On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced guidelines for the states restaurants to reopen their dining rooms. The 12-page document paints a picture of the future of sit-down dining that many Bay Area restaurateurs had already been anticipating: servers in face masks, tables spaced at least six feet apart, and rigorous cleaning protocols.

While the guidelines are fairly wide in scope, covering everything from disinfecting protocols to the proper use of face masks, a number of Bay Area restaurant owners felt they still didnt offer very many concrete details on exactly what would be expected of them.

Kim Alter, the chef-owner of Nightbird a small, tasting menu spot in Hayes Valley, described the guidelines as pretty vague. A lot of us would love a little bit more direction from the government, she tells Eater SF, explaining that specific regulations would make it easier to implement policies than if individual restaurants just have to make those calls on their own.

Ryan Cole, a partner with the Hi Neighbor restaurant group, which includes three San Francisco restaurants (Trestle, Corridor, and the Vault), told Eater SF that it seemed to him that 90 percent of guidelines, dealing with things like hand-washing and clearing dirty linens, were just common practice. He was surprised, for instance, that while the plan included provisions for six-foot distances between diners, it didnt set a specific dining room capacity reduction the 25 or 50 percent that many restaurant owners had been expecting.

I dont care what the plan is, Cole says. I just want you to give me a plan and give me two weeks notice.

Even if the current guidelines are more vague than she would like, Alter says that her main takeaway is clear: She doesnt see any way that shell be opening Nightbird to dine-in customers anytime soon: I dont see how theres going to be a high demand. I dont see people wanting to sit in a small space.

Indeed, for many chefs and restaurant owners, the governors remarks simply reaffirmed plans that they already had in place. Weeks ago, Nite Yun had already decided that when she reopens Nyum Bai, her popular Cambodian restaurant in Oaklands Fruitvale neighborhood, it would be as a takeout-oriented fast-casual establishment the assumption being that dine-in customers likely wont return in large numbers anytime soon. After reading Governor Newsoms remarks, she simply said that shes still sticking with the plan, working with designers to reconfigure the the covered garage space on the restaurants patio to fit with the new style of service.

Tommy Cleary, the chef and co-owner of the upscale yakitori tasting menu restaurant Hina Yakitori, says the guidelines confirmed what hes suspected for the past month now that it simply wont make sense to reopen Hinas dining room in the near future. The entirety of the restaurants seating consists of a single 12-seat counter, so spacing people six feet apart would mean a maximum of maybe six diners at a time. That doesnt make sense for our situation, Cleary said in a text message to Eater SF.

Beyond that, face masks and other physical distancing requirements simply wont allow for the kind of dining experience that Cleary wants to provide. I just dont feel comfortable charging people $150 and having to dress like a surgeon and act like we are in a horror flick, alluding to the face mask requirement. For the time being, Hina will continue serving yakitori bento boxes for takeout, which Cleary says is a business model thats sustainable for his restaurant, though he suspects that many other restaurants that cant easily make a similar pivot simply wont survive.

Fine dining and $300 tasting menus are probably done, he says. The line cook will be king.

Local bars face an even more daunting path to reopening. Notably, the new guidelines explicitly state that bars that dont offer dine-in food service must remain closed during this phase of the reopening. For bar industry veterans like Will Herrera, the general manager of 200-year-old downtown San Francisco watering hole the Old Ship Saloon, the overall takeaway is simple: The service that the Old Ship has provided for 200 years with people from all walks of life bellying up to this bar, commiserating, and enjoying each others company still isnt allowed.

Places like the Old Ship exist in a kind of awkward middle ground, Herrera says: Were not quite a restaurant; were not just a bar. The place has never exactly been known for its cuisine, but already, its started offering breakfast, sandwiches, and cocktails for takeout and it expects to open its space to customers in some capacity whenever restaurants in San Francisco are allowed to do so. Given hard rules, well apply them, Herrera says. Given soft rules, well do everything that we can to ensure the safety of our customers and our staff.

For other restaurant owners, the newly announced guidelines for reopening are a clear call for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Fernay McPherson, who owns Minnie Bells Soul Movement, says her fried chicken restaurants physical space will prove especially challenging for any socially distanced form of dining in: Its a kiosk at the Emeryville Public Markets food court, where almost all of the seating consists of communal tables. The level of uncertainty has prompted McPherson to think about whether creative collaborations might be the only way to move forward for instance, whether theres a way to partner with a bar that doesnt normally serve food in order to help that bar reopen. I think partnerships are going to be big right now, McPherson says. Collective working is going to be big right now, for folks to survive.

Like many other restaurateurs, Nigel Jones, chef and co-owner of Oaklands Kingston 11, has kept the lights on at his Jamaican restaurant by shifting to takeout and delivery a focus he expects will continue to be necessary even when dining rooms begin to reopen. He says hes already been thinking about remodeling the normally bustling restaurants dining room, devoting more of the space to conducting takeout business. The chef has another forthcoming restaurant, Calabash, thats still in the construction stage, and he says the long-term impacts of the pandemic are informing the design choices hes making now. The business was always meant to be a market restaurant with a significant takeout component, and Jones plans to lean even more heavily into that aspect now making sure that the physical space has wide enough lanes for customers to easily move in and out of the restaurant.

Im not banking too much on the dine-in posture in the short term, Jones says. For better or worse, he says, this is what the future of the restaurant industry is going to look like, and restaurateurs who are still just trying to bring things back to how they were before are making a mistake.

There will be some shake up in this industry, Jones says. The traditional gatekeepers may not be the ones who are viable in the long term.

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Bay Area Chefs Say They Wont Open Their Dining Rooms Anytime Soon - Eater SF

REXBURG Madison County recently remodeled the former Payless Shoe Store to make room for a consolidated drivers license and vehicle registration office. The new facility is located at 510 N. 2nd E. Suite 1.

Its one stop shopping, quipped Madison County Sheriffs Public Information Officer Isaac Payne. It makes it more convenient.

Payne said that the former Payless fits perfectly into the countys plans for its offices.

It looks great. It has a nice lobby and a workstation for all of our employees. I dont think you will recognize it as the old building anymore, he said.

According to Madison County Assessor Shawn Boice, the county will pay around $2,700 a month or $32,000 a year to lease the building. It also helps that the former Payless has lots of parking spaces, he said.

Its a good deal because its below market rent, Boice said.

Boice has heard people ask why the county commissioners just didnt build a new office instead of leasing the Payless building. Doing so would have cost a chunk of change, he said.

Common sense tells me a lease payment is more effective for us to get into a building than to come up with millions of dollars, he said. It will be well over 20 years before (rent) hits $1 million.

Boice said workers started remodeling the building earlier this year at a cost of around $135,000.

The remodeling of the buildings exterior has been completed and all thats left to install are computers and fingerprint machines, Payne said.

Its been this last month that theyve been finishing up the inside construction, he said.

The commissioners had frequently heard residents complain about having to walk from one building to another to get their drivers license renewed and vehicles registered . It wasnt unusual to hear requests to consolidate the two offices, Payne said.

The county commissioners, county offices, and the sheriffs office came together and made it happen, he said.

Boice says that on a daily basis, people come into the vehicle registration office looking to get their drivers licenses renewed.

We send people across the street multiple times a day. Its more convenient to combine them (offices), he said.

The two offices have suffered from growing pains, Payne said.

The old drivers license office is in the same boat we are. We have outgrown our buildings. We dont have enough space as it is. This will give us a little bit of breathing room. We can expand out a little bit, he said.

Payne said the county had been in discussions about expanding for about a year, and says that county workers are looking forward to the move.

Im really excited about it. I know a lot of our employees are excited about it. They can better do their jobs. It will more easily help the community out, he said.

Its expected that the drivers license and vehicle registration offices will be open in the new building by June or July. For more information call 208-359-6200.

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Drivers license, vehicle registration offices moving to new building - Rexburg Standard Journal

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The kitchen often gets more use than any other room of the home. Its the place where people go to eat, cook, gather, study, work, and entertain. So, it makes sense to have a kitchen that is as well lit as possible.But artificial light cant compete with natural light in terms of clarity or color or cheerfulness, for that matter. And by maximizing the natural light within a space, you can also help reduce the amount of energy that you may use.

If your kitchen seems dark, and youre looking for ways to brighten it that wont drive up your energy usage, these kitchen updates can help.

Not all types of glass are the same and not all types are reflective. But there are several kinds of glass tile backsplashes that can help reflect and boost the natural light thats already in your kitchen.

There are two kinds to look for:

Glass for a backsplash will cost between $20 to $30 a square foot, with most backsplashes requiring around 30 square feet for $1,200 to $1,500.

If you want something that will increase the amount of light in the kitchen and make it seem larger at the same time, consider a mirror backsplash. Mirrors are excellent at amplifying the amount of natural light in a space, so covering your backsplash with a mirror will definitely brighten things up.

Mirrored backsplashes can be one continuous mirror or they can be made up of mirrored tiles. Either will create a unique look for your kitchen while it helps make the room brighter. Although the mirror can make the room seem larger, it will also reflect the items on your countertops. So this option works best if you store small appliances and other items out of sight.

Mirrored backsplashes cost between $8 and $15 a square foot for a total of $240 to $450 for a 30 square-foot area.

Glass is a very reflective material, so installing as much of it as possible in your kitchen can help you boost the amount of natural light. If you have paneled cabinet doors, its fairly easy to replace the inner panel with glass. Its also possible to replace the entire cabinet door with a glass front.

If you dont want whats inside your cabinets to be on display, you can opt for wavy or obscured glass instead of clear. The idea is to use a reflective material, though, so the result wont be as brightening with matte or frosted glass.

A replacement cabinet door with glass inserts costs between $20 and $50 on average, depending on wood type and style.

When youre looking for ways to reflect and boost natural light, dont overlook the power of paint. Using a satin gloss paint on your walls and a high gloss paint on trim and cabinets can go a long way toward brightening up the whole kitchen.

Make sure that you choose lighter colors for the best effect. And while high gloss and semi-gloss are more reflective, they tend to be a little overpowering if used everywhere, so stay with a satin finish on the walls and keep the higher reflection for woodwork.

Painting your kitchen has a cost of around $400 to $800; painters typically charge around $50 per hour.

Adding windows in an existing home isnt always a feasible option, especially if all youre trying to do is boost your natural light and not completely transform your homes exterior too. But installing a solar tube is a good alternative. This is a tube you run from your roof to your kitchen that will literally pull in the sunlight. Its not going to give you a view to the outdoors, but it wont change the appearance of your home and it wont require you to cut into siding either.

Solar tubes cost around $500 to $1,000 depending on size and distance.

If your kitchen is too dark and you find yourself using artificial light during the day to make it usable, consider investing in any of these ideas to help maximize your natural light. Any single one can help make a difference on its own, or you can layer them for greater effect. Boost your natural light and start reducing your energy consumption today.

Cristina Miguelez is a remodeling specialist at Fixr.com, a website that connects consumers with service professionals in their area and estimates the cost for remodeling projects. She writes about home improvement tips and tricks to help homeowners make better home remodeling decisions.

Feature image byAndr Franois McKenzie on Unsplash

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5 Clever Ways To Maximize Natural Light in Your Kitchen - Earth911.com

When I was a kid, my brother and I had a game wed play after school: How quickly can you guess which Brady Bunch episode youre watching? One tip-off was the music: If the kids ran into the house to a tune with an upbeat tempo, (do-do-dooo-do, do-do-do-dooo-do), it was likely a fun-filled episode featuring a celebrity guest star or perhaps a road trip in a camper. If one of the kids strolled into the house with their head dragging, Charlie Brown-style, with the incidental music playing at a slower pace (wah-wah-waaaaah-wah, wah wah wah waaahhh-wah), it was probably going to be more of a downer episode, about an unrequited crush or not making a team.

The clues didnt really matter: We usually guessed the correct episode in 10 seconds or so. We knew them all. We were the target demographic for The Brady Bunch in syndication, settling down with it every weekday for a full hour, lying on the scratchy loden front-room carpet with our chins in our hands. There were other shows we loved: The Partridge Family had the advantage in the musical department, and we raced through dinner to watch Happy Days every Tuesday night. But none captivated us like The Brady Bunch, which has maintained a similar hold on pop culture for decades, never leaving for long. As recently as late 2019, the now-AARP-eligible Brady kids were still reuniting for new onscreen adventures. This time, it was under the roof of the split-level ranch that they never actually shared as a family, though their TV characters didif you ignored the fact that its groovy mid-20th-century interiors were actually located on a soundstage. There they were, 50 years later, renovating that Studio City house to resemble those Paramount Studios sets, with the help of some extremely 21st-century celebrities: the onscreen personalities of HGTV. The Bradys were blurring the lines between real life and fantasyand not for the first time.

In a half-century, The Brady Bunch has evolved from sitcom to cartoon to variety show to drama to parody to reality series, molding and re-molding itself to fit the prevailing styles, tastes, and sensibilities of multiple eras. It all began in the late 1960s, when Gilligans Island producer Sherwood Schwartz wanted to capitalize on the different types of families that were following in the wake of a relatively new wave of no-fault divorce, the sort seen in big-screen comedies like Yours, Mine, And Ours and With Six You Get Eggroll. This was the zeitgeist that produced Schwartzs famously blended Bradys, even if their show never mentioned the d word: a widower with three sons marrying a widowor is she a divorce?with three daughters

The story of a lovely lady (Florence Henderson) bringing up three very lovely girls (Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb, and Susan Olsen) and forming a family with a man named Brady (Robert Reed), who was busy with three boys of his own (Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, and Mike Lookinland), wasnt much of a hit in its original broadcast run. The Brady Bunch aired on ABC for five seasons, beginning in 1969, yet never cracked the Nielsen Top 30. But other factors helped sustain the Bradys longevity. Previous sitcoms like Family Affair and The Courtship Of Eddies Father also had school-aged characters, but this one was primarily focused on the kids viewpoints, not the parents. The younger Bradys had the adults greatly outnumbered, leading to a plethora of plots involving sibling rivalry, school, dating, and other topics that their peers watching at home could relate to.

And unlike previous generations of adorable TV moppets, the Brady kids fought. A lot. Marcia and Greg ran against each other in the race for student body president; quintessential middle child Jan nursed a long-standing envy of her big sister. The fact that a sitcom-perfect family like the Bradys had their squabbles, and always stuck together at the end, was a valuable lesson for those of us who quarreled constantly with our siblings. The years separating the Brady kids also made for an easy transition for the young viewer: Start out watching at Bobby or Cindys age and you might idolize the older brothers and sisters, only to wind up relating more to Greg and Marcia as you grew older and returned to the show in syndication.

Those reruns were another component of the Bradys enduring popularity, often packaged in a local stations after-school Brady Bunch Hour. It was easy to get caught up on all 117 episodes, and then rewatch them, while the look and layout of the Brady house imprinted itself on your brain: the wood paneling in the TV room, the toilet-free kids bathroom, the bizarre horse sculpture under the open staircase. And from that level of familiarity springs the third pillar of Brady immortality, unique to this franchise: As ubiquitous reruns fueled the series popularity, its characters proved flexible enough to fit an assortment of TV and film formats.

Schwartz was only too happy to revisit his creation, whether the request came from an animation studio (for Filmations weak Archie knockoff, The Brady Kids) or psychedelic Saturday-morning kingpins Sid and Marty Krofft (for the retina-searing train wreck The Brady Bunch Variety Hour). TV reunion movies The Brady Girls Get Married (1981)and A Very Brady Christmas (1988) each led to spin-offs, but neither the odd-couple comedy The Brady Brides (1981) nor the hour-long drama The Bradys (1990) lasted longer than a season. The kids whod tracked their own growth from Kitty Karry-all to Marcia, Marcia, Marcia to crushes on Davy Jones were given a whole new set of Brady yardsticks to measure their own lives againstthough none ever achieved the staying power of the original Brady Bunch.

Despite that lack of success, whenever all nine original cast memberslets not forget Ann B. Davis as live-in housekeeper Alicegot the chance to work together again, they signed up, give or take the occasional ripe-for-lampooning holdout. The Bradys familial bond had transferred to the actors who played them, and they kept bringing other people together, too. When the typically hackneyed A Very Brady Christmas debuted in 1988, my then-twentysomething friends and I devoured it eagerly, howling over plot points like architect dad Mike finding his way out of a collapsed construction site thanks to the sound of his family singing O Come, All Ye Faithful.

Rather than adopt an ill-fitting seriousnessMarcias an alcoholic! Bobbys auto-racing career ends in a wreck! Greg grows a mustache!to get with the changing times, the Bradys would only survive the 90s by being who theyd always been: a vision of the American family as corny, inauthentic, and tied to the 1970s as their AstroTurf backyard. So it was with The Real Live Brady Bunch, the stage show created by Jill and Faith Soloway that debuted at Chicagos Annoyance Theater in 1990, which draped the likes of Jane Lynch and Andy Richter in polyester for faithful reenactments of vintage Brady scriptsunderlining their schmaltz and phoniness in the process. The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) took a similar, affectionately snarky approach, depicting the Bradys as an out-of-touch family that hadnt changed at all since their eponymous TV show had ended, sitcom-earnest fish swimming through ironic 90s waters of grunge, Guess jeans, and car jackings. The film opened at the top of the weekend box office; A Very Brady Sequel brought a very Brady Hawaiian getaway to theaters the next summer.

The satirical message was clear: The Bradys idyllic existence was an unattainable facsimile of real life, an example even its stars couldnt live up to. Barry Williams autobiography, Growing Up Brady: I Was A Teenage Greg,provided the flip side to the stage and screen spoofs funhouse mirror. Williams scandalized fans by revealing that he once went on an innocent date with his TV mom, Florence Henderson; that he had showed up on set stoned; and that all three of the Brady kids male-female sibling pairings had harbored some level of romantic interest for the other. In Maureen McCormicks own book, Heres The Story: Surviving Marcia Brady And Finding My True Voice, she writes candidly about her eating disorder and a cocaine addiction that she says harmed her career irreparably.

The illusion of the original series shattered like moms favorite vase in the path of a rogue basketball, with the next generation of Brady projects eschewing laugh tracks and third-act resolutions for something grounded in realityor a heightened form of it, anyway. This was more than future primetime stars Kaley Cuoco and Adam Brody playing versions of Williams and McCormick who cant stop making out with each other while in character in the 2000 NBC adaptation of Growing Up Brady. This was Americas Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry living out countless fans daydreams by romancing Peter Brady while she and Christopher Knight were on The Surreal Life. In grand Brady tradition, their onscreen courtship led to a wedding and a three-season spin-off on VH1, but My Fair Brady and a few respectable runs on Dancing With The Stars were merely reality-TV dress rehearsals for last years A Very Brady Renovation, in which McCormick, Knight, Williams, Plumb, Olsen, and Lookinland reunited to transform the Brady house into the Brady house.

In the years since The Brady Bunch ended, the residence at 11222 Dilling Street in Studio City, Californiarecognizable even without the words created by Sherwood Schwartz executive producer superimposed over ithad become a popular tourist destination. When the longtime owners decided to sell, they found plenty of prospective buyersincluding ex-N Sync member Lance Bassin the market for a piece of TV history. But they were all outbid by HGTV, whose producers paired the surviving Brady cast members with some of the channels top home-improvement personalities who, more often than not, were family themselves: Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott, or Karen Laine and Mina Starsiak, the mother and daughter team of Good Bones. Meanwhile, various pairings of the original six Brady kids (no Geri Reischl substitutions, no cousin Oliver additions) assist, picking up Cindys favorite doll from Sherwood Schwartzs daughter, or helping to identify the proper dining room set at a resale shop. After all, no one could be expected to know the Brady place as well as the six actors who basically lived in it for five years.

The experience is obviously emotional for the Brady cast, especially since its their first series en masse (reunion specials aside) since the deaths of their TV parents: Reed in 1992, and Henderson two decades later. (Ann B. Davis died in 2014.) The effect the Bradys have on the renovators is also compelling. No matter what generation they belong to, all the HGTV hosts bring their own memories to the job, and are committed to realizing them within these four walls. They feel the gravity of the task ahead of them, joking that America will be so mad at us! if the house isnt exactly right.

The Brady Bunch is far from the best or even most memorable series to air on the small screen. But its hard to imagine another TV setting that the average viewer is able to visualize so clearly, down to the clown painting in the boys room and the floral wallpaper in the girls. And as a lifelong Brady viewer, I found it fascinating to see the artifice of the most familiar house in TV history brought to life, as the Brady actors and the HGTV crew tracked down the oversized amber glass grapes for the coffee table, and the long-outdated avocado-colored kitchen appliances. The cast is as thrilled as the renovators that theres finally a visible commode in the kids bathroom, and devoted viewers contribute their own knicknacks to the decor.

In the series finale, the cast and their guests wander through the finished Brady home. Doesnt this make you feel like youre 12? Williams asks rhetorically, while McCormick hugs a familiar stuffed animal in the girls room. Susan Olsen proudly takes pictures of her own kids on the iconic staircase. Florence Hendersons daughter Barbara remarks as she spies the parents spot-on master bedroom, Its such a strange experience. You sort of go back in time, and have something that wasnt real, become real.

Itd be a fitting capper for the relationship The Brady Bunch has had with its viewers: turning an actual house into a fictional home is not unlike trying to create the perfect fake family and bring it to life. Over the decades, the actors have forged their own clanan imperfect one, because the perfect family doesnt exist. But if the Brady Bunch legacy concludes with A Very Brady Renovation, its the right note to end on. The cast banded together to memorialize the place where they spent so much of their childhoodand where we spent so much of ours as well.

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Theyll never finish remodeling The Brady Bunch - The A.V. Club

Finally for those who have never activated the video camera in the calls on Zoom, to hide hair with regrowth or of unmanageable length, and for those who have done it alone in this period, to maintain the basic routine ( or depilation, manicure & Co), the time has come to abandon yourself to the expert hands of hairdressers, barbers and beauticians. The reopenings are close and will slowly start again from 18 May onwards.

Inail-Iss have just made known the recommendations that must be adopted on the premises.

The document, as explained on the website of the Ministry of Health , it is divided into two parts. The first is dedicated to a context analysis of the hairdressing services sector and other aesthetic treatments, while the second contains the hypotheses of system, organizational, prevention and protection measures as well as simple rules for the containment of contagion.

Here they are summarized: -Aesthetic treatments can be carried out in c closed abine . Prohibited sauna, turkish bath and whirlpool tub . The rooms must be sanitized every day. The activities must take place exclusively on reservation during which the type of treatment required in order to optimize waiting times. Areas for the technical waiting phases must be provided , such as laying of color and separation barriers in particular for washing areas. It is also necessary to provide a minimum distance of at least 2 meters using alternate workstations and sanitize the rooms every day. The use of masks is mandatory both by the staff and by the customer starting from entering the room. During the beauty treatments the cabin panels must be closed . All equipment must be disinfected with hydroalcoholic or chlorine-based detergents. It is essential to ensure the shift between workers and their training on the use of Personal Protective Equipment. For the care of the beard and face are recommended surgical masks also visors or face shields. As regards the premises, it is recommended to keep the doors open and eliminate the heating and cooling recirculation systems.

These, therefore, are the first indications to be followed in view of the reopening of the personal care services which are reported in greater detail in the document Hypothesis of remodeling of the measures containing the contagion from SARS -CoV-2 in the personal care sector: hairdressing and other beauty treatments approved on 12 May 2020 by the Technical Scientific Committee, established at the Civil Protection and published on the website of the Ministry of Health .

The appeal of the salons for the early reopening of 18 May

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The salons have reopened in Denmark. And how will you go to the hairdresser in Italy?

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The rules for going to the hairdresser and beautician - NJ MMA News

What began as a utilitarian space for personal sanitation has, in modern times, transformed into one of the most coveted rooms in the house. Bathrooms have become a place to relax and unwind, and new bathrooms are on the tops of many homeowners wish lists. Bathrooms can be as lavish as budgets allow. Wish lists can include everything from luxurious soaking tubs to rainfall showerheads to chaise lounges to televisions or home entertainment systems contained in the space. Those contemplating their own bathroom renovations may draw inspiration from the following features.

Hot water recirculation system: Few things can be as disappointing as desiring a hot bath or shower only to find that the hot water tank has been drained. The home remodeling company Normandy Remodeling says water recirculation systems provide on-demand hot water. In such systems, hot water may continuously run through the pipes or there may be a pump underneath a sink. Either way, one neednt wait for the water to warm up any longer.

Double undermount sinks: Bathroom time is at a premium, especially when people must prepare and leave the house together. Rather than jockeying for position around a single sink, dual sinks enable more breathing room and time efficiency. Undermount sinks are easy to clean because there is no lip around where the sink meets the vanity, preventing the accumulation of grime and gunk.

Glass-free shower: Soap scum and water deposits can form on shower doors, even for homeowners who are diligent with cleaning. A sizable shower prevents water spray and affords the ability to forgo glass doors or curtains, thereby cutting down on cleaning and making the room feel more modern.

Multihead shower: When redoing the shower, account for various shower heads so the water can cascade across the body more completely. This provides a spa experience at home.

Touchless faucets and soap dispensers: These arent just for public bathrooms anymore. Touchless faucets and dispensers are more sanitary and convenient.

Separate toilet room: A shared bath almost necessitates this type of set-up. The toilet is housed inside its own small space and closed away from the rest of the bathroom. Its more private and convenient this way.

Heated flooring: You need not worry about stepping out of a warm shower onto a cold floor when heated flooring is part of the equation. This option is available in various flooring materials.

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Dreaming of bathroom model? Be inspired by wish-list features - Boston Herald

Such are the cozy offices and other corners of the palace inhabited by Guillermo, Mxima and their three daughters.

The kings of Holland, Guillermo and Mxima, They continue with their usual activities, although many of them have been carried out from the comfort of their offices inside the Huis ten Bosch Palace, a construction dating from the 17th century and located in Hague.

The majestic building, which was ordered to be built by Federico Enrique, has been inhabited by Guillermo, Mxima and their three daughters, since March 2019, the date on which the rehabilitation works of the palace came to an end, the cost of which was $ 68 million.

Before moving to the Huis ten Bosch Palace, the royal couple lived for 15 years in the Villa Eikenhorst, located about 3.7 miles from your new home.

Through various photographs, the royal couple has not only allowed us to learn how they carry out their activities from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they have also taken us to visit some of the most emblematic corners of their palace.

The Dutch royal palace was completed in March 2019 after several years of construction.

In the postcards, Mxima and Guillermo are seen working in their offices with comfortable clothes, leaving for a better occasion the dress code they usually use in their official events.

Guillermos office, as well as other rooms, have on their walls a painting of Guillermo de Orange, considered the Father of the Fatherland.

In addition to the painting, in his office he also has a dark brown with black table, as well as a shelf where he not only has books, but also photographs with different members of his family.

The room also has a room with four individual red armchairs, a round coffee table, as well as an imposing wall clock.

In addition to this, the view towards the royal gardens is simply spectacular thanks to the three windows that you have in your office.

This is how the office in which Guillermo Alejandro performs his real work looks like.

Mximas office draws attention for the decoration of its walls, which are not painted in a single tone, but were designed with natural landscapes, thus giving a more welcoming tone to his office.

In addition to his desk, which is located in a corner of the room, it also has various antique furniture, as well as a round table with a capacity of five people, which is illuminated by a very original ceiling lamp.

This is the office from which Mxima is working from home.

The lamp and the walls with natural landscapes are also present in one of the rooms that the royal house has, which is striking for its blue tones, which are present in the bookcases, the room and even on the carpet.

The room, which is heated with the help of a fireplace, has a capacity for nine people and also in one of the corners it has a desk with two brown chairs with a blue seat.

The blue color dominates in one of the rooms that the royal palace has.

The Orange Hall, considered the most emblematic room of the building, was one of the few that did not undergo modifications with the remodeling, having preserved the 17th century paintings that adorn its walls and dome

This room is illuminated by four chandeliers, in addition to having natural lighting thanks to the large windows that it has and which overlook one of the fountains in its gardens.

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Discover the impressive and colorful palace in which the kings of the Netherlands make home offices - Explica

New Henderson Chamber of Commerce President Ellen Redding had been excited that the chambers new office at 114 N. Main St. provided visitors with ground-floor access. But less than three weeks after opening, the office had to be closed to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

HENDERSON, Ky. - From the first of the year into the very early spring, five people here stepped into significant new roles of community and regional leadership.

Ordinarily, their jobs would have put them in front of audiences at business gatherings or would have involved daily meetings with other people, even occasional ceremonies or events attracting hundreds of people.

But these are not ordinary times. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended expectations this spring, forcing these new hires to work inside locked offices, meet via web conferences and try to get business accomplished from home.

Here is a look at the new work lives of five people who normally would be, to varying degrees, public figures in and around Henderson.

Ellen Redding began performing chamber of commerce-related activities when she was hired by Kyndle about a year and a half ago, starting with promoting events and securing sponsors.

But with the dissolution of Kyndle at the end of 2019, Redding was put into the larger role of president of the newly re-formed Henderson Chamber of Commerce.

Being a chamber president is one of the most public roles in any community: presiding over business meetings and special events, hosting networking activities, speaking at ribbon-cuttings for new members and new businesses, meeting with chamber committees and interacting with public officials.

One of the first things the new chamber board of directors resolved is that the Henderson Chamber needed to be more accessible to the community, to the public, Redding said. Being on the fifth floor (as Kyndle was) was not ideal.

The chamber thought it accomplished that when it leased a ground-floor space at 114 N. Main St. Its new landlord began remodeling in late fall, and the chamber staff began moving into its new home over a weekend in late February.

But with the coronavirus outbreak rapidly spreading and beginning to take American lives, Gov. Andy Beshear signed an order March 17 that many public-facing businesses had to close starting March 19. With that, the chambers new visitor-friendly office was closed to visitors.

Over the preceding two weeks, We had one meeting, with our Education Committee, before we had to close to the public, Redding said. Only one group got to see our really nice board room.

Instead of being one of the more accessible people in town, Im 90-percent working from home, she said.

We had to cancel our Breakfast Club networking event, Redding said. We canceled our March Madness social networking event. We had to close our Brown Bag (seminar) and cancel its annual Legislative Review Breakfast.

The Henderson Chamber is even postponing its own open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

With mass gatherings prohibited by the governors orders, Weve had zero ribbon cuttings, she said. A couple that had been scheduled have been postponed.

Instead, the chamber shifted its emphasis to gathering and sharing information. It created an online COVID-19 Resource Guide for Employees and Employers and provided links on its website to a small-business resiliency guide, an employers guide to unemployment, and numerous other sources of important information.

The chamber also took over the daily Business Help Daily web conference on Lifesize for local small-business owners, renaming it Chamber Chat and scheduling guest speakers from health care, business, finance and more.

And while the chamber is at its core a membership organization, it helps non-members who reach out to it.

Redding said that while this pandemic has temporarily changed the chambers focus, its mission to enhance the business community continues.

She believes this outbreak could change the way people communicate. For example, instead of in-person meetings, people might prefer to use Zoom or GoToMeeting web conferencing platforms where they can stay in their own office and put documents up on the screen and not have to print them out.

But ribbon cuttings and promotions will still be what they are in-person celebrations and networking opportunities.

Someday, the Henderson Chamber will even get to host its own ribbon-cutting.

A lot of new Henderson Economic Development Executive Director Missy Vanderpools meetings take place online, although she does conduct them in the meeting room at her organizations new office at 207 N. Elm St. Hand sanitizer is close at hand.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

The breakup of Kyndle also created the need for forming a new organization to recruit new industries and help existing industries grow. Henderson Economic Development was the result, and its board wanted a Hendersonian passionate about their community to lead it.

Henderson resident Missy Vanderpool formerly association executive of the Henderson Audubon Board of Realtors with a track record of community involvement was hired as its executive director.

The organizations new offices at 207 N. Elm St. were still being remodeled when she started work on March 9. A week later, it closed to the public until further notice.

But that wasnt the most profound impact of the pandemic to Vanderpool and her organization.

What the plan from my board of directors was, lots of introductory meetings with people meet with our investors, meet with state economic development officials in Frankfort and so on, she said.

It was going to be the Missy Road Show, to work on building those relationships, along with a lot of training (through workshops around the state hosted by the Kentucky Association for Economic Development), which has all been canceled or postponed, Vanderpool said.

Instead of being out and about, We made the decision on March 18 after 7 days in the office that I would start working from home, she said.

Whitney (Risley, the organizations director of existing industry and workforce development) and I had committed to trying to be a resource to local industries, such as gathering best practices developed by larger companies and sharing them with smaller industries, Vanderpool said.

Henderson Economic Development has also worked with the state to identify local companies with the capability to manufacture emergency personal protective equipment for health-care workers and others who were running short of those crucial supplies. The last two or three weeks, that has probably been the focus, Vanderpool said.

One company here began producing face masks; another is exploring whether it can manufacture swab sticks used for COVID-19 nasal tests through 3-D printing.

If they can do it, theyre trying, she said.

Believe it or not, we had a Request for Information (from a prospective new industry) last week, Vanderpool said. Given the nations medical emergency, Whitney and I couldnt believe it. We submitted it on Friday.

Completing that RFI also provided an inspiration for another task to undertake how to make the process a little more efficient so Vanderpool and her small staff can be responsive on a timely basis.

New Henderson Audubon Board of Realtors Association Executive Bryan Russelburgs office allows a visitor to sit six feet away, but most of his interactions with his members and others are conducted through web conferencing.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

Vanderpools move to economic development created a vacancy in the association executive position at the Henderson Audubon Board of Realtors the professional association for local real estate agents and those in affiliated fields such as mortgage lending, appraisals, home inspection and insurance.

Bryan Russelburg, who had been a HABOR affiliate member in his previous role at a credit union here, landed the job and started in late February. The coronavirus outbreak was starting to make headlines.

The HABOR position isnt as public as some of the other recently filled positions, and Russelburg is a one-man staff. But hes not invisible. The associations monthly luncheons/business meetings attract around 60 local Realtors and affiliates.

I had one membership meeting when I first got here and a board meeting before gatherings were banned, he said.

He also expected to stay busy making sure that multi-list real estate listings are posted properly, providing community outreach such as through charitable events, planning continuing education for Realtors and keeping his members up to date on matters of interest. He also intended to work with his membership committee to build up affiliate memberships and keep his organization strong.

But just a week after being hired, the governor declared a state of emergency, with shutdowns ordered in the weeks to come. Like many others, Russelburg had to change his game plan and focus on providing his members with current information related to how COVID-19 affected their work and the housing market.

To do so, he attends multiple briefings each week by the national and state associations of Realtors. The pandemic prompted changes to unemployment benefits, such as allowing self-employed people and contractors such as Realtors to be eligible for the first time, which presented a learning curve. Ive learned more about unemployment insurance in the last three weeks than I ever thought possible, Russelburg said.

Hes been talking to lawyers about what liability Realtors might face in showing homes to prospective buyers during the outbreak; hes also been learning about virtual house showings.

Im an information hub, Russelburg said. Thats what Ive been doing the last six weeks.

To meet with his various committees and keep his members informed, hes hosted web conferences using the Google Hangout online conferencing platform.

I love these people, these Realtors, Russelburg said. Theyre great.

But he said, Theyre nervous. They dont know whats going on. This is supposed to be the busy time of the market.

Alex Caudill, hired in January as a field representative for the Office of the Governors Department for Local Government, initially spent most of working time on the road, traveling to meetings with city and county officials in his 15-county district. But once Gov. Andy Beshear ordered a halt to mass gatherings, Caudill was ordered to work from home.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

Among the early hires by the Beshear administration was selecting field representatives for the Office of the Governors Department for Local Government, which provides financial help to cities and counties through grants and loan assistance, as well as advising them on matters related to budget, personnel and other issues.

Hendersonian Alex Caudill, who had a successful three-year run as executive director of the Henderson Area Arts Alliance and has a background in political science, management of political campaigns and organizational management, landed just such a position.

Starting Jan. 16, Caudill began working not just around Henderson but across a 15-county region stretching from Union County east to Elizabethtown and from the Ohio River south to near Bowling Green.

The field representatives job requires attending gatherings and meeting regularly with officials in each county, meaning lots of time on the road.

I expected to be on the road five days a week, Caudill said. I expected to hit all my counties once a month and to hit as many cities as possible. Thats in large part because part of his job is helping to be the governors eyes and ears out in the state.

Initially, I wasnt at home very much. he said. Meeting face-to-face is what I prefer.

But within two months, social distancing and a ban on mass gatherings was ordered by his ultimate boss.

Instead of being a daily road warrior, Im working from home, Caudill said. Ive been ordered to stay at home.

During this pandemic, Im almost 100 percent dedicated to the virus and making sure the governors message is out there and to answer questions (from local officials) they have.

In addition, Caudill agreed to help HAAA complete the booking of its 2020-2021 performing arts season at the Preston Arts Center, an undertaking he began last October.

The Henderson Area Arts Alliance office in Downtown Henderson used to be open 4 1/2 days a week for visitors and ticket buyers. But with the pandemic, new Executive Director Natalie Singer works from behind a locked door, if not from home. HAAA is working to reschedule two stage shows that were to take place during the hunker-at-home period. (Photo by Chuck Stinnett)(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

The domino effect extended to the Henderson Area Arts Alliance, which found a new executive director in Natalie Singer, who was a theater major and has experience in fundraising, which is vital to the nonprofit organization.

Her position requires lots of meetings and phone calls with her board of directors, event sponsors, donors, booking agents and others.

But since being hired March 30 in the midst of the coronavirus emergency, she hasnt even been able to introduce herself to all 16 members of her board of directors. The majority of them I have not met in person yet, she said.

Her downtown office is closed to visitors, and she and her assistant, Grace Henderson, often are working from home.

The timing is bad. I would like to be able to meet people face-to-face, Singer said. Being an Evansville resident, I would like to immerse myself in the community and meet as many people as I can. Its very different to meet people on Zoom.

She would also like to be directly meeting with sponsors, donors and current and prospective ticketholders. But that will have to wait for another day.

The pandemic has also forced the postponement of the last two shows of HAAAs 2019-2020 season: Dance Kaleidoscope: Music Men, which was scheduled for March 28, and The Color Purple, which was to be presented April 30.

Im working to get those rearranged and maintain the integrity of the organization, Singer said.

While five of next seasons shows are booked, two remain to be finalized. Shes counting on Caudill, her predecessor, to complete that.

Appropriate for the new normal during this pandemic, I havent had a chance to meet her, Caudill said of Singer. Weve been emailing back and forth.

He definitely keeps me updated, she said.

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Carly is on the phone at the Metro Court, making arrangements for the Nurses Ball. Cyrus interrupts and she tells him hes not welcome there. Lulu comes over and introduces herself to him, informing Carly they are having an interview. Carly tells them to do it somewhere else next time. He and Lulu take a table and he fills her in about his wrongful conviction thanks to corrupt cops. Cyrus claims to be no more than an investor who wants to contribute to the betterment of the community. As she asks about his past, Laura arrives. Cyrus assures them both he will be a benefit to society and plans to donate to Lauras re-election campaign. Across the room, Alexis and Neil meet in the corner and discuss their professional hardship. She wonders whats next for them. They recap the fallout from their sleeping together and the friction its caused in her life. He admits hes angry at both of them.

Jason goes down to the docks. He thinks about Sam.

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In her office at the Port Charles Police Department, Mac gives Jordan an update on the investigation into TJs abduction. Curtis arrives as Mac takes off. Jordan hopes that TJ doesnt remember much from his abduction. She cant let it be tied to Cyrus and wonders how she can stop him without risking lives. Shes been mulling over her options, but Curtis doesnt see any.

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Sonny paces through the Corinthos compound and goes out to the patio. He thinks about memory and how much it defines a person. Carly arrives and they talk about the remodeling shes been doing. He wishes it was as easy to deal with Mikes problem. She tells him that Lulu is meeting with Cyrus as they speak. Jason joins them and explains Cyrus wasnt happy that the meeting was canceled. Sonny tells them about Lizs visit and that she suggested Mike get a DNR order and some palliative care. When he was feeding his father last night, he could still see his old self.

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Felix chats with TJ at General Hospital. TJ is still trying to remember who abducted him. Molly shows up and starts fussing. She mentions having to pick up her car from the garage and wonders how running over a curb could cause so much trouble. After she departs, Mac drops by to ask TJ if he remembers anything. They sit down and TJ remembers where he was abducted by two men. He blacked out and woke up in a van, going by a train before being brought to a basement.

Sam drops by Charlies to see Kristina, who assures her she is finally drama free. Kristina wonders why Julian gave her a raise. Sam suspects its because hes feeling guilty over what he did to their mom. Brando wanders in to pick-up some food. Kristina recognizes his name and realizes they are cousins. When she introduces him to Sam, he says shes a heroine for taking down the cult and wonders how anyone could fall for that mumbo jumbo. Kristina remembers her time in Dawn of Day. She gets upset and walks off. Sam explains her sister was part of the cult. When Kristina returns, Brando apologizes and offers to give her a discount on her car services. Molly arrives outside and watches him with her sisters, flashing back to cheating on TJ with Brando. When he comes outside, Molly lectures him for talking to her sisters.

On the next General Hospital:

Mac goes to Jordan with what hes learned about the abduction.

Sonny and Jason meet Cyrus on the docks.

Molly talks to her sisters about Brando.

TJ plans a sweet surprise for Molly.

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Have you ever heard the phrase that you can never be too careful? Well, when it comes to residential construction sites and labor, that phrase holds even higher importance. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 21 percent of worker-related injuries and incidents in 2015 were related to residential and commercial construction workers. That number is way too high for just one industry. You can hire an estimating consultant to better guide you about the local safety measures to prevent any incidents from happening on the construction site.

With the help of safety measures, precautions, and preventative steps, we can reduce the number of mishaps, tragedies, and incidents in construction sites. By law, any and every employer is obliged to ensure the protection and health of its employees, irrespective of trade or profession. Building staff is especially exposed to such environments which present hazards that need to be addressed beforehand and during the process.

Whether you are a building site planner or project manager, it is your duty to take the required precautions to secure the work site from unwanted risks or dangers. Lets take a look at some of the steps that you can take to ensure that your workers have a safe environment.

First things first: you have to asses whether or not the environment is suitable for your employees. You can hire a professional agency to do it for you, or you can outsource the job to someone, and they will offer you concrete and conclusive results about the impending hazards in the workplace.

Safe work method assessment also makes sure that you come up with a detailed game plan of how you are going to undertake and finish the job. This will involve coming up with creative ideas of cleaning out any hazardous elements and offering PPE to your employees. It is better to be prepared than to have a lawsuit at your hands.

This step may be similar to the first one, but it is quite different in nature. It is your job to examine the job site periodically to find any possible risks and establish an appropriate approach or strategy to remove those hazards and obstacles. These hazards may include the risk of:

Moreover, as a manager, it is your duty to manage the workflow and the workers. This means that you have to run a tight ship when it comes to their safety and the protection of your reputation. When staff performs their job without the correct safety gear, highlight and address the issue and let them know that they have to be vigilant and wear their Personnel Protective Equipment at all times. When the staff fails to perform those activities safely, focus the training curriculum on the particular problem.

Are signs important? Well, of course. Law requires a sign to be put out when the floor is being cleaned, so yes, signage possesses an important value when it comes to residential construction sites.

This is necessary to have consistent signs such that all protection measures on the building site are identified, including a 24-hour ambulance line and specific instructions to the site office. Visible signs allow staff to recall and appreciate the protection procedures that will still be observed. Clear signs for site services, as well as appropriate fire and first aid equipment, will be provided.

Signage lets everyone know about the risks of certain areas involved. Moreover, you can also highlight the high-risk areas, and potentially avoid any injuries or serious consequences by constantly reminding everyone to be careful around these regions. You can also outsource cost estimating services for signage, and get a clear view of how to manage everything.

You must have seen almost every laborer and construction worker wearing a cool yellow hard hat during the processes. Well, not only are those things cool, but they also serve a very important purpose of saving the had from major injuries or long term consequences.

Now, you have to understand that eyes and face must also be protected. Anything from a shard to a tiny splinter can get into your eye and damage the retina forever. This is why you must inform your workers and encourage them to wear their safety goggles at all times.

Moreover, when it comes to face, they can wear face protection gear around the sensitive areas and protect their jaws and other features from getting severely damaged in the process.

Sand, dirt, tiny bits of flying metal or wood, liquids splashing, arc welding; all may hurt the eyes in a negative way. In addition to ensuring cover for the eye and face, employers should ensure that staff with contact lenses must turn their contact into safety glasses or choose protective eyewear their works over their glasses.

To prevent flames, accidents, asphyxiation, toxic damage, and occupational contamination, materials need to be handled very carefully. To segregate materials and avoid spillage, using high-quality, compatible outdoor storage options such as explosive storage cabins are recommended by the professionals. You must use compliant chemical storage for all your sensitive and hazardous materials.

What if we told you that over fifteen workers lose their lives every year in aerial lifting related accidents? Every year, around fifteen employees die in incidents linked to aerial transport. Most of the injuries are caused by drops from heights, so it is a big risk not to utilize fall safety gear. Operating from an aerial lift allows workers to wear a body belt that is connected either to the boom or rack. Make sure that all aerial lifts are according to the laws and regulations, and use modern technology to securely harness the employees before lifting them.

Moreover, you should also ensure that the aerial lifts used for transporting heavy metals and elements should also be secure. The concrete blocks can easily fall on top of someone and cause life-threating injuries.

Training is an integral aspect of maintaining health at work in all sectors. Most project managers believe all staff is informed of a worksites building site protection procedures. Failure to offer instruction to staff, while employed just for a few days or months to come, is one of the leading factors to the increase of construction site accidents and fatalities. You should train your employees for:

The training program will focus on the most prevalent accidents, safety threats, and events you have observed in a given region. The training plan is meant to be easy and successful.

Delivering instruction is one thing, and delivering it in an easy-to-understand way entirely. Staff can become more involved if they appreciate the preparation that you give. If you are providing instruction to fix such deficiencies or protection protocols on building ground on a new development project, you can have instruction in an open and versatile manner.

A learning management framework should be used to provide quick and concise classes that can be downloaded remotely on any computer, and staff can access them anytime and at any time.

Approximately 81 percent of fall accidents diagnosed in an emergency department includes a ladder for construction workers.

When the ladder is too low to reach the 3-foot standard, a sturdy brace must be added to the top of the ladder, and the contractor may install a catch rail or equivalent gripping tool to the ladder to aid staff in installing and removing it.

Safety and precautions must always be your priority as a construction manager. You can outsource your blueprint takeoff services, but you should try to manage the safety-related training courses by yourself with the help of tips mentioned above.

This requires more than simply introducing a compliance plan or following regulations to guarantee protection for all employees at a building site. Supervisors, project managers, and staff must make a concerted effort to ensuring the protective protocols for the building site are observed regularly, hazards detected, and events reported to hopefully avoid any accidents or injury. Teamwork is essential to guaranteeing health.

At the end of the day, your workers matter more than anything else. Their safety equally boosts the overall effectiveness and productivity of your construction processes. So, ensuring that the workers are not only operating at their full potential but are also safe in the construction environment should be your priority. The points mentioned above will get you started, but you can adapt and overcome according to the initial analysis of the worksite. Safety is the key to a powerful and successful construction process.

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