Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Outdoor speakers shaped as rocks have been around for at least a few seasons now, but I haven’t seen too many speakers in faux stumps. I’m not sure if there’s anything better about it, except that it’s an alternative if you’d rather have a couple stumps blaring out the tunes instead of boulders littering the yard. If you’ve got a few trees, it should blend in nicely, while–the important part–bringing high-fidelity audio to your outdoor living space. This particular stump/outdoor speaker uses Ferrofluid cooling technology (apparently that’s a good thing) and comes with a lifetime warranty. The price is $400 per speaker.

http://www.stereostone.com/subrocks.html

As the kitchen goes high tech, no appliance is left unmodified. Not only are refrigerators getting flashy upgrades such as built-in LCD television screens; they’re getting some simple, commonsense upgrades too. Thermador’s latest refrigerators have “Liberty Shelves,” motorized shelves that go up and down at the press of the button. Even if a shelf is loaded with juice, milk, and soda bottles, you can give it a little lift if you need to reach something in the back on the shelf below. This means no more dragging out all the jam and butter tubs in order to get to those leftovers that got pushed to the rear. As nice as it is to be able to watch TV in the kitchen, this upgrade is probably more helpful.

http://www.thermador.com

Yeah, you want to trust your kids, but at the same time, you remember being a kid, and you know what kind of things you would have been looking up if you’d had the Internet back then. And let’s face it: the world is a little more dangerous today.

If you want the peace of mind of knowing that Junior isn’t viewing anything he shouldn’t be, one option is to install tracking software on your home computer. A company called SpectorSoft puts out software that can monitor your kids’ chats*, emails, web surfing, and even what they’re typing in their blogs. Hey, if they’re planning to take over the school, you need to know about it, right?

According to the company, you can also use the software to protect your children from online predators. Even if you implicitly trust your kids not to do anything they shouldn’t online, you certainly can’t trust everyone who’s out there using the Web, can you? SpectorSoft’s software can keep a record of all keystrokes typed, which includes sent email messages and instant messages, but it can also track messages they’ve received. If you get the eBlaster software, by the same company, you can have these recordings emailed directly to your inbox. That way, you have the opportunity to make sure everyone corresponding with your child sounds like who they claim to be.

Tracking software

*Paid link

Just when you thought the bathroom couldn’t get any stranger: enter the iCarta. This combination toilet roll holder and iPod dock is for people who… spend way too much time with their iPods. But if that’s you, then you’ll be pleased to know this gadget has moisture resistant speakers to guard against… backsplash. Of course, just because your iPod gets mounted on the TP holder, doesn’t mean you can only use it while you’re on the toilet. You could turn up the sound and listen while you’re in the shower, shaving, brushing your teeth, etc. On second thought, I could see this device being useful…

The price is $100 from DutchGuard: iCarta

Travertine flooring is popular in bathrooms, entryways, and other rooms that occasionally see moisture, because the stone tiles are impervious to water. They also happen to look good. Travertine is available in elegant colors such as ivory, gold, beige, noce, and walnut. A finish helps protect the stone, and options include polished (shiny), honed (matte), and brushed or tumbled (both are textured surfaces). Polished and honed surfaces are flat, smooth, and shiny, whereas brushed and tumbled surfaces are flat, textured, and reflect little light. A big plus for travertine floors is that they’re easy to maintain. Simply sweep or apply a damp mop for daily care.

Source: Design Ideas for Flooring

Want some outdoor lighting that will make a statement? These LED towers are sure to be noticed, especially if they stand poolside and light up the water at night. They are among several LED lamps available from the FamilyRecRoom, a site that offers such fun gadgets as residential cotton candy makers, ice shavers, foosball tables, and juke boxes–in short, items that are sure to make your home the most popular on the block amongst the neighborhood kids (and even a few adults might be wowed). I must confess that I’m most partial to the LED lighting though. To see more, check out www.FamilyRecRoom.com*

*Paid link

I’ve seen enough episodes of the Discovery Channel’s It Takes a Thief show to know plasma and LCD televisions are among the first things burglars target when they break into your home. Everything that makes them cool (read: flatness) makes them easy to carry away. I’m sure the best thing to do is to invest in a whole home security system, but if you want some added peace of mind, you can check out the PaneLock from Premier Mounts. It has integrated theft-resistant clips that latch the mounting bracket arms of certain TV mounts to the rods on the wall plate. Then a security screw locks the pieces in place, so your beloved plasma or LCD screen is irremovable. The price is $10, but it looks like it’s only designed to work with the company’s TV mounts, so you’ll probably have to get one of those from them too.

PaneLock

I know, I know, who buys gardening tools and decorations at the end of summer? Well, people who want to get good deals do. This is the time of year when merchants are clearing out inventory that didn’t sell in order to make room for autumn/winter gear. That means that if you’ve always dreamed of filling your yard with garden gnomes (or whatever other gardening decorations you fancy), now is the time to shop. This gnome watering can sprinkler is one of several on-sale “gnome” items from the Online Discount Mart. For an extra 10% off, you can use the coupon code: gnome-bloggers (good until April 1, 2007).

Garden Gnomes*

*Sponsored link

What, you’ve never seen a stone toilet? I suppose that’s not surprising. Though we’ve talked about stainless steel toilets, the vast majority of them are still made from porcelain. If you want to make a statement in your bathroom, though, or you just want to do something unique with your next remodeling project, maybe stone is the way to go. This toilet, with its interesting striations, is from Sinks, Faucets, and More, where they have models available in travertine, marble, or onyx. The standard 12″ units come in two pieces, bowl and tank, and include a polished chrome trip lever. You’ll pay $2,850 for a stone toilet, but at least you know it’s made of sturdy stuff.

Green Onyx Toilet

Do you like that fresh-out-of-the-dishwasher feel for your dishes? Or how about when you eat out and the dishes are as toasty as the food? You can get that luxury any time you want in your home kitchen, if you install a plate warmer. Miele’s plate and cup warmers come in black or stainless steel and can fit right under your in-wall oven or coffee station (you do have a coffee station, don’t you?). Prices start around $650 for these high-tech plate drawers.

Miele Plate and Cup Warming Drawer