Author: Ligh1958

There are lots of reasons to renegotiate a mortgage. Perhaps you cannot afford your mortgage, and you are at risk of falling behind in your payments, or you are already several payments late. Alternatively, you might be able to afford your mortgage but want to take advantage of reduced fixed rates of interest. Whatever your reasons, it’s important to have a set strategy and know what to expect from the creditor when you renegotiate your mortgage. Federal and California organizations can help you with discussions, often at no cost.

Contact a Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-approved housing counseling agency. These agencies offer free (or cheap ) advice. They will let you know about authorities mortgage aid programs you can apply for and allow you to negotiate with your creditor. Visit HUD’s site (see Resources) for an up-to-date list of approved agencies in California.

Prepare for your dialog with your lender. Gather relevant paperwork including your account information, income statements and also an up-to-date budget for the loved ones. Read and familiariaze yourself. Prepare to explain and prove why you have to renegotiate your mortgage. If you can afford your mortgage but you are seeking a better bargain, be prepared to quote the reduced interest rates other lenders are providing.

Call your creditor as soon as possible. Never dismiss calls or letters from the lender. It’s ideal to call your creditor before you fall behind on your mortgage obligations. Ask for your lender’s loss mitigation department.

Provide the paperwork your creditor asks for. If your creditor agrees to renegotiate your mortgage, you’ll have to provide extra paperwork. This may include filling in and signing types, as well as providing details on your fiscal condition.

Review the newest mortgage terms carefully, preferably along with your home counselor. Confirm that the terms in the documentation your creditor sends is exactly what you agreed to over the phone. Sign them and ship them straight back to your creditor.

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Your home is an investment, perhaps the largest one you’ve got. The house’s worth was determined when you purchased it, and it might have grown or dropped since then. Through the 1990s and early to mid-2000s, home prices rose steadily year after year. Many homeowners obtained cash-out refinances or second mortgages to gain access to the equity in their homes. When home values ceased increasing or even started to decrease, many homeowners understood their home’s equity had been gone. Fortunately, there are strategies to reconstruct your home’s equity without relying on your home to appreciate.

Determine whether you can lower your mortgage’s interest rate with a refinance. Dust off the paperwork from your last mortgage and see the notice. It will tell you exactly what the mortgage interest rate is in your present loan. Contact mortgage creditors and ask for quotes for your refinance. If it is possible to lower your speed and your payment appreciably, do so.

Explore bi-weekly payment options. These programs have you cover half of your mortgage payment every other week. As there are 52 weeks per year, that means you will find 26 bi-weekly payment cycles every year. 26 half-payments equals 13 full payments. That one extra payment per year will help you build equity in the home.

Pay your present mortgage payment amount when you refinance into a lower interest rate loan. Should you lower your mortgage payment by $200 and you continue to create the old higher payment amount every month, this will pay off your loan and build equity by $2,400 annually.

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I have been seeing the backyard-chicken craze play out in my neighborhood for years. I aspire to raise my hens, but in the meantime I’m content chicken sitting for many buddies, reaping the rewards minus the dirty work. While I devour the delicious eggs I get as payment, it is the hens’ lost feathers that I covet most, because of their longer-lived design benefits. Autumn is a particularly good time for bringing this natural beauty inside and using feathers to add a comfy layer for your nest.

Jen Dalley ||||||||||||||

For the past five or so years, I have enjoyed caring for 20-plus hens of buddies, and they’ve graciously donated many feathers to me.

Why chicken feathers? I respect feathers from all birds, but I’m always leery of feathers I find on the market, because I don’t have any idea where they came from or how humanely they had been recovered. That no garden pet has been hurt or killed for the feathery gifts I get is essential for me. Plus, I really like the variety, as well as the unbeatable price (free), of amassing what could otherwise be raked up and tossed.

Of course, if you don’t have garden hens or want to use a different feather kind for your job, you can always visit a local or online craft store.

I keep my collection in a pot from Paul. The petiteness of this black clay container is ideal for feathers of the dimension, which were supplemented by plumage my loved ones and I’ve fortuitously stumbled upon during our struggles. These additional feathers include a few from our local barn owls and crows as well as a turkey vulture feather we discovered along a horse trail. These couple of tall ones add just the correct dimension to what is mostly a chicken-centric display.

Every feather in our collection has a happy memory, as does the pot that brings me back into the Toulouse train station where I bought that yogurt. Therefore, the decoration is a particularly noteworthy and reassuring one in our household.

Sometimes the hope of finding more feathers is sufficient to motivate my loved ones to package to get a crisp autumn evening walk.

Chicken feathers come in many different shapes, sizes and, based upon the varieties of chickens you tend to, colours. The more feathers come from the wings and tail, while the bigger, fluffier ones stem from other areas of the human body. Each feather provides different opportunities for home decoration.

Let’s discuss cleanliness. Yes, garden chickens are dirty animals — though, based on the time of season, it may feel as they molt quicker than they can poop. Take advantage by picking the cleanest lost feathers you may find.

I asked earring artisan Dianne Tanner her favorite way of cleaning her discovered feathers before she crafts them into jewelry. “Making sure that the feathers I sell are safe and clean is of extreme importance to mepersonally,” she says. “First off I suspend the feathers. Sounds strange, but after extensive investigation, I have found that freezing them for at least 24 hours ensures anything which may live on them is taken care of, without compromising the feathers’ structural integrity.”

Tanner sets her feathers in plastic baggies for close to a week to make sure any pests and bacteria are all dead. After she fixes down the feathers with tea tree oil on baby wipes (only a drop of oil in a time) to make sure that the feathers have been disinfected. “Tea tree is a natural antiseptic, and is a lot nicer on the feathers than using anything compound such as alcohol, which will destroy the natural oils from the feathers and make them loose form and prettiness,” she says.

Once they’re smoothed into position, the feathers are ready to use in many sorts of manners.

Mindful Designs, Inc..

Feathers for Decor

Frame them. This kitchen has been decorated with multiple sorts of tail and wing feathers in a shadow box.

Bubble this up. Show off a favourite feather within a clear glass ornament. The shorter, fluffier body feathers work best for spheres because of their curved silhouette, while a stiff wing or tail feather would work best in a tall, slender ornament.

Insert the decorations into the Christmas tree or store them up all year round across the table, since this homeowner has completed.

Mineheart

Magic Feathers – GBP 25.50

Magnetize them. This assortment of feathers is reinforced by pairs of magnets so that they may be stuck on a metal surface. You could do the same to your assemblage with magnets and a dab of hot glue.

Utile et Futile

Feather & Poetry – EUR 26

Stand them up. This feather holder lets you display your collection vertical. You can keep other prizes which may come together with the search, such as shells, stones or other small objects, in the drawer.

Flea Market Sunday

Bunch them. This homeowner tied an arrangement of three similar feathers together with a ribbon and added it into a side table along with other organic particulars. To create a similar appearance, group the longest tail feathers you may find. In case you have a rooster, add his tail feathers into this arrangement for a dazzling appearance.

Inform us Do you decorate your nest with discovered feathers?

More: Browse feathery decoration in the Products section

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I have never considered myself a chandelier individual. It was too much exposure. No matter the reason, I find nearly all of them a bit too goopy and pretentious for my taste.

But figurines actually play a valuable role within an interior. They produce ample light (frequently quite flattering), provide an anchor and a focal point in a room, and can decrease the perceived ceiling height, so a table or seats group feels more intimate.

Happily, there are lots of chandeliers out there that manage to keep the glitz factor securely in check. They all remove the crystals in favor of humbler stuff, which feels more modern to me. Here are 10 of my favorites, however, don’t hesitate to suggest your own.

Candelabra

Regina Andrew Scalloped Wood Bead Chandelier – $1,247.50

I find beaded chandeliers a lot more appealing than crystal ones. This version would look fantastic at a beach home or country home, and might be entertaining paired with a classic dining place — to soften any conventional borders within the room.

Alpha Design Group

I really like the design of this Quadralli No. 331440 Linear Chandelier. It would look great in a Arts and Crafts inside but would be equally at home in a modern or traditional setting. Each bulb is encompassed by scrims of white crepe and shimmering organza, giving a softness into the light that’s instantly alluring.

Layla Grayce

Oly Studio Isa Hardwood Chandelier

Oly was the primary producer that got me thinking otherwise about chandeliers, and this design had a great deal to do with it. I really like the form, the patina and the dangling wooden bits. It seems to be poking fun at the conventions of the chandelier, while being a handsome design on its own.

Carey & Co

Introduced in 1997, Ingo Maurer’s Zettel’z 5 Chandelier seems a little like an explosion at a paper mill. Eighty notes are clipped to cables: 31 are printed with expressions of love and desire in various languages, even while 49 are left sterile, inviting the user to jot down his or her own sentiments.

It took me some time to warm up to this particular piece, but I really like the interactive nature of the design and the way it includes the proprietor in its own creation. Plus it’s a great conversation starter!

Shades of Light

Twig Chandelier, 6-Light, Little

This might look like a hot mess to some people. But at the ideal setting, it’s divine. Warm and attractive, this chandelier controls attention without ostentation or surplus, just the primal allure of nature.

Stacy Bass Photography

I am a sucker for the shore, so I couldn’t resist the siren call of this Southampton Big Chandelier. The ring silhouette is superbly proportioned, and I like the way the pearlescent shells swivel and sway in the breeze.

Horchow

Salento 6-Light Chandelier – $395

This chandelier has a stripped-down, Swedish country sensibility that’s quite endearing. The arms are similar to flourishes at the end of a signature, with subtle small loops that culminate in vintage-looking electrified candles. This is one of the few chandeliers I think works well without shades. The price is quite attractive, too.

Zuniga Interiors

Like I said, I am a fan of Oly Studio’s chandeliers, and this Jenny Chandelier has always tickled me. Strands of abalone shells are treated to a classic silver finish, giving this fixture a surreal quality that’s a bit over the top but mathematically endearing.

Abigail Ahern

Neo Baroque Chandelier

Wirework flourished as an art form in the 19th century and can be celebrated now in this whimsical piece. Grand in scale (and ambition), this design pokes fun at the opulent chandeliers of yesteryear while creating its own contribution to this tradition.

EcoFirstArt

Milk Bottle Chandelier

The Dutch design firm Droog has been turning out contemporary masterpieces since 1993. Its Milk Bottle Chandelier continues in that tradition, with everyday objects elevated into works of art. Provocative and surprisingly simple, this is a fitting choice for a contemporary interior.

Browse more chandeliers in the Products section

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Forget for a minute everything you have heard about buying, renovating and decorating your home with resale in mind. Doesn’t it look as if that has been dominating the conversation for a long time now? During the boom times, it had been about turning properties for a gain, and shortly after the housing market crash, there was a lot of fear around being able to sell houses at all. But today more people appear to be looking at houses as long-term commitments once again, and there’s something really refreshing about that.

As soon as you begin looking at your home as a place to settle into and make your own, rather than as a style package meant to appeal to the widest market, the possibilities for creative expression and personalization are endless. And if you have no plans to sell your home over the next five decades or so, why not do what you could to make it a perfect match? You may never want to go again! Here are eight ways to tailor your home to match your life.

Skyring Architects

1. Do the supreme remodeling no-no: remove a bedroom. Could removing a bedroom open your living room in a way that makes more sense for the family? You’s stopping. There are so many houses out there with dinky little bedrooms tacked to the first-floor program solely for the sake of having an excess bedroom on paper — buck the trend and also knock down that wall, and then enjoy the extra room and light.

The Turett Collaborative

2. Bring more joy to your life with something completely wild … like a giant indoor slide. What does your heart desire? Is there something that you always dreamed of owning as a child? Now you have a home of your own, you have an opportunity to make those dreams come true. Bring on that slide, firefighter pole, loft or rock climbing wall.

3. Serve your pets. One of the first things said on every sell-your-house-type show is to get rid of all signs of pets. However, unless you are selling your home right now, who cares if your house’s next owners don’t like cats (or dogs or ferrets)? Assembling in cat ramps, pet doors and dog runs may make life with furry friends easier and more entertaining.

Watch ers’ homegrown pet projects

Chronicle Books

4. Make bold decorating choices, even on finishes and fixtures. Don’t restrict yourself to builder-beige paint, stainless appliances, white cabinets and granite countertops; tap into what you love rather. Floral background and candy-apple-red cabinets? If you like them, why not?

Ana Williamson Architect

5. Tailor match your outdoor area to your requirements. Rather than supposing that prospective owners should have that large green lawn, think about what you want to live with today. How about wraparound decks and easy-care plantings? A Zen rock garden? A formal parterre? The right lawn and garden may bring a great deal of joy, so follow your heart.

D/O

6. Alter rooms. Never utilize that formal dining area? Take it over for a homeschooling classroom, an art studio, a library or a workplace. Rethink your distances based on what you need and you may find you can function within the current footprint of your house in new, creative ways.

8 Ways to Rethink the Dining Room

Macaluso Designs, Inc..

7. Dismantle a specialty room if it’s “good for resale.” As you rethink your own space, think about giving any specialty rooms the boot if they don’t match your life. Media rooms and wine cellars might seem good on paper (and also make some people very happy), but getting rid of them might be the best thing that you do in your home.

Jeni Lee

8. Remodel to match your own life and passions. Take a cue from this household of professional circus performers who increased the ceilings inside their living area to have more room for juggling, and also make the changes that matter to you.

Inform us : What will you change about your home if you didn’t need to think about selling?

More: Creating a “forever”-home connection

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While overseeing the construction of their Gorge Amphitheater, winery owners Vince and Carol Bryan spent the majority of their time in their vineyard land in a string of mobile homes, after that in a prefabricated shed perched on the edge of their cavernous Columbia River Gorge. But two years of travel and experience gave them a very special inspiration that they finally put into play with the development of their own unique house.

Struck over the past few years by the beauty of curved, round shapes found in both nature and structure, the Bryans visualized a home that paid homage to all things around: arches, columns, circles, curves, spirals. Dismissing any requirement to adhere to one particular fashion, they instead made a home merged through the use of round types.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Vincent and Carol Bryan, founders of the Gorge Amphitheater and Cave B Estate Winery
Location: Close George, Washington, on the Columbia River Gorge
Size: two bedrooms, two bathrooms, home office, attic and detached carriage house

Kimberley Bryan

Back in 2000 that the Bryans took their two years of inspiration, drew it out and handed it to designer Dan Weller. “This was a superb collaboration between homeowner and designer,” Vince says. “We knew precisely what components we needed to work with: this incredible vista and stone. We knew we needed an expansive curved roof involving two fixed components, and rounded shapes instead of right angles. We loved what we’d seen in the Western missions, the Southwest, Italy and France, and we all wanted to not work with the environment we’ve got on this property, but you must be inspired by it as well.”

Kimberley Bryan

Wine grape growers since 1980, the Bryans knew an entry arbor are a must-have element. Weller designed the home “to walk down into the view,” Carol says. This intention begins outside, with a sloping walkway which brings guests gently to the house’s front door.

Kimberley Bryan

Their good friend’s son along with two vineyard employees assembled the cedar structure. Grapes and kiwi create a curvy, winding mass of plant life overhead. Basalt stone from the property constitutes the hand-built walkway.

Kimberley Bryan

Southwestern influences come through in numerous curved outlines. An arched window over double entry doors echoes a half-wagon-wheel arch over the arbor.

Kimberley Bryan

Built into the hill above the gorge, the rear of the house opens to grassed terraces which lead to the pool and yard.

Kimberley Bryan

“The outside columns were influenced by those we found in Bologna, Italy,” Vince says. “We were always struck with their beauty, as well as the beauty of the arch. This side of the house has just curves, no direct lines in any way.” Vince sketched ideas out and worked with a carpenter to arrive at the closing, three-tiered rounded form. “The carpenter spent a lot of time with his band saw, making distinct cuts arrive at the right, viable layout,” he says.

Wooden rafter tails are supposed to evoke sunlight beams radiating outward.

Kimberley Bryan

The couple installed an infinity pool inspired by one they found in Switzerland “to compete with the view as little as possible,” Carol says. “We knew it would supply that direct link to the river which we wanted.” The pool is among the few nonround layouts on the property. The couple felt that the rectangular shape was better for swimming laps.

Kimberley Bryan

Vince and Carol chosen to leave the vast majority of natural stone and sagebrush surrounding the house untouched.

The Bryans’ home design philosophy has been formed many years back when they were a young married couple researching the West Coast. Hearst Castle had a specific effect on them. “I had been struck by the simple fact that Hearst did not try for conventional continuity in his home,” Vince says. “He just created it with things he adored. I had never seen that before. That’s what we’ve achieved here. This home really reflects us. “

Kimberley Bryan

“Voluminous space” was on peak of the couple’s record. Two whole Douglas fir logs out of Oregon support massive fir beams. “We really wanted a curved ceiling with no visual assistance,” says Vince. “But when we began building, we found we needed not only 1 service, but 2. I advised our designer that when we needed to put in another one, it would have to avoid impeding the area’s flow. That brought about the wrapping of the support column over the spiral stairs.”

The stained glass squares on the wall were inspired by Le Corbusier.

Kimberley Bryan

The majority of the main floor is one open space, with the entry, dining area, living area and kitchen flowing uninterrupted from 1 end of the home to another.

Kimberley Bryan

A jumble of large basalt boulders forms the nexus of the house. The pile once included a functioning fountain, but as the amount of toddlers grew, the water feature was forfeited for the sake of greater dining room. “All the grandchildren love it,” says Carol. “It’s constantly climbed all over when they are visiting.”

A large decorative sun sculpture from Amerex from Seattle is “a nod to the design of the house: the curved walls and the beams,” says Carol. “It also arouses the extreme sun we’ve got here in central Washington.”

Kimberley Bryan

Though many corners in the home are rounded, there remains lots of large, horizontal wall space to Vince and Carol’s art set. “What we do when we travel is visit art galleries,” Carol says. “Over the years we have collected a really diverse assortment of artwork; each slice has great personal meaning to us. We don’t care whether it is an original or a print. If it relates to our life or experiences somehow, it resonates loudly. The house has something of great meaning everywhere we look, which we adore.”

Against the rear wall, both the folding and sliding glass doors maintain steady during the gorge’s heavy winds.

Kimberley Bryan

“We first had to change the strategy to put in another floor,” Vince says. “Our designer did not initially include one. We’ve got a large family and needed bedroom space as well. He inquired how exactly we wanted to get it done, and I attracted an arch. He took that arch and made the attic we now have.”

Dozens of can lights dot the ceiling. Each segment is controlled individually to save energy prices and to supply targeted lighting. “We often turn off all of the lights except where we are reading, for instance,” Carol says. “In as large a room as this, that kind of light control has been invaluable.”

Kimberley Bryan

Cherry cabinets match the tones from the wood beams. The view from behind the stove is a very long one: The expanse of the room with a transparent perspective of the dining room and living room spaces makes it certain that the cooks stay in the conversation and part of the fun. “When we were growing up in the ’50s, the kitchens were totally cut off from the rest of the house,” says Carol.

Kimberley Bryan

Vince built these bookcases in the home office, in which Carol, shown here, functions.

Kimberley Bryan

The residence is tucked between hillside and cliff’s edge, so that its clay-tiled roof reveals over the stones and sagebrush.

See additional photographs of this home

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Kitchen accessories are my favourite souvenirs to bring back from trips around the world. If you’re dreaming about France, Japan or some other international destination, why not get it done the other way around and fill your kitchen with travel-inspired accessories? It’s a great way to picture your fantasy — and allow it to come true, I trust! — Marie out of Food Nouveau

Bouf

River Collection Plates From Snowden Flood – GBP 129

These plates utilize London landmarks in a contemporary and distinct way, leaving a great deal of white space to beautifully frame whatever you’ll opt to serve in them.

Melanie Saucier

London Oven Mitt – $17.95

If you’re like me, then your oven mitts are always out and easy to reach. Since I see them all the time, it’s essential to choose a print that’s amazing and inspirational. This elegant London oven mitt fits the bill perfectly. I love the phone booth’s color and the stitching detail.

KORIN

Bento Box With Cover – $23.10

Bento boxes: When I could eat every and every meal in one of those gorgeous compartmental boxes, then I’d! They are so elegant and look like jewellery boxes. The truth is that melamine is a really resistant and durable substance, so investing in a melamine bento is a superb idea.

Etsy

Pair Of Chopstick Bowls In Graphite Gray And Cherry By NstarStudio – $50

A bowl of noodles is my beloved go-to fast and easy weeknight meal. Since I eat them so frequently, I love to search for noodles bowls, especially magnificent ones such as those eye-popping red bowls. The chopstick-holding holes really are a pleasant and smart addition!

Etsy

Team Montreal Barbecue Towel By Avril Loreti – $25

The Montreal Canadiens are still an institution, if you’re from Quebec or not. This tea towel, adorned with a classic Canadiens illustration, is the ideal present for any hockey-loving cook.

Bouf

Big Ben London Tea Bag Tidy From Cecily Vessey – $11.09

A London-inspired tea time? But of course! I love the minimalist Large Ben illustration that adorns the base of the Tea Bag Tidy.

Three Potato Four

City Series By Jim Datz, San Francisco – $60

I have yet to visit San Francisco, so this one hits close to home. I know I will fall in love with the city that the minute I set foot over there, and also this vintage-inspired print by Jim Datz, which highlights the city’s best areas and attractions, reminds me of that every day.

Bouf

Did you know? The Eiffel Tower From sonodesign – $12.66

Fun facts adorn these color-blocked coffee cups. Did you know that sixty lots of paint are necessary to paint the Eiffel Tower? Neither did I. Collect all of the cups and discover more interesting facts from cities across the world, such as Pisa, London or New York.

Gessato

Totem Bowls – $84

Want to bring fun to the breakfast table? These stackable bowls which show a contemporary take on the Native American totem carving tradition will wake up everyone and spark conversation.

Amazon

Fred M Cup Measuring Matroyshkas – $12.99

A classic by whimsical home accessory firm Fred, these Russian Matroyshkas dolls double as useful measuring cups.

The Future Perfect

Palace Palazzo Borghese Fruit Or Dessert Plates And Serving Bowl – $187.50

This one’s so smart! Six dessert plates and a serving bowl represent Rome’s Palazzo Borghese when stacked. Designer Alessandro Zambelli has also created five additional collections representing classic Italian structures, each serving a different use, from cookie jars to soup dishes. I can barely think of a better looking present — a necessity for Italy lovers!

Etsy

Classic French Grain Sack Launched Bon Appetit Kitchen Towel By BBlaeser – $10

Every kitchen needs a magical French touch. This 100-percent cotton grain sack features an elaborate classic print which makes it look like you’ve inherited it from the French grandparents you wish you’d.

Etsy

Paris Photography Set Orange French Art Prints By small brown pen – $78

Is anyone not dreaming about Paris? Little Brown Pen’s photography makes sure we do. I love how she reveals the town in another way — preventing all the clichés! Many distinct collections can be found, all categorized by color, so you’re guaranteed to find a set that’s perfect for your decoration.

UncommonGoods

Compact Chopsticks – $22

Did you know Japanese people often carry their own pair of chopsticks around? I enjoy the thought and this compact pair is easy to slip into a lunch bag.

Terrain

Opinel Knife Set – $88

Fancy knives abound, but a few classics will never go out of fashion. Opinel has introduced its “essentiels du cuisinier” (the cook’s principles) in beautiful vivid colours, which my Grandma, who employed Opinel knives her life, could have adored. These knives last a life — the perfect gift for newlyweds!

Society 6

Le matin By Paris Vs New York – $35

Paris or New York — which one’s your favourite? They are these amazing cities, so intriguing and so distinct. Artist Vahram Muratyan has framed both towns’ quirks in bright manners. Browse through the full collection to find the one which reflects your love of both metropolises’ contradictions the ideal.

illy

Francis Francis X7 Black iperEspresso Machine – $295

I believe Italy changes everybody’s coffee-world upside down. How can you return to dull, watery drip coffee when you’ve gotten wealthy, creamy and chocolaty Italian espressos? Quick, purchase an espresso machine and continue the Italian heritage in your home.

MoMA Store

New York Coffee Cup – $15

In case you feel nostalgic about New York, why not enjoy your java in this charming replica of this ubiquitous NYC coffee cup? More than 180 million of the identifying blue-and-white Grecian-style cups, designed in the early ’60s, are employed in NYC every year.

ferm LIVING

Copenhagen Tea Towel – EUR 11

I am flying to Denmark in the spring and this tea towel, including whimsical Copenhagen-inspired prints, makes me long to be there. I can not wait to see those icons in individual!

Bouf

Spice And Herb Prep Set By Home & Garden – $63.34

If you’ve had the luck to enjoy a cooking course in Italy, you probably left with the urge to bring a mezzaluna straight home. Widely used by Italian home cooks, this knife makes the task of chopping herbs a cinch — and it’s safe too! Both of your hands are holding the grips, which lessens the danger of cutting yourself to zero.

Next: Love Travel? Let Your Interior Take Wing

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Consider your room. Envision its textures, colors and openings. Picture all of the objects that sit in it. Take away the walls. What’s left? Does it still feel like a room? What components are intact to distinguish it as a distance?

Walls are arguably the simplest and most recognizable architectural components that define a room. Let us stretch this idea and identify other ways to perceive distance. Consider the following tips to create your home’s spaces without relying on the normal vertical barrier for enclosure.

Cary Bernstein Architect

1. Level Change

there is absolutely not any wall between this dining area and the adjoining area; a few steps distinguish the two areas. A degree change can designate zones in an open program and help to prepare a hierarchy of spaces.

Vega Architecture

A degree change can also define a smaller place within a larger room. A sunken living room such as this creates a relaxed and cozy feeling.

Fall In on a Hot Comeback With a Sunken Living Room

frankovitchjm

The mild wood flooring of the kitchen and the dark wood floor in the adjoining room merge on the measures and help the transition flow smoothly between the two spaces. Look up and you’ll notice that the ceiling varies in airplane and substance at precisely the same point the floor does.

Susanna Cots

2. Overhead Element

In this room there is a change in substance at the ceiling level, while the flooring remains constant. This substance change is a smart visual means to delineate zones at a house with an open floor plan.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

If you can’t create a material change in your area, consider using paint to get a dramatic impact. Maintain the colour consistent from ceiling to wall to headboard — here a clear line defines the sleeping area from the local window.

DKOR Interiors Inc.- Interior Designers Miami, FL

For a comfy seating area, bring a portion of the ceiling down, as revealed here. The colour can stay constant with this technique. Adding a few light fixtures further reinforces a change in scale and adds to the total impact of the conversation zone.

Diligence International

Utilize a surprising element suspended from above to illustrate a change in distance. This hovering fireplace blows throughout the upper-floor void and attracts the focal point back into a human scale on the lower level, which could otherwise have been lost in the double-height area.

Randall Mars Architects

3. Structural Elements

A home’s structural components can be used to define space also. These beams include another tier of architecture that’s exposed from the vaulted ceiling.

A.GRUPPO Architects – Dallas

In homes, exposed structural components are generally reserved for the roof and floor framing. But how about using cross legged before translucent walls, as revealed here? Walls don’t need to be opaque and solid.

KDL Architects

Steel poles with steel channels that frame the borders make this floating up overhead canopy. The zone below doesn’t rely on any full-height walls around it, so it seems secure yet open at precisely the same moment.

Axis Mundi

4. Screens

An easy method to add a privacy barrier near an entryway would be to incorporate an area divider. This particular screen allows visual access into front door with its translucent glass. The screen is a great way to produce an architectural pause between here and the remainder of the house.

Betty Wasserman

Mixing a steel frame and wood blocks led to a warm and modern insertion between the living and dining rooms.

SchappacherWhite Architecture D.P.C.

5. Flooring Substance

Engineered hardwood contrasts nicely with the dark, cool flooring of the kitchen and can be an instant visual indication to a room delineation. Notice the way the ceiling varies in airplane at precisely the same line where the flooring varies.

Intercub Interiors

Take the flooring up and transition it into the counter to get a more dimensional sense, as shown in this compact kitchen. Get creative with your flooring material change to add character and vibrancy.

Arterra Landscape Architects

Defining a room with no solid walls is best exhibited in a place with no walls in any way! This terrace is based on pavers versus landscaped areas to give it a feeling of place.

Inform us : What techniques would you rely on to define zones in your property?

More: Renovation Detail: The Built-In Room Divider

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Despite its quite unappealing name and odd look, the fruit of this soursop (Annona muricata) delivers an acidic but pleasant, pineapplelike flavor and odor. Soursop trees are tropical plants, rugged in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11. A near relative of the cherimoya (Annona cherimola), soursop is much bigger with one fruit weighing up to 15 pounds. The fruit, which may sprout anyplace on the soursop’s branches or trunk, can resemble a lopsided oval or look heart-shaped and can be coated with a bumpy, dark-green skin. In general, soursops are all set to select between midsummer and midwinter.

Signs of Maturity

Even though soursops should be picked while still business and allowed to ripen indoors, certain conditions emerge when the fruit is mature. If left on the tree, the easily-bruised soursops will fall and maintain damage. When ready for harvesting, spines on the skin soften, along with the fruit lightens into a yellowish-green. The fruit is composed surrounding a center. As harvest nears, margins of the segments become smoother and not as distinct. Additionally, the fruit takes on a bloated look, suggesting that you ought to select it and bring it indoors.

Soursop Yield

The trees are inclined to be a bit shy on creation. Normally, roughly 12 to 24 fruit is born by each . After removing the skin and the seeds, which can be toxic, roughly 62 to 85% of this fruit will be edible. For best production, this tropical shrub favors an altitude ranging from 800 to 1,000 feet above sea level, moderately humid conditions, a sunny location and protection against strong winds. Develop soursops on the south side of a home, if possible. While tolerant of most soil types, optimum production occurs in a well-drained, sandy soil, on the acidic side, with a pH ranging from 5.0 to 6.5.

Storage After Harvest

Within four days per week after picking, the fruit will lead to slight pressure like a mature peach does. You will hold it in the refrigerator for another three to four days Even when the skin turns black, the fruit isn’t harmed. Around the sixth or fifth day, when ethylene production peaks, soursops enter their flavorable stage. Waiting much longer than this, you may find the fruit flavors blander or that it has developed a slightly unappealing odor.

Programs for your Fruit

Cutting a soursop into segments and eating the cream-colored flesh with a spoon would be the easiest way to enjoy the fruit. Dice and add to fruit cups or salads, or serve it as a dessert, sprinkled with sugar and milk. In South and Central America, soursop juice canned and is extracted. You may create your own juice drink by pressing the seeded pulp through a colander or squeezing in cheesecloth. Beat the juice or milk and sweetener, or blend in a blender with a like number of boiling water, prior to straining and adding sweetener. As with the cherimoya, pureed soursops make tasty additions to pastries, ice cream, sorbet and yogurt.

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Freezers make it convenient to cook and freeze batches of meals or stock up on bulk frozen products in the grocery store. However, the price and amount of electricity to power the freezer might be a concern for budgetary and environmental explanations. Consumers can take action by comparing the energy usage of different freezer models before making a purchase.

Upright Freezers

Upright freezers generally use more electricity than chest freezers. This is because hot air rises; if a chest freezer is opened, the cold air remains low and inside the appliance, whereas with an upright, the cold air is replaced by room-temperature atmosphere. A new 17-cubic foot upright freezer with auto defrost uses an average of 684 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, explains Efficiency Vermont. A manual defrosting freezer uses just 480 kilowatt hours, which will be approximately 22 percent less energy.

Chest Freezers

A new chest freezer with manual defrost and 18 cubic feet of distance (1 cubic foot of distance more than the upright freezer in section 1) absorbs 432 kilowatt hours of electricity every year, or 10 percent less electricity than the smaller upright model. To learn the annual cost of running the freezer, multiply its kilowatt hours by the utility firm’s rate per kilowatt hour. Each appliance should get an energy guide label with its kilowatt-hour usage. For the ideal energy efficiency, consumers can select an Energy Star-rated freezer.

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