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Faith Durand's Recent Articles
Page 8
Coffee Mug Displays
We love a good coffee mug—the way it warms your hand, the weight of a well-made ceramic cup, the way they look stacked on a shelf. Whether they’re a coordinated collection or a hodge-podge, mugs bring character to a kitchen. We’ve rounded up a few examples of ways to show off your favorite coffee mug…
Faith Durand
Jun 10, 2009
5 Green Reasons to Use an Ice Cream Maker
Anyone else craving a large bowl of something ice-cold? As summer approaches, we find it’s happening more and more. We love our hand-me-down KitchenAid stand-up mixer for its myriad uses. Over the weekend, we added yet another attachment to our collection: the ice cream maker. You may remember our argument for using a bread machine.
Faith Durand
Jun 9, 2009
My Great Outdoors: Art and Chel’s Modern Balcony Kitchen
My balcony is an extension of my kitchen and home. I have experimented with all kinds of furniture arrangement, surfaces and growing over the past two seasons, and this season I am finally satisfied with the layout and look. Chelsea and I (and Porkchop) enjoy our balcony in the warm months by cooking and relaxing
Faith Durand
Jun 9, 2009
Would You Decorate With Fake Food?
The fake food in these images can be found in the Restaurant District of Tokyo in Kappabashi Market — the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo has an entire street dedicated to restaurant and cooking supplies (like New York’s Bowery, only bigger). Though the stores that are full of knives, take-away containers and ceramic bowls are fun
Faith Durand
Jun 4, 2009
Simple Green: Focus on Reusables for Picnics
This gorgeous spring weather makes us resent having to be inside for any length of time — which is why we’re dreaming up the perfect picnic. We’re thinking blanket, homemade bread, local veggies, a book, and the dog for company. While packing a lunch and enjoying it outdoors is a great way to go green
Faith Durand
Jun 1, 2009
Test Lab: Earth Friendly Product’s Dishmate – Almond
Not gonna lie, the almond smell of Earth Friendly Product’s new hand dishwashing liquid really threw us off at first. We tend to go for the more citrusy varieties. But, because they sent us a sample, we felt compelled to give it a shot. And we’re glad we did … • Click here to read
Faith Durand
May 29, 2009
High and Low: Kitchen Carts
Carts can be a very efficient way to add counter and storage space to your kitchen, especially if they’re topped in a butcher block. At the high end, butcher block cabinets from manufacturers like John Boos offer chef’s quality surfaces and very sturdy construction, while at the low end places like IKEA and even hardware
Faith Durand
May 26, 2009
Green Cleaning: Tawashi Dish Scrubbers
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Spring cleaning is not only a good time to give your home a good top-to-bottom clean, but to evaluate how you clean and what you clean with. While we’ll probably keep our Chore Boy scrubber around for some of our tougher jobs, we like the idea of switching to more environmentally-friendly,
Faith Durand
May 21, 2009
Paper Countertops: Looks and Feels Like Stone
Solid surface countertops, regardless of the material, are going to last longer since you can have them refinished. Recycled paper countertops are a solid surface material that we’ve featured before, but now there are more options than ever. • Click here to read the whole post: Paper Countertops: Looks and Feels Like Stone
Faith Durand
May 20, 2009
Inspiration: DIY Food Projects
Remember this post about whether it’s more cost-effective to make or buy various pantry staples? Well, we’ve been conducting a little experiment of our own and have been making everything at home, from bread to yogurt to granola to dog treats. It takes a lot of work, but is very fulfilling in the end. And
Faith Durand
May 12, 2009
Recycled Beauty: Boylan Soda Bottles as Bud Vases
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) In Week Three of the Kitchen Cure, part of your assignment was to do something beautiful for your kitchen. Here’s a shot of our dining table over the weekend—not exactly the kitchen, but close. And it uses those recycled soda bottles we’ve been talking about… • Click here to read the
Faith Durand
May 5, 2009
It’s Cleaning Time! Kitchen Cleaning Tips and Inspiration
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Your Kitchen Cure assignment this week is to clean up the kitchen and finish restocking, reorganizing, and doing whatever your kitchen needs to be ready to get cooking next week. Cleaning isn’t the sexiest topic, but we still love to talk about it. A clean kitchen is a healthy kitchen, so
Faith Durand
May 1, 2009
Bees Come Home to Brooklyn Beekeeping on a Brooklyn Rooftop
On a very chilly Easter Sunday, together with my bee partner, we picked up our package of bees from our beekeeping instructor, who had driven all the way to Georgia and back with bee packages for some of the New York City Beekeeping Association members. After watching one package installed in a hiving demonstration in
Faith Durand
Apr 23, 2009
Getting the Hive Ready for the Bees!Beekeeping on a Brooklyn Rooftop
About this time last year, I ordered a copy of The Urban Homestead by Los Angeles residents Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen. I wanted to take part in growing or raising some of my own food, but chickens or even dwarf goats are too big to incorporate into our lives. Then I got to the
Faith Durand
Apr 13, 2009
Simple Green: Two Stovetop Energy-Saving Tips
Growing up, our mother tried desperately to teach us how to cook. Back then, even scrambled eggs were a challenge. Now that we’re all grown up, we’re finally catching on. (Mom’s so proud.) Recently, we realized that heeding two of her tips have actually been saving us energy and money. These two stovetop tips can
Faith Durand
Apr 10, 2009
Organic Frozen Meals: Healthy Choice or Just a TV Dinner?
We’ve gotten into cooking a lot more recently, but sometimes after a late night at the office, we’ll pull out an Amy’s frozen pizza. We rationalize that they’re cheaper and quicker than takeout… but is it really just another TV dinner? • Click here to read the whole post: Organic Frozen Entrees: A Healthier Choice
Faith Durand
Apr 3, 2009
Small Space Tip: Move The Fridge
The U-shaped kitchen is one of the most popular work triangles, but oftentimes it can leave little counter space because of its small size. While the U-shaped kitchen saves steps, counter space is often minimal. So when we were in Sara Lov’s kitchen last week, taking pictures for her house tour, she let us in
Faith Durand
Apr 1, 2009
Roundup: Concrete in the Kitchen
The appeal of the industrial aesthetic starts with inexpensive, hard-working materials. Concrete fits the bill and is amazingly versatile and appropriate for a variety of surfaces, especially in the kitchen. Here are five kitchens that use concrete in a variety of ways — from flooring and walls to countertops, sinks and shelving. • Click here
Faith Durand
Mar 20, 2009
Refrigerator of the Future?
In some ways it’s true that the design of the refrigerator hasn’t changed all that much from its inception almost 100 years ago, despite the fact that it’s one of the most used (and least efficient!) appliances in the home. This new Celsius modular refrigerator converts the bulk of a traditional fridge into separate pantry-style
Faith Durand
Mar 19, 2009
ElectroChef Stove: Vintage Kitchen Appliance
I’ve been scouring the internets looking for more information about the ElectroChef Electric Stove I spotted on notcot. This vintage beauty was manufactured by Electromaster, Inc., of Detroit in the early 1930s. • Click here for post and gallery: ElectroChef Stove: Vintage Kitchen Appliance
Faith Durand
Mar 18, 2009
Kitchen Spotlight: Lori’s Serene Farmhouse
Look at this simply lovely farmhouse kitchen from Lori in Long Island. She just finished renovating this old farmhouse kitchen on a budget, using a mixture of modern, serene colors and old-fashioned industrial fittings. • Click here for full post: Kitchen Spotlight: Lori’s Serene Farmhouse
Faith Durand
Mar 18, 2009
Before & After: A Modest Galley Kitchen Makeover
Let’s just say the kitchen was not what attracted us to our new home. Country rooster decor was in abundance and so were peeling vinyl floor tiles, 80s lace valances, and honey-stained cabinetry — not exactly our dream kitchen. However, coming out of grad school, we weren’t really in a position for a total dream
Faith Durand
Mar 16, 2009
Look! Alexis’ DIY Spice Rack
We were having girls night at our friend Alexis’ house last week when we spotted her DIY version of a spice rack. Her kitchen occupies quite a small space, not to mention her husband is a chef (meaning they have every spice and cooking utensil known to man). Since they were out of space but
Faith Durand
Mar 10, 2009
Frugal Flowers: How To Choose Flowers at the Supermarket
We’re no professionals when it comes to flower-arranging, but here a few more tips on choosing the best grocery store blooms to bring your arrangements to life. I’ll deconstruct the arrangement above, which is sitting on my dining room table this week. This was a slightly more expensive splurge on my part, since the roses were a bit more pricey than the flowers I usually buy.
Faith Durand
Jan 26, 2009