Finally, a much needed rainfall. The lilacs are weirdly pale this year, not just mine, but all up and down the block, possibly a result of the season starting far too early…

I’ve added many more layers to my mantelscape since the last photo, including a dead thing or two. If I had my way, my house would essentially function as one giant memento mori. Also, can we talk about what a retch-inducing word “mantelscape” is? Really, it’s gross.

Anyways, one day I might post some detail shots, but until then, you’ll have to make do with this old one. 

The serviceberry tree is in bloom… the berries aren’t far behind!

I am incredibly cheap. Well, that’s not totally true, but I’m always on the lookout for a bargain, and I only like spending real money for real value. In fact, I will put significant effort into getting the absolute best price for any one item, and I will only spend a larger sum if I know that the item I am spending it on is worth all that and more. I live my life very much in keeping with this quote, which is why it has taken me many, many months, since losing my vacuum cleaner(s) in the flood, to replace it.*

I have wood parquet throughout, wooden stairs and a few area rugs, most small, and all flat weave, so really, nearly any vacuum would do. Only very large pile or shag rugs or wall-to-wall carpeting require more intense machines, with powered heads, so I probably could have gotten away with a nifty little 50$ number. Instead, I went in a completely different direction, and I don’t regret it at all.

The sexy beast you see above is my Miele Olympus S2121, described in an Amazon review as “something a Storm Trooper would use on the Death Star.” It is the most “entry-level” model in the Miele line, but it fit all my criteria. I considered it for months, but finally committed a month or so ago. These are the factors that went into my decision:

Canister vs. upright: This was the easiest decision for me. Having had both, I can easily say that while uprights can be convenient, they are not as maneuverable. I need something that can go under my furniture easily, and be less clumsy on stairs, so the long wand of a canister vac hits that spot. I also prefer that canisters hold more dirt without the burden of having to physically lug it around.

Bagged vs. bagless: I hate that, for all its talk about HEPA filtration, Dyson canisters ultimately need to be physically dumped into the trash. Once the dust is trapped, I want it to stay that way, so I knew that a bagged solution was the only option for me. Yes, the bags are expensive, but there is value, as someone who suffers from allergies, in not having the dust poof up from the trash when I go to throw it out. Since maintaining the integrity of the vacuum and ensuring a long life for this appliance is important to me, I will also not be buying cheaper, off-brand bags. Given the initial investment, it would make no sense to skimp out on the bags and potentially risk having to repurchase a vacuum far too soon.

Price: As I mentioned above, I entered the Miele market in the cheapest way possible, with their most entry level vacuum. It fits my needs, which aren’t very intense, and, while considerably less expensive than the cheapest Dysons, still represented a significant monetary investment for me. I did, however, make a simple upgrade right from the start, by trading up from the standard convertible head that shipped with the vacuum to a flexible, soft natural bristled head made specifically for hard floors vulnerable to scratching. That this had to purchased separately stuck in my craw, but I’m extremely glad I didn’t spare the extra expense, since I find that the convertible head that ships with this model, while excellent on my rugs, is not anything I’d ever consider using on my floors.

Other factors: I like that this model, while not shipping with a HEPA filter, does have the option to take one. The additional 50$/year expense is not one I’m considering now, but may be interested in at some point in the future. I also like that the lifetime of Mieles tends to be long, which is a very important consideration for me.

Having been using my vacuum for over a month, I can say that I’ve been incredibly impressed. It is light and extremely flexible, both with regard to its 360° wheelbase, and its various heads. I love how neatly it stores, as well as the convenient little stand for the wand when you need to take a break mid-vacuuming session (pictured here). It is silent, yet potent in suction, and the adjustable power is extremely useful.

Based on my experience so far, I have a feeling that, if I’ll ever need to replace it, I’ll probably replace it with much the same thing, but hopefully that won’t be for another couple of decades.

*I was lucky to borrow a vacuum for this period of time, so no, the floor hasn’t grown over with dust in the interim… much.

Have you seen this incredibly pretentious video about a multimillion dollar New York penthouse yet? Unbelievably, it manages to make indoor rock climbing and an 80ft interior slide sound as uptight and uninteresting as possible.

You know, this would be a lot more charming if the slide’s final exit didn’t look like a giant, shiny sphincter.

I didn’t think that Reddit, of all places, would help me track down easily the most appealing pool I’ve ever seen in my life, and yet imagine my surprise this morning when this photo popped up. 

In the comments, I found a link to the video above, that explains the pool and its construction in greater detail. While the comment thread is full of debates regarding the pool’s acidity and other nerdy scientific discussions, it appears that it has enough water circulation and filtration to offset any problems.

Ultimately, this pool speaks to me so intensely because it embodies the idea of working with what you already have, one of the hallmarks of good design in my book. The attention to detail that went into the man-made additions to the pool (the steps, lighting and water circulation) highlight the existing structure, turning what would otherwise be a rock lined pit into something both beautiful and functional. 

While the quarry itself is a reminder of human intervention on the surrounding landscape, and isn’t natural or intrinsic to the landscape, turning it into a pool, while carefully retaining as much of its original structure as possible, is a stunning testament to authenticity in design.

Anonymous asked: Are the Dioder and Ledberg LEDs similar in brightness?

Hi there, sorry for the late reply! I’d say so. They are similar, but the Ledberg seems less bright because of the warmer light temperature (the yellowness of the light it gives off), versus the Dioder’s bright white light.

Here’s an unnecessarily dramatic shot of the light streaming through the Redi Shade Easy Elegance shades on one of my living room windows. I love how the silhouette of the lilac tree outside plays off against my indoor tree.

INVISIBLE LIFT: Window Shades

It’s amazing what a simple switch can do for a room. This is the before and after of one of my ground floor windows. On the left, the inherited pale beige aluminum horizontal blinds, and on the right, my brand new cellular shades. A perfect example of the invisible upgrade, this change went unnoticed by nearly everyone who’s come to visit, and yet the daily effect of this little switch is something I feel every day. This is what I call an “invisible lift”, a simple design upgrade that makes all the difference, and the name of a new feature at Number 9.

In real estate, “location, location, location” may be key, but in design, it’s all about lighting, lighting, lighting, and for most rooms, natural lighting is the most important component. With a frosty north east exposure, accessing bright natural light in my house is a little hard to come by. This, compounded by my need for privacy and my desire to “set it and forget it”, means that I keep my blinds mostly closed all the time, so the ground floor benefits from very little daily light. I knew that the dingy aluminum blinds I had inherited weren’t going to be a workable longterm solution, as did my plants, most of which have given up the ghost thanks to the lack of natural light. 

For years, I’ve been looking for an inexpensive solution, constantly maligning the lack of sizing choices in the IKEA Enje, which would have been my treatment of choice. Sadly, at five feet wide, my windows are a hair too big, and that dream has been repeatedly dashed with every new season of the IKEA catalog. I worried that a custom solution would be my only option, with the big bad price tag to match, and even looked into homemade solutions, like hanging fine paper from the frame with wooden dowels.

One day, when browsing at the local hardware store, I stumbled on the temporary window treatments offered by Redi Shade. Intended for newly moved in spaces, I had seen these peel-and-stick solutions mentioned by others online, mostly in the context of “I bought these for privacy when we first moved in, but I like them so much I never bothered to take them down”. At the time, I remembered thinking that I wished they had a permanent solution in my size. It was only recently that I discovered that they do. 

The Easy Elegance series of shades comes in a variety of sizes, but also ships with a DIY sizing kit that will allow you to cut them to fit your needs. I was lucky, since the largest size is exactly what I need, so I simply had to install them, and now I have a couple of extremely sharp knives as a bonus. I found that the installation instructions were a little confusing, and where to install the brackets on the window frame wasn’t immediately obvious to me. If you’re obtuse, like I am, you may find yourself having to reinstall the metal bracket a couple of times. Once you figure out where everything goes, installation becomes incredibly easy, and while my first blind took about 45 minutes to install, the second went up in about ten. 

I’ve been extremely pleased with the results, and on sunny days, my plants and I finally benefit without having to lift them, but when I have, they’re a snap to lift and close, and the clean, cordless design is a definite upgrade. I also love the honeycomb design, which is much more energy efficient than the old aluminum blinds. Without a doubt, this gets you the look of custom blinds at a fraction of the cost. I still have three more windows in my house that I’d like to convert to these shades

designcloud:

Bottom Feeders by Mary O’Malley

I love how this is both beautiful and just a little bit terrifying/gross.

(Source: cosascool)