Meet Snoop

Here in South Florida a German Shepherd is learning to sniff out Chinese Drywall. Snoop will be one of the first dogs in the country certified to find Mold and Chinese Drywall in Homes.

This K9 Detective is being trained by Bill Whitstine of the Florida Canine Academy for All American Plumbing and Construction of Fort Myers, FL.

This is not the first time a dog trained by Bill has received attention. His Mold Dogs have been featured on CNN, Newsweek, HGTV and Extreme Home Makeover.

Recent News

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently outlined (pdf) what homeowners must look for to identify bad drywall in their homes, and then how to corroborate their observations with chemical laboratory work.

The step that most people are waiting for is guidance on the proper way to remediate a home because it’s unclear exactly what needs to be gutted or thrown away to rid a home of problems, whether a house can be treated to render drywall problems inert, or whether a home must be torn down.

“We hope to release the remediation protocols this spring,” said Dr. Warren Friedman, senior adviser to the director of the office of healthy homes and lead hazard control at HUD.

Local News

A million dollar guarantee is being given to Charlotte county families moving into homes built with Chinese drywall. AbissoCleanse gives a 100% guarantee that at the completion of their protocol your home is completely free of all residual compounds resulting from corrosive drywall off-gassing.

December 14, 2009

2010 Color of the Year: Turquoise

Pantone has officially named 15-5519 Turquoise as the 2010 Color of the Year.

For the last few years various shades of aqua, cerulean, teal, and ultramarine have been tremendously popular so this color choice doesn’t seem to be much of a stretch. The true turquoise shade that they have chosen does seem to have more depth and a higher concentration of green than the icy aquas we have been seeing.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, says there was no runner-up to turquoise in her mind because people crave escapism and freshness after a tough year. The shade is on the cusp of blue and green, which makes it both inviting and serene — characteristics associated with blues — and invigorating and luminous, which comes from green, she says.

Pantone’s color for 2009 was mimosa yellow, intended to carry a hopeful, optimistic message. Eiseman says the public is shifting gears as the economy shows some improvement: They are ready to fantasize a bit about the beach resort.

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. Here are a few pictures for inspiration.

October 5, 2009February 25, 2018

Around the Web

As I was strolling the world wide web this past week I found some great items I thought I’d share starting with this incredible white kitchen in a Barn-style home in Sag Harbour from Emma and her great Blog White and Wander.

I love the commercial-style faucet and industrial stainless steel surfaces paired with the clean white shelving filled with glasses and clay pitchers. Check out her other posts filled with lost of interior goodness.

The Laurel Hedges has a fun post that tells of the little known secret that a powerful exhaust fan in a couple’s bathroom lowers the chance of divorce. Millie blogs to get away from the men in her life ( she has 5 sons!) and her posts are refreshing and filled with wonderful little gems.

Small kitchens are hard to design because they still have to have all the appliances found in larger kitchens and at least a little storage. I think Chris Welsh did a fabulous job on this alcove kitchen featured on Alicia B. Designs with her tips on how to maximise small kitchen space.

If you have missed the magazine Domino then you will love the new online magazine, Lonny. Eddie Ross introduced me to the new publication on his blog. His beautiful farmhouse has a fabulous spread in the 200 or so page publication. I love what he and his partner did with their butler’s pantry. Everything is beautifully organized and very accessible.

September 23, 2009

Starck By Warendorf

As Miele kitchens re-brands itself and takes on the name of the German town in which the company is based – Warendorf – it is making this change with a new kitchen destined to make a significant impact.

They’ve chosen one of the biggest names in design – Philippe Starck – to develop the first kitchen under the new brand.

Starck has created a kitchen design that represents something of a departure, both emotionally and functionally, from the traditional wall-to-wall arrangement of the fitted kitchen.

He calls the concept “democratic design” because its wide range of individual elements and the ability to combine them in different ways gives it potentially wide appeal to a range of consumers, lifestyles and spaces.

Starck’s first kitchen design concept, Starck by Warendorf, is complemented by functional tables that can be integrated into every Philippe Starck kitchen but may also be used as a standalone concept. It is a modular system made up of kitchen elements and individual pieces that leave all interior design options open.

A key element of the Starck by Warendorf concept is the way it combines living functions with the functions of eating and food preparation.

Starck does this with a number of specific design references. His bookshelf-style elements are intended to combine culture and food in the domestic kitchen. The bar-style counters are a response to the changed dynamic governing meal times.

Starck has banished visible appliances from these kitchen designs. Refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, ovens etc are all concealed behind handleless unit fronts. The accompanying exhaust hoods disappear into the ceiling when not in use.