Interior Design Features We Love

glamma: about 3 years ago

modern, i want to come to your house! maybe we can start a new thread just about wine.

modern: about 3 years ago

well, those are not for everyday consumption. try The Prisoner, a moderately-priced napa blend. I had a private tasting in St Helena recently. They have the best labels, ever.

http://www.orinswift.com/wines/the_prisoner.php

Real mercury head dime:

http://www.orinswift.com/wines/mercury_head.php

Anybody remember Dymo label makers?

http://www.orinswift.com/wines/saldo.php

aboutready: about 3 years ago

we have in our upstate place a huge basement space that is 100% good for red wine.

lovely wine choices, modern. but rather limiting, even for our relatively well off group here.

i, being the cheapster that i am, like the malbecs, the vernaccia.

modern: about 3 years ago

Clear ice from an icemaker is also harder and melts slower, great for scotch on the rocks, where you clink the cubes around a nice crystal rocks glass.

ph41: about 3 years ago

modern - sometimes the undercounter ones are really just glorified refrigerators - much better to get an undercounter refrigerator that holds, wine, soda, etc.

And then get a Eurocave - it's great.

modern: about 3 years ago

Speaking of wine, did anyone add wine storage to the list yet? Ideal would be an undercounter built-in wine unit in the kitchen and a larger wine storage/cellar somewhere else, either in the apartment or in the building basement.

I've been collecting boutique napa cabs, and most would benefit from 5 or more years of storage before drinking (though you can drink them now with decanting for a few hours first), so I've had to rent a wine storage unit, as I have 20+ cases put away and more rolling in, mostly purchased direct from the producers. Just got my 2006 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard delivered yesterday. Other cabs/blends I like are Paul Hobbs, Merus, Pahlmeyer, Quintessa, Joseph Phelps Insigna.

ph41: about 3 years ago

AR - plastic plates, yes, plastic glasses, NO!!!

aboutready: about 3 years ago

wow. never would have considered or even noticed if the ice is "cloudy." quality of the alcohol? yes, definitely notice.

but i can have a very good time with a good wine served in a faded plastic cup. and i was one of the co-founders at my college of a wine tasting society whose former members now rank fairly highly in our world, more from an intellectual perspective than is usual (phDs, doctors primarily in academia, foreign policy wonks, people you see on Jon Stewart at least three times a year, etc.). i'd still be happy to invite any one of them to PCV for a great drink with a cloudy ice cube.

and i'd bet they'd still love to come drink some red out of less than stellar glassware.

modern: about 3 years ago

While clean water is important, I think the clear ice has more to do with the freezing technology used that washes away minerals during the freezing process than the water itself. Crescent shaped ice from most freezers is not made the same way as the smaller cubes in dedicated ice makers.

http://www.kold-draft.com/the-ice/ice-technology/

ph41: about 3 years ago

30yrs - the other reason to have the undercounter icemaker, when you have a bottom freezer sub-zero is, guess what, no bending down to get the ice (hard to believe, but that was my husband's main reason to get the dedicated ice-maaker, and he is not a usually lazy person,

Also, there is usually stuff in the freezer,(maybe even for the party) so it's hard to empty it out to stock up on ice.

And it makes those really cute LITTLE ice cubews.

30yrs_RE_20_in_REO: about 3 years ago

"Dedicated undercounter icemaker.

For 2 reasons, first, they make clear ice, not cloudy like icemakers in fridges do. Second, they make enough ice so if you are having a party you can supply the ice you need without purchasing bags of ice."

As I mentioned in another thread, with a decent number of fridges, putting a good quality inline water filter yields clear ice. As far as having enough is for parties: if you have a fridge like a bottom freezer SubZero remove the upper drawer with the ice tray in it. This will disable the arm that tells the ice maker that the ice tray is full and to stop making ice. Put a large bucket in the bottom basket and it will get full of ice. Do this a few days ahead of your party and you'll have a freezer full of ice.

somewhereelse: about 3 years ago

"The music streams wirelessly, and each unit can play different music, all controlled by an iPod-like wireless remote or an iPhone. You can play any song off the server like an iPod, stream thousands of radio stations, access virtually any song through Rhapsody, and create your own virtual radio stations"

Doesn't this mean that everything is in mono?

Also, I don't know why anyone has (or thinks they have) a high-end system with an ipod/ or mp3s.

I'm not a huge audiophile, I can appreciate tube amps but think they're overkill, am fine with CDs, etc... but what you lose in fidelity with compressed formats is pretty darn significant, making high end amps and speakers and such useless.

somewhereelse: about 3 years ago

wow, modern really loves his icemaker.

I'll add programmable thermostats. Amazing how many miss that.

Bathroom tv! (for the bathtub)
Kitchen tv/internet.

California closets!

modern: about 3 years ago

I don't think anyone has listed this yet:

Dedicated undercounter icemaker.

nyc_sport: about 3 years ago

Ubottom -- The server stays on, but it draws very little power when not in use and some have tiny cooling fans, some do not. They are overkill in terms of price and features, but there are new solid state storage devices that draw no power when not in use and have no fan. They are about 8x the price of traditional devices, which are rather rediculously cheap (about $1-$3 per gig). There are lengthy discussions in the Sonos help forums about the pros and cons of different models. Mine also serves as a backup for my desktop. Also, if you want true CD-quality sound, you should re-rip all of your CDs in a non-compressed format. There are services that will do this for you for a dollar or less each, and send you back the CDs preloaded on DVDs and/or on a hard drive you can just plug into the Sonos.

30yrs_RE_20_in_REO: about 3 years ago

Everyone used to make fun of me for wearing hearing protection while mixing. Talk to Pete Townsend about it now.

Ubottom: about 3 years ago

traders ears---shot from yelling on phones for years--transmits right into ones own ear--justice? preceded by too many rock concerts....hello??????

Ubottom: about 3 years ago

raveonettes yeah.....try just jack
hate itunes--love ease of file management with mp3..so much easier to do anything...confuses me the popularity of itunes woth young people, who typically resent any software (windows) that seeks to render them captive--
will look into sonos nycsport..sounds great...assume tho one has to boot up the server before use or leave running in some sort of power save constantly?

NYCMatt: about 3 years ago

"Can you hear when TV sets are on but the sound turned off? "

OMG!

I can hear that high-pitched squeal when my neighbors turn on their TVs!

nyc10023: about 3 years ago

Yup. I can hear when most devices are on standby. I can also hear the buzzing of a mosquito in a room.

30yrs_RE_20_in_REO: about 3 years ago

"AH: how true. I am not an audio freak, and have excellent hearing. I can even hear the "buzz" that kids set their phones to."

Can you hear when TV sets are on but the sound turned off? It always drives me nuts and all my friends are like "Hear what?"

modern: about 3 years ago

I have an Apple iPod (80 gigs) and an iPod touch (32gigs I think).

I have run out of room on the iPod touch, and it froze up so bad once it took me a week to get it working again.

I prefer the "feel" of the original and now mostly have gone back to the iPod which will hold my 6,000+ songs and has room for the 50-100 I add every week. And I still have hundreds of older CDs that I have yet to rip.

My most listened new bands this week: The Raveonettes and The XX

I use LastFM.com to "scrobble" what I listen to, up to 10,000+ songs scrobbled, number one is Sonic Youth and I will make sure they stay there.

I have 4x 5th row seats to see Tegan and Sara at Town Hall next Friday, but can't go. If anybody wants them I'll sell them for face value plus fees, will list them on Criagslist this weekend.

columbiacounty: about 3 years ago

ok. ok. ok

i was one of you until i got converted. i didn't do it. it was done to me.

i am definitely a late to the party apple crazy person.

gotta tell you it works. the big break through was airfoil which enables you to access the extreme/express without going through itunes. just found this about 2 months ago -- have no idea how long its been around.

ah: it's impossible to explain. i put up with shit from the stupid iphone that would have made me throw any other electronic device through a window. it's positively ridiculous....very dubious as a phone, but i love it.

ok..kill me now.

alanhart: about 3 years ago

My very brief foray into the world of iTunes is why I have no interest in dealing with anything Apple, including their tele-phones. Miserable, intrusive, thing-that-wouldn't-leave software.

nyc10023: about 3 years ago

AH: how true. I am not an audio freak, and have excellent hearing. I can even hear the "buzz" that kids set their phones to.

modern: about 3 years ago

Have any of you Sonos lovers looked at Sooloos? I am going to get one or the other.

http://www.meridian-audio.com/sooloos/

http://www.stereophile.com/mediaservers/908sooloos/

I agree, iTunes sucks. It imported several thousand duplicates once and I had to delete them one by one, insanely user-unfriendly.

ProperService: about 3 years ago

hear! hear! nyc_sport

Well said. iTunes - what a joke....

alanhart: about 3 years ago

I bet any owner of a high-end audio system who went for a careful hearing exam would find that he has considerable hearing loss at many of the frequencies that said high-end sound systems strive so ambitiously to create. But at least they have remote control, with an emphasis on the latter.

nyc_sport: about 3 years ago

Anytime anyone ever mentions Sonos, some Mac freak jumps in and says you can do all of that with a few thousand dollars worth of apple components. (a) So what? (b) I don't own any apple components (c) I hate iTunes (d) Rhapsody does not work on apple (e) Unless something changed recently, you cannot access anything other than your itunes library remotely (f) Sonos does not even need to be connected to a computer or have one turned on (g) airport streams only the same music to each zone and, except for some hack patches, does not allow volume to be controlled in each zone (h) each Sonos has its own line in and subwoofer ports (i) the Sonos remote is far superior, its battery lasts for a week, and I would need to use your iPhone because I don't have one (j) did I mention it is the best piece of electronics ever?

columbiacounty: about 3 years ago

and use whatever other components you choose for electronics and speakers.

columbiacounty: about 3 years ago

you can do everything that you are describing with the sonos with an apple laptop and airport extremes or airport expresses and airfoil for radio stations. and use your iphone to control if for some reason you don't want to move the laptop.

alanhart: about 3 years ago

So is Sonos basically a Donald Duck Close N Play, but without the Disney licensing?

30yrs_RE_20_in_REO: about 3 years ago

"George Taylor Specialties on Franklin Street is the place you're thinking of for bathroom fixtures. Amazing place--and really helpful, too. Anyone remodeling their bath should check it out"

That's it! (looking it up now, they used to be in 100 Hudson, not 90)

nyc10023: about 3 years ago

Glamma - soundproofing - if you have the opportunity to insulate your internal walls, that cuts down on sound tremendously.

glamma: about 3 years ago

soundproofing. jumbo size bathtub for two. hardwood floors finished with natural processes such as black tea staining.

nyc10023: about 3 years ago

We have Sonos too. The man of the house likes it (and the speakers in the ceilings). Since I am the impetus behind all our moves, I have no beef with it.

nyc_sport: about 3 years ago

Sonos is a very different whole house music system, and the best piece of electronics I have ever owned. I have a music server with 13,000 songs that is barely bigger than an eight track, and five Sonos units (which are about the size of a tissue box) throuhgout my apartment. The music streams wirelessly, and each unit can play different music, all controlled by an iPod-like wireless remote or an iPhone. You can play any song off the server like an iPod, stream thousands of radio stations, access virtually any song through Rhapsody, and create your own virtual radio stations. I was an early adopter -- my apartment system is almost six years old (I put it in my house too). Wouldn't trade it for anything.

emma63: about 3 years ago

George Taylor Specialties on Franklin Street is the place you're thinking of for bathroom fixtures. Amazing place--and really helpful, too. Anyone remodeling their bath should check it out

NYCMatt: about 3 years ago

"Supposedly total apartment sound systems never pay for themselves because they become outdated so quickly."

And because unlike a high-end kitchen appliance, one type of sound system will not satisfy all audiophiles.

maly: about 3 years ago

Ha! That's me! I listen to my iPod playlists from the base in the living room or the bedroom. It really cracks me up I'm not the only one. I love to watch old movies, and it drives my husband batty I can't even hear the difference between the 6 different settings.