interior home: May 2009

Radiant Heating Systems

Many energy efficient home designs include radiant floor heat. More efficient than forced-air heating or baseboard heat, radiant heat delivers several benefits to homeowners: less allergens (circulated through the home via the heat systems ductwork) meaning better air quality, reduced electricity usage and fossil fuel usage, and evenly distributed heat at floor levels with little energy loss which means greater comfort and less drafts.

Two types of radiant heat are available: 1) in-floor (most popular); and 2) wall or ceiling radiant panels.

1. In-floor radiant heat:
In-floor radiant heat is by far the most common kind of radiant systems used. There are three types of radiant floor systems: air, electric, and hot water.

Air-heated radiant floors:
Air is not a good conductor; therefore, radiant air heating systems are typically not cost effective in homes and are seldom installed. They can be combined with solar air heating systems; however they would need to be combined with a secondary heating system for non-daylight hours.

Electric radiant floors:
In this type of system, electric wires are built into the floor system or electrically conductive plastic mats are mounted to the subfloor and covered with a floor system such as tile. Electric radiant systems are only cost effective if they have a significant thermal mass such as a concrete floor. This allows you to heat the concrete floor during off-peak electric hours (overnight) and heat the home comfortably for up to 8-10 hours during high-peak electric hours (daytime). Electric radiant floor systems are practical for small additions where an additional heating system needs to be added.

Hydronic (hot water) radiant floors:
Hydronic radiant floor systems are the most popular and cost effective radiant heating system available. Water is pumped from a boiler, hot water heater, or solar collectors through tubing laid under the floor(for wood) or in a concrete or lightweight concrete slab. The tubing can be installed in zones with thermostats controlling the flow of hot water through each zone loop.

2. Radiant panels:
Radiant heat panels are usually made of aluminum and are mounted in either walls or the ceiling of a home. Heat is produced by either electric cables or plastic tubing with circulating hot water. Radiant panels can be individually controlled for each room and have a quick response time, making this heating system an option for rooms that are used infrequently. Wall panels are preferred because of the distribution of heat over the whole body as opposed to ceiling panels, which heat the head and shoulders.

If you’re building a green home, consider installing radiant heat. It creates a warm, comfortable living environment, is easy to install, and gives you a substantial return on investment!

The 5-10 Minute Rule

No matter how beautifully we decorate our homes, if they're messy & disorganized, we can't appreciate or even see the beauty. However, I think of "messes" as reality, at least in my life. I have a toddler and a job, and hence, my house is almost always a mess. BUT in general, I'm okay with this mess, because it can be disposed of in 5 to 10 minutes, tops.

So, I'll never pretend that I can have a "messless" life-- for me it's just not possible-- but I can have "organized messes." I consider an "organized mess"as a mess that's allowed for a time. It's a manageable mess & the most important thing about it is that it MUST BE ABLE TO BE CLEANED UP IN 5-10 MINUTES! That's the rule. It's easy to get rid of because an organized mess has a place where it belongs: baskets, bins, drawers, cabinets, shelves, etc... a SPECIFIC HOME. (This is the key to putting it away quickly, because you're not shoving the mess anywhere, you're putting it back where it belongs.)

I wanted to share with you some of my favorite tools/ organizational pieces used to handle messes and "stuff." Below is a picture of what I consider an "organized mess." The pillows on the sofa are all messed up, toys are everywhere & there are a few magazines/ books laying around. But it would take only 5-10 minutes MAX to get this messed cleaned up. And I'm so okay with it.

In our living room, we have a shelf with baskets full of Christian's toys. (Now I know some might think it sacriligous to keep toys in fairly plain sight in the living room, but it's the way we want to live... we all want to be able to hang in the same room, so I figure for a few years while we have little ones I can give up a half-wall in the living room ;)

Anyway, toys are all over the floor half the time but when we need to get them cleaned up, it takes 5 minutes to put them all away neatly in the baskets. (The key is keeping them in not-too-full baskets because there's always room, even when throwing the toys in carelessly and the little guy can help too. )

This hutch (below) in the family room (pic is from old house) fits tons off storage for toys and also photo albums & other random things. It makes clean-up so easy and totally hides all evidence if kiddies!!

I never regret spending on organizational items like baskets & storage bins. I'm often reluctant to buy them because I would rather spend the money on something pretty, but they're worth their weight in gold.

I LOVe these huge baskets from ikea. It's where I stick all the pages I've ripped out of magazines before they go into my Style Files:

For my office, these hanging file bins are awesome & when there's a mess all over my desk I can easily & quickly (less than 5 mins!!) stow it all away with these suckers:

So, my goal is to have every room in the house obeying the "5-10 Minute Rule." (and right now I'm SO far from that!! It seems as soon as we got our old house in perfect order, we moved!! I'm NOT doing that again!! ) Here's a quick punch-list for our new house:

1) Our closet --> it's a HUGE 4-6 HOUR MESS right now!! We need to install more bars & storage and get things put away nicely. Below is how we've been living: (ahhhh I can't believe I'm showing you this!!) It's tough to feel organized when your closet looks like this:

2) Little guy's bedroom-> Since I stole the toy shelf from his room, he doesn't have anywhere for the toys in his room and unfortunately the furniture form our old house doesn't fit right in his bedroom, which is driving me crazy!!!!

3) The kitchen-> I have more shelves to go up with baskets for extra storage but I'm waiting on the wallpaper install before I can get to this:

4) The entryway-> To put it simply, it doesn't work right now. We need to add some storage & decorate it asap!! It's so drab & unfunctional right now!! (haha check out my dead hydrangeas in the little vase & the dog chow- now THAT'S styling!!! ;)

There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day!!! but i know everntually we'll get there... (don't worry, i'll take pics! ;)

Now, what to do with all that stuff that doesn't have a place? Arrggg like the strange piece of mail you don't know where to put (you need to handle it sometime soon, but not soon enough to warrant immediate attention) or those stupid screws that keep showing up everywhere (with all of these projects going on right now!!!) or the returns you need to make at the store or your pile of giveaways?

Take stock of the all items that keep popping up and start creating places for them. They're not going to go away and isn't it annoying to have them keep popping up? If you create a place for them to go, clean up is so much quicker!! Different times & stages in your life will call for different random clutter-busters. Wintertime items vs. beach towels & sunblock or screws and tools all over the place when you're in the middle of renovating. Whatever it is, realize the type of clutter you have as quickly as possible and find a place for it. The solutions should be easy & obey the 5-10 Minute Rule. (Sometimes this means not organizing down to the last minute detail because clean-up could be really time consuming!!)

I'm on my way to follow my own advice now... So, how are the rooms in your house? Do they meet the 5-10 Minute Rule? Any rooms on your "To-do" list? would love to know!!

xoxo,

lauren

Check out Everything LEB

Hi! Good news: THIS NEW COMPUTER WORKS YAY!!! So I'm really, truly back!!

Check out Lindsay's blog Everything LEB here to read my about my favorites in her new series, "Blogger's Favorite Everything!" I was so excited when Lindsay asked me to do this & it was a ton of fun!! Thanks Lindsay!!! Also, you'll love Linsday's etsy shop, here. The pineapple cards below are just a tiny sampling of what she does!!

I'll be back tomorrow with a post on messes!

xoxo,

lauren

Types of Radiant Heat Floor Installations

Radiant floor heating systems are one of the most energy efficient methods of radiant heat available. Each of the three types of radiant floor heat (electric, air, and water) can be installed using either a “wet” or “dry” installation method.

“Wet” installation methods include embedding the cables or tubing with a solid floor, such as a concrete foundation slab or a thin layer of concrete or gypsum installed over the top of a traditional wood subfloor. Additional floor support might be necessary because of the increased dead load of the materials.

Concrete slab floors have a high heat storage capacity. They do, however, have a slow response time, so it is recommended to maintain a constant temperature for maximum comfort.

“Dry” installation methods include having cables or tubing installed in the air space beneath the floor. This method is faster and less expensive than wet installation methods, but because the radiant heat now involves air space which is a poor heat conductor, the system needs to typically operate at higher temperatures or for longer intervals.

Tubing or cables can be installed between two layers of subfloor with aluminum diffusers to spread the heat across the floor evenly. They may also be suspended underneath the subfloor between the joists using reflective insulation under the tubes to direct the heat upward.

Types of Radiant Floor Coverings

What type of floor covering should you have with a radiant floor heating system? Any floor covering that separates the heating system from the room will decrease the efficiency of the system and affects fuel consumption. Some floor coverings, which act as heat conductors, are better than others.

Ceramic tile, quarry tile and stone are by far some the most common and most energy efficient floor covering because it transfers and stores heat effectively, however almost any type of floor covering can be used.

Carpeting should be minimal in the home. Where required, carpet should be thin and with a dense pad. Carpeted rooms should be zoned separately to ensure even heating throughout the home.

Most radiant floor manufacturers recommend laminated wood floors instead of solid wood, which reduces the possibility of the wood shrinking and cracking as the wood dries, however there are solid wood flooring manufacturers that do support installation of their products over radiant floor systems, observe the plank width limitations if they have them. It is important to follow recommended installation guidelines on any type of floor covering, but the stable even heat o a radiant system is typically considered a good environment for most floor coverings and an extremely comfortable type of heat for your home.

What happens When you Try to Bake a Cake and Build Fence at the Same Time

Well, my new computer's not working & it won't let me get online so that's why I've been so MIA. We're going to return the computer & try for a new one tomorrow.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some pics from Better Homes & Gardens (they really are getting to be great, aren't they?!!!) The image above shows a lot of what I'm craving: pattern. And I'm usually not into it on drapes, but I have to say this is just the look I'm going for in a client's home right now (existing completely-solid furniture staying) and am considering for our bedroom. Below is the living room and I'm loving the vintage map! Again, I'm loving the energy & freshness in this space... in particular the little blue stool with the yelllow-patterned chair.

Below is another room in the same house, and how fun are the drapes?

Here's a beautiful shot, below. I love all the energy & how time-gathered the space feels.

The homeowner used vintage scarves as curtain tie-backs. What a fun idea!! (And would also be a great way to add seasonal changes in a neutral room!)

Below, I love displaying flowers like this at home. It's so easy & interesting.

Below is some vintage jewelry of the homeowner's. Displaying jewelry is another thing I love to do. (Half the time I forget to even put it on so why not have it make the room look good?!! ;)

Below is from a different house (also BHG) and I really love how the owners displayed these paint-by-numbers ship paintings. Alone, they're kitsch, but grouped together like this, they make a big (beautiful!!) impact.

And one last final image of something that's on my mind: blue!! I LOVE this group of vintage blue glassware (below) and how gorgeous it looks against the blue in the vintage map of Cape Cod. I'll be using this color in our bedroom & I can't wait to share my plans/ pics with you!!

So, wish me luck that the new computer is able to get online!!! (I am techonology-cursed so I really need it!! ;) Also, thank you guys so much for all your sweet. supportive comments about the house!!

xoxo,

lauren

oh, and what happens when you try to bake a cake and build a fence at the same time?? you don't hear the timer from outside & you leave the cake in too long and when you try to get it out still hot from the pan to keep it from burning more, it breaks into pieces. And then you try to "glue" it back together with icing between the cracks and it's actually pretty good, but looks like crap!!! ;) ;)

xoxo

Geothermal Heating Systems

Thinking of incorporating a geothermal energy system into your green home?

Geothermal Heat Pumps, the most common use of geothermal energy systems in green homes, use stable ground or water temperatures near the earth’s surface to provide heating, air conditioning, and in most cases, hot water. Because they use the earth's constant temperatures, they are among the most efficient and comfortable (not to mention sustainable) heating and cooling technologies currently available – and are becoming a popular alternative to oil, coal, and gas. With the ability to deliver comfortable heat even on the coldest days, cost effective equipment, and requiring only a small amount of electricity to operate, geothermal systems are a good consideration for a green home.

Three kinds of systems – Open Loop, Closed Loop, and Standing Column Well Systems – circulate water in pipes below the earth, where water is heated, then delivered into the home for use.

Open Loop Systems are the easiest to install, but because of local codes and the amount of ground water available, are not the most popular kind of geothermal system. In this system, ground water from an aquifer is piped directly to a heat pump inside the home. After it leaves the building, the water is pumped back to the same aquifer by a second well, called a discharge well, located a good distance from the first.

There are three types of Closed Loop Systems available depending on your site characteristics: horizontal ground, vertical ground, and pond systems.

Horizontal ground closed loop systems: If your site permits and trenches are easy to dig, this may be the best system for you. Backhoes or trenchers are used to dig trenches three to six feet below the ground surface and a series of connected plastic pipes are laid in long loops or in a slinky pattern, depending on the amount of area available. A typical system will be 400 to 600 feet long per ton of heating and/or cooling capacity. This system is easy to install while the home is under construction, but can also be installed as a retrofit to an existing home with minimal site disturbance.

Vertical ground closed loop systems are favorable for sites where yard space is limited or rocky, or for retrofitting projects with the least amount of site disturbance. Vertical holes are bored into the ground between 150 and 450 feet deep. Each hole contains a single loop of pipe with a U at the bottom and a horizontal pipe under the ground near the home which carry fluid to and from the geoexchange system. While these types of systems can be more expensive to install, they require less piping than the horizontal loops.

Pond closed loop systems are very economical if your site is near a lake or pond. Polyethylene piping is run underground to the water source, and then long sections of pipe are submerged under the water. While pond closed loop systems do not have any adverse affects on the water source, experts do recommend using this system only if water levels never drop below six to eight feet at its lowest level for sufficient heat-transfer capability.

Standing Column Well Systems are common in the northeast United States. Standing wells are typically six inches in diameter and as deep as 1500 feet. Temperate water is drawn from the bottom of the well, circulated through the heat exchanger, and returned to the top of the water column. Most of the year, they re-circulate water between the well and the water pump, but during peak temperature months, they can bleed some of the water from the system. This causes the groundwater to make up the flow, cooling the column and the surrounding ground in summer and conversely heats the column and surrounding ground in winter, restoring the well water temperature.

Be sure to discuss your plans to implement a geothermal energy system with your local environmental board, check with local authorities regarding permits, and always use experienced contractors.

What We've Been Up to

So I'm finally back!! I've missed everyone - both blog readers & writers- like crazy!!! We've been busy, of course. It's been 2 weeks since we moved into our new house. Here's what it looked like the first night:

The first thing we attacked was the kitchen. Below is a pic of my husband and one of his best friends pretending to help take apart the cabinetry ;)

Here I am taking off the screws that keep the front of the cabinets in place:

Christian was also really great in assisting Dave with the babyproofing of the lower cabinets:

Here's where we got the first Friday night after we moved in: (Oh yes, and that's definitely a dumped over bag of dog food on top of the fridge and my dog going crazy after all the food that spilled on the floor- that's when we knew it was quitting time!!! )

The next day, my (amazing) husband put up the beadboard and then painted it white.

We used $3 cheapie brackets from Home Depot, but I love the black against the white and am really happy with them:

Dave installed 12" painted shelves all the way accross the wall. (I can't thank him enough because he did all of this in the middle of the move!!!)

When I received Cowtan & Tout's sample of Botanique Spectaculaire I was in Heaven!! I had thought it was going to be in black and white and was surprised that the colors used happened to perfectly match all of the fabrics I'd chosen for the living room. No joke. And I already have tons of that Ralph Lauren greige I love so much ("Hopsack") which PERFECTLY matched the leaves in the wallpaper.

One of my best friends, Lindsey, and my cousin, Jen, came over on Sunday to help out (thank you!!!) and Lindsey and I painted the remaining lower cabinets while Jen watched the little guy. (I really gouged the lower cabinets with the belt sander because the I only had really heavy sandpaper and was too impatient/ lazy to go to the store to get a finer grade for the belt sander. Oh well! you can't really see it now-- I hope!) Below is Lindsey digging in to the painting:

And finally, here's how the kitchen looks now:

Still lots left undone but I'm much happier with where we're at:

I have to say that I LOVE open shelving more than I could've dreamed. It really is such simple, easy living. We use almost everything up there all the time and clean up is such a breeze. I don't dread putting away the dishes nearly as much!!

Below is my Grandma Maestranzi's colander and I love it up there right above the stove:

Here's my favorite white bowl my mom gave me. It was brand new a few years ago & has seriously aged with wear & tear !!!! love it.

I found the chandelier (below) on that NY flea market trip with Eddie Ross and was undecided about it when I left. I loved it but planned to put it in my dad's house & couldn't get a hold of him. Eddie was so sweet and picked it up for me a couple of weeks later & mailed it to us when I decided I wanted it. I'm still waiting on new wax drips/ covers but my husband rewired it & got it up and working & I couldn't be happier with it!! It was in an old hotel in NY that has since been torn down:

Here's a detail of the hammered finish:

Here's the breakfast area as it is now:

I picked up the vintage saarinen-style table on Ebay and love it!! I was really picky about the shape of the pedestal because I found that some of the immitations don't have pretty lines & others do. I really loved the lines on this piece & since there's no way we could afford a real one, we went for this one.

Here's our little parrot who sits on the window sill. Christian loves him:

So, I ended up changing my mind about the wallpaper when the Studio Printworks Pineapple paper arrived:

And here's why I've come to this conculsion. I LOVE both and will consider using the other somewhere else in the house BUT I'm in the mood for color. Bright color. And the Cowtan & Tout paper has color already, but very subdued color and it won't be as easy to inject fresh colors into all the time with accessories. Being in this all-white house you'd think I'd be in Heaven, but I've already moved onto the stage where I want to add color. And I guess since it's so bright & warm out I'm looking for bright!! I think the black & white will be a better backdrop for bright color. So, I'm going to paint over the greige on the cabinets and I'll be going for a fun color. It will take about an hour and I figure it's a cheap & easy color fix. I'm considering a kicky green, inspired by our parrot or maybe even a turquoise or aqua ... whatever we go with, I'll be aging so it doesn't look too new. Below is a pic of my fun little magnetic spice rack that I made from a cookie sheet: (yet to be hung!! :)

I saw the idea in Real Simple way back in college & have taken this baby with me to 3 homes since! We've also been really busy outside and a friend of mine is a landscape designer & she and her husband have been amazing!!! Below is a pic of him in the yard with my husband taking down a tree!!! He's been coming over and helping so much!!

The next order of business was the living room. At this point the white was driving me mad!!! But now that I think of it, it was more than the white, it was the overall sterillity of the place:

My mother-in-law and I made white linen drapes & my husband hung them with Christian's help:

They softened the room incredibly!!! (I have no idea why this is underlined but oh well- computers are the worst and hopefully it'll go away!!)

I didn't hem the vertical edges because I was impatient and wanted them hung & because I also wanted a raw look. I figured it I didn't like them I could go back later, but I love the look!!!

Here's what the living room looks like for now:

We're using all of our old furniture because the basement is a complete construction zone. (My father-in-law came to visit and worked so hard down there & I can't wait to show pics!!!) Eventually, a lot of these pieces will be going downstairs and we'll be bringing in newer things (like the reupholstered craigslist sofa!!) but for now, this is what we're working with. We went out to Lucketts this weekend to find a mantle and here's what we found:

It's raw oak from an 1800s house in Pennsylvania. Currently we have it nailed into the wall and when things calm down a bit I've got big plans for making this baby look a bit more realistic. That's my grandparents' old camel sadel in front of it for warming your hands in front if the fire ;) ;) Below is a close-up of my old man oil painting I scored at a thrift shop: (I really love him)

Below is a close-up of one of my favorite etched pitchers. It, too, has old men engraved all over it!! hahaha I think I may have a new living room theme?!! ;) ;)

My favorite thing about the house is all the light & windows. I still haven't hung much & have plans for the main wall...

Here's an area of the dining room where I just sort of stuck a bunch of things on a whim because I was mad for some color. I used my desk and a huge oil painting and some botanical prints:

I just stuck a bunch of accessories all over & didn't put much thought into any of them as most of our things are still in boxes but I was actually really happy with how my collection of things has finally seemed to just work together:

I found these pillows for $5 at a thrift shop a few years ago. Putting them on the sofa really made me happy because like I said before, I was CRAVING some color & energy:

Below is my pretty door knocker lady. She's been moving around since we got here on various surfaces:

So, that's it for now. And this is me for now:

so glad to be back!!!

xoxo,

lauren