Stacey Freed

Out of the Closet

Homeowners want storage systems that work with the rest of the home

Creature Comforts

New products and amenities make everyone happy in the new dog house.

Whether you have a llama or a lab, volunteering with your pet is a great way to bring the calming power of animals to others.

Business smarts and old-meets-new design have helped Environs Development carve itself a niche with stately infill homes in Chicagoland
About 170 homes ago, architect and builder Ken Brinkman designed and built his first spec home, a small frame house with vinyl siding on a narrow lot. “We tried to create a configuration that was efficient and gave a future owner a lot of livable space,” says the owner of Environs Development, in Chicago. And, looking back, he wouldn’t change a thing, he says...

When director John Curran (Tracks and The Painted Veil) first received the script for his new film Chappaquiddick, which opens nationwide April 6, it was 2016 and the height of the primaries season.
Like many voters, Curran said he was “disgusted with politicians...

Three decades after the term ‘universal design’ was coined, we still struggle with defining it. Here’s insight from builders that are forging ahead with clear ideas in mind
Talk to people in the building industry and they’ll agree that “universal design”—designing products and the built environment to be as aesthetically pleasing and as usable as possible by everyone, regardless of age, ability, or status—is “just good design.” So why is it that 30 odd years after R.L. Mace defined the term u...

Kitchen Cleaning Tips | How to Clean Kitchen Cabine...

When it comes to eco-friendly living, the options for your home are ever evolving. And new technology is making it easier for homes to be interconnected and smart, which can also make it easier to be green -- lowering energy use, saving money on energy costs and making your home comfortable, healthy and safer...

Steven Siegel's 15-year old Jack Russell terrier fell ill and had to be rushed to the hospital. AFter seeing several specialists, tests determined that Pumpkin was in kidney failure. "I gave her every bit of medicine [that] science could give us," Siegel says.

Nothing worked well...

The most stunning renovation in Rochester?

One-of-a-kind overhaul creates a kid-centric, California-inspired space for a well-traveled family

Every neighborhood has them: houses that need a little TLC. And then there was this Pittsford home, in need of much more than a little TLC.
Custom-built in the early 1990s, the house was overgrown on the outside, with makeshift tarps laid onto a leaking roof. Inside, a floor-to-ceiling aviary had been the home’s central feature, but it had contributed to the interior’s deterioration—and the birds were still in the cages when it went on the market.
Pass no judgment on the owners—things happen. But it would take major vision and commitment to turn the place back into a desirable home...

How are independent schools handling allergens in their dining operations to prevent tragedies, abide by the law and serve food that is both healthy and affordable?

“The typical age of entry into [supportive care communities] is in the early and mid-eighties,” says Chuck Harry, chief of research & analytics for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care (NIC). “A decade from now is when we’ll really start to see the boom in that aging population. Many investors now are gearing up to identify how they want to participate in this sector.” The question, says Harry, is “What properties will be of interest to those people who are expected to be different from the current generation or the ‘silent generation’?”...

According to a recent survey by Houzz.com — an online platform for design and remodeling — more than one-third of homeowners have done some pet-related remodeling in the last two years, including upgraded flooring and reconfigured room layouts....

The braggable joys of a primo location. The convenience of being able to walk to get your soy latte or see that indie film from the Czech Republic. The frustration of multiple bids. The cost. Buying in the city comes with its own set of opportunities and challenges. But you’ll be prepared if you know a few things...