Dressing Your Home

Archive for the ‘Home Decor Advice’ Category

I have nothing against pink. Really, I don’t. But–you knew that was coming, didn’t you?–when I saw this pink kitchen in a custom millwork’s gallery recently, I let loose a ‘whoa’. It wasn’t for the color itself but for the extent of its use. Refrigerator panel, backsplash and walls? What do you think? Is it pretty in pink or positively Pepto?  

Designer Vera Wiedermanns Dreamtime alarm clock is a beautiful and simplistic device that offers an alternative way to be woken up. Instead of a loud and annoying beeping the copper mobile that hangs down from the ceiling lets a hammer fall and strike it when it is time for you to get out of bed.

The alarm clock is powered by water which slowly drips from one container into the bowl beneath it as the hours pass by. Once it is empty and the bowl is full the hammer is released to make a loud but tuneful sound.

By filling the alarm clock with water we focus our attention on the duration of sleep. The task itself becomes a ritual which positively influences our rest. As opposed to the incessant ticking sound of a regular clock here time passes silently and purely mechanically. As the drops of water fall the glass bowl becomes lighter and finally lets the hammer fall. As the tone bounces between the singing bowls we are gently awakened and a new day begins.

In the wintertime, thinking about your backyard can be the last thing on your mind. Yet, its at the beginning of the year that youre planning out your home improvement budgets, which just as often include adding value to your landscaping plan. One way to spruce up your backyard spaces is by adding an in-ground water feature, or even a pond with live fish.

But, where do you get started on a project like that? Landscaping, and pond installation expert Gareth Goddard is ready to explain some of the basic principles of incorporating an in-ground water feature to your outdoor spaces.

Starbursts and typography. Two words that were oh-so-hot for artwork in 2011. Another two words that came to mind rounding up our hands-down-favorite art/wall projects were ‘unusual uses.’ From cupcake liners to shoe polish, the materials used by these creative individuals was nothing less than inspirational. And did we mention that the resulting artwork was outstanding as well?