Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio
spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and
growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening—or reading—to
Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. Today, it’s all
about the Home Journal.
Welcome to Bob's Blogs
Bob Vila Radio: Home Journal
Top 5 Seating Picks from ICFF
Hours before the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) closed its four-day run on Tuesday, the winners of this year’s ICFF Editors Awards were named. The top exhibitors in a range of categories are recognized annually, but while innovation and world-class design are always hallmarks of ICFF, the style and ingenuity rampant in the Seating category this year must have made for stiff competition.
Danish powerhouse Fritz Hansen ultimately took the top honor. The miniscule™ Chair joins practicality and stylishness in a compact, lightweight, and cozy creation. As the designer Cecilie Manz attests, “The chair has no secrets. You have the shell and you have the leg frame, and that’s about it. It is what you see.”
miniscule™ Chair by Cecilie Manz for Fritz Hansen
My personal favorites were among the Autoban installation for De La Espada. Though Autoban produces all kinds of home furnishings, the Throne Daybed and Sleepy Rocking Chair especially impressed me as being exquisite modern takes on traditional pieces.
Throne Daybed and Sleepy Rocking Chair by Autoban for De La Espada
Misewell made a splash at ICFF 2009, when it debuted a line of modern furniture unique for its combination of materials. The industrial-chic Lockwood chair is a simple and honest construction of powder-coated metal and solid wood, and boasts a rare combination of merits—it’s strong and sturdy yet easily portable.
Lockwood from Misewell
The Italian company SKITSCH introduced the American market to a unique “hybrid chair”. Somewhere between the bean bag and the armchair is the luxuriously comfortable Frolla.
Frolla from SKITSCH
This year’s winner in the Outdoor category was Eric Pfeiffer’s Plank Collection for San Francisco-based Council Design. The furniture line’s highlight is the lounge chair, a contemporary riff on the classic Adirondack, which (arguably) offers better rump support than New England’s beloved mainstay.
Plank Lounge Chair by Eric Pfeiffer for Council Design
Honorable mentions: John Ford’s WB chair, featured in yesterday’s ICFF roundup Walking Through “Wood-Land”. Also, it was good to see graypants again, whose recycled-cardboard lighting fixtures we praised last year in Shedding New Light on Recycling. Thanks to ICFF and all the exhibitors for a great time!
Garage Door Openers 101
For decades, homeowners interested in automating their garage doors had three choices: chain-, belt- or screw-driven openers. That has changed with the introduction of residential jackshaft and direct-drive models. Some of the conventional wisdom about the three standard options has changed, too.
Standard Garage Door Openers
Craftsman Chain Driven Garage Door Opener
Chain-driven models include a chain—similar to a bicycle chain—that pushes or pulls a trolley (carriage) that connects to a metal bar, called a J-arm, that is affixed to the garage door. If your garage is situated under a bedroom, the noise generated by metal-to-metal contact and vibration may be a nuisance. If the garage is detached, it probably isn’t. Newer chain-driven units with DC motors and soft start-and-stop technology are significantly quieter than older units.
Belt-driven openers are similar in design to chain-driven models, except a reinforced belt is what pushes or pulls the trolley. The belts may be made of fiberglass, polyurethane, or steel-reinforced rubber. Belt-driven openers are just as reliable as chain-driven openers but quieter. The negative for belt-driven openers is that they cost about $30 to $60 more than chain-driven units.
With screw-driven openers, the trolley rides on a threaded-steel rod as a motor rotates the rod. Because this design has fewer moving parts, manufacturers claim that it requires less maintenance than other systems. Screw-driven openers, however, have run into trouble in regions that have large swings in temperature from summer to winter. In addition, they are noisier than belt-driven openers. That said, manufacturers of screw-driven openers have recently made improvements with regard to temperature sensitivity and noise. In addition, screw-driven openers are among speediest these days as well, opening a door at 10- to 12-in. per second compared to the standard 6- to 8-in. per second. (For safety, all garage door openers close doors at a slower 7-in. per second.)
Jackshaft and Direct-Drive Garage Door Openers
Raynor's Prodigy Wall-Mounted Jackshaft Garage Door Opener
Jackshaft openers, unlike the other systems, mount on the wall beside the garage door. A 24-v DC motor drives pulleys and cables that turn the torsion bar and raise the garage door. When the motor is reversed, cable tension is loosened and the door lowers. This system is reliable and quiet. In addition, it keeps the ceiling free for overhead storage and is well-suited to garages with high or low ceilings. Jackshaft openers are more expensive than most other types of openers.
Direct-drive units are claimed to be the quietest of all garage door units, because there is only one moving part—the motor. Developed and manufactured in Germany, the motor (not a trolley) travels along a stationary chain that is embedded in an overhead rail. A J-arm links the moving motor to the door. Direct-drive units cost about the same as belt-driven units and come with lifetime warranties.
DC-Powered Garage Door Openers
Chamberlain DC Garage Door Opener
DC motors are quieter, faster, smaller, lighter, smoother operating, and more efficient than AC motors. Many come with variable speeds, enabling soft-start and soft-stop technology. They can also be equipped with battery backup systems. With newer units, the battery is integrated with the opener motor housing. When the power fails, your garage door openers will continue to function for up to two days, depending upon how often you open and close the door. Battery backup will also ensure the continued operation of other functions, including garage lighting, security, and safety alerts. DC motors with brushes do not have the same life expectancy as AC motors, but brushless DC motors do.
Related:
Picking the Right Garage Door
Quick Tip: Garage Storage Solutions
Video: Dream Garage and Boat Storage
Bob Vila Radio: Curb Appeal
Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio
spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and
growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening—or reading—to
Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. Today, it’s all
about Curb Appeal.
Wandering Through “Wood-Land” at ICFF
The International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) is one of my favorite trade shows. It is the one show in the country where, over a period of four days, designers from around the world reveal some of the most inspirational, innovative and ingenious modern furnishings, seating, wall and floor coverings, lighting, outdoor furniture, accessories, kitchen and bath, and residential home/office.
This year’s show, featuring 535 exhibitors (171 of them first-timers) from 34 different countries, was no exception. And, while there were many discoveries and trends worth reporting, I couln’t help but see this year’s show as a Wood-Land of sorts–with wood making a statement in every conceivable design category. Here’s a sampling of what was on display:
Sliced Beam Table by Wisnowski Design
Reclaimed wood is the main staple of Connecticut-based Wisnowski Design. Among the gems showcased was this Sliced Beam Table–made from the cross-section cuts of a salvaged support beam.
Sculptural Wood Chaise designed by Marie Khouri
Vancouver-based sculptor/designer Marie Khouri was lounging on this plywood chaise when I first spotted it. It is one of a limited edition whose sculptural, undulations are fabricated from graduated sections of plywood, individually cut, assembled, glued, sanded, and sealed.
The Facecord Dresser by Mark Moscovitz of FiftyTwoThousand.
Split, dried, stacked and delivered is what the promotional card for Facecord reported. But, this is no ordinary wood pile; it’s a dresser by Cleveland-based designer Mark Moscovitz of FiftyTwoThouand.
Facecord Dresser (open) Designed by Mark Moscovitz of FiftyTwoThousand.
Here’s the dresser with one drawer open. The design features two top side-by-side drawers and one large bottom drawer–all disguised as a cord of wood.
WC Chair by John Ford
These WB Chairs–displayed in a representative range of woods–seem to defy the laws of science. Designed by California-based designer John Ford, the unsupported circular backs and delicate tapered legs create their own modern aesthetic.
Wood veneer chandeliers by Weplight
Wood veneers provide a dramatic look to these over-scaled hanging light fixtures designed by Argentine-based designer Marcelo Dabini of Weplight. Available in a variety of shapes and sizes–even floor and table lamp version–the designs are definite works of modern art.
Johnny Hermann's Wooden Popsicles
And, to show a more whimsical side to the discoveries at ICFF, I couldn’t resist these hand-carved Wooden Popsicles by Italian designer Johnny Hermann. They are available in a variety of colors, along with wooden interpretations of the incandescent light bulb. Incandescent indeed!
For more inspiration, consider these product showcases:
Subway Tiles: The New Classics
10 “Best in Class” Patio Pavers
Kitchen Countertops 101
Top Tips: Growing Tomatoes
There’s really nothing better than a vine-ripened tomato plucked from the plant in your vegetable garden and still warm from the sun. Well, that will come later this season. Now it’s time to get your tomato seedlings into the ground, so that you’ll have a plentiful harvest in a few weeks and you can start serving all your favorites: BLTs, caprese salad, homemade tomato sauce… better start growing!
Growing Tips
Make sure they have good drainage: Tomatoes need well-draining soil or a raised bed for proper drainage. They grow best in slightly acidic soil that’s been enriched with compost.
Keep them in the sun: Tomatoes need 8 hours of strong light a day.
Give them plenty of water: Keep them watered, especially as the summer months dry out the soil.
Provide an early support system: Be sure to introduce support even when the plant is still short, so that you don’t accidentally damage the roots. Tomato cages are the easiest to use—try galvanized steel for high yielding plants. Or get stackable tomato ladders for tall, indeterminate breeds.
What to Grow
There are hundreds of tomato varieties out there. What’s the best for your needs? Here are five picks that will satisfy.
Hook Mountain Growers' Bush Beafsteak Tomato
Bob Vila Radio: Composting
Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio
spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and
growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening—or reading—to
Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. Today, it’s all
about Composting.
5 Great Backsplash Ideas
Prior to April, I was a “tile virgin.” But then I went to Coverings, the tile and stone industry trade show. With over 800 exhibitors in 300,000 square feet of space, I was over-stimulated, overwhelmed, and amazed at the size, innovation, and passion of this high-performance industry. Of course, any time you gather a lot of Italians under one roof, there’s gonna be passion!
There’s a lot of product news to relay from Coverings, and I am going to start with a few spotlight-stealers that would make beautiful backsplashes. Gale Steves, author and trend spotter, believes the backsplash is often an afterthought for kitchen remodelers. I venture to say that the tiles below might actually drive the design and mood of the entire kitchen.
Today’s Rents for Yesterday’s Houses
Renting is suddenly cool: these days, renting is about lifestyle and flexibility, says Jane Hodges, author of the newly published Rent vs Own (Chronicle). And because renters just want to have fun, they often are willing to pay a premium for a nicely restored vintage house.
Bob Vila Radio: Cleaning Saves
Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio
spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and
growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening—or reading—to
Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. Today, it’s all
about how Cleaning Saves.