Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Though I choose not to own a Sub-zero refrigerator (*cough* can’t afford one), I’m a fan of their sleek style, and I love the models with the see-through glass inserts in the doors. It just seems like a good idea to be able to locate what you want before opening the fridge, standing there with the door ajar while you decide what you want, and letting all the cold air out. The 601 RG has one of those glass fronts, but it’s also unique because of its width–or lack of it.

The refrigerator is slimmer than average, designed to stand evenly with your counter and cabinets instead of jutting out into the kitchen. You’ll pay for that sleek design though: the 601 RG carries a $5,000 price tag.

http://www.subzero.com/

Here’s a fire feature that’s a little different than the fire pits and outdoor fireplaces that have been growing popular of late. It’s a fire bowl on an aluminum base, which is designed to look like carved stone. The hollow inside of the base holds a propane tank, which fuels the flames, much in the way gas powers your barbeque grill. While you ordinarily just buy one fire pit, I can imagine several of these placed around the yard would like quite impressive (especially if you have a swimming pool and like to cool off after dark).

The gas column fire bowl is available at Frontgate $700.

If your property needs some hardcore lawn maintenance (i.e. fallen trees, branches, and heavy brush that need chopping), then you might have considered a chainsaw. Those gas-powered tools are noisy, though, and more than a little dangerous with those long blades and serrated teeth. The Black & Decker Electric Alligator Lopper is a safer and less noisy alternative.

It offers chainsaw-like cutting performance with a scissor-style cutting action. Its metal jaws clamp onto limbs and branches, allowing you to shear through and chop them into manageable pieces to stuff into the yard waste bin.

The Alligator Lopper’s jaws don’t skip around like chainsaws when they’re starting to cut because the tool uses a side-to-side motion instead of a top-to-bottom one, which incidentally means the chain won’t get buried in the dirt (and eventually dulled) if you’re cutting wood on the ground.

Reviews over at Amazon are positive–not bad for an electric tool. You can purchase the Lopper online for $180:

Black & Decker Alligator Lopper

Everybody loves the look of hardwood floors, but carpets are often the preferred choice in bedrooms (and bedrooms converted to offices count). They’re more comfortable under bare feet, after all. But if you’ve created a home office out of one of your spare bedrooms, you probably have a computer, a desk, and an office chair in there. Rolling a chair with casters on it over carpet… doesn’t work so well.

Any old chair mat will do, but if you’re looking for upscale, check out this hardwood office chair mat from Hammcher Schlemmer. There’s no plastic to crack with this bad boy.

The mat is made from Asian hardwood, and it’s finished with seven coats of scuff-resistant polyurethane coating, making it match the quality of expensive installed hardwood floors. The wood mat has two fold-out wings, which are connected with a recessed hinge system that is hidden from view. In case you’re not putting the mat on carpet, it comes with self-adhesive pads to protect hardwood floors. It has a cherry finish and measures 48″ L x 49″ W with a 9″ L x 19″ W tongue that fits under most desks.

It sure looks a lot nicer than the plastic mat I have (you know, the kind with the little prongs that leave marks in your carpet when you move it), but at $300 it’s quite a bit more than I paid too. There is a bamboo version on the same site for $100 less.

Hardwood Office Chair Mat

Whether you’ve got a full-fledged outdoor kitchen or just a grill and a table on the patio, you’ll probably want to enjoy a few meals in the backyard this summer. Maybe you’ll invite some friends and family over and have a big shindig. But you might not want to chance breaking your favorite set of indoor plates on the patio, and paper dinnerware is no fun, so how about some sturdy dishes that are perfect for outdoor use?

These cheerful laurel leaf plates from Crate & Barrel are handmade of stoneware and hand-dipped to give them a glossy green glaze. Sizes range from tiny (perfect for dips) to large serving dishes for the center of the table. You can buy them individually and pick out what works best for you. Prices start around $7.

Crate & Barrel

There’s something intrinsically cool about sitting around a fire pit at night and gazing up at the stars, but most of the time you have to go camping to do this. That is unless you have a fire pit in your backyard.

The RPS Services handcrafted marble fire pit runs on propane, so it can be turned on as easily as a backyard grill, and there’s no need to go rummaging through your neighbors’ years for firewood. It’s also smokeless, so no need to curb your fire pit usage because of urban burn bans. (Also no tears in your eyes when the wind shifts.)

There are lots of fire pits on the market, but the natural slate of this one makes it particularly elegant. The 24” wide x 14” high unit costs $1,698 and comes fully assembled and ready to hook up to a standard 20lb propane tank. According to the manufacturer, it’s safe to use on just about any material–wood decks, concrete patios, brick pavers, etc. You can find the fire pit online at HomeClick:

RPS Services Black Forest Marble 24” Hexagon Firepit

There are all sorts of decorative doorbells you can get to mount outside your front door, but the doorbell box that’s inside your house (the source of the actual “bell”) is often forgotten. For most of us, it’s just a plain square box mounted high on the wall in the hallway or somewhere unobtrusive. Kind of boring, isn’t it?

The Droog Doorbell from Greener Grass Design is a little different:

“What we know as a doorbell is a square box that strangely enough says nothing about what a doorbell really is: an appliance consisting of an electromagnet, a hammer and two sound sources. In this design by Peter van der Jagt, crystal glasses make a crystal clear sound, announcing guests with a musical toast.”

The Droog Doorbell measures 9.8″ x 3.5″ x 9.5″ and sells for $151.

Greener Grass Design

I’ve seen quite a few pet stairs around–they’re designed to make it easy for smaller dogs to get up onto the couch or the bed with you–but these wooden stairs from CatsPlay have a practical twist: integrated storage. The top stair has a secret lid leading to a hollow interior, giving you a place to tuck pet toys or other odds and ends.

The stairs themselves are made from solid hardwoods (which does make them look better than some of the plastic-y ones I’ve seen) and feature durable neutral-brown carpet tread covers that shouldn’t clash with anything. They stand 18″ tall, 18″ wide, and 24″ long and cost $189.

CatsPlay

When it comes to building patios, concrete is probably the most popular material. It’s relatively inexpensive and you don’t have to be an expert to pour it, so laying a concrete patio is a project many homeowners can take on by themselves. Concrete can be a bit… boring though.

If you’re looking for something with a different color and texture, consider brick. Bricks can be laid in numerous patterns, and you can get different sizes, shapes, and even some variation on color. The circular patio pictured here is an example of a creative way brick can be laid. Though perhaps not as easy as pouring concrete, it’s certainly feasible for a do-it-yourself type to take on bricks.

For lots of ideas on elegant patios you can build yourself, check out a book like Walks, Walls & Patios: Plan, Design & Build from the library.

If you’re lucky enough to have a backyard swimming pool, then it’s getting close to the time of year where you’ll want to think about maintenance, supplies, and… fun. After all, you can only lounge on a pool floatie for so long before you start to look for something more interesting to do.

This combination basketball and volleyball set-up from Pool Shot looks like a great way to add some playful fun to your backyard. It’s easy to switch from basketball to volleyball (a single person can adjust the clip without getting out of the pool), and the stainless steel and aluminum hardware should last for many seasons to come. Shoot hoops by yourself or invite friends and family to join you in a game. It looks like a great way to beat the heat while staying active.

You can get the set from HomeClick for around $450:

Pool Shot Spike-n-Splash Basketball~Volleyball Combo