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News

07/27/2012: Outside & Inside

 I love walking into a home that feels like an endless space, not because the house is large or stylized, I appreciate that the homeowner has taken the time to look out the window to create rooms that connect to the outside.  This is a concept that flows both ways: the outside can be brought inside.

You can bring outside, inside with texture, fabric & color.  What is your environment?  I am not suggesting creating any kind of theme.  Just because you live at the beach does not mean you need to overload with seashell décor.  I am only suggesting using your outdoor environment as inspiration for your inside décor.

Here are few ideas:

Stand at your front door if you can see through to the back yard of your home or out of any window, what do you see?  Can you see your back yard?  Do you see trees, skyline, fencing, or playground equipment?

Can you enhance the extended space?  Can you move something to enjoy more of your view?

If you see a skyline, do you have your windows heavily draped? If so you are missing its’ magnificence.  Open or remove those drapes: take it all in!!

Do you see lovely woods or gardens?  Have you thought about how your interior colors look with the colors outside?  Let it be seamless.

Do you live by a lake or ocean?  Have you considered using a color palette or accessories that are reminiscent of the place where you live?  What natural resources are present in your location?  What is their color and texture?  Think sand, stone, leaves, bark, grasses………how do the colors and textures relate?  This does not have to be rural setting; city dwellers or suburbanites can follow the same rules.

Take the time to look out of your windows and doors: you may find inspiration in the great outdoors.

Look up, Look out and then Look in!!

05/31/2012: Marble - Stunning

 Marble - Stunning

Marble is beautiful and I love it.  It has a very luxurious look to it; like a cashmere sweater it feels good, it looks good.

O.K.  There is care involved:  It needs regular sealing; the other care is life style.  If you are expecting your countertops to look exactly the same as the day they were installed maybe they aren’t for you.  If you do not mind patina with age, go for it!!  Think about all the things that are marble and have survived the centuries.

The most highly recommended sealers are made by DuPont:  DuPont Professional Impregnator Pro-Sealer, Bullet Proof Sealer and Heavy Duty Sealer.  If you select marble for your countertop you may want to seal it every six months.  Another hint: Don’t let things sit overnight!  Look at this as extra incentive to enter a clean kitchen the morning after a dinner party.

Cleaning is simple: warm water!  No vinegar, oil, abrasive, acidic or caustic products.  A little Borax on a warm washcloth could work.

Still concerned?  O.k., mix it up.  Put marble on the perimeter of your workspace and maybe something more durable like Corian or Caesarstone on the island.

Here’s a link to the sealer – seal away!

http://www2.dupont.com/Stone_Tech_Professional/en_US/products/Protect/impregnator_pro.html

Luxury and Survivability – Think about it!

01/30/2012: Steppin’ Out in Stilettos

Let me start by saying, I’m a Doctor of Chiropractic. I talk to my patients on a daily basis about the importance of proper footwear. I hold classes on this type of thing, and even have patients call me while they are in the stores shopping to see if I approve of their choices. So what possessed me and three other Doctors to step out on a Monday night, dressed to impress, all in heels higher than anything we ever would have dreamed of wearing on a daily basis? Sheer vanity….. Or sheer insanity as I now like to refer to the evening.

Researchers have found that the average woman can tolerate their new Manolo Blahniksfor about 34 minutes before their feet start to hurt. Hmmm…why hadn’t anyone told us that before we left the building? Half of these women surveyed even admitted to walking home barefoot from a club or bar after a night in high heels. What were we thinking????
High heels first became popular in the 1930’s, and were only used for special occasion wear, but have now become every day wear. One on ten women wears high heels at least three days a week. Well, I can tell you we were not of that statistic. We are definitely the doctors who only wear heels for special occasions. This probably should have been our first hint the evening would not go as planned.

We arrived in style, andmade it to the coat check without any incidents…and even up the elevator. Mission accomplished. We arrived at the penthouse, looking fabulous, and still in one piece. And then I think it was right around that 35minute mark, the heels came off, and put in a corner. Then one of the other doctors started asking if we could sit down. In these dresses, what was she talking about?? We were totally enjoying ourselves standing up, gazing at the beautiful New York skyline. So cut to 15 minutes later. Were down, shoes off, and sipping comfortably on our drinks. Enjoying the evening, perched, watching the more experienced, or slightly more tolerant women teeter and totter around in their heels. This pretty much how we spent the rest of the evening, except for short trips to the restrooms, or to take a picture for posterity sake. Upon leaving two of us actually hobbled to coat check in our heels, then thankfully sat down in the transportation whereas the heels immediately came off for the long drive home interspersed only for a quick food stop at a roadside rest area, equally as unstable as the previous exit.

We all should have listened to our inner doctor advice which tells us that humans were not created to wear things on their feet that make them walk on their tiptoes. Here are just a few of consequences of wearing high heeled shoes.

GAIT ALTERATION - the shoe alone does not allow for full range of motion, as your foot is not allowed to strike the ground mid-foot, which is a natural shock absorber, and you are not able to push off the ground with as much force, which overworks your hip flexors.

POSTURAL CHANGES - when you are in a toe pointed down puts increased pressure on your forefoot causing your center of gravity to shift forward, causing you to lean back. This is not the body’s normal position.

BALANCE - your feet are put in a more supinated (ankle out, bottom of foot inward), which can cause you to lose your balance and increase the risk for ankle sprain.

KNEES - women has twice as high of an incidence of osteoarthritis as men. This is due to the position the high heels place the leg in which can cause additional force on the medial portion of the knee as well as an increased distance between the knee and the ground that increases knee torque.

FEET - the increase pressure in your foot can cause hammertoes, neuromas and bunions.

To summarize the night, we could have been sensible and minimized our risk of wearing our high heels, and chose a thicker, lower heel, which would have spread the load more evenly, or perhaps softer insoles to reduce the impact on our knees. We probably should have even have worn the heels around the house for a few hours before we went out, thus giving our feet a chance to get used to them before trying something more strenuous such as dancing. However, we did not, and I am ashamed to admit, by the time I got home, I walked into the house, through a rainstorm, in my bare feet…….. pure bliss, and perfect end to the evening.

*At the time this was published, the Dr.’s are still hobbling around the workplace, waiting for their feet to recover from the fateful night of the high heels.