April 26, 2011

Incentive to Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Outdoors

Ready to take on a little yard work? Here’s an extra incentive to keep you motivated. Ace Hardware has teamed up with The Weather Channel to launch their “Restore Your Outdoors” contest, which will reward one deserving homeowner with a customized outdoor makeover. “People often underestimate the amount of damage winter weather conditions can have on their lawns, and no one wants to sink all of their free time into repairing these issues,” said Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s home expert. “Our partnership with The Weather Channel not only offers us the opportunity to makeover a deserving outdoor space, but also … Read Post

April 22, 2011

Celebrate Earth Day with Eco-Friendly Jewelry

Events

Looking for a fun way to celebrate Earth Day? Then visit Greenwich Jewelers and buy yourself or a loved one some beautiful, eco-friendly jewelry. Jennifer Gandia, one of the store’s owners, was at a Celebration of Sustainable Living event at the Visionaire last weekend (the LEED Platinum residential building in Battery Park City) with a range of other eco-friendly designers, retailers and manufacturers to participate in an expo it hosts every year to honor Earth Day). Jennifer says that being environmentally friendly has always been a part of Greenwich Jewelers’ DNA since her parents opened the store in 1976. When they create … Read Post

April 19, 2011

Eco-Friendly Wallpapers from York

Products

With Earth Day right around the corner, I’ve got eco-friendly products on the brain. And one new eco-conscious decorative element that intrigues me is York’s line of wallpapers that feature textured patterns made with recycled glass and sand. Made with proprietary machinery developed by York, the wallpapers are printed on breathable, eco-friendly non-woven paper with water-based inks and come in a wide range of colors and patterns. One of my favorites is the Seabury pattern shown above. Last fall, a few journalists were invited to visit their facility in York, Pennsylvania, and were shown many of its other eco-friendly approaches to doing … Read Post

April 12, 2011

TradHome, a New Online Magazine, Launches Today

Interiors

If you like the online magazine Lonny and you also like the print magazine Traditional Home, then you’ll probably love TradHome, a new online hybrid of these two publications, which launches today. The editors of the new digital magazine call it their “love child” and say that it combines the style and imagination of both editorial teams to redefine tried-and-true traditional style. Here’s how they describe it: “It’s part Jamie Drake, part Dorothy Draper. Mid-century modern meets Rococo. Kelly Wearstler takes on Louis XVI.” With original content, TradHome’s first-ever digital issue highlights 20 trad designers the editors have been keeping … Read Post

April 10, 2011

A Tea Towel To Commemorate the Marriage of William & Kate

Inspiration, Products

Two weeks from now, designer Maggie Carey plans to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to watch the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29. “Maybe it’s my British background,” she told us, “but I just can’t miss it.” She woke up early to see the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1981, too. In addition to sharing her passion for royal weddings, she also showed us tea towel commemorating the marriage of William and Kate. Designed by Emma Bridgewater, a well-known English potter, who has produced a line of earthenware … Read Post

April 5, 2011

New Trends in Porcelain, Glass and Ceramic Tile

Products

Interested to know the latest trends and innovations in residential tile and stone? Plenty were on view at the Coverings trade show in Las Vegas. As impressive as the vast range of new design ideas in porcelain, glass and ceramic tiles were the technological and sustainable strides being made in these surfacing materials. Here’s a round-up of some of the dominant trends, along with impressions from award-winning trend-watcher Patti Fasan, who presented her tile and stone outlook for 2011 at the show: •Stone-look tiles: Just as laminate flooring manufacturers have mastered making flooring material that isn’t wood but looks just like … Read Post

April 2, 2011

Arhaus in Manhattan

Products

If you’re in need of a little mood-brightening inspiration, then look no further than Arhaus. The 25-year-old home furnishings retailer defied the economic odds last year and experienced a double-digit sales increase in the midst of a lackluster economic climate, which says a lot about the spirit-lifting quality of its offerings. It also just opened a big new store in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan today, so if you’re in New York, you can get a firsthand look at the beautiful accents and furniture that make the company so successful. We got a sneak peek at the 28,000 square-foot store yesterday. … Read Post

March 26, 2011

Beautiful Wallpapers with Artisan-Inspired Designs

Products

When we learned last month that Thibaut, one of our favorite wallpaper companies, was teaming up with The Alpha Workshops, one of our favorite artisan collectives, we knew that the outcome of their collaboration would be terrific. And when we saw the saw the beautiful wallpapers they produced together at a recent press party, we saw exactly what we’d expected: Lovely, livable prints and textures brimming with hand-crafted touches in a fresh palette of colors. The studio of Alpha Workshops, a not-for-profit organization that trains and employs people living with HIV/AIDS in the decorative arts, is well-known for hand-painted wallpapers, custom painting, Venetian plaster … Read Post

March 22, 2011

Cleaning Silver, The Perfect Chore

Projects & Tips

Even though it doesn’t quite feel like it yet in New York (a layer of soggy snow is coming down as we write), it’s spring—the season for cleaning. And, if you’ve taken on a renovation project recently, then the lighter housekeeping duties one normally undertakes this time of year seem like a piece of cake by comparison. The one exception is cleaning silver, the only chore many of us truly dread. But author Megan Fulweiler has a totally different take on this impossible job. She actually enjoys it! She told us so in a post she sent us yesterday. How refreshing it … Read Post

March 16, 2011

Win a Collection of Great Home Cleaning Products

Projects & Tips

Thymes, a creative fragrance collaborative based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, recently launched a new line of cleaning products called Mandarin Coriander, just in time for the spring cleaning season. And if you’re willing to share your household cleaning secrets and tips on its site, you could take the new products for a test drive. The company is now running a contest inviting you to share your home care secrets—and if they’re chosen as the most liked on the site, you could win its entire Mandarin Coriander Collection (valued at $227 retail) in return. How do you make your home a welcoming place for … Read Post