All Dwell Articles
Read all my Dwell.com news articles and Dwell Magazine feature articles here.
How to Redecorate Your Apartment with Your Phone - Rent.com
Whether you’re looking to completely revamp your apartment’s living space or simply want to freshen up a few pieces of your home décor, your phone can offer the insight and inspiration you need to nail the look you’re going for – all for much less than what an interior designer might cost.
Read the full article here.
The Best Hardwood Floors for Messy Kids and Pets | Homes.com
Hardwood floors trump carpet for households with kids and pets. It’s a whole lot easier to clean up when spills are on wood, not wool. Plus, hardwood is more forgiving than ceramic, concrete, or tile. But if you have rambunctious pets and messy kids, you may be concerned about whether hardwood floors will stay beautiful in your home. Here, we’ll look at the four factors to consider if you’re thinking about installing hardwood.
Read the full article here.
HOW AMERICANS ARE EMBRACING THE POWER OF THEIR HOMES | Earth911.com
Just a few years ago, living off the grid conjured up images of tiny cabins in the middle of nowhere. Today, the dream of average American homeowners powering their homes with alternative energies is coming true. Solar panels on your neighbor’s roof are no longer an oddity, and electric cars are less of a curiosity and more of an everyday sight. It’s not hard to imagine a time when wind turbines in the backyard will be commonplace and geothermal heating an expected utility in all new homes.
Read the full article here.
Before and after: Tips for the ultimate bathroom makeover | TwinCities.com
Updating a bathroom can be a major undertaking, but the benefits are vast. From creating a calm sanctuary for your morning routine that sets you up for a successful day to adding substantial resale value to your home, a bathroom makeover is well worth the investment. Read my post on renovating our 1960s era master bath here.
7 Ingenious Ways To Use LED Lighting | Homes.com
Lighting has come a long way from its origins as a way to extend the working day. Today, thanks to the versatility of technology, lighting has become a key component of interior design. It helps us accentuate and reveal the beauty of our homes, while also providing functionality.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are tiny light sources that require less energy and are more durable than traditional incandescent light bulbs. They can also be fashioned into different shapes and emit far less heat than traditional bulbs, making them suitable to put in places you would never have thought to put a light bulb, such as under a couch, to create a stunning modern look in your living room. The versatility of LEDs has brought indirect lighting to the forefront of modern interior lighting design, creating a realm of fabulous possibilities.
Read the full post here.
The Secret to Saving a Fortune on Rugs for Your Home - Coldwell Banker Blue Matter
There’s been a quiet revolution going on in rugs that you’re going to love. Gone are the days when you had to spend half your savings on a rug for your living room. Today, you can outfit your entire home for just a few hundred dollars. The secret? Outdoor rugs. (Yes, really)
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How To Build A Pull-Out Trash, Recycling And Compost System - Care2.com
The dilemma of how to deal with three separate avenues for trash—recyclables, compost and everything else—has vexed me for nearly two years now, ever since we moved in to our new home, which had no built-in system. Then last month we found the perfect solution—one that wouldn’t cost us several hundred dollars. We built our own pull-out trash, compost and recycling system under our sink.
Read the full post here.
6 WAYS TO STREAMLINE YOUR BEDROOM HOME OFFICE
For people who work from home, a home office often means sharing space with another essential room, whether it be the living room, the kitchen, or, as is often the case, the bedroom. This can present multiple problems, especially if you share your bedroom with a partner. From unsightly clutter to an overflowing office area that creeps into the rest of the room, a messy desk in the bedroom can lead to an unhappy spouse and an untidy house. Keep your work under control and your “roommate” happy by using some of these organizational tips to streamline your bedroom-based office.
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How to Build a Squirrel-Proof Enclosure for Your Vegetable Garden for NaturallySavvy.com
Is there anything more heartbreaking than watching a squirrel run off with one of your green cherry tomatoes, take a bite out of it, then throw it to the ground before going back to get another one? That was the scene in our backyard last summer.
We’d labored as a family to build a wonderful raised vegetable garden. We lovingly planted half a dozen tomato plants and carefully cared for a handful of cucumber, melon, squash and pepper plants, eagerly anticipating a summer filled with fresh, homegrown fruit and veggies on the dinner table.
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7 Smart Ways To Organize Your Fridge To Save Money - thethriftycouple.com
The two biggest bills your kitchen generates are your grocery bill and your electricity bill. Your appliances are responsible for 13% of your energy bill, and the fridge takes the lion’s share of that, as it’s always on. By organizing your fridge correctly, you can help it work more efficiently, which reduces electricity costs. Additionally, it will help keep your food fresher for longer, reducing your grocery costs by cutting down on spoiled and wasted food.
Here are seven tips for proper food organization to save you money, plus a look at organization features of new fridges for those in the market for a new one.
Read the full post here.
Upcycle An Entertainment Center Into A Window Seat - for Care2.com Healthy Living
As a committed “upcycler”, I knew when we replaced my daughter’s old polyester blend, lightweight curtains this summer, there was no way these were just going in the recycling bin. I looked around the house and spied our old entertainment center, which my husband had just moved out of the living room. Inspiration struck. With these two now-unneeded items, I could build a window seat!
While it may seem strange that my first thought went to “window seat,” let me explain. I wrote about how I turned an old bookshelf into a window seat for Care2.com earlier this year. It was such an easy project and my whole family has really got a lot of use out of it. I’ve been meaning to build another one for our playroom. This time however, I wanted the whole thing to be upcycled. I didn’t want to have to buy anything for it.
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Green Renovations: The Best Eco-Friendly Countertops for NaturallySavvy.com
Remodeling a kitchen is on many homeowners’ to-do lists, and putting in new countertops is often the biggest part of that remodel. For most of this century, granite has been the go-to material when redoing countertops, and while it is still a great option, the growing interest in sustainability and green living has meant many people are looking at alternative materials. This has prompted a surge in options with stronger eco-credentials, such as wood, metal and recycled countertops.
Deciding whether a material is environmentally friendly or “green” is not as easy as just looking at a label or finding out if the manufacturer is certified by one eco-working group or another.
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How to turn a hallway closet into a family command center - for Momaha.com
Family life can seem like one long stream of looking for things. Be it tap shoes, shin guards, leotards, water bottles, Ticonderoga pencils or sunscreen, the eternal quest to fulfill that cry of “Mom, where is my ____?” can drive even the saintliest mother to distraction.
The solution? Turn your hallway closet into a family command center. I’m not talking about one of those impossibly perfect-looking, incredibly organized mini “desks” – you know, the ones where family life is allegedly easily filed away in designer binders and the elegant dry erase calendar is all neatly filled in. Do you think those ever actually stay that way?
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The Ultimate Mudroom Makeover - Coldwell Banker Blue Matter
A mudroom is a modern mother’s manna from heaven. It’s a must-have in any family home. The mudroom is the perfect place to corral all the sports gear, shoes, hats, coats, school bags and soccer bags before they creep into the rest of the house and become clutter. What really makes a mudroom work, however, is storage. From cubbies and lockers to baskets to bins, well-planned, easy-to-access storage is essential for turning a mudroom into a usable entryway and not just a repository for stuff...
Read more here.