by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
An 800-square-foot guesthouse leaves little room for a dishwasher, so Boston-based Moskow Linn Architects came up with a creative solution to dry the dishes.
The firm built a custom cabinet that combines dish storage and drying functionality. Instead of a solid bottom, the above-counter cabinet has racks that let wet dishes drip onto [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
Four seasons are the norm for most parts of the U.S. In Southern California, we have a fifth: fire season. There aren’t any exact dates for when it starts or ends, sparking up sometimes as early as June and flickering out late into October.
From my hilltop driveway facing the Sierra [...]
by Cree McCree
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Goal: a $0 home energy bill by 2015. GE believes it’s possible. On July 14, 2009, the company unveiled plans for a Net Zero Energy Home, a suite of products designed to work together to save homeowners from the crippling costs of traditional energy consumption.
The green-saving systems include ground source heat pumps, [...]
by Nissa Hanna
I’ve always been a pretty crafty person, but recently a group of Gen X girlfriends and I kicked our at-home arts activities into high gear.
Instead of heading out for happy hour (as we’d been known to do), a rotating cast of crafters now meets weekly at a hostess’s home. Over hours of conversation, [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
A team of leading architects is asking Australian McMansion owners to enter the Reincarnated McMansion Project. The winner gets to have his obese abode dismantled … but in its place will stand two new eco-friendly accommodations.
The project’s mission is to show Aussies an alternative to the existing unsustainable McMansion housing model and [...]
by Josh Kimball
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Earthaid.net gives consumers a one-stop spot online to see how much juice their homes are using. The new service helps consumers monitor their home’s patterns, then pays them when they save energy.
Using the motto “Smart for Your Wallet. Smart for the World,” Earth Aid Enterprises also sells Earth Aid Kits for between [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
As is the case with many Latinos, Chicago residents are feeling the effects of the ongoing housing bust. But that hasn’t discouraged families from continuing to find ways to own their own home.
The obstacles are alarming: Lost jobs, lack of affordable housing and tight credit. But housing experts are [...]
by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
“The housing bubble popped, so why are my property taxes acting like it’s 2006?” Many consumers are asking themselves this, and beginning the complex and sometimes soul-killing process of negotiating with their local tax boards to have their assessed home values — and therefore their property taxes — brought into line with [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Style-savvy retailer Design Within Reach is mobilizing the kitchen with its new line of freestanding modular cabinets for high-end homes (Metropolitan Home 5.09).
Designed by architect Nilus de Matran, the portable collection allows the homeowner to reconfigure the cabinets and islands if the room needs a remodel, or relocate the pieces if they [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Latino homeowners under the threat of foreclosure are being victimized by companies exploiting their situation. The cruel irony: Some of the companies are Latino-owned.
In Livermore, CA, two Latinas operating a group called the Community Home Saver targeted Hispanic homeowners facing foreclosure, taking $2,500-5,000 a month while saying they could [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Serenbe, a new urbanism development 30 miles southwest of downtown Atlanta, GA, is a young community built on old principles like know your neighbors, conserve environmental resources and live a local lifestyle.
The growing settlement includes walkable neighborhoods of eco-friendly homes, restaurants and shops; over a hundred miles of nature paths; and its [...]
by Nissa Hanna
Last month, while browsing the booths at the International Home and Housewares Show, I noticed a strong theme: simplicity.
Spotted on the showroom floor: Sagafrom’s minimalist self-watering plant container; Simple Human’s shower dispensers, which edit the visual clutter of personal care products (and their packaging); and tabletop trends kickin’ it earthenware-style with rustic and [...]
by Nissa Hanna
Over the past few years I’ve subscribed to a number of home magazines … you know, for research purposes. When many of those subscriptions recently ended, it hit me that the slow crumbling of shelter titles has significantly reduced my renewal options.
Home design mags haven’t been protected from this [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
A Philadelphia development team is creating the 100K House project to prove that design-savvy, sustainable homes don’t have to cost a lot of green.
The group is starting with two case study homes, and the project is named after the projected cost of the smaller design.
The two LEED Platinum and Energy Star certified [...]
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Newly developed Seabrook is a mixed-use coastal community that provides eco-friendly living in a walkable urban environment.
Located on the Pacific Coast between Seattle and Portland, the town promotes bikes as the preferred mode of transportation so denizens can do without cars when visiting Seabrook’s public spaces like the performing arts center, parks, [...]
