Designing For The Environment | Shannon Bieter Interiors

Designing For The Environment | Shannon Bieter Interiors

by Shannon Bieter, October 24, 2013

This past weekend I gathered all of our cords to outdated cell phones, the Flip, and camcorder —okay, I’m really dating myself on this one.  Seriously, I had enough cords to wrap around our house with plenty to spare.  Here are a few tips on how to save money in this ever-changing, techie world we now live in.

All of our new gadgets come with different openings for charging BUT most have the common USB portal on one end of the cable.  My favorite product, which will keep you from buying a new car phone adaptor every time you upgrade to a new phone is this handy USB adaptor.

caradapterIt plugs right into you car portal or ashtray lighter.  You will be able to plug your cable that charges your phone, iPad, or computer into the USB adaptor.  This gadget also charges up two devices at one time and eliminates buying a new car charger every time you upgrade – Yay!      A lot of new cars now come with a built-in USB portal.

usb Charger

This outlet has a handy USB portal in the receptacle.  You can toss the dongle that converts the 110 volts coming out of your wall outlet into 5 volts of USB power.  I can’t tell you how many of these little adaptors I’ve lost while traveling.  With this new receptacle you eliminate the adaptor all together.  I recently had an electrician install some of these outlets in our house.  I LOVE this new product.

Power-DONUT-outlet      node

Here is the look of future power strips.  There will be no need to turn on the lights in the dark every time you go to line up your prongs to a receptacle.  (Of course, if you have little ones around you would want to research the best way to child proof these gizmos.)

telect1             hooker

At the most recent designer’s market, I saw more and more bedside tables with pull out drawers housing power strips.  Recently, I emptied my bedside table drawer and placed a power strip inside with all of my cables and adaptors.  It was so easy and did not require any drilling.   I love not seeing all of the gizmos and cords every morning when I wake up:-)

Okay, does anyone have any idea what to do with all of these outdated cords I’ve collected over time?  I hate the thought of these going into a landfill.  After calling around, I found out that recycled cables are needed for their copper.

Best Buy Stores (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Global-Promotions/Recycling-Electronics/pcmcat149900050025.c?id=pcmcat149900050025&pageType=REDIRECT&issolr=1&searchterm=recycling) and NTrecycling (http://www.ntrecycling.com/blog/electronis-recycling/82.html#.UmWQXhYx9Hg)  recycle cables.  Whew, it feels awesome to have these cords out of my hair.

 Previous Post

Before and After

 beforedining BeforetgAfter

I recently had a minute to stop by one of my client’s homes to take a before-and-after shot of a project we completed this summer.  Over the years we have worked together to remodel their home, and they always seem to gravitate toward airy spaces and prefer transitional furniture.

The last room in the house that the couple tackled was their dining room, which had always been a challenge for them.  They were at a loss because they had inherited furniture and then made a costly purchase of a dining room set 15 years ago.  Luckily, I had built trust with the two in previous projects so it was easier to convince them to take the plunge and change their walls to a bold wallpaper.

We also changed the lighting and window treatments.  Then we added all new accessories and dining chairs.  I also convinced them to remove their dining room rug, which made the room seem larger.  We were able to recycle their dining room set and with the other changes we made the room has a fresh feel to the space.

 buffet chandpendIMG_1430

 

 

 

 

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    Shannon specializes in timeless decor in our nation's capital using bold accents to create a signature look for busy professionals and families. Join my newsletter for FREE ideas on decorating your house or CONTACT us at design@sbieter.com

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