Are you tired of repeatedly having to paint your home? If you want to break the re-painting cycle but don’t like the idea of vinyl or metal siding, then you owe it to yourself to take a close look at a protective ceramic coating that gives the look of a freshly painted home year after year. This specialized coating system is guaranteed for as long as you own your home, and has a 25-year transferable guarantee. You will never have to paint your home again. Going Green Rhino Shield Coating... more

Inspiration strikes homeowners in many forms: for the owner of one Queen Anne Victorian, it was improving the flow and feeling of the home while at the same time embracing the original design and elegance of a great example of the “Painted Lady” style … and to make sure that the “new” design featured her red velvet couch. “I wanted my red velvet couch in the kitchen,” the homeowner confessed. “It’s an antique that belonged to my grandmother, and I’ve been carrying it with me from... more

As more and more consumers ask for eco-friendly or green flooring, it is an easy choice to pick woods that make minimal impact on the earth and also create a healthier environment for you and your family. Knowing that timber is one of the earth’s only truly renewable resources, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification on wood lets you know that you are getting wood from a renewable, sustainable source. The council sets international standards for responsible forest management, and through... more

When most of us describe color we say that a house is blue or a room is yellow. A few of us get down to the level the house is light or dark blue or the room is pastel or bright yellow. Because so few of us get down to the undertone of a color, a lot of us end up with unexpected color results when we paint our home. Undertone can be described as the hidden color or the color behind a color. For example periwinkle blue has a violet undertone and lemon yellow has a green undertone. On a color wheel,... more

Truth be told, after seeking out energy-saving appliances with a proven return-on-investment (that comes relatively quickly), most people aren’t that focused on being green when they decide to remodel or restore a home. But given a little education about the options — and if the price is right — home renovators will generally take the greener course of action beyond replacing a refrigerator and water heater. The benefits to finding sustainable options are far-ranging, especially when it comes... more

This issue’s musings from across the drawing board ponders what it means to be green. Kermit the Frog got it right. It’s not easy being green. The word is thrown about so cavalierly that the term is poised to lose its meaning completely. If you are planning a renovation project and want to be green, I will give you advice in only one word. The word is not “plastics” like Mr. McGuire said to Benjamin in the classic film The Graduate starring Dustin Hoffman. (If you have never seen the film,... more

Kohler-Kelston I have been a kitchen and bath designer for 26 years and I just purchased my first low-flow toilet. I have been specifying low-flow toilets since it became the law in 1994, but I never owned one, so I was not aware of the “idiosyncrasies” of actually experiencing one over the long haul. What I learned really changed my perception of toilets. Before I go any further, I must add a disclaimer: “What you are about to hear may be disturbing for some.” I am sorry about this — but... more

Showerhead from Kohler's Forté collection that uses 1.75 gpm of water. Photo courtesy of Kohler As we head into the time of year that we hear about water shortages, it might be a good idea to talk about conservation. Water conservation has come a long way in the past 15 years when people grimaced upon the mere mention of the topic. Today we have toilets that actually perform well while saving water, and the same for showerheads, and faucets. We now have hot water heaters that are more efficient,... more