Many paints on the market right now contain no VOCs, which is a good thing, since they’re harmful to the environment, as well as your health. Of all of these, only Freshaire Choice is colored with VOC-free tints. Using any other VOC-free paint means either having white walls or no longer having a VOC-free paint by the time you get it home!

VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds, can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, loss of coordination, as well as organ and nerve damage. These are not things you want in your home! Fortunately, Freshaire Choice Paint is available at your local Home Depot, which means no going out of your way to buy it.

Get started repainting today with 3 free samples of the 65 premium colors! For more information, click any of the links on this page or watch this informative video!

How often do you hear people talk about how much you can lower your impact on the environment by spending a ton of money on some major home improvement or new appliances? They tell you how much it’ll lower your energy bills, as well; which is great, except that it can take up to 10 years just to break even. So, you ignore them and get on with your life, right? What if you didn’t have to wait quite so long to start seeing the financial, as well as environmental, impact of living greener?

From meters that tell you how much energy you’re currently using, to automatic composters that turn your leftovers into fertilizer, going green doesn’t have to cost a lot. In fact, there are many inexpensive ways to reduce your environmental impact, while holding on to more of your hard-earned income!

Take a look at this insightful and informative article at dvice.com, titled 7 Household Upgrades that Prove Going Green Isn’t so Hard (or Pricey).

Frank Lloyd Wright’s drawings for Samara: Realization of a Usonian Dream will be presented at The Westcott House located in Springfield, Ohio until April 20th. The collection is a unique exhibition featuring the work from Wright, America’s most celebrated architect. The exhibition comes from The John E. Christian Family Memorial Trust.

Here is some history on Samara House:

• The original owners were John and Kay Christian whoe decided to build near the campus of Purdue University in 1950.
• The project took six years
• The exhibition features a collection of furnishings, textiles and other items Wright designed specifically for Samara, one of the late Usonian style homes he designed.

Planned lectures at the exhibit:

• Frank Lloyd Wright and the Art of Building will be given by Richard Cleary, Ph.D. on Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. Cleary will discuss Wright’s vision of organic architecture and his innovative approaches to structural systems and construction techniques.
• On Thursday, April 10, at 7 p.m. Margo Stipe, Curator and Registrar of Collections, at The Frank Lloyd Wright Archives, Taliesin West, will discuss Wright’s revolutionary reworking of architectural space, how he dissolved interior walls and opened interior spaces allowing communion with the natural world he believed was a great spirit.

The Westcott House is located at 1340 East High Street in Springfield, Ohio. Admission fee is $5; free for members of The Westcott House Foundation. For more information call 937-327-9291 or visit www.westcotthouse.org. 

(Article from www.Ohio.com, the Akron Beacon Journal’s online website)

If you are into this kinda stuff.

Zillow has an interactive Home Value Report Map that, I have to admit, surprised me quite a bit… but in a good way. You may be shocked to find out where the values have gone up and where they have drastically gone down in the United States. Check the mad map out here.

A couple of things to do there:

 

See how home values have changed across the U.S.

Click on cities to compare neighborhood home values.

Download detailed city reports for more information, including single family vs. condo comparisons, and a ranking of neighborhoods within an area that are most popular on Zillow.

1. Paint - Paint the walls. Paint the cupboards. Or paint it all!
2. Shelves v. Cabinets - Need more storage space but don’t have new cabinets in the budget? Consider hanging some inexpensive floating shelves. Use them to showcase pieces or for easy access.
3. Floor for less - There are many great options today for refacing a floor. We love the new peel and stick tiles that you can pick up at any DIY store.
4. Tile over laminate countertops. The bigger the tile, the better it looks. Or consider replacing the old laminate with new laminate. Today’s versions are improved and considerably less than solid surface materials.
5. Replace the hardware. New knobs and pulls are an easy update. Say goodbye to that outdated brass. Coordinate with doorknobs and light fixtures. If you can’t replace outdated fixtures, go for a antiqued version of a similar finish on your new cabinet hardware.

Design Within Reach (aka DWR) has opened its first international studio in Toronto, Canada. DWR specializes in mid-century modern furniture, art, and accessories from well known designers such as Mies van der Rohe, Aalto, Bertoia, Jacobsen, Saarinen, Noguchi, Le Corbusier, Eames, Gehry, Wright, Gray and more! It is almost impossible to open and Architectural Digest, Metropolis, Metropolitan Home, or Interior Design magazine without seeing one of their legendary pieces.

The Ohio Design Centre in Beachwood, Ohio is hosting a Spring Preview 2008 event on Thursday, March 6th from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. The Centre is home to 100,000 square feet of residential interior showrooms featuring over 400 product lines including luxury furniture, kitchen and bath, surface materials, flooring, wall coverings, fabrics, lighting, antiques, art, accessories and more.

Here is a schedule of the presentations at the event:

11:00 - Baker Knapp & Tubbs with Kim Garr introducing the Lexicon Collection, a sophisticated early 20th century inspired group.

Noon - Roth Collection with John Crosby featuring Glant’s Capri Collection inspired by the manufacturer’s Mediterranean homeland.

1:30 - Great Lakes Marble & Granite with Desiree Stimac of Oceana Glass presents superior roc glass products such as sinks and accessories.

2:00 - J Hall Design welcomes Jennifer Connolly of the Cleveland Green Building Coalition. Join her in discussing green residential design projects and learn how you can make your home more environmentally friendly.

3:00 - Monroe & Associates presents Antonette Smith of Ralph Lauren Home to introduce the luxurious Spring 2008 fabric and wallcoverings collection.

Throughout the day be sure to visit all of the showroom openhouses. Showrooms not to miss include Bello Design, Brunschwig & Fils, Classic Oriental Rugs, Donghia, Gregory Alfonso, R.W.Shea & Co., and Scalamandre.

The Ohio Design Centre tends to be for the trade only. If you are a homeowner looking for a residential interior designer and are interested in attending this event, please contact us by clicking here.

Earth tones aren’t only the trend, but they are also psychologically comforting for homeowners and visitors. This is very important when putting a home on the market and having the entire house staged for sale. Interior designers use the colors based on color forecasts from the Color Marketing Group and what they see in popular magazines and catalogs such as Better Homes and Gardens or Pottery Barn. If you are selling your home consider hiring an interior redesigner or home staging professional to help select the colors that are most agreeable and appealing to the volumes of potential buyers. Not only do neutral colors bring a sense of warmth and comfort, they also bring in high offers when selling your home!

Lately we’ve been preparing for the National City Home and Garden Show held at the IX Center near the Cleveland airport. We are featuring an interior designer showroom that is both classic and modern. The show’s theme is beautiful Italy. For pictures of the show check out our website www.stagedmakeovers.com under the events page.