some pretty details

Once again, great photos from the Better Homes and Gardens website...

A farmhouse style sink with an extra detail. No, i don't really like the detail, just the idea of a detail there...:) Oh, I do like the faucet though.

Pictured below is a beautiful way to focus on your pottery/china collection. Since the pieces are all white with blue designs, the blue bead board is the perfect background with the white cabinets. Not to overdue it, having the white bead board below draws the eye to the exquisite pieces stored above.

I'm digging this faucet...

green (colored) kitchens

Just some great kitchen/dining pictures from Better Homes and Gardens' website:
(the focus was on the color green...my fav)


I love the green pictured above...always wanted some green cabinets. I also enjoy the open cabinets/shelving to display some favorite pieces. Although i think you have to be careful when using yellow...i like the choice in the back splash...

My favorite part of this kitchen are the large windows bringing in so much light...definitely a must for Carl and i we've decided. The lantern is a nice tough and the island/dining table...very interesting. The only overhead cabinets with the strong horizontal lines are very beautiful. Once again, i love the green, but i prefer the hues in the first and last pictures. Using just a bit of it to paint and having the white bead board below is just charming. Ceiling above with extra detail to give the room a little more of a formal feel (though i don't plan on having a separate dining room...i want to save that sf for something else...my studio perhaps). The horizontal & encased windows above complete the design.
I really love the green pictured, though i think it's a bit too modern for our contemporary craftsman. Maybe if i changed the counters and the dark wood floor... Gotta love the bib sink though.
So this one isn't green...in fact a bit too whitely pristine, but i adore the light coming in from the gorgeous windows above the sink.

This green is very similar to the too modern one i talked about above...perhaps the same hue, i just like the comfort of the honey colored wood floor, straw on the chairs, and the mixture of the greens and blues in the pottery. Seems less starkly modern. I think i prefer the light maple color that we used in the condo floors.

yestertec & craftsman beauty

YesterTec offers so much more than just furniture or cabinetry. They create stations within spaces for efficiency as well as beauty. Here is one of their latest projects...a renovation of a craftsman styled home in Maryland. Carl and I are in love with Arts & Crafts, Craftsman, Bungalow style. We'd like to design a home that is what we call "contemporary craftsman." Here is the beauty of a home:

And the kitchen...YesterTec's main design area: built for a family that uses their kitchen as the heart of their home. Notice the light pouring in that cozy, yet efficient space, as well as the details throughout the room. "The room also features a center island/custom designed prep table that accommodates six chairs for informal family meals...Great for entertaining, ten people can sit in the kitchen without invading the prep space of the cook."

The beautiful armoire pictured in close-up below is actually a fridge/freezer/dry food storage piece...an original Yestertec design. Incredible. The wood and other materials just flow into One another and you forget you're in a modern kitchen...i just love it!

The island (that really just looks like a table) is more than just an island: it has a great food prep area with a deep sink, garbage system, butcher block top, and room for informal eating or making room for guests. Incredible! I've had a distinct picture in my head for a while about our future kitchen, but i think this design fits our needs so much better.

Above: a great view of the cooktop/fireplace feel in the kitchen as well as the dining table. And below: a beautiful place for your computer/billing/mail/etc. I picture homework being done in the kitchen/dining area just as i did growing up...until my mother could no longer help...then i went to my room to try my best to figure things out. This way the kids have access to mom and the computer while studying...a great combo!

To read the entire article and learn more about YesterTec, click here.

timberlane shutters

i adore these shutters!

beautiful hardware

I've been admiring Timberlane Shutters for a while now. Maybe it's the craftsmanship, maybe it's the reminder of living in Europe, maybe it's because it's soo green.

Probably all of the above.

* the shutter styles are historically authentic

* each is handcrafted

* treated to withstand weather

* custom crafted to fit you home, desires, and windows

* traditional mortise and tenon hardwood peg construction used for longevity

* beautiful hardware straight from the blacksmith

There are many good reasons why europeans and much of the world have been using shutters for hundreds of years.

I have lived in France and Italy and never had air conditioning. We learned to use the shutters to improve the air quality and desired temperature within our flats. When living in Torino, near a "red light" district, we learned to shut the noise out with the shutters. In Switzerland and Paris, the sweet smell and breeze of rainy days could be brought in while still keeping us dry.

In my parents home, like many contemporary american track homes, we have shutters. Though they are completely nonfunctional. I'd like to benefit from their beauty as well as function! Yes, I am enamored by Timberlane's mission, research, quality, and craftsmanship.

oil/bioheat

Thanks George, an employee of NORA (National Oilheat Research Alliance) for the site: Oil Heat America.com. I'm very interested in all of the alternatives out there and particularly enjoyed reading about the "bioheat" option which has soo many benefits listed on their site:

lubricates your heating system
is similar in price to "regular oil"clean burning
you don't need to buy new supplies or heating system
it is safe
even heating throughout home
domestically made
renewable
non-toxic
made from veggies, hemp, seeds, rice, nuts, flowers...you get the idea

"Testing conducted by the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) found that a Bioheat blend of 80% low-sulfur heating oil and 20% biodiesel (B20) reduced sulfur oxide emissions by as much as 80% or more. Nitrogen oxide emissions were lowered by about 20%. In addition, carbon dioxide emissions can be lowered by 20%.

If everyone using heating oil used a B5 blend (5% biodiesel/95% heating oil), 400 million gallons of regular heating oil could be conserved. This would be a big step towards conserving oil, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

Oh, and i agree with you George, it's definitely not green to change your current system. All you need is that "green oil"!

Thanks so much for the suggestion...any more great green info you've learned at NORA or through your own experience?

enviroglas

I'm crazy for recycled glass. I just think it's gorgeous. And there are soo many options.

EnviroGLAS is one of many manufacturers currently recycling glass and porcelain to create their beautiful products. Their focus currently is on the kitchen & bath slabs, flooring, and landscape mulch.
The mulch has the texture of natural sand, but without sharp edges from glass pieces. Unlike other mulch products out there...the color is not going to change over time.

Their products are durable, green, and beautiful...need i say more?

freshaire paint - no vocs

Yes, there are no VOCs in the Freshaire paint mixture as well as the color. Another suprise is that you can buy it at the Home Depot. There is a lifetime warranty on their paint products and it is durable enough to clean just like VOC-full paint. Even better...for a limited time you can order 3 free samples of their paint. To order your own free samples click here.

old house parts - salvage

I think these doors are soo beautiful. With a little sanding, and some non or low-voc paint, they would look just stunning. Old House Parts is among many architectural salvage options out there. They have doors, windows, sinks, tubs, hardware, furniture, and lighting...if only they were local :).

liz's antique hardware - salvaged beauties

There's just something exciting and tantalizing about discovering and finding old treasures to bring a sense of charachter into your home. Next time i visit my parents i hope to check out Liz's Antique Hardware. Till then, i'll be looking forward to their catalog and searching their site full of lovelies!

Rinnai - green heat

I'm all about efficiency. Not to say that i am a perfectly efficient person, but tools, practices, and , that make my family's life more efficient is so enticing and invigorating to me.

So you can imagine my interest in Rinnai's efficient product line of tankless water heaters, ductless heaters, fireplaces, and cooking appliances. Here is a tibit of what they have to offer:

tankless water heaters:

From Rinnai's product overview page, their water heaters:

"Produce and supply endless streams of hot water to multiple outlets simultaneously without any fluctuation in temperature

Are up to 50 percent more energy efficient than a traditional natural gas water heater and up to 70 percent more efficient than an electric water heater

Shut-off automatically when the water supply is closed, providing users with significant energy savings - in turn saving money on their utility bills

Are compact wall mounted units with a life expectancy of 25 years, whereas hot water tanks require about 16 square feet of floor space and usually last around 10 years

This graph is especially enticing to me because, though i am a rapid shower gal, Carl finds sweet indulgence in a long shower (which I've learned he also requires), which makes it imperative that i shower first if i would like some warm water. :)

No need to think about that any more...

consistency...right up there with efficiency...

Ductless Heaters
"When winter sets in, there are certain rooms that get used less because of cold spots. But with the consistent and even heat provided by a Rinnai Ductless Heater, you can enjoy comfortable heat anywhere all winter long. Rinnai heaters are efficient and easy to install. And the innovative cool-to-the-touch cabinet makes it safe for the whole family."

safety....a must!

fireplaces:

There are several options. I always imagined having a salvaged old stone fireplace...but this modern style is also aesthetic...

There are free-standing models as well. The pictured fireplace is model RHFE 750. Here are the details:

"Rinnai redefines the standard with the innovative RHFE 750 power flue gas fireplace. The RHFE 750 is up 83%* AFUE efficient through the use of a stainless steel heat exchanger and modulating gas valve with automatic blower.*NOTE: AFUE efficienty rating can be achieved with propane model and maximum vent length of 7.2 feet with no elbows."

Features & Benefits (from site):
Zero clearance kit option available
Consistent room temperature for maximizing comfort
Sealed combustion system minimizes indoor heat loss
Stainless steel heat exchanger
Thermistor for accurate temperature control
Digital dual timer function
Full-function remote gives total control of heat and flame output
Pre-heat mode to ensure set room temperature is attained
3-speed fan allows for even heat distribution

Cooking

also available are:

portable cooktops - wonder if they'll come out with cooktops for our everyday use...

rice cookers - supposedly, this gas rice cooker cooks quicker and more evenly than the electric rice cooker

smokeless griddles - we use our electric griddle on average twice a day...