Here’s an emerging trend to keep an eye on: wood countertops. Homeowners looking for a departure from the popular granite, engineered stone and solid surfacing options are turning to surfaces like wood that can feature “natural” or “living” finishes. Wood can be very durable, and species selection (pine or teak, for example) can work to effectively complement a room with natural warmth. Like granite, wood is naturally occurring, and each piece used in a countertop will be unique in texture and look. Wood’s true strength lies in its tendency to mature and age over time, showing signs of subtle changes in color and hue that can reflect environment and usage. I like the idea of a surface that shows its age—like homeowner, like countertop, I say. When considering purchasing a wood countertop, be on the lookout for finishes or stains that add water, stain or heat resistance. Craft-Art, one wood company, uses an organic tung oil on their wood countertops, which will resist staining to even red wine and mustard.
I have officially seen it all. I was aware of Armani Casa, a relatively new concept within the Giorgio Armani group that extends the fashion company’s reaches into the world of interior design and lifestyle. But Ralph Lauren paint? Is that really necessary? What’s next? Abercrombie flooring? I don’t know about the average Joe, but I think it’s bad enough we dish out extra for the label on our jeans but doing so on for our interior paint seems a tad ridiculous. Appropriately enough, Ralph Lauren even has a technique called Indigo Denim. Oh, for the sake of fashion!
Last year we did an entry about The Hurricane Harness, a product that helps tie the roof down during a hurricane. High-speed winds traveling over the roof can create a vacuum pressure on the roof, pulling it upward. Likewise, windborne debris can rip holes in the home's envelope and create a pressure imbalance, lifting the roof right off the home. This is called catastrophic building failure. Just in time for Hurricane Season ’07, the makers of the Hurricane Harness are releasing their latest versions of the product on the market. There are now options for mobile homes and commercial/industrial buildings, including those with metal roofs. The Harness straps down the roof and fastens to anchors driven into the ground or the foundation of the home. We call it a “seatbelt for the home.” The mobile-home harness also protects carports, a particularly vulnerable part of the mobile home. Check out Hurricane Harness to learn more.
The Aquacentre workstation from Julien aims to take some of the stress out of kitchen design with its all-in-one customizable workstation. The Aquacentre can be built-in or installed in a kitchen island and anchored to the floor or the wall. The Aquacentre comes with some handy accessories, including a colander, bottom grid, cutting board, drawer dividers, and a drain. It is compatible with most hidden-control dishwashers and garbage disposals, so these add-ons will fit snugly into your Aquacentre—no matter where you choose to put it. The Aquacentre can be configured to allow for different dishwasher placement, sink styles, and accessory sizes. Stainless-steel doors and side panels can be replaced with wood to complement an existing kitchen décor. Costs just over $10,000. Available now.
On February 17, 2009, analog television programming will no longer be available in the US. On that date, all full power TV stations must abandon their analog broadcasts (if they haven’t done so already), allowing the spectrum to be divvied up for other uses. From then on it will be digital TV (DTV) for one and all. Now don’t go throwing out your old analog TV just yet. It’s still usable—you just need a box that converts the incoming digital signal to analog. Starting in 2008, a household will be able to receive up to two $40 coupons from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for such a device. The other option is to purchase a new TV. As of now, all new TVs are required to include a built-in digital tuner. To those who shudder at the thought of forced change, understand that this is really a win-win situation: consumers get a more reliable, clearer TV signal, and public and safety services like fire departments and emergency crews will have access to the scarce analog broadcast spectrum. For more info on if and how this change will affect you, go to the FCC website.
You can now turn your home's broadband connection into a public wireless hotspot, thanks to a deal made between Time Warner Cable and Fon, a WiFi provider. Time Warner broadband subscribers will soon be able to join the Fon community as a member and set up a Fon access point using a special Fon router that splits the WiFi signal; one channel will be encrypted and for the subscribers use, and the other will be a public channel accessible to anyone within range. The idea seems to be to increase the number of nationwide WiFi hotspots for Fon community members, as they will have free access to these services. Non-members will also be able to access a Fon hotspot, albeit at a nominal cost (a few bucks for 24-hour access). Time Warner has about 6.6 million broadband subscribers—that’s a lot of potential hotspots for the traveling member. A person can check out a world map at the Fon website to see all the other hotspots available to the community member—seems like a cool way to determine if it’s worth becoming a community member and turning your own Internet access point into a public wireless hotspot.
I’ve come across Crypton Super Fabric in a number of recent readings, and I decided to check the site out to find out what this wonder product is all about. Besides having a name that would make the Man of Steel think twice about sitting on furniture, Crypton fabric touts its own impressive super powers, like resistance to stains, moisture, and bacteria. When I read of such features, I always wonder what the trade-off is, i.e., what ungodly chemicals are used in the manufacturing of this product. It appears not many, if any at all. No formaldehyde, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, or carcinogens present here. Absent too are the presence of VOCs and PFOAs (perfluorooctanoic acids). Sounds truly like a wonder product. It’s also available in a number of options made to feel and look as the name would suggest: Suede, Woven, Twills, and Velvet being a few. Oh, and you can get it by the yard, in furniture form, and even in handbags and pillows. So, my question is: What’s the catch? Or is there one at all? The handbags seem a bit expensive (do women normally spend $200 on such accessories?), though the furniture appears to be market-reasonable ($1,500 for a sofa, $1,000 for an armchair). I’m curious to hear some first-hand reports…
