Cool air is (slowly) coming in and colors of Autumn are upon us. This is a majestic season in New Hampshire. Every road around here is beautiful making any drive scenic. I hope that you enjoy the glory of the colors if you are in New England.
As we close up our homes for cold weather our indoor air quality can become polluted. I've provided some ideas to improve your indoor air quality over the next several months.
Fall weather means the oven can be fired up again for roasting. I was served a meatloaf by a friend and thought it was the best meatloaf ever. Of course it was and Ina Garten recipe because she has the best recipes. I share my version of the recipe below. It is worth the effort.
Thank you so much for your time in reading my newsletter.. I look forward to connecting with you. ~Julie Me, Homer, and Henry the three year old golden from Florida. This was Henry's first boat ride, he did not know what to make of it.
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Healthy Indoor Air for Your Home
This is NOT the way to have good indoor air quality.
Healthy indoor air starts with a clean dry home. Dust free, low-moisture, and clean fresh air provide the starting point and basics for clean indoor air. Apartment living in the city does provide challenges to achieve control over this if one has to rely on HVAC for indoor air. Even so, there are things we can all do to have the best indoor air as possible.
Healthy indoor air starts here:
Do not use chemical air freshers (as shown above). The are toxic chemicals that fill your indoor air with harmful fragrances, and contaminate your air. They can smell nice, but they are industrial products and should be avoided.
Vacuum often. The frequency of this depends on how many people and pets you have in the home. If you have pets, vacuum more often than you probably would like to remove pet hair and dander. Vacuum pet beds and furniture they use.
Remove dust. Dust isn't just unsightly, it gets blown up into the air when stirred up and this can cause allergic reaction and breathing problems.
Do not burn petroleum based candles. It is lovely to have a nice scent and the flicker of a candle, but most commercial candles are not healthy for your indoor air. If your burning candle creates soot on the jar, it's bad news.
Skip the toxic cleaning products. Toxic chemical cleaners can linger in the air for hours. There are many safe alternatives to industrial cleaners.
Use the exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathrooms. This will remove smokes from cooking and remove moist air and off gassing from beauty products and unfiltered water from bathrooms.
If you have any signs of mold or mildew deal with it immediately. Mold is extremely harmful. If you have a damp basement and it smells musty, you most certainly have mold somewhere. Dehumidifiers can be expensive to run, but you should do it. It is ideal to have a dehumidifier that will self drain so that it can run continuously.
Change furnace filters more often. It is suggest to change them once a year, but it is a good idea to do change more than that. Consider a filter in the return vent. This will keep pet hair from being sucked into the system and ducts.
Open windows and doors for a few minutes a day even in the winter to bring in fresh air.
I have highlighted a few steps to improve your indoor air. I didn't mention the most obvious toxic indoor air polluter is cigarette smoke. This smoke will cover every surface in your home if you smoke indoors. This is a topic that is more than just about indoor air, it is a behavior / habit issue so I won't address it any further. If you smoke, do it outside if you want to pretend you are healthy.
The steps I took to improve air in my home have been to do away with the air freshers, use natural cleaning products, vacuum often, and open windows for fresh air.
I missed candles so I started to make my own candles from beef tallow. Yes, you heard that right, beef fat candles. I buy grass-fed beef from a local farm (No-View Farm) and I render the fat to create tallow. The tallow is mixed with essential oil, I like to use lavender, and poured into a jar. The is the cleanest candle burn I have ever seen. There is absolutely NO soot on the jar. DIY Tallow Candles
Upholstery Makeover
The pair of French Country style chairs are elegant, simple, and comfortable.
Refurbishing second hand furniture is often more cost effective and faster than buying new. I found the two striped chairs and knew they were the perfect style and size for a client project. But they were well past prime and ugly.
In the paint shop we removed all of the welting and then primed and painted the wood. Then we sent the chairs off to the upholstery workroom for the amazing transformation.
See more amazing transformations on my website. If you have an upholstered piece that you would like to transform, please contact me for a quote.
Kitchen Design Step by Step
A kitchen in need of a makeover.
Rough ideas developing.
Developing layout in more accurate detail.
Sketching out elevations.
The space in the process of demolition.
The finishes start to develop for the cabinets, counter, and wall tile.
Stay tuned for the finished result. I'll share it in my next newsletter. See more kitchen and bathroom projects on my website.
Food & Recipes
Ina Garten's Meatloaf Recipe (my version)
1770 House Meatloaf (Serves 6 to 8) Copyright 2012, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten click here for original online recipe
Heat the butter in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not browned. Set aside to cool slightly.
Place meats, spices, milk, eggs, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl, and with your hands, gently toss the mixture together, making sure it's combined but not compacted. Add in the cooled onions and celery.
Place the mixture onto a baking sheet and form into a rectangular loaf (do not compact the meat). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 155 to 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot with the Garlic Sauce.
For the Garlic Sauce:
¾ stick of unsalted butter
10 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine the butter and garlic in a small sauce pan sauté until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter. Add the chicken stock to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook at a full boil for 35 to 40 minutes, until slightly thickened. Using an immersion blender blend until smooth and season with salt with pepper. Spoon the warm sauce over the meatloaf.
I hoped you enjoyed this newsletter. Please keep in touch with me. I am most active on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to connect, please connect with me and I'll reciprocate. If you do check out my new website, I thank you.
Me and my bulldog (with a very serious expression).
Thank you all for your continued business and interest in my design ideas and tips. I'd appreciate it if you referred me to a friend or two by forwarding this email and suggest that they sign-up for my e-newsletters. I truly thank you.
Julie Fergus, ASID Creating beautiful functional homes for your everyday living with one-stop shopping.
Are you a busy homeowner with not enough time to devote to your home design, decorating, and remodeling projects? Are you and your spouse at odds over design style? Are you overwhelmed with the multitude of choices for home design products?
Julie Fergus American Home designs and remodels kitchens, bathrooms, and any other part of your home using a highly skilled team of professionals. You can achieve and complete all of your home design projects with one-stop shopping because we have access to everything for your home.
To get you started on creating your dream home or interior, call 603.569.8989 or email us to schedule a complimentary "get acquainted" meeting to discuss your project and to learn about Julie's 7 Steps to Design for Everyday Living.
Visit my websitefor blog links and more information about my services.
