Here’s how I’d sum up the March issue of ABODE, on the stands now: It’s all about making do with what you have.
Got eggs? Lisa Reeder explains how to cook them (I, for one, have never poached an egg. But now I have instructions). Got mud in your garden? Cathy Clary details the proper approach, starting with the axiom "Don’t stomp around in it." Got milk? Pour it into a drinking glass made from recycled bottles, our ABODE pick for March.
Meanwhile, our cover story focuses on a truly beautiful renovation (above), one of the nicest I’ve been lucky enough to see in person. Some months ago, Giovanna Galfione showed me around the new kitchen and master bedroom of the century-old Ridge Street house where she and Maurice Cox live, and I asked Katherine Ludwig to go back for a more in-depth look. We’ve got lots of images—dig the indigo walls! What I love about this project is what I love about any thoughtful renovation: It likely adds decades onto the life and attractiveness of a solid, if aging, building. The greenness of this strategy gives even the most efficient, high-tech new construction a run for its money in the sustainability department.
Finally, please take a look at Ed Warwick’s new column for renters. We figured, hey, not everybody owns a house where they can happily play with floor plans and rip tile off walls. Ed comes to the rescue (the Rental Rescue!) with clever projects that vastly improve a space without incurring a landlord’s wrath—and tend to support reuse, repurposing, and local shopping to boot. Now that’s making not only the best, but the greenest, of what you have.
Read, comment, and enjoy!
