It may sound like a nice-to-have kitchen gadget but any cooking enthusiast will tell you it is a must-have so that you can avoid spending hours cleaning up and spending more time cooking.

Splatter guards made of screens for pans are nothing new.  Use one of these on a restaurant-style range, which pumps out a lot of btu’s and you’ll quickly find out no matter how small the flame, you will likely melt the guard.  Not so with Leifheit’s all aluminum splatter guard.

Calphalon makes one and so does Oxo but neither has the one critical feature Leifheit’s has:

Leifheit’s so-called “splash guard”  (poor translation by the company) is made out of aluminum AND it unfolds and/or folds up like a fan.  Thus you can fully cover the pan or also leave a section open for venting during cooking.  Finally, stowing away is super easy since the guard folds up into a little pie-shape.

Fortunately, we live in a worldwide internet marketplace as Leifheit’s splatter guard is not sold in the US;  so buy it online.

The Leifheit splatter guard costs around $50.  While to some the price may sound steep, it is they perfect gift to your foodie friends.  They will love it!

While Suzusan Luminaries are generally shown in stark white fabric, the handmade fabric allows for endless possibilities within the company’s four surface textures.

In a world of lighting where most lamps have a hard-edged, structured look, Suzusan Luminaries along with some of Ingo Maurer’s lamps like Wo-Tum-Bu, Gaku,Ysmen, Poul Poul and Samurai are among the few exceptions.  Note the Japanese connection. Both have a fashion sense which Suzusan acknowledges in the tagline  ”Haute Coutour in Light”.

The soft simplicity of these light fixtures intrigues the eye.  Call them lights or call them sculpture: they are both. Give your home a unique, artistic touch with one of these light fixtures.

What else does Bugatti make for your kitchen? On the more costly side but simply beautiful, is “Vera” Bugatti’s electric water kettle.  It heats water fast and the sleek, beautiful design means that you do not mind having it on your kitchen counter.  It comes in many fun colors though my favorite remains their stainless steel kettle.

Bugatti kitchen tools are fun and are striking in their design and finish. Check it out!

(2) Expensive sound control systems made by Nature Technologies, for example, do not work – the deer learn quickly, irrespective of frequency or tone adjustments.

(3) Deer fencing is the ultimate solution.  Since the fence must be at least 6 feet high and posts, which most installers place every 8-10 feet are ugly, I decided to design a more aesthetically pleasing deer fence.  More to come on my essentially invisible deer fencing design in an upcoming video.

(4) In the meantime and in places where deer fencing might be visually unappealing, hang dvd’s.  String and hang each dvd like an ornament with fishing line.  They will look like fun tree ornaments, and most importantly, the bright and ever changing flickering colors make deer stay away.

So recycle your old dvd’s! Turn them into your odorless, highly effective “green” deer control. 

Create your own fun green product and scare your deer away -

A NEW TUNE IN DEER CONTROL!

The answer to this simple question says a lot about your commitment to chemical and/or green property management. Do you have young children and /or pets playing on the lawn outside? If so, here is my personal experience:

After loosing a dog to melanoma of the digit a number of years ago, I cannot help but think that all the chemicals applied to lawns to those previous properties may have led or contributed to his cancer – after all his paws touched the grounds and likely the chemicals.

We just purchased a property with two landscaped acres.  The property has been neglected for many years, i.e. a lot of dandelion showed up all over it. However, my decision is easy: As my neighbors will attest, I am out there every evening digging up dandelions one by one. 

I may use a touch of weed killer in rare cases when a root is so deep that I cannot get the whole thing out. I will then cover the sprayed spot over with soil.  Next year, I hope to not use any chemicals at all. 

Interior spaces like interior offices, bathrooms and basement spaces, to mention just a few, can take on new “life” from having window and/or door panels that let in natural light from adjacent rooms and do away with dark and/or artificially lit interior spaces.

Does the technology work? In the past, durability problems have plagued the electrification process.

Simpson Doors presented their line of residential electrified doors at this year’s Home Builders Show in Las Vegas.  While shown on their website, their supposedly “new” electrified doors are however currently not commercially available.  Did they run into more technical difficulty?

So unfortunately, the verdict on electrified doors and windows is still out and homeowners should stay clear of them for the time being.  It remains a terrific concept. I hope one manufacturer will finally iron out the technology and build durable and reliable glass technology.

Electrified glass could be a huge game changer.  This technology has the potential to bring new levels of enjoyment to dark and often dingy interior spaces – we will keep you posted!

One great source is Kitchen Trader, the new kitchen exchange site from Green Demolitions, to which I have donated building products from many projects over many years.  The photo shows one of the kitchens available right now- great stuff!

Naturally, size, layout and styles need to fit.  It may take a little while to find just the perfect one for your kitchen space. Kitchen Trader brings in new kitchens from around the country weekly – so check in frequently! It’s a great online resource & so easy to navigate.

Most importantly, Kitchen Trader offers informative photos of their kitchens so that you can see lay-out, specifications, details and wear-and-tear up close – very important!

In my new kitchen design book “Kitchen Magic” I present many cost saving product specifications and purchase options.  Making recycling part of the way you run your kitchen remodel today creates meaningful savings.  Recycling a whole kitchen is naturally the ultimate in recycling.

How perfect not to trash a perfectly good kitchen – to not put good products into landfills.  Just because a kitchen no longer works for one owner does not mean it is a bad kitchen.

Make Kitchen Trader an active part of your online kitchen search and find a quality kitchen you will love – - – at a bargain.

Here are some companies to check out: Green Building Group, Fertighaus Weiss und Arge Haus (Photo)

The two images are good examples of what can be and is being done in Europe in prefab home construction.   The pictures show homes designed and built in Germany.  US manufacturers: Take a page from your German counterparts and develop fabulous, state-of-the-art, high quality prefab homes for the US market.

 The prefab construction process has many benefits including controlled building environments, precision from computer-controlled assemblies and meaningful time efficiencies.  It’s time for some manufacturer(s) to fill this high-end niche. Why do I suggest this?

Today’s US new home construction marketplace is increasingly driven by the top 1% of income earners.  These consumers are educated, well-traveled and sophisticated.  They value quality, efficient and timesaving solutions.  It is a real opportunity: it’s time to create high-end and high-quality pre-fab homes for US consumers.