True luxury is being able to find space to plug in all your cool electronics and appliances, right? In theory a powerstrip can handle several things plugged into it, but it seems like everything comes with a double-sized bulky plug these days, the kind that blocks two other outlets on the strip. The Powerstrip Liberator
Source: Cool Hunting
Hardwood floors and travertine floor tiles are quite trendy right now, but all it takes is bare feet on a cold morning to remind you why carpets became popular in the first place. Sure, you can use an area rug to warm up cold floors, but why not heat the floors from underneath as long as you’re going for luxury? Radiant-floor heating systems consist of a web of hot-water tubes sandwiched between the subfloor and the top level of flooring material. Companies like Infloor Radiant Heat, Inc. make the systems to be energy efficient, clean, and cozy. Speaking of energy efficiency, some systems can be rigged to work with solar heated water tanks. Luxury without guilt, now there’s something to be said for that.
More articles on heated floors:
Energy Savers: Radiant Floor Heating and Cooling Systems
Radiant Floor Heating Information & Diagrams
Hardwood Floors and Radiant Floor Heating
We’ve mentioned the Roomba robotic vacuum before, but how about a robotic lawn mower to cut your grass for you? The RoboMower was designed for just that purpose. It isn’t the most efficient thing out there (it works much like a pool vacuum, going in a straight line until it bumps into a birdbath, deck, or the wire you put around your yard to contain it), but given enough time, it will whack your grass down to the desired length.
There are a few different models of the RoboMower put out by Friendly Robotics, a company that was founded by two former Israeli fighter pilots, one an engineer with an interest in robotics, another a businessman. They’ve been selling Robomowers since 1994, and you can find them today in two dozen different companies (no matter what our differences from nation to nation, it looks like no one wants to mow their own grass).
I’m not sure alarm clocks fall under luxury housing trends, but when I heard about “Clocky,” I knew I would have to have one when they come out. Designed by an MIT student, this robotic alarm clock rolls off your nightstand and bounces around the floor when you hit snooze, thus forcing you to get out of bed in order to turn it off after your nine minutes are up. For those of us who have mastered the art of reaching over and hitting the snooze button without actually reaching consciousness, this may be just the thing… Of course, the shaggy brown carpet encasing it on the MIT home page isn’t the trendiest thing out there. Let’s hope it comes in other colors when it hits production.
The garage used to be purely utilitarian, a place for storing the car, the lawn mower, tools, and things no longer wanted in the house. It had a look to match, often with unfinished walls and exposed wiring, not to mention that one lonely light bulb hanging down in the middle (you know the one… it’s a pain to reach the chain to turn it on because its right over the car). A recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called “Garage evolves beyond lawn mower storage, becomes bonus room” takes a look at today’s garage trends. Since three car garages are becoming standard (but most of us don’t put three vehicles in them), there’s more room available and people are making use of it. Oh, garages are still used for storage, but more people are converting some of that space into bonus rooms with better flooring, built-in shelves, and cabinets. If you’ve got some extra room in the garage and have been wondering what to do with it, take a look at the article.
My blogging buddy over at lightupthenet.com says pendant lamps are all the rage right now. I browsed through a couple of online stores to see what was out there. This “Ice Cube Pendant Lamp” caught my eye. I’m sure if I like it or not, but it is interesting.
20 Watt Ice Cube Pendant Lamp
Ever wanted lights that turn on automatically when you enter the room and turn off when you leave? For those times when you just can’t be bothered to flip a switch? Novitas puts out something called the SuperSwitch 2, a light switch that uses PIR (passive infrared technology) to detect someone in the room. It’s not supposed to be any more complicated to install than a regular light switch. Don’t worry, you can still flip the lights off when you feel like sitting in the dark.
Don’t have room to install a full bar in the TV room? The Marvel beverage refrigerator and ice machine chills beverages, makes ice, and keeps ice cold all in one under the counter appliance. Between the $1600+ price tag and the fact that you’ll need a water hookup, it’s not a product to be purchased lightly, but if you’ve ever dreamed of a freezer full of ice and a refrigerator fully stocked with ice cold beer/soda/water within reach of the couch, it may be worth looking into. The Marvel Beverage Center is designed to fit under counters with zero clearance necessary which means it can be built into the surrounding cabinets, creating the ultimate convenience with a seamless look.
It seems like jetted bathtubs are all the rage these days, but Real Estate Journal article “Wooden Bathtubs Offer A New Way to Soak” takes a look at another option. High-end wooden bathtubs are being offered for homeowners who eschew the modern trend and want a more rustic or country feel in their bathrooms. Some of the manufacturers claim that wooden tubs keep water warm longer, though the article retains some skepticism about the likelihood of the science behind that dubious statement. However, these tubs certainly do offer a unique look in the bathroom.
Clothes drying cabinets are new additions to the laundry room. As the name suggests, they let you air dry clothes those clothes that aren’t supposed to go in the dryer in significantly less time than with regular air drying. One example is the Whirlpool DryAire Drying Cabinet. It holds up to eight hanging garments, two sweaters, and a number of items like shoes, toys, or wet umbrellas. It has different cycles that range from “air only” to “heavy-duty.” The drying cabinet has sliding shelves, a reversible door, and plentiful door racks to accommodate different sized items. The MSRP for the Whirlpool DryAire is $699.
1 vote
