Lacquered Floor Vase with Birch Branches
home4less | April 14, 2012
Bargain Bin Home
Home Decor Finds for the Budget Conscious
Natural Decorative Accessories: Indoor Planting
home4less | April 11, 2012
Items (clockwise)
Live Spiral 3 Style Lucky Bamboo Plant Arrangement with Ceramic Vase Brown (by 9GreenBox) – $13.99
Block Bud Vases (Set of 2) – $20.49
Esschert Design Herb Print Galvanized Steel Flower Pots with Saucer (Set of 3) – $14.85
Paperwhite Flowers Growing Kit (30-day bloom time) – $16.95
Recycling the Way to a Greener Environment
home4less | March 2, 2012
Admittedly, we weren’t always a recycling household. Depending on one’s location, the facilities sometimes aren’t there to support such movements and the general consciousness isn’t always promoted.
We have been lucky to reside in an area that has completely reinvented waste collection by fostering green practices involving the composting of green waste and offering a full-fledged recycling program complete with larger carts for convenience.
The gradual progression towards recycling was a result of the excessive amount of trash being collected weekly. Naturally inclined to seek out bargains online understandably results in much packaging waste. Combined with general household discards, the weekly trash collected can become quite expansive.
Now, with regular recycling, household waste has been reduced substantially — no longer dominated by cardboard boxes, related packing materials, and the multitude of items thrown out by most households. The seemingly small expense of buying trash bags has also been reduced in times of shrinking budgets where every dollar saved could make a difference in the grand picture.
The Earth911 site is a good reference point for assessing recycling centers by location and determining common recyclables. It was through this resource that I learned about the particulars in disposal for common household items like the ubiquitous compact fluorescent bulbs to various e-waste.
Overall, the dual benefits of reducing household trash volume and contributing a small part to responsible waste disposal has been rewarding; I can’t imagine ever going back to non-recycling.
Home Office Spaces
home4less | February 24, 2012
While I’ve spent a lot of time and energy on decorating bed, bath, and similar living spaces, the area designated for the home office is quite lacking. Somehow, it seems easier to become enthralled in everything from decorative accessories to window treatments for common spaces like living rooms and foyers, with the functional office becoming a sort of afterthought. A dilemma also arises when trying to make a workspace attractive while incorporating ergonomics and other means to boost and maintain productivity.
Having watched shows on HGTV channels and the like, the segments on office spaces leave a lot to be desired. While the redesigns are usually a vast improvement, it often doesn’t seem to address some of the minute details — households with multiple PCs and equipment, the common wire-nightmares associated with office equipment, and comfortable work-oriented furnishings.
Microsoft’s At Work page seems like a good launching point, addressing issues from computer selection to ergonomic furniture for the more functional aspects of the home office.
WorkSpace Cribs (aka: Rate My Office)
I also enjoy Flickr’s The Workspace Cribs compilation of user photos, offering inspiration from others who have often accomplished the workable+aesthetically pleasing balance.
Wire management solutions are definitely essential, whether from Amazon’s wire/cable organizer section or at local electronics or home improvement stores, as no one seems to enjoy a tangled mess of cables. Overall, this whole undertaking seems rather tricky to achieve that clean, wire-free look in a world of abundant wires and cabling.
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”
- Albert Einstein.
While clutter is definitely a pet-peeve, I suppose it may not always apply to work spaces. According to this Huffington Post article, cluttered desks may actually promote productivity and problem-solving. Who would’ve thought?
Beauty in the Switch Plate Details
home4less | February 15, 2012
After painting several rooms, I’m still in awe about how transforming paint color can be. Often, this one step can make such a huge difference in making a space feel warmer and is often a great jumping point to an overall design scheme. Better yet, such a large change can be undertaken rather affordably –at the mere cost of a can of paint or two, some basic painting supplies, and a few hours of labor.
I’m often drawn to deep, rich colors and after project completion, find the starkness of typical builder-white switch plates a bit off-putting next to a bold, new palette. While the investment in switch plates can be hard to justify, I like to limit the costs somewhat by replacing those that are much more visible (e.g. plates for light switches or prominent duplex outlets unconcealed by furniture or the like). In addition to gaining a nice decorative touch, the migration from the plastic plates also eliminates the look of unsightly dirt build-up on white plate finishes.
Pictured: Atlas Homewares Zanzibar line
Most home improvement stores to big-box retailers have a dedicated selection of decorative wall plates. Additionally, Amazon.com seems to have a decent selection featuring the common brands: Atlas Homewares, Stanley Home Design, Brainerd, and Liberty Hardware.
Pictured: Liberty Hardware Satin Nickel and Dark Wood line
As an alternative and in the spirit of reusability, the more artistic might opt for creating faux finishes/custom art finishes as demonstrated in this video.
Cleaning Bathroom Spaces
home4less | February 8, 2012
Of all the places to clean around the house, I especially dread bath spaces plagued with the usual stubborn culprits consisting of hard water stains, soap scum, and mold/mildew. Having tried a multitude of cleaners, from store-bought to home-concocted with common ingredients ranging from bleach to vinegar (never together!), I must say that the most effective cleaner I’ve found for cleaning chrome/metal faucets, some of the more stubborn tub stains, and glass shower doors would be Bar Keeper’s Friend.
Bar Keepers Friend® Cleanser & Polish
While I had decent luck with common shelf cleaners for tub stains, nothing seemed to work for the years of calcium and soap build-up on metal faucets and shower doors. When I tried Bar Keepers, I didn’t have high expectations, but was amazed at the results. The faucets and door are probably due to be replaced as they have inevitable wear and tear, but it’s nice to delay some of the replacement costs for a bit now that they look somewhat renewed.
Note: For the potential acidic nature of the product, gloves are a definite recommendation as well as not allowing the cleaner to sit too long on surfaces (it’s rather fast-acting, actually). When initially using the BKF, I was expecting something similar to AJAX/Comet Scrub, but it seems less abrasive and almost resembling the consistency of baking soda as opposed to the sturdier texture found in the other powder cleansers. However, exercise caution for the potential abrasiveness on the more delicate surfaces as I have not tested on a large variety of areas.
Home Safety: Nightlights for Everyday and Power Outages
home4less | February 1, 2012
Despite the usefulness and surprising affordability of these units, some care needs to be exercised when removing the battery cover as the plastic construction is a bit flimsy and can be broken off with little effort. Having purchased a few of these to utilize throughout the house, I did end up having one broken out of the package, so be sure to check return policies regarding a replacement.
Additionally, I like the versatility that these night lights provide; I can set them on ledges and various surfaces or optionally hang them – a plastic hook for doing so is included.