Tag: life

Part 2, Interior design and life lessons learned in 2020

by Wei Fullmer on January 7, 2021 in Interior Design

Last week, as I do at the end of every year, I looked back at columns from the first half of 2020 and pulled out half a dozen highlights, including lessons learned from landscaping, housing a student and sheltering in place. Now, here are my favorite moments from the second half of 2020, a year I am not sorry to see go.

In July, I downsized the family jewels with the help of a jewelry expert who works with clients in their homes. I wanted to streamline my jewelry collection, to keep what I loved and cash in or

Tech It Out: Self-cleaning concrete helps prolong buildings’ life

by Wei Fullmer on October 27, 2020 in Building Material

Over 2,000 years ago, the Romans invented what we now know today as cement-based concrete. It is one of the world’s most crucial building materials, and is also the most prone to environmental risks.

With extensive exposure to air, rain and pollution, concrete structures tend to get dirty, discolored, and fractured. But scientists have found the future cement to help keep buildings safe.

Xu Xin, a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China, said, the material’s surface can absorb water. When people reduce cement’s ability to retain water, it becomes hydrophobic.

Hydrophobic literally means “fear of water.”

How interior design can be a tool in managing life with autism

by Wei Fullmer on September 12, 2020 in Home Design

Justin Moehn’s vast amiibo collection, comfortable gaming chairs and a large screen set up in a very specific way in his Richmond bedroom are evidence of his highly focused affection for video games. Jess Faerman’s small apartment in Houston has a single chair she’s willing to sit on and a circular path for her compulsive need for pacing.

For Hannah Warren, who lives in Southeast Houston, a velvety soft covering on an air mattress and drops of lavender oil are her keys to a good night’s sleep, for now, anyway.

All three have autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, a developmental