MLK.

Just a quote that I’m fond of and spoken by the memorable Martin Luther King, Jr…

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”.

Reclaimed a New Household Name.

Hooray! Green home products have finally established a permanent foothold in the home furnishings and accessories market. Wood reclaimed furniture, which has been around for years, is gaining mass appeal. From deconstructed buildings, such as barns, this salvaged wood is typically more interesting then new wood and attractive to home owners wanting that lived-in look so often not found in new development. I lived in an adorable 1940’s Cape Cod with two inch oak flooring that had taken a beating or two and loved it. When compared to my friends and families new homes’ shiny and soft flooring, there is no competition. Hands down, I stick with the old stuff. Varian Designs and Old Wood Co. are two of my favorite manufacturers of reclaimed furnishings. Salvaged, vintage, weather beaten, or water logged wood might be a wise investment if you look to lessen your carbon footprint and yearn to have something already previously owned or recreated from manufactured or handmade works from the past.

Modern vintage fir dresser | Viva Terra

Reclaimed fleur de lis table or bench | Etsy

Solid Recycled Wood Toy Blocks | Christopher H

Vintage reclaimed Wilcox collection in patchwork pattern | Urban Woods

Butch oak iron buff cocktail table | Old Wood Co.

Antique farm implements as materials for this chair | Groovystuff

\http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/444277-Reclaimed_wood_furniture_generates_steady_demand.php

Paper Toss for Uncle Sam.

Last night, I spent a good two hours going through all of my random papers and folders in hopes of squeezing in a bit more organization while tracking down all of my tax season paperwork. I was successful in locating what I needed for TurboTax, but I found Container Store to have a simple and relatively helpful list to follow when it comes to figuring out what documents and records to toss and what is in your best interest to keep. If you are still in doubt, contact the IRS for more assistance! Recycle away!

Documents to Keep Permanently:

• Annual tax returns
• Year-end summaries from financial service companies
• Stock and bond certificates
• Deeds of property and ownership, auto titles, insurance policies
• Home improvement records
• Health records, wills and powers of attorney
• Birth certificates, adoption and custody records, death certificates

Documents to Keep Temporarily:

• Paycheck stubs until reconciled with W-2 or 1099 forms
• Phone and utility bills for one year (or seven years if business-related)
• Monthly bank and credit card statements for one year
• Monthly mortgage statements for one year
• Brokerage or mutual fund statements until they’ve been reconciled at year end
• Year end statements from credit card companies for seven years
• W-2 and 1099 forms for seven years
• Cancelled checks and receipts for all tax-deductible expenses for seven years

Discard Or Shred:

• ATM, bank-deposit slips and credit card receipts after cleared on a statement
• Non-tax deductible receipts for minor purchases
• Old magazines and articles not read within the past six months
• Receipts, instructions and warranties for items you no longer own (or warranties that have expired)

Red is Cool… Outside of School.

Forget about the green chalkboards of yesteryear. And you can say no way to the spray on black ones that we oohed and awwed over a short while back. It’s your turn to play Picasso with an array of colored chalkboard paint from Hudson Paints. Go ahead. Paint the town red. Create a wall of wild flowers with yellow and purple. The most beautiful blue sky is yours inside your home office. Just another way to give your child (and yourself) the creative backdrop for blooming talents. Chalk it up!

Hudson Paint is $25 per quart

get a good brush, turn on some music, and paint away in any color shown here.

Be Square and Get Organized.

I’m planning to change my living space here shortly and am on the search for beautiful items that do double duty in a home. Once such peice is this Storage Cube for West Elm. The colors are serene and I love the textured grass cloth upholstery. One or even three would be  perfect in a living room where closets and drawers are typically lacking. I am all about items that maximize storage while maintaining style.

Storage Cube, $99 each | West Elm

I Dream of Green.

I’m alterady over Winter. Go away! If its not going to be fluffy white out there, then how about some green? In the meantime, I’ll get my fix from pretty pictures of urban greening projects that are being planned or completed around the world. This one is my current favorite as it looks like the elaborate and layered home landscapes found right here in the affluent metropolitan uber neighborhoods of McLean, Great Falls, and Potomac. Architonic surprises its readers with this fantastic Copenhagen courtyard that’s anything beside boring. The meandering paths, accent lighting, and variegated grasses, shrubs, and trees creates interest, privacy, and a gorgeous view from the surrounding buildings.

Charlotte Garden is open to local people as a meeting place, playground, and escape.

Movement and enriched vision is enlivened by the changing patterns.

Plantings include meadow grass, Festuca glauca, Seslevia and Molina caerulea.

Colors change with season and include golden tones in the winter months.

The garden was nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award.

The design team included Stig L. Andersson, Hanne Bruun Møller, Lars Nybye Sørensen along with client Harald Simonsens Ejendomsselskab. The nearby buildings are designed by Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects. The pretty photos are by SLA.

An Eclectic Facade Lineup.

It’s not often that one would run into a facade of buildings where four semi-attached buildings in one large metropolitan city exemplify four different architecture styles. Except for right here in Washington DC. I’ve driven by this lineup several times – blaring Friday night tunes on my way to see sibs at Ozio and hurriedly on my way to work while tearing across the intersections yellow light. With each passing, I may have glanced and noticed the contrast of styles. Not truly until now. DC Metrocentric clearly points it out in todays’ post called The Historic Modern Mix. Commenter Thayer-D details it beautifully. Mansard and all.

DC Metrocentric's Blog Post