Home Improvement

Living in a small space often means giving up a dining table in favor of extra floor space for other furniture. Thanks to a crop of height adjustable coffee and side tables, you're no longer forced to eat with your plate balanced precariously on your lap.  More

More sleep and more sex? Yes, please! A new study involving 2,000 Brits shows a strong correlation between the color of your bedroom walls and decor with how much sleep and sex you're having. The takeaway: People with blue rooms are getting the best night's sleep, while people with caramel-colored walls...

From the dawn of time, humankind has built various forms of shelter in all types of landscapes. Our ancestors' primary concerns were shelter and protection. Modern design concepts and the notion of building sensitively were not part of their vocabulary. However, by building from local materials, their...

Like so many people in New Orleans, Jared Zeller and Jennifer Pearl had to start their lives over after Hurricane Katrina wrecked their home in 2005. But like many other resilient residents along the Gulf Coast, the couple turned the devastation into an opportunity to create something special. Pearl,...

Like this Small Cool 2013 contest entry? Favorite it below! Name: Sean Location: El Cerrito, CA Square Feet: 997 Division: Small What I Love About My Small Home: I love the way the Northern California sunlight transforms each room from morning to afternoon as it shines through large glass windows of our 1949 mid-century modern house. I also love the way a Japanese Maple is framed by the large front window, and how the large Redwood panel wall and other natural wood welcomes our Danish Modern aesthetic. More

Name: Andi ForkerType of Project: Kitchen Renovation — full gut remodelLocation: San Francisco, CaliforniaType of building: 1890's Victorian condoAfter a lot of hard work (and a few unexpected surprises), Andi's kitchen renovation is finally complete, and the results are truly stunning. We've been there every step of the way, watching the cramped, outdated old kitchen being transformed into a beautiful, light-filled oasis. In this final installment of their Renovation Diary, Andi (and bf Dean) share what they've learned along the way.  More

Now that we're really trying to be grown-ups, last weekend I thought I'd try for a BBQ that was a little more sophisticated than burgers and hot-dogs. With BBQ season kicking off this weekend here are a few tips to help you easily elevate your BBQ:Skip the Burgers and Dogs. We did strip-steak and a whole roasted chicken, right on the grill. For ten people I purchased two strip steaks and a seven pound roasting chicken. I purchased the steak on sale weeks before and froze it in the marinade all I had to do was pull it out of the freezer a few days before. We have a grill roaster, but you can just as easily use a beer or soda can; just remove and discard the giblets, rinse, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss that baby on the grill over indirect heat. Once the chicken is done crank up the heat and toss on the steaks while the chicken rests, pull off the steaks and let them rest while you carve the chicken. Slice the steaks and you're ready to go.What Can I Bring? A side. It's that easy; if your friends don't ask get new friends, pick something up from the deli, make a pasta salad or make something else quick and easy. Depending on your crowd you might want to have some easy appetizer dips on hand to prevent anyone from getting hangry.*Use Your Dishwasher. I'm not telling you to pull out the fine china but for steak you'll need real knives. Use plastic plates that can be thrown away and your everyday silverware that can be tossed in the dishwasher.I Don't Drink Beer. Everyone has a few friends that are adverse to beer, throw together a pitcher of sangria or margaritas. Set out soda next to the pitcher as a gentle suggestion to mix them; this will do two things, it will stretch your liquor and it will prevent the non-beer drinkers from becoming too tipsy too fast.Keep it Simple. Don't try new recipes go with something that is tried and true, that you don't have to think about, that you can make while having a conversation, that you can make ahead. And have fun!*Hangry - verb. Hungry/Angry, grumpiness caused by hunger.

My apologies for the lackluster image; a fridge is a fridge is a fridge, at least in terms of cabinet design. But happily, appearances can be deceiving. What's quite special about this appliance is its ability to deliver sparkling water on demand. There's a SodaStream CO2 cartridge built into the door that infuses your choice of three degrees of fizz into a chilled, filtered drink. With summer just around the bend, that's a refreshing option, indeed. samsung.com

5 Most Uncommon Places to Hide Your Valuables Inside the House is a post from the Home Renovation Guide Blog. If you've enjoyed this post be sure to check out HomeRenovationGuide.com. Are you hiding your jewelries inside your closet? If so, burglars might get your most valued possessions easily as they know that this is one common place where homeowners hide their precious stash. In this article, we will list down the most uncommon places where you should hide your valuables. 1. Underwear Closet or Underwear Pieces The master bedroom is one of the places where thieves know homeowners hide their jewelries and money in the personal vault. However, the underwear closet must not be part of their thinking. Commonly, they would access the bedside drawers first, then dresser drawers and then the main closet where clothes are contained. They could probably think of the underwear closet for small pieces of jewelry and gold, so the way to do it is to designate some underwear pieces which you don’t wear and stack in whatever you fancy. 2. Shoe Boxes There are plenty of places to search for valuables but the least common is the shoe box. Who would want to smell awful odor coming from used and worn-out shoes? Even burglars would not dare to hunt gold in those steep places. So you are safe to slide your expensive stuff inside a pair of shoes, put a sock to block it, and don’t worry about the smell later on. What matters more is that they are safe in there. 3. Kid’s Playroom The kid’s playroom is usually one area in the house that is full of toys and large colorful decorations. Burglars would get lost as if they were dreaming when they hunt for expensive items worth to rob inside. Also, they would not assume that kids would have the money and valued items since adults take charge of their placement. If ever they still attempt to break in the kid’s playroom, make sure that you have arranged the search spots in a way that would bring chaos and confusion to their finding. 4. Old Kitchen Appliance You may not have any home security systems installed, but another sneaky tip is to hide your bills and important stuff in old kitchen appliances. Have a coffeemaker that you’re not using for long? Hollow them there and make use of screw drivers and wire snips to secure. You can also use the freezer, if the thing you’re hiding is not sensitive to cold temperatures. Wrap a plastic around it or place it in a plastic bowl for burglars to view it as food. It can also be at the bottom of a kitchen counter or shelf. 5. Mounted Lighting or Lamp Who could have thought that your jewelries and money are located on your lighting? There is no one who can ever think of that, except your dear family members who live inside your home that are informed. Robbers are practical and they know that their actions must be quick. They would not have the time and patience to find a ladder and use it to get to your mounted chandeliers nearing the ceiling. If you don’t have those types of lights, opt to insert your belonging in a lamp which has a hole. Conclusion These five unusual places can be your best bets when it comes to practically hiding away your valuables. Play a game of hide and seek with the thief, and you can be successful at hiding only when there’s more time spent in his finding. You can then take your chance to call the police for help and bring the criminal where he’s supposed to go—to jail. Author Bio: +Lara Chamley is head of security at one of Melbourne’s luxury apartment villages. She conducts a yearly talk on home security and has recently started a business training.

Infographic: Burglary by the Numbers is a post from the Home Renovation Guide Blog. If you've enjoyed this post be sure to check out HomeRenovationGuide.com. from www.supercircuits.com