It’s hard to believe but the summer is coming to a close.  Kids are going back to school.  Colleges around the country are starting.  And swimming pools are starting to close.

I never had the luxury of having a swimming pool when I was growing up.  In fact, if I wanted to swim, I needed to walk uphill – both ways – just to go swimming (there was a valley between my house and the pool).  But as a kid I loved going swimming.  Especially on a hot summer day.

And while I still don’t have a swimming pool, I still have fond memories of those hot and care-free summer days.

I suppose that’s why whenever I go to a hotel I feel the need to check out their pool.  I’ve seen big pools, small pools, the-kind-where-I-don’t-want-to-get-in-the-water pools, pools on the roof, and pools with water slides.  But until I saw this pool, I’ve never seen a pool that hung out over the edge of a building!

It used to be that a swimming pool was just a rectangular hole dug in the ground.  But those days, my friends, are long gone!

This is definitely one hotel where I’d make time to swim in the pool!

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own?  Consider submitting it, and we may post it.

So things have been a bit slow around here (and the Spam Bots a bit over-active!).  But we’re back in the saddle.  The last month has been a personally busy month.  Mostly with work and life (as if there’s a lot more to it than work and life!)  With the life part specifically being the fact that I got married.

To celebrate, my bride and I went on a Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon.  While on the ship we had some amazing views.  Especially from our cabin.  (If you ever go on a cruise it’s totally worth the upgrade for a balcony room.)  We also had a great hotel in South Beach that overlooked the ocean.

Let me just say that all those pictures of blue seas just don’t do it justice.

This was our first trip to the Caribbean (and South Beach) and the waters were so blue that they seemed like fake colors.  Definitely not the same murky cold ocean waters I’m used to seeing!

So what does this all have to do with neat features?

Well up to this point, this blog has really focused on the neat features inside of a home.  Sometimes we’ve focused on the neat features on the outside.  But I’ve never really given much consideration to the view on the outside.

And that’s a little odd.  Because for the better part of a decade I lived in a city apartment.  Most city apartments have terrible views.  But I was lucky.  My apartment overlooked an area with plenty of trees and bushes.  In fact I even saw a few deer, which isn’t too bad for living in the heart of Cincinnati.  Even though I had been ready to move for a few years, it was that view that kept me in my apartment.  I knew I couldn’t find a view like that anywhere else.

Neat Features are more than just light bulbs, wall murals or fairy tale guest houses.  As we’ve said in the past it’s the things that make your place unique.  And sometimes that’s just the view.

So what neat features do you have around your house?  Maybe it’s a view or a favorite tree to sit under?  Maybe it’s where you had a club house in your back yard as a kid.  There’s lot’s of options, so share your favorite neat features in the comments.

The Simpsons have become an American Institution.  They’ve been on TV longer than an entire generation of school students have been alive (think about that for a minute!)  Phrases like “D’oh” have seeped into general conversation.  And we all know the famous hometown of the Simpsons, Springfield.

But for a time, you had a chance to live like the Simpsons.

In fact, you had a chance to live in a perfect replication of their house.  Pepsi teamed up with The Simpsons and KB Homes to create a contest back in 1998 to win The Simpsons home.  This wasn’t just a house that looked like the Simpsons home.  It was a house that was constructed right down to the smallest details, including crooked pictures.

Usually at Neat Features we look at some aspect of a house – something you can even add to your own home.  But this time I want to just marvel at creativity, innovation, or marketing genius.  Who knows.

All I can say though, is I am amazed by the detail in this house.  Although as much as I’ve liked the Simpsons over the years, I’m not sure I’d want to actually live like the Simpsons. 

(images from the great Simpsons site: The Simpsons Folder)

I’m a reasonably educated guy.  I have multiple degrees in psychology.  I’ve had a successful career.  I don’t believe in magic or fairies.  I don’t think there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  All of this holds true until I am confronted by one thing: the magic eraser.

I have no idea how this thing works.  Maybe it’s some kind of scientific process involving black holes and space time continuums.  Maybe Merlin made the first one for King Arthur.  Who knows!

Why am I talking about the Magic Eraser on Neat Features?  Because I’ve been in the midst of a month long move and this week has been dedicated to cleaning my old apartment (isn’t it ironic that when you leave an apartment it’s probably cleaner than when you lived in it?)

A lot of the cleaning involved the normal wear and tear on doors, floors and walls.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to clean all of that.  Especially when I realized my cleaning supplies consisted of my toothbrush, a bottle of soap scum remover and a few paper towels.  And I planned on using my toothbrush later. 

That’s when I saw I had bought a box of magic erasers years ago and never used them.  I reached into the box with a shrug, thinking, “what can it hurt?”  Within seconds no matter what the dirt or grime it was gone!  It even worked on the old stove burners that I had long ago given up on cleaning.  I mean if I had only known, I wouldn’t have spent hours soaking them in chemicals, water, and soap!

I am not easily impressed.  Especially when it comes to cleaning products.  But I am blown away by how well magic erasers work.

I don’t know how you do it Mr. Magic Eraser, but in my book you are a true Neat Feature!

One of the things I love about Neat Features is that for something to be a Neat Feature it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.  It can actually be just a handful of dollars.  Take, for instance a few DIY projects that involve your walls.

1.  Cleverly Hiding Power Cords

2.  Covering Cracks with Details

Both of those projects only cost a few dollars and can make a world of difference in how people see your house.  Sure I wouldn’t exactly suggest those methods if you’re trying to sell your house, but if you live in an apartment?  Or if you don’t have time or money to do a full repair?  Then they become great solutions.

Neat Features aren’t’ any particular product.  It’s a mindset.

So what in your house do you consider a neat feature?

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own?  Consider submitting it, and we may post it.

If there’s two things I love in this world it’s ice cream and electricity.  So why not combine them!  “How?” you ask.  Well the fine folks at Mixko Boutique figured out a way.

Compact Fluorescent lights can save you significant amounts of money over time, but most of us see them as a bit on the ugly side.  They don’t fit into our lamps, and when they do, they look just a little bit odd.  That’s what’s so great about this design.  It takes the “ugly” of the typical CF light bulb and turns it into a Neat Feature.  That’s brilliant design.

While these are a bit pricy, and only sold in England at the moment, if you want some you’d better act fast because they are almost sold out.

Now if only they’ll get around to making that taco shaped CFL...

Color is one of those funny things.  Too much and we wonder if you’re starved for attention.  Too little and we wonder if you’re kind of boring.  It’s definitely the Goldilocks Effect (not too hot, not too cold). 

Of course that’s also why it’s so difficult to use color effectively.  Striking that balance is a challenge. 

Take this house for instance.  In a room that’s a very neutral “brown” there’s a hint of color through an orange chair, a couple of orange pillows and a few flowers.  Notice how the orange isn’t overwhelming?  It’s just enough to accent the room, not enough to make us think you need to be the center of attention. 

If you look at the rest of the house, you’ll notice that orange is a color that’s picked up in a few of the rooms.  Again it’s not dominant in any one room, but it’s a nice, subtle theme.

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own?  Consider submitting it, and we may post it.

It’s hard to believe sometimes.  But our lifestyles are radically different then they were even five years ago.  Just a mere five years ago most people had only a single computer in their home.  Maybe, if they had saved up, they had a laptop instead of a desktop.  Now, it’s not uncommon for people to have several laptops, a media server, a desktop computer for video games, a few iPod’s along with a couple of smart phones.

To further add to this change, Apple has spawned an entirely new type of computing device: the iPad.

While this has been great for our lifestyles and leisure, it’s been a challenge to power all of these devices.  If you look at an old house it’s not uncommon to find only one or two electrical sockets in any given room.  Why?  Because 50 years ago (and certainly a hundred years ago) you only had to worry about a few electrical devices.  Maybe a few lights or a TV and phone.  But these days, all of our entertainment devices need plugged in.

That’s where the U-socket comes in to play.  If you like gadgets, or have someone in your family who does, you know that there’s always a constant search for wall plugs.  No matter how many USB ports your computer has, it’s either not enough or inconveniently located.

So what if instead of walking to a bed room or office to charge your iPhone you walk over to a wall socket and plug it in just like you would any other device.

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own?  Consider submitting it, and we may post it.

Normally Neat Features focuses on the architecture of rooms or some Do it Yourself project that adds a bit of personality to your house.  Rarely do we talk about furniture.  And of course by “rarely” I mean “never.”  But I can’t help myself.  I feel like we’re living in the future when I look at the Easy Breeze Bed. 

It’s a bed that cools you off when you sleep. 

Is this the future or what?!

Apparently the bed draws cooler air from under /around your bed (one hopes without the dust bunnies) and once “purified” sends a gentle breeze over you while you sleep.  They claim that it will cut your AC bill by 60%.  And for a price tag of $4500 for the bed, it better!  I have to admit, the idea of being cool, but still getting an outside breeze from an open window does sound nice.

Now the cool thing here (ha ha) isn’t the climate control.  It’s the fact that the BED is doing the controlling!  What a crazy messed up world we live in!  I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the bed that brings me breakfast.

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own?  Consider submitting it, and we may post it.

A while back we showed you a room with a pretty elaborate jungle paint job.  Perfect for the 7 and under crowd.  But what about older kids.  (Or the older kid inside all of us?)  I don’t know about you, but as cool as the jungle was, I’m not sure I really want to go with the "Welcome to the Jungle" feel. 

Well here’s an office that was painted in argyle. 

Neat Features don’t have to be expensive, they don’t have to be complex, and you don’t always need an engineering degree to lay them out.  Sometimes you just need some paint and tape. 

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own?  Consider submitting it, and we may post it.