CasaSugar

Cool Idea: Metropolitan Home’s Showtime House

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:00:36 -0700

With six Showtime original series as their inspiration, 14 renowned designers have transformed two New York penthouses into the ultimate multimedia showhouse. Tour photos from the Dexter- and Weeds-inspired homes now, and then head over to Metropolitan Home for the full tour!
Photos by Antoine Bootz, courtesy of Metropolitan Home’s Showtime House 2009

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Name This Flower

CasaSugar — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:30:06 -0700

This pretty roadside weed is in full bloom right now in many parts of the country. Can you tell me its name?

Great Design Ideas From 2009's Emmy Nominees: Weeds

CasaSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:00:13 -0700

In the past season of Weeds, the Botwins moved from their gated community of Agrestic, CA, to a beach town on the border of California and Mexico. Hunkering down in Nancy's mother-in-law's house, the family set about remaking their lives. The grandma-style design of this house delighted me last season. See how they put together the look of this fusty, grandma-style home.

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Casa Quickie: Weed Whacker

CasaSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:00:51 -0700

If you have some stubborn weeds or grass peeking out between patio stones or the cracks in your sidewalk, don't resort to toxic methods quite yet. Instead, try boiling a kettle of water. Take your kettle out to the offending weeds, and holding it close to the top of the weeds, slowly pour the water out onto them. If stubborn plants with a long tap root are the source of the problem, you can cut off the top of the plant, dig a small hole to the side of it, and then direct the water towards its taproot. If the weeds reappear, simply boil another kettle of water and use the same technique. It doesn't get much cheaper, or nontoxic, than that!

Casa Quickie: When to Weed

CasaSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:00:13 -0700

Weeding is one of the greatest pleasures of Spring - not! I hate weeding with a passion, so I try to do it in the most-efficient way possible. That is, unless I can pass the duty off onto someone else! One of the keys to weeding is to do it when the soil is moist, since dry, compact soil is hard work. So, if you can get yourself out of bed, it's a good idea to tackle your weeds in the early morning when the soil is damp with dew. Another great time to do it is after a rain shower. But, of course, be smart; don't attempt this dreaded Spring task during any lightning storms or floods!
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Ask Casa: How to Kill Weeds (Without Herbicides)

CasaSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:15:48 -0700

TeamSugar member Lafx23 recently wrote in, saying:

I have a lot of unwanted grass and weeds growing around my pool area (especially wild onions), and I really want to get rid of them. Every year it seems like they just come back twice as bad as the year before. Any suggestions on the best ways to kill them off?

To hear my response to Lafx23's weed dilemma, and to offer your own advice, read more.

Hi Lafx23,
That's a great question! I spent many a Spring weekend as a kid on my hands and knees pulling weeds out of the ground, during what my parents lovingly called "family weeding time," so I certainly understand your pain! There are several ways to kill weeds without using herbicides, which I strongly recommend. In some cases, after using these treatments, the weeds will resprout, but if you are persistent, even the most stubborn perennial weeds should eventually die off. Just be sure to avoid letting the treatments reach your nearby plants that are Good to Grow!

Here are several methods for killing that unwanted growth:

Douse them with boiling water. Cut off the top of the plant first. Boil up a kettle of water, and take it out to the problem area immediately. Then, pour it over the weed from a low height, so you avoid splashing yourself or nearby plants — it will burn the plant (and your skin). This method should kill off weeds, as well as their seeds. If it resprouts, repeat the treatment. This method is nontoxic, simple, and very inexpensive!
Spray them with vinegar. One great organic homemade weed killer is vinegar. Just put some in a spray bottle and coat the weeds evenly with it. Household vinegar (white or cider), which is 5 percent acetic acid, will kill weeds during their first two weeks of life. Older plants require a higher acetic acid concentration to kill off, so look for pickling vinegar which is 9 percent acetic acid. This method was confirmed by the USDA as a potent weedkiller.
Spray them with rubbing alcohol. Mix one to five tablespoons of rubbing alcohol (depending on how tough your weeds are) with one quart of water, and put the solution in a spray bottle. Spray the weeds thoroughly, but lightly, and avoid nearby plants. This will basically dehydrate the plant at a high speed, effectively killing it.
Hinder seed growth with corn meal. Corn meal gluten prevents weed seeds (or any other seeds) from going into plants — a "garden-variety" contraception. You can scatter it around your lawn so long as you've not recently planted seeds, and it won't kill plants that are already growing. Basically, this method doesn't really kill weeds, but rather prevents them from growing. I'd try this after you've used one of the treatments above.
Smother them. Smothering your weeds will kill them from lack of sun, and prevent weed seeds from sprouting (because they need sun). This isn't the most aesthetically pleasing method, but it works. To do this, try layering four sheets of newspaper or a layer of plastic over the weeds, secured down, or use two or three inches of mulch, "shredded bark, wood chips, straw, cocoa bean hulls, gravel or rocks."
Salt them. Salting the earth was used as a war tactic as far back as 1290 BC (and is even documented in the Old Testament,) as a method of rendering the land incapable of growing crops. It will not only kill your weeds but it will make the ground unsuitable for future growth for months. I don't recommend this method, but if your weeds are localized on a small scale, where you have no plans to grow other plants (say between cracks in a walkway), you can drop a pinch of table salt at the base of plants. You may have heard of killing weeds with bleach as well. Because bleach (sodium hypochlorite) has sodium in it, it basically has the same effect as salt. Not recommended.

Hope that helps!
Casa

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Little Boxes on the Hillside

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 07:05:10 -0700

Molly directed me to these Flickr photos from the Westlake District of Daly City, California. One of America's first master-planned postwar suburbs, Westlake was the "inspiration" for Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes," which became a hit for folk musician Pete Seeger in 1964. Many Casa readers, however, probably recognize it as the theme music for the TV show "Weeds."

You can find out more about Westlake on America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb. I'm curious: Do you like these homes, or do you find the design too dated? Tell me when you take a look the gallery and read more
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Love It or Hate It? Interior Weeds Planter

CasaSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:54:20 -0700

This tabletop planter, created by Dutch designer by Arwin Caljouw, is designed to echo the look of weeds growing through the cracks in a sidewalk. I think it's incredibly clever and also very chic. What do you think?

via Labour of Heart

Casa Capsule: The Week That Was

CasaSugar — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:30:00 -0700

Give your home a kick with some furniture and accessories that will make you blush.
Learn how to get rid of pesky fabric-eating moths.
Spice up your kitchen with some terrific tea towels.
Betsey Johnson will design an Eloise-inspired suite for the Plaza.
Check out the Dexter- and Weeds-inspired rooms from the Metropolitan Home Showtime House.
A former Domino editor launches an online decorating magazine.

Metropolitan Home's Showtime House Returns For Season Two

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:30:00 -0700

The popularity of Showtime's original series is no secret - just ask BuzzSugar. But the opportunity for pulling design inspiration from the network's hot shows is something only Metropolitan Home has jumped on. Do you remember this morbidly chic Coveted Crib inspired by Dexter in last year's showhouse?Well, the modern decorating mag is at it again, teaming up with Showtime and a stable of over a dozen notable designers to give new meaning to the word "showhouse" with Metropolitan Home's Showtime House. This year, they've upped the ante with twice as much space in twin TriBeCa penthouses, allowing two rooms for each show. The featured shows will include Dexter, Californication, Nurse Jackie, The United States of Tara, The Tudors, and Weeds.

I've covered set design often in the past, and you'll note that many sets are influenced by the work of prominent interior designers. So what's interesting to me about this event is that the roles have flip-flopped, with designers finding inspiration in television instead. Better yet, we can all visit the home, which is open to the public on weekends between Sept. 19 and Oct. 18 in New York. Find more details here, and stay tuned for photos!