the cityhammer blog

Outdoor storage can make or break the neatness factor of your backyard. Living in the Long Island or Westchester suburbs has its minuses, but one of the biggest pluses is how much space you gain and having the ability to enjoy a front or backyard in the spring and summer. The downside is that as you get comfortable, your stuff begins to sprawl out, almost on its own. Kid's toys only amplify this phenomenon, to the point where your backyard becomes strewn with the flotsam of a post-apocalyptic movie landscape. Remodelista has some great pic's of storage options we highly recommend for the homeowner who skews country in terms of design taste. These equestrian-inspired sheds and storage pieces are from Country Barn Collection of Santa Barbara and come in different shapes and finishes depending on the size or look you want.
Feedbins Become Toybins

Speaking of sheds, check out the pre-fab shed that became an electrified office space at Apartment Therapy. They picked up a great post from Lifehacker featuring a man with a new baby who needed more work space than the house could provide. Phone lines and a paint job did the trick and now he's ready for 8 hours a day of uninterrupted Sudoku...jk.
Shed Becomes Office

We love our pets like children in this country and New Yorkers and their dogs are as symbiotic as any two species you find in nature. This closeness can and will lead to the occasional urine stain on a wood floor, no matter how good the training or how frequent the walks. How do you clean the odors and stains from your pets out of a wood floor? Charles & Hudson has a helpful piece on what to do and what not to do when treating wood floors in this situation.
Pets' Wood Floor Stains