Do you have a room that stinks? If so, I suggest you do the following: Step 1 — Identify what stinks Step 2 — Get rid of it The stinky thing could be dirty socks. A mold problem. A dirty ashtray. A cat box. A dirty dog. (Well, don't get rid of the dog. But…
Let's face it, folks, climate change is bringing with it more natural disasters: fires, floods, hurricanes, drought. It seems there's too much water in some places, and no water enough in others. For those dry places where wildfires will become more prevalent, keeping houses safe is critical. You want to keep flying embers from getting…
See a fast-motion video showing 2.25 kilowatts of Lumeta solar panels installed in 34 minutes. These will be featured at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference June 24 to 27 in San Francisco. These thin panels are only available for commercial use, not residential, but it shows you the direction we’re heading. The company does offer…
I don’t really know why I’ve become so obsessed with recalled home-related goods. Some kind of personality disorder? A perverse interest in the wrongdoings of others? It’s baffling. But here’s another example of something gone wrong in the manufacturing process. These log swings, made in China, are missing just one nail. But that nail holds…
Each year, the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) holds a competition for the coolest building products. This year, 125 products were entered into the contest and were voted on by 679 home-building professionals. Here are the 2008 cool-product winners in the green building category: 1. Rinnai LS Series tankless water heater Rinnai’s LS Series tankless…
If you want to stretch your design vocabulary, you might consider attending the Dwell on Design conference this week at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Put on by the San Francisco-based Dwell magazine folks, the seminar descriptions include sentences like this: "Not all designers set out to achieve the Platonic ideal in a concept for…
Perhaps the 348,000 visitors to the recent Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, a showcase of new domestic furnishings, are way more arty than me. I say this because the wacky way this new kitchen is displayed, with green food-looking stuff strewn all over, does not appeal to me at all. Rather, I have a…
I’ve read it, heard it and seen it too many times lately to ignore this new reality: Wallpaper is making a comeback. Here you see Cole & Son’s Woods wallpaper used in a bathroom at a decorator showcase house in San Francisco. Locally, the Wallpaper Bin in Northridge and other shops have been waiting for…
Engineered right here in Southern California by BMW DesignworksUSA, the sleek Ecopod is a compact recycling center that makes crushing cans fun! Just drop one in the top, step on the lever, and c-r-u-n-c-h, it’s all over. The bottom holds the crushed cans while the top holds other recycling. At Gaiam.com, the regular price is…
Does this bug you, too? You have a pillow, blanket or other textile that is clearly past its prime and too worn for the Goodwill. But you hate to see it take the slow ride to the dump. Here’s the answer: textiles of certified organic cotton and other materials that are designed to be composted…