MNN - Mother Nature Network

Design*Sponge compiles a gift guide geared towards dedicated DIYers (think terrarium kits, rope spools, linoleum cutters, and vintage macramé books). Writes Kate Pruitt: "These are items that we makers always admire but rarely splurge on for ourselves. Trust me, if you buy a DIY lover a beautiful pair of good scissors, you’ve made a friend for life — and don’t be surprised if you see them save the packaging for a future project."

Gizmodo shares a few ideas for space-saving gifts that would be much appreciated by folks living in — or aspiring to live in — tiny homes and pint-sized apartments: Slow cookers, adjustable shower caddies, and $300 LED floor lamps are just a taste.

 

Movoto crunches a whole bunch of numbers in an examination of how climate change affects home values. A key takeaway point from the article, which, of course, is centered around the impact that Superstorm Sandy had on real estate values: Based on current climate trends, rates will increase one percent for every 1/4 °F increase.

 

Dwell rounds up a slew (okay, maybe just a couple) of "modern homes set amid snowy surroundings and with cozy interiors" including a spectacular "Floating Farmhouse" in the Catskills that was built in 1882 and treated to an energy-efficient, salvage-centric overhaul in 2008.

TreeHugger finds design editor Lloyd Alter eating his own words with a look at SHoP Architects' prefab modular apartment tower (the first of several) due to break ground next month in Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards complex. That's it, behind the Barclay's Center, pictured above. Noting a number of changes since the project was first proposed, Alter writes: " ... I said Fuggedaboutit, ain't gonna happen. There were so many things that were troubling, from the shenanigans at the prefab company to the change in architect to the reasons for doing the project in prefab, namely the savings in time and money, not to mention the entrenched construction unions in New York. I was wrong."

 

Core77 unleashes its always fabulous holiday gift guide. This year, it's centered around seven designer phenotypes: the Workshop Workhorse, the King of the Kitchen, the Designer Dandy, the Traveling Wo/Man, the Studio Snob, the Homebound Hobbit, and the Off the Grid. Pocket chainsaws, manual paper shredders, DIY desk lamps, and growlers abound!

 

The New York Times identifies the newest breed of folks to worship at the altar of domestic doyenne, Martha Stewart: Folks like a tattoo-covered East Village artist named Tony Stinkmetal and everyone who lives in Williamsburg, apparently. Explains the Times: Stewart "... has emerged as something of a patron saint for entrepreneurial hipsters, 20- and 30-somethings who, in a post-recessionary world, have begun their own pickling, cupcake and letterpress businesses and are selling crafty goods online." The best line in the piece comes from Martha Stewart Living editor-in-chief Pilar Guzman who points out that the magazine's readership in recent years has become “the intersection between Colonial Williamsburg and Williamsburg, Brooklyn.”

 

ABC News explores the benefits and drawbacks of living in a home of limited square footage. The good? Less clutter, less cleaning, more savings, a lowered carbon footprint. The bad? Lots of time is required to organize and part with possessions. Also, throwing a raging party is pretty damned tricky. 

Co.Design publishes a gift guide that's sure to please the snobbiest of design snobs on your holiday shopping list. Picks include bronze nails that cost $7 a piece, a typography Scrabble set, a 3D printer, and a rather lovely space heater with plenty of high-design cred. Also worth checking out is Co.Design's Gift Guide for Eco-Warriors that includes a lamp made from recycled egg cartons, Emeco's Broom Chair, the Nest Learning Thermostat (also featured on MNN's 2012 Holiday Gift Guide), and a mini-flowerpot that attaches to bikes.

 

Architizer is smitten with Dutch architect Hans van Heeswijk's concept for a single-family prefabricated tower house that "sprawls up, not out."