The warm days of summer are winding down and will soon give way to the crisp air of fall. This issue of Good to Be Home is here to help spark inspiration for the transition ahead with a glimpse at high-tech home devices, two heart-healthy recipes, a behind-the-scenes look at one artist’s creations, and a guide to building your own firepit.
Technology is redefining interior design, seamlessly blending style with innovative convenience. Inside, discover four cutting-edge gadgets that can enhance your daily life while complementing your home’s aesthetics. From an air-purifying accent table to motorized window treatments, each one offers both function and flair.
Eating heart-healthy doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor, and the included recipes for turkey cauliflower burgers and baked chicken shawarma prove it. Both are packed with fresh ingredients to pump the taste level up and keep the sodium level low, making them ideal for a scrumptious lunch or dinner.
With a background in drawing and a passion for nature, Melissa Helene found her calling in scratchboard art, an intricate medium that results in breathtaking works. In this issue, she shares how she uses precision tools to bring big cats, birds, and other animals to life with stunning detail and depth.
Fall is a great time to relax in your backyard with family and friends, and a firepit is the perfect centerpiece to gather around. The enclosed guide walks you through how to build a classic stone one, including selecting materials and assembling the pieces. With a little effort and the right safety precautions, you’ll have a durable, stylish addition for cozy gatherings.
Here's to a great end to summer! As always, it’s a pleasure to send you this magazine.
In years past, interior decorating prioritized comfort and aesthetics above all else. But the future is now, and automated conveniences and cool contraptions alike have unlocked homes’ full potential. Take, for instance, the following intriguing devices, which link satisfying style with the latest technology to form a perfectly elevated experience. Discover how introducing any of them could significantly improve your daily life.
This brand has mastered hygienic tech with its sleek line of high-powered steam cleaners and spot-cleaning devices. But Dupray’s Bloom Air Purifier Accent Table is perhaps its greatest product, cleansing indoor air while blending seamlessly into your home as a decorative element. Far from an eyesore, it resembles a contemporary end table that can slot into just about any home-decor scheme thanks to its compact size—nineteen inches high and thirteen inches in diameter. Set it to night mode, and it will even make a suitable nightstand or office piece, running extremely quietly to prevent distraction.
With the wooden tabletop in place, you can store books, glasses, and other items inside while having a place to set down your beverage. Or slide the top off to take advantage of the removable planter, allowing you to grow luscious foliage such as a monstera or anthurium. Meanwhile, the purifier’s external prefilter and internal medical-grade HEPA-13 air filter cleanse the air of up to 99.97 percent of odors and pollutants, including mold, pollen, pet dander, bacteria, and viruses. Perhaps just as alluring: there’s no app required. Leave it on AUTO mode, and the air quality indicator will autoadjust the fan speed to correct poor conditions.
You can get all these benefits for $400, choosing from a variety of stylish color combinations and material choices like oak and walnut. But if you’re looking to save, opt for the slightly lower price tag of the standard gray option, the neat appearance of which flawlessly marries style and smarts.
“Did you know that a consistent bedtime routine can help you fall asleep faster, reduce stress and anxiety, and even lower the risk of chronic illnesses?” Such is the reminder from Loftie, a company whose mission is to help people depend less on their smartphone and avoid the pitfalls of using it ahead of sleeping. To get on board with this objective, upgrade to its innovative alarm clock, a classic piece of daily tech that has been reinvented with supreme style and a bevy of benefits. In fact, you just might fall in love with it for its sleek retro design, beautifully muted color options, and various evening and morning settings that will guide you toward achieving a more consistent, deeper sleep pattern and smoother wake up.
At night, rely on its bedtime reminder to wind down before rest, turning to its library of white noises, nature sounds, wellness tracks, classical music, and more to help you both drift off faster and prolong your visit to dreamland. Elect to join Loftie+ for $5.99 a month, and you’ll gain access to even more sounds, from bedtime stories to guided meditations to romantic poems—try them all until you find your ideal snooze-worthy selection. And with its blackout and nightlight features, you can set the right scheme to suit your preferences, whether you seek total darkness or comfortable ambient illumination.
Then once it’s time for you to rise and shine, you can forget thrashing awake to a sudden blaring sound; the Loftie Clock’s two-phase alarm gently stirs you with calm tones before gradually stimulating you into full consciousness, mirroring your body’s natural waking process. This dreamy device is certainly pricier than its inferior counterparts at $170, but it may be worth the investment to improve your shut-eye and, ultimately, your overall well-being.
Window covers are practically essential style elements that simultaneously block excessive sunlight and add privacy to your interiors. But intelligent motorized options from the Shade Store do more, providing the prior benefits at the touch of a button—no need to get to your feet. This means that you can close your shades, blinds, or drapes from your bed before sleep to create a dark and cozy atmosphere and welcome in stimulating sunlight as soon as you wake up. Such convenience is equally perfect for setting the optimal movie-viewing experience from your sofa or blocking those hard-to-reach windows without a stepladder.
Better yet, the broad range of irresistible custom options allows you to easily match your treatments to your design scheme, starting at as little as $220. To build yours, choose your preferred style from selections like versatile wood blinds, classic Venetian shades, and sleep-enhancing blackout drapes, then customize them in your favorite pattern, material, and color. From there, simply pick your motor type and other electronic features. Should you need assistance to navigate these complex configurations, contact support or visit one of the Shade Store’s many showrooms across the country, better ensuring that you make the right choices for a seamless daily experience.
To lend any space in your home a playful, engaging design touch, think more creatively than standard lamps and ceiling lights. Instead, decorate with the Shapes series of luminescent light panels by decorative-tech company Nanoleaf, innovators in home lighting. Available in a wide range of options, the ultrathin modular pieces utilize Connect+ technology that equips you to mount them directly on a wall, bookshelf, mantel, or virtually any other surface in endless arrangements. Once you’re satisfied with the setup, watch as they phase through an irresistibly dynamic palette of different colors, bathing your home office, media room, or backyard patio in breathtaking light.
Nanoleaf Shapes go far beyond other such tech due to their smartphone-compatible programming, enabling you to choose from various ambient scenes and color combinations to instantly adjust the tone of a room. Or try settings like the Rhythm Music Visualizer, which makes your lights dance to the beat of your playlist, and Screen Mirror, which automatically adjusts the lights to suit the colors on your TV or computer monitor. A Shapes Triangles or Hexagons Starter Kit retails for $150, a rate that easily competes with designer table or floor lamps—but with the kind of visual impact only a smart gadget could offer.
The best home-cooked meals meet a trifecta of requirements: delicious, healthy, and simple to make. These recipes from The Truly Easy Heart-Healthy Cookbook tick all these boxes and more, keeping sodium levels low to benefit your blood pressure and cholesterol while still featuring an abundance of flavorful ingredients you can transform into the perfect lunch or dinner in no time.
Packed with veggies and infused with fragrant spices, these juicy handheld creations offer a nutritious twist on a classic favorite.
Warm, seasoned chicken is topped with sweet, caramelized onions for an uncomplicated yet satisfying dish.
Excerpt from The Truly Easy Heart-Healthy Cookbook: Fuss-Free, Flavorful, Low-Sodium Meals, by Michelle Routhenstein MS RD CDE CDN, published by Rockridge Press. Copyright © 2020 by Callisto Media. All rights reserved. Photography: Laura Flippen
These juicy burgers are seasoned with a flavor-forward Mediterranean blend and are a hit with my whole family, especially my 2-year-old son, Jacob. I packed these burgers with vitamin C–rich cauliflower and potassium-rich frozen spinach to add a heart-healthy boost and bind the burger. Garnish this dish with sliced red onion, tomato, and fresh spinach.
Serves 4
Substitution tip: Swap the cauliflower for 1 cup of broccoli florets for a greener and slightly firmer burger. Broccoli has more vitamin K than cauliflower, so be mindful if you are tracking your vitamin K intake.
Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish that, while delicious, is typically high in saturated fat and calories. This rendition uses lean chicken breast marinated in a paste-like wet rub of Mediterranean spices and lemon juice, and cooked over a bed of caramelized onions that keeps the chicken tender. Serve this warm, well-seasoned shawarma in a toasted pita pocket with a handful of arugula and bite-size cucumbers and tomatoes.
Serves 2
Flavor tip: To add a caramelized crust and subtly sweet complement to the chicken, add 1 teaspoon of maple syrup and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the seasoning blend.
Wisconsin-based scratchboard artist Melissa Helene discusses her fascinating medium, wildlife subject matter, and ever-expanding business.
Walk us down your path to becoming a professional artist:
I grew up creating art—I was always drawing and took every art class available in junior high and high school. In college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I did know that I didn’t want to be a “starving artist” or an art teacher. So I got my degree in sociology with a minor in youth studies and worked in the nonprofit realm for several years after graduating.
However, I was regularly looking for something different. Since I was already making graphite and charcoal drawings and oil paintings as a hobby, I started planning to do art full-time. Soon after, I discovered scratchboard art, and something immediately clicked. As a very type A person, this medium and its attention to detail were very appealing to me. I founded my business in 2015 and have been working in scratchboard now for over ten years.
What is scratchboard art?
It employs professional-grade Masonite boards that have a smooth white clay base and a black ink layer on top, which you scratch off to create images. More commonly, you’ll find kids’ versions of it that have predrawn images to scratch off with a neon rainbow base underneath.
How long did it take to master your craft?
To be honest, it’s something I took to very naturally. I also had a decade of experience in drawing when I started—a necessity for doing photorealistic work on scratchboard. However, I’m still learning and growing. For example, over the past few years, I’ve finally started coloring my scratchboards, as most artists in this medium do. I’d avoided it previously because scratching is a very time-consuming process and I was leery of ruining something I had already put so much work into.
Eventually, though, I got to a point where I craved something different and wanted to push myself a little bit more. Besides, scratchboard inks come in packs of six—black and other various colors—but I would only use the black to tweak scratches, so the colored ones were piled up, just sitting there for years staring at me. I finally decided to give it a try with something easy: little birds. I love it now.
Why did you choose wildlife as your primary subject matter?
While I did a lot of human portraiture when I was using graphite and charcoal, I’ve always loved and drawn animals. My husband and I are wildlife photographers, too, and there’s an unending subject pool to choose from, both in photography and art. I’m currently working on a brown bear piece, the biggest scratchboard I’ve ever done.
What are your favorite animals to draw?
The majority of what I do is birds and mammals. People are constantly asking for whales or dolphins, but I rarely do aquatic creatures. For a couple of years, I couldn’t keep a big-cat piece to save my life—since that’s what clients were wanting, I actually considered just focusing on tigers, lions, etc. However, when I put the idea out on social media, everyone overwhelmingly told me not to do it.
What are the general different sizes of your pieces? How long do they take?
I work in a huge range, the most common being 4” by 4”. The largest I’ve created for art festivals is 2’ by 3’, and the big one I’m working on now is 32” by 48”. The time varies, even with ones the same size, depending on the subject. For instance, I can do a tiny bird in two to three hours; I don’t have to scratch as much because of its texture.
On the other end of the spectrum, the one that took me the longest, a green iguana, required well over a hundred hours—and it was only 12” by 16”. But because a lizard has scaly skin, the entire piece was almost entirely composed of individual knifepoint dots. I ended up taking five months to complete it. I still haven’t crafted another lizard because that one broke me a little. [Laughs]
Is texture the most challenging aspect of scratchboard art? Which are your favorite tools to use?
Being able to achieve three-dimensional depth in a two-dimensional medium is always the most challenging part. And there’s no real room for error—once you’ve scratched something, it’s permanent. Sure, I can use black ink and different ink pens to help redarken areas, but I can tell the difference between when I’ve done a scratch correctly the first time versus when I’ve had to correct it with ink.
As far as my tools, I have two that I use on every piece: an X-Acto knife and a fiberglass brush. The brush looks like a stylus and has a little protruding stick with strands of compressed fiberglass. So while each stroke seems like it’s making one wide scratch, it’s actually making many incredibly fine ones. That’s my favorite tool. It’s incredibly versatile, and I use it for every texture I create, from scales to fur to skin to glassy eyes.
You also do pet portraits. Would you elaborate on them?
They’re a big part of my business. I grew up with dogs and my husband and I have two, so I know how special they are and how heartbreaking it is when they leave—that’s one of the main reasons I keep offering pet portraits. Those elicit the best reactions when I deliver them. Custom cat and dog requests usually pour in between September and December.
You’ve been running your business for a decade. How does that make you feel?
It’s crazy. A lot of life has happened in that time, like getting married and having our kid. But starting my business was absolutely the right choice since it perfectly merges the two parts of my personality: orderly and creative. That said, being an artist isn’t easy, and trying to make a business out of being an artist is even harder. I’m proud of myself for doing that.
For more info, visit melissahelene.com
Cool fall nights, crackling flames, and the scent of roasting marshmallows—there may be no better way to get cozy this season than with a backyard firepit. And though you can certainly buy a basic metal option online or in a store, few can beat the timelessness and sturdiness of the classic round stone version. The best part? With just a little planning, a small budget, and a few hours of work, you can design and build one yourself to enjoy for years to come.
While you may be eager to get going, it’s essential to do some due diligence first. Start by checking local building codes as well as your homeowners association regulations (as applicable) to verify that firepits are allowed and review the rules regarding size, location, material, and fuel type. At a minimum, yours should be ten feet away from any structure and sit on level ground in an area that’s clear of overhanging branches, reducing the risk of wayward sparks igniting the surrounding vegetation.
There are numerous ways to build a firepit, many of which can get complicated, but constructing a basic stone one is relatively simple. You only really need to worry about two components: the walls and the base. For the former, your best bet may be retaining-wall blocks—they’re sturdy, heat resistant, and fairly inexpensive. You don’t even necessarily need an adhesive to keep them together (though it may be a good idea If you plan to prop your feet on the sides).
As for the latter, you can use flat concrete pavers, acquiring a mix of squares for the middle and triangles to fit along the circular perimeter; if building it on your lawn, this can allow you to avoid having to dig up your grass. Add in some paver sand to fill in the gaps, and you’ll have a solid base where you can safely place your firewood.
Beyond those fundamentals, consider a steel fire ring for added durability and protection against heat damage, and don’t forget about your tools! Here’s a full list of supplies to collect:
As you enjoy the feature, take care to follow essential fire-safety rules to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your property. For one, use dry, seasoned firewood rather than freshly cut pieces to minimize smoke and reduce the risk of sparks; avoid burning materials like paper and trash since small pieces could escape and become a hazard. Further, don’t use an accelerant like gasoline or lighter fluid, which can cause dangerous flare-ups and release toxic fumes. Instead, opt for natural fire starters like dry kindling or fire starter logs. Keeping seating and other furnishings at a safe distance will also help prevent accidental burns.
In addition, always have a way to quickly extinguish the flames, such as a bucket of water, hose, or fire extinguisher. Because fires can spread if not properly managed, never leave one unattended, even for a short period of time. Verify that it is fully extinguished before leaving the area by dousing it with water or sand and stirring the ashes to eliminate any remaining embers.
A firepit is guaranteed to add warmth, ambience, and functionality to your outdoor space, no matter how you use it. So gather your supplies, dedicate a few hours for construction, and get ready to make lasting memories around the comforting glow of the flames.
