WASH IT: This one stopped us in our tracks: a dishwasher-safe crystal (ball-like) chandelier. You simply lift and unpin the Da Vinci ball off its stainless-steel frame (in three sections) and pop the sections in the dishwasher, using a regular cycle and your regular dishwasher detergent. “It’s like the moon. It’s so ethereal,” says Eileen Schonbek Beer, creative director of Schonbek, a 136-year-old lighting company based in upstate New York. The Da Vinci comes in four sizes — 10, 12, 18 and 24 inches in diameter. And it comes in two quality levels of Swarovski crystal. Prices: $1,750 to $15,395.
For dealers, see www.schonbeck.com or call 800-836-1892.
— Karen Klages
DON’T WASH IT:
“We’re hoping to become the UPS of laundry service,” says Wendy Martorano, marketing director for Mudroom Laundry, an upscale North Side laundromat (with sage green walls and marble floors) that just added three vans and a new pickup and delivery service. It’s geared to “the busy customer who lives in the city and doesn’t like to take their laundry out of the apartment building,” Martorano goes on. You simply call Mudroom’s toll-free hotline and schedule a pickup time. Normal turnaround time is 24 hours, but Mudroom can have your laundry back to you faster, if you like. And preferences regarding detergent and/or special laundering instructions are accommodated. Laundry is returned folded, wrapped in plastic and tied.
Currently, Mudroom service is limited to the city only. And it’s offering an introductory special of $15 for 50 pounds of laundry, which translates into about six loads.
Call 888-wash-4-yu (888-927-4498)
— K.K.
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