CasaSugar

Have You Hired a Housecleaning Service?

CasaSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:15:47 -0700

While it may seem like a splurge, hiring a housecleaning service, even once a month, can really put a dent in your cleaning duties. Occasional housecleaning help is especially great for big jobs like scrubbing floors and bathrooms.

If Money Weren't an Issue . . .

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:00:15 -0800

Would you pay a maid to make your mess so fresh and so clean?

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Crave Worthy: Nika Zupanc Maid Chair

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:31:12 -0700

I’ve been aching for a certain Lucite chair for a few years now. But, I have to admit that the Nika Zupanc Maid Chair has just surpassed the Phillipe Starck Victoria Ghost Side Chair ($294) as my favorite Polycarbonate seating choice. This beauty is perhaps the offspring of Saarinen and Starck. It’s sexy, fun, well-dressed, and looks good in the living room-much like the French maid it’s inspired by. Plus, for many of us living in a small spaces, the transparent color options of this Maid chair maximize the size of our homes. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the chair is available in stores yet.

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.

Home Away From Home: The Maidstone in East Hampton

CasaSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:33 -0700

If you live in the New York metro area, you know very well of the Hamptons' reputation as THE place to be in the summertime. If not, you've probably caught a glimpse of the glory of the Long Island townships in movies like Something's Gotta Give and Grey Gardens. Unless you're a lucky dog who owns a home in the popular seaside locale, most visitors rent a Summer share or score a bed with a friend, as hotels in the area tend to be overpriced and lacking in looks (and personal BBQ grills). But room and maid service does have its perks, so if you are looking to stay in a Hamptons hotel, might I offer one that gets my seal of approval? The iconic Maidstone hotel was reinvented by Swedish hotelier Jenny Ljungberg who has mixed the free-spirited design of her native Scandinavia with the timeless sophistication of the Hamptons, and thrown in some arresting artwork and photography - all with a bit of a bohemian twist. One of the guest rooms is furnished with pieces designed or inspired by seminal designer Josef Frank (a favorite of mine), and features white oak flooring typical of midcentury Scandinavia, as well as modern wallpaper by up-and-coming Swedish designer Hanna Werning. Another, the Kurbits Cottage, takes a note from traditional Sweden with a wooden Jantze Brogård Asshoff table, hand-painted wall motifs, a wood-burning fireplace, and water-lily light fixtures, as well wooden clogs as décor. Hear about the hotel's eco-friendly features and see plenty of photos when you read more.

Beyond its refreshing design philosophy, the hotel has also taken every conceivable step to be the Hamptons' most eco-friendly hotel, with a goal of becoming carbon neutral. Some of its eco-friendly features include an on-site Natura water filtration system in place of bottled water; high-efficiency furnaces; state-of-the-art central a/c units; Low-E double-paned windows with insulating argon gas; organic cotton linens; water-based paints; and low-flush toilets. They also use refillable toileterie containers, recyclable carry-out containers, organic produce, organic cleaning products, and compost all of their restaurant's organic waste and donate it to local farmers. And, guests are encouraged to use their collection of Kronan bicycles as green transport free of charge.

If you arrive in a car, you'll be happy to note that each room comes with a much-coveted beach parking permit. Pets are also welcome, and WiFi throughout the hotel is free. And after a tiring afternoon at the beach, you can cozy up with a book from the library stocked with volumes about art, design, photography and the Hamptons' history, or watch a DVD from their large collection, also free. Summer rates range from $450-$995.
To see interior photos, read more.

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How-To: Register For Your Wedding

CasaSugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:00:15 -0700

Planning your wedding can be stressful, but the fun part is registering for gifts! Unfortunately, some people get carried away at the thought of all the presents coming their way and register spontaneously, not methodically. You have to remember that you're going to live with these gifts, and your friends and family are spending real money on them, so you better like them! Beyond that, you should think about what you need, not what you want, so you can really "set up house" - that's kind of the point. I have a few tips that will make it all easy for you. To hear them, read more.

Consider your timeline. If you're having any sort of engagement party, try to register by the time the invitations for that party go out, making sure you've covered all the price points. Many of your friends and family will want to buy your engagement and wedding gifts as soon as they hear about the engagement and get it out of the way. Don't feel rushed; you can always go back and add more items later on. If you're not having an engagement party, about nine months before your wedding day is a good time to register; it doesn't make you seem as if you're either rushing or procrastinating.
Do your Spring cleaning, and take note of what you already have and what you need for your home.
Then, get together and make a list of things you both want for your home.
Before you start checking boxes, cruise around to a bunch of stores and decide which one or which few suit your tastes the most. Stick to three stores or fewer to keep things uncomplicated, and make sure one of them is a national department store like Bloomingdale's or Macy's.
Most major stores have some sort of registry system, if not an online one. However, if you love a certain boutique or specialty store, they may not. But most will be more than willing to work something out with you, so just ask!
Go through all the questions. Figure out what kind of return policy each store has, how shipping works, whether they take phone orders, whether they have an online database to track orders, etc. Your older generation of friends and family may only want to shop by phone or in store, so there should be something available for them. And it's ideal to be able to track the orders as they come in, so you can add more items at different price points, or remove items if need be.
Use our downloadable registry guide to make sure you've covered all the bases for your housewares, and go ahead and register with each store, giving as much detail as possible to make it easy on guests. Choose size, color, brand, etc.
You can also use MyRegistry to register online from a variety of sources, giving your friends and family a central place to shop for you.
OK, so let's say you already have all the table runners and Le Creuset pans you could ever want. What then? Nowadays it's not uncommon to have an alternative registry. If you'd like, you can register with a charity or even to pay for your honeymoon. Although it's not the most proper of moves, if you really need help with your finances, you can even register for stocks or cash for big ticket items you may need.
Once you're registered, there's some etiquette you should follow for getting the word out. It's a bit taboo to send your registry information out with your invitation. If you have a website for your wedding, you can post it discreetly there. It's also common to have your maid of honor send out the details with the invitations for your bridal shower, and the same for the bachelor party. You can ask your family members to pass the word along to the guests as well. And, if your guests ask you up front where you are registered, go ahead! If you are sending out a package to your guests with other details about the wedding (maps, hotel information, etc.) apart from the invitation, you can slip in a printed card with the registry information.
Most registries remain active for at least a year after the big day so guests can make purchases after the fact. And many stores will give you a discount on the items that weren't purchased, so that you can buy them for yourself.

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How-To: Find an Apartment on Craiglist

CasaSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:00:07 -0800

Apartment hunting is a necessary evil. It's not fun, but you can't fake it either - unless you actually like crashing with your parents. Short of throwing money at a broker, there aren't too many secrets to apartment hunting; you've just got to search the local papers, classifieds, and online agency listings, cruise the neighborhoods you like for signs, and of course, scour Craigslist in depth. I'm sure you can handle most of this, but there is a method to the madness of Craigslist that you may not all be aware of. It doesn't guarantee you a dream pad for the price of a shanty, but it'll at least get you in front of what you're looking for. If you're looking for tips on how to up your credit score for a prospective landlord, you'd better check out SavvySugar. To hear my tips, read more.

First of all, if you're looking for an apartment from long distance, you should be extra cautious, demand to see many photographs and references, and don't sign a lease until you or someone you know has visited it.
Moving on - no pun intended: You should begin looking for a place two months in advance of when you want to move. Most places are listed about a month ahead, and in big cities, apartments will go in a day. But, if you give yourself two months, you'll get a better idea of what's available, what you can afford, what neighborhoods you like, and how quickly things are going.
You should already have an idea of what you're looking for. So write it all down in front of you, and don't be too picky; a penthouse apartment with maid, pool, gym, and ocean and mountain views for $700/month is never gonna happen.
The wonder of Craigslist is that it allows you to add your search terms to your RSS reader. To do so, go to your city's site on Craigslist, click "Housing," then fill in specifics like keywords, rent, number of bedrooms, neighborhood, and whether you need a pet-friendly place. Then, choose "apt/housing for rent" from the drop down menu, and check off "has image." Then, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the yellow "RSS" button. This will bring up the feed and allow you to add it to your RSS reader. Try Google Reader or Bloglines, if you don't have one already. Just so you know, you can use this same method for looking for furniture, cars, or anything else on Craigslist. And, you can download an app to your Blackberry or iPhone for your reader so you can read listings on the go.
If you're open to a range of living situations, neighborhoods, rents, etc., then your chances of finding a place are greater, but that also means you'll need to subscribe to more feeds. So go through the last step again until you've entered all the possible search terms and combinations.
I have 118 blogs in my RSS reader (a lot!), so if I were apartment hunting, I'd want to compound them all. You can combine a bunch of feeds into one with FeedBlendr.
If you're afraid to get dirty with an RSS feed, you can do it the old-fashioned way, by making methodical searches. Peruse Craigslist's various categories (apartments, rooms, sublets) the same way you entered a range of search terms. You never know: a temporary rental could last three years, or a shared apartment could be with someone who travels nine months of the year.
Whichever way you'll be reading the listings, you need to do so routinely. Get up first thing and the morning and then look again every few hours. Set an alarm if you have to remind yourself.
When you see something that you might like, click on the map link at the bottom of the CL page to verify its address (people lie about neighborhoods sometimes). Or better yet, use a Google Maps/Craigslist mashup like MapsKrieg, which allows you to see all the listings for your location on a map.

Stay tuned for tips on actually snagging the apartment you want once you've found it!

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Casa Quickie: Scrub For Your Health

CasaSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:00:17 -0700

Good news! For those of us who do all of the house cleaning without help from maids or cleaning services, we're saving more than money. We might also be extending our lifespans! According to an article in Prevention, by simply "vacuuming, mopping floors, or washing windows for a little more than an hour, the average person can burn about 285 calories, lowering risk of death by 30 percent, according to a study of 302 adults in their 70s and 80s." I like the sound of that. And now, I'm going to go get out the Dyson and do some vacuuming.

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Park(ing) Day: 10 Hints For Your Own Park

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:00:12 -0700

Last week, I told you all about my plans for Park(ing) Day. Now an international event, Park(ing) Day turns parking spots in urban areas into temporary parks, as a way to highlight the need for green spaces in cities, as well as to show how much physical room cars take up.

My Sugar friends and I had a great time at Park(ing) Day! Since several of you told me that your interest was piqued, and that you might want to participate in this event next year, I thought I'd give you some tips on how to make your Park(ing) Day as easy and stress-free as possible.

To see my tips, as well as a huge gallery of photos, read more.

Educate yourself on the history of Park(ing) Day before you're at your park. Here's a good place to start.
For step-by-step directions, download a PDF manual.
Be friendly! People may know what your park is about, or they might have no idea why you're putting down sod in a parking spot. Tell them about the reasons behind Park(ing) Day, and invite them to join you.
Make friends with traffic cops and meter maids. The friendlier you are, the harder it will be for them to be stern. And in fact, the traffic cop across the street from my park was incredibly nice and loved the park!
Sod is heavy. And dirty. Plan accordingly. You should wear something that can get grubby, and also bring gloves. Make sure to lay down a tarp in your parking spot before you start rolling out your sod.
Activities are fun, but you might spend nearly the whole day talking. I brought Scrabble and bocce ball to my park, but most of the time I was explaining Park(ing) Day to people or shooting the breeze.
Bring friends! Not only will this divvy up your workload, but it will leave someone at your park while you run to the bathroom or grab lunch.
People love treats. I brought a ton of candy with to the site, but the big hit of the day was a bowl of tomatoes that had been picked fresh from my garden. Another park was making fresh smoothies!
Have a plan for your sod. I posted the sod for free on Craigslist, and almost all of it was taken away by the man that responded to my post.
Make sure to have change for the meter, and most importantly, remember to have fun!

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This Just In: Pete Sampras Scores $23 Million-Love

CasaSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:00:07 -0700

Back in January, I told you about how tennis star Pete Sampras had served his home to the market. Well, according to Big Time, a mere five months later, Sampras and actress wife Bridgette Wilson-Sampras have sold that five-bedroom, walled and gated mock Tudor mansion in Beverly Hills for a mere $23 million. Cha-ching! Sampras is also said to own a house at Palos Verdes Estates, California which he purchased in mid-2000 for $785,000, but no word yet on where he'll be calling home next. It baffles me that a sane individual would spend $23 million on a house that sits on only 1.04 acres: talk about lack of privacy! But, the property does boast "12 baths, exquisite detailed finishes throughout, a professional theater, an office/library, maid's quarters, a master suite with sitting room, his and hers baths, and a sun deck, in addition to magnificently landscaped grounds, a north/south tennis court, a putting green, play areas, and a pool." I suppose if you're feeling like you need some privacy, you can always retreat to one of the 12 bathrooms, right?

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