Charles and Hudson

Metropolitan Home Magazine Closes It's Doors

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:31:13 -0800

Hachette Filipacchi will cease publication of Metropolitan Home with it's December 2009 issue.

2 Years ago PointClickHome.com launched as a first of it's kind online hub for ELLE DECOR, Metropolitan Home and HOME Magazine. HOME Magazine folded last year and now Metropolitan Home will be gone.

Met Home was our favorite of the three shelter magazines. Although it was deemed luxury home design, they always included a Hi/Low feature and an issue dedicated to renovation. Hachette recently redesigned PointClickHome.com and prominently highlighted their two magazines.

What will be become of PointClickHome.com? With only one magazine in the stable will they just re-org under ELLEDECOR.com which currently resides under the PointClickHome?

We recently interviewed Anne E. Collins who is the online editor of PointClickHome.com and hope that she and her team will come through this process unscathed.

Nathaniel Garber Schoen - Garber Hardware

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:25:58 -0800

We thoroughly enjoyed our days living in New York's West Village (enough that we named this blog after our cross streets). We miss the quaint tree-lined streets, impeccably restored brownstones and neighborhood institution Garber Hardware which has been serving New Yorkers in Manhattan and the West Village since 1884.

Nathaniel Garber Schoen is the current owner and we had the pleasure to meet him during our time living on Charles St. Besides helping us with random issues we had with our apartment, Nathaniel also contributed some great content to this blog (Fixing a Running Toilet & Making a Magnetic Bulletin Board).

Family owned stores such as Garbers are what make New York City unique and provide a depth and richness to the neighborhoods in which they operate.

We recently caught up with Nathaniel and asked him to share some insight into his store, his customers and his favorite DIY tip.

CH: Your 5th generation to operate Garber Hardware and the store's history is unique and tied into the fabric of the city. Can you share the background of Garber Hardware and your family?

Nathaniel: The Garbers came to the United States from Odessa Russia in the late 1800's in an effort to escape the Pogroms facing Russian Jews at the time. Garber Hardware was at first a 'push cart retailer' founded by my great-great grandfather, Joseph Garber, and his son (my great grandfather and namesake) Nathan Garber, before the opening of the store on Eighth Avenue and Horatio Street in 1884. Ever since then, a Garber from every following generation has been at the helm.

CH: As the big box retailers have changed the landscape of how diy shoppers shop for tools and home improvement projects, how has Garber Hardware managed to survive and thrive?

Nathaniel: Garber Hardware's location inside of Manhattan has certainly shielded us from the scourge of big box retailers, but most of all it is the "Garber's experience" that keeps our customers loyal. I have many customers with childhood memories of my store, and some whose parents and grandparents were customers as well. A Home Depot opened up on 23rd street a few years ago and I don't feel it had a negative impact on us at all. If anything it may have actually helped drive more business to my store.

Ryobi Noise Suppression Headphones Giveaway

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:36:13 -0800

Our sense of hearing takes a lot of abuse and over time will deteriorate. It's not only the obvious times to protect your hearing such as at a rock concert, listening to your iPod or playing the drums, but also at home while mowing the lawn or using power tools.

Our Giveaway this week, the Ryobi TEK4 Audio Plus Noise Suppression Headphones claim to protect your hearing using active noise suppression/canceling technology, but they also allow you to communicate in regular conversations as they have a built-in mic that pics up nearby low-level sounds that are amplified into the headphones.

There's also an audio input so you can use these headphones with your iPod or other audio device and these headphones are water and impact resistant and should work well in outdoor working environments.

HOW TO ENTER

You've got 2 ways to enter to win these noise suppression headphones from Ryobi:

1. Leave a comment on this post. Just below enter your name and email and comment.

2. Tweet this post. See the green "retweet" button above. Just use it and tweet away!

Each method of entry counts so you'll double your chance of winning if you comment and tweet. Please use a real email address so we can contact you if you win and let us know in the comments if you enter by multiple methods.

GIVEAWAY DEADLINE

The random winner will be chosen at 12 midnight EST on Nov. 13, 2009 and will be notified immediately.

Comment Here to Win

How to Score Free Firewood

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:18:29 -0800

Temperatures have fallen across the country and many of you have already cleaned up your fireplace and started using it on a daily basis. The quest to find decent wood to burn is easier for some than others. We've picked up a lot of free wood from Craigslist but the quality often hasn't been so great.

Multifuelstoves.org shows us 5 more ways to score free firewood.

Our favorite sources would be: Furniture makers, friends and neighbors and our own woodlot if we had one.

Bring Mid-Century Flair to Your Front Door

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:40:59 -0800

Crestview Doors recently started following us on Twitter and we checked out their work. Very impressive. We love the concept. Take your existing door and give it a mid-century modern twist with their Doorlite Kits.

They include instructions for this diy door modification and they have kits to fit almost every taste and style. We like the classic Newman for our bungalow but if we had a ranch house we'd outfit it with the Langston.

Know Your Options When Insulating a Basement

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:50 -0800

Why not take advantage of the available square footage in your basement and not just leave it as a storage room. By finishing out a basement or at least insulating it, you'll be able to enjoy more of your home as well as save energy.

One Project Closer went through the process of selecting basement insulation and they considered all of the major options including fiberglass, wet cellulose and spray foam.

They chose closed cell spray foam:
While closed cell spray foam is slightly more expensive than other methods, it offers high R-value with the best mold resistance. Given that we've invested thousands of dollars in radiant floor heating, we believe that the higher cost is justified and would recommend this method.

Protect Yourself From Unscrupulous Landlords

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:02:41 -0800

Unfortunately not all landlords and property managers are honest and until you become a tenant it's difficult to determine what to expect from the relationship. Contracts and leases are meant to protect both the tenant and the owner but there is a large gray area that contains the emotions and intricacies of each tenant/landlord relationship.

Beyond reviewing a lease with a fine-tooth comb, there are some simple precautions to take that will protect you during the course of your lease and more importantly at the end of your lease.

1. Take Photos Moving In- When viewing the property, make sure you take plenty of photos. Not only of the space in general which can help with decorating and layout ideas but more specifically of the walls, floors, ceilings, doors and windows. Narrow in on damage or stained floors that won't be fixed before move-in. Walls with scuff marks or dents. Broken glass or inoperable windows. Doors not hung straight or damaged.

Photograph anything else that is out of the ordinary. Digital photos are best for this application and make sure your time setting is correct.

Stanley Works to Acquire Black & Decker

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:28:18 -0800

Toolsnob tipped us to some big news in the world of tools. Stanley Works will acquire Black & Decker for $4.5billion in an all-stock deal.

According to the WSJ:

This deal combines two iconic U.S. hand-tool and power-tool makers whose fortunes have faded amid a collapse in the housing market and a broader industrial slowdown.

Stanley is the smaller company, based on sales and employees, but will be the acquirer in the deal, which comes amid a slow period in deal making.

The two companies, will have combined annual sales of $8.4 billion and about 40,000 employees, the companies say. Stanley has annual sales of around $3.85 billion and Black & Decker has annual sales of around $4.85 billion.

The companies said they are looking for the combination to reap savings of $350 million a year and also add $1 per share to the bottom line in three years.

Last Day Trane Programmable Thermostat Giveaway

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:29:25 -0800

Tomorrow at Noon our Trane Programmable Thermostat Giveaway ends!

You still have time to enter and tell your friends.

Interior Door Showdown: Solid Wood vs. Hollow Core

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:19 -0800

When building or remodeling a home the interior doors are often an afterthought but they shouldn't be. Cheap doors on a quality built home suck! But investing a limited budget into solid wood doors isn't always the smart choice.

We've followed this debate on Home Construction Improvement regarding hollow-core vs. solid wood interior doors and while there are some basic advantages and disadvantages to both.

Solid Wood Doors
+ Solid wood doors are great for sound dampening, insulating properties, damage resistance and value to potential buyers.
- Solid doors certainly have benefits but they also cost approximately 50% more, they are heavy and more prone to shrinkage and expansion due to temperature and moisture changes.

Welcome Aboard Your Repurposed Train Car Home

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:29:03 -0800

In the ongoing quest to recycle and structures for use as live/work spaces, these train cars have followed the lead of re-purposed shipping containers and are now being transformed into permanent living structures.

Easiest Kitchen Backsplash Install Ever

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:39:57 -0800

If you're short on time, money and effort but still need covet a new tile backsplash then it looks like SIMPLEMAT is for you. It literally adheres to your current backsplash of tile or wallpaper and your done! Without grout there's no mortar, mixing, or mess.

They also have kitchen countertop applications as well.

Remodel Your Sun Room with Easy Updates

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:00:08 -0800

This sun room remodel that we found on CasaSugar is awesome. No major changes but an update to the paint, flooring and walls created a much more inviting space to spend lazy afternoons. Some different window treatments and the room would be finished.

Trane Programmable Thermostat Giveaway

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:03:00 -0800

We recently installed this programmable thermostat from Trane to replace our old manual version and have been very pleased with it's functionality and performance. We also sleep better knowing we're saving more energy and money each month.

It's time you upgrade your thermostats to the digital age and with the convenience of scheduling time and temperatures you won't believe you ever lived without it.

We've got 3 Trane XL800 Programmable Thermostats to giveaway.

HOW TO ENTER

You've got 2 ways to enter to win 1 of 3 Trane programmable thermostats:

1. Leave a comment on this post. Just below enter your name and email and comment.

2. Tweet this post. See the green "retweet" button. Just use it and tweet away!

GIVEAWAY DEADLINE

Three random winners will be chosen at 12 noon PST on Nov. 5, 2009.

Comment Here to Win

***UPDATE***
This Giveaway has ended. Please check back Monday for our next Giveaway.

Anne E. Collins - Online Editor PointClickHome

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:56:21 -0800

In 2007 I had an opportunity to work with the team from HFM US to build and launch the first home design web portal of it's kind, PointClickHome.com. This website serves as the online home of the design magazines, ELLE DECOR and Metropolitan Home.

Anne E. Collins was also part of the initial launch team and is currently the executive online editor of the website. Her responsibilities as the online curator of two revered design brands is enormous and straddling both print and web properties requires a unique skill set that few editors can adjust to. We asked Anne a few questions about working in the shelter magazine industry as well as her insights into luxury design.

CH: You've worked in both print and online for stalwarts in the home decor magazines industry. Can you share your background and what it takes to be successful in your role as an online editor?

AC: I always knew I wanted to work in magazines so my sophomore year of at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA., I took an internship at the region's lifestyle magazine. From that semester on I always tried to work in print of some kind--a literary journal, an events magazine, and a weekly newspaper when I studied abroad in Spain. Though the sad truth when I got to New York was that no one wanted to hire you unless you had "New York experience," so I was back to the drawing board with another internship, but fortunate enough to get one with In Style magazine.

It is funny how quickly you can get on a track; I worked in In Style's home design department basically packing boxes but that little home mention on my resume started getting me interviews at shelter books. Soon after, I took a job at House Beautiful and have been happily working in home design ever since. I adore this category and while I love writing and editing as a craft I probably wouldn't have thrived or enjoyed myself as much at a lifestyle or fashion magazine; it's the subject that keeps me ticking.

So that is one part of being a so-called successful online editor--passion for the topic.