August 27, 2010 – 6:35 am
by Lisa Pierce WHAT’S HAPPENING Can reading a light bulb label help consumers save money? Yes, if it helps them pick the best bulb for the job. So says the Federal Trade Commission. They’ve passed new labeling regs that will make it easier for bulb buyers to compare the different types on the market today: [...]
by Nissa Hanna WHAT’S HAPPENING Carcinogenic clock radios, endocrine-disrupting food storage containers, radiation from the WiFi… Some consumers are getting the feeling that home can be a dangerous place. Healthy Dwellings is helping them spot health offenders and remedy the situation (NYTimes.com 5.26.10). For a $375 fee, the service will send a building biology consultant [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr. WHAT’S HAPPENING Home decor in a Latino style can be an adventure or an exercise in frustration, especially if the homeowner wants to showcase the diversity of all Latin America rather than just one country or region. Ulalas.com is an online store bringing handcrafted products from different Latino nations [...]
January 4, 2010 – 6:22 am
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 [...]
September 8, 2009 – 2:00 pm
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 [...]
August 13, 2009 – 6:00 am
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
By Iconoculture
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Also posted in Consumer Trend, Economic meltdown, Economy, Money/Spending
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Tagged Boomers, Consumer trends, Gen Xers, Hans Eisenbeis, Iconoculture, Iconowatch, Matures, Millennials, property taxes, the housing bubble
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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 [...]
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 [...]
By Iconoculture
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Also posted in Consumer Trend, Economic meltdown, Latino
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Tagged Abelardo de la Peña Jr., Boomers, Consumer trends, fraudulent lenders, Gen Xers, home financing, Iconoculture, Iconowatch, Latinos in foreclosure, Matures, Millennials
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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 [...]
By Iconoculture
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Also posted in Consumer Trend
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Tagged Boomers, communal living, Consumer trends, Gen Xers, Iconoculture, Iconowatch, Matures, Millennials, New Urbanism, Nissa Hanna, walkable neighborhoods
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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 [...]
