Monthly Archives: September 2020

Guest Picks: Minimalist Dining

I’m attracted to natural shapes and substances and I despise jumble, but I’d have no problem whatsoever leaving of those modern, minimalist serving things out in my counter or tabletop. Made from wood, metal and glass, they are stunning in their simplicity. I’m certain I would appreciate these superbly designed, highly usable pieces for a long time to come! — Kathryne from Cookie and Kate

ABC Carpet & Home

Ripple Porcelain Trays, White – $35

I really like the natural shape of the plates in this collection. Each plate looks great separately, or stack a few for more visual effect.

Design Within Reach

Midas Collection Glasses – $50

Appropriately named, Midas Glassware is the job of a Swedish design group collectively known as Front. I love their glossy, sporty lines, but their slanted gold foundations are exactly what make them extraordinary.

Jayson Home

Braid Server – $146

I’m completely enamored by the natural shape of this bowl along with the ethnic-inspired print on the inside. Bonus: this gorgeous stoneware and ceramic server is dishwasher-safe too!

Amazon

RSVP International Marble Pastry Board – $59.95

This elegant 18-inch square marble board was created for rolling out pastries, but would also serve as a beautiful cheese or dessert tray.

Heath Ceramics

Curve Bamboo Peppermill – $115

This beeswax-finished bamboo pepper mill by Studio44eighty appears like a work of art. I’d be glad to leave this out in my dining table!

Brook Farm General Store

Teak Salt Dish & Spoon – $18

This beautiful, handmade teak salt cellar would be ideal for serving sea salt at a chic dining table. The spoon is designed to rest at the top of the cellar, so that it would be simple to pass the set around.

Heath Ceramics

Pride Flatware – $100

This modern, classic flatware was designed by David Mellor in 1953. I really like the minimalist three-piece setting, as all a individual really needs is a spoon, knife and fork!

Heath Ceramics

Cutting Board, Black Walnut – $195

This substantial, black walnut cutting board is practical and beautiful. It would make a fine serving surface for bread and cheese.

Gretel Home

Cake Stand At Milk – $124

Dessert displays tend to look fussy, but this cake rack is magnificent in its simplicity. Sugar and butter-laden cakes do not require a frilly base to make them seem appetizing!

West Elm

Fundamental Oven-To-Table Cookware – $12

West Elm’s basic cookware gives a blank canvas to allow your dish glow at the table. This dish can go from oven to table with no issue, plus it bakes evenly and cleans up easily.

CB2

Tambien Smoke Barware – $3.95

This smoke barware from CB2 reminds me of the classic collection of drinking glasses I inherited from my grandma. The tinted glass provides some welcome contrast to a white table.

Amazon

Glass Dharma 9.5mm Exquisite Bends Glass Drinking Straw – $8.85

This glass drinking straw is a lot more economical than normal, plastic straws and it’s reusable! It would be ideal for sipping smoothies, milkshakes or maybe even a cocktail.

Amazon

Krups Silver Art Collection Electric Kettle – $75.18

This electric kettle is from Krups’ aptly named Silver Art Collection. This kettle would make tea service seem extra special.

Terrain

Spare Stripe Mug – $24

I really like the muted stripe and natural shape of this handmade mug. It looks like an ideal mug for cupping with both palms to enjoy your morning java.

Large Rectangle Lacquer Trays – $59

This large, lacquered white tray will make itself useful in so many ways. It would be ideal for serving tea or snacks, and it would make a fine home base for a small bar area.

Crate&Barrel

Bosco Mango Wood Salad Bowl And Salad Servers Set – $66.95

This mango wood serving set is a classic that could endure for many years if cared for correctly. My parents have a similar bowl, and I do not understand just how many cakes were tossed in it at our table growing up!

CB2

Bari Glass Bowl – $2.95

This basic glass jar is the perfect size for so many things, from breakfast to dessert to nuts and other snacks. I’d never run out of applications for all these shapely little bowls!

Etsy

Wooden Spoons By WindandWillowHome

All these wooden spoons with their colorful dipped ends would include a bit of colour to an otherwise neutral table. They’re both fun and functional!

Etsy

Black And White Nesting Dish Set By vitrifiedstudio – $170

This black and white nesting dish determined by vitrifiedstudio looks like it belongs to a contemporary art museum’s gift store. I imagine I’d feel fancy snacking against those bowls, irrespective of what’s inside!

Crate&Barrel

Nora Wine Glasses – $10.95

All these basic wine glasses from Crate and Barrel would seem at home on a minimalist table. They’re not too curvy or too wide — they’re just perfect.

Next: 8 Components of a Modern Kitchen

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Guest Picks: 20 Accessories to Organize Your Life

It’s recorded, spring has arrived! In my home spring means organizing. This is the time of year that I handle our unkept cabinets, wash out the door and sift through the junk drawer. While all these jobs can seem overwhelming, I secretly adore it and breath a sigh of relief when everything’s in its appropriate location.

To help you get a jump start on your spring cleaning, I’ve scoured some online resources and gathered my favorite home accessories. These products will include organization to your home and life and some will even add a nice design element also.
–Danyelle from Dandee Designs

Pottery Barn

Cast Iron Row of Hooks – $99

A row of hooks is a classic means to bring immediate organization to any room. You can style it to match with your decor and put keys on it to stay put together.

West Elm

Metal Tipped Coat Rack – $199

If you live in a little area and don’t have a coat closet, a coat hanger is a nice alternative. There are many styles to choose from that will bring form and function into your room.

The Container Store

Horizon Round Crunch Can by Umbra – $19.99

Give kids an easy way to maintain their dirty laundry off the ground by putting a hamper inside their closets.

IKEA

BUMERANG Curved clothing hanger – $3.99

Being organized is not only more functional, it’s more gratifying to the eye. For an easy fix, consider replacing all of your wire hangers with these cheap wooden hangers out of Ikea. They work great and provides a more uniform and put-together appearance to your closets.

Crate&Barrel

Batangas Bread Baskets – $32.90

With a few “catch all” baskets around the home is a great time saver at clean up time. Take a basket around with you and throw whatever is out of place indoors. Once you have everything picked up, walk from room to room setting items in their appropriate homes.

Crate&Barrel

Cabinet Organizer – $5.95

Spice cabinets can be among the most untidy spaces in a home. By adding a simple cupboard organizer, such as the one displayed here, you are able to display items of varying heights and maintain everything in view.

IKEA

TJUSIG Bench with shoe storage – black – IKEA

Closets can go from clean. Tip: Try adding a very simple bench inside the cupboard for storage. I’ve got this particular one in my coat cupboard and it’s made all the difference. Rather than shoes piling on the ground and never being able to find a matching pair when we had been running from the home, they’re neatly set on the rack and always in view once we want them.

TPS chartreuse file cabinet – $159

Maintaining paperwork out of getting out of hand is a common request of the unorganized. I propose adding a nice filing drawer in which you start your mail. Bills and other important documents become registered instantly, things to throw go straight to the trash.

IKEA

Komplement Storage with Compartments – $20

Drawer organizers are perfect for places where you are storing small items. Use them and panties storage in children’s rooms or jewellery storage to you.

Terrain

1L Weck Jar – $14

If you have open shelving in your kitchen contemplate setting pastas, cereals and grains in more attractive canisters, such as the ones shown here. They will keep your shelves from looking cluttered and will keep your food fresh longer.

West Elm

Square Lacquer Trays | West Elm – $29

Placing a simple square lacquered tray in your entryway table can keep paints, keys and mobile phones directly where you left them.

West Elm

Lacquer Jewelry Tree – $29

Jewelry storage can be complicated. Placing bracelets at a drawer could cause them to tangle and knot. This jewellery tree can be set on a dresser to store and display your favorite pieces.

The Container Store

Our Sweater Boxes – $5.99

It’s pretty much time to pack off the heavy sweaters. Using a clear storage container, such as those in The Container Store, will keep your sweaters in opinion and free of dust until autumn.

IKEA

Bjärnum Hook – $4.99

Including a simple hook into the inside of your coat cupboard is an easy way to get kids to hang their own coats. No children in the home? It’s also a great solution for storing the dog leash.

Modern Baskets – $169

I love looking through magazines as much as the next man, but I really don’t like the expression of piles on bedside tables. This modern rack will keep your glossy collection in check and show off your own favorites.

CB2

Wire 3+3 Organizer – $59.95

Among the easiest ways to add immediate organization to your mudroom would be to install a cubby unit. The one shown here’s a place to store hats, gloves and gloves, but my favorite feature would be the hooks for hanging coats and bags.

Design Public

OFFI Perf Boxes – $399

Look at going vertical with your storage. If you want a lot of storage but don’t have a great deal of room, a unit such as the one shown here’s the perfect alternative.

Crate&Barrel

simplehuman® 2.3-Gallon Grocery Bag Holder – $9.95

If you are still using plastic grocery bags, this tote organizer is a fantastic way to keep them in check.

Design Within Reach

Sapien Bookcase | Design Within Reach – $298

I believe we have all heard of built-in bookcases sooner or later. If you are just getting started in your book collection, try a device such as the one displayed here to save your books. It not only adds storage to your area, but elevation as well.

Pottery Barn

Kellan Shoe Rack – $89

Placing shoe storage in the garage is a good means to prevent tracking dirt and debris in your property.

Next: How to Work With a Professional Organizer

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The Tools Used for Applying a Water Based Floor Finish

In line with The Old House, polyurethane is the most popular finish for hardwood flooring. Water-based polyurethane is hard and durable, and it stays clear so the pure beauty of this wood isn’t changed. Water-based finishes dry fast and clean up easily, but also a smooth and lasting finish demands the use of many tools that are designed to make the process successful.

Planning and Protection

Prior to applying wood finish, there are a couple of items you will have to protect your eyes, skin and clothes. Wear latex or nitrile gloves to protect your hands, and safety glasses stop dust or complete from becoming into your eyes. A dust mask is also handy for protecting your lungs in sanding dust once you sand the ground between coats. Coveralls and protective slippers protect your clothes. Vinyl secured to walls, baseboards and adjacent flooring protects the areas encompassing the hexagonal polyurethane program.

Applicators

The principal factor of the successful program of any type of wood finish is utilizing the proper applicator. Always use a synthetic applicator when employing a water-based finish. In terms of applicators, you may find one or more tools useful, such as a brush, roller, T-bar, or pad. T-bars are perfect for large flooring, while pads or rollers attached to rods are fine when finishing a small location. You will also need a paint tray, roller frame and rod help to generate application easier. In line with “Hardwood Floors” magazine, water-based finishes should not be implemented with China-bristle brushes or lambswool applicators since they are inclined to hold a whole lot of finish. While this is ideal for oil-based goods, water-based finishes are designed to be applied in thin coats. Synthetic applicators are perfect since they spread the end around and do not hold it.

Sanding and Finishing

A cut-in pad or a synthetic-bristle brush is useful for applying finish to the corners and edges of the ground, where rollers or T-bars can not achieve. Floor finishes require sanding between coats to make certain you get smooth results. A drum or belt sander is usually used to lightly abrade the ground between coats, but also a ground buffer using a maroon abrasive pad or extra-fine-grit sandpaper can also be used since it poses less chance of removing the preceding finish coats.

Cleanup

Sanding dust must be washed away before you are able to apply each coat of finish, therefore use a vacuum with a crevice tool and brush attachment to generate cleanup fast and simple. Tack cloths or a microfiber dust mop cleans the dust off the primary surface of the ground, while the vacuum gets it from their hard-to-reach places. Water-based finishes do not require solvents to wash your program tools and brushes. Simply use a damp cloth and water to wash applicators and eliminate any spills.

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