Solar Powered Outdoor Lanterns

Here's a trendy and eco-smart way to light up your Outdoor Living experience!
Check out these Solar Powered Outdoor Lanterns! They were a huge hit at a recent home tour in the Los Angeles area and I found where you can buy them online for about $20 dollars.
Go to: www.batteryoperatedcandles.net

You can hang them on a hook, or around a tree limb and the best part is no electrical wiring needed! Plus when the sun goes down, you have an instant glow on your patio!

Cool Ways to Go Green

If you've been thinking of bringing more green into your world, here are some very fun and cool ways to do it. There are "shades" of going green, or being energy efficient and environmentally friendly. I attended the Alt Build Expo ( Alternative Building Materials) in Santa Monica, California where I found these creative ways to do just that and go green.

Like TOTALLY FLUE-less! This is one of the coolest is this clean burning fire place called The EcoSmart Fire. It is an Australian innovation that is clean burning, uses Ethanol, it is flue-less and does not require any installation , or utility connection for fuel supply. You can use it as a fireplace or a free standing fire tower surrounded by glass. Here it is in the Tower form. You can put it inside your home, or outside on the deck/swimming pool area. You can even qualify for a $1500 dollar Tax Credit because it is eco-friendly. Here's their website: www.ecosmartfire.com




Terrazzo tiles made of recycled glass and concrete! Great for counter tops and striking too!


Collagen for your walls! We've heard of collagen injections to keep the skin looking youthful. Here is an environmentally friendly method of painting with Collagen paint! It's for the interior of the home and is made from used eggshells that would end up in landfills. They are cleaned, dried, and ground into fine powder. The pain is odorless, natural, no harmful chemicals and no volatile organic compounds ( VOC's). It comes in a complete palette of 120 colors. Check: www.naturalinteriorpaint.com



GreenSwitch -Here's how to control all of your electrical control switches throughout the home with one master switch that will help you reduce home energy consumption. A wireless signal is sent to all of the GreenSwitch components, ( wall plugs, light switches, thermostat) . Designated light switches and wall plugs turn off automatically as you leave your home and then you just flip back to on when you return. Average home installation is about an hour. See more at : www.greenbaygroup.net




How about going green with a living rooftop? What started in Europe is becoming more popular here from municipalities and corporations to homeowners! Green or living roofs are waterproof and drainage system is installed along with landscape of your choosing. Green roofs not only reduce energy costs with it's insulation, it reduces urban heat island effect, alleviates stormwater runoff, reduces noise pollution and creates a serene, gorgeous vista. Check www.greengridroofs.com



Let me know what you think!
Cindy
cindy@homewizards.tv

Great Kitchen Finds from KBIS Kitchen Bath Show Atlanta

We never seem to have enough time or space in our homes, especially the kitchen right? And since multi-tasking is our way of life, Kohler is out with a new kitchen sink called the Stages Kitchen Sink, that I really like. It helps you maximize the space and time you've got, and helps you prep a meal in various stages in the same single sink. Suddenly you are a big time chef!

Here Kohler's very nice Executive Chef, Ulrich Koberstein shows me how it works.




FYI, did you know that Kohler makes their own chocolate now?

Speaking of sinks, here's another good one, made by Blanco, The Silgranite II. What is especially handy is how you can't scratch it for the life of you. Here we tried the fork test and all it did was take metal off the fork which did not penetrate through the sink which is 80% granite and 20% composite. It comes in 5 colors and sells from $400 to $1500.




Here is an amazing kitchen faucet I've fallen in love with. It is made by Brizo called the Talo. It has a pull down feature that reconnects on its own with a trademarked "Magnedock". This one is venetian bronze but comes in several other metallics.
Watch how it works:




Where to put the spices, small snacks, your kitchen supplies and all of those little doo-dads you need in the kitchen? The Hettich company has an incredible new solution with it's under-counter Oraga T Wing with customized storage.



And here is the above stove or cook top storage organizer, the Cosario also made by Hettich.





Here's the new refrigerator by LG that helps you stay organized and avoid wasting food you forgot was there (out of sight out of mind) of with its newest version with 4 doors. The freezer has two drawers, so you can keep the turkey and larger portions in one with smaller snacks and items in the other.


The better to see you with my pretty--This is the new refrigerator by Electrolux


It offers luxury lighting that is ramped so you can see food way in the back, even when some things are so big they might otherwise hide the light. It also features a drawer that can hold 3 cases of beer and a tri-level freezer for more space-MSRP $3799.

Here are the new Washer Dryer Machines by Electrolux. The red ( the one you see in the TV commercial with a woman dressed in red) is made with BMW paint and is SO red it has metallic flakes in the
paint. Gorgeous.




Equally pretty ( one more reason not to put off doing the laundry) is the new Turquoise Sky model. This picture doesn't do it justice but had to share. It was launched on Earth Day and $200 dollars on every pair you purchase goes to support Research to fight Ovarian Cancer

And if you want to die for counter tops and budget isn't a concern-- why not go precious stone? It's expensive but so out of this world beautiful. These are made by Prexury


- $15,000 for a slab for your counter but it's in Amethyst, Wild Agate, Rose Quartz, and just stunning! Maybe you could use some of this for a backsplash or top off an island and stretch the budget with another material on the larger spaces?


Let me know your thoughts!
Cindy@homewizards.tv

Luxury Bathroom Finds at the Kitchen and Bath KBIS Show in Atlanta

No matter how you feel about your Bathroom, when you see all of the amazing new innovations at the 2009 Kitchen and Bath Industry Trade Show (aka KBIS) that just wrapped up in Atlanta, you can't help but want to do something new, and maybe splurge. This trade show is a total sensory experience, and the end result of many months and years of trends and technology research, product testing and design creativity by the hundreds of manufacturers showing off their stuff. Take a look at some of the spectacular finds I discovered to enhance your sense of luxury and style in the bathroom.

Bathe by Moonlight!- It's one of TOTO's latest designs called the Luminist and like it

sounds it is luminescent and gorgeous. It is a hybrid epoxy with the translucence of glass that can be lit from below-hence the moonlight vibe for your bathtub, your sink, even your toilet! TOO cool!

TOTO's Luminist technology can also transform your sink/lavatory and is breathtaking!

Speaking of TOTO another hot trend is to save space and water by installing a toilet that is mounted to the wall. Here is the new Neorest II Wall Hung Dual Flush



It is a smart toilet that is energy and water efficient and also incorporates that beautiful Luminist glow on the push plate to coordinate with a lavatory and soaker tub.

How about a shower and bathtub experience in one? WHAT? Well, TOTO has the solution in the form of its GyroSteam which brings the relaxing qualities of the bath culture to our love affair with the shower! Here's how it works--TOTO brings a water flow through nozzles on two different axes that tilt and rotate, resulting in greater and more consistent water distribution. The result is a body drenching experience as if you were in a bath!

Check out the hand-painted high-art known as TOTO's Waza Collection the Miyabi series of toilets and lavatories that Asian cherry blossom designs for each of the seasons, including one that is 24 carat gold!




I also found some great plumbing fixtures by Brizo. Check out the Brizo Sensori Shower that promises to give you indulgence with a customized head, hand and body spray in the shower.









Less glam and more practicality, there is the Odor Proof Toilet. Not the first, but a company called VIP says it is the best.

Here's how it works. The VIP toilet system has a battery-powered fan that removes foul air from beneath the user and flushes it out into the sewer along with the accompanying waste. It installs just like a regular toilet with no additional construction.



Discover more by listening to Home Wizards live Saturday's 8-9 AM PST/11-Noon EST or archives at www.homewizards.tv. Email me at cindy@homewizards.tv and let me know what you think!