Friday, December 26, 2008
Best of the cityhammer blog: July, August & September
Editor's Note: As our readership has steadily increased over this, our first year writing the cityhammer blog, we thought we'd spotlight the posts from 2008 that we are most proud of and that we feel were the most interesting. Today, we cover July, August and September of 2008. Tune next Wednesday, December 31st for the rest of the "Best Of" series.
July:
In July, we offered a glance at HGTV's new site, Frontdoor.com and talked about some bathroom wood flooring ideas. We also introduced a new Featured Member on cityhammer.com, California Closets of NYC and Westchester. We also posted some thoughts on how to sell a house in New York when it must be sold right now.
August:
The weather was red hot in August and so was the cityhammer blog as we posted a massive guide to kitchen cabinets for New Yorkers. There was a very informative post on the best temporary wall companies in New York, a Nicky Haslem profile, and a debate about the difference between using a storefront flooring contractor versus an independent. We even had time to throw in some dorm room decorating tips for the schoolbound.
September:
We were one of the first blogs in New York to break the Target Bodega Project and we talked about handymen in two posts, the first being a list of the best handyman companies in New York, the second being a list of tips for hiring a handyman. We showed off Design Expressions new Virtual Showroom online and did a special report on Attorney General Cuomo's major web initiative for recording complaints against New York General Contractors.
We also discussed some of the hottest trends in kitchen remodeling for 2009.
In July, we offered a glance at HGTV's new site, Frontdoor.com and talked about some bathroom wood flooring ideas. We also introduced a new Featured Member on cityhammer.com, California Closets of NYC and Westchester. We also posted some thoughts on how to sell a house in New York when it must be sold right now.
August:
The weather was red hot in August and so was the cityhammer blog as we posted a massive guide to kitchen cabinets for New Yorkers. There was a very informative post on the best temporary wall companies in New York, a Nicky Haslem profile, and a debate about the difference between using a storefront flooring contractor versus an independent. We even had time to throw in some dorm room decorating tips for the schoolbound.
September:
We were one of the first blogs in New York to break the Target Bodega Project and we talked about handymen in two posts, the first being a list of the best handyman companies in New York, the second being a list of tips for hiring a handyman. We showed off Design Expressions new Virtual Showroom online and did a special report on Attorney General Cuomo's major web initiative for recording complaints against New York General Contractors.
We also discussed some of the hottest trends in kitchen remodeling for 2009.
Tune in next Wednesday for part four of The Best of the cityhammer blog 2008 when we take a look back at the tips, trends and news from the October through December period.
-Mitch Mayer, Staff Writer
Labels: California Closets NYC, Dorm Decorating Tips, Handyman New York, Kitchen Cabinets NY, Kitchen Trends 2009, New York General Contractors, Temporary Walls NYC, Wood Flooring New York
Monday, August 18, 2008
Decorating a Dorm Room; Tips from Tom
The year was 1995, TLC's Waterfalls ruled the charts, the NY Yankees were at the beginning of their latest dynasty and a young man who would one day write the cityhammer blog was off to one of the few universities that were willing to give him a shot.
Admittedly, chasing girls, partying and affording text books were the priority back then and the decor in my dorm room showed it. There were posters (either Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs...I forget) and there was a nondescript pile of clothing, bottle caps and Doritos bags that made up the focal point of the room. The bed frames were standard-issue metal and the baby blue-painted cinder block walls only added to the prison cell-chic effect.
Looking back, it's all a blur, but that doesn't mean you have to go down that same tasteless road when you move in to your dorm room this fall. Obviously, there is little you can do to spruce up the common areas unless you want your fellow residents to think you're crazy, but your room can absolutely be your sanctuary.
AOL's got a great list of dorm decor tips up from Tom Kraeutler that are worth a look for anyone off to school or with a kid headed that way whom they wish to help.
Tom recommends solid color painted canvases or even stretched fabric over cork boards for wall coverings to add color. He also offers up an idea for wallpaper remnants and emphasizes the importance of getting the most out of your dorm room's space with furniture that can double as storage like beds with pullout drawers, ottomans that open, storage units that are built into the headboards or that go vertical.
Just because you're in a college dorm, doesn't mean you have to come back to a room filled with black-light posters and plastic Yaffa Block shelving. Although, there will be some nights that you get back to your room and the main concern will be how to stop it from spinning. Don't worry, we've all been there!
To read Tom Kraeutler's Dorm Decor Tips, Click Here: AOL Home Improvement
Labels: Dorm Decorating Tips, NY Interior Decor, NY Yankees, Spring Home Improvement Tips
