If You Can’t Stand the Heat …
Get the Lift Oven
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Everyone who has scorched their hands—or just gotten an uncomfortable blast of heat—when reaching into a hot oven will appreciate the Gaggenau lift oven.
Just push a button and the lift oven’s glass ceramic base lowers directly from the oven to the countertop, where dishes can be easily loaded and then raised into the cooking cavity. Since heat rises, the heat remains in the oven cavity, resulting in minimal energy loss.
This fully integrated 24-inch oven features 11 heating methods, including convection. Self-cleaning, the oven also provides automatic temperature recommendation and precise temperature control. Styled in sleek stainless steel with a tinted glass front and internal halogen lighting, the oven also makes cleanup easier—the sliding base is reachable from three sides and from the top. Now that’s even better!
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Sizzling Sales
Solar Hot in Cool Real Estate Market
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The one bright spot in the current real estate market is the pace of solar home sales, according to the Los Angeles Times. The paper reports that solar homes are starting to outsell traditionally electrified homes in several markets, and developers are stepping up their use of the technology.
“They sell like hot cakes,” said Bernadette del Chiaro, energy specialist at the advocacy group Environmental California. Julie Blumden, a vice-president at SunPower Corp., a San Jose-based manufacturer of solar roof tiles, said builders using solar were selling homes faster than nonsolar competitors. “The increase in sales velocity is actually paying for the solar systems,” she said.
The boom is helped by California’s Million Solar Roofs rebate program, federal tax credits and growing public and political support for renewable power.
Click here for the full story.
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Can Do
Aluminum Chairs Go Stylish
Monday, September 24, 2007
Aluminum chairs have been making a statement indoors for a while. For a broad selection of sophisticated styles, check out Emeco, which also manufactures stools and tables.
You’ll find rocking chairs, stacking chairs, even upholstered swivel chairs. There’s a nice selection of Philipe Starck designs, including the oval-back Kong chair and the stackable Icon chair.
All chairs are made from 80% recycled aluminum and are available hand-polished or hand-brushed. They’re almost infinitely stackable and come with lifetime warranty. And don’t forget to recycle them when you’re ready to replace!
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On the Rocks
Putting Pebbles Underfoot
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Quick—what’s the latest variation on stone floors? It’s pebblestone, a mix of natural rock and epoxy that originally for outdoor use, is increasingly found indoors.
Washed pebbles of varying sizes and colors are mixed with epoxy and installed in a layer between 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch thick. Borders and designs are easy to accommodate. Installed in one continuous sheet, it creates a large, seamless area. Pebblestone can be laid over expansion joints and cracks because its elasticity allows for expansion.
The real surprise is the price—it’s less expensive than many other hard surfaces such as flagstone or tile. Installation is just over $5 a square foot. And a Pebblestone floor can be laid quickly—a 3,000 square foot space can be completed in about two days.
Two regional sources for pebblestone are Pebblestone and Mountainstone.
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califoria country style
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Here in California, a country home can be a log cabin in the mountains, a beach cottage, a getaway among the vines or a myriad other possibilities. Our geographic diversity makes for a fascinating diversity in style, and this book documents some of the unique ways homeowners have expressed it.
Many of the homes are in Napa Valley, giving us here on the Central Coast an opportunity to compare wine country styles. The homes featured range from grand villas to intimate cottages, all designed and decorated to create a strong sense of place. Californians’ penchant for mixing the old and the new, the formal and the casual are on display. French antiques coexist happily with wine country modern, sophisticated with rustic.
Author Diane Dorrans Saeks doesn’t neglect the outdoors, leading us through a selection of colorful, inviting country gardens.
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Down to the Wire
Customize Cabinets with Wire Grilles
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Cabinets with wire insets, either with or without glass, are a quick way to make a statement. A touch of Provence? The standard “chicken wire” will take care of that. Something suggestive of Tudor? How about a diamond pattern. Whatever the period, there’s a wire grille that can help evoke the ambiance. Outwater Plastics has about 24 basic shapes, all available in several finishes including brass, antique pewter and silver.
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