With this in mind, we asked Baran to share which tool he most relies on these days. What item made your work life easier this week/month/lately? Our 3D printer has been a wonderful tool that makes life so much easier. Where/how do you use this item most? We use this in our studio during the early design stages as we form the separate units. It is helpful in demonstrating how the overall space will come together....

When finishing a basement with windows, creating and maintaining window wells is a necessary step. Just like preventing water infiltration, installing a subfloor, and insulating walls, installing a window well and a window well cover is one of those necessary first-step sub-projects that let you get to other projects such as creating living space for an apartment, building a home bar, or installing a home theater. What Is a Window Well?...

Washer Receptacle The 120-volt, 20-amp circuit supplies a receptacle for the washing machine. It is typically wired with 12-gauge, two-wire cable containing a hot wire, a neutral wire, and a ground wire. The receptacle is a 20-amp GFCI receptacle. What’s special about this circuit is that it is a designated circuit, not to be confused with a dedicated circuit. While a dedicated circuit supplies only one appliance, a designated circuit is intended for single-use, not necessarily a single appliance....

Read on to learn the reasons for unseasonable brown or yellow leaves on Bradford pear trees, including when the tree was planted, watering or soil drainage issues, or a nutrient deficiency. Bradford Pear Tree Leaves Turning Yellow in the Spring If your Bradford pear tree has leaves that turn yellow or brown in spring or summer, something is going on. The leaves should be a lovely robust green. Nutritional Deficiency When you see leaves turning yellow on a Bradford pear tree during the spring, rule out a nutrient deficiency....

Swimwear Even though swimwear is designed to be in the water, the water in a washing machine isn’t ideal for the material. The mechanical action of the machine can damaged the straps and inner structure of women’s swimsuits. Additionally, washing the high-tech fabric of most swimwear alongside garments with zippers and hooks can cause holes or snags. If you want your swimwear to last, wash it by hand. Tailored Suits Even if the outer fabric of a suit is cotton, polyester, or another machine-washable fabric, tailored jackets, slacks, and skirts should never be put in a washer....

Animal Fats and Grease Fat and grease byproducts of cooked meat start as liquid, then quickly congeal and harden into a white paste that your garbage disposal and drain pipes cannot eliminate. Cooking Oils While cooking oils such as canola, vegetable, or olive oils don’t immediately congeal like animal fats, over time they do create a thick, sticky gel that clogs up your disposal. Coffee Grounds A few coffee grounds in the garbage disposal are fine, but dumping a lot all at once can clog it up....

The most crucial tip, according to each expert, is to start now. “Have a strategy," Alex Alonso of mr alex TATE Design shares with us. “Setting up a strategy for how you plan to use your outdoor spaces throughout the year is key.” Designer Breegan Jane agrees. “If you’re looking ahead to next patio season, now is the perfect time to consider building or installing shade options like pergolas, canopies, umbrellas, or shade sails,” she shares....

Eclectic Color Bring on the bold hues in 2023! Notes Melissa Mahoney of Melissa Mahoney Design House, “If I had to pick one thing that I hope we will see more of in 2023 interiors, it’s eclectic color! I can feel it, people are ready to embrace their own vibe and let their personality shine through their home.” So why not take the opportunity to introduce some loud prints, patterns, and paints into your home?...

Fortunately, there are a number of cooling methods that take between a few minutes and an hour to employ. With any or all of these methods, soon you’ll cool down a room fast to more manageable temperatures. Reverse Your Ceiling Fan Consider yourself a smart energy user if you’ve been using your ceiling fan in the winter. During the cold months, ceiling fans on the clockwise setting better distribute warm air....

You can save a lot of money by building your own standing desk, but if you’re not sure you’re up to the challenge, check out this list of the best standing desks you can buy. Building a Standing Desk from A Beautiful Mess, Free DIY Standing Desk with IKEA Hemnes Dresser from Simple Home. Simple Life, Free DIY Standing Desk or Kiosk from Woodshop Diaries, Free Adjustable Standing Desk for Under $25 from Code Over Easy, Free Standing Desk Modification from Field Treasure Designs, Free DIY Standing Desk from Sweet Living, Free Bookcase Turned Into Standing Desk from Offbeat Home & Life, Free Cardboard Standing Desk from OpenStanding, $6....

Check out these tips for designing a comfortable and efficient layout for a galley-style kitchen, or for optimizing the one that you already have.

The beauty of its yellow flowers makes this bush a must-have, but for blooms even earlier, consider winter heath or witch hazel. There are also other species of lilacs, such as pubescens, which includes the popular smaller cultivar ‘Miss Kim’. Sugar Tip (light pink flowers, variegated leaves) Blue Chiffon (lavender-blue flowers) Rose of Sharon flowers from early summer through mid-fall, and grows 8 to 12 feet tall. It is typically used in informal hedges or screens, or in naturalized masses....

Traditionally, containers and hanging baskets are planted with vigorous-blooming annual flowers, but increasingly, gardeners are using traditional garden perennials in their container garden designs. While plant species have varying soil needs when planted in garden settings, most plants do quite well in containers filled with ordinary general-purpose potting soil. Here are 12 good ornamental plants to consider for your fall container gardens. USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8Flower Color Varieties: Red, white, coral, pinkLight: Full sun to partial sunSoil Needs: Moist, loamy soilDeer Resistant: Yes...

But what if you’re interested in wall covering ideas besides the obvious? Read further for some inventive ways to cover a wall. But a word of advice: the more unusual and complex the wall covering, the more restraint you need when using them. Some are so highly textured and detailed that covering your entire house with them (or even an entire room) will produce visual overload. So, for some of these coverings, consider installing them on a single accent wall rather than all four walls....

Fortunately, not all flowers trigger allergies. Generally speaking, the more hybridized the plant, the less likely it will have a high level of pollen and the less irritating it will be. The good news is that the showiest flowers are often the most hybridized, which ensures a good variety of spectacular plants to choose from. These plants have the double benefit of usually having heavier pollen and being quite attractive to bees and other pollinators....

In appearance, floribunda roses are relatively stiff shrubs; they’re smaller and bushier than most hybrid tea roses but less sprawling than polyantha shrub roses. Although the flowers are smaller than those of tea roses, they appear in large sprays that give a very dramatic visual effect in the garden. Unlike polyantha shrub roses, which have a limited color palette, floribundas are available in the same broad range of colors as hybrid tea roses—and with the same classic blossom shapes....

You’ll find a wide variety of shapes and styles for pergolas here as well as plans for both free-standing and deck pergolas. Building a pergola can be a simple to challenging building project depending on what plan you pick so make sure you know your skill level before starting. All the free pergola plans include building instructions, lists of tools and materials that you’ll need, diagrams, and photos. If you like these pergola plans, you can find many free plans for arbors, gazebos, sheds, and so much more....

Although appearances vary greatly from species to species, most aloes have thick, fleshy leaves arranged in a rosette pattern. Flowers are often tubular in shape and yellow, orange, pink, or red in color. They range from tiny ground-hugging species to those the size of small trees. Here are 14 unusual aloe species to incorporate into your plantings. Native Area: South AfricaUSDA Growing Zones: 7–10Height: 6–9 inchesSun Exposure: Full sun to part shade...

Short, spreading ground covers Spring bulbs Perennials for sun and perennials for shade Annuals Shrubs Trees Here are 15 great recommended plants for early spring blooms, ranging from ground-hugging groundcovers to towering trees. USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9Color Varieties: Red-purple, purple, pink, whiteSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Prefers humusy, medium moisture soil, but tolerates rocky, sandy soil USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8Color Varieties: Lavender blue, whiteSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Dry to medium, well-drained soil...