buffalogirl's Profile

"How is it that us renters have to always put up with weird lighting and pink and black bathroom tiles?"

Your not the only ones. Before we bought our place almost every home we saw that didn't have a bathroom reno within the last 5 years had pink tiles. I don't know if there was a national sale on pink tiles that spanned a decade but somehow very few bathrooms escaped it.

Unfortunately I usually just throw my out. I notice some companies have started using formed molds out of a pulp mixture that is recyclable in electronics at least.

That first picture makes me want to build a giant Styrofoam maze in my basement.

The outside looks horrible! Did a cube just smash into the side of that tudor?

The inside while not terrible, (save the wood cave of a livingroom), is not spectacular either. I have seen a much better mixture of modern and more traditional elements elsewhere, including house tours on this very site.

We were friends with people who were tossing up the idea of prefab since land price is less of an issue here but they found $250 psf seemed to be the lower end (and that's not including land). Architects and contractors quoted them the same price on the higher end, for something that was exactly to their specifications.

However, now that the housing market is a buyer market they decided to buy a house instead at less than $100 psf and fix it up to something they love for much less than either option.

I love the look of prefabs, but they are hardly affordable, so my guess is they either will lower their prices or suffer in the economic climate like most other things that are relatively more expensive than similar options.

Urban Outfitters - No thanks!

Wish I had the time for it!

Does anyone know who makes the dining table in the picture? I love it.

Maybe it's because the wood is much darker, maybe it's too many frames which are also framed by the dividers then the actual case itself, or maybe it's because I don't particularity like photos in general, but it looks awkward to me. I am of the opinion it sticks out a bit like a sore thumb and detracts from the rest of the room (which once you get past the picturecase) is very lovely.

It does look miles better stacked than blocking the doorway though.

My boyfriends father test furniture, among many other products, and many manufacturers or brands require that their product be destroyed after testing.

It's sad because there are some wonderful items like hardwood tables, thousand dollar sofas ect. that have little damage or are even perfectly new that have to be destroyed. They can't be given away or sent back. I keep thinking of when I was younger my Aunt couldn't even afford a Sofa for her livingroom and yet here are companies just making garbage out of them.

The environmental impact is sickening, but if it's policy then they have to do it, or again they will be fired.

However they also test for Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, even DWR and all there items can be either given away or raffled off (proceeds going to charity). We've won a Saarinen Tulip Table for $20 (perfect condition) Barcelona chair and Lounger and also nabbed a set of calphlon pans and $2,000 knife set (new in box). It's made us feel so very blessed. I can't believe that there is any need to destroy anything that can be usable by another human being.

Makes me hate "that" store even more than I already do. I am happy to say I have never bought a thing from there and never plan on it.

I agree with the above poster. I don't think anyone can definitively say what household items one should indulge themselves in. It's too situation specific.

I just "splurged" last week on a bathroom caddy from simplehuman. It's attractive, fit the space perfectly, stores everything I need, great quality, but was about $25 more than most other similar caddies. Was it more than my sofa? Heck no. One wouldn't expect that it should be, either should drapes, or lighting, but it's ratio of cost compared to other like items was much higher. A splurge on a sofa would have set me back much more than $25. Sometimes having one luxury in a room, can transform the way you feel about it and your time spent in it.

My rules for splurging generally are:
1. I can afford to.
2. I love it. ( I don't spurge that will set me back a good amount of money something unless I have thought about it for a considerable time, and still desire it months/years later. )
3. There are several reasons to justify spending a bit more money than I normally would. (looks, quality, efficiency, perfect for the space ect.)

Bulk, Bulk, Bulk. Not just things you tend to go through often, but also things that stay good for awhile. About 12 of us chipped in for a membership at a certain wholesale warehouse, and most of us split in on goods.

We also tend to prepare food in bulk and freeze it. Homemade sauces, soups, stocks, chili, breads, stuffed shells, preshaped cookies, I could go on. When you come home feeling tired and hungry they require little preparation and can easily be reheated. Plus your freezer is more efficient when it is full.

While we are in the kitchen, most leftovers make simple, cheap, and tasty lunches. That is if you don't mind eating the same thing the next day, we don't.

Line Dry if possible. It saves on electricity, and the environment. It prolongs the life of your dryer and your cloths... as does taking them off and neatly hanging them back up after work. If you are staying in throw on the cheap sweats, and that sweater with the bleach stain.

Most importantly waste not want not. Almost everytime you throw away something you are also throwing away money. Veggi scraps are perfect for soups or stocks or at least a rich compost. Old towels make great rags. Store bought glass food jars can almost always be reused for storing your own goods, from frozen soups, to leftover paint. The list goes on. Before you throw something away, think of what you can do with it first.