CasaSugar

Do You Let People Smoke in Your House?

CasaSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:00:30 -0800

While I don't mind the smell of cigars quite as much as I do the smell of cigarettes, I'd still never allow either to be smoked in my house. The smell seems to invade every fabric-covered surface, and if someone smokes in a home long enough, the wood surfaces and walls will even absorb the scent. Sometimes, though, you have to make exceptions for a particularly stubborn relative with a passion for cigars. What's your policy?
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How-To: Remove Cigarette Odor From Wood Furniture

CasaSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:45:25 -0800

TeamSugar member linb recently wrote, "I acquired two wooden end tables from a friend who smokes, and unfortunately the stench came home with the tables. I'm hoping someone knows of a miracle product or trick that I can use to get rid of the smell."

I figured there may be more of you who need to remove cigarette odor for your wood furniture (inherited or not), so I've compiled a list of suggestions to make your wood furniture smell so fresh and so clean. To hear them, read more.

Wash with solution of white vinegar and hot water, and then air dry. Vinegar is a natural odor neutralizer, so it should get rid of the smell rather than simply covering the up. If you remember, it also played a part in my two latest How-Tos.
Fill the drawers or shelves with ground coffee, baking soda, or cat litter, and leave it for several days. Then place the furniture outside to air dry. Avoid direct sunlight, it may cause it to warp.
Mix 1/4 cup of Witch Hazel and a couple of squirts of dish soap. Take a very soft piece of steel wool and gently scrub the wood. Then, dip a rag in warm water and wipe up.
Wash with a mix of Murphy's oil soap and hot water.
Since smoking actually leaves a residue on all surfaces in your home, another suggestion, although more expensive, is to have it refinished by a professional.

If you have any other suggestions or experiences with removing cigarette odor from furniture, please leave a comment below.
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Casa Quickie: Locate Leaks With a Candle

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:30:17 -0700

If you live in an old house, chances are that you might have some drafts coming in through window and door frames. To find out for sure, light a candle, and hold it along the frames (just don't get too close to any curtains). If the candle flame flickers or smokes, there's a leak. To fix, use caulking or weather stripping in that area.

Have you tried this technique before to locate leaks?

Desire/Acquire: Clio Glass Hargreave Carafe

CasaSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:00:48 -0700

I've been aching to own the Clio Glass Hargreave Carafe ($120) since I first saw it about five years ago. It's so clever and fun! I love its modern pill shape and bright colors, and how its top becomes a glass. But I wouldn't use it enough to justify buying it; it would really just be a display piece. As it turns out, I'm not alone in my love for this carafe. A well-known designer created one for his own collection. Want to see it? Then read more.

The new Jonathan Adler Pill Carafe ($48), made of double-cased handblown glass, is available in turquoise, tomato, yellow, smoke, and white. It's definitely not as striking as Clio's transparent glass design, but it does have its own appeal.

To be honest, it bugs me a bit that Adler is knocking off the work of other designers. He is one of few interior/product designers who has really made a name for himself (and is reaping the benefits of it) - can't he come up with his own designs? Just a reminder: his Utopia series was very clearly "inspired" by the work of Danish artist Bjørn Wiinblad. Sorry to vent, but does anyone else agree?

Weird Furniture: Where There's Smoke by Maarten Baas

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:15:20 -0800

Dutch designer Maarten Baas's "Smoke" is a series of a charred furniture finished with an epoxy resin so that the pieces are preserved instead of destroyed. A 2004 exhibition called "Where There's Smoke" at Moss in New York showcased the collection of 25 one-off pieces, including iconic designs by Gaudi, Eames, Rietveld, Sottsass, and the Campana Brothers among others, which had each been burned with a blow torch and then salvaged with the translucent sealant. At the exhibit, the pieces were put in a timeline from antique to modern, grouping pieces like a grandfather clock and chaise lounge together, and a second stage of pieces like an Eames LCW chair and Noguchi coffee table from 1900-1950 together.

Three of the "Smoke" works were picked up by Marcel Wanders for reproduction by his international design company, MOOOI, and important designers and collectors like Lidewij Edelkoort and Philippe Starck have also personally acquired the pieces. Select pieces have been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. What's really beautiful about the series is that the furniture retains that charred texture, it's quite haunting, and appropriate for Halloween. To see more photos and close-ups, read more.

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Desire/Acquire: Pretty Patterns at Differing Price Points

CasaSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:00:14 -0700

Shrewd online shopper and Su Casa member The City Girl recently discovered some very interesting similarities between some high-end Neiman Marcus products and some low-end Target products.

She writes, "I think that almost every company could have something in its collection to offer - if not in actual product, then perhaps with inspiration. It's just that various designers usually offer quite different, distinct looks - especially companies such as, say, Target or Neiman Marcus. So imagine my surprise when I discovered not one, but two parallels between the Neiman Marcus bed linens line, and the new(ish) Target upholstered furniture line! Take a look yourself!"

First, The City Girl showed off the Blossom Bed Linen (now on sale for $36-138), seen here.

Does this pattern look familiar? That's because it's also used on this Smoke Target Settee ($549.99).

For two additional finds from The City Girl, read more.

Next, The City Girl tracked down the Daybreak Bed Linens ($100-687.50) from Neiman Marcus. The pattern, woven in Portugal by Pinecone Hill, features a modern mix of birds, flowers, and stripes in shades of bluegrass and green tea.

However, if you'd like to see this pattern on a chair, you're in luck, because The City Girl found it at Target on the Canary Print Armless Chair ($299.99). I love this little chair!

Have you noticed any similar patterns featured at both high- and low-end retailers?

Where There's Smoke

CasaSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:16:13 -0700

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How-To: Conquer Your Leaves Before Snow Flies

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:30:03 -0800

My favorite thing about Fall, aside from post-Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches (yum), is the vivid and warmly colored leaves on the trees. But, as we move into Winter (when we'll deal with ice and snow), this seasonal treasure will require some maintenance. And even if it's begun to snow in your neck of the woods, it's not too late to wrangle the leaves. If you have a landscaper or a young neighbor willing to do the work, you're off the hook here. But for the rest of you, getting rid of those leaves isn't such a terrible task, and I actually think it's kind of fun and festive. There are a few ways to do so, depending on what tools you have. To hear them, read more.

The most obvious method is to use a rake. You can find one at your local hardware or garden supply store for under $30. There are dozens of options to choose from, but if you have a big yard to cover, you'll want one with a comfortable grip. You can also buy one with a pivoting head for better efficiency. Otherwise, you'll want to just grab the cheapest steel rake you can find (this is the most durable material). You'll also want to pick up some sort of drop cloth, plastic sheet, or tarp. Then, once you've done your shopping, lay down the cloth and rake your leaves straight back, directly onto the cloth. From the cloth, you can dump the leaves into plastic bags. Raking is certainly the cheapest method, and it'll give you a good workout!
If you happen to have a leaf blower (about $60-300), conquering your leaves will be much quicker for you than your raking counterparts. You can buy a leaf blower that's hand-held or with a backpack design; obviously the hand-held blowers are less expensive. You'll also choose from gas or electric when picking up a blower, both of which can be quite noisy. As you may have guessed, gas blowers pollute the air, and electric mowers need to be plugged into an outlet, so those are also things to consider. Some blowers have a vacuum feature, which makes things a lot easier. Whichever you choose, you'll also want to direct the leaves to a tarp of some sort.
Once you've gathered your leaves, you can also compost them. This is an eco-friendly solution that will turn your leaves into fertilizer for your plants. You'll have too many leaves for a kitchen compost, though, so you'll need a garden compost or to use your town's sidewalk compost pick-up.
Another option (which I would never, ever recommend) is to burn your leaves. While some of us may remember our families burning leaves when we were kids, this is no longer an acceptable method for dealing with leaves. The smoke pollutes the air, is a fire hazard, and the smoke can also cause serious health risks. There's also legislation against this for those reasons, so it may not be permitted in your town.

If these options don't suit you, maybe you should consider making thousands of leaf place cards! Or, just move to Florida!
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Gift Guide: The Modern Dude

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:00:10 -0800

As much as they'd like to think they're "The Man," most dudes need a little help in the décor department. Whether that means they should lose the La-Z-Boy in favor of a classic lounger like this Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman ($3,599), or the blah jersey bed-in-a-bag set that Mom bought at the Macy's One Day Sale in favor of some hip modern stripes, that's for you to decide. But, I wanted to make sure you've got a few options at different price points when shopping for your man (or bro or cous') this year. If the dude in your life likes pizza, beer, wine, smoking, stepping in the mud, or gets lost a lot and won't ask for directions, or just needs a slick new furnishing, I've got something for you. To see my finds, read more.

How-To: Make Your Fireplace More Efficient

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:00:45 -0800

With energy costs going through the roof these days, many of us will be resorting to our fireplaces to keep us warm, in addition to offering up ambient lighting. But unfortunately, it's very likely that your fireplace hasn't been honest with you. In addition to radiating heat while it's burning, it has also been seeing someone else: generating a current that can send conditioned air out the chimney, and effectively out of your room. And, when those logs aren't burning, your fireplace's damper should block inside air from heading outside, and vice versa. Unfortunately, modern technology has not worked in favor of the damper, and it's actually quite inefficient. So, you'll need to follow a few tips to maximize your fireplace's efficiency . . . otherwise you'll be turning up that thermostat. And we all know that's not budget beautiful. To hear my fireplace efficiency tips, read more.

Ditch the throat damper on your fireplace in favor of a top sealing damper. It'll keep indoor air from escaping and outdoor air from entering, year-round.
Although the look of fireplace glass doors is not everyone's style, they really maximize your fireplace's efficiency. By creating a barrier between the chimney and your room, they will cut back the amount of area that your furnace has to heat. They also create a safety barrier between yourselves (especially children and pets) and the flames.
Install a fireback on the back of your fireplace. It absorbs the fire's heat and sends it back into the room, and it prevents the back wall from damage from the fire.
Pick up a fireplace heater, which will heat the room's fresh air by pulling it in and sending it through a fire-heated chamber, without creating smoke.

Hope that helps keep you warm this season!
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Pizza Slice and Beer Stein Ornaments - $32.00	Alessi alessandro m. corkscrew - $45.00
Moleskine City Guides - Set of 3 - $80.00	Normann Copenhagen -stepptwo ashtray- 4 left! by tom stepp - $66.00
Unison Wideband in Green and Grey Sheet set - $68.00	Cast Iron Bootscraper - $99.00
Matte Stephens A Man Bird - $170.00	Lightyears Caravaggio Pendant - $195.00
Gus Modern Thompson Chair by Gus - $235.00	Everywhere Storage - $69.00
Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman - $3,599.00