CasaSugar

How Many Places Do You Call Home?

CasaSugar — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 08:00:27 -0800

Some lucky ladies have a "summer house," a "weekend house," or a "country house." Some have time-shares in addition to their primary pads, and others just rent but still call their parents' places home. What about you?

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Houseboat Beautiful

CasaSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:42:15 -0800

Over four years, Todd Biernacki and his wife Krissy renovated their small houseboat on Seattle's Lake Union to make room for their growing family. While the family saved money by using salvaged and recycled materials and doing the majority of the work themselves, they also splurged on items such as huge windows and skylights, which in turn would help save money down the road by cutting down on electricity use, thanks to the natural sunlight they'd provide. Overall, the addition cost them $250,000.

To find out details about this renovation as well as to see a gallery of photos, just read more

The extra weight from the addition required more floatation devices for the houseboat, which had been originally built on a "raft" of old-growth cedar logs 100 years ago. The solution came with 80 new 55-gallon plastic barrels, recycled from a local soda-bottling plant. The family used recycled and salvaged materials throughout the home, including recycled wood floors. They saved space throughout the renovation by using multiple built-in cabinets and drawer systems. Undoubtedly, one of the coolest parts of the addition is the inch-thick, two-foot-square Plexiglas window in the floor, where the whole family can check out fish as they swim through the boat's raft timbers.

View 9 Photos ›

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This Just In: Al Gore Wins Nobel Prize

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:47:04 -0700

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today to Al Gore, the former U.S. vice president, and to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work in educating the world about the dangers of climate change. I'm so proud of Al and the U.N. for their work on this issue!

If you're wondering what climate change has to do with Casa (and your casa), consider this: Commercial and residential buildings contribute 38% of the U.S.'s carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is the main cause of climate change, which is already causing some pretty un-fun side effects in our lives, including wonky weather patterns and increased fires.

I know: depressing, huh? But I've always believed that dealing with a problem directly is better than letting it fester and grow into a mammoth, uncontrollable beast.That's why we should all try some small, simple ways to deal with curbing climate change in your home, such as replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs and insulating our homes better.

And just to prove to you that energy efficiency and greening our homes isn't all doom and gloom, check out this inspirational Treehugger video about a green urban home.

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Are New Houses Getting Too Big?

CasaSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:20:13 -0700

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, some U.S. cities are restricting the size of new homes to curb the "McMansion" trend. Boulder, Colo., for instance, is charging homeowners extra if they want to build a home larger than 3,000 square feet. Do you think the big house trend has gotten out of hand?

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Home Library: Majestic Metropolitan Living

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:10 -0800

Just a week after the fold of Metropolitan Home, I've got my hands on another city-centric design volume: Sue Hostetler's new book Majestic Metropolitan Living: Visionary Homes in the Heart of Cities. The shelter and design editor for magazines like Gotham, Hamptons, and LA Confidential, and the host of Plum Homes With Sue Hostetler on Plum TV (which "targets the most active, influential, and educated audience in the world"), Hostetler has tapped her cronies for tours of their unique and luxe urban dwellings.

The American dream of retiring to the pool and tennis courts in your countryside home is squashed by this book, which showcases a range of sprawling, real-life city homes. Each has an original sense of style, a warmth that defies traditional conceptions of "cold urban modernism," spectacular views, and in several cases, an outdoor space complete with a pool or lush garden. Many of the homes were created, not surprisingly, by converting former warehouses or other nonresidential buildings, or combining apartments.

Continue reading . . .

Coveted Crib: Kate Walsh's Lovely LA Home

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:17 -0800

Kate Walsh's 1920s Spanish-style Los Angeles home is featured in this month's issue of InStyle, and I'm blown away by how glamorously laid-back it is. While elements like a Steinway grand piano, lush fur throws, and a 1960s Lucite console offer that prim Old Hollywood look you see in many celebrity homes, there is something really layered and livable about it that I found unusual. Turns out, Walsh eschewed her usual interior designer route and hired the set decorator of Private Practice, Melissa Levander, to put the space together. Come take the tour!

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Home Away From Home: The Madonna Inn

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:30:01 -0800

Looking for a kooky, kitschy hotel experience? Then check out San Luis Obispo's own Madonna Inn. This 51-year-old hotel is an absolutely unique experience for visitors, featuring an overwhelming pink color palette and rooms with themes including "Love Nest," "Caveman," and "Portugal."

If you're in the market for a unique wedding reception venue, the Madonna Inn can handle your reception. Fully equipped with a steak house, day spa, convention center, and bar, the Madonna Inn can supply all of your needs - especially if those needs involve gaping at the Swiss-Alps-meets-Old-West decor. One last piece of advice: don't forget to direct your male friends to the rocks and waterfall urinal if they need to take care of business - it's apparently a tourist must-see.

Take the full tour.

Metropolitan Home Folds

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:56:46 -0800

Another one bites the dust. Hachette Filipacchi Media announced today that it will fold Metropolitan Home with its December issue. The company plans to focus its efforts on its other shelter glossy, Elle Decor. HFMUS President and CEO Alain Lemarchand said, "We believe the best strategy in the upscale shelter segment is to boldly focus our resources and investment on Elle Decor, which is the ad-page leader within the US market. Despite the downturn in ad pages that has affected all magazines, the Elle Decor brand has multiple opportunities for growth across all platforms.” Met's longtime Editor in Chief Donna Warner and her staff will leave the company.

This closure follows a long string of folds in the shelter world, including HFMUS's own Home, House & Garden, Blueprint, O at Home, Cottage Living, and, of course, Domino. So while it's not a shocker considering the economic climate, it is still sad news indeed. But at least this glossy went out with a bang, wowing us with the Metropolitan Home Showtime House and the exquisite Modern by Design Showhouse this year.

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Would You Buy a Holiday Rug?

CasaSugar — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:30:24 -0800

Holiday doormats are one thing, but investing almost $500 in a holiday-themed rug is quite another. I'm all for holiday decorating, but I'm not sure I'd ever want to go to such lengths for my holiday home. How about you?

Home Away From Home: A Skate-Inspired Hotel Suite

CasaSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:00:30 -0800

Skateboard label Etnies is rolling into the world of hospitality. The California-based brand has designed a skate-inspired hotel suite in Laguna Beach's Casa del Camino. But you won't find any Etnies logo monogrammed sheets here. "We didn’t want to make it look like a trade show," said VP of marketing Don Brown. "We focused more on the culture of skateboarding, taking the movement, curves and shapes and injecting that into the design."

Elements include wheel tracks on the ceiling, a mirror framed with skateboard wheels, mounted skateboards for guests to use, and "Go Sk8" artwork in the bathroom. My favorite piece is the God Father Lounge Chair, a leather chair and ottoman inspired by Eames's iconic Lounge Chair, made of pieces which remarkably resemble a skateboard deck. It's part of the Skate Study House collection, which I wrote about back in 2008. Continue reading.