New Year’s resolutions are usually directed inward, with solemn promises made in the hope of contributing to a happier, healthier self. This year, I’m looking outward, and plan to focus on creating a safer, more eco-friendly and efficiently-run home. (more…)
Individual expression and decorative embellishment — emerging trends in home décor — are coming together right now in wall tattoos. These are easy to apply graphics, words and images for walls, often with pre-pasted or adhesive backing. And unlike tattoos for the skin, these appliqués are easy to remove, so one impetuous choice will not lead to a lifetime of regret.
One of the first companies to introduce peel-and-stick wall graphics was the Venice, CA-based blik, which makes adhesive decals that can be applied to any smooth, flat surface. Designs run from kid-friendly animals to Keith Haring’s gritty graffiti-inspired art. blik has even brought tattooing to the table, with Glass Stiks, dishwasher-safe decals for glassware that can be easily removed, (but not re-used). (more…)
Consumer choice is, in general terms, a good thing. Except when it means you’re presented with a mind-numbing array of options, as was the case when I recently set out to replace a beloved, but much battered, cooking pot.
The range of materials and styles now available in cookware means that picking the right pot requires a lot of legwork, and at least a basic understanding of the conductive properties of metal. Here’s some of what I learned during my search for new cookware.
Statistics show that 74.7 per cent of Canadians fantasize at this time of year about going to bed, pulling the covers over their heads and staying put until April. Okay, we made that up, but we’ll bet our 450-thread count, Egyptian cotton sheets that the number is pretty close to the mark. While it’s not healthy – physically or financially – to hibernate for six months, luxurious new bed linen will make it even harder to resist the urge to settle down for really, really long winter’s nap.
As electricity costs have risen over the years, and consumers have become more environmentally aware, the annual ritual of stringing coloured lights in and around the home to mark the holiday season has turned into something of a guilty pleasure. Sure they look beautiful, but those incandescent beauties are energy hogs.
Fortunately, now that LED technology has been so widely applied to seasonal lighting, the eco-friendly homeowner can wrap tiny, twinkling lights around the house with a clearer conscience.
Remember that to-do list you made in January? The one that’s turning yellow on the fridge door? Well, time is running out to get to those tasks before the calendar changes for the last time this year. If you need some motivation, imagine yourself making a spanking new list of chores for 2008 on a pristine piece of paper. If that doesn’t work, try treating yourself to a cool new tool as an incentive. Here are a few that might help you get to the bottom of your chore list. (more…)
There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. Those words were written at least 100 years ago by American writer Henry James, a decided Anglophile and an avid tea drinker who loved the convention of an English High Tea. (more…)
Induction cooktops were big news at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show held in Las Vegas last May. That’s because they offer they offer “the best of both worlds,” according to Mathieu Sabbagh, marketing director for Bosch.
“It has the convenience and clean lines of an electric cooktop with the responsiveness of gas. It’s also very safe,” says Sabbagh.
An induction cooktop is basically a large electromagnet panel that quickly transfers or “induces” heat onto any magnetic surface, such as a cast-iron skillet, placed on it. Since the heat transfer is between the electromagnetic field beneath the cooktop and the magnetic surface with which it makes contact, only the pan heats up. So there’s no wasted heat and no part of the exposed element that can burn fingers, or send unused heat into the air. (more…)
The fall colours are gorgeous this year — burnished reds and glimmering golds, with vivid splashes of deep purple and hot orange. I hear the leaves are turning pretty colours now too, but I’m too busy picking paint colours for the bedroom to go out and look. (more…)
Small appliances are mainstays in most homes—
toasting bread, brewing coffee, and making any number of personal grooming tasks easier. So what do you when your favourite gadget is damaged or broken? (more…)
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