Remodel

Remodel

Even long after the tell-tale odor of new paint has vanished, traditional paint can off-gas for months, releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have been linked to organ and nervous system damage, cancer, and infertility.

Every March, our team makes the trip to Chicago for the Inspired Home Show (IHS), one of the biggest housewares trade shows of the year, where thousands of brands debut new products, innovations, and releases across every category imaginable, from kitchen and bath to bed, organization, and beyond.

I never liked the tile color, which is difficult to tell if it is peach or pink or beige, but he found some wallpaper to tone down the tile and, in fact, make it look charming in the bathroom. The choice of wallpaper design and color complements the tile perfectly. He picked a honey-toned brown for the walls, ceiling, and door, and trim, and then he chose a navy floral wallpaper that incorporates those lighter tones.

I love rotating house plants in and out of the greenhouse all winter long, which means I always have plants in my house. But right now, I have seven flowering amaryllis on my kitchen table ... beautiful, big blooms of white and pink that are all over my kitchen, which just started to bloom a couple of weeks ago.

After years of traveling in a van, our wild hippie hearts wanted a place where we could build whatever we wanted, meditate outside in the sun, and feel inspired by natural, untouched land nearby. When we first visited Taos, New Mexico, we realized that this desert town - quirky, rural, spacious, and breathtaking - checked off everything on our list.

When you hire the cheapest operator in town, you usually aren't getting a clean floor. You are getting a soaking wet carpet, hidden upcharges, and a sticky chemical residue that acts like a dirt magnet the second it dries.

The heart of the Betty is its kitchen, which occupies the center of the floor plan and punches well above its weight class. Quartz countertops, a deep farmhouse-style sink, and generous cabinetry - including a sizable pantry - give the space a polished, functional feel. A breakfast bar provides a casual dining spot, while appliances include a microwave, a two-burner induction cooktop, and a fridge/freezer.

Stress-skin panel construction is probably the most energy-efficient and cost-effective building method available today. With super-high insulation levels and airtightness, a stress-skin panel house should have extremely low heating and cooling costs. A reduction of 50% on utility bills as compared to a typically constructed house is reasonable.

Appliance power mapping means measuring each appliance's actual electricity consumption rather than relying on manufacturer estimates. Using tools like plug-in electricity monitors (such as a Kill-A-Watt meter) or whole-house energy monitors (like Sense or Emporia Vue), you collect real data on how much electricity each device draws-while running, in standby, and when nominally "off."

Neither of us had ever installed a sink before, and we only had one shot to get the placement right and cut the hole correctly. We spent a good four hours off and on the phone with my dad, measuring and re-measuring before finally committing to the cut. There were tense moments, but we figured it out.

I like things that are sprawling, mismatched, and fragmentary. Elisabeth's design philosophy emphasizes organic, layered aesthetics that celebrate imperfection and eclecticism in everyday objects and spaces.