Rough Linen Feed me Seymour!

myhome3 Just had one of these bloom at the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton, Alberta. Amazing plant.

Pamela Bateman Garden Design Cathy Minard_OShea ~ Arum - 25 species. All parts of the plant are poisonous. Google Arum for more information.

Rough Linen A garden in four dimensions!

Teresa Welsh And I thought my cat was spoiled...!!!

maximgrrl I am in LOVE with this backyard! All of it! It's one of the only posts I added almost every single photo to my idea books! What an inspiration.... my husband and I moved in to our new (old) home last year on 1/4 acre. We said "inside first., then outside". We're now tackling the back yard. My husband has been working so hard on yard for weeks and it looks like all we did is put in grass. Huge help from our family and friends too. Little by little it will all come together. Labor of love. Thank you again for the inspiration. Chandigarh the cat is adorable!

Rough Linen Exquisite is an over-used word, but the originality and refinement of this house is - exquisite! Everything in harmony, nothing 'precious'.

Patricia Pelgrims @denise klitsie. It is a more liquid version of rendering cement. Applied by brush, usually. It gives a similar effect like lime plaster.

alonaz O

johnandbrett As much as I like this article, it would be more useful if you took the same room and showed different layouts. Each room has its own challenges for windows, entryway, fireplace, and room size. It would be more informative to see alternative layouts with different numbers of chairs/sofas, size of the pieces, and how they're placed, all in the same setting. Thanks.

Rough Linen I am in love with my eight new troughs http://www.gardeners.com/Terrazza-Trough-Planters/33-300VS,default,pd.html They are handsome and discreet, and self-water, what more can I ask?

jfgarden The prices shown for these products often doesn't agree with what's shown in the photos. The English Square planters price, for example, is for one small planter, not the three shown. And the Chippendale Square white box from Target has higher prices than shown when you go to their website to order. It would be nice if there more consistency in the future.

La Fuente Imports We import exquisite Talavera Planters from Mexico...all would be beautiful used for the above purposes. http://www.lafuente.com/Mexican-Decor/Talavera-Pottery/Talavera-Planters/

Rough Linen I love having my own space and I don't grudge my husband having his - in fact I should be heartily thankful that he doesn't feel the need to decorate it like a road house! The best caves of all are grittily functional, man or woman (personal opinion).

Sheila Schmitz Yes, please post your man and woman caves!

gavinleigh I want to see the woman caves too.

Rough Linen What a wonderful thing to be able to do! I wonder why the garage was in so much better shape than the house?

greenarte Delightful!

designchallenged love the stained glass gate in photo 3.

Rough Linen keimloesch, the weather was generally so hot that we didn't want scalding water, just pleasantly warm. If it wasn't hot enough you had a skimpier bath, since the one hose was all there was! And we didn't use soap at all, Jen Leonard.

shelleyhmln Love it! Talk about the ULTIMATE staycation!

bygeorgi DREAMY..... .I'd never leave the tub. The only thing I would do is add some fragrant plantings... creeping jasmine, plumeria etc.....what a good hubby!

Rough Linen I am mostly proud that at last I have worked out how to create a Project and an Ideabook Sheila, it took me a while!

Dura Supreme Cabinetry I think black looks fabulous on kitchen islands in contrast with lighter cabinetry...

KRB Photo Imagery Like an accent walls color, the island adds definition to the kitchen. Well done.

Rough Linen Yes!

melindarollins My husband sanded down and stained our kitchen table and it looks great---it was a light honey color with white legs--I love it---now to fix the chairs!

Ann Jen - I met with the refinisher about my same Ethan Allen table. Here is the stain color I chose. After the color was decided, he distressed the leaf we were experimenting with and applied the stain to the rest of the top of the leaf (second pic). I'll post a picture in a week and a half when I get the finished table back.

Rough Linen I want the first one (or the Treepee) for myself! Or both.

zdormouse We got a tipi from Nomadics and had it for years. It's a space like no other! They also make tipis for kids.

100725 All these tents are very cute and beautiful . It helps the children to became very happy and avoid the loneliness of them.

Rough Linen Digging biochar in with manure makes it far more accessible, and keeps the nutrients in the soil: read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar

Pink Fortitude, LLC Is it just me or did anyone else "virtually pet" Bessie the cow in the first picture?

Stephanie Gutierrez It's only organic if the animals it comes from haven't been given steroids or hormones, beware! These chemicals go straight to the waste and then your plants eat them up and they end up in you.

Rough Linen I have found so many places to tuck a Tarno set of two folding chairs and a table! Can't beat the value at $50 http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69898415/

Eileen Thomas I didn't see any mention of Home Goods, Ross or Marshall's for great bargains for the home. Great prices, fun shopping, but can be hit or miss. If you see it, buy it...you can always return it if it doesn't work.

Finding Fabulous by design, LLC. @Eileen Thomas - Ahhh, Home Goods is my absolute favorite store for stylish and affordable home furnishings and accessories! And yes, if you see it and love it...you'd better buy it or it won't be there when you come back!

John Wagner - Homevizage.com I have a primary copper sink and copper prep sink as well. Aside from being anti micro-bacterial, they just have such an aged character to them. Once installed it just begins to change color - but it also never stops. I've heard it referred to as "the living metal" because it constantly changes color from use. It's such a fun, practical, and unique material to incorporate into your kitchen.

Rough Linen Seeing this, I'm amazed my roof stays up! My 1"x4" ridge board is butt-joined in the centre (18' span) with only two tie-beams holding it together...

Sergo Cusiani All 5 types of roofing have their destination depending on function the building serve. Though, if function is not set up by attic, trusses are the best solution from both functional (technical) and aesthetic point of views. And it is very pleasant to view examples of excellent drafting skills.

heinz9 Stick framed roofs definitely have the advantage of more usable attic storage area over truss roofs. Truss roofs are engineered, typically built off-site and delivered. They can span longer distances with little support from underneath other than the exterior walls. The longer the truss span the more susceptibility to movement due to expansion and contraction caused by changes in exterior temperatures. This usually equates to nail pops in ceiling drywall and possible cracks were bottom cords are attached to interior walls. Depending on the time of year the nail pops become more noticeable and the cracks can get wider or reseed. Being engineered, a roof truss system should not be modified or over loaded with additional weight because it changes originally intended design loads. Stick framing tends to be less susceptible to seasonal changes, has easier accessibly to the attic area due to fewer framing members and can readily hold more storage items depending on supporting walls underneath. Each roof system has its pros and cons. For example, I typically prefer a truss system for garage roof because of openness below.

Rough Linen We had a moat around our fort in France, later turned into a swimming pool...

asicengineer Some people are worried about leaks into the basement and I suppose that this could happen, but at our house we have a pool right up against the foundation and yes our basement has flooded, but never from the pool. It has flooded from a hurricane, from a broken pipe, and from a laundry incident which is why we have tile and cheapo area rugs down there so damage is minimal. It is a basement after all. As far as the pool goes, our contractor put in a layer of pink foam to separate it thermally and physically from the foundation and of course made sure that any rain or snow overflow would be on the side of the pool away from the house. Actually in that way the pool acts as an exposed 'french drain' that prevents any water from touching the foundation, even during the hurricane.

Frank Organ Olson Kundig Architects have asked me to point out that the first image in this ideabook attributed to Garret Cord Werner is of Pavilion House, a project of theirs. Garret Cord Werner was the interior designer for the project and not the architect.

Sigrid With the exception of the living room, this is an excellent ideabook on what not to do: way too busy? check. Dark as the inside of a coffin? check. Dead animal look? check. Uncomfortable looking furniture? Check. Huge, tasteless, framed photo of hooker? check.

On the plus side, if this is style, I don't have to worry if my decor is not "in."

groveraxle I would have to live in the wine room. Perhaps I might then be fortified enough to venture into the fish room.

Rough Linen I replaced my shower head with a Grohe Freehander http://projects.grohe.com/en/products/showers/freehander/p/25_79184.html#!i79184,d(s1)

Put it up high for tall people, low for not getting my hair wet. The other great advantage is that it takes the water into the centre of the tub or shower tray so doesn't splash as much as you are away from the walls.

Judith Collins Thanks so much - very helpful!

custom-tiles.com Helpful hint on tile/grout joint effect on tile installations - your 12x12 tile is probably NOT really 12x12, so if you want to figure accurately enough to size the installation including grout width: know that 'nominal' size (e.g., 12x12) is not the ACTUAL size. Ask or check written specifications for the actual size, try to find out what the average variance of tile size from this figure is. Tumbled tile typically varies the most due to the rounding and chipping at the edges. Tiles with larger variances from the 'average size' require a wider grout line to aid the installer in making adjustments to align the tiles.

Rough Linen I love everything about this cabin and the story behind it. Do you think the Brittens might adopt me?

Lee Smith i've wanted to do this a long time for my family.
i wonder are they survivalists

Rustic Wood Studio I love all of the wood! This place, however, can benefit from some of my rustic hand-carved switchplates and outlet covers. Let me know if I can help! Markwww.rusticwoodstudio.com

Murals and More Decor Here are the pics of the gunnera piece.

Rough Linen This looks and feels like a forever home.

masoodbehravesh Great Job, Enjoy,

Moira O'Sullivan For those who are interested in a piece of art that has large pomegranates in it, I have a frame-less acrylic on canvas 2' X 6' Triptych of Pomegranates which I painted. I am California artist living in San Francisco Bay area. Please see attached image. If you are interested in the triptych, please contact me via phone, 415.453.1374 or email, moira@moirao.com Thank you...Moira

junctiondweller Great artice! I always laugh when I think about the first time my husband used the vacuum in almost 2 years of our owning it! He thought it was broken because it took effort to push it across the carpet! That made him appreciate my housework more.:)

amymac40 This was the perfect post at the perfect time. I learned about 5 years ago after a particularly bad marriage spot that by doing everything around the house, with and for the kids and my husband while never asking for help or never liking the timing of the alleged help that all I was doing was playing the martyr. So I'm getting better at noticing when I'm "martyring up" and try to take a moment and start delegating. I find it outrageous that my husband of 13 years and partner of 20 can't read my mind but he's just not mastered it as of yet. Until then, I need to speak up. You rock, Alison.

Rough Linen Is 7'1" ceiling height legal in Maryland? It isn't here!

patscats2 Every time I come across photo's of this beautiful room, I just sigh. I love the colors. It's so beautiful and relaxing.

dowsky Suddenly I want to cover the posts in our basement with 70's style tile...

Rough Linen I have always wanted to make an ant farm splashback with an old double-glazed window - it would n't be too good if they escaped though...

Rough Linen ...or those patterns with coloured sand...

Studio NOO Design Love the cork !

jacksonbeth Another neat option is this tile backsplash option from Web Don, called Kitchen Palette. We just used this in our kitchen and its awesome. You can interchange the over piece over the stove or sink.
http://www.web-don.com/our-products/adhesives-tools-misc/kitchen-palette/

Rough Linen I have heard it said that whether it's heredity or environment, your parents are still responsible - well, no matter what your mother does, you can learn from her! If she can't sew you fill the gap (that's me!), if she teaches you all to sing complicated harmonies (that's her!) you love singing the rest of your life. I am ferociously neat because my mother kept too many things, and if I am any sort of cook it's because she taught me how. I just wish I were as beautifully presented: at 91 she still has style and grace, beautiful white hair and the ability to tie a scarf just so.

Casart Coverings My goodness, from where did you resurrect all those old pictures! You should ALWAYS be learning, no matter how long you live. I have learned to graciously accept the praise I am given that I deserve and also that which I do not deserve!

tilyke i learned from my mother and dearest grandma a lot of things. Being the only girl in a family with 3 kids had its advantages. I can bake literally almost anything, food is a guilty pleasure- both preparing and consuming it- and that's all thanks to the many hours spent with the dearest 2 ladies teaching me how to do stuff.
My mom is also great at DIY, so i had many projects growing up.
So thank you mom and grandma, for teaching me the joys of cooking, organizing and maintaining a well known chaos in my things. :)

Rough Linen The Ikea Tarno set of table and two chairs is $50, so I'd feel happier about leaving them outside - they are comfortable too.

Doreen Zorek Those string lights are a little pricey. They don't have to be heavy duty, as long as they are secured properly. I have been using the same 3 strings that are actually made for umbrellas but look like the festival lights. They are about $20 at BB&B. I live in the country and take on some tough wind and rain at times. Every body always asks me where I got them. Going vintage on the table and chairs by checking out flea markets can find a nice set.

j0dy Expensive chairs!

Rough Linen Sweet constellations!

Kozai Modern I love stargazing, and take full advantage when I can on camping trips. But when in the city there is too much light pollution, I settle for Kozai Modern's Galaxy Light, it twinkles and brings magic to my living room.

Rough Linen It is a plain mirror, but I added driftwood in layers as a rough frame, very easy with a nail gun.

summilux It's really neat to see a couple who have the means to go for the "full orchestra+choir" scale but chose instead to do a sunny chamber music piece. The place has me charmed with so many books and photos, but how do they access the books on the top shelves?

Rough Linen I'm going next week, can't wait! Will it make me dissatisfied?

Leisa Rich I went in and looked at the Kips Bay Show House. There was a freneticism to the designs; as with any "haute couture" influenced, artistic license, free reign approach used in these fantasy worlds, one takes away what one appreciates and disposes of the things they don't respond to. There was a Futurist and Cubist approach to many of the rooms and assemblages and pieces that reflect our fractured society. However, I would have to agree with some of the comments that none of the spaces are really livable, but that that is what makes it a show house- "ideas" that can be used in a variety of spaces!

arteshouse It is so much fun to see the showhouses. I find that I look forward to seeing the new batch every year. Too many inspirational elements to list. Very well done SF.