Home Design
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How a 4,000 Year Old Textile Became a Ubiquitous Design Accessory

Jaime E. Love

The block print is a common sight in home design, whether swathing throw pillows, upholstery fabric, or gracing napkins on a tabletop. For all its beauty and popularity, this textile tells a complicated history that spans ages and shows the power of craftsmanship in the face of colonization.

Block printing is thought to have its origins in China over 4,000 years ago, before disseminating throughout Asia and the world. The earliest record of block printing, though, isn’t on fabric but on a book known as the Diamond Sutra, which was printed 300 years before the Gutenberg Bible. The story of India’s journey to becoming the epicenter of block printing, though, is complicated.

the worlds earliest surviving printed book a wood block printed version of the diamond sutra
The worlds earliest surviving printed book: a wood block printed version of the Diamond Sutra, circa 868 AD.

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“The history is patchy,” says Preeti Gopinath, director of the MFA textile program at The New School,

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Home Design
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‘Flintstone House’ owner settles lawsuit, can keep cartoon statues at California home

Jaime E. Love

A colorful home in Northern California — often referred to as the “Flintstone House” for it’s dinosaur replicas, unique shape and memorabilia from the ’60s cartoon — can stay caveman-themed after a lawsuit between the town and the home’s owner was settled, according to local reports.

Florence Fang, the home’s owner, will be paid $125,000 by the town of Hillsborough to cover costs associated with the lawsuit, which began in 2019, according to The Mercury News. The settlement also states that Fang must apply for permits for the home’s exterior, but that they are guaranteed to be approved once filed, The Palo Alto Daily Post reported.

The suit was settled in April, but due to a gag order, details have only recently come to light. Hillsborough is about 25 miles south of San Francisco.

“The parties have reached an amicable resolution of the case to the satisfaction of all

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Home Design
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New models now open are a hit at Hampton Lakes showcasing Pulte Homes’ new floor plans

Jaime E. Love

Pulte Homes has revealed eight new consumer-inspired home designs for Hampton Lakes, a gated neighborhood within River Hall offering an unbeatable combination of affordable single-family homes and resort-style living within the 1,500-acre master-planned Alva (optional) golf course community.

Two of the home designs have come to life in stunning new model homes that are now open for touring, illustrating the newest flexible designs with customizable options for home personalization. Open floor plans seamlessly blend living spaces, and versatile lanais enhance the indoor-outdoor connection.

Within River Hall’s village-style community of winding sidewalks, sparkling lakes and lush green spaces, Hampton Lakes homebuyers can enjoy Pulte Homes’ quality craftsmanship, energy efficiency and smart home technology in their choice of brand-new floor plans starting from the mid-$200,000s.

“Hampton Lakes offers homebuyers a great selection of Pulte’s flexible, modern-minded floor plans and friendship-fostering amenities,” said Josh Graeve, vice president of sales for PulteGroup’s Southwest Florida

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Home Design
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How to support plants with plant cages

Jaime E. Love

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It can be hard to know how to start your backyard garden — how to tend to the fruits, vegetables, herbs and more. Beyond gloves or tools like trowels and shovels, one of the gardening gadgets you’re likely to come across in neighborhood nurseries or the landscaping section of a home improvement store is a plant cage. For a home gardener, a plant cage is designed “to support and protect plants as they grow,” said gardening consultant Pol Bishop, who works with Fantastic Gardeners, a gardening and landscaping maintenance service based in England.

SKIP AHEAD Best plant cages of 2021

As such,

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