Thursday, December 13, 2012

Pop Up Plugs - Counter Receptacles!

Back in January, we shared a quick post about the Carlon Pop-Up Receptacle. Interestingly enough, I think it's the most called(like on the telephone) about post we've done simply because there are lots of questions out there about counter top receptacles, their availability and usage.

There are currently three that I reference to inquirers. Depending on your situation, timing, budget and whoever plans to install these bad boys, one may have an advantage over the other two. My advice, do your homework and make the best decision for your space and needs.

VERY IMPORTANT: Electrical codes vary from municipality to municipality. MAKE SURE YOU CAN USE A PRODUCT BEFORE YOU BUY. Can't stress it enough, but not everyone can have one of these gadgets.


The Carlon wins in the looks department- available in nickel, brass and oil-rubbed  bronze so it matches your other kitchen metals. Drawback to good looks? Price... The Carlon comes in at tops on the pricing pyramid, by a long shot.

I spoke with reps from Thomas and Betts this morning after there were rumblings that the Carlon wouldn't be  available any more. It's currently in engineering where they are ironing out some things on the pop-up mechanism but I was assured they'd be back and available in early 2013.



Claiming the the first sealed receptacle for use  in kitchens, labs, etc. where liquids could be spilled, the Mockett Power Grommet is pull-up receptacle rather than a pop-up one. Simply grab the two metal handles on top and up she goes until you hear the click and it's in place and ready to go. Good use of space, and three plugs are certainly better than two.

Additionally, there's a Grommet model that allows two receptacles and two data ports... A home-office dream!




The Outwater Grommet is the most budget friendly of the three and also features a pull-up mechanism. Available with three receptacles on both the standard(shown) and version with data ports.

As I said, check your local code and electrical contractor/supplier before making a decision... Professionals are there to help you!

Hope your counters are plugged in!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Genius Moment - Fridge Locker


Is personal food security an issue at your home or office? Tired of constantly counting(and losing) those cooled mini-Snickers? Are you stingy with your Diet Cokes?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, spend the 20 bucks for a Fridge Locker and worry about Refrig-A-Raiders no more.


How have you managed to survive all of these years without the  Fridge Locker? Protect those precious last few string cheese logs!


So now you must be asking... Is this real? Is this rude? Yes it's real, and it's only rude if you start to lock other people's food up.

You can buy them at Amazon... 20 bucks. Awesome.


Monday, October 1, 2012

Kitchen Color by Number - Antonio Lanzillo and Pantone

I love colorful spaces, and designers willing to go bold always catch my eye. Recently, Antonio Lanzillo and Partners showcased a new set of kitchen appliances and accessories spectacularly colored as Pantone swatches. Check it out:






Pretty awesome, huh?

Not sure that I want Pantone numbers on all my stuff, but what a neat showroom idea... special order in all colors? Very cool.

Friday, July 13, 2012

I've Been Famous Lately

It's been a good few weeks for "Nick publicity" and it's only fair for me to brag and show off thank those who were nice enough to feature/quote/picture me in their blogs and publications.


Hopefully you'll go to these links and read and comment and tell them how awesome they are to put someone as cool as me in their work.

K+BB - Web Savvy: Nick Lovelady

Editor Alice Liao approached me about doing a little impromptu interview for the Web Savvy column in each issue of K+BB. I was flattered and excited, especially after seeing other familiar faces featured in the magazine...

I'm just glad someone thinks I can be web savvy without being on Facebook!

Gold Notes - Four Favorite Products I Can't Specify Down South

Jamie Goldberg has an awesome blog, Gold Notes, that turned four this month. As a celebration, Jamie featured guests on her blog with four as the theme. Jamie and I talked about things we couldn't have in the Deep South during our trip to the BSH Design Center in Irvine, California last month. I couldn't have been more excited to be a part of the birthday celebration for Gold Notes!

Daily 5 Remodel - It Happened on Facebook (Part 1)

Leah Thayer at d5R shares the best information for the remodeling industry and thankfully she is pushing old school folks in to the new times. Highlighting successes in social media and other unique marketing endeavors is one of the prime functions of d5R and I was happy to share a small success in social media. Again, customers are out there... We just have to go find them!

So there you have it... Kind of exciting, eh?

If you don't regularly read any of these sites, go ahead and book mark them now. Each is fantastic and deserves your eyeballs. You can thank me later.

Thanks again to Alice, Jamie and Leah for sharing me with their audience. I can't wait for the opportunity to repay them (probably with hugs and such).

Thursday, July 12, 2012

In-Law Deterrent - Bloody Bathroom Accessories

No one can accuse me of secretly liking guests to quickly leave my home... I openly show admiration for uncomfortable furniture.

Ha!

But seriously.

I love all my house guests(for a couple of hours) and it's sometimes fun to have a bit of a gag around to lighten things up. My love for company goes right with my love for horror movies and Halloween.

The next time you have overnight, dinner party, hot-dog eating contest or whatever kind of guests, treat them to an interesting moment in the bathroom.


Bloody footprints! Ha!

Pair the awesome bath mat with an awesomely "Pyscho" inspired shower curtain... Complete with bloody hand prints! 


If you're really in the mood, toss in some Cherry scented shower gel... IN A BLOOD BAG!


I love all of this. 

Who cares if it's still months away from Halloween and months after April Fool's Day? Treat your friends... or yourself.

Easy to buy too... just zip over to Amazon.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Sunday Inspiration :: Brass is Back (Kinda)

The late 1980's and early 1990's fed us a consistent and steady stream of thermofoil cabinets and shiny brass fixtures in the kitchen. The hunter green and burgandy didn't help the look a tremendous amount.

Fortunately, trendsetters let us move on with our lives and the bulk of designers hoped that no one would ever bring up that rough patch in design history.

Well, here we are.

Design is cyclical. It's kind of like looking at an Urban Outfitters catalog with my mother and listening to a diatribe about how she "had the same dress in the seventies" and now these girls just look "homeless."

Brass was bound to come back around... This time if you use it correctly, your kitchen won't look... well, homeless.


Oh my. This Brooklyn residence was photographed by Matthew Williams for Dwell and sets brass as the dead center of attention.

So look... Brass can be good again!




And that's the gratuitous shot of the stunning walnut tops with the slightly living edge on the overlap. Breathtaking!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Before You Rent Your House

Many homeowners are bucking the trend of unloading properties and instead keeping them as sources of income. Of course, lots of variables exist like the market where you are, abundance of potential renters, etc.

The thought is good, but there are some important things to consider before taking on tenants. This graphic shows lots of those good tips.


Friday, July 6, 2012

Ride the Backsplash! Art of Board Tile

Responsible recycling is awesome. It's even more awesome when someone can take something that would rarely fit in to a unique, design focused space and transform it in to something really eye-catching.

Art of Board started in 2004 when the founder noticed the potential in a few broken and tossed out skateboards. It was too long before those boards were becoming all sorts of unique products.




Have a skater in your family? Just want a unique backsplash? Check this out!

BOOM!

Pretty sick, huh? Love the colors and textures of the space when it's all put together. I could totally see using these one day.

What do you think?

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Top 10 Must-Have Travel Apps!

It's vacation season and even when I travel for work, my iPhone/iPad take a central role in not just planning my trips, but also assisting me along the way once I'm far from home.

There are tons of travel apps that can help you on your trip. Here are a few that come highly recommended.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

The Dangers Lurking In Your Public Pool

I'm really not sure why some things must be said over and over, but use caution with public pools. Common sense goes a long way, folks.

It's summer time so more and more folks are taking the dip at the swimming pool. Take care of yourself!


Friday, June 22, 2012

Friday Find - Ting Leather Flooring

Ting was formed in 2000 with the mission of creating sustainable products from the onset. I would have likely never thought to take reclaimed leather and used belts(like the kind you wear) and fashion them in to flooring. Beyond that, I would have absolutely never thought it would look as good as this!


Thought I was kidding, eh? How awesome does that look?


Obviously this isn't a thrown together craft project. Each belt is carefully selected and chosen to fit each space in the floor.



I would imagine it knocks down sound much like leather walls do(which they do that, too). I can't wait to find a spot to use something like this!

Would you have it in your home?

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Staged & Sold: Sell Your Home Like a Pro

Staging one's home for sale is more important than you think. Recently I had a conversation with a realtor friend about this very issue.

The average home buyer has very little or no sense of scale. Seeing an empty house can give false senses of space and cause some buyer's remorse. Having your home staged can ease potential buyer's minds about a variety of issues. Furniture is smart, people...


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Faucet Love - Webert Arcobaleno

I love innovation. I also love when innovation allows for multiple users a different experience.

With the recent push for universal design and helping homeowners age gracefully in their homes, innovation has come in many shapes and in the case of the Webert Arcobaleno, colors.

The Arcobaleno is an LED faucet that shows(literally) users the temperature of the water they're about to use. For older and younger users(and me), it's a reminder of the water temperature so that one isn't accidentally burned or given a chill.

Take a look:



Obviously, blue is for cold and red is for hot. What makes the Arcobaleno unique is the ability of the LED to change with the temperature... What happens when you mix hot and cold? Purple!


The joystick adds a bit of whimsy to the otherwise modern faucet. Do you think you would use one in your house?

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Sunday Inspiration - Balancing Barn House

Sometimes architects have a way of making homes appear to do more(or less) than they appear. The Balancing Barn House near Suffolk across the big pond from us over here in the US is one of those homes.

Seeming to teeter on the side of a hill, half of the home is above ground with no supports. Scary?

Check it out:


Check out that swing!


The house is built using a complex frame, along with heavier materials on the "ground side" so that the opposing end can remain open and obstruction free. The exterior is clad in silver panels that give the home a unique reflective quality that mimics the environment around it.




The house sleeps eight and is available as a short term rental. You can stay there! 


Perhaps my favorite feature of the space is the "floor light" in the living room. Those chilling on the sofa can look down beyond the coffee table and see the ground!



I'm ready to go!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Grocery Store GPS

This is a bigger deal than you think... Always reminds me of Dwight on The Office talking about staging the "Money Beets" close to the front.

There's a way to shop smarter... These are some great tips.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Friday Find - Traeger Lil' Pig Grill

It's squarely grill season in the Heart of Dixie. As much as I love pigs and grills, it was natural that when I saw the Lil' Pig from Traeger that I'd be in love.



Now, if you're not familiar with Traeger Grills and their pretty sweet Wood Pellet Grill system you should absolutely check it out. At first, I was a bit skeptical that it could beat out a traditional charcoal or even a big gas monster like the one I normally use at home, but look at just how the grill works...


Between an automatic start function and convection cooking(all you foodies just perked up, huh?), the Traeger system is easy to use and function extremely efficiently. Traeger Wood Pellet Grills use considerably less than most wood grills.

If you're in the market for a new grill(but can't handle a pig on your deck), contact your local Traeger dealer and get cooking!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Bolefloor: Life is not a straight line.

Any company that has uses the slogan, "Life is not a straight line" is going to be one that I'm going to like. Working in the design world, it's easy to know how that's the one constant in our industry. No lines are truly plumb.

Bolefloor is a revolutionary Dutch product that has the design world buzzing. 


Wait?! Those lines are going... Whoa.


You're seeing it correctly. The Bolefloor system allows for more planks to be cut out of the natural flow on wood. Awesome that more wood gets used, but even cooler is how awesome the finished product looks!

See how one can get more flooring?


Bolefloor is available in Oak, Maple, Ash, Cherry and Walnut. Beveled joints are available(which look sweet!) and the product installs much like a traditional wood floor.

Check this short video for an install:






According to the Bolefloor website, a California manufacturing plant will serve most of North America starting in 2012. I can't wait to get some of this in my area!

What do you think?

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