Blog Posts by Michelle Taute

  • What happens when a robot mows your lawn?

    By Michelle Taute | Spaces – Fri, Jun 22, 2012 3:16 PM EDT

    The first thing you should know about a robot lawnmower (aka the LawnBott) is that it might take on a life of its own. From the minute the box showed up on my doorstep, my husband was itching to tear it open and see what it could do. Soon, word spread to my 10-year-old nephew that there was, in fact, a robot at my house. And that it could mow the grass.

    In fact, that's pretty much how I lost control of the great LawnBott experiment one Saturday morning. My husband and nephew had the robot out in the yard in a flash. More specifically, it was the new Kyodo America LB1500 SpyderEVO, which is about the size of two shoeboxes and weighs 25 pounds. You charge the battery up for a few hours then as the press person promised "never mow your lawn again."

    We sat the thing down in our small city yard (about 20x30 feet) and switched it on with a small crowd of onlookers. It went back and forth a few times, started beeping and shut itself off without mowing a blade of grass. This happened a few

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  • Interior design ideas for surviving kids and pets

    By Michelle Taute | Yahoo! Homes – Mon, Jun 11, 2012 11:45 PM EDT
    (Credit: Greg Powers, Designing Solutions)You’ve been collecting inspiring home images from your favorite magazines, websites and blogs. But you’re not sure if those stylish rooms will stand up to the ultimate tests. Like your daughter’s artistic streak. Weekly juice box spills. Or Fido’s shedding habit. Should you just give up on that stylish, grown-up interior until the kids head off to college?

    Don’t surrender yet. A few tricks of the design trade can give you photo-worthy rooms that don’t require trailing after your kids or pets all day with cleaning supplies.

    1. New furniture? Go for the upgrades.

    “Buying a sofa is like buying a car,” says Debbie Wiener, owner of Designing Solutions in the Washington, D.C., area. “There’s the showroom option and the 12 other extras.” She upgrades all her clients’ seat cushions without even asking. There’s standard foam, but you can spend more for better foam or even what’s called spring down (a bit like a mattress). The upgrades hold their shape better and longer.

    This room

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  • Stylish or silly? Crystal Neon Chair

    By Michelle Taute | Spaces – Tue, May 29, 2012 1:44 PM EDT

    The Crystal Neon Chair seems like the lovechild of a 1950s roadside hotel sign and a piece of antique French furniture. But, alas, designer Julien David Halimi tells us he was inspired by the luxury event world. And we have to admit, we see how these neon chairs from JDH Furniture would bring the limelight to any party.

    The shape is classic, but the materials are renegade: Acrylic fits around flexible neon in your choice of nine colors. A rechargeable battery pack under the seat keeps the lights on, and a remote control puts you in charge of the show. If you're feeling wild, you can even flip the chairs to strobe effect. But with a retail price that's expected to land around $550, would you buy a set of six for your dining room?

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  • Stylish or silly? $40,000 speakers

    By Michelle Taute | Spaces – Tue, May 15, 2012 7:44 PM EDT

    We're told the LS4 loudspeakers are the best money can buy, and for $40,000 each, we certainly hope that's true. Why the high price tag? "Most people have never had the opportunity to experience such low distortion and accurate reproduction," says Mark Glazier, president of Wisdom Audio. "But it is analogous to comparing standard definition video with  high definition video."

    In tech-speak, these speakers feature planar magnetic thin-film technology in place of old-school cone midranges and tweeters. We didn't have the chance to listen in person, but they say it feels like you're sitting courtside at the game. But for $80,000, shouldn't you at least feel a little sweat fly off LeBron James as he runs by your seats?

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Jennifer Karmon

Senior editor, Yahoo! Homes. Former Los Angeles Times editor. Clever, pretty designs and sharp writing make her swoon.