Heath Ceramics and Architecture for Humanity

David Nolan here, doing more than just haunting the comments section here at Kitchen and Residential Design. Recently, I contacted Heath Ceramics because I was interested in doing a post about their dual-glaze tile, which I think is a fascinating and original look for ceramic tile. Heath Ceramics had always been a tableware company to me, because out of ignorance I had only drooled over their gorgeous bowls and vases, without ever checking out their tile offerings. They sent me a little nudge through email to check out the dual-glaze tile line, and I was instantly in awe, both about the tile's great looks and the fact that I had not investigated Heath's tile offerings in the past.



This post is not about dual-glaze tile though, or Heath Ceramics' buffet of beautiful tableware. I received an email today that Heath Ceramics is donating 25% of all sales January 15th-17th at their Sausalito and online stores to help rebuild Haiti. The company is donating the money to Architecture for Humanity, which I will quote the good people of Heath Ceramics to explain:

"Why Architecture for Humanity:

AFH is a non-profit organization that brings design, construction and development services to communities in need. AFH is expanding their current efforts with Yele Haiti, the local NGO, to provide relief and recovery as well as meaningful long-term reconstruction to the Haitian community. We have an ongoing relationship with Cameron Sinclair, Kate Stohr and the folks at AFH and we really believe in their work.

The more people, the bigger the impact. We’d love your business to support this cause; visit our store(s), shop online (free shipping through Sunday) or donate directly to AFH. Either way, we hope you’ll join us in making a contribution.

Facebook, twitter, email, use your rotary phone - please spread the word…

Thank you, Heath Ceramics & Architecture for Humanity"

I had not heard of Architecture for Humanity before but after reading their website and looking at their projects, I am impressed and want to help. I encourage you to check out Heath Ceramics to admire the gorgeous eye-candy, and then spend some time getting a reality check at the Architecture for Humanity website.

Like Heath and AFH said, spread the word.

Refrigerator seal and fridge maintenance

One of my great finds on Twitter last year is Julie Warner, who Tweets and blogs for Warners' Stellian Appliances in Minneapolis/ St. Paul. Julie's as engaging as she is informative, she really knows her stuff. Warners' Stellian Appliances has been a family owned and run business since the 1950s. In an era when independent retailers are disappearing, Warners' Stellian proves that through a  commitment to community and customer alike, it's still possible to thrive. Intelligence and hard work don't hurt either. Not in the Twin Cities? Have no fear, Warners' Stellian handles online sales through their website. Check them out.

Julie writes the Warners' Stellian blog and it's always full of terrific ideas and pointers. Such was the case earlier this week when she wrote the following about refrigerator maintenance. I asked her if I could reprint it and she agreed graciously.

image courtesy of Big Chill

Refrigerator seal & fridge maintenance
By Julie Warner


Some people spend as much money on a kitchen as they do a car, yet expect to do no maintenance.

Would you be surprised if your truck engine overheated if you never changed the oil or refilled the coolant? Most also expect to rotate and replace tires and wiper blades.

You might not have spent 13 grand-something on a fridge, but I’m sure you plunked down a good amount. Here are some maintenance tips to help get your return on that investment. See my previous post,  Ice maker troubleshooting.

Moisten your gasket

A small amount of condensation on the fridge or freezer is normal, especially during humid weather and summer vacation, if you have kids who don’t know how to keep the refrigerator doors shut.

If you see more condensation than normal, check the seal (or gasket as we appliance nerds call it) for any obstructions and clear them. If there aren’t any, try moistening the gasket with Vaseline. Seriously, it works. If you don’t have any petroleum jelly, I’ve used Neosporin in a pinch (What won’t that stuff do, honestly?).

After applying a thin layer of Vaseline, organize your fridge. It doesn’t have anything to do with the seal, per se, but it will help you find what you need faster, meaning the door won’t be open as long. If Warners’ Stellian installed your fridge, we leveled it to tilt slightly back to encourage the doors to swing shut.

If someone else installed your fridge, consider leveling it in a similar way.

Clean your coils

New refrigerators have self-cleaning condensers. But if you have an old fridge, you might still have coils that need to be cleaned once or twice a year. Some fancy vacuum cleaners have attachments to suit this purpose. But otherwise, you’ll have to get a coil brush from an appliance parts store.

(If you find yourself driving to an appliance parts store to buy a coil brush, make a detour and buy a new fridge instead because yours is pretty darn old. The energy grid will thank you.)

To clean the coils, remove the base grille and use the brush or vacuum attachment to clean it, the open areas behind the grille, and the front surface area of the condenser.

If you have pets or hairy, shedding family members, take care that the area around the refrigerator stays clear to ensure proper heat exhaust. Otherwise, that thing will be running all the time.

Change the water filter

If you have a water dispenser, you likely have a water filter. Replace it every six months or take direction from your indicator light, if you have one. Or, if odor and odd taste don’t cramp your style, stretch the life of it. But seriously, beyond water quality, an old water filter can cause sediment to build up and cause problems.

There are probably seven different types of water filters. Yours is either is the top back corner of the interior, down in the kick plate, or along the top interior of the fridge. ALWAYS bring your filter into the store when you’re replacing it because we don’t necessarily know the type a filter goes with a model number we looked up in your order from two years ago. We can guess, but it’s still a guess.

After replacing the filter, flush the air from the water system (see how to purge air from the water system animation – though 4 gallons seems like overkill) to prevent dripping from the dispenser.

Defrost your freezer?

Your freezer is probably “frost-free,” meaning it defrosts itself. You may have purchased an all-freezer unit that is manual defrost for storing foods long-term, but that’s another blog post (or e-mail me).

Just take care to clean your fridge and freezer every month.

Your turn: What did I miss?

Share your tips in the comments.

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 You can find Julie on Twitter as @WarnersStellian, you can also find their fan page on Facebook. In addition to that, here's the link to their website and of course Julie's terrific blog.

Thanks Julie! So gang, chime in. Anybody have a refrigerator hint they're dying to pass along?

Haitian relief with wallpaper

The great wallpaper designer Given Campbell just came up with an original design she's calling Pat Robertsatan. It's at once an admonishment of Pat Robertson's idiotic statements yesterday and an opportunity to do something positive with all that ignorance.

Given's donating half of all the proceeds from the sale of this wallpaper pattern to the Red Cross directly. So rather than shaking your fist in the direction of Virginia Beach, why not extend a hand in the direction of Port au Prince?

Given's a gifted artist and without a doubt the most original wallpaper designer in the business. Look through her website. It's some pretty cool stuff.

Gang, yea or nay?

The brilliant and talented David Nolan found this yesterday and it's of a piece with the dinnerware featured on Tuesday. Sort of. What do we think? Link here.

Make your own light fixture with a designer's blessing

The terrific Grace Bonney had a piece on her equally terrific Design Sponge yesterday that talked about how to make a Lindsey Adelman chandelier. Why this stands out is that the resulting fixture isn't a knock off. Rather, it's an Adelman-endorsed undertaking.

Let me explain a little bit. Lindsey Adelman is a lighting designer, but that doesn't begin to describe her work. She's an artist and innovative designer in general and these days she's expressing herself through lighting. That sounds more like it. Adelman's work is as distinctive as it is desired and for most people, an Adelman chandelier is a pipe dream. It's fodder for "when I make it rich" daydreams.

However, Adelman has a solution. On her website and blog, she has downloadable instructions on how to make the chandelier pictured here. She's even included a parts list and links to where you can buy the parts on line. Brava!

So, need a project for this weekend? If you make one of these chandeliers, Adelman wants to hear from you. Send her a photo. While you're at it, send me one too. I'd love to see somebody take this on. Who's up for it?