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You’re likely to spend much of your energy planning your kitchen, because you’ll make the most choices for it. But carefully consider every room in your new house. Even the garage merits your attention. If it’s not big enough for two cars and all the stuff you want to put in there, you won’t be happy.
When you begin examining each room individually, you may find that your preferred floor plan needs minor adjusting or major reworking. Many floor plans, especially those favored by production builders, are geared to that elusive “average family.” But every family and every household is different. |
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| Kitchen |
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Kitchen and Bath Show-Stopper: Doggie Whirlpool |
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The 2006 Kitchen and Bath Show’s most unusual offering was MTI’s canine-sized whirlpool tub. It will strike many as outrageously indulgent but can be therapeutic for some dogs. It also makes bathing Fido easier. Other usual KBIS offerings were the Seattle Glassblowing Studio’s hand-blown glass sinks and Martin Pierce’s cast bronze and stainless steel drawer pulls in the shape of rabbits, lizards and other magical creatures. |
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That Fabulous Kitchen: Is It Functional? |
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Those fabulous-looking kitchens in most builders’ models can be impossible to work in. Before you fall for one, check for function. The most critical element is the layout. The counters, appliances and sink should be arranged so you can prepare a meal with a minimum of steps. You’ll also need an adequate food-prep area near the sink and stove, good lighting and plenty of storage. |
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Kitchen Innovations Debut at Top End |
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In the home building industry, innovations always debut at the high end. Those that survive the vetting of the marketplace — they sell well and don’t create warranty issues or service problems — eventually reach the mass market, though often in modified form. Appliance and cabinet innovations in the pipeline that might be sold in your local Home Depot some day include smaller, less clunky professional ranges, induction cooktops and sleek, European-styled cabinetry. |
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Gorgeous Countertops, Surprising Origins |
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Take a few chemical compounds, more commonly called paper, aluminum oxide, hemp, or recycled shredded dollar bills, heat them up, and, if needed, add a catalyst like very strong peroxide — and voila! You have some of the gorgeous countertops now available to today’s homeowner. |
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| Bath & Laundry |
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Laundry Lowdown: Front-Loading Washers, Avoiding Oh-Oh Odors
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Washing machines can produce a vexing odor that can be worse with a front-loader. The principle cause: washing in cold water. Most laundry detergents do not perform well in low temperatures; when cold water is used, a detergent residue remains in the machine that can produce an odor over time. One solution: wash a load in hot water once a week. You can also use Whirlpool’s Affresh once a month. |
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Computer Technology Jazzes Up Toilets |
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Using computer chip technology, Toto now offers a toilet that looks and operates like something out of “Star Wars” with remote controls to lift the lid and seat, automatic flushing and a built-in bidet. Technological refinements offered by other manufacturers are more prosaic — vastly improved flushing so that they work well with the federally mandated 1.6 gallons per flush, and pint-sized fixtures for kids. |
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| Bedroom |
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Do Children Benefit From Sharing Bedrooms With Siblings? |
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Most home buyers assume it's a good thing for each child to have his or her own bedroom, and select a floor plan accordingly. But experts say sleeping arrangements that follow the natural trajectory of child development—from bonding with parents and siblings to the establishment of an independent identity as a teenager—teaches important life skills. |
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Bedroom Suite for Sisters |
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When Los Angeles architect Murray Milne designed a house for his growing family, a key concept was flexibility. Recalling his own childhood, he knew that the way his family used the space would change over time. |
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| Family Room |
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In Search of the Family-Proof Sofa |
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A family room sofa should always be comfortable. To last through your child-raising years, it should be durable as well, with a sturdy, hardwood frame, and commercial-grade upholstery fabric that is manufactured to wear well for years, despite extremely heavy use. The fabric should also be treated to keep moisture from being absorbed into the cushions where it can produce mold and unpleasant odors. |
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Kid-Proofing the Family Room |
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When your children are teenagers, your family room might look the way you imagined when you decided to buy a new house. But if they’re very young when you move in, you will be happier if you start out on the spare side and let the family room “grow” with your children. |
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Well-Designed Party Space Works for Everyday Living |
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A room that accommodates both large scale entertaining and daily living is a challenge for the architect. Almost any large room will seem like a great space for entertaining if the party occurs at night and the place is jammed with people. But the same space in the cold hard light of day can be a different proposition altogether and that’s what you will live with on a daily basis. |
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| Garage |
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Garage Door Design Goes Upscale |
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Upscale garage-door designs that range from contemporary to French country can radically improve the look of most new houses. Instead of a big blank nothing that’s 16-feet-long and 7-feet-high on the front of your house, you can have a door that’s all glass and brushed aluminum or wood and styled to look like two pairs of carriage house doors with bucks, hand-forged hardware, and leaded glass windows. |
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Garage Makeover: Easier Than You Think |
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Nearly every garage gripe has a solution. Shelving, refrigerators designed to work in an unconditioned space, and workstations can turn any hodgepodge into a real room. The workstations have drawers and cabinets on casters that can be easily moved around for auto work; otherwise they fit neatly under the bench. |
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| Home Office |
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To Do: Organize Home Office |
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You probably don’t perceive any connection between how a home office is organized and how easily and quickly the work is produced. But there is one, and when you factor it into the planning of your home office, your work will go more smoothly and your productivity will go up. |
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Kitchen Cabinetry Works in Home Offices Too |
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When your home office makes you feel good every time you look at it, you’ll find it’s easier to turn out the work. When the office design is tailored to your needs, you’ll also work more efficiently. A certified kitchen designer can help you nail down a plan because kitchens, like home offices, are task-oriented spaces. Kitchen and bath cabinetry are easily adapted for home offices. |
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The Home Office: Think Multiple-Adjustment Chair |
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A multiple-adjustment chair helps you maintain good posture, which is essential to avoiding stress-related muscle injuries caused by hours at the keyboard. Such a chair gives you back and arm support exactly where you need it while allowing your upper back and upper arms to relax. The adjustable parts include armrests that go up or down and in or out, seat depth, seat height, and seat tilt. |
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| Accessorize |
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Shining Light on Color Options in CFL Bulbs |
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The variety of televisions on the market today is mind-boggling. There are different types, an enormous range in screen size, and nuances in picture quality and resolution to satisfy the most persnickety movie buff or the sports nut who wants to watch instant replay with minimal blurring. And there’s a price to fit almost every homeowner’s budget. |
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The variety of televisions on the market today is mind-boggling. There are different types, an enormous range in screen size, and nuances in picture quality and resolution to satisfy the most persnickety movie buff or the sports nut who wants to watch instant replay with minimal blurring. And there’s a price to fit almost every homeowner’s budget. |
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Fabulous Choices in Drawer, Cabinet Pulls |
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Drawer and cabinet pulls are now offered in such an astounding variety, many homeowners may find themselves hopelessly unable to make a final choice. Cast brass from Indonesia, Taiwanese marble, snappy cast ceramic and cast acrylic knobs and pulls available in 92 colors were only some of the choices shown at the 2006 Kitchen and Bath Show in Chicago. |
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Choose Chairs for Comfort First, Looks Later |
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Over the last 40 years Bill Stumpf has transformed the office environment with ergonomically designed chairs that are comfortable and help you to perform your job more effectively. In a recent interview, he said most people have yet to apply the lessons learned about chair comfort at work to their furniture choices at home. There is plenty of comfortable, ergonomically sound furniture available, but most people put looks first. |
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Stealing Space for Storage |
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How do you resolve your non-clothes storage needs in your new house? The basement or the garage is great for rarely used items. But where to put those everyday things you want close at hand? New houses tend to have neatly squared off rooms, so the only way to garner space for storing things you want nearby is to steal it. |
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