Tag: Home Improvement
-
At Home: Eight items to discard during a move
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Moving is the ultimate truth test. As I pack up the house my husband and I have lived in for eight years, box towers line the halls, packed and stacked like big-city skylines. Each room…
-
At home: Keeping the past present — but not too much of It
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Over the years, I have earned the reputation as the stuff police. I am forever nagging you to purge, declutter, toss, donate, edit, dump, oust, clear, lighten up and let go. But today, sit down:…
-
At Home: Busting 10 reasons we cling to stuff we don’t need
The start of a new year, as we come off a season of over consumption, is the ideal time to harness those feelings of guilty excess and summon the resolve to lighten up. If we are ever going to cut through the clutter that has accumulated in our closets, drawers, cupboards and garages, this is…
-
At Home: Hang up your pride and let the pros hang the holiday lights
One of my core beliefs is that you can learn everything you need to know about a man by the way he handles a string of Christmas lights. When confronted with tangled cords, burned-out bulbs and hanging hassles, does he joyfully whistle “Deck the Halls,” or does he get red-faced, start swearing, and send the…
-
At Home: Odors be gone! Air purifiers help clear the air
Until recently, I was blissfully breathing, unaware of the microscopic particles — the dust mites, dander, pollen, mold, viruses, pet smells, germs, cooking odors, twelfth-hand smoke and who knows what else — lurking under my nose. Then, as I was researching last week’s column, in which I dusted up a fuss about pet fur and…
-
At Home: Seven steps to styling your bed like a pro
Some things I will never understand. One of them is minimal bedding. I see these modern and contemporary homes that parade their restraint like a badge of pride. Why, oh why would anyone want a spare, streamlined minimalist bed, with their lean lines, trim pillows and stingy covers? Whenever I see beds like these in…
-
At Home: 10 spots to spiff before holiday guests come
The busiest days of the year for Ryan Knoll is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, followed by the day before Christmas Eve. On those days, business for TidyCasa, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based house cleaning service he started almost 10 years ago, doubles. “The pre-holiday cleaning overdrive is real,” said Knoll, whose company services about 600 homes a…
-
At Home: Quietly accessible furniture aids aging in place with safety and style
Knees get cranky, backs get stiff, balance isn’t what it used to be. Age isn’t easy on us. But the right furniture can make it easier. And, finally, one major furniture retailer is leaning into that with a line of “quietly accessible” furniture that looks like it belongs in a home, not a rehab center.…
-
At Home: Wedding drives M.O.B. to become ‘unhinged’ over door hardware
There comes a time when good homeowners need to replace their outdoor hardware. The week before your daughter’s wedding is not the time. As if I didn’t have enough to do planning a wedding celebration for family and friends coming from all over, I suddenly had an irrepressible need to replace the handles and hinges…
-
At Home: Make your home romantic — within limits, says new book
”There is no energy unless there is a tension of opposites.” — psychiatrist Carl Jung I like spare interiors, and I like beautifully adorned rooms. I like crystal chandeliers and rustic tables. I like carved gilded mirrors and industrial light fixtures. I like modern furniture alongside antiques. And I like it all at the same…