May is one of the busiest moments in my year. The garden needs attention, our MFCH Tours pick up speed and social life here gets busy again after the quieter winter.
My favorite time of the day is when I can finally sit and relax and flip through the MFCH Magazine. The May/June issue is a particular favorite of mine because it is full of beautiful homes and gardens around France in the springtime. Putting our magazine together every two months is rather like making a large, colorful cocktail. We always try to include the right blend of interiors, gardens, recipes and in-depth portraits. It is a privilege for me to have this place to showcase so much of what I love about France.
I’m particularly excited about the home featured on the cover. A mini chateau, renovated by designer Arthur van der Straeten, and
(Bloomberg) — Home Depot Inc. cut its outlook for the year after first-quarter sales dropped more than expected, a sign that economic uncertainty is leading to a pullback in home-improvement spending.
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The company now expects comparable sales to decline as much as 5% this fiscal year — the first annual fall in 14 years — following a bad start to the year affected by lumber deflation and poor weather, it said Tuesday. Home Depot, which previously predicted sales would remain flat this year, said demand was softening more than it had expected.
The first-quarter results show the company’s performance is starting to lag after several years of soaring home-improvement spending that was sparked by a booming housing market and stimulus payments that let consumers invest in their homes during pandemic restrictions. That binge has now begun to slow amid rising inflation and interest rates.
After a beautiful week with the home stuffed with three generations combined in collectively, I am lastly sitting down and pulling collectively my ideas and concepts for this 12 months’s finish and hopefully a contented new 12 months for all of us.
Do you continue to make New 12 months’s resolutions? I am sorry to say that I do not. Name it laziness, name it lack of willpower or just me being practical about what I’m able to sticking too!
There was a time once I would declare resolutions to “bathroom remodeling Orlando”, or “hand over wine” or “resign desserts” and every useless promise would final a sizzling minute. At my age it is extra dignified to be pragmatic, do not you assume?
So this can be a resolution-free zone, however I do no less than love to make use of these final days of the 12 months
If you’re looking to upgrade your home, you may be able to save thousands of dollars by taking advantage of the Reduced Inflation Act, which includes tax credits and cash rebates on certain energy-efficient purchases.
When Paul Hope renovated his house, he tried to make eco-friendly choices. That includes switching from a gas stove to an electric stove.
“I’ve always preferred gas cooking, but I know electric and induction cooktops have gotten a lot better over the years and a lot better for the environment,” says Hope.
With funding from Congress, the Reduced Inflation Act means homeowners can take advantage of up to $14,000 in rebates and tax credits to make energy efficiency improvements.
How much you can earn depends on how much you earn, where you live, and what upgrades you make.
If you’re looking to upgrade to a more eco-friendly hob, like Hope does, a discount of up
At this time of year, when I share pictures of the daffodils in my garden, in flowers all over the lawn, I always receive emails asking about how it works. So here are a few tips, sharing what I have learned over the years.
Why did I plant them in the lawn?
When we first moved to this house, the garden was pretty simple, and the only beds contained nothing but daffodils and snowdrops. I let them bloom our first spring here and then dug them all up and replanted them in the lawn. The snowdrops are planted beneath the huge magnolia, while the daffodils were planted in three ‘clouds’ in different positions in the garden.
If I had left them in the flower beds, I couldn’t have planted anything else because the bulbs were so numerous and so dense.
When it comes to home improvements, the reason for summer projects is likely to fall into one of two categories.
Either you’re intending to complete projects that make sense to finalize in warm weather like painting, or you’re hoping to get tasks completed before it’s too cold out like fixing shingles.
Summer is also the perfect time to get your yard in a tip-top shape and add new elements to your indoor or outdoor space to enjoy the rest of the season.
5 DIY PROJECTS TO HELP SELL YOUR HOME
Here is a list of home improvement projects that are most ideal to complete during summer.
Paint inside and outside
Create a backyard oasis
Install a pool
Power wash
Replace windows
Work on the landscaping of your yard
Start a garden
There are so many home improvement projects you can take on this summer.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Vizio July 10 announced the launch of its next exclusive content series, home improvement show “Clean Break”. Hosted by professional organizer Michelle Hobgood, the series delves into the world of organizational tips and tricks, inspired by social media organizing trends and presented by a top consumer packaged goods brand.
The series, which streams on Vizio’s WatchFree+ ad-supported VOD platform, aims to focus on uplifting stories, showing practical tips that can make even the most tedious chores manageable.
Episodes include:
“Gift of Time,” featuring Hobgood’s organizing and cleaning systems;
“Laundry Day,” which finds Hobgood serving as a personal stylist, sharing tips from closet organization to packing outfits;
“This or That,” which aims to bust the myths behind what’s trendy, and what’s realistic, in addition to providing practical alternatives for different organizing styles; and
“Kitchen Magic,” which showcases ways to escape the fate of a messy kitchen.
Tim Allen showed compassion for the actor who played his son on Home Improvements for eight seasons in the 1990s, but he didn’t try to defend him.
Zachery Ty Bryan played oldest son Brad Taylor on the hit 1990s ABC sitcom. The show ended as he turned 18, and a long profile in the Hollywood Reporter details how he stayed out of trouble for the most part, until recently.
Alcohol-related arrests, a domestic violence charge and accusations of swindling friends out of tens of thousands of dollars now follow Bryan. The interview closes with the 41-year-old admitting to a lifelong struggle with alcohol and an update that closes the domestic assault charge from 2020 — he pled guilty to two misdemeanors, fishing and fourth-degree assault and still lives with the woman — but leaves a conclusion for victims of his alleged digital token scam still out of money.
I’m happy to announce our August box giveaway! This Box is all about the French love of food and cooking and will be curated around the theme, Bon Apétit.
Good food is such a central and vital part of our everyday life here. Sitting down to eat is not only for sustenance. A meal is a moment to rest, to reflect, to talk, to exchange… and all too often here to start thinking about the next meal!
As with many homes around the world, the kitchen is the heart of the household. A place to prepare food, and also to gather.
We know that our cuisine-themed boxes are always very popular with you, our clients, and I think this one will be no exception. Packed to the brim with French products for your own cuisine, and guaranteed to inspire you to get cooking!
