Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

The US Supreme Court is on the ballot in november.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

I was promised a recession.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

…and a burning sense of injustice to juice the soul.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

Let me file that under fuck it.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

It could be worse. Vance could have said “post-menopausal sows.” Waiting for that audiotape to surface.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by | 113 Comments

This post is in: ,

I have a new guilty pleasure on HGTV- Kitchen Cousins. I WANT WANT WANT any one of the kitchens those guys design. I’m surprised it isn’t the highest rated show in HGTV history with women, because both of them are handsome but the one guy looks like a better looking George Clooney.

At any rate, my only beef is I wish they would provide a price total for what they do. All their cabinets come from Italy, custom, so we have to be looking at tens of thousands of dollars. Although I still never understand the stainless steel fetish. Sure, it looks good, but am I the only person on the planet who doesn’t want to spend my remaining years cleaning finger prints and dog nose marks off stainless steel?

Reader Interactions

113Comments

  1. 1.

    Suffern ACE

    If youre spending a hundred grand on a kitchen chances are the fingerprints aren’t your problem.

  4. 4.

    BGinCHI

    am I the only person on the planet who doesn’t want to spend my remaining years cleaning finger prints and dog nose marks off stainless steel?

    Dude, when this blog earns out you’ll have minions for that.

  6. 6.

    Steve in DC

    I’m a fan of metalics, all my furniture is black and steel. Keeps shit simple, easy to clean.

  7. 7.

    currants

    What, CLEAN a kitchen? Kitchens are for cooking–you gotta keep food prep surfaces clean, sure, but seriously: who cares about the rest?

  10. 10.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    I like their designs, and I also like the fact that they do the work themselves (with a crew of course), the episode when they were trying to get a humungous stainless steel counter top through a third story apartment window was absolutely priceless.

    And no, stainless steel is not for me, I like wood, because you cannot see Cueball slobber on wood, it sort of blends in. Cueball will come in from the garden, after eating grass, or running around, or whatever, and shake his head and Cueball slobber will go all over the place, I have found Cueball slobber on the ceiling! (The only thing you have to know about Cueball slobber is that scene in Turner and Hooch where Tom Hanks opines that perhaps Hooch’s slobber could be used as some sort of industrial lubricant and says “you look like you have eaten a pair of tennis shoes and the laces are hanging out of your mouth”_) Cueball slobber, the reason for all decorating and design decisions.

  11. 11.

    Comrade Mary

    I’ve never seen the show, so I Googled and saw a picture of them. They are very nice looking men, but if they aren’t also funny / smart / competent / interesting, I probably won’t spend much time looking or lusting after them. (I’m assuming they’re at least competent, so in a world where I had cable, I probably would appreciate them more.)

    (Side note: Clooney is objectively hawt, but he’s only sexy and interesting — to me — because he’s funny. Brad Pitt was on my “pretty but boring and why are all these women fawning over him?” list until I saw him in Snatch and Ocean’s 11, where he was damn funny. Really, with the sole, still mysterious to me exception of the Soloflex model from the 80s, blankly handsome guys with no discernible personality don’t do a damn thing for me.)

  12. 12.

    OzarkHillbilly

    John, I can build and install anything you want for a whole lot less than some Italian f*ck…. mind you, it ain’t free. I can build anything…. if you can pay for it. If you are serious, contact me via e-mail and we can begin to figure out what toots your whistle. Maybe you can afford it, maybe not.

    If you aren’t serious….

    STFU.

  14. 14.

    Scott Alloway

    Kitchens are a workroom. Steel surfaces are what a good kitchen demands. However, she-who-must-be-obeyed has no countenance with steel. So I suffer in silence, even as I cook every night for the two of use. Someday, perhaps, I will have my steel kitchen and my woodworking shop.

    After hearing your description of the show, it’s a must watch.

  17. 17.

    Keith G

    …but am I the only person on the planet who doesn’t want to spend my remaining years cleaning finger prints and dog nose marks off stainless steel?

    Well there are those tens of millions of Americans who will spend their remaining years just struggling to afford the food to put in the junky appliances they are stuck with.

  18. 18.

    Roger Moore

    The whole point of stainless is that it’s supposed to be easy to clean. It may show dirt, but cleans up easily. That’s still better than white, which shows the dirt and isn’t as easy to clean.

  19. 19.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    PS) Talking about highest rated show on HGTV with women, I would also propose Income Property because Scott is just gorgeous, and hunky, despite the fact that my gaydar tells me he is probably not in the slightest bit interested in women. I watch it just to watch him hurling a sledge hammer over his head in his tight t-shirts.

  20. 20.

    ant

    well, i don’t know anything about any TV show, but I’d like to have one of those gas wells with a cast iron wok that fits like I see in Chinese food restaurants.

    looks like a pretty useful setup to me.

    gimme one of those, another conventional gas burner in front, and two electric burners in back. With a small gas pizza oven, and a regular big electric oven under it.

    why can’t I buy something like that?

  23. 23.

    geg6

    Oh, Cole. You are clueless sometimes. I have seen these guys. Neither could come close to Clooney. It’s not even funny that you think women, especially those of a certain age, would think that either would.

    That said, we have stainless steel appliances. If you use the handles provided and forbid the dogs from going near them, there are no problems with keeping them clean. At least, no more than with any other appliances. I do not understand this whole idea that stainless is harder to keep clean. I have not found that to be true, even when we were a two dog household.

    Speaking of which, a friend of John’s has offered us one of the puppies from his Portugese water dog’s upcoming litter. All things being equal, I would prefer to rescue a dog, but how can we possibly resist the idea of our own little curly-haired version of Bo Obama?

  24. 24.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    OT – But the situation room thingy was pretty good, people were very candid, and the bit when Hillary said that they heard this noise outside the WH and realized it was crowds celebrating and shouting “USA USA”. YMMV

  28. 28.

    General Stuck

    I loves me stainless steel pots and pans. And I can barely boil water. But I can dump some assorted organic matter in the crock pot to make surprise stew.

  29. 29.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Mnemosyne: Fassbender made a great Mr Rochester, in Jane Eyre. Has George Clooney been in any new movies off late, seems like ages, since I seem to have seen him on-screen.

  30. 30.

    Hawes

    Is Cole the only metrosexual in West Virginia?

    And the best show on HGTV is anything with that Holmes guy. I love watching him get pissed – or at least as pissed as a Canadian can get.

  31. 31.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @ant:

    I have an unconventional kitchen since my stove died. I have a separate two burner “stove top”, a George Rotisserie, a griddle, a Euro Pro toaster oven, and a deep fat fryer. With the above devices I am able to cook a full Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinner with no problems.

  32. 32.

    Comrade Mary

    If you need to know the price, then you can’t afford it.

    We’re still talking about George Clooney, right?

  34. 34.

    gaz

    Although I still never understand the stainless steel fetish. Sure, it looks good, but am I the only person on the planet who doesn’t want to spend my remaining years cleaning finger prints and dog nose marks off stainless steel?

    It’s durable, wear resistant, and despite easy smudging it’s easy to clean.

    When I have my choice, I prefer some stainless appliances (The fridge door ends up looking dirty over time in any case, at least with stainless it comes off easily and you can use abrasives to a degree)

    But I also like wood and ceramic, for cutting islands etc..

    I love a classic b&w checker tile for the kitchen floor.

    Countertops I think depends. (Resisting the urge to make a joke)

    In the end, I’ll take frequent smudges over scratches, paint chipping, stains… etc.

    Then again, My ideal kitchen is something you can safely turn a firehose on =)

  36. 36.

    AnnaN

    Agreed – Holmes on Homes is awesome.

    But my real love is Tommy on Sarah’s House. I am getting peeved that HGTV is not airing her latest. Will need to do start looking into IPS addy blocker so I can watch it on HGTV.ca

  37. 37.

    jl

    Fire pits, Cole, fire pits.

    It will be next big new thing soon.

    They can’t really be cleaned, so why bother?
    Great for pet owners and sloppy people like me who leave smeary finger prints and similar wherever they go.

    Don’t follow trends, set them!

    Edit: and think of the satisfaction when you got yours for the cost of hauling some big rocks onto your place in a pickup truck, and digging a hole in the corner of the your kitchen, while certain other types of people will end up spending thousands of dollars for a designer fire pit with a lot of custom primitive features at extra cost!

  41. 41.

    Calming Influence

    Best use of stainless steel in a kitchen is the counter tops. Easy to clean, almost indestructible, sanitary, looks great with natural woods and beautiful when rubbed out with 000 steel wool.

    Stainless steel pisses on granite from a great height.

  42. 42.

    gnomedad

    Sure, it looks good, but am I the only person on the planet who doesn’t want to spend my remaining years cleaning finger prints and dog nose marks off stainless steel?

    That’s what pissed off the Cylons — they got tired of human fingerprints.

  44. 44.

    geg6

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    Just like you forbid them from pooping and peeing in the house. You make sure they know it is forbidden and hold them to it. Our dogs (or dog, since Henry passed) also have never jumped on furniture or bed nor chewed footwear or clothing. You teach them it is bad and you consistently enforce it. Perhaps I’ve just been lucky with our dogs, but it’s never been a problem for us or for John before I came along. Our Otis is his seventh dog (he’s usualy had multiples) and he’s trained them all the same way. Never a problem. Worst behavior was when we first got Otis, who we rescued. He’d been abused and had bladder control problems at first because of it. But lots of love and consistent rules cured him of it pretty quickly.

  47. 47.

    MikeJ

    @Calming Influence:

    Stainless steel pisses on granite from a great height.

    Granite is great because you can put hot stuff directly on it and it very soon won’t be hot.

    Also too, when they cut the sink holes out of mine I got pizza stones.

  48. 48.

    Birthmarker

    Scott is the best looking man in home improvement television, hands down. BTW he is married. His wife was on an episode.

    I think that stainless is the next harvest gold/avocado in kitchen decor. Having said that, I bowed to convention and got a stainless stove. The cabinets, fridge and dishwasher are all off white and it looks fine.

    Personally, I think granite is here to stay.

  49. 49.

    AnnaN

    @Calming #41

    I worked food service in college. Stainless steel countertops are totally institutional. Blarghhhhhhhhh.

  50. 50.

    geg6

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    The Descendants Nominated for multiple Oscars this year. I loved it. I highly recommend it. He’s great in it. And even though he’s supposed to be a middle-aged schlub, he’s still hot, hot, hot.

  51. 51.

    Calming Influence

    @Hawes: I’m with you on Holmes on Homes. Great show if you’re interested in building, with good explanations what’s wrong with the wrong way and why it’s often just as easy, and always more cost effective, to do it the right way. He got the show because he was fed up with the way Canadian home inspectors were working for the sellers and screwing the buyers.

    I love his “O.K., I guess we’re going to need to tear out all this drywall and see what these assholes did” attitude, and he’s got a good sense for design within budget.

  53. 53.

    schrodinger's cat

    @geg6: Oh I agree, that GC is hot, I was just teasing John. Haven’t watched Descendants, but I will put it on the to watch list. Thanks for the recommendation.

  55. 55.

    Roger Moore

    @AnnaN:
    My opinion of stainless steel as a counter material is tainted by encountering it as a chemistry lab bench, for which it is a bad choice. Despite its name, stainless steel lacks good resistance to some mineral acids, enough so that you could leave very hard to remove stains just from the fumes from a beaker containing some acid. I’d rather have formica than stainless countertops.

  56. 56.

    jl

    @Roger Moore: All this talk about caustic chemicals and acid etching gaping ‘stains’ into a countertop reminds me a little too much about what happens when I try to cook fancy foods.

    So, thanks for the tip. I will stay away from stainless steel.

  57. 57.

    lamh35

    One of the reasons I wish I had a house rather than an apartment is because I kinda wish I had the kitchen of my dreams. I’ve convinced myself that I would so be a gourmet cook in my dream kitchen (not that I dont burn now mind you… I can burn)

  59. 59.

    Tonal Crow

    My wish has come true! Republicans are still chasing birtherism. The Worst Sheriff in America is going to hold a press conference to discuss the results of his “investigation”, perhaps by the end of the month.

    Popcorn for all and sundry!

  60. 60.

    Roger Moore

    @Steeplejack:

    My dream kitchen will have black phenolic resin countertops like an old-school science lab.

    Phenolic resin isn’t old school. Slate is the real old school science lab material that black phenolic resin is trying to imitate. It’s heat and chemical resistant and takes a nice smooth but not shiny surface. It’s what I’d try to get if I were going for an expensive kitchen remodel.

  63. 63.

    Calming Influence

    @MikeJ: I love you, man, but you need educating.

    Granite is great because you can put hot stuff directly on it and it very soon won’t be hot.

    Minimum melting temperature for stainless steel is 2,400 Fahrenheit. Granite melts at 2,200 Fahrenheit.

    And there are cheaper ways to obtain pizza stones; what are they, 30 bucks?

    [Stainless steel has just finished another Pabst Blue Ribbon, and is unzipping high above granite…]

  65. 65.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @Comrade Mary:

    I’ve never seen the show, so I Googled and saw a picture of them. They are very nice looking men, but if they aren’t also funny / smart / competent / interesting, I probably won’t spend much time looking or lusting after them.

    You mean like David Bromstad.

  67. 67.

    Jane2

    My house, built in 1930, has the typically smaller rooms of the era and 9 foot ceilings. My kitchen would look goofy with stainless…it would overwhelm. I’m just happy with new appliances, the first I have ever bought. I want to marry my quiet, efficient dishwasher.

  68. 68.

    PhoenixRising

    @Bruce S:

    We used to call it ‘The $10,000 Channel’.

    Then Mrs. Phoenix got the kitchen she designed (stainless and wood counters, birch cabinets from Ikea, restaurant grade 6 burner with wok caliber flame on one) and I now understand that its the $43,000 Channel.

    To the point, stainless is restaurant clean and as long as you’re not uptight and freaky about it looking new, looks good used. We used Saltillo tile for the same reason–the more dirt the dogs track onto it, he more it looks like 15th century Spanish priests and princes eat here.

  70. 70.

    Calming Influence

    Just so you know, we’ve got Formica and it’s will probably still be on my counter tops when I die in the distant future. Our money is going into oak flooring right now, because I’m convinced that wall-to-wall was a Commie plot to give us all asthma.

  71. 71.

    caune

    Oh if I could trade my stainless steel appliances back for the old bumpy beige ones that didn’t show a damn thing I’d do it in a heartbeat, screw the look. I’m constantly cleaning the front of the SS refrigerator to combat my allergy prone sneezy Jack Russell.

  73. 73.

    schrodinger's cat

    You don’t need fancy equipment, stainless steel counters to make great food. One of the most delicious meals I had was at small road side restaurant which could seat at most 15 people in rural Konkan (west coast of India). It was a one man operation, all he had was a couple of kerosene stoves, some pots and pans and a knife. The meal was shrimp curry, fresh made chapatis and some veggies that I can’t remember. It was particularly sweet after a week of vegetarian food.

  74. 74.

    Steeplejack

    @Roger Moore:

    Phenolic resin isn’t old school. Slate is the real old school [. . .]

    I’m sorry, I should have specified “old school” meant Commie Martyrs High (where I was lab partners with Porgy Tirebiter), not whatever Richie Rich prep school you’re referring to. And I’m trying to keep the cost reasonable (even in a dream kitchen).

  75. 75.

    rikyrah

    does anyone watch Revenge?

    after slowing a few weeks ago, I think it’s back on track like gangbusters.

    Emily in that last scene.

    ” Nolan…he’s one of them.”

    Nolan: he doubled down on GRAYSON.

    ooh yeah…so happy Daniel doubled down on Grayson.

    All that quishy, ‘touchy feely’ stuff that was weighing Emily down is NOW GONE!!

  76. 76.

    muddy

    @Calming Influence: I got rid of the wall to wall last winter, my son put down a wood floor for me (the 1853 old one underneath was past repairing). I have suffered near constant sinus infections for 8 years in this house.

    This year nothing. Not even the pollen is bothering me now.

  77. 77.

    Scott Alloway

    @jl: You may have changed my kitchen life view on ovens with your comment, if she-who-must-be-obeyed agrees to move to northern New England with me (been trying for 30 years now).

  78. 78.

    dcdl

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Actually, he is married. His wife was on one of the episodes.

    I don’t like white. It yellows with age, shows dirt easily, and it’s super hard to clean between the vents which show everything. I have stainless steel in the place I’m renting now. It shows prints, watermarks, etc pretty easily, but is fairly easy to clean. My mom has all black appliances and loves it.

    edit: looks like birthmarker already stated about Scott’s wife.

  80. 80.

    lamh35

    Ok, I need some way more informed on International matters to tell me what the hell is going on with this Chinese guy Chen?

    Or at least lead me to a place where I can get straight reporting and not partisan opinion speak on the subject.

  81. 81.

    rikyrah

    @lamh35:

    I don’t know if he’s written about it, but if he has, he will be a straight shooter – James Fallows over at the Atlantic blogs.

  82. 82.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Calming Influence:Not a hippy, and I hate birkenstocks, I love my high heels and my well equipped (though not fancy) kitchen (no granite counter tops or stainless steel appliances to be found), was just making a casual observation.
    I think sometimes we make a big fuss about some things that are not that difficult in the first place. Cooking is one of them.

    Getting off of my soapbox now. Kthx.
    ETA: I think I would love to have granite counter tops in my dream kitchen and a pizza oven or a tandoor, outdoors.

  84. 84.

    Bobbo

    I swear to FSM “better looking George Clooney” was EXACTLY my thought. And I am a huge fan of GC. And in fact they do seem like nice, bright funny guys who genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Not to mention the other one, gorgeous and always showing off his incredible body in tight, tight shirts, is dee-lish.

  85. 85.

    pat

    There is a brushed stainless steel that looks great and does not accept fingerprints or magnets (a selling point in this household. ahem.) Available for notalotta money from Sears, among other places.

    Do NOT buy a kitchen from Italy, because you can find something at least that good right in your own neighborhood. Or at least good enough. Trust me on this.

  87. 87.

    mainmati

    @Comrade Mary: You know, it also works the other way. Gorgeous woman with Valley Girl whiny patter is a total downer. Good looking woman with wit and intellect and I am totally excited. Maybe it’s likes also like.

  88. 88.

    beatty

    @Hawes: Um Canadians *do* get pissed. They’re called Quebecers. And right now? 200,000 of them (and more) have been protesting all over Montreal against hikes in prices for university students.

  89. 89.

    Steeplejack

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    I loved those guys! Favorite quote: Someone wrote in to complain about their excessive use of paper towels, and Ed Feldman growled: “We’re recycling furniture, not paper.”

    I always suspected that Joe L’Erario had a low-budget porn movie buried somewhere in his background.

  90. 90.

    honus

    @Roger Moore: soapstone. What all you guys are calling slate and granite is soapstone. It’s what those old autopsy slabs were made of. It’s soft, so it’s easy to work for gutters, drains and such, and won’t dull your cutting instruments.
    It also makes the best baking stones. It’s heat transferring properties are unmatched.

  92. 92.

    honus

    @pat: those old Youngstown kitchen one-piece stainless sink/counters are great if you can find one. The sink and drainboard are all one piece, which works very well. No need for those disgusting plastic drain things under your dish rack, and you can spray/wipe the whole counter down and it drains into the sink.

  94. 94.

    Birthmarker

    I’ll tell my carpet story. We had a cat and a lot of wall to wall. I developed an eye condition that flared up seemingly randomly. The cat died and we moved to a new house with mostly hardwood. The eye condition has almost completely gone away, appearing only during times of really high pollen or leaf mold, and never severe.

    An ENT doc told me thay it was most likely a cat allergy exacerbated by the carpet. I went from using drops once or twice a day for five years to rarely ever using drops.

    I do miss having a cat, but I’ll never live with one again.

  95. 95.

    NotMax

    Stainless steel?

    Keep a bottle of club soda around in the fridge (whether it goes flat or not is irrelevant).

    After cleaning the stainless steel for food, germs, etc., pour a little club soda onto a paper towel and wipe down the stainless steel.

    Makes them not only more attractive, but more resistant to the everyday smudges.

  96. 96.

    different-church-lady

    @Bruce S:

    What the fuck is HGTV?

    House porn.

    Next time any of you people make fun of McArdle I’m going to remember this thread.

  101. 101.

    Hal

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    George Clooney is old hat, younger crush-worthy guys, Michael Fassbender and Benedict Cumberbatch. What can I say, I is a sucker for them British actors. YMMV.

    Or as he’s known in some internet circles, Micheal Assbender. Well endowed, and not afraid to show it, in movie after movie.

  102. 102.

    JoyceH

    @Birthmarker:

    I’ll tell my carpet story. We had a cat and a lot of wall to wall. I developed an eye condition that flared up seemingly randomly. The cat died and we moved to a new house with mostly hardwood. The eye condition has almost completely gone away, appearing only during times of really high pollen or leaf mold, and never severe. An ENT doc told me thay it was most likely a cat allergy exacerbated by the carpet. I went from using drops once or twice a day for five years to rarely ever using drops.I do miss having a cat, but I’ll never live with one again.

    It might be the cat, but then again, it might be a combination of cat with carpeting. When I got a new kitten, I found him at a local cat rescue place. This lady had about fifty to a hundred cats living in her house and outbuildings – but she wasn’t an animal hoarder, she was a registered rescue organization – and she had hardwood floors. She said oh, you can’t have wall to wall with cats – you just can’t! And her place was very nice, despite cats everywhere you looked.

    When I bought this house new, it had wall to walls, and when I could finally afford to replace the worn-out carpets, I got wood. Makes a HUUUGE difference. Not saying you could definitely live with a cat, but with hardwood, it’s possible.

    As for HGTV, my hunks of choice are Scott of Income Property, David Bromstad (who’s uninterested in women, I’m sure, but just the sweetest guy!), and Drew and Jonathan, the Property Brothers.

    But any other viewers of Prop Bros – do you think the producers tell the episode guest house-hunters/renovators that they’re SUPPOSED to be complete pains in the rear, for dramatic purposes? When they KNOW the budget is insanely tight, and suddenly they’re telling Jonathan that they want all these additions to the renovation, and ohbytheway, they want him to finish up a week earlier than projected? I can’t believe what tantrum-prone prima donnas some of these clients are – folks, you know the camera is rolling, don’t you?

  103. 103.

    FlipYrWhig

    I was a huge HGTV addict for years. But now I’m down to Mike Holmes and, when I come across it, that show where the woman helps people find rentals. The clients on almost all other shows are all such dicks and princesses that they’re not worth watching. And 9 times out of 10 they appear to openly despise each other. If I’m going to watch a show just to hate the people on it, I might as well turn on Fox News.

  105. 105.

    Montarvillois

    This is the year my 1962 kitchen gets gutted and my anxiety level is already rising. The only appliance that will go is the old refrigerator and I’m going for stainless (stove & dishwasher are black). I have a reliable, fusspot of a general contractor – no more handymen for me. Wish my favorite designer Sarah Richardson (HGTV Design Inc.) lived nearby to help out.

  106. 106.

    WereBear

    My old house (did cat rescue, had 10-15 at a time, with dogs and birds and a rabbit) had wood or tile and area rugs, and I loved it! Dogs are as bad as children when it comes to muddy feet.

    In our third floor apartment, wall to wall is good for the downstairs neighbors. Then again, we only have four cats.

    As for kitchens, I’d love to have counters, period. We have plywood shoved into corners of an attic, covered with ConTac paper. Once we added a microwave and an electric kettle, the usable counterspace is the size of the cutting board I placed upon it. We did get a kitchen cart to help out, that thing is great, and has a butcher block top.

  107. 107.

    Mattski

    If your into un-affordable cookware pron.

    All-Clad Pots and Pans
    Vita-Mix mixer

    I’d also ditch my shitty kenmore electric stove (Was in the house when i bought it) and get a propane tank and run a line to get myself a nice gas stove. Hate the fact that I can’t just turn off the burner I have to move the pot/pan off the stove to stop the cooking.

    Of course I have a four year old boy and a one year old boy, and i’ve already learned not to buy anything too nice.

  108. 108.

    ET

    I love Tommy (soo adorable) from Sarah’s House and her other other shows. HGTV in the US seems to hold back on episodes writing form them to show in Canada before showing them in the US so I am hoping they will continue. Love what both of them do. If I could have any designers from HGTV do my house it would be them.

    I will fess up- I do have a bit of crush on Anthony from Kitchen Cousins.

    I did enjoy the Home by Novogratz and hope it comes back.

  109. 109.

    Birthmarker

    @JoyceH: Yes I think the Doc’s point was that it is very hard to ever get the cat dander out of the carpet. We still have carpeted bedrooms and a couple of area rugs, so it is just not worth the risk. The condition was painful and required two kinds of non generic expensive drops. Not to mention running around with completely shot-out eyes.

    In general I find hardwood and tile so much easier to maintain than carpet and vinyl flooring. I even have hardwood in the kitchen.

  110. 110.

    bemused

    Carter Oosterhouse dancing in Million Dollars Rooms makes me laugh every time I see it, the finest example of white man dancing ever.

    I hate, hate the filthy rich HGTV episodes, Selling in LA/New York, Million Dollar Rooms and house hunting for million dollar plus tropical getaways.

    Weiman Stainless Steel wipes work well on stainless steel appliances. Are black appliances any easier to keep smudgeless than stainless steel? Friends with black say no.

  112. 112.

    dcdl

    @bemused: My mom has all black and says they are easier to take care of. I think when I finally get my place and can afford new I will get a combo of black/stainless steel.

    @bemused: I don’t like the uber-rich shows either. I just keep thinking what I could do with all that money or what society could do with all that money.

    @WereBear: Have you ever thought of making your own counter-tops? Ikea has pretty cheap and decent butcher block counter-tops and they have all those different types of legs that you could add to the butcher block. That way you can make the size and shape that you need without it costing to much.

  113. 113.

    bemused

    @dcdl:

    I have a hard time believing that a large percentage of HGTV viewers are interested in the uber-rich shows showcasing ridiculous over the top consumption except to snort at the shallowness.

Comments are closed.