Lullaby Paints' Golden Slumber Nursery
The health benefits of low-VOC paints for people with chemical sensitivities and respiratory conditions are well documented. Earlier this year, those benefits inspired one company to launch a line of non-toxic paints targeted towards the most susceptible among us: infants.
Lullaby Paints—intended specifically for nurseries and playrooms—are free of benzene, formaldehyde, and a host of other compounds often found in traditional household paints.
If getting more sleep is one of your New Year’s resolutions, it might be time for a new mattress.
Photo: denverorganicmattress.com
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Listen to BOB VILA ON CHOOSING A MATTRESS or read the text below:
What better home improvement to consider on the darkest day of the year than a sunroom addition?
Photo: motherearthnews.com
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Listen to BOB VILA ON SUNROOMS or read the text below:
Experts in feng shui—that ancient Chinese art of healthy interior design—say that the most important places in the home to keep clear and ordered are the entry and exit. If yours are not, a mudroom project might improve the situation.
Photo: houzz.com
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Listen to BOB VILA ON MUDROOMS or read the text below:
Photo: tonipilsbury.com
With so many dishes and serving utensils, not to mention the number of guests, Thanksgiving puts your dining room to the true test. Here are eight ways to get more out of the space, maximizing your enjoyment of the meal and the day’s family joys.
A new welcome mat may be the easiest way to spruce up your front door area and add instant curb appeal. With so many options available—and at such affordable prices—there’s no reason not to toss the boring mats aside.
Whether it’s a funny message, a neon color, or an interesting shape, make your mat as distinctive as the rest of your home. One rule of thumb: make sure your mat is as wide as your door (anything less will appear too small).
Looking for some inspiration? Start here!
Pretty Pattern
Photo: wisteria.com
Give your front stoop a hit of global design with this Suzani motif. Suzani Doormat, $34 at wisteria.com
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Tailgater Bluetooth from ION Audio
Truly, this is the golden age of job-site music. There are a multitude of devices, some very sophisticated, to fill the gaps between hammer reports and circular-saw screams.
As a rag-man electrician (the lowest rung of the union ladder), I noted how each trade had its own half-crushed radio tuned to a different station in its supply area. That tinny music was a relief valve and a pacesetter, but it wasn’t pleasant.
Now there’s the ION Tailgater Bluetooth music player and amp, which retails online for $140 and up. The Tailgater looks like a very small musician’s amp—black, boxy, metal front grille, aluminum bumpers on all eight corners and small control knobs.
Music is one of our greatest pleasures, and thanks to today’s technology we can listen to it wherever and whenever we choose. And that definitely includes the backyard, where innovative options in weather-resistant speakers and wireless technology have made music a natural outdoor feature. Here are some of the latest contenders:
Acclaim 5 Outdoor Speakers from Russound
If you’re part of the rapidly growing home-based workforce or you’d just like a designated place to pay the bills, here are some simple ways to create a home office on a budget.
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Listen to BOB VILA ON HOME OFFICE STORAGE, or read the text below:
Photo: murphybeds.com
There’s a room off our kitchen dedicated as a playroom for our daughters (ages 2 and 4). Originally, the house plan designated this space to be an office or bedroom. Since it’s on the first floor, I’d love to utilize it as a spare bedroom for my folks when they visit. Rather than moving my kids (and their stuff) to another level of the house, which would be less convenient and surely imprudent (note ages!), I’m considering installing the space-saving standard of my NYC roots—a Murphy Bed.
Slideshow: Murphy Beds: 9 Hide-Away Sleepers
