Category: Fireplaces

Owls are intriguing, majestic birds with sleek, aerodynamic bodies, eager hearing, sharp talons and powerful, hooked bills. These birds of prey are nocturnal hunters who dine on mice, shrews, voles and other vermin that cause problems for homeowners. Bigger owls, such as great horned owls, eat skunks, rats and other larger mammals. Homeowners with owl-friendly habitats may take action to encourage these remarkable birds.

Owl-Friendly Habitats

Owls are attracted to environments that have a healthy population of mice, mice, voles and other prey. Owl-friendly habitats include quiet, secluded areas with grassy areas, brush piles, fence rows or thickets that serve as habitat for small animals. Mow lawn and other grassy areas seldom, as a perfectly groomed landscape doesn’t offer good hunting territory for owls. A landscape with either deciduous or evergreen trees is attractive to owls, as the birds need secure, shady areas to create nests and to rest during the day.

Perches

Owls require a safe place to perch. Owls use perches as a resting place while they’re searching, as the perch allows them to rest and help you save energy while watching for prey. Dead trees and old snags are great perches. If no organic perches are found, nail a crossboard to a fence pole or pole. Provide two crossboards in windy areas, as owls land on the perch from the prevailing wind. If possible, supply a perch every 200 feet.

Nest Boxes

Another box is a replacement for a natural nest and gives a secure retreat for owls. Many owls, such as great horned owls and display owls, typically nest in trees on the margins of grassy or woodland areas. Others, like barn owls, frequently nest in old barns with permanent exterior accessibility. It’s possible to copy these conditions by building a watertight nest box and putting it in a dry, protected area like a barn or on a tree with a cover of dense foliage. Locate the box in least 15 to 20 feet from the floor and face the opening towards the south to provide warmth during spring. Patience is required, as birds might not populate the nest box for at least 2 decades. Check the box frequently and eliminate starlings and other unwanted birds that frequently take over the boxes.

Tips

Poison baits are highly toxic and might kill owls that dine on poisoned rodents and other vermin. If you’ve got a rodent problem, use traps or alternative non-toxic way of control. Keep in mind that rodents will attract owls, and in turn, the owls help control the rodent population. A family of owls can eliminate tens of thousands of rodents each year. People that are unaccustomed to owls and their customs could be amazed by the big pellets found under nesting sites. The pellets, which can be undigested clumps of matter like bone, fur and feathers, are normal as owls swallow prey and then regurgitate the indigestible pieces. Cutting into the pellets is a great way to teach kids about the habits of owls.

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While ants may conduct some valuable functions in yards like cleaning up fungus and aerating soil, they can also become a nuisance when they construct large mounds. The hills of fine sand generated by the little insects protect the extensive tunnel systems of their animals. Besides being unsightly, they get in the way if you want to mow your grass.

Effects

Massive anthills smother the surrounding grass and might make the yard look uneven. Ants bring the stuff because of their hills to the surface as they build underground tunnels. The presence of the anthill means there’s a food source for the tiny animals nearby. Check plants that are close to anthills for infestations of aphids, mealybugs, scales and whiteflies. These sap-sucking insects secrete sticky, sweet honeydew. Ants feed on the honeydew and also herd the pests that produce it to protect their source of food. Ants will actually bite the wings off of aphids to keep them from getting away. Throughout the winter , they take the eggs of the insects they protect back to the tunnels under their mounds and discharge them through the spring to replenish their food resource. Therefore, in the event that you ruin an anthill, you’ll also destroy the eggs of insects that feed on plants.

Chemical Management

Garden shops sell bait that contains substances combined with sugar, protein or oil that attract ants. The ants carry the bait back to the mounds, and finally the substances poison the entire colony as the ants spread the bait to one another. Bait is available as stakes or in little bait station containers as gel, liquid or dry material. Some bait stations are reusable and you’ll be able to refill them. You might also rake the anthill spread and down granules of pesticides in the region or pour fluid solutions of substances on the mound.

Natural Solutions

The quickest and easiest nontoxic approach to kill lots of the ants in hills will be to slowly pour boiling hot water down the hole. Do this a couple times over a couple of days and rake down the hill. Another solution is to produce a mixture of boric acid and sugar and sprinkle it across the hill and on the paths the ants use to get to their food sources. Begin with a ratio low in boric acid and finally raise it to 50 percent borax, 50 percent glucose after a couple of days. Diatomaceous earth is also bad for ants. Sprinkle it on hills and about crops.

Prevention

You will never manage to totally rid a yard of ants. Hills will always pop up someplace. You can, however, reduce the frequency of anthills appearing in your yard and try to lessen the harm the ants cause to your plants. Managing ants involves using many methods at once containing inspecting plants and handling populations of insects that attract acts, maintaining fresh bait stations in the yard and staying on top of yard maintenance so ants don’t have easy sources of food and places to congregate.

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Kukio is an exclusive high-end development situated on the stunning lava-rock-strewn Kohala coast in Hawaii. Billionaires Charles Schwab, George Roberts and Michael Dell are still just a couple of individuals said to become residents of the area.

When a real estate developer in Eugene, Orgegon, constructed a house there — together with Maryl Pacific Construction — with the intention of selling it off, he and his wife fell head over heels for the spot and decided to keep it for themselves instead. But before moving into the sprawling, fully furnished property, which consisted of a 4,000-square-foot, one-bedroom main house and 2 two-bedroom guesthouses, each in 1,800 square feet, they desired to swap out the furnishings and redesign the insides reflect their personal style.

They called in Jacques Saint Dizier, a Healdsburg, California, designer who’d helped the couple with interiors in their properties. Saint Dizier set on a floor-to-ceiling revamp, including the furnishings, and even curated an impressive Hawaiian art collection. He utilized the ocean to inspire his layout, first bringing in lavish mother-of-pearl walls and building from that point. “I wished to attract the homeowners’ personalities throughout,” Saint Dizier states. “They’re very casual, however they enjoy living the glamorous way of life.”

in a Glance
Who lives here: A real estate developer and his wife
Location: Kukio Bay, Kohala Coast, Hawaii
Size: 4,000 square feet (one-bedroom main house); 2 2-bedroom guesthouses that are 1,800 square feet every
Budget: Not disclosed. Properties in the region go for about $ 5 million to $10 million and more; furnished homes are generally $15 million to $20 million.

Saint Dizier Design

The wall paneled in Maya Romanoff mother-of-pearl from the master bedroom set the glamorous and ocean-inspired tone for most of the house. “It gives the space an outstanding feel,” Saint Dizier states. “The walls appear to move — there’s so much luster, but not over the top such as Las Vegas. It’s very calming.”

The cedar-encased room leads to a tropical garden with sculptures and a terrace. Considering that the properties in the evolution are rather close together, lava rock walls produce privacy in order that doors can fold completely open.

Black chair: bamboo, Budji; bed: Ironies; armoire: Sloan Miyasator; lamp: vintage 1950s with custom color

Saint Dizier Design

Together with the mother-of-pearl wavy and walls headboard, the designer wished to create an under-the-sea vibe.

Bedspread: habit, Glant; nighttime table: classic; artwork: Herve Fay

Saint Dizier Design

In Hawaii a patio is known as a lanai. Saint Dizier purchased the giant cypress-root java table on a trip to Bali. “It makes a superb outside coffee table,” he states. “It’s indestructable and organic.”

Saint Dizier Design

A little game area away from the living room is where the homeowners gather for cocktails, watch the sunset and share a casual meal. An open-backed settee allows for clear views into the ocean from the living room. An African tribal protect plays on a copper accent-color scheme.

Game table: steel and wood, Ironies; settee: Donghia

Saint Dizier Design

Although the living, media and dining spaces are all linked, Saint Dizier utilized furniture pieces and a smart design scheme to create each area feel intimate. A high-back sofa creates a buffer from the media area here, whilst swivel chairs allow guests to change perspectives in the TV to another to the backyard out along with the ocean on the other side.

Saint Dizier utilized a lot of aluminum accents across the house, to play the rock floor and wood tones. Then he added scoops of blue to correspond to the natural greens in the outside. Rough, primitive carved pieces, such as the coffee table, were introduced into counterbalance the clean appearance of the wood cabinets and straightforward architectural lines.

Sofa: Ironies, in Donghia fabric; copper chairs: Robert Kuo

Saint Dizier Design

Saint Dizier desired to bounce light off the table so that it shines upward on guests’ faces. “It eliminates dark shadows beneath people’s eyes and leaves everyone just look beautiful,” he states. “It’s an old trick.” The dining table has a bronze copper-finished lazy Susan in the center.

The designer commissioned artist Kenny Kicklighter to create a koi fish hanging sculpture to your dining room wall. The oil painting on mahogany panels is by Madeline McKay.

Table, buffet: Berman Rosetti

Saint Dizier Design

Saint Dizier chose this dark and ornate armoire because it seemed like Victorian-era pieces owned by Hawaiian royalty that he had seen in pictures — although it’s actually in the late 19th century’s American Aesthetic movement.

The four copper-color polymer acrylic tables have been chiseled out beneath to catch light shining through, which makes them appear like bubbles. The chairs were chosen due to their high backs to, again, create the impression of an intimate space. “Frank Lloyd Wright used to do this a lot,” Saint Dizier states. “You produce, in a feeling, a space in a room. Within this space it will help channel out the attention to the ocean over the settee.”

A considerable uplighting and downlighting scheme, with spotlights shining down frequently on specific parts of art, was key to the interior layout.

Tables, chairs: Ironies; armoire: 1stdibs

Saint Dizier Design

The designer discovered this painting in someone’s garage in Bali, covered in dirt and ripped. “I could only see the woman’s face, and I was so charmed by it. I needed to restore it.”

Considering that the figure appears to be royalty dressed for a ceremony, Saint Dizier bought Balinese jewelry to mount pedestals, he then placed on little shelves attached into a limestone wall. “I wished to be lively about featuring the jewelry, to play on the notion of a girl taking off her jewelry before getting into the bath,” he states.

Saint Dizier Design

A copper bathtub sits on shadowy ili ili stones, which hide a drain, so the demand for an overflow valve is obsolete.

The master lava and garden wall include jaw-dropping views and privacy. Unfortunately, Saint Dizier states, nobody actually uses tubs like these; everyone utilizes the outdoor shower instead. “It takes, for example, an hour and a half to match, and by that time it’s chilly,” Saint Dizier states. “Copper displaces heat quickly, so the temperature drops quickly. They’re beautiful to look at, in almost any case.”

Saint Dizier Design

The designer purchased the carved statue within this guest bedroom in Bali. The walls are handmade panels by David Goldberg.

Window Cabinets: Engineered timber, Hartmann and Forbes

Saint Dizier Design

The homeowners can walk into Kuko Beach or sofa at a blue mosaic-tile pool using a swim-up bar made from ohia wood and using a thatched roof. The region is surrounded by lava formations that, by law, aren’t allowed to be touched. Incorporating those to the landscape became important to the opinion.

Saint Dizier Design

This wood trunk bench was carved in Bali, as was the rock statue. The ohia wood column has a”gnarly, twisted, sumptuous type,” Saint Dizier states.

Saint Dizier Design

More ohia wood posts create the main property entry.

Have a tropical fantasy house of your own? Please place a photo below!

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The path beside the retaining wall is a dark walk on a muddy, rainy or moonless night. While the pavement might be smooth, anyone can trip from the dark. For safety, add ornamental lighting with add lights or build it in with keeping wall lights. Low-voltage or solar lights keep the power expenditure low whilst lighting the way to your doorway.

Underneath the Edge

Pry up a capping stone each 6 to 8 feet and include a low-voltage wall light. The wiring runs through a notch cut into the block, and behind the wall into the transformer that converts 110 V to 12 V. After attaching the wall light to the upper row of blocks, then use masonry adhesive to reattach the capping stones into the wall. The lights may also be added between the retaining wall blocks from new setups.

In a Hole

Solar puck lights may be inserted into existing walls by drilling a round hole in the block or concrete. The unidirectional LED light is only put into the hole, with a dab of masonry adhesive to hold it in position. The unit is waterproof and based on the manufacturer, available in green, white, blue, red, orange, purple or yellow. The solar panel takes a few hours of sunlight or six to eight hours of muddy weather to recharge the light.

In the Wall

When building the retaining wall, add polymer blocks that contain 12-V or solar lights. The blocks vary in size, depending on the manufacturer. Solar units require some sunlight throughout the day to function at night, while low-voltage lights demand a 12-V transformer that plugs right into a ground-fault circuit interrupter outlet. Low-voltage lights may be placed on a timer that turns on the lights at dusk and turns them off when the sun comes up in the morning.

Sound and Light

In addition to the in-wall light blocks, then there are built-in speakers, allowing the homeowner to enjoy soft songs in addition to light emitting from the retaining wall. The units are made to match the surrounding blocks, becoming nearly unnoticeable during daytime hours. The speakers must be connected to the audio system with weatherproof cables. A number of speakers can be attached together to make a surround-sound system at the garden.

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Dressers have been packing a useful punch in kitchens for centuries. Before integrated cabinetry became the norm in modern kitchens, countertops were created only from base cabinets with planks or stone slabs attached to their own tops. They featured storage space under, and in the instance of an American hutch or Welsh dresser, previously. Repurposing a dresser to be used in the kitchen is a creative endeavor, one that is going to give you pride, as well as giving your room a more personal fashion.

Find the appropriate Space

Move your dresser around within the kitchen to determine its exact permanent location. Since most counters are 36 inches high, if you would like the dresser in counter height you might have to fix it by building a fictitious base or inserting casters or wood blocks. Pull out the drawers and also locate interior spaces where small, rough-cut planks can be added for extra support. Remove the hardware as you prepare yourself to reinvent your dresser.

A Dresser Face-lift

To help the dresser eventually become a focal point in your kitchen design, consider repainting it on the room’s accent shade. Enamel paint withstands the rigors and stays of cooking and is easy to clean. If leaving it in a wood tone, use a marine varnish for extra protection after newly wiping and sanding down the wood. Don’t forget to paint, stain or varnish the rear of the dresser in the event you are turning it into an island. To make the dresser pop, paint accent colours on its own trim or attempt different-colored drawers. Double-varnish the very best in case you are not adding a countertop.

Repurpose the Drawers

Reline the drawers to accommodate your own kitchen utensils, cutlery or wax and also put necessities near. A padded, quilted shelf lining protects delicate china and drawer spacers are ideal for cutlery and kitchen knives. An open shelf can be used to display cookbooks. Make a shelf by eliminating a vertical door and finishing the spaces inside for storage. Find a spot to display a treasured kitchen decor item on your accent shade; this helps blend the dresser into your space.

Countertop Choices

Consider using your dresser as a bakery station by placing a slab of marble above the top. A small dresser may benefit from a finish piece located in a slab yard. Marble and granite are different possibilities; be sure the dresser’s interior is reinforced to carry the weight. A solid wood top using an array of butcher blocks can also be practical, and extending the very best to accommodate counter seating can be carried out by planking past the frame of the dresser.

Fun With Hardware

Replace old drawer pulls using a style that fits with your kitchen. Decorative tooth pieces are colorful and needn’t match. Conventional nickel-finish hardware maintains the tone of the piece quiet, whilst chrome or metallic stands out. Be sure the hardware isn’t hard to deal with in your dresser, and also that the drawers slide evenly. Rub the interior runners using candle wax or soap if necessary. In case the upper, central drawer has two pulls, you can add a towel rack spanning the space; a stationary decorative panel might be the ideal place for a pot-holder rack. Hooks for utensils could be connected to the side of a freestanding dresser.

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Sometimes what seems like grass is another plant in disguise. Although liriope (Liriope spp.) , also referred to as monkey grass, is considered a border grass, it is botanically a part of the lily family. So if you use a grass-specific herbicide to destroy true grasses in your garden, then the liriope grass lookalikes are unaffected.

Liriope Species

Both main liriope species have different growth habits and hardiness ranges. Liriope muscari, commonly called big blue lilyturf, is a perennial in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 10. Liriope spicata, commonly called creeping lily turf, is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 10. As its title implies, creeping lilyturf includes a spreading habit that can become invasive. It multiplies by rhizomes that creep just under the ground surface, forming a dense underground network. Blue lilyturf is controlled, with a clumping habit that makes it acceptable as a edge for sidewalks, flower beds or garden islands.

Killing the Grass

Herbicides that destroy grass are discerning — targeting grasses just — or non-selective — killing most vegetation, irrespective of type. Grass killers that are safe for liriope are selective herbicides that target true grasses. The brand names vary, however, the effective chemicals have names like fluazifop-P-butyl and sethoxydim. Some grass-selective herbicides are premixed, but others need diluting in water, typically at the rate of approximately 3/4 oz to 2 ounces of chemical per 1 gallon of water. These grass-specific herbicides will not harm liriope, even if the chemicals are sprayed directly on it.

Leaving the Well-behaved Liriope

Grass may invade a clean liriope edge, producing the need to remove it while leaving the liriope intact and unharmed. After spraying a grass-selective herbicide on the grass that grew into the liriope, kill the grass in a 6- to 12-inch-wide buffer strip between the liriope border along with your lawn. Mulch this buffer zone to suppress the weeds and grass. You can also install plastic edging at the grassy side of this buffer zone to help maintain a specified border between the yard and the liriope.

Controlling the Ill-mannered Liriope

Liriope spicata isn’t acceptable as a border plant, but it excels as a ground cover to naturalize a large region and help control erosion. If you would like to dominate Liriope spicata that has overgrown its boundaries, spraying a grass-selective herbicide on it won’t work. First, use a shovel or tiller to dig till up the plants, and make use of a rake to eliminate as much as possible. When new development inevitably looks, spray it with a non-selective, ready-to-use herbicide, like one that’s glyphosate as the chief chemical. After fourteen days, spray again, and repeat as often as required.

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Imagine a succulent cloning itself by the thousands, and every one of its clones doing the same. For the mother of thousands plant (Kalanchoe daigremontiana), replicating at warp speed is not enough to guarantee survival. For additional protection, in addition, it contains toxic glycosides capable of killing any livestock, pets or young children unfortunate enough to nibble it. Grow mother of thousands at your own risk: Babies falling from the edges of its leaflike stems root so efficiently that it’s deemed invasive in some areas.

By Any Other Name

Mom of thousands goes by a lot of other colorful names that are common. Devil’s spine catches the vertebrae appearance of their little plantlets sprouting along its lance-shaped leaf-stems. The plantlets’ contour also inspired its Mexican hat name. Alligator’s tongue pertains to this saw-toothed leaf-stems, and mother-of-millions envisions a worst-case scenario if the plantlets spread.

The Secret to Success

While most plants use their leaves to photosynthesize and their blossoms to produce seeds for the next generation, mother of thousands has its own way of doing things. Its flowers are sterile, so the job of reproduction falls into its photosynthesizing organs. These aren’t leaves, but especially adapted stems known botanically as cladodes or phylloclades, for leaflike branches. Tiny, spoon-shaped spurs lining their margins produce bulbils, or plantlets, nourished by the parent’s vascular system. The bulbils remain attached until their root systems are developed enough for them to grow individually.

The Better Side

Despite its toxicity and enthusiasm for spreading, mother of tens is not all bad. The blue-green, purple-blotched cladodes and their grayish-blue plantlets grow from a slender blue-green trunk. It eventually reaches 3 feet tall, with a 1-foot spread. Dangling clusters of salmon-pink, bell-shaped flowers crown mature plants in winter. Its narrow, vertical profile provides year-round interest.

Growing Requirements

If you’re committed to being vigilant about controlling its spread, mother of thousands makes an appealing addition to gardens at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9b through 11. Elsewhere, grow it as a houseplant. To grow it outside, select a place with two to four hours of daily sunlight and well-draining, averagely moist to dry soil. It is not fussy about soil pH. Let the soil dry slightly between watering sessions.

Possible Pests

Sap-draining mealybugs and aphids sometimes infest mother of thousands plants. Flat, segmented mealybugs resemble parts of cotton. Tiny, pear-shaped aphids feed in colonies on the backs of their cladodes. Both insects excrete a sticky, clear waste — known as honeydew — that coats the plant. To eliminate them, bend your plant down with a strong blast of water. Otherwise, spray it with ready-to-use insecticidal soap until all its surfaces drip. Use the soap when the temperature is below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Dress in protective clothing and follow the label’s directions when working with any insecticide.

Potential Disorders

Velvety white splotches on mother of thousands’ cladodes are powdery mildew. During mild, dry weather, the fungus targets plants growing in shade. Prune and dispose of the affected plant parts. Before and after using them, wipe the pruning program’s blades with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol to prevent the spread of disease. When conditions favor the disease, sprinkle the plant with water each day to prevent the spores from germinating.

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The not-so-modern couch that is Mid-Century is a hand-me-down that the household was happy to part with. It’s showing more than a bit of wear, and it really drags your exuberant decor. However, the cost of re-upholstery is as much as purchasing a new couch, and the point of this gift wasn’t nostalgia. You can’t live with this, and you can’t live without it, so roll up your sleeves and get to work. A subdued, closely woven fabric, like charcoal wool or grain sacking, will highlight — and upgrade — the lines of this couch.

Wield a mean screwdriver and start eliminating the principles. Plan to spend some time at it — there is going to be a lot of staples. Take every piece of fabric off, Since you work, label it and record the order in which it was removed by you. If you can’t salvage it, do the exact same for the cushioning. Save zippers from cushions that are removable.

Tackle the vulnerable legs and frame while you have the couch. Strip, sand, re-stain and lacquer, any wood that is , or paint. Clean up and repaint chrome that is scratched. Allow the frame upgrade to dry before reassembling the couch.

Lay the upholstery fabric face-up on a dropcloth and place the previous bits on it, also face-up, adjusting them to adapt stripes from the grain sacking or any pattern or visible direction at the weave. Pin the upholstery to the new fabric and cut bits , leaving a border around every piece.

Confirm your notes and set the couch starting with the piece you eliminated and working backwards to the first. Staple any padding that is fresh . Then staple the outer fabric, pulling before tacking it down each bit tight. Maintain the line of principles close to the border of the fabric. Trim the excess fabric close to the principles, as you finish each section.

Check constantly as you work to make sure your stripes or pattern line up and the fabric lays smoothly. It will help to have a friend available even though you can manage it.

Sew couch cushion and cut out covers using fabric cut on the bias. Recycle the zippers in the previous cushions and plump up cushions with fill when you are able to reuse the old stuffing.

Tack a deep border of twisted knee, at the exact same colour as the upholstery, around the base edge of the couch. This step is completely optional, but it was a popular look during the first portion of this period that is classic, from 1930 through the’50s approximately. Fringe is a kicky and clever homage to the age that created your sofa. The fringe may be eliminated when you want an even more couch profile if it tacks securely.

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Honest minimalism came out on top at the 2011 World Architecture News (WAN) Interior Design awards announced earlier this week, with a house at the Girona district of Catalonia, Spain, winning the top award at the residential category.

Other shortlisted spaces were known for investigating ideas about materiality and ratio (California), contrasting inner worlds (Little Venice, London), combining drama and functionality (Mayfair, London) and composed architecture (Indonesia).

“Residential was undoubtedly the hardest category to select a winner,” says jury member Terence Conran, who adds that the winning space by Anna Noguera “might have easily been overdone but [was] created at a controlled and thoughtful way.”

World Architecture News (WAN)

Winner: Alemanys 5 House, Girona, Spain
Architect: Anna Noguera

The jury was especially impressed by how Noguera’s work dialogues with the older and how the intrinsic characteristics in the original structure were attracted out — not so much from a historic perspective but during their architectural qualities.

World Architecture News (WAN)

The home’s staircase sits at the distance between the building’s two arms, acting as a pivot point where the rest of the layout is created.

World Architecture News (WAN)

Shortlisted: Home at Mayfair, London
Architect: Steak and Candy Architects

The client’s wish was to make the room swing again as it had done in the ’60s. Dark and moody interiors, industrial substances and atmospheric lighting give the impression of a masculine entertainment space — fitting for your customer, a nightclub owner who wanted both the home and also an abysmal venue to amuse his friends.

World Architecture News (WAN)

Shortlisted: Home at Little Venice, London
Architect: Wells Mackereth Architects

After a derelict warehouse wedged between Victorian mansions at a posh London neighborhood, this house in Little Venice has a split personality: part urban, part traditional. It’s a deliberate duality of contrasting moods during.

World Architecture News (WAN)

Shortlisted: Home at Indonesia
Architect: PlusDesign

The collected, composed architecture is reflected in the home’s insides. A touch of blue looks throughout in the soft furnishings and the wall paint.

World Architecture News (WAN)

The antiques and modern art collection of PlusDesign’s customers add a personal, lived-in touch.

World Architecture News (WAN)

Shortlisted: Home at Los Angeles
Architect: Marmol Radziner

Clean lines, ratio and a lack of embellishment define this house, which was designed to get an architect and his family in the Venice area of Los Angeles. The color palette of grays, greens and browns reflects the home’s surrounding landscape, and also the use of concrete and walnut further blur the distinction between inside and out.

World Architecture News (WAN)

A massive glass piece to the east of the house provides a visual and spatial link to the pool area and the interior living space.

More:
Interview: Master of Modernist Minimalism
Mini Guide to Minimalism
Should You Love: Minimalism

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Standard soap and water can look to be a harmless mix, but advantageous ladybugs might feel differently. The same ingredients common to family staples fortify pesticides known as insecticidal soaps. Whether you are recycling soapy household graywater or pick-up pest-fighting garden treatments, some combinations may be harmful to ladybugs — and gardens. The risks depend on soap types, ladybug life periods along with your garden’s conditions.

Soaps and Insecticides

Soaps are active elements in several effective insecticides. Gardeners frequently turn to insecticidal soaps to fight common garden insects. Soaps battle insects in a variety of ways, but they rely on direct contact with their objective. Most insecticidal soaps kill soft-bodied insects simply by dissolving their delicate outer membrane. However, some soap-based insecticides attack the bug’s nervous system rather. Commercial insecticidal soaps are generally considered safe for adult ladybugs, however, the strength of family water and homemade options varies broadly. Soapy graywater featuring laundry detergents or household cleaning residue can strip leaf and damage garden plants. These soapy unknowns may harm ladybugs when regular insecticidal soaps would not.

Ladybug Life Cycle

Adult ladybugs are easy to recognize with their black-spotted, shells that are crocheted. But ladybugs are not born with that protective beetle covering. Before they reach this stage, ladybugs hatch from eggs and also pass through larval and pupal periods. Soft-bodied ladybug larvae are especially vulnerable to soapy family water and insecticidal soaps. Often mistaken for dangerous insects, the orange and black larvae are often described as looking like miniature alligators. Harsh soapy solutions may injure ladybugs at all life stages, but also gentle, common soap goods kill beneficial ladybug larvae as certainly as they kill dangerous soft-bodied insects.

Ladybug Benefits

Ladybugs specialize in eating aphids. Both adult ladybugs and their larvae have voracious appetites for aphids. Young larvae kill aphids by piercing and sucking the pest’s bodily fluids, while adults chew and devour the entire aphid. Ladybug larvae and adults get into curled leaves and other aphid hiding areas where insecticidal soaps can not reach, but they simply stick around where there is food. Adult ladybugs eat 50 or more aphids every day, and a few species feed on aphids exclusively. If soapy water is used to kill aphids, deliberately or accidentally, even unharmed adult ladybugs move on to their next meal.

Graywater Garden Safety

Use family graywater responsibly and wisely. Never use graywater from any supply on root crops or other garden edibles — ladybugs or maybe not — and never use soapy water on drought-stressed plants. For ornamental plants, just utilize wastewater from showers and clothes washers. Never recycle soapy water using food debris from kitchens or dishwashers. Common family soaps, detergents and shampoos can contain additives that injure plants. Powdered laundry detergents, in particular, have high salt levels that can harm plants and negatively impact garden dirt. Beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, may not fare well against them.

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