

What's Your Most Coveted Home Upgrade of 2008?

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:15:10 -0800

Right now, I'm totally coveting a cute little KitHaus for a guest cottage. I'd also love to install a water feature in our backyard, get a cedar hot tub, upgrade our kitchen . . . my home wish list is definitely long! What do you want at your casa?

What Is Your Most-Coveted Indoor Home Upgrade?

CasaSugar — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 08:00:24 -0800

As part of our Best of 2007 polls, we asked you what your most-coveted outdoor home upgrade was. Now, it's time to let us know how you'd most like to upgrade the inside of your home, assuming you could afford it.

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What Is Your Most-Coveted Outdoor Home Upgrade?

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:00:52 -0800

Whether you rent or own, have done a full renovation or none at all, there's got to be one thing you wish you could improve about your home. For the green thumbs, maybe a garden would be a nice upgrade. For the aquatic types, a swimming pool or hot tub. And the crafters, a work shed. As part of our Best of 2007 polls, chime in and tell us what your most-coveted outdoor home upgrade is this year.

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Have You Ever Lived in a Victorian?

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:00:07 -0700

From the ornate exteriors to the charming nooks and detailing on the interiors, Victorians are definitely pretty homes. Some of the ones I've lived in, though, have been pretty drafty and needed a lot of upgrades. However, when they're refurbished, they're completely lovely.

Source: Flickr User David Paul Ohmer

Desire/Acquire: DWR's Cellula Chandelier

CasaSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:00:05 -0700

While the Cellula Chandelier ($2,210) may be on sale for nearly $400 off the original price, over $2K is more than most of us are willing to spend on a light fixture. Still, since the Cellula chandelier is studded with Swarovski crystal pendants, it's a definite head-turner. It's a great upgrade on the traditional chandelier, and is sleek enough to fit the most cutting-edge home.

To find out where to get a lookalike for nearly a tenth of the price, read more.

The Linear Bar Pendant ($306.99) may not feature Swarovski crystals, but at this price, who cares? They're a close enough match to forgive the lack of Swarovski crystals on the cheaper pendant, in my opinion, especially when there's a $2,000 price difference.

Open House: Where Would You Start Renovating?

CasaSugar — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:30:42 -0700

I think that most of us have daydreams about how we would renovate our homes, if we had the time or the money. For me, I'd work on turning the undeveloped space on the bottom level of my house into a guest room/office space. Other friends of mine dream about trading out their showers for old-fashioned clawfoot tubs. And I bet a lot of us would love to upgrade our kitchens with new cabinets and appliances. What is your most coveted renovation project?

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