The formal foyer, somewhat unusual for a Craftsman house, showcases stained and shellacked woodwork of Douglas fir. The library table and large Morris chair are Grand Rapids’ Lifetime Furniture antiques.

One word comes to mind to describe the approach taken by Carol Polanskey and Martin Ratliff for their restoration: scientific. Beginning in 1992, these committed homeowners used their analytical experience—both are rocket scientists—to take restoration to a higher level, researching the era and looking for evidence on site. The r

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One of the most valuable things open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables offer gardeners (and the world) is the ability to produce “pure” seed. In other words, the seeds collected from open-pollinated plants, once planted, will produce replicas of the parent plant.

While it’s true that the genetic codes are very slightly altered, we can still rely on a reasonable reproduction of the plant. This is desirable because we know how the plant will perform in our gardens and how the fruit harvested from that variety will look and taste.

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Anthony Bellon’s new showroom, Anthony Inc., is adding a line to its wide selection of furnishings, wall coverings, lighting, trims, and textiles. The lighting designs of Aldo Bernardi, who has been handcrafting his Farmhouse Modern Collection in northern Italy for more than 30 years, have taken center stage at the River North showroom. B

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Why?

Well, its light bulb had gone one more time (the third time for us) and we didnt want to pay almost $400 to purchase a replacement light bulb.

Not when we could purchase a new Sony 40 inch Bravia LCD HD television with 1080P. Here it is pictured in our family room. Yes, I know I need a new TV stand to match!

As well, the new LCD TV uses less electricity than the rear projection TV making it more environmentally friendly.

As well, it is much, much more quite.

Now what?

Aside from the obvious challenge of actually moving the huge old Hitachi TV, how to get rid of it?

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Just today I was feeling glass jar guilt. I saw a page in the new MSL that suggested we use them to store things like pre-chopped garlic and unused onion halves, and I thought, oh, I’ll never be that organized. I save a lot of glass jars, but except for firefly catching in the summer, they don’t get much use. This supremely clever item at Uncrate, called the Cuppow, could help me be a much more practical recycler. It’s a reusable top that acts like a coffee cup lid. Of course, pouring hot liquid into a glass jar is not the smartest way to consume your joe (ouch!) but it could be great for lemonade and iced tea in the summertime. Stick

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You CAN grow asparagus…no matter where you live! We have heard from gardeners who grow this perennial vegetable in just about every state, from Florida to Alaska. It is even grown in areas of Hawaii that never see anything resembling frost that will force the plants into dormancy. Where there is a will, there is a way, so keep reading. We will cover choosing the location to enjoying your harvest—and everything in between.

Location! Location! Location!

When choosing the location for your asparagus bed, think and plan carefully. Bei

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You are talking major work if you have to remove more than one layer of wallpaper or wallpaper that has been painted over. If the wallpaper was not applied to a properly sealed surface, removing it without damaging the wall can be nearly impossible.

For this type of redecorating project you will find the job is much easier if you rent a wallpaper steamer. In most places it costs about $15-20 for a half-day.

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Theres something about the beginning of a year that makes the fortune tellers come out in droves.  But I guess its fun to ponder and pontificate about the future to string data together to predict what will happen in the next 365 days.  Buildipedia took a shot at identifying green home trends for 2012, and here are the five that they list:

#1: Renovation Nation with home construction still on the decline, it makes sense to renovate what you already have.

#2: Smaller Footprints if building new, less square footage translates into materials and labor savings, not to mention cost savings based on heating and cooling a smaller space.

#3: Net Zero not just generating as much energy in a year as is consumed but net-zero water could become a topic of conversation next year with droughts.

#4: Energy Monitoring Systems with prices going down, it could be a good time to examine real-time energy data on your iPhone, iPad, or computer.

#5: Residential LEDs technology has come a long way with better pricing, more output, and warmer light colors.

Well share a few other perspectives, but what do you think well see in 2012?

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About Preston: Founder/Chief Editor of Jetson Green. P

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Bedroom Designs

Bedroom Designs with Elegant Minimalist style bedroom in a single designs bedroom furniture sets as accessories are very prominent. It is like a table and a modern white sofa with its mix of colors that fit with the media and made ??of wood fiber looks very classic and modern. Bedroom Designs with a harmony of color of the walls and the room was very accentuate the theme of this space as the color of pale green walls, light green, soft gold cream, etc..

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Bryce Moore talks to us about furniture, commodification, and democratic design from his shop in the nearly abandoned basement of Northland Mall in Detroit. We also learn about how his ShopBot and automation make custom, high-end design possible, even in a fluctuating economy.

Subscribe to the Meet the Makers Podcast in iTunes, download the m4v video directly, or watch it on YouTube and Vimeo.

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CustomMade woodworker Brian Mcalpine of Eternal Furniture & Design thinks about leftovers in a completely different way. Making use of the shorter cut-offs from other furniture made in his studio, hes created a collection of clean, minimalist, high quality hand-made furniture called the Leftover Collection.

These Leftover Side Tables are put together like a big puzzle, each piece working together to form a visually appealing top.

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As a sucker for all things Parisian, it should not be surprising that I’m attracted to the new bistro-style tables at Restoration Hardware. Designs and prices vary (the one above is described on the company’s website as an 18^th-century tilt-top brasserie-style table and is $795).  I like this piece’s scale and heft, but as I sometimes feel with Restoration Hardware’s revisits on classics, it might be trying a little too hard to evoke a certain je ne sais quoi—and it ain’t cheap either! (My friend C

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Onions are not only one of the most versatile veggie staples in the kitchen, they’re also easy to grow, plus onion types and varieties are endless. There’s also the many health benefits they can provide such as lowering the risk of cancer and heart disease, as well as being a great source of fiber, and vitamins C & B6. So why all the tears? Well, once you take your knife to an onion, enzymes and amino acid sulfoxides come together to create a volatile sulfur compound (in the form of a gas). This is what turns on the water works. Your eyes are attempting to wash away the offending gases.

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