Make a good house a GREAT home
Some tips, tricks and suggestions for home improvement and interior decorating
a few news articles i found interesting
In today’s article:
Continue reading “News and interesting things for July 25 2008”
St. Paul Pioneer Press has a list of web resources that they found helpful for people planning on trying home decorating. There’s a link to a Feng Shui site, and once again, the software “Plan3D” is mentioned. This seems to be a really popular product, and I really think you should go take a look at it…
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The New Mexico Channel has an article on “Picture Perfect Home Decorating Ideas”. Here’s an excerpt that I like:
“To make sure your new color scheme is a winner, use a color wheel, available from most hardware stores. Complimentary colors are found opposite each other, while dominant and accent colors appear side-by-side on the wheel. It’s a great tool that will help ensure your success.”
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The Long Island Press has a nice article that builds on an interview that Natalie Weinstein had with Thomas Von Essen, fire commissioner of the City of New York under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. She is asking “What Does Home Mean To You?“. Here is the introduction, see if it doesn’t grab you:
“My work is dedicated to changing people’s lives through their homes. Home, to me, has always meant that special place—empowering, nurturing and providing a safe haven.”
I only have 2 links for you today. Not that there wasn’t other new information out there, but because I feel like writing about these 2.
First up is the “LA Times” with their article entitled “The Zagats of home improvement”. They’re talking about a site (and other like it) called Angies List (https://www.angieslist.com/). Here’s a bit of a description of the site:
Angie’s List, which debuted in Los Angeles last fall and in San Diego a year earlier, is part of a growing number of directories that bring the Zagat approach to the home improvement industry. These directories blend the contact information of a telephone book with frank consumer reviews. Businesses can not nominate themselves, pay to be included or advertise.
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The next story is from Delaware Online and they talk about how “Couch-buying anxiety can be conquered”. They say:
Buying a sofa is one of the most important furniture decisions a homeowner can make. Experts say this big-ticket purchase should not be taken lightly since there’s a good chance you’ll own a sofa longer than you’ll own a car.
It really is quite an interesting article. They mention the fact that, as people are getting larger (obesity wise), so too is the furniture getting larger:
The rise of obesity in the United States is another contributing factor in expanding furniture. Nilsen says sofas tend to be bigger “because people are.” She says seating sometimes can be anywhere from one-third to one-half larger than it has been in the past.
Here are a few more interesting stories and news articles that I’ve summarised for this week. I hope you enjoy them:
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Long Island Press has an interesting article on how to “Sex Up Your Bedroom For Valentine’s Day”. They offer some worth while obvious, yet forgotten, tips such as:
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The Dallas Morning News has an article about how you could use eBay to help decorate your house, and at a low price. It talks about being able to “click and find sophisticated home-decorating resources: everything from Ralph Lauren wallpaper and Pottery Barn rugs to McCoy pottery and Murano glass chandeliers”.
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If you’re in Eastern Iowa (how man people could possibly be from Eastern Iowa), go check out the “Eastern Iowa Home Improvement and Landscaping Show”. According to WCFCourier.com:
About 180 exhibitors will help homeowners scratch their itch for home building, remodeling, decorating and lawn and garden projects at the 55th annual event, said Barb Miller, show producer. The show is presented by the Waterloo Exchange Club and Iowa Show Productions.
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According to ABC7 Chicago there’sgood news for people over 60 in Indiana. Apparently, phony repair men would scam the elderly who couldn’t do the repairs themselves by taking the money and “and then perform repairs crudely — using paint that washes off or roof tar thinned with gasoline“. There’s a new bill just passed that makes this illegal. Why it wasn’t illegal before beats me, but then we’d probably have very few repair men out there and the jails would be full. Not necessarily for diluting roof tar, but at the very least for taking the money for shoddy work
Here are some interesting news and web articles/stories for this week:
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The Toronto Star talks about an 80%/20% theory. This is where 80% of your room can be in one certain style, where everything blends, and then you have the other 20% which deviates from this style. This can relieve the boredom in a room that otherwise might end up lacking any “personality”.
There are a few examples, and one that I like talks about lighting. You could add 20% artistic lighting using table lamps, wall sconces, or art lights to add a but of flare to the other 80% of the general ambient light…
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Windy City Times responds to a letter on how to start a kitchen overhaul. Some things that are mentioned are:
It really is quite an interesting read…
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LA Times.com has an article about the Maison & Objet design show in Paris. Quite an interesting looking design show, and I really must recommend you go if you have the spare cash to get there. Of course, take a check book, because shopping will get expensive. I mean, the article mentions a “bubble” that can sit in your sit in your living room, and, when open, converts into a small, modern kitchen, costing only $35,000. I think I’ll buy one for my mother for Christmas. 😉
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If you’re into specialty fabric and sewing, look out for a Hancock store near you (in the United States). According to Picayune Item local news, they’re shutting down 50 underperforming stores. Each of these stores will be having a “Going out of business” sale, which should mean great deals for customers. Sorry about the 600 people losing their jobs, though.
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