Nobody likes to see valuable garden vegetables eaten off by bugs. What if you could keep those damaging pests from your edibles without using insecticides? All it requires is a couple helpful plants, better called companion plants.

Companion plants keep unwanted bugs off, but they also attract pollinators for many veggies, such as cucumbers, melons, tomatoes and squash. You could be surprised to discover that you’re likely already familiar with many of those helpful plants.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

How Companion Plants Work

there are lots of companion plants which help repel damaging insects. You may wonder, how do they do this?

Insects are usually guided to plants by their odor. Aromatic plants such as marigolds, garlic, nasturtiums and basil will keep away bad bugs away from your vegetable garden.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Other techniques companion plants assist in the vegetable garden is by attracting beneficial insectsthat assist pollinate flowering vegetables. Some companion plants also attract good bugs that will eat the undesirable bugs.

Shown: Female cucumber flower

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Companion plants operate best when planted alongside veggies. You can plant them between rows of veggies, or you could merely intersperse them through the developing vegetables. Most companion plants are easily grown from seed and can be planted in precisely the exact same period as your vegetable seeds.

Shown: Marigolds, garlic and nasturtiums planted next to leaf lettuce

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Cucumbers, tomatoes and squash are only a couple of plants from the vegetable garden which will need to have their flowers pollinated to produce delicious vegetables for your table. Flowering companion plants such as alyssum and bachelor’s button add beauty to your garden whilst attracting pollinators.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Popular Companion Plants

Companion plants are not fussy and are simple to grow. Listed below are a couple that could help out in your own vegetable garden.

Repel unwanted bugs: Basil, garlic, geraniums, marigolds, lavender, nasturtiums, petunias, rosemary, sage and thyme

Attract beneficial insects: Alyssum, bachelor’s button, cosmos and chamomile

Shown: Alyssum, bachelor’s button and marigolds planted along with a young tomato plant

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Basil masks the alluring scent of your own vegetable plants, keeping bad bugs off. Listed below are two other reasons to develop basil in your backyard:
Basil is very easy to grow from seed or seedlings once the danger of frost has passed. You can also develop it into containers.It’s hard to beat the fresh taste of basil at a popular Italian dish.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Nasturtiums are excellent companion plants since bugs hate their peppery odor. They not only repel bugs you don’t want around, they alsoattract pollinators. However there are different advantages of incorporating nasturtiums to a vegetable garden:

• Every part of nasturtiums is raw, plus they add a delicious, peppery flavor to salads.
• they’re simple to grow from seed.
• The flowers add beauty to any vegetable garden.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Marigolds add a bright and bright spot of colour. Pest bugs simply hate them and stay away. Buy them in six-packs or start them from seed.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Alyssum does double duty as a companion plant. Its flowers attract pollinators in addition to great bugs that feed upon the undesirable ones. They have other advantages too:
The flowers have a sweet fragrance.You can buy them from six-packs from the nursery or simply scatter seeds throughout the backyard. More: Things to Do in Your Garden Today

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Before you shop for shower fixtures, it is important to understand the fundamentals of shower controls. What choices are there? What will fit your space and budget best?

There are three basic systems for controlling the water temperature and flow speeds:
Simple single levers or knobs which control both water temperature and flowCombination temperature controls, which can comprise two or even three extra fixturesA separate thermostatic control valve (temperature only) and flow valve (volume only)Regardless of what system you select, the fixture will probably arrive in 2 parts. The rough-in matching is that the guts of the shower fixture and is normally made from brass. The matching will probably get hooked up into the lines.

The next part is that the tile trim. Have your plumber install the trimming prior to determining the depth of the fixture, since this will make it possible for you to find the finished look. Most levers or knobs project too far to the shower, however you can work this out by test fitting beforehand.

Residential Resurrections

Pick your temperature and stream zones. A thermostatic control valve comes in numerous styles and versions it can make your head float.

A well-designed control will have a separate temperature setting, perhaps in the collar, and the flow valve at the handle. Decide how many flow and temperature zones you want before purchasing. There are numerous alternatives in plumbing setups; knowing what you want in advance can make the process easier.

Xstyles Bath + More

Decide in your handheld nozzle’s placement. If you’re intending to have a shower seat, ensure you can achieve and manage the handheld whilst sitting down. A committed flow valve for a handheld is excellent, but often the controls can still be achieved in the middle of the shower.

You can also put the shower controls close to the entrance for simple startup with minimal splashing.

PlumbingDepot.com

Moen TS2713 90 Degree Posi-Temp Single Handle Tub and Shower Faucet Trim, Chrome – $169.12

Mix and match fixtures. When shopping for fixtures, do not just walk by the tub bundles. These packages usually include a controller, a tub filler and a showerhead. The bath filler can be redeemed and the water sent straight to the shower head rather. A simple system such as this is ideal for a basic one-fixture shower. Often the bathtub packs are priced better than shower-only fixtures. Mixing and matching a couple flow valves or a handheld with a tub package can help you save a good deal of cash in the long term.

Attempt to decide on a fixture with adjustable flow prices. This is great for families with young kids or anyone with a rain showerhead. It makes cleaning the bathtub less messy also, since water doesn’t need to blast whole strength in the handheld.

Veranda Estate Homes & Interiors

Plan forward for steam showers. If you’re intending to have steam in your brand new shower, then look for shower fixtures which have steam vapor flashings included with the rough-in. This may be tough for some sales people to determine, so be prepared to look into it more after you leave a store.

You’ll also have to search for a steam generator. Make sure it can be easily accessed — try not to put in the generator at the ceiling or under the shower seat. In a particular mechanical room or over the washing machine will be a good place that provides more serviceability and drain-pan connection points.

Designer’s Plumbing Studio

Gessi Shower System

Don’t overlook inspectors. If your toilet is being inspected, you need to ask about the approval ratings needed. Sometimes European fixtures include an endorsement letter to your inspector. If the inspector asks for it, then you are going to want to have it useful.

LACAVA

Lacava Minimal Wall Mount Rain Showerhead – $420

Assess the shower arm. Make sure that your showerhead has a high quality arm. Chrome-plated brass is a great option. It looks great and has some weight to it. Many budget fixtures include chrome-plated plastic; those can fail in time and are far inferior to chrome-plated brass shower arms.

Leaks at the wall can cause thousands of dollars in damages when they go undetected. If you and your partner are various heights and each adjusts the showerhead every day, this is even more reason to have a quality shower arm or sliding bar with a handheld sprayer.

Holger hoos layout

Consider integrating different adjustment levels. In this photograph you can see the thermostatic control valve in the lower left side. Above is the circulation valve to the left-hand human body jets. On the right is a flow valve to the handheld.

Adding various degrees of adjustment can add to the enjoyment of a steam shower in particular. A terrifying burst of cold water can be a welcome treat in the middle of a steam session.

Ironwood Builders

Decide in your own hose’s placement. Before putting the supply line on your handheld unit, get the hose out and positon it on the wall. Where does this look best? This photograph shows a great installation. Most hoses look better with 8 to 10 inches of spacing. This seems to make the natural bend and permits the swag to remain continuous and not kinked.

Cynthia Lynn Photography

Remember — your dream shower can be right at which clunky old tub sits!

Next: Convert Your Tub Space into a Shower — The Tiling Stage

Past: Convert Your Tub Space into a Shower — the Planning Stage

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From vibrant and contemporary to historic and muted, ‘s featured Kitchens of the Week at 2012 comprised just about every kitchen style, colour and material available. Mixing inspiration and practical tips, the ideabooks showed beautiful kitchens which turned into a hit among ers.

We have compiled the 20 hottest of these kitchens in 1 spot for a significant dose of instant kitchen inspiration. They’re presented in order of popularity, based on Facebook “enjoys” and bookmarks.

Loop Design

1. Aqua Knockout at Austin

Readers adored designer Jennifer Ott’s aqua and lime kitchen in Texas. While the bold-colored island and backsplash captured ers’ eyes, the functionality of this smart kitchen is what causes it to be bookmark worthy. Extra-large drawers instead of foundation shelving, concealed storage from the window seat and two pantries help Ott maintain her kitchen clean.

Susan Brook Interiors

2. Smart Storage Solutions at Indiana

While stunning at first glance, this kitchen includes more than meets the eye. Designer Susan Brook custom designed horizontal-grain cabinetry with built-in tambour doors, trash rollouts, knife storage and a lift to get a mixer — one of the things — to help the family remain organized.

Elizabeth Swartz Interiors

3. Beautiful Blue at Martha’s Vineyard

Set on a pond on the west shore of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, this kitchen includes calming blue cabinetry that struck a note with readers. A spacious backyard pantry, plenty of natural light and entertainment-friendly solutions make this kitchen great for cooking dinner for 10 or 2.

Christopher Michael Interiors

4. Elegant 18th-Century Remodel

Renovating an older dwelling always includes a set of challenges — particularly when you are working with a home by the 18th century! This 1790 New Jersey kitchen had its original grand terrace, and the owners were intent on retaining. Harmony Cabinets and Construction built the fireplace using a practical stove and constructed in new foggy-blue cabinetry for a classic look.

McKinney York Architects

5. Exquisite Artistic Backsplash

Though the handmade stained glass backsplash creates a bold statement in this kitchen, McKinney York’s kid-friendly design alternatives are what drew readers into this space. Multiple action zones –including a smaller, second refrigerator — help with cleanup and cooking, while a dumbwaiter from the garage which makes unloading groceries easy.

UB Kitchens

6. Sweet French Country Design in Austin

simple but sweet, this kitchen has a practical design and practical design. While the space is on the smaller side, UB Kitchens used a cream and white palette to make it feel open and glowing. A backsplash highlighted with grey grout adds visual attention.

Amy A. Alper, Architect

7. Galley Kitchen at the Wine Country

A dream home doesn’t always come with a fantasy kitchen — as these homeowners at Sonoma, California, heard. While the budget meant that the footprint of this narrow galley kitchen couldn’t be reconfigured, architect Amy Alper reorganized the design to generate cooking and cleaning simple. Focusing on appliance positioning and keeping a clean and spacious function triangle enhanced the purpose of the kitchen without adding any square footage.

Jackson Design & Remodeling

8. Stirring Up Two Styles in San Diego

All these Southern California homeowners endangered on their differences in design, integrating elements of modern and rustic design into their new kitchen. Jackson Design & Remodeling used a mixture of subway tile, Caesarstone and reclaimed wood components to successfully unite the 2 looks.

Exquisite Kitchen Design

9. Two Islands at Colorado

This household of five desired extra space so that they could all hang out at the kitchen together. Two islands and 2 refrigerators divide the kitchen by action — cooking and prep, eating and cleaning — so the whole family can operate seamlessly in the space.

Gaspar’s Construction

10. New Traditional Design in a 1900s Home

The small dimensions of this 1900s kitchen — that could hold just a miniature fridge — didn’t make sense for this modern-day household. Sarah Henry knocked a back wall, installed floor-to-ceiling cabinetry and functioned with durable but classic materials to create a new, open space.

Affecting Spaces

11. Budget-Friendly Boosts in Toronto

Though these clients had a restricted budget, Gillian Lazanik knew they could still have a fashionable kitchen. By making use of the existing footprint and appliances, she dressed up the space using Ikea cabinetry and a bold-colored backsplash. A desk area on the other side of the galley kitchen doubles as a workspace for the parents along with a snack spot for the kids.

Howells Architecture + Design, LLC

12. Connected, Open Oregon Remodel

The household needed a kitchen with space to accommodate their three home-schooled kids, and that would still feel connected to the rest of their house. Having an added retro breakfast nook and classic and durable materials which adopt the house’s midcentury origins, the kitchen is now a family-friendly space that’ll last for several years to come.

T.A.S Construction

13. An Austin Galley Kitchen Opens Up

Pear-green cabinetry along with a cute chairs area helped brighten this outdated space and join it to the adjoining living area. Subtle details, from the corner window into the extra-large subway tile, play with the scale and size of the petite kitchen. Custom white oak countertops include essential warmth.

Kelly and Abramson Architecture

14. Vintage Elegance at a Pocket Size

Nestled into 145 square feet, this kitchen stays true to its 1920s origins. Designer and homeowner Robert Kelly wanted all of his appliances and materials (including that gorgeous classic stove) to remain true to his house’s original design, and performed with the circulation and traffic flow inside the footprint to help it work for his family.

Ben Gebo Photography

15. An Entryway Kitchen borrows

This Boston kitchen has been set right inside the primary foyer, along with the clients wanted to ensure it made the right statement. Designer Emily Pinney added extra square footage by simply taking over an adjoining eating area, turning it into an eat-in bar with extra counter space. A classic all-white palette retains the kitchen line with the rest of the home’s style.

Renewal Design-Build

16. Smart, Elegant Atlanta Addition

This kitchen experienced very the transformation, by a 1980s nightmare into a warm and contemporary space. A new design with designated action zones which control traffic makes the space cooking and entertainment friendly. Extra shelves were added, and special coffee and wine channels make sure everyone can get their handle of choice while staying from the cook’s way.

Actual-Size Architecture

17. Historic Queen Anne Renovation

While Geoffrey Gainer’s Queen Anne wanted a new kitchen, he didn’t need a faux old-fashioned or disjointed modern design to replace it. Rather, Gainer merged the kitchen and dining room, with Douglas fir shelves, cork flooring and paper-based countertops which can all show signs of gentle wear. As time passes, this new kitchen will start to combine with the house’s older bones.

Huge Girls Small Kitchen

18. A Cooking Maven’s Little Kitchen

Cara Eisenpress might have a little kitchen, but this New York blogger, author, food stylist and recipe developer nevertheless manages to make the most of it. While she can’t make any major modifications to her leasing space, displaying pretty meals, investing in quality tools and using as much wall space as possible help all of her foodie need get fulfilled.

Hanson Fine Building

19. Little Kitchen, Big View

Bumping outside a bay window in this Philadelphia kitchen provided a beautiful backyard perspective and a small amount of extra space for a dining table and chairs. This Victorian home is on a historic block, so outside changes had to be minimal. But the new bay window perfectly matches the house’s original bay window on the next narrative.

Gepetto

20. Streamlined and Smart at Montreal

ers adored this historic remodel adopted a contemporary design, using easy-to-clean materials. Built-in storage for wine, knives and books uses up each inch, while granite countertop and MDF cabinet facades make cleanup a matter of a simple wipe-down.

Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen

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Few names elicit classic decoration like Jenny Lind does. This distinctive furniture style, using its simple lines and turned detailing, was named for a 19th-century opera singer dubbed the”Swedish Nightingale,” who made a sensation when she toured the USA in 1850. During her tour, the story goes, she slept in a bed using a spooled framework — and the appearance was linked with her name ever since.

When most people today think of Jenny Lind furniture, they believe of cribs, the many classic pieces that keep her name. But mattress frames, chairs, table legs and more also wear that spooled style . And as a result of the growth of eclectic decor and also the energy of paint, Jenny Lind has made her way to the contemporary era. Have a look at how both give these furnishings a fresh, fun face.

Can you have a Jenny Lind bit? We want to see how you’ve updated it! Share a photo in the Remarks.

Tommy Chambers Interiors, Inc..

An unexpected deep purple shade turns these seats into irresistible eye candy.

Anthony Baratta LLC

The newel post and spindles on this grand staircase signify an elegant spin on Jenny Lind style.

Quiet sage greens and creams make a restful retreat that is anchored by the gorgeous lines of this mattress.

CCG Interiors.

Turned bed frames wearing a coat of white paint include a dash of sweetness towards the spicy color palette in this girls’ bedroom.

Julie Ranee Photography

You do not need to paint Jenny Lind beds to make them seem of this moment. With a natural wood finish, these include a touch of gravitas to the area’s sprightly decor.

Similarly, this mattress provides a familiar note in the middle of a gathered, slightly bohemian bedroom.

The Land of Nod

Kids Aqua Blue Spindle Jenny Lind Bed – $549

Brilliant aqua blue modernizes this venerable mattress profile — your grandmother’s eyes will pop.

The Land of Nod

Jenny Lind Bookcase – $299

In pristine white, a spool-turned bookcase looks fresh enough for a nursery or a kids’ playroom.

Eclectic Dining Chairs And Benches – $537

Dramatic black paint indicates the craftsmanship on this Jenny Lind–fashion chair.

shopbathroomlighting.com

Uttermost Marsala Wood Frame Wall Mirror – $293.91

Turned detailing provides a simple wooden mirror. I could see this over a fabric-covered parson’s table in a hallway, or perhaps to break a sea of beige and cream in a transitional powder room.

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Polycarbonate glazing is a synthetic thermoplastic resin that is more durable than glass and half of the weight. Manufactured in sheets in addition to curved shapes, it can be used for windows, ceilings and walls.

Greenhouses are common places to find glazing. It’s lightweight, unbreakable and weather resistant, and blocks UV light.

Paul DeGroot

This inventive window wall uses the parallel grooves of polycarbonate glazing in horizontal and vertical patterns.

Studio One-Off Design & Architecture

Polycarbonate glazing is the ideal roofing material, because it’s half the weight of glass and nearly unbreakable.

JP&CO and Optima Homes

Glazing is a product. Here it is used in sheets, however it’s also manufactured in round and curved shapes.

Freespace Design LLC

The material is extremely durable and impact resistant. The clear plastic walls that protect baseball fans out of the game are polycarbonate glazing.

MW|Works Architecture+Design

This window takes advantage of the very clear view given by polycarbonate glazing.

Chang + Sylligardos Architects

A number of clear, transparent and opaque glazing sheets are made from polycarbonates.

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Ceramics are similar to individuals. They have a character all their own, with so many different colours, shapes and textures. They have the ability to become slick, funny, refined or unique. They also make for the perfect gift (even if it’s really on your own ). Listed below are a couple of things I believe are directly up kiln it!
— Kristin Guy in The Cuisinerd

Have You Met Miss Jones

Shirt Front Plate – AUD 50

Hey, you have food in your shirt.

(I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.)

This shirt plate is most certainly a conversation starter and perfect for celebration hosting or host gifting.

Design Museum

Memories of Falmouth Salt and Pepper Shakers – GBP 37

This sailboat salt and pepper shaker is a beam of sunshine. It is happiness. Would you float over some pepper, please?

Jayson Home

Farmers Market Baskets – $20

I have an absolute love affair with all the cardboard green originals, but these ceramic berry boxes are beyond cute. My mind is racing with all the potential things I could store in these — none of these is fruit.

Bauer Pottery Company

American Modern Celery Tray – $40

Give your spoon a swanky place to break its head. The colours and shape are deliciously brightly colored inspired, and the quality is remarkable. I already have these, but I am already trying to figure out if it is absolutely ridiculous to possess two. Likely, yes.

Heath Ceramics

Espresso Cup & Saucer – $34

The rich color! The handles! There is a whole bunch of right happening with those espresso cups. Morning coffee is all about to receive a makeover.

Manyana Breakfast Plate

I’ve been around a Southwest style kick lately. Wait, what am I saying? I’m always on a Southwest style kick. This festive pattern gets super sweet with a lady-like color pallet. Adore!

Ingrid Tufts

Beynon + Tufts Coffee Cup – AUD 36

Paper no longer! This hand-thrown coffee to-go cup has a lot of delicate and feminine allure. BYO hasn’t been more appealing. I suddenly wish to throw a pair of colorful cashmere gloves and go for a walk when holding it.

Fishs Eddy

These floor plan dishes are equivalent parts classic and comedic. I want to serve specific food groups contained into individual chambers. Peas in the room, anyone?

HORNE

Mano Storage Jar Medium, Blue – $79.95

Warm wood paired with icy blue makes a swoon-worthy combination. This is just one handsome storage container and can be 100 percent countertop accepted.

caroline swift

Bone China Spoons – GBP 65

I am really going to have to reconsider which cup to use for the morning java. These delicate and regal strands would roll their eyes in my Royal Wedding mug.

2Modern

Perch! – Beak – $48

Do not these pitchers look like canary songbirds to you? They are just darling, and I wouldn’t ever restrict them to just orange juice. Just think how cheerful they could be vases or as holders for your wooden spoons.

Ferm Living Shop

Ferm Living Bowl – $24.95

Each time I take a look at this line of dishes from Ferm Living, I hear”Rah, rah, sis boom bah!” And a confetti cannon goes off. It is just like a tiny ticker tape parade just skipped onto your table for lunch.

Etsy

Wedding Cake Topper with Uunicorn Groom and Deer Bride by Melabo Wed – $50

If you are going to go all out and find a cake topper, it better be a showstopper. Artist Megan Bogonovich is an specialist in whimsy and certainly will make an impression in any wedding. When all the cake has been eaten, this deserves a place in your house — or in my case, in my desk.

Gretel Home

Big Crinkle Cup – $13

I’m a massive supporter of designers turning mundane, disposable products into posh, funny collectables. This crumpled ceramic cup has just won over a massive part of my heart.

Theo

Herb by Nick Fraser – GBP 28

Stop. You had me at multifaceted terracotta.

Kathleen Hills

Vintage Decanter – GBP 70

I’m in love with this play on delicate translucent glass paired with strong white ceramic. These would make any bar cart sing. My only problem is choosing which decanter to actually purchase — I want them all!

Jonathan Adler

Pig Canister – $98

Jonathan Adler makes it right each and every time. I love everything he touches, and this particular pig jar is no different. I particularly love the modern color palette used for the stains that gives it a classic twist. This little piggy is going to”weee weee weee” all the way home with me.

Design Museum

My Egg and Soldiers Toast and Egg Holders – GBP 22

I’ve confessed to my secret love for egg cups before, however I think my crush is about to intensify. How adorable is this toast and egg collection? Talk about easily getting kids to eat their lunch and playing with your food is definitely okay.

Scandinavian Design Center

Season Pie Dish – $32.12

The Swedish can do no wrong. The seasonal line of home goods by Sagaform is just one more illustration of the entertaining, colorful and lively design. How excited would you be if you received a dish and discovered that this fiesta in the bottom of the dish? Extremely excited.

Orange and Pear

Ladies Who Lunch Wine Stopper – $22

She is one classy wide — that lunches. I love the demure quirkiness to this particular bottle stopper; you can’t really tell if she’s inviting you for a glass or to get your hands from her rosé.

Next: Gilded Gourmet

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Potteries, designers and designers often mark their work to allow the world know who made the piece, and stoneware is no exception. Marks might contain stylized writing, miniature logos, symbols, emblems, collection names and even numbers, which usually refer to some repeated pattern or mold employed from the pottery business. Maker’s marks — since these markings are often called — help in figuring the vase’s value, especially antique vases, because of the adjustments to the marks through the manufacturing history of the business or artist.

Artist’s Signature or Initials

Most artists sign their work, especially for individually crafted pieces. But even if the stoneware vase is part of a manufacturing line, then you still might discover the artist’s signature, personal logo or her bows, especially if the artist also owns the organization. Oftentimes, even lead designers sign their pieces or at least use a different type of producer’s mark to identify a particular collection or line of stoneware vases.

Maker’s Marks

Business logos or emblems often change across the lifespan of the business, which is helpful once you want to identify the era of a stoneware vase and you have access to your website or a book that details these marks. When antique appraisers or collectors attempt to establish the value of a vase, for instance, that’s the first mark that they look for, usually found on the vase’s underside.

Collection Names or Molds

When a vase a part of a bigger collection of home decor items or some set of dishware, for instance, the layout or collection name may be imprinted beneath the producer’s mark or the artist’s signature. The state of origin generally appears at the foundation of the marks. Another mark typically found on stoneware vases is the mold number for your vase. An artist or designer generates the first piece from which a mold is made for mass production purposes. The mold number can often be traced in novels that collectors or appraisers use to identify and cost collector vases.

Country of Origin

Alongside the producer’s mark on a stoneware vase, potteries often incorporate the area or state of origin. Under section 304 of the 1930 U.S. Tariff Act, later updated, all things of foreign manufacture imported in america require a state of origin mark on the products being imported. This helps American consumers know where the piece originated when creating a buy. Stoneware and other ceramics often included this mark to identify the area or state before 1930, but not always.

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If you possess an Eclipse push mower, you have part of history. The Eclipse Lawn Mower Company, founded in 1900 by Fred Adams of Prophetstown, Illinois, stopped producing them in the early 1950s, when it started producing motorized versions, and the Eclipse Business was acquired by Hahn, Inc. in 1961. Eclipse push mowers usually have rubber tires and a rubber-coated roller. They also have two adjustments — one for adjusting for the length of the grass and one for setting the height of the cutting bar, which determines the way easily and effectively the blades cut.

Placing the Cutting Height

Locate the two lock nuts on each side of the roller, that’s the wooden dowel that tracks behind the cutting bar. They are on the inside of the frame that holds the roller and about 2 inches over the roller.

Turn both nuts using a wrench. If they are stuck and will not turn, douse them with lubricating spray, then permit the spray to work for a couple of minutes, and try again. Loosen the nuts sufficient to enable the roller to slide up and down to the frame.

Push down the elbow to lift the blade and cut the grass more evenly, and pull on the roller up to shorten the amount of the grass. Ensure both ends of the roller are the exact same distance from the top of the frame, then tighten the nuts.

Adjusting the Cutting Bar

Locate the two nuts on each side of the leading bar holding it to the lawn mower frame. Contrary to the nuts holding the roller, these nuts are on the outside of this frame. Loosen them using a wrench, using lubricating spray, if they’re stuck.

Notice the curved rod attached to the middle of the bar. It goes above the reel and connects to your tie rod on the front of the mower by means of adjustable wing nuts. There is one wing nut beneath the connection point and one over it.

Reduce the edge of the outer blade related to the reel by turning the lower nut counterclockwise and then turning the top nut counterclockwise by the exact same quantity. This pulls the rear of the cutting bar up and lowers the leading edge. Turn the nuts in the opposite direction to raise the edge of the cutting bar.

Use a bit of paper to find out the right setting for the bar. Put the paper between the bar and reel, have a helper push down on the handle to raise the mower wheels off the ground. Turn one of the wheels counterclockwise by hand. The bar is adjusted correctly if the blade slices the paper cleanly.

Tighten the nuts on each side of the bar when you are delighted with the adjustment.

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The husband wanted a masculine home. The wife wanted a place filled with vibrant color. Short of calling a marriage counselor, what was the designer to do?

For interior designer Darsi Floersch, the solution was a neutral inside with splashes of color throughout. “It was a balancing act of finding the color in the marketplace, but not needing it over the top,” states Floersch, of Martha O’Hara Interiors in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Her clients — a professional athlete and a fitness trainer — built the 8,700-square-foot house for themselves and their two brothers near the shores of Lake Minnetonka, a popular resort area west of the Twin Cities. Regardless of the home’s huge size, the couple wanted it to look unpretentious and family friendly, and also to reflect the husband’s upbringing to a South Dakota farm.

“They’re down-to-earth,” Floersch states. “They wanted a place to entertain friends and family, and to reside in comfort. It was important to them to become more casual than dressy.”

at a Glance
Who lives here: A fitness trainer, a professional athlete and their two brothers
Location: Close Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota
Interior designer: Darsi Floersch, Martha O’Hara Interiors
Architect: Tritch Design
Builder: L. Cramer Designers + Builders
Size: 5 bedrooms, 41/2 bathrooms

Martha O’Hara Interiors

The owners opted to get a great room instead of a formal living room, and requested for an ottoman rather than a coffee table so they could put up their feet while watching TV.

Floersch used neutral colors on the sofa and chairs, then indulged the spouse’s love of color with the hot pink ottoman. “As long as the entire house wasn’t pink, the husband was willing to let her have that,” she states.

Your husband is a large man, and his wife is petite, therefore Floersch opted for heavier seats and added throw pillows, because you can always earn a chair smaller with pillows, but you can’t make it bigger.

Wool broadloom was trimmed and jumped to produce the area rug — a less costly option than purchasing an present rug.

Ottoman: Stewart Furniture, with cloth by Villa Romo; chandelier: Visible Comfort

Martha O’Hara Interiors

When is a formal dining room not a formal dining room? When it is supplied with a bleached, textured table surrounded by slipcovered necklace seats.

The owners are avid boaters and wanted some of the maritime feeling from the decoration. Floersch loved the curtain cloth and echoed the shade in the wing seats at either end of this table. “Going all around the dining table with it might have been a lot of,” she states.

Chandelier: Century Furniture; table: cFc

Martha O’Hara Interiors

The kitchen island is painted charcoal and topped with Argento granite; the counters at the back are Carrara marble. Upholstered stools supply an abrupt jolt of color and pattern.

Lanterns: Visible Comfort

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Folding barn-style doors, a homage to the husband of youth on a farm, offer access into the butler’s pantry in the hall.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

To produce the study flow with the rest of the house, Floersch eschewed stained millwork for striking charcoal paint. The hammered metal desk, paired with stainless steel counters, indulges the husband’s industrial aesthetic.

The yellow leather wing chair provides the requisite pop of color, but is trimmed with oversize nailheads to get a little machismo.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Light floods the landing on the back stair, which features built-in window chairs where relatives can contemplate the view.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Punches of aqua fortify the warm gray walls from the master bedroom. Tongue and groove paneling adorns the tray ceiling.

Paint: Winter Gates, Benjamin Moore

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Floersch obliged a petition for fun color in the laundry room with a cheery cherry paint and background, each of which extend to the home office.

Custom legs give the laundry room sink farmhouse appeal, while a bowed counter manages both laundry and children’s art projects with equal aplomb.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

The lower level contains a media room and pub. The floor is covered with 3- by 6-inch travertine tiles, designed to maintain up to celebrations and moist feet in the nearby pool.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Rusticated stone behind the bar adds to the pub-like feel; the bell was a gift from Floersch.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

This foot rail was salvaged from a train track near the husband’s youth farm.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

The lower level also contains a game table illuminated by means of a custom light fixture. The pendants have been affixed to paths salvaged from a barn on the farm in which the husband has been raised.

“It meant a great deal to them to have their family legacy in the home,” states Floersch.

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A white box covered in Teflon-coated fiberglass cloth in the Netherlands. A Cor-Ten-clad volume cantilevering within a glass shop in Pittsburgh. A home in Tokyo composed solely of glass and little platforms of stainless steel. A concrete box in West Africa designed by two artists. A seven-story concrete tower serving as a home and workplace for Chilean architects. These are a handful of the 50-plus houses collected in the third volume of Philip Jodidio’s Architecure Now! Houses novels (Taschen, 2013).

The Architecture Now! Series also concentrates on green buildings; interiors for eating, eating and drinking; landscapes; temporary buildings; and even those made of timber. Nonetheless, it’s that the Houses books that are some of the most popular, given that the continuing experimentation that architects tackle in residential commissions and, as Jodidio explains it in his introduction, ” these are no thin times for the wealthy and that, consequently, luxury homes are being built.” Luxury isn’t the defining feature of the houses within this volume, as they vary from under 1,000 square feet to more than 20,000 square feet. Rather, the book is about the wide array of forms, programs and websites that are being made and formed by architects for homes in the past couple of decades.

This ideabook touches a small percent of the houses in the book to, I trust, provide a feeling of the formal and geographical variety found in all of the jobs, and to see whether the choices are, even as Jodidio claims the “finest of what has been achieved anywhere in the world.” Even though “best” is such a subjective word, it is hard to deny the ways that many of the houses go well beyond the norm.

These architects are certainly pushing the boundaries on what may be possible, even as the ideas the houses Celebrate may take years to be integrated into more mainstream style, if ever at all.

TASCHEN

If a book can be judged by its cover, Architecture Now! Houses 3 presents design that is modern but with a twist. Instead of a glass box sitting in the landscape — the penultimate modern home in this strain is the Farnsworth House — we’ve got three boxes that are linked to another and rising out of and alongside a dark rock foundation that merges into the landscape.

The L House in Yvelines, France, designed by Christian Pottgiesser along with his company, architecturepossibles, is really composed of five towers. This caused the customer’s desire to construct a single tall structure (to obstruct views of a neighboring land) together with local codes and the landmarked orangerie it adjoins. Each tower is attached internally on the bottom floor, which can be pierced by skylights.

TASCHEN

The book includes eight jobs in america. Among them is that the Woodstock Farm Estate in Vermont, designed by Rick Joy, a architect normally associated with his home base of the desert Southwest. This project — two gable volumes forming a “L” in plan (the shorter leg, a two-story barn, is out of frame on the left) — reveals Joy is a fantastic enough architect to create a thing in your home in rural New England too.

Jodidio calls for the home “an extrapolation of [the] vernacular genre,” given that proportionally the pictured section is stretched longer than, and therefore has a considerably different percentage compared to barn. However, the design is serious, with shingles covering the roof and walls that are long, and mottled stonework covering the ends. (A photo of one of the rock ends actually graces the cover of Diane Keaton’s book, House.)

TASCHEN

Two projects in the book are in Sri Lanka, either by Japanese architects. One is a massive 27,000-square-foot home designed by Tadao Ando, and the second is that the 8,800-square-foot Villa Vista designed by Shigeru Ban and really built for the son of Ando’s client. Ban was employed in the region in the middle of the last ten years, building catastrophe housing after the earthquake of December 26, 2004, and has been approached to style Villa Vista after his renovation work was completed. Throughout his career he has balanced design houses for those in need and for the wealthy, in this instance in certain comparative proximity.

Boundaries between indoors and outside at Villa Vista are blurry. While this view from a bridge traversing a pool (visible in the lower right corner) reveals, the shutters serve to aid shade what’s basically a terrace covered by a generous woven teak ceiling. Trees are visible in the distance through the shutters, but when we turn to the left we see over more trees into the sea from a large opening.

Belzberg Architects

Two of the eight houses in the USA are designed by Hagy Belzberg, one in Hawaii and one in Los Angeles; the latter is pictured here. The Skyline Residence is a large house perched on a ridge in the Hollywood Hills. The project is called for the detached carport that doubles as a projection screen. Wood slats unite the 2 structures and color the spaces in the home and above the garage.

Belzberg Architects

Appropriately, given the name Skyline Residence, the design can be about the view. Belzberg took good advantage of the site to not only provide a excellent place for watching movies, but to produce the valley that is Los Angeles a constant presence through the full-height glass walls.

TASCHEN

Though Japan is only roughly the size of California, the book features 10 jobs in Tokyo and other environs. Easily the most striking is Sou Fujimoto’s House NA, in a residential area of central Tokyo. At first glance there is nothing house-like about it … it is even hard to decipher how one occupies the small platforms made of stainless steel and defined by glass partitions.

Fujimoto contrasts it to living in a tree, even though he doesn’t attempt to possess the home formally resemble one. It is like the home is made up of a series of little tree houses, but the openness of these glass walls sets the occupants obviously on screen.

How somebody lives in the home is a matter Jodidio appropriately asks, and the response could find a parallel in the sharing of lives that occurs in electronic networks. The home is subsequently for young people with various approaches to dwelling, “assembled more online than on the machine-driven world of the past,” in Jodidio’s words.

Almost as striking is Ryue Nishizawa’s Garden and House, also in Tokyo. The architect calls the home with four levels plus a roof a building with no walls. There are some walls — fixed and sliding walls of glass — however their location and extents of enclosure differ from floor to floor, like the earth floor is mainly enclosed but the third floor is outside, with no stair and a toilet. Each floor is then a mix of indoor and outdoor, house and garden.

The majority of the jobs in the book are single-family houses, but the Shakujii Apartment building in Tokyo differs. The project, designed by SANAA/Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa, consists of eight apartments that complete 5,200 square feet (so much smaller than the home in Sri Lanka from Shigeru Ban!) . The units are a mix of full-height glass partitions and open porches, strung along a road in 2 layers front and back.

SANAA’s project is like a metropolitan, multifamily update of the Farnsworth House. The steel frame, glass partitions and open porches are here, but everything is slightly intermittent: Roofs and floors don’t align, and things change in plan to squeeze a lot of units on this small site.

In the end of the book’s socioeconomic scale is the Float House, designed by Thom Mayne and Morphosis for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right base, which helped rebuild portion of New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina.

The design relies on a traditional shotgun home, however asymmetry and some flourishes in the construction, porch railing, dividers and windows make it a contemporary neighbor. And while the house may seem too low for a Katrina-like occasion, it can really be increased up to 12 feet high on guideposts.

This last project is the cantilevered building in Pittsburgh mentioned in the introduction. Called the Art Glass House, by architect Eric Fisher, the house is for the owner of the eponymous company that occupies the industrial building it cantilevers over. The Cor-Ten steel siding calls even more attention to what the architect explains as “the world’s longest residential cantilever” — inspired by Fallingwater but going well beyond the limited reach of the earlier residential masterpiece.

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