From the category archives:

Going Green

More Than Decor

August 10, 2010 Curb Appeal

Imagine walking into a sunny, spacious well-designed residence that has a beautiful view: stylish, comfortable furnishings and fabulous art filling every room. Might this be a place you’d be happy to call home? Probably so, with one caveat: If it smelled good, too. With all of those wonderful features, you probably would not want to [...]

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An Abundantly Clear Client

July 29, 2010 Accessories

Question: What’s better than a client who loves to use what she has and even enjoys furnishing her rooms with recycled furniture found on Freecycle and Craig’s List? Answer: A client who is also eco-conscious and farms her own produce in her New York City apartment. Yes, in her apartment! The other day I met [...]

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A Model Of Recycling

July 12, 2010 Going Green

Last week I attended a luncheon at my friend Isabel’s house where I met a group of her friends including a former model named Samantha. As we all sat around eating, the discussion turned to the benefits of taking something old and giving it a new life, rather than adding to the landfill. My ears [...]

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You Can Never Be Too Thin Or Too Green

March 29, 2010 Accessories

If you’ve been thinking about buying a flat-panel television there is good news: There are now LED TVs that are around 1″ deep and offer remarkable color and clarity. And, if you are eco-conscious and want to use less energy, there is even better news: these LED’s will provide a 40% power savings and are [...]

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Much Smaller Than A Breadbox

March 4, 2010 Accessories

Whenever I walk into a client’s home and see one of those large floral boxes of tissues in the living room, I ask, “Do you really need to have those out on the coffee table/end table/media cabinet?” I realize that I sound like a la-di-da decorator but why oh why does anyone require a big [...]

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Is Your Home Ready For Its Closeup?

February 15, 2010 Curb Appeal

In the past few months Use What You Have has been working with more and more clients who are interested in updating their homes in preparation for resale – when the real estate market strengthens a bit more. Perhaps the fact that spring will be arriving in a few weeks has something to do with [...]

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Another 365 Chances

December 29, 2009 Going Green

It’s hard to believe that 2009 is almost over and the second decade of the millennium will begin in a couple of days.  It has been a memorable year, in many ways, and I am counting all of the blessings and lessons that have made it significant. Aside from evaluating the past, have you also [...]

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A Use What You Have Christmas at the White House

December 23, 2009 Accessories

This year the Obamas did things a bit differently than past occupants to decorate “the people’s house:” they decided to reuse approximately 800 ornaments that were left over from previous administrations and sent them to 60 local community groups around the country for redecoration. Simon Doonan, who is well known for his original displays in [...]

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