Hello, Darlings

Your Domestic Goddess is here to help

Good day to you, fine ladies and gentle men of Puget Sound and points beyond. This is your Domestic Goddess speaking. (OK, writing. Don't be such a noodge!) Put your feet up on that too-trendy ottoman you have over at your place and listen up.

We are embarking on a journey, you and I, Darling Reader. We're going on our own little quest around the Barcaloungers, over the Formica tables and through the chipped stemware to a better place. We will hunt down, ferret out, sum up and serve directly to vous (with a lovely bow, of course. Not too big; that would be — oh — so not what we're going for here) the latest and greatest for your home. I mean, really, can you afford not to live well? But, oh, the vagaries of modern living. Look to Your Goddess for guidance. She's on it, manicure-killing keyboard be damned. We're on a mission. Who knows where we shall end up? Isn't this exciting?

This first chapter finds us deep in doo-doo — as in fertilizers and mulches and other gardening whatnots. Is all that mucking about the back 40 art? Science? Exercise? Recreation? Sport? Therapy? Insanity? Religion? If you answered "all of the above," please do take a biscotto from the cookie jar.

— Rebecca Teagarden

When is a shed not really a shed?

Got one of those rusty old outbuildings out back? The kind that groans in dismay when you pry the door open? It's loud, it's ugly, it's just not good.

Here is the opposite of that: the MetroShed. It was designed with one goal in mind: making modern architecture easy to incorporate into your home. The fine folks there call it a "pre-fab multipurpose structure" of style, modern simplicity and value. But I don't have to tell a lot of you that.

"Seattle is one of our 10 major cities. Even though we make these in Orlando, most of the people who buy them are from the West Coast," says MetroShed co-owner David Ballinger. "Wherever the housing market is tight and space is limited. It's really like a house. It's really not like a shed."

Other suggestions for mod-box uses include working, resting, creating art, making music. Or, you could just put it out there as a play, pool or guest house. The shed is delivered in a flat pack, so you can experience the thrill of building your own Modern masterpiece in an afternoon. You come with a screw gun, ladder and gloves, and it comes with the rest.

"There's only 27 major pieces to the shed and about 20 more little pieces," says Ballinger, also the owner of a fab British accent that Your Goddess cannot get enough of, and so she did allow him to go on. "It's really something you can do. We encourage people to have a little installation party on a Sunday afternoon and put the thing together. It's like putting an Ikea table together."

MetroShed has a cedar wood-beam post frame, insulated wall panels, aluminum sliding-glass doors, ventilation shutters with bug screens, tongue-in-groove wood floor panels, termite-resistant wood floor joists, corrosion-resistant hardware, UV-protected polycarbonate roofing suitable for wind, rain, snow and heat. Options include electrical outlets, double-glazed glass, tinted/solid-color roof panels, wheels for easy moving.

The standard shed is 8 by 14 feet and costs $9,000. It also comes in more sizes, and custom designs are offered. The front or sides can be swapped out, shingles added, stucco or all glass.

But wait, there's more! While browsing www.metroshed.com (or calling 818-357-4000), don't miss little sister MetroKennel for the modern hound.

One can hardly sit around admiring one's thoroughly Modern outdoor shed while sitting on Grandma's glider, now can one? Contemporary shed requires contemporary outdoor furniture to go with. So go with this: stools, benches, chairs and tables from Modern Outdoor in Van Nuys, Calif. These guys have sleek down to a science.

Shown here is the Low Lounger in stainless steel with cushions from the Talt collection. Now, this is not what Your Goddess would kick back on while taking a load off her dainty feet (so what are you going to do with the old glider?) but it is of high quality, high design and not (at $2,799 for the chair) for the faint of wallet.

Chartreuse is a funny color. One either loves it or hates it. And if you are not on the love side, as DG herself is, covers come in four other colors. Also, powder-coated frames are a bit less expensive at $2,199. Some of the pieces in this line come in ipe wood or a variety of polyboard.

Also take a look at the Kenji and Etra collections, and the "shademakers" (translation: umbrellas).

See them at www.modernoutdoor.comor call 818-785-0171 for more selection and retailers.

After the big dig in the backyard, get in out of the rain by — how best to put this? — getting into the rain.

Dornbracht has released to the country three indoor "rain showers" that send water falling like the real thing from square panels in the ceiling. In brushed or polished stainless, they are integrated into the ceiling allowing you, the shower taker, to experience a toasty (hey, frosty if you prefer), refreshing downpour.

Here's the word on RainSky M: "Three rain experiences can be selected individually or in combination . . . and temperature can be regulated degree by degree." Better than nature!

Dornbracht doesn't actually call them shower heads. Maybe partly because they were designed by the high-end German firm sieger design and maybe because they cost between $2,750 and $9,200, they call them "balance modules," and you should think of them as a "water feature." (Though this is not near as clever as the elevator repairmen Your Goddess bumped into recently at the doctor's office with "Vertical Transportation Specialists" on their jackets. DG was so amused she almost forgot to get her Botox booster-shot. Almost.)

Check them out and even see a video of rain in action at www.dornbracht.com. Find Dornbracht products at Seattle Interiors, 3822 Stone Way N., 206-633-2900.

The high-performance gardener

Well, if you must go out there, you've got to suit up. Or glove up, in this case.

The hunt for the perfect pair can be rather elusive. That is why one might consider putting her delicate hands in the hands of Beverly Schor. The San Francisco-area sports-apparel designer and cyclist brings the look, feel and technology of high-performance sports gear to gardening with the West County Gardener Work Glove.

Ms. Schor's gloves are snug and well-put-together. The polyurethane suede palm has a second layer of padding. The suede offers the protection of leather (against thorns, glass, rocks, tool impact) but won't get crusty or crack even after repeated washing. The back is stretch nylon mesh for ventilation, flexibility and fit. Elastic cuff keeps out dirt and debris. Their bright colors keep them from being lost in the leaves. There's even a terry-cloth brow wipe on the thumb for when one, uh-hem, works up a "glisten." West County's women's gloves are specifically for women and the men's specifically for men. (Women's gloves are cut narrower across the palm and longer in the fingers to accommodate fingernails!)

When you finish the chores, West County suggests using them for cycling, boating, skiing, sailing, paragliding, rafting, fly-fishing, cycling, dog walking or working out at the gym. (Surely they will be tuckered out after all this and in serious need of a nap.)

The Work Gloves cost about $20. Check out www.westcountygardener.com or call 1-800-475-0567 for more information (there's a new elbow-length gauntlet Rose Glove) and where to buy them.

The Domestic Goddess can be reached at pacificnw@seattletimes.com.