Green Living Event @ Millstone Farm

I went to a great event held recently at Millstone Farm in Wilton, CT.  Millstone is a local farm "whose mission is to operate in a sustainable manner". They provide ingredients for some of the best restaurants in the area - including one of my favorites, The Schoolhouse at Canondale. It's a beautiful place, and they're doing great things in terms of community outreach. If you live in the area and haven't visited yet, do so while it's nice out!

The event was essentially the unveiling of the relationship between Green Living Technologies, a pioneer in green roofing products, and The LaurelRock Company, a local landscape contractor.  LaurelRock will be the new exclusive distributor, installer, and maintenance company for GLT's products, which include their patented green roof panel system and the "living wall" system.

Favorites from the Show - AD Home Design Show 2012

Eco Kitchen: Replacing Appliances

Picking out new kitchen appliances can be a daunting task.

Here are the basic questions you should ask yourself when first undertaking this project:

1) What are the built-in appliances you absolutely need?

2) Are you replacing existing appliances and not changing cabinetry? If so, detailed measurements need to be taken of existing appliances, so that new appliances will fit.

3) What counter-top appliances are necessary for your kitchen?  Are you OK with them sitting out on the counter, or will they be put away between use, or is there a way to build them into surrounding cabinetry, especially if they'll be used frequently?

The next few steps are the fun part:  Browse online and in person at showrooms to determine the style and finish you like for your new appliances.  Just make sure it works with existing cabinetry!  Keep this step to aesthetics only.  You don't want to narrow yourself down to one or two brands before considering this very important next step....

Pergola... SHADED!

Design Dilemna: Shade Needed!

After the first 80+ degree day in our new home last summer, I quickly realized that our patio is useless without some kind of shading device. It faces West, and gets sun pretty much from noon to sunset.  The dark stone flooring also absorbs all the heat and just keeps on radiating, making our primary outdoor room a pretty unwelcoming place to hang out on a hot summer afternoon.

I considered retractable awnings, a big umbrella, tensile structures, regular sail cloth mounted to posts, etc. Frankly, I didn't like any of these options.  I wanted something that will withstand the test of time and that will be flexible in terms of the actual shading material.



My solution: a pergola! And here it is:

Case Study 01: Kitchen Remodel

I completed this kitchen remodeling project for a client in Cleveland last spring. My clients' problems with their kitchen extended beyond aesthetics. The primary issue was the lack of a relationship between the kitchen itself and the eating area on the opposite side of the pass-through. This space was underutilized, despite being quite bright and enjoyable due to a skylight and large window. Since the pass-through to the kitchen was small, the kitchen did not benefit from all this light, but instead felt dark and closed-off. The eating area became essentially a hallway used solely for circulation, instead of a destination on its own.

Case Study 02 - Post & Beam House Remodel

About a year ago, my husband and I left the city and moved to the wilds of Weston, CT.  We love our new area - complete with dirt road, a couple acres to roam around, and pond-front property.  The clincher for us are the cultural aspects of the area - which, for me, includes a gourmet food scene, vibrant community theatre, and enough of an upscale granola vibe that we don't feel like we're in the middle of the burbs.  Weston prides itself on being the "exurbs" and its "rural and residential" character.  No big box stores here!

the pond