RNM's Profile

Display Name: RNM
Member Since: 10/12/10

Latest Comments...

I haven't tried Google Now, and I have some issues with Siri as far as what she can and cannot do. However, I have to say that the major thing I use Siri for IS composing messages. I may be in the minority, but all the other fancy stuff Siri and Google can do, I never care about using. To Joelle's point about not being able to dictate a message and not caring....I don't really care about the other stuff and would be LOST without being able to do messaging. I am always finding myself needing to respond to a text (or less often, an email) in the car and never find myself needing to ask my phone to google something for me or pull up my boarding passes. Maybe it's just who I am as a user, but at this point I wouldn't trade because it doesn't suit my needs even if it's overall more advanced. The only downfall for me is that I use Google Maps on the iPhone and Siri can't be involved trying to map routes or get destination times without using Apple Maps.


Battle of the Assistants: Google Now vs Siri
3/21/13 3:59 PM

Agree - I was so appalled to see the size this year. And I do think it's vastly different than getting a September issue of Vogue or the like. You have opted in by paying for that, whereas this is somewhat unsolicited.

There should minimally be a way to opt out of the Look Book but still receive other catalogs from RH. Even better would be that you have to opt-in to receive the Look Book, because honestly it's so irresponsible to send that much paper. When I allow catalogs come to my home (by explicitly signing up, or by not opting-out once I receive one), the expectation these days is 4-6 catalogs per year of <80 pages or so. I don't think any normal person would assume that opting to receive the RH catalog would result in almost 1k pages. So if it's not within the normal expectation, then there should either be an explicit opt-in process to get the look book, or they just shouldn't do it at all.


Fall Catalogs: How Much is Too Much?
9/25/12 5:01 PM

Re:what Pi and Funstraw said, I thought the same thing and regret it. If you have an apartment, yes you probably don't need a monitor. But if you're in a house w/multiple floors, you probably do and then the webcam sucks. I found if you want the webcam to be a monitor and not JUST a way to check in occasionally, it's not practical for iphone use - the ones I looked at required that you have the app open in order to hear anything, so you had to remember to always have your phone on you with the app open and then it's draining the battery.

I ended up keeping the webcam to check in on the baby and bought a regular monitor for sound. I rely on the sound 95% of the time around the house. If she's fussing and I'm trying to decide if I should check in on her, I'll open the iphone webcam app to see if there's anything wrong. I also use it occasionally when I'm away from the house as well.

I still think Angel Care and other video monitor companies should find a way to include this feature. But until they do, I wouldn't recommend doing a webcam as your only monitor unless you're in an apartment where you can hear everything.


Baby Monitor with iPhone Streaming? Good Questions
9/17/12 1:22 PM

I agree w/not painting it white. It will look so sterile and then you'll have to work harder at injecting that color back in to counteract the blandness of what's there. I think a nice cool pale grey would be better. After that, I would get an island because the space needs it (and maybe bigger than what's there - feels just a hair too small for the space), but besides that I just don't think I would really do much other than accessorize and decorate.

Obviously many people already mentioned the very good advice of needing to live in a space for a while before you make changes. And also...2 years really isn't that long to wait for a whole rehaul. 3-5 out, I would say look for those mid-size projects you can do to help, but for 2 years I don't think it's necessary. I would focus primarily on stuff like art, curtains, kitchen accessories, and the island and then if you still really feel like it needs more of a visual change, look into pricier things like new hardware maybe see if a carpenter could cut out the center panels of the upper cabs to make them glass (or take them down and make them open shelving like someone above mentioned)...that could change the look for not much money/effort. Otherwise, I'd leave most of it until the bigger project!


Ways To Revamp Kitchen with Full Reno Coming in Two Years? Good Questions
7/16/12 12:52 PM

I think you should paint them white and pick a grey wall color (or just something that will soften the black counter/white cab contrast and not clash with the other stone on the floor and in the shower).

Then I would definitely replace the giant mirror with a couple large framed mirrors....not too small otherwise the balance would look weird since there's so much counter space, but smaller than what's there so they reflect less of the room than the giant single one. I think walking in that room and seeing so much of that shower stone, b/w real materials and reflected, is what's dragging it down the most. Larger mirrors with substantial frames that have some visual interest will take attention away from the drabness of the reflected stone. And ditto what other people said on changing the lighting fixtures.


Colors for Cabinets & Wall To Look Less Heavy? Good Questions
7/5/12 2:56 PM

You didn't mention limestone, so I don't know if it's on the table, but if you are interested in the more natural look of large limestone or other rock slabs, I would recommend you investigate things like how much sun you get in the space, etc. We bought a condo with a limestone patio and I like the look of it, but we're in a city and there's a lot of shade from surrounding buildings, so anytime it rains there will be wet patches for days because of natural dips/valleys on the face of the stone and then it doesn't get enough direct sun to dry them up. Something I never would have thought about, but after living for a few years with gross puddles that take forever to go away, we're ready to tear it up and replace it with smaller pavers with a flatter surface to them.


Patio Flooring Recommendations? Good Questions
6/21/12 12:04 PM

I totally agree that adults and older kids would use this. Honestly when I get in a pool these days it's to cool off and lounge with a drink - not to swim around and have a big area to play in. Maybe it could benefit from being a TAD deeper for this purpose, but I'm envisioning sitting in it almost like you would a hot tub. It reminds me a bit of some of the caribbean resorts where they have very shallow areas of pools with chaise lounges in the water so you can lounge with the water splashing up around you...I think there are ways like that where it would absolute be used by teens and adults.

And as someone else mentioned, you can use the concrete area for a seating area when the sprinklers aren't in use or after kids grow up, but I can see it being a pretty and relaxing water feature even if kids aren't playing in it.

Genius!


Bobby's Splash Pad My Great Outdoors
6/1/12 12:11 PM

Agree, I would take out the grass in favor of a stone/brick patio and then definitely build a nook along the far wall if you like that look. I think it's cozy and a very good use of space instead of individual seating - if you entertain a lot or like to eat outside, you could even do a full U-shape style benching (with storage underneath) around a small table instead of the deep bed-like nook in your inspiration. Would give more seating and open up the rest of the area for more walking space and plants, but depends on what you'll use it for. If it's mostly just you wanting to curl up and relax, the deeper straight nook is great as well.


Can I Fulfill My Backyard Inspiration?
Good Questions

3/19/12 12:20 PM

Adding that one of my favorite uses of my ipad is for recipe management and using it in the kitchen while cooking, but the scanning part wouldn't be easy unless you could instead take a photo of recipes you normally scan. Are you scanning things from magazines? I haven't come across recipes in any magazine that I can't find online and then quickly file into my manager (the Paprika app), but if you're scanning in recipes that other people have handwritten or something, I guess that gets more complicated, but there's always manual entry in cases where the recipes aren't available online.


Is an iPad the Right Solution for My Family? Good Questions
3/15/12 4:26 PM

I use my iPad in place of my laptop about 90% of the time I'm home/not working. I would whole-heartedly recommend one in place of a new laptop, but maybe not if it was the only computer in the house. I echo what Ian said about space limitations, user accounts, etc. Also, despite the fact that I use mine for more than JUST media consumption, there are some activities that aren't ideal like word processing/Excel/Office-type projects, more involved photo/video management and editing, or serious research (ie schoolwork/academic stuff). You can do it all, just not always as easily.

You don't mention what your family is. If it's just you, your husband and a toddler, you very well might be able to get away with an ipad until your kid is older, if you're comfortable with the limitations on some of the things you mentioned (transferring photos, scanning, etc). If you have older kids, I don't think I can imagine a whole family sharing one iPad vs. sharing a laptop. To me it's like suggesting you replace your home land line with a single iPhone. You have your own apps, your own stuff, it's by your side constantly....totally usable by other people, just doesn't feel as natural.


Is an iPad the Right Solution for My Family? Good Questions
3/15/12 4:20 PM

Yes to what joonbug said - they are plates specifically for hangar bolt legs/feet, so you'll find them wherever you can find replacement legs (HD and Lowes should have them) and they're pretty standardized so your leg bolt should fit just fine. But you may need to get plates for all 4 legs for that chair because the plate dips down in the center to basically provide more height b/w the plate and the bottom of your furniture for the bolt to screw in, so it might end up putting your legs at different heights.


Is This Chair Fixable?
Good Questions

3/2/12 10:30 AM

Maybe it's because it's looking a little "rental apartment" with the very plain white cabinets and builder basic hardware, black granite, etc? I had this issue when we bought our place. Not to say it's not the paint color at all, but I would focus on things that help it feel like a more custom kitchen: add crown, a backsplash, new cabinet hardware, new faucet, under-cabinet lighting, maybe convert some of the uppers to have glass or be open?

I would personally swap out that sink - we also had granite counters and an overmount stainless sink and while I like SS undermount, it bugs me in overmount..so we bought a black silgranite sink and it's one of the biggest impact things we did. It minimizes the overmount look and blends into the counters for a more seamless effect.

Paint color is important, but I found I wasn't happy with our kitchen until we made more of these kinds of changes. Then the finishing touches - paint, rug, window treatments!


What Next For This Move-in-Ready Kitchen?
Good Questions

2/7/12 4:30 PM

Ever since Adobe themselves abandoned support for mobile/tablet flash, this has been a non-issue for me. If even Adobe can't find a leg to stand on with their own product in the mobile/tablet arena, I think we'll quickly see the demise of it in favor of HTML5. Correct, flash won't go away 100%, but as mobile traffic rises even more than it already has, intelligent site owners won't want to stick with a technology that only works in traditional desktop browsers.

http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/08/mobile-flash-is-coming-soon-i-swear/


Does Flash Support Still Matter to You?
1/26/12 3:50 PM

@bkhomebody - Completely agree, everytime you read something about best practice, they're saying the opposite of the last thing you read. The only one I abide by is going through at least one charge cycle a month (letting it fully drain). This is a recommendation by Apple, and I've owned iPhones since the first gen and it seems to work for me, and I haven't noticed issues with major drainage or anything. However, my husband is a person who always plugs in at night and never drains his battery despite me reminding him and his 3GS had terrible issues holding a charge by the end of 2 years. So I'm sure there's something to it, though I'm not sure if it's nightly charging or lack of a charge cycle that was the problem in his case.


Why You Shouldn't Leave Your Cell Phone Plugged in at Night
1/13/12 11:06 AM

I'd also keep the floor, it's pretty cool. What a fun thing to find under there. But agree with adding an area rug.

I also don't think I would do the faux bois now with that floor, but I think you could still get a cabin feel just by using a darker, rich, wall color on the walls. Maybe a really dark navy or chocolate brown? You could also always add other wood/natural/cabin-y elements in smaller doses w/accessories to get the feel without going overboard and getting pattern clash.


Keep This Linoleum Flooring?
Good Questions

10/6/11 3:56 PM

I think you're thinking the sofa color is an issue just because it looks a little lost and sad in that empty room and blends in with the wall. I'm not in love with the color or anything, but from the pictures it seems like it would be a totally fine base for other colors and patterns. It's fairly neutral. I just wouldn't a) try to go too cool with the rest of your colors to mask the couch b/c it will just stick out, or b) try to go too earthy to go "with" the couch because it sounds like you don't really want to go down the beige/browns/tans path.

Despite the polarizing nature of Restoration Hardware in the last couple years, I would look at them for some ideas of how to style a room around beige-ish couches without having to go heavy on the earth tones and keeping it light and sophisticated.


Sophisticated Living Room with Beige Sofa?
Good Questions

9/20/11 3:39 PM

I agree, in fact I was surprised to hear the thought that the checkerboard wouldn't go, as I think it's a great floor for a bright kids bathroom.

However, considering you don't like it, I would just get a couple larger bath mats in colors that your daughter likes. To not compete with the floor, I would do the polka dots in a more simplified color palette (just one or two colors) and try to incorporate those colors with B&W to pull in the floor. Also keep the size/number of the dots and the tile size in mind so it's not overwhelming. For example, do a few little things that incorporate dots on a small scale (like a couple hand towels, the knobs like other people mentioned, etc) and then maybe throw in a splash of much larger dots through a couple oversized decals or shower curtain, and then keep everything else solid colors. You get the dots and colors you want without overwhelming the space and not spending money changing the floor for a kids bathroom.


Ways to Change This Tile for Daughter's Bathroom?
Good Questions

9/6/11 2:29 PM

I like a second island for the idea of it taking the place of an eat-in dining area (breakfast nook, etc) in the kitchen, but it allows for more storage and a second workspace when needed.

However, I would personally like to see them done with more distinction between the two. I think an island usually commands the focus of the room and when there are 2, it becomes a little more visually confusing. Making one feel more like the "kitchen table" area and the other the prep area through materials would be nice.


Two Islands in the Kitchen: Do or Don't?
9/1/11 11:15 AM

Yeah, is the reason you're not painting over the yellow/brown because there's a ton to paint? Maybe it reads differently in real life, but it's pretty tan and if there's anyway for you to paint over that color, I think that's the best option. If it's too much or you can't paint over that for some other reason, I would say that the color combo isn't awful, and I would add a ton of natural elements (in tone and materials) - creams and whatnot instead of strong whites and blacks like you have. Not that I'm suggesting you get rid of your table/chairs because of the paint, just where you can I would add lots of more natural materials to warm it up and bridge the colors together. Someone mentioned seagrass, and that would be great. A woven pendant, and other accessories in that vein that will lighten and brighten the tan but still coordinate with grey.


Gray Paint to Go with Yellow Walls?
Good Questions

8/31/11 3:11 PM

Like edmarch, I was also going to suggest a bar, though I don't think you would need cabinet necessarily - maybe line the shelves in some fun removable wallpaper and then have glassware on the top two shelves, the next shelf could be a bar "counter" with bar tools and a couple commonly used spirits and glasses for styling and convenience. Rest of booze on the shelf below that. Not sure what you'd put on the floor in that case, though.

Alternatively, I like the idea of putting books in front of baskets/bins that store uncommonly used items, or putting the books in the back and styling in front of them with decorative objects.

I don't know if I like the idea of putting a small desk in there, mostly because I think unless it fit perfectly, it would look like you tried to shove a desk in a tiny closet. Could you build something custom that would slide in there and look more like it was built-in, or could you just remove the bottom shelf and use the second one for the desk top? I would also worry about any electronics. You wouldn't be able to put a lamp or anything in there that needed to plug in since there's no outlets.


Use for Deep Shelves?
Good Questions

8/30/11 2:05 PM