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• 2009 home decor news, More homeowners looking to stoves for heat

  
  15 October 2009
  

  2009 home decor news - For 23 years, Julie Gore has heated her Ada, Ohio, home with a wood-burning stove. When the old one wore out, she didn't hesitate to buy another for her family room.

   

  AP Photo/Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Morso wood burning stove.

  "It's warm and toasty," said Gore, an administrative assistant at Ohio Northern University. "I wouldn't trade it. If you get a chill you can stand by it and warm up."

  Stoves as secondary heating sources are growing in popularity, and come in two basic varieties: wood stoves and pellet stoves.

  Some proponents say the stoves can be more environmentally friendly and help cut energy costs; other experts say that can vary from household to household.

  Traditional wood-burning stoves like Gore's enjoy stronger sales, but pellet stoves, which burn compressed sawdust, may be gaining, according to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, a manufacturers trade group. Wood stoves and wood fireplace inserts saw an 81 percent increase in shipments in 2008, the association said. Pellet stoves and pellet fireplace inserts increased 161 percent that year.

   

  

  AP Photo/Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association A Lennox T300P pellet-burning stove.

  Both kinds of stoves are meant mostly to heat specific rooms or groups of rooms, not entire houses. They cost between $3,000 and $4,500 including installation.

  The federal government is offering a 30 percent tax rebate in 2009 and 2010 for purchases of wood or pellet stoves that meet a 75 percent efficiency requirement.

  Here are some of the ways wood and pellet stoves compare:

  EFFORT

  Wood stoves must be fed with logs, while pellet stoves use 40-pound bags of pellets poured into a hopper.

  Most pellet stove hoppers hold an entire bag of pellets, which will last about 24 hours before needing to be reloaded, said Leslie Wheeler, spokeswoman for the trade association.

  

  AP Photo/Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Jotul F 500 Oslo wood burning stove.

  With pellet stoves, look for a model with a large hopper opening to make it easier to load pellets, and check for an easily removable ash pan to make cleanup quick, suggested Bob Markovich, the home and yard editor at Consumer Reports magazine, which recently profiled heating stoves.

  A safety precaution: Homeowners should place carbon monoxide and smoke detectors near the stoves, Markovich advised.

  EFFICIENCY

  Pellet stoves produce very little smoke, giving them a reputation as more environmentally friendly, Wheeler said.

  "There's very, very little moisture in that pellet," she said. "It burns very cleanly, very efficiently and leaves very little ash."

  Ken Hellevang, an engineer with the extension service at North Dakota State University, noted of pellet stoves: "Even the most efficient burning units, there's still ash that needs to be discarded. There's some labor involved on a daily basis."

  Pellet stoves also require electricity, since fans circulate the heat, so it's a good idea to purchase a backup battery, Wheeler said. Wood-burning stoves don't need electricity.

  Markovich of Consumer Reports described all heating stoves as "a large version of an electric, $30 space heater."

  "People have this sort of rising desire to be off the grid and control more of their own expenditures," he said. "People are looking for any way they can to save."

  But if you're trying to lower home heating bills, Markovich said, you'll need to turn down the heat in the rest of the home when using a wood or pellet stove. "To really save money, you have to keep the rest of your house colder," he said.

  Another tip: Make sure the square footage you want to heat matches the square footage the stove can warm, Markovich said.

  COST

  About half of all households nationwide depend on natural gas for heating, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. The agency recently forecast that costs for heating fuels this winter — including natural gas, propane, oil and electric — should all be down.

  Based on today's costs, Markovich said, burning pellets costs about 15 percent less than oil and 40 percent less than electric heat, but about 25 percent more than natural gas.

  "If you're in fact burning natural gas now, buying a pellet stove is a mistake because it costs more," he said.

  Wood stoves can be a bargain for some. "A lot of people are near rural areas where wood is cheap or free," Markovich said. "If that's you, that makes financial sense."

  (ajchomefinder home decor news)

   

   

   

   

   

• Home decor news, Pet owners can decorate stylishly, strategically

  
  15 October 2009
  

  2009 home decor news -  It's a question that comes up frequently for interior designers: How do you create a stylish living space when a dog who sheds or a cat who scratches is part of the mix?

   

  "Many people are incorporating their pets into daily life," designer Mallory Mathison says, yet they don't want to sacrifice style. Designers are often called on to camouflage litter boxes, keep pet gear organized and create stylish sleeping arrangements for dogs and cats. Today, Mathison says, pet-focused design is "much more that just the old standard 'doggie door.'"

  We've quizzed Mathison and designers Janine Carendi and Brian Patrick Flynn about their favorite strategies for designing when pets are in the picture:

  SOFA SCRATCHING, CHAIR CHEWING AND SEAT STAINING

  All three designers mentioned using indoor/outdoor rugs and fabrics in homes with pets. Flynn especially likes the velvet-like durable fabrics made by Sunbrella, which he says feel wonderful and can be washed with soap and water.

  

  AP Photo, Sarah Dorio Gidget, a terrier owned by designer Brian Patrick Flynn. "Gidget likes to sit and look out the window so I chose pieces in a neutral woven fabric to hide the dog hair," says Flynn.

  "You can even clean a milkshake off it," he says.

  Carendi points out that regular indoor fabrics can be treated to make them similarly durable and stain-resistant.

  In homes with a new puppy or kitten, Flynn suggests putting the most fragile or treasured pieces of furniture in storage during the early months to protect them from damage and accidents. Retailers like Crate and Barrel's "CB2" have attractive coffee tables for as little as $200 to $300, he says. Use an inexpensive piece until the pet is trained, then sell it on eBay and go back to your original furniture.

  Wood is most at risk from scratching and chewing, so remove temptation by using furniture with metal legs or bases in the rooms where the pet spends most of its time.

  Are snags or stains on upholstery a potential problem? Choose a sofa with seat cushions that are upholstered on both sides, so they can be flipped over to hide damage. Also, pick a sofa with several large pillows across the back, rather than one long cushion. Individual pillows can be recovered much less expensively than an entire sofa.

  Carendi mentions one other secret weapon: safety gear designed for babies. She has used the protective corners made to protect unsteady toddlers from sharp edges to keep pets from chewing on the corners of furniture. And "baby gates," she says, may be the best way to keep a pet — and any damage it can do — contained in one area of your home.

  HAIRY HOMES

  Many pets shed, leaving hair on furniture and floors. There is no easy or one-size-fits-all solution, but each of the designers has ideas for combatting the problem.

   

  

  AP Photo, Mallory Mathison,Inc Henry enjoys sitting on a Summer Classic outdoor dog bed.

  It helps to choose colors that blend with the pet's hair color, though that can be tough in homes with more than one pet. Flynn generally loves decorating with bold hues, but his new dog's white hairs would be very visible on, say, a deep purple sofa. In his new home, he opted for upholstery in neutral shades ("Stick with the gray and taupe family," he says) and saved the bolder colors for walls and floors.

  With textures, Flynn points out that woven and nubby fabrics may show less pet hair than smoother surfaces. But there also could be a greater risk of damage; pets may be drawn to scratching nubbier weaves, or tiny nails may get caught on them. Mathison's suggestion: "Ultra suedes, cotton velvets, heavy weight cottons, chenille are good choices," as long as they are treated with a stain guard.

  Vacuuming and lint-brushing definitely help with pet hair, says Carendi. She has one client who uses a Roomba automatic vacuum during the day to battle pet hair. Also, training pets to stay off certain furniture can help, though it may take a lot of time and effort.

  One last strategy that's simple and effective: If your pet has adopted a particular piece of furniture as a napping spot, keep a blanket draped over it. Remove the blanket just before guests arrive. The opposite also works — keep a stylish throw handy and drape it over the hairiest spots when guests are due.

  GATHERING THE GEAR

  To wrangle pet gear, Mathison says, "pet centers" are becoming popular. These pieces of furniture include pull-out shelves that can hold the pet's food and water dishes, and drawers for things like leashes, brushes and dog sweaters.

  "Another idea is a cabinet that looks like a drawer front, and when you pull it out there is a food and water bowl," says Mathison. "When company comes, just slide in the drawer and the food is cleaned up."

  Such pieces also can conceal a litter box, a popular idea these days. Carendi also likes ceramic planters with a litter box hidden inside.

  For sleeping, all three designers suggested buying an inexpensive pet bed and recovering it with fabric that matches your living room or bedroom decor. You can have it reupholstered or just have a slipcover made, or even do it yourself. Ideally, have it match your sofa or bedspread fabric exactly.

  Some people, Flynn says, want a replica of their own sofa. He has designed mini-sofas and other custom beds for his clients' pets; Carendi has done the same.

  If you prefer simplicity, Carendi says, nothing beats a large dog pillow covered in a fabric that coordinates with your home.

  (ajchomefinder home decor news)