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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

Is there someone else who wants them if you don't take them? Or what will happen to them otherwise? I'm just wondering what the harm is in taking them and trying it out and selling them if it doesn't work. I love mirrored furniture, but agree that the shape of these is tough. However I like the idea of using them outside...something about putting them in a natural environment gives them back the glam edge they would be missing inside.

Otherwise, I like the idea of trying to do something different with it besides using them as pedestals....are they too tall to be put on a tall bookshelf amongst books and other items? I think they could be cool as part of a styled bookcase if they would fit. Or the idea of converting them to be a table base is interesting.

Also, if there is a way to do something to the mirror to give it a mercury glass/antiqued mirror look, that could help with the "showroom" feel.


Should I Accept These Mirrored Pedestals?
Good Questions

8/25/11 1:59 PM

I don't know that I'm seeing the point of a chaise if it will be against the back of the wall anyway...? I mean it's a cute look for your purposes in other ways but if it's just going to be against a wall just like a couch I'm not sure I like the idea. If you're liking the lightness/openness of it, I feel like there are small scale low-arm options out there that would work and not feel as odd placed against a wall. Now if you could float it, I'd say do it!


Downfall To Having A Chaise As My Sofa?
Good Questions

8/2/11 1:47 PM

I totally agree with @mauishopgirl. It so depends on your space and your layout.

Also there's also plenty of spaces that aren't just straight "big" or "small" that you can't just magically apply rules to anyway. I personally have a large loft-like space - original beams, soaring ceilings, etc. However, I'm in an average size condo from a sqft perspective and our main room is a combo living/dining kitchen with not a ton of room for the living area. We tried a few variations and no sofa really worked well. The apt sized was too small, the overstuffed too big, the low-back longer one was too long and didn't go, etc.. In the end I just did the style I liked the best and worked around it in other ways. So as much as we'd like to compartmentalize into big and small spaces and give rules for each, every single space is different and requires its own "rules" be it for furniture or paint colors or whatnot.


Can You Have Big Furniture in a Small Space?
4/19/11 12:00 PM

I agree, I'm not getting this. I find most of my kitchen appliances verge on single use to some extent. I'm not really sure why we're talking about normal appliances. How else are you supposed to make coffee? And the last time I saw a coffee maker/toaster combo it was some POS at Target that was $12. I'm not sure why I would want to buy that over a good quality coffee maker just because it only makes coffee. Personally if I came upon a combo rice cooker/bread maker/ice cream maker....I don't know that I would really trust it could do any of those things well.

I do understand the discussion for things like the hot dog toaster, the corn-butterers, etc. - the goofy things that are simply novelties that perform a function there's no reason the average person can't do manually and easily and don't somehow improve how and what you're doing. I don't think most of these fit into that category.


Single-Use Kitchen Kitchen Appliances: Awesome or Awful?
4/11/11 12:35 PM

I also find the noisy scroll wheels to be more annoying, but regardless...

Coming from a background of human-computer interactions, there are lots of things that signify to you that something has worked and we need these things in order to be as efficient as possible. This is why the iPhone's very enlarged keys when you type are so large and why they defaulted to having keyboard sounds, because all the other tactile affordances have been taken away so you need as much data as possible in order to understand something happened and move on. If you take away the click sound, since your mouse pointer or what it's clicking on doesn't always visually indicate you did something, the tactile part of it will have to be the same (the snap back into place) or more exaggerated in order for you to be equally as efficient at using your mouse as your are now. I'm all for it, it's just a very interesting field and you can't just take away an indicator without accommodating for it, otherwise you'll see more difficult, frustration, and slowness with users.


Would You Spend Cash on a Silent-Click Mouse?
3/30/11 2:44 PM

I still like RH, but as individual pieces and not a whole room. Some of it is definitely ridiculous, but then again I think a lot of PB, DWR, etc. can be ridiculous when you look at entire rooms of it as well, though RH is far and away the WORST offender of this. It's way too much themey stuff and it's all too similar to each other in scale, color and finishes. The way they style their rooms and cram every absurd piece all togethe is insane...whoever is styling their catalogs is an idiot.

Having said that, like I said I still like it for finding individual pieces - a few accessories, a chair, a sofa, a table, bath fixtures. But would never buy more than a few things from there at once for a house...way too much. Also, they did a good job remaking themselves to be different from PB. No one's talking about PB and I'd much rather peruse the RH catalog than the other, despite finding a ton of laughable pieces, copywriting, and moments :)


Florid Language: Restoration Hardware's New Catalog
3/30/11 12:18 PM

I know you're not asking for a permanent solution, but definitely don't do anything permanent later. You'll easily lose at least double if not triple the amount of a new dishwasher when you resell. Happened to me when we were condo hunting and our realtor recommended giving the lack of dishwasher and effort to remove the mostly-temporary wine storage they put in and purchase a new dishwasher...a factor of about $1500 Not a massive difference, but why not keep that money for yourself? Don't spend the money on custom cabinetry, someone will offer even lower since now they'll have to tear out a cabinet and custom cabs are not cheap.

As for a current temporary solution, I like the idea of a rolling cart for pots and pans or a garbage/recycling station. Or if you don't need pots/pans or other major storage you could find a cute bar cart that would fit, maybe you could fill a bar cart with glassware and whatnot and be able to wheel it out for entertaining.


How To Fill Space Where Dishwasher Used To Be?
Good Questions

3/29/11 2:48 PM