Top 10 Ways to Lower Your Holiday Carbon Footprint

I came up with the Top 10 ways I'm planning to lower my carbon footprint this holiday season. Starting with #10...

10.

Start on black Friday by not getting caught up in the feeding frenzy of overindulgent, overspending. Take your time and shop online and put items into a shopping queue before hitting that final purchase button.


9.

Order everything from Amazon.com – robot efficiency across the organization means minimal energy spent to get the product from the factory to under your tree. No, I don’t own stock – I wish!

8.

Go practical and give yourselves an energy upgrade for your home – energy efficient appliances, new windows or a 95% energy-efficient furnace don’t fit under the tree but start saving as soon as they’re installed.

7.

Don’t over cook. Your pants will thank you, less cooking and baking means less gorging, less impact on food production, less packaging and yes, I have to say it, less sewage to treat. Ewww…

6.

Stay home.

5.

Go minimal on holiday decorations. Giant inflatable Santa and his 8 tiny reindeer are not only garish, but are also made from petroleum products and require energy to inflate and light. Skip killing a tree and try a bunch of painted twisted willow branches painted white with minimal lights for a low-key and slick look. You can stick them in your garden in the off season and use them the next year. Reuse!

4.

If you can afford it, give to a green charity. IMHO the most impact you can have is to give to charities that preserve green space, especially in developing countries, where overpopulation, overdevelopment and lack of sufficient environmental laws are straining fragile ecosystems and decimating others.

3.

Buy local. Buy sustainable. Buy green, Buy Less.




2.

Eat local. Eat organic. Eat less meat.


1.

Think before you buy, especially when it comes to the kids. There’s so much junk out there for kids. Do they really need a room overflowing with toys?


Well, I’m sure I’ll be visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve after that last one, but it is, what it is. Have a Happy Holiday.

You Can Do It! Create a Custom Look For Your Bedroom For Less!

There’s nothing like drama in the bedroom, right? Wrong. But you can still create a dramatic, modern and unique look using large wall canvas and a simple platform bed.

We went with the Ikea Malm http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39849855 a reasonably-priced and slick low-profile platform bed system that didn’t break the bank.

Stretching a roll of canvas over a large 2x4 frame, I then went to work on the custom element, painting a large, impactful piece that defined the room, while accentuating the low, clean lines of the Ikea bed frame. The results are one-of-a-kind, and didn’t cost a whole lot. For the painting, you can even do this yourself, using a roller to block out the raw canvas, then splatter some contrasting color, either in a Jackson-Pollockesque spasm or take a wide brush and add a few simple strokes to create a more minimalist focal point for your room.

It’s modern art, so you don’t really need any true artistic talent, just guts to get the paint on the canvas! Mae it your own and make yourself an artist!

3 Very Different Approaches to Modern Art

For me, painting is play time. I'm not a sports fan, I don't collect antique dolls [that would just be wrong!] and I don't really have any toys that go real fast and endanger my life. So, I muck around in my studio. [Translate - garage].

Playing means not having any boundaries and the three paintings shown here illustrate three very different approaches to a blank canvas.

'Red Hot Chili Peppers' is what I like to call a 'keep-dumping-the-media-on-the-canvas-and-moving-it-around-until-I-don't-hate-it" piece. Often these pieces have previous lives and I just take them down and paint over them. It's the ultimate feeling of empowerment and control. Of all the techniques, this one is probably the most fun. And often in this process I uncover new techniques that can be replicated for more of a 'technique piece' approach to production.

"Warrior Queen" is a concept piece that was in my head and took form in acrylic. It ended up pretty much the way I pictured it in my head. My inspiration was a friend who has really inspired me in a lot of ways.

Finally, 'Good Vibrations' is what I like to call a 'technique piece' that utilizes a specific brush stroke, brush type and contrasting or complimentary color palette to give it life. Technique pieces are great for series and rapid production and have proven to be popular with collectors.

Well, there you have it. I think I might try and do a step-by-step painting next, so if ANYONE reads this and wants to try it themselves they can. And remember, if you don't like what you see, you can ALWAYS paint over it!

A Lean Mean Green Patio Solution

Upon moving into our house just over 3 years ago, I marveled at the garden and the extensive planting throughout the property. It seems as though the previous owner worked at a nursery and my guess is she got paid in plants.



There were a couple things I took personal issue with though – there wasn’t much in the way of structure to the landscape design and the planting resembled an attempt to replicate an English Country Garden.


With a mid century modern house and a penchant for all things modern, I had to do something. The trouble was, we were tapped out financially, as the purchase price of our house was 10% over our top end budget.


There’s something to be said for sweat equity and improvisation. I went to work with shovel in hand and started digging, moving things around and restructuring the plantings to give the garden more or an architectural structure. The one thing I quickly realized was there was just too much garden. I didn’t want to be eternally responsible for keep such a swath of earth weed free.


On digging up areas of the yard I found some paving stones. A light bulb went on and I noticed some leftover pavers at a friend’s property as well. He was happy to have me take them off his hands. Putting two and two together, I went to work laying out my plans.


I purchased a roll of growth-blocking fabric. After removing all domestic plantings from two areas of the property, I leveled the areas off, laid the fabric and began arranging the paving stones in symmetrical patterns aligning the lines of the stones with the view of Lake Washington that graces the property.


Once stones were in place I salvaged pea gravel from other areas of the property and filled between the pavers with the gravel. The resulting areas gave us two patio areas that took advantage of the Southern exposure, the view of the lake and the materials on property, creating outdoor spaces we’d enjoy for years to come, while doing so with minimal impact to the planet and our bank account. And not only that., I had less area to keep weed-free! Now if I could only find the same kind of solution for a bathroom remodel!

Win an Original Modern Abstract Painting - 4 Easy Ways to Win!

Artoberest Original Art Giveaway!

4 easy ways to win!

Yes, it’s time for a shameless self-promotion – but there’s something in it for YOU! There are 4 easy ways your can win the original painting shown here:

1. Everyone who follows my media blog @ http://guywborgford.blogspot.com/ is automatically entered to win this original painting by yours truly – me! All you have to do is click the ‘Follow’ button and get entered to win.

2. Double your chances of winning by following my art and design blog here:
http://modmandesign.blogspot.com/

3. And get yet another chance by ‘liking’ my art page on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=199778103672&ref=search

4. Are you a Tweeter? Get your fourth chance to win by following me on twitter here:
http://twitter.com/gborgford

You never have to read a word I write, just add me, follow me and like me. Does that sound desperate? It’s not – it’s marketing, peeps!

On Halloween night, I’m taking all the entries and drawing the prize for this 24”x36” acrylic on canvas piece entitled “Grass and The Hoppers” approximate value $750.00.

If a winner is chosen outside of the Greater Seattle area, the winner must cover $20.00 in shipping charges – I’ll cover the rest.

Your chances of winning are dependent on the number of ways you sign up and the total number of entries. Got a partner? Get them to enter to and double up your chances…kids…get them to sign up too and get the whole family in on it! It’s easy and your chances of winning are awesome! Sure it’s not a payday like the lottery, but winning is always FUN and I’m getting old, so once I croak, this painting could be worth MILLION$. OK, maybe not millions, but maybe a few bucks.

So, don’t hesitate. Follow my blogs, LIKE my art Facebook page and follow my tweets and you could WIN!

Thanks and have a great week!

Guy

Dining with Drama!

And I'm not talking about viscious food fights or family squabbles or people storming from the table - I'm talking about creating a simple but impactful statement with the use of large format modern art and minimal furnishings. OK, sure, this IS a plug for my painting but at the same time, I think it's a valid point.

I like to this of the food at the art on the table. Kill the kitsch, the carving and the knick knacks. Go minimal and in the palce of everything else adorn your dining wall with a large format painting that SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAMS DRAMA!

The piece shows here is almost 6'x6' and commands the room. Paired up with a minimal mid century dining suite, a simple wire blowl from Pier 1 and a minimal drum pendant lamp from Seattle Lighting and you've got a bangin look that's easy on pocket book and low maintenance too.

Check out some of my inventory here and let's serve up some modern slick with those viddles!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=676690869#!/group.php?gid=199778103672&ref=ts

Mid Century Modern Occassional Chair

A stickler for stick legs, the moment I saw this chair on Craigslist I was drawn to it. The mid century modern piece was as uncomfortable as a block of wood, with no seat cushion or padding. But for $25 how could we go wrong? The beagles has shredded a couple throw pillows, so I recycled the stuffing from those and bought a yard of this faux zebra-like material, with a slight velvety touch.

For another $10 of material and a few staples, this chair has the look without the cost. Sure of u look closely it looks a little lumpy, that's why I always recommend dimmers on all light switches. Everything looks more refined when you squint.


Total Project Cost: $35

Modern By Nature - Patio Center Piece

One overriding theme around the house is to do stuff for less. The beauty of this approach is that quite often if a home project costs less, it's also inherently easier on the environment. Now I know if my partner reads this, he's going to laugh his ass off. On top of thinking I'm crazy, he gets a kick out of my mickey mouse approach to so many projects, especially in the garden, where I rule my kingdom with a green fist.

Moving from a 2 BR loft to a 4 BR house meant getting lots of stuff we didn't have. A patio off the dining room called for extending living space to the outdoors in the tradition of mid century modern living popularized by the Eichler dynasty. Starting with Craigslist I set up an RSS feed http://www.craigslist.org/about/rss and then watched for the terms 'modern patio'. It was over an hour driving round trip but for $70 we picked up a 5 piece modern patio set. Then I found a simple little pot at Home Depot for $12 and dug up some succulents laced with a bit of wild grass. Hubby thinks the grass is a weed, but isn't a weed just a plant growing in someplace you don't want it to?

Personally I love the unique and graceful lines of this living modern center piece. The complex texture of the chicks & hens succulents with the wisps of wild grass provide depth and movement to the delicate lines of the table and chairs' metal mesh. Yes domestic plants need a weed free environment to thrive, but sometimes I think controlled use of nature's brush paints a
far more refined portrait than an of us mere mortals could possibly create.

And besides, you gotta respect those damn weeds.

Total project cost: $82

Curb Appeal - Spore Doorbell

When we moved into our house there were lots of things I wanted to change and sometimes the littlest things can make a big difference. For example, the doorbell that graced our front entry way just really bugged me - not to mention the ornate wrought iron porch light that was as much anachronistic as it was just plain butt-ugly. Starting with the doorbell, I went to work on ebay and found this Spore doorbell for $25. Not really cheap for a doorbell by any means, but it was one of those things I just had to have.

A friend had done a remodel on a house and had an extra outdoor light fixture, so we gladly took it off his hands to replace the hideous one we had. I added a fluorescent light bulb in order to be more energy efficient and to compliment the blue of the doorbell light and our solar garden lights - the result is an aligned outdoor lighting theme that is modern, ecological and was all put together for under $100, including the garden lighting.

Together these design elements really highlight the entrance and slick up the curb appeal to support our continuous attempt to modernize our mid century modern home.

Sofa So Good

For something like a sofa, it's difficult to go vintage and get something that's both sleek and comfortable. Plus for me, a sofa is almost like a bed - you kind of have to buy it new. Not to say there aren't some really great examples of modern, minimal, vintage sofas out there, but when you do find one, the price of often higher than getting something new.

One of the best sources I've found in Seattle is Modern Design Sofas. www.moderndesignsofas.com. Not only do they have a great selection of central entertaining seating systems, but they also stock some very cool chairs, lighting, accessories and more. We bought the sofa shown here and ordered a second set of washable microfiber covers to handle the heavy traffic of our 2 kids and rambunctious beagles. Their prices are really affordable with the sectional shown selling for $1400, we didn't find a better deal locally anywhere.

DIY Modern Photo Project

Like most modernists, I'm not a big fan of the family photo portraits in the living room. Nothing to me says schmaltz more than family likenesses posed in their Sunday best - I have to admit it makes me throw up in my mouth. Not that portraits are a bad thing...I just think they should be reserved for family rooms or guest room or any room that isn't easy to see. Hey, this is my blog, so I can spew off my opinion any way I want - especially since no one reads this! Ha!

I do love photography though. And the right images, cropped and framed in the right way, on the right wall, can make a pretty solid modern statement. And there's nothing more satisfying than seeing your own creative work, working its magic in your own home. One of my personal favorites in terms of subject matter, is architecture.

Here's an easy and inexpensive way for you to create your own photographic modern masterpiece in just a few easy steps, that works for hallways, entry ways and more.

Pick a related subject matter - I personally think that architecture makes a strong visual statement.

Take digital shots...think abstraction..think taking pieces of your subject matter and making them a graphic play on reality. Try turning the camera on an angle, flash on, flash off, experiment and have fun - that's what makes digital photography so amazing.

Get a simple photo editor on your PC if it doesn't already have one. I have Photoshop but you don't have to spend that kind of money to get the effects we're looking for here.

Play with Brightness, contrast and saturation...in the latter case think about desaturating all color for a stark black and white look.

Edit photos to the same size, cropping out parts of the image that work the least.

Print out on photo paper...matte finish is best.

Buy matching frames and matting, if necessary to create consistency and further create the aura of a holistic piece.

Mount the framed pieces evenly...I prefer a single straight line, but sometimes vertical lines work well as do diagonal lines climbing a staircase.

Be amazed at your creative genius...and when guests comment on the photography, you can hold back on your enthusiasm when you say, "oh ya, I took those.."

Shown here are some images I shot while in Boston. One neat idea for your photo essay is to shoot images from your neighborhood, bringing the familiar and outdoors, in.

#2 Hand Blown Glass Vase

To the collector of modern furnishings there are a number of approaches to take. There are those for whom expense is not option and there are a lot of great choices right here in the Seattle area, including Area 51, Chartreuse Moderne and Design Within Reach. For larger, more prolific pieces I recommend Modern Design Sofas. Anthony stocks great stuff and the prices are far less than what you'd pay elsewhere.

For smaller pieces and accents, I prefer to take a less hurried, more random approach. Every once in a while, I'll stop by at Salvation Army, Value Village or Goodwill and have a look around. And every once in while I stumble onto something really sweet. The vase shown here was among the reams of garage sale quality, run of the mill glassware at Salvation Army in downtown Seattle. The minute I saw it, it was love. Its sandblasted surface and elegant profile meshed with the colder stainless that dominated most of the kitchen, while the buttery yellow Silestone of our kitchen island mapped to the golden hue of the glass. I carefully checked the price tag. $2. That was in my budget. A few sticks of black bamboo later and I had a killer modern center piece for our kitchen island - total cost: $2

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a hot look - especially for accent pieces. Take your time, look around, hunt and let the joy of discovery make it all that much more fun.

Objects of Desire - Mid Century Coffee Table and Ceramic Vase

When thinking green, I like to think reusing vs. recycling. And nothing speaks to the ethos of this mindset more than searching thrift shops, garage sales and Craigslist to find modern gems for your home. Sometimes you just have to go new too - like I wouldn't want to buy a bed someone else has slept on, right? But there are many things you can find for your home that have a pricey slick look without breaking the bank. Here are just a few items, I've found for far less than what you might think.

1. Mid Century Modern parquet coffee table and ceramic vase

I found the coffee table on Craigslist. It was one of those times I didn't even try and get the price lower. The owner was asking $25. It was one of those times my heart skipped a beat when I saw it. Yes, I have issues. No chips in the parquet inlays and sweet metal mid century stick tapered legs sat perfectly with the rest of my mid century and contemporary decor. TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS!!! I found the perfectly round little ceramic vase at a local garage sale for the rich price of $1...yes ONE DOLLAR! Total cost for this look - $26.00

A New Place to Dwell

There's an awesome new mag on the block with a focus on modern architecture and design. The magazine is beautiful and IMHO much richer in content than Dwell. And the web site is chock full of awesome articles and content. Check out their web site here:

http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/

Great stuff!

Upstairs Remodel - After Shots

Here are a few shots of the main living area after the remodel. Need to note that this was all superficial work that we were able to do ourselves. Ripping out the carpet, painting, removing the drapes and changing the light fixtures added synergy to the design of our new kitchen and created an updated look throughout the main living space. There are tons of things we'd still like to do in terms of finishing but if you squint it all looks just about perfect - for us anyway. Despite the fact we had to pull our rugs due to our puppy's propensity to piss, it pretty much fits our hectic family lifestyle to a T - and the open floor plan and central kitchen entertaining area is perfect for parties and family gatherings. Now if we only had budget for the upstairs bathroom...

Upstairs Remodel - Before [ - Doing it on the Quick and Dirty

While undertaking the monumental job of the kitchen remodel, we simultaneously looked at changing the look of the entire upstairs, which includes 3 bedrooms, a bath, kitchen, dining area and living room. The house was well cared for but sorely in need of an update. Carpeting throughout the main living areas was just wrong. The paint colors were off and heavy drapery gave the space an outdated persona much in need of a makeover. On top of this, we had to deal with a glittery-disco popcorn ceiling finish that screamed old-school cheese.

The first step was to peek under the carpet to see what we were dealing with. The gods were in our favor as we discovered oak hardwoods under the carpeting. Despite the less-than-stellar condition of the hardwoods they were a huge improvement over the carpeting. To stay in line with our green approach to the remodel, we carefully removed the carpet and rolled it up. I posted an ad on the free stuff section of Craigslist and within the hour someone came by and picked up all the carpeting, saving space in the land fill and saving the purchase and subsequent manufacture of new carpeting.

With the carpeting out of the way, we carefully removed all the nails and staples from the floor and then got to work on the paint. The first step was the popcorn ceiling. Rather than taking on the painstaking and potentially toxic job of scraping off of the popcorn [mid century popcorn finish is notoriously laden with asbestos] we were advised from some 'expert' friends to simply paint over the popcorn glitter finish with a neutral paint. We borrowed a paint sprayer for this job [a must!] and worked those deltoids in covering up the old disco finish. The results looked awesome and changed the look immediately. We then selected 3 different shades for the upstairs main area, adding transitional tones as the eye progresses throughout the home.

Separate colors were chosen for each bedroom, with the master also having a complimentary accent wall color to draw focus to a large head board painting above the bed.

Finally we changed out the old school lighting throughout the upstairs, choosing directional spots with dimmers to maximize the impact of our art collection.

The photos here show the before...a nice homey feel but not the slick modern look we were looking for...

Kitchen Remodel - After Photos

Sink, countertops, hardware and lighting by Ikea.

Silestone Kitchen Island countertop from Home Depot.

To read about the project see my previous post.

Modern Kitchen Renovation - After

In order to take down the walls and closets our engineer friend told us we needed to reinforce the header, a large beam that essentially spreads the load of the roof to the walls. We got him to do all that and build in the new partial wall we decided to construct in order to save money by not having to rewire almost everything, allowing us to keep light switches and circuits in the same places. Our contractor friend Chris was really smart about suggesting ways to cut costs and be conscious of the remodel footprint. He reused much of the timber from the demolition and not only saved us some money but also a tree or two.

While undergoing the pain of the usual remodel woes - over time and over budget - we lived on a mattress in our basement, the laundry room, our makeshift kitchen. Fortunately our dear friend and accomplished home remodel guru Daniella Conchita Consuela [hereby known as DCC] advised us to keep the fridge from the old kitchen and put it in the laundry room. This ended up being more than convenient during the remodel and saved us a ton of grief due to some hard decisions on appliances that really made the kitchen come together - again, grwat advice from an awesome friend. Which brings up a good point. Talk to your friends about your project, especially those with experience. It will save you great pain.



After demolition, and base construction the fun part started - designing the space and choosing materials, appliances and hardware. We chose Ikea cabinets and hardware as well as cut costs by going with Ikea Formica on the kitchen counter. Ikea was also our choice for the faucet and sink apparatus, while the dishwasher, fridge and gas range were all from Sears - a smoking deal We paid to have gas put in to the kitchen - another solid recommendation since we love to cook. I had never had gas before and I can't say how much this was worth the couple hundred bucks to put in the line. Another friend recommended to also get the line put out to the patio, so we have a natural gas grill and never run out of fuel. It rocks.

For the backsplash we used this fake stainless steel from Ikea. it ended up looking great with all the stainless appliances and saved us big dollars for not having to tile or install stone.

Finally the hood was form Home Depot as were the dark porcelain tiles, paint and odds and ends. Home Depot loved us. Finally our plans called for a nearly six foot by six foot island in the center of the kitchen. We simply stacked Ikea cabinets against each other and then sunk, what was for us big bucks, into two large slabs of warm buttery colored silestone to top off the very center of our home. Another place where it paid off to invest the few extra dollars we really didn't have, but money we didn't really have, well spent.

For the fridge our dear friend, DCC advised us to spend a few extra dollars and get a counter depth fridge. Because kitchen cabinets aren't as deep as standard refrigerators a standard fridge would stick out like 6 inches or something. It would not look slick, custom or modern like the look we were going for. The caveats to these models is they do cost more but you also lose storage space. So, keeping the other refrigerator was critical in order to have the storage needed to feed a family of four, two dogs and guests over all the time. Since the old fridge was only a couple years old it was efficient and met our goal of being as light on our remodel footprint as possible.

For anyone attempting to design and assemble an Ikea kitchen...you can do it yourself like we did...but be prepared to make at LEAST ten trips back and forth. Our first trip back was because after painting the ENTIRE interior of our top floor, I decided that the dark red cabinets we picked out wouldn't work and that we'd have to go with a more neutral color. It ended being the right decision but was a little frustrating. :-)

So about 45 days and $20,000 later we transformed our kitchen and subsequently the entire house. If you lok closely here and there, you can see the mickey mouse job on some things...it was our first time and for a lot of it we really didn't know what we were doing, but with the help of some smart friends and a lot of elbow grease and take out food, we created a modern look for our Mid Century home that perfectly meshed with our lifestyle, opened up the view of Lake Washington and the Cascade foothills and now serves as the cornerstone of our daily lives.

The Kitchen Remodel - Before

Why anyone would want to re-live a kitchen remodel is beyond me - but I think this just reiterates just how crazy I am. When we first viewed our home to be, the first thing that popped into my head was the rip out walls and gut the kitchen. Floral patterns just don't do it for me. And for any modernist, the only flowers you should ever see are fresh cut or those in your garden. So upon taking ownership we immediately went to work on the demolition...but here are a couple before shots...

As you can see the entire kitchen was enclosed, wrapped in walls, closets and finished in a lovely lil' ole lady floral wallpaper...it HAD TO GO!!! And so, we moved into the basement, set up our kitchen in the laundry room and called our engineer buddy to plan our remodel.

Nothing Like Following Yourself

As my blog takes shape I can't help but marvel at the one follower who has picked up on my genius. Me. I like to say that I'm always one step ahead of myself, so the fact that I'm following myself makes perfect sense.

Now I'm really going to rock myself and go back in time about 30 months ago when we bought our 1960 Modern-inspired typical 2-story block house - that's what I like to call them. Moving from the junction in West Seattle wasn't easy, but the only thing we could afford in that neighborhood was a sub 1000 sq ft war box. So we started looking in South Seattle, where large neighborhoods sprung up during the cold war, spurring on a plethora of modern residential architecture. We loved the neighborhood, the people and the homes and after looking at over 75 homes we finally found our place. It was a rock solid 1960 home but definitely needed the queer eye - this was going to be work.

ModMan - Explore Modern Home Design on the Cheap!

Well this is my first post all about slicking up yer pad all Dwell-like for not a lot of cash. Seriously...Design Within Reach? Give me a break but I can't afford to fork over $800 for a casual chair - I have kids and dogs and life to pay for. That doesn't mean our house needs to look like turds on a plate - although our one dog would eat that shit up.

As my posts unfold, I'll talk about places to look, looks to place and finds to keep and divulge some secrets about creating your own look for not much bank. I'll show you a few of my finds, many for less than a dinner out and some for less than a cheeseburger. We'll explore both interior and exterior looks and how to go mod in ways that are as green and as easy on the environment as they are easy on the green in your wallet.