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2 weeks ago | 
houselogic.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
Used to be, when it came to kitchen lighting, builders simply slapped up a fluorescent ceiling fixture and considered the job done. Now that we're using LED lights, that's a good start, but you also need to create layers of light to make your kitchen feel warm and welcoming while also providing functional task lighting. The best way to do that is to use different types of lights.
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2 months ago | 
houselogic.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
Well, that was a total waste. That Robin’s Egg Blue paint color you picked for your entryway now looks like the color of that (really cheap) beach hotel room back in your spring break days. It's not at all what you envisioned. Living with a wall color you end up disliking is a good reason to be extremely careful about the paint color you choose. “People have to understand that the color of an object won’t look the same 24 hours a day,” says architect and lighting designer Joseph Rey-Barreau.
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
realtor.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
More than 2,000 structures have burned to the ground in the California wildfires that are still sweeping across Los Angeles County, and at least 130,000 residents are currently under evacuation orders. But where are all those displaced people supposed to go in a perilous situation like this? Here’s some critical information that could potentially help all those affected this week in California—since that number sadly seems to be growing.
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Nov 22, 2024 | 
realtor.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
If you’re feeling more than a bit guilty over the prospect—well, don’t be so hard on yourself: You have plenty of company on this one. Many homeowners eventually wind up with a guest or two who have worn out their welcome and refuse to vacate your space, and sometimes they happen to be relatives.
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Jul 3, 2024 | 
houselogic.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
Whenever a hurricane approaches, everyone goes “category” crazy. Isaac (2012) was a Category 1 hurricane when it came ashore; Katrina (2005) was a Category 3 storm when it hit Louisiana; and Michael (2018) reached Category 5 when it smashed into parts of Florida.
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Jun 27, 2024 | 
houselogic.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
Most fans are reversible: One direction pushes air down, creating a nice summer breeze; the other direction sucks air up, helping you distribute heat in winter. There's normally a switch on the motor to change the fan's direction. Stand beneath the running fan, and if you feel a cooling breeze, it’s turning correctly. If not, change directions, usually by flicking a switch on the fan’s base. Funny note: We read about a clever person who used bubbles to see which direction his fan was blowing.
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Jun 6, 2024 | 
houselogic.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
There's so much to love about air conditioning. First and foremost, it keeps you cool on sweltering summer days. But AC does have downsides. It drives up your utility bills and can cause AC wars with family members, each of whom has a different perception of the ideal temperature. Even AC advocates admit that inside spaces can get a little too frosty with AC.
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Feb 8, 2024 | 
realtor.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
A real estate closing is an anxiety-inducing time, even if it goes smoothly. Add something unexpected, and it will throw you for a loop. I was thrilled when the sellers accepted my offer on a tear-down lot in McLean, VA, the perfect place to build my own “Downton Abbey”–style manor. And the deal went forward without a hitch—that is, until closing day.
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Nov 9, 2023 | 
heyalma.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
I remember the day very well. My husband came in from walking the dog and asked for a towel. “He’s got some schmutz,” he said. I stopped. I stared. He unwrapped himself from the dog’s coiled leash and stepped out of his boots, then turned to me expectantly. “What?” he asked. “That was your first schmutz!”This was a big deal. His first Yiddish word! An organic utterance! Completely natural!He grinned wildly. “And it’s on his tuchus!”We laughed and high-fived. I texted my family text chain immediately.
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Sep 15, 2023 | 
houselogic.com | Lisa Kaplan Gordon
Your kitchen is the one place where you want to be really careful about trendy choices. The last thing you want is a kitchen that looks dated in just a few years simply because you followed a kitchen trend. Here are eight trends that are popular now but have staying power because they address lifestyle needs, convenience, and savings — ensuring you’ll enjoy your kitchen for many years. White appliances are so much easier to keep clean than stainless, which smudges if you so much as look at it.
