Wide-Open Views to a Narrow Majority
August 24, 2019
Many men and women know it is possible to take advantage of small living spaces through smart design choices. But this double-stacked house in Edmonton, Alberta, proves that using a supernarrow lot dimensions, it is likely to create a staggeringly expansive floor plan. How expansive? How about a 17-foot-wide house that boasts 3,400 square feet?
While most lots in Edmonton clock at at 50 ft broad, this 25-foot half lot posed a substantial design challenge which caused many people to move on to greener, more considerable pastures. But thirdstone’s architects watched the immediate potential for their customer to make a big family home with epic design cache.
Their aerodynamic model made 16- from 16-foot rooms — larger than most people’s living rooms and bedrooms — with windows on either side to capitalize on the abundance of lighting, a massive advantage over denser designs having the inclination to bury some rooms deep inside their core. The low lot size also meant a decrease in price, which allowed the homeowners to put extra money into building something dramatic that catered to the demands of their family. They wanted to have the ability to interact with the outside spaces, have glass walls so that they could see their kids playing outside and have the space be more flexible for family growth. The big, open kids’ area, for example, can easily be partitioned off to create two bedrooms at the future.
Meanwhile, they employed low-cost, off-the-shelf substances to get a fresh, forward-thinking design. “We certainly saw the potential of the site,” says architect Louis Pereira. “We knew it’d work.”
in a Glance
Who lives here: Acouple with 2 kids (ages 7 and 9)
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Size: around 3,400 square feet; 1 bedroom, however distance to extend into 5
Budget: $450,000
thirdstone inc. [^]
The top-floor master bedroom along with the bottom-floor living area are visible through the largely glass exterior, allowing for a better connection with the surrounding neighborhood, something among the homeowners specifically was looking for. Now he can wave to his neighbors from inside the home (yes, even from the master bedroom). “I personally wanted visibility to the home,” he states. “I believe it is refreshing to be receptive. It’s a way to socialize with neighbors.”
The white fiber cement panels are accented with knotted cedar planks. Both substances extend to the landscape with garden walls that seem to become part of the home.
thirdstone inc. [^]
The floor is a laminate at a good charcoal grey to help ground the room, using a reflective end for an airy feel. The TV is hidden with a stain behind walnut wood cabinets. “We wanted a traditional parlour feel, where we can sit and have coffee or wine and a discussion,” the homeowner says.
The inspiration came from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s classic Farnsworth House (shown in this roundup of must-know modern houses). “I always wanted a living area with a modernist feel,” says the owner.
thirdstone inc. [^]
For the kitchen, the homeowners didn’t need anything too decorative, but rather something to reflect the calmness and refined appearance of the remainder of the interior and the exterior. To complement the grey flooring, charcoal highlights all of the recessed components in the white Ikea cabinets.
The drop-down ceiling is walnut hardwood with a walnut stain, mimicking the island layout below and nodding to the living room cabinets.
thirdstone inc. [^]
The kitchen double-galley design allows two people to cook in the kitchen simultaneously. The small prep sink area from the backdrop adds more counter space and hides kitchen appliances.
thirdstone inc. [^]
The homeowners envisioned the dining room as hosting large parties that trickle out to a courtyard. The fir-framed doors totally fold open to create one fluid space.
The homeowner created the painting based on a single he saw while on vacation in Bali. The chairs and table are from Ikea.
thirdstone inc. [^]
The courtyard connects evenly with the indoor dining area. A large garden wall along with the knotted cedar plank wall make the room feel cozy and intimate.
thirdstone inc. [^]
A small workstation for among the homeowners, seen here, along with his family features an integrated monitor and storage cabinets for crafts and media.
thirdstone inc. [^]
The open-riser staircase provides the appearance of floating wood slabs — in this situation, more maple with a walnut stain. Aside from looking cool, the design lets the homeowners view from the workstation to the entryway, also allows air flow between the two floors.
Thirdstone came up with an economical design for its handrail: The architects created the middle brackets, then bought 1 1/4-inch wood dowels from a hardware store.
The painting was bought in Bali and picks up the a variety of wood tones at the home.
thirdstone inc. [^]
A skylight over the stairs opens to draw lingering heat from downstairs through the roof. Floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the home allow cross ventilation through operable openings at the top.
thirdstone inc. [^]
The kids’ rooms are one big, open space with a play area at the middle. It was made to be flexible for when the kids become teenagers and need more personal space; the homeowners can easily and affordably incorporate partitions.
thirdstone inc. [^]
When the blinds are open in the master bedroom, then the homeowners can tide to their neighbors on the road.
The seat was bought locally. The platform bed is from Ikea.
thirdstone inc. [^]
A charcoal tile bath with cedar wood for the shower floor is among the most breathtaking spaces from the home. The wood slats sit above tile and can easily be removed to clean beneath.
10 Ways to Present Your House Flair
August 20, 2019
Who doesn’t enjoy the Italians? So cool, so well dressed, so much dolce vita. Their houses are not any different. They too appear effortlessly fashionable and individual. But look closely and you will realize there are particular principles that Italian houses follow. Just about every house that is Italian focuses on family food and fun. Here is how you can bring a bit of la bella figura to your house, too.
Ghirardelli Architetti
1. Ample seating for supper. If the family is the most important part of an Italian’s lifetime, then the house must include a dining table large enough for all to gather around.
It can be a folding or collapsible table, too. The major issue is to provide a space where people can share a meal together. Many houses also have a stash of chairs.
Fabrizia Frezza Interiors & Architecture
2. Well-lit meals. Italians like to have the overhead light on at foods. This way they can always see what they are eating and that they are talking to — an essential part of the joy of sharing a meal. For this reason many state restaurants also have bold overhead lighting compared to the dim, intimate settings many men and women are more used to.
Anthony Baratta LLC
3. Color. Red, blue and yellow are colors which often run strongly through the Italian colour. These colors were also adopted by the Memphis Group — a group of Milan-based designers with a postmodernist aesthetic led by Ettore Sottsass from the 1980s. They mixed metal and wood, Perspex and vinyl, and strong colors — turquoise, yellow and red — with silver and black edging.
Comep Steel Windows
4. Curves. It’s no secret that Ferrari regularly uses descriptive terms relating to girls when naming cars (“testarossa” signifies “redhead”), along with the Italians also adore a curvy silhouette when it comes to their furniture.
Fabrizia Frezza Interiors & Architecture
The white haired furniture around this pool looks modern and comfortable at precisely the same time.
Comep Steel Windows
5. Bare windows. Italians don’t usually go for thick drapes, often leaving the window completely bare or with a light muslin curtain to soften the effect. Buildings have shutters which could be closed to keep the heat out.
Diego Bortolato Architetto
6. A mix of designer and classic accessories. Just as an Italian lady might wear a designer scarf or pair of shoes with a classic pair of jeans and a simple blouse (and look fabulous), therefore Italians might have only one ideal designer piece in a space, which stands next to an old piece which might have belonged to La Nonna. I really like the way the vintage-style chandelier and classic wood rocking chair here add warmth to this contemporary Italian area.
Fabrizia Frezza Interiors & Architecture
7. Tiled floors. Most Italians don’t really go for carpet, preferring to have tiles instead, because they’re cooler in the heat and simple to clean. Italians love to be prepared to welcome an unexpected guest.
Diego Bortolato Architetto
8. Organic substances. Marble has long been a popular choice in kitchens, and this white marble comes from Carrara in Tuscany. Madonna has reportedly used it in a number of her kitchens.
Fabrizia Frezza Interiors & Architecture
9. A central kitchen. There might not always be space for ingestion in everyone’s kitchen, but it doesn’t matter how big or small a kitchen is — it is the most important room in the home, and its decorating options are made with care. Quality is super important. Buying will almost always apply in an Italian kitchen.
Fabrizia Frezza Interiors & Architecture
10. Interesting. Italy is a joyful, playful state, also Italians bring that in their houses. That idea is summed up by this image. An elegant, all-white hallway gets a sense of joy and pleasure from the dab of bright turquoise inside each pendant shade.
Try to do the same thing on your home: Love it.
7 Edible, Pretty Wonders of the Plant World
August 16, 2019
If one doesn’t have to be a chef to be a gourmet, does one have to be a garden designer to develop pretty edibles? Obviously not. Nevertheless a few cues from a designer and plantsman might help make your potager that much more interesting. As a child, I learned to combine unique textures of foliage and match the subtlest colors from the potager: curly kale with darkened cauliflower seedlings, vapory fennel one of rough tomato plants and so forth. Let us take a peek at seven edible plants as yummy as they are pretty.
CYAN Horticulture
1. Kale. Within this spectacular entry screen in the Montreal Botanical Garden, perfectly grown kale is on par with fiery pelargoniums and soon-to-bloom fountain grasses. Though a few cultivars are more rigorous than others, kale is in most instances a high-drama leaves plant that is ideal for cool summers and autumn screens — it improves after frosts.
CYAN Horticulture
2. Nasturtium. Nobody would think about rapping on this giant reed (Arundo donax‘Versicolor’, zone 7), however similar appearing to sugarcane it may be.
The overflowing nasturtium in its foundation, however, is as pretty as an annual since it’s tasty when mixed fresh with different greens. The two leaves and the flowers have a powerful flavor flavor. Give it full sun, average soil — no soluble fertilizer, please — and only enough water to ensure beauty all summer long. At Giverny, Monet had it running almost wild.
CYAN Horticulture
3. Cardoon. The stately artichoke (Cynara scolymus, zone 6) would be a must-have plant in many gardens without the guarantee of tasty flower heads. With its daring and generous silvery foliage, it makes for an architectural statement unlike any other.
Even better is its own cousin, photographed here, the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus, zone 7). Its foliage stands outside all summer and late into fall. Blanched, its leaf stalks are still an old-world treat.
CYAN Horticulture
4. Shared sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides, zone 4) is actually not that common, particularly not in the domain of peas and carrots. But a handful of named Europeans selections have proven themselves to get their considerably improved fruit return.
Small and abundant, this shrub’s small, bright orange veggies result in exotic and superloaded juices, and they’re prepared early in summertime. Fine and silvery, its foliage that is deciduous pleases. To maintain it to a good size and contour, valiant anglers do some annual formative pruning, as was perfectly done on this Montreal specimen.
CYAN Horticulture
5. Herbs. They jumped over the fence ago and have ventured profusely into flower beds and planters of all sorts. Purple-leaved basil and golden marjoram, spiky chives and lacy parsley now all brush up against petunias and bacopas. In this picture various sages diligently form a strict grid, yet they might have just too formed a low hedge border.
Monrovia
6. Bay laurel. Together with bean tepees and sculptural high blueberry bushes, bay laurels (Laurus nobilis, zone 8) help add structure and rhythm into the potager year-round. In milder climates they sit in the ground; in colder ones they sit in large bathtub thrones brought in for winter. In balls, tiers or pyramids, bay laurels take to pruning just like several other plants.
CYAN Horticulture
7. Rhubarb. As final proof of the decorative appeal of a number of the easiest edibles, let’s consider the famous garden Les Quatre Vents, in Charlevoix, Quebec. There, along an impressive series of water basins flanked by a dual alley of thujas, common rhubarb stands proud and loud. Pretty, isn’t it?
More: Flowers and berries Mix in Beautiful Edible Gardens
Rocky Mountain Gardener's February Checklist
August 14, 2019
February brings visibly more times and the promise of spring. Do not be fooled, though — plenty of snow and freezing temperatures are yet to come to the Rocky Mountains and other cold areas. On these serene, sunny days, get outside and analyze your trees and shrubs. The care you give them now will pay off for several years. On stormy days you can plot and dream indoors, and receive your seeds prepared for the planting season ahead. It’ll be here before you know it!
More regional backyard guides
Pendleton Design Management
Prune deciduous shrubs and trees now while it’s easy to see the branching construction. Remove any dead or diseased branches and some which are crossed. Lightly shape the plant type — only as needed — by cutting one branch at one time with the proper instrument: loppers, pruners or saw.
Older shrubs may benefit from renewal . Eliminate one-fifth of the oldest, thickest stalks at ground level. Next year another next could be removed, etc. Removing the whole stem can remove any buildup of scale or borer insect damage, and provide more light into younger, vigorous expansion.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Eliminate tree branches to allow more sunlight to the center of the plant to enhance flower and fruit production. You can also use this technique to make a more sculptural tree shape or expose and frame an opinion.
Andrew Renn
Fruit trees and grapevines could be pruned now too. Make decent use of walls or trellises in small gardens by creating plants into a level espalier form.
Paintbox Garden
Use a dormant oil spray trees and shrubs to smother and kill the larvae or eggs of insect pests such as scale, aphids, mites and leaf rollers. Horticultural oil is a refined oil product — mineral oil. It’s low risk for humans and desired insect species, making it a treatment option that works nicely with biological insect controls.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Some plants, such as junipers, dwarf Alberta spruces, Japanese maples and redbuds, are sensitive to horticultural oils, so read and follow the manufacturer’s tag. Do not apply dormant oil once the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Strategy for seed period. Your mailbox may be filled with seed catalogs now, tempting you with lovely vegetables and flowers to buy. Among the joys of gardening is trying new things, but if your goal is to plant clever, then the upcoming thoughts may be helpful.
Type through your existing stash of seeds. If they have been stored in dry, cool conditions in an airtight container, then they could be nice to use this year.
Cucumber, lettuce, melon and lettuce seeds can last five to six years.Seeds for legumes, peas, beets, carrots, eggplant, squash and tomatoes might be workable for three to four years.The shortest-lived seeds include those for corn, onions, leeks, parsnips and peppers.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Do a germination test to ensure your old seeds are well worth putting.
Put 10 seeds onto a damp paper towel and fold or roll it to enclose the seeds.Put the seeds and towel in a plastic sandwich bag that is tagged with the date and the name of the seed collection. Seal the bag.Leave it in room temperature for 2 to 10 days.Count the amount of seeds which sprout and assess the germination level:10 = 100 percent; perfect germination9 = excellent8 = good6 or 2 = poor5 or not ] toss them out!
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
An additional way to conserve in your seed funds is by growing foods your family likes to eat or which boost your favorite cuisines. This might sound simplistic, but it’s easy to get carried away by amazing photography and mouthwatering descriptions.
More regional backyard guides
10 Terrific Aids for Your New Year's Resolutions
August 11, 2019
Every year I pick that I really don’t need to generate any New Year’s resolutions, because I must be — theoretically — shifting my bad habits throughout the year. But every year, right around New Year’s Eve, I realize there are several bad habits that have been lingering way beyond their due date, and the resolutions begin. This season I think my focus will be reducing my legendary evaluation tactics.
New Year’s resolutions often revolve around some common themes: business, health, livelihood, new paths and new habits. No matter what your brand new start this season, here are a few handy suggestions and aids that can help you on your path. Or, even if by some miracle you’ve got no need for resolutions, you are able to bring home a fresh green plant, like the moss in the terrarium below, to remind one of this freshness of the calendar year.
Amazon
Cocoon Grid-It Organizer – $19.99
If my portable office (that’s, notebook bag) is coordinated, then my head and also my work instantly feel more organized also.
Amazon
5-Year Diary – $24.95
Keep in mind that the highlights of your life using a low-commitment diary — this variant has room for just a few lines a day. It compels us to select the best minutes.
Unicahome
Stendig 2013 Calendar by Vignelli – $31.25
Will help you stay on task and on track. This easy one is large enough to help forgetful souls like me always know what day it is.
Amazon
Aqua Zinger Flavored Water Maker – $26
Drinking more water is a great New Year’s resolution. I just got these for Christmas and love it. Add fresh fruit combinations to the foundation (watermelon and basil, strawberries and oranges), and with a few twists and a shake, then you will have fresh flavored water to keep you hydrated.
General Store
Delfonics Pen – $10
A unique pen makes note taking, list making and general work jobs 10 times more enjoyable. These beauties from Delfonics are made using a smooth ballpoint tip for writing.
Garrett Wade
Gerstner Flex Household Chest – $180
Upgrade that random plastic tool chest to a worthy of your respect; your tools will remain more organized, and your endeavors will feel worthier. Check Garrett Wade for more sizes also.
loftresumes.com
Loft Resumes – $99
Want a new job this past year? Give yourself a leg up using a professionally designed resume — what a memorable first impression it would create!
duluthpack.com
Leather Bags – $220
These basic bags are made right in my home state, but believe me, that is not why I’ve included them. The gorgeous leather is thick and sturdy, the pockets are roomy and they are fantastic for both men and women.
seedsnow.com
Moss Terrarium Bottle – $37.99
Fresh green plants remind us of new growth and fresh starts. A terrarium like this one, made from recycled wine bottles, works for even the blackest of thumbs — the moss just needs a bit misting now and then.
filemaker.com
Bento Database Software for iPad – $4.99
Get more organized in most apsects of your daily life with an organizational app like Bento for your iPad (and Mac and iPhone). You can organize contacts, track jobs, plan events and manage lists.
5 Holiday Decorations to Craft From Scrap Wood
August 8, 2019
If you are a woodworker, before you gather your scrap wood as kindling with this year’s yule log or turn it into “coal” to stuff stockings, then consider making festive decoration and gifts rather. Here are five jobs you can do in less time than it takes to wash ahead of the in-laws arrive at the holidays.
Notice: These jobs take a fantastic knowledge of safety measures for power tools. You get only one set of eyes, hands and ears; always wear eye and ear protection and avoid loose clothing. I avoid gloves when using power tools, as they can potentially become captured in saw blades and drill bits.
R. Olson Design
Materials and tools:
• Wood scraps
• Table saw
• Drill press (or handheld drill)
• 1.5-inch Forstner piece
• Router (optional)
• Band saw or jigsaw
• Pull saw
• Sandpaper
1. Candleholders. Thick stock (2 by 2 inches and upward) is hard to eliminate, no matter how small a chunk it may be. Thankfully, tea lights are a fixture on most holiday dinner tables, and inventory this size could certainly host a candle. Preferably, you’ve suitably sized cubes already lying around, but if not you may have to cut to size using a table saw and crosscut sled, or a chop saw as an alternative.
Other than that, the only instrument that is really necessary is that a big enough drill bit to bore a hole big enough for a tea light. A drill press is preferred, but if that is not available, a hand drill will probably work. With the grain running vertically for aesthetics, then locate the center point and drill the hole to the desired thickness. Like vacation magic, you made a candleholder.
Notice: For these photographs, I used a laminated block of various wood species and cut the contours using a table saw. This is merely preference and not mandatory; it takes more work than using solid inventory timber.
Another cool alternative for bits is to drill holes along the length of this item. Pair either production with some wood place card holders, and you’re going to have a well-matched table set.
R. Olson Design
2. Put card holders. Small conclusion cuts can appear of little use, thus they are frequently destined for the kindling box. The holiday dinner table, however, is an opportunity to prove their worth.
This endeavor takes only minutes, but the results can remain fixtures for ages. Simply set your table saw to some 15-degree angle in a thickness of 1/4 inch and operate every block through.
The angled kerf (slot) provides a resting position for name cards to present themselves in a nice angle — nobody should bend over to see the cards.
R. Olson Design
3. Gift tags. Oftentimes shaving a quarter inch off using a miter saw or squeezing a plank to square will render thin scrap bits that can make handsome present tags.
All this project requires is drilling a hole in a corner, threading a series through and composing on the label. Lighter woods (maple, oak, ash) show pencil and pencil better, but chalk on dark wood makes for a fantastic combination.
R. Olson Design
4. Ornaments. Perhaps it is your first vacation with a brand new relative (furry or not), or there’s a certain ornament you feel is missing out of the tree you can’t find in a store.
For those who are aware of how to use a bandsaw or jigsaw, cut out shapes with quarter-inch plywood scraps (thick, strong wood will place a load on branches and could easily cause them to divide).
Handmade ornaments are fun and easy to make, and they bear more importance than any store-bought decoration. Create a bunch of them and hang them in the homes of friends and family for a touch of DIY this vacation season.
R. Olson Design
5. Holiday light organizer. This is the least glamorous of these DIY holiday jobs but maybe the most useful. Using your most dilapidated piece of 1/4-inch plywood, drill two 1/8-inch holes around 1.5 inches from the border on diagonal corners out of each other as your start and end things.
Employing a hand saw (my taste is a pull saw), cut a straight line wide enough for the electric cord to slide from hole to hole. Next, mark “V”s on switching sides, which will retain the coiled cord from slipping.
As for deciding the number of cuts you’ll need, the easiest technique is to cut your board into a diameter of 1 foot, so if you’ve got a 10-foot strand of lights, you’ll need to make eight cuts along with both designated as your two end points. For the time it takes to produce this jig, you’ll save at least two times as much time next year if you are pulling untangled lights out of your attic.
Sentimental Favorites Warm Up a Vancouver Home
August 4, 2019
Marc Herman moved from England to Canada several years ago seeking adventure and a lifetime change. He obtained both. Now he’s happily married to Leah Bailey, along with both have welcomed a baby girl, Lily, in the world. Six months ago the couple gave up their Yaletown attic space for a more family-friendly house in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver. The second the couple walked in the front doorway, they knew they needed to live there. “It instantly had such a warm, inviting feeling about it,” Bailey says. “It felt just like home.”
in a Glance
Who lives here: Marc Herman, Leah Bailey, daughter Lily, puppy Friday and cats Tom and Bill
Location: Kitsilano area of Vancouver
Size: 1,100 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, den
That’s interesting: The dining table is made of a doorway from the first train in Vancouver.
Heather Merenda
The couple’s transitional design exudes traditional and contemporary furniture, finishes, fabrics and materials. Herman’s design is eclectic and artsy, whereas Bailey’s is romantic and soft.
This mixture of styles could be observed in the dining room, where the rounded profiles of blue seats, passed from Bailey’s grandmother, contrast nicely with the right lines of Herman’s Louis Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck.
Ghost Chairs: Kartell, out of Inform Interiors
Heather Merenda
Bailey’s grandmother’s chair, updated using a picture patterned cloth, provides a retreat for household dog Friday. The family heirloom sits alongside an end table located on Craigslist.
Heather Merenda
Striking red artificial silk rose stems from Chintz & Company accent the custom made table. The tabletop was once a doorway to a freight train in the first days of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The cheeky painting was bought from a (now-closed) neighborhood restaurant.
Chandelier: Restoration Hardware
Heather Merenda
The living room on the main level was the first room the couple adorned, as it’s where they spend time as a family. Bailey’s dad, Jerry, whose hobby is building furniture, made the coffee table out of reclaimed lake driftwood and antique iron wheels.
Sofa: Restoration Hardware; carpet: wool, Joss and Main
Heather Merenda
It wasn’t until the living room was fully decorated the couple felt truly at home. Their favourite feature is all the windows, which let in lots of natural lighting. Meanwhile, the fireplace is set to good use on chilly winter nights.
Heather Merenda
This console table in front hall was also designed and built by Bailey’s dad. A driftwood top sits legs which are out of Bailey’s antique Singer sewing machine.
Bailey states,”Our decorating philosophy is to mix the old with the new.” The couple enjoys discovering interesting pieces; one of their favourite places to shop is The Found and also the Freed in Gastown.
Chalkboard with framework: Stepback
Heather Merenda
A sizable front front porch is filled with white wicker outdoor furniture and cheerful yellow cushions. Bailey states,”We love all the gorgeous large trees and blossoms in the summertime. It is such a family-oriented neighborhood and quite a convenient location, with the beach and fantastic shops near.”
Heather Merenda
The previous homeowners upgraded the kitchen, including adding undercabinet and recessed lighting.
Heather Merenda
The refinished claw-foot bathtub on the main level was original to the home and salvaged through the previous homeowner’s renovations. Combined with black and white floor tiles and crisp white tile wainscoting, it gives the toilet timeless allure.
Heather Merenda
Upstairs, the master bedroom is done in soothing powdery hues of blue, brown and white. A simple gallery wall of eyeglasses fills the space above the headboard.
Headboard: HomeSense; bedding: Bed; eyeglasses; Stepback; bedside tables: Chintz & Company
Heather Merenda
Herman and Bailey needed their daughter’s nursery to become feminine and sweet, with expressive bits. Bailey’s own white infant shoes have been displayed on this table out of Young America, lit by a table lamp covered in roses and ribbons from Glenna Jean.
Heather Merenda
Bailey’s most cherished item in the nursery is that this refinished wood rocking chair, which belonged to her grandmother.
Crib: Westcoast Kids; chandelier: Baby&Child (Restoration Hardware); linens: Glenna Jean; altering tableYoung America
Heather Merenda
Herman and Bailey desired to maintain the colour palette and feel of their nursery in accord with the remainder of their residence but nevertheless let it be cute and pretty, just like their little woman. They achieved this with paint and cloth in shades of tan, white and soft pink; heirloom pieces along with chic furnitureand a touch of sparkle.
That Is Interesting! 6 Designs Which Defy Labels
July 31, 2019
A number of the topics for the ideabooks whom I write come about by navigating photos on . Regardless of what sorts of filters I’m using (outside living living room, modern vs. contemporary, metropolitan area, search terms, etc.), I find something fresh, and eventually I’ll see a common strand that shows a design story. Other times some aspects of a design are so exceptional that they stand apart, resistant to be lumped in with other homes. I’ve assembled some examples, designs which share the trait of which makes me think, “That’s interesting!”
Shinberg Levinas Architectural Layout
What looks like a green display punctured by means of a glass box is exactly that, but what makes it especially intriguing is how it sits in the front of a ranch home. The display was designed “to transform the conventional into the natural transitional,” as Shinberg Levinas Architectural Design explains it.
Shinberg Levinas Architectural Layout
In this shot, we can see the present house’s roof over the display and part of the front wall through the glass box, however on both counts only barely. The architectural camouflage is pretty effective, and it points to an equally thoughtful strategy in the lawn.
Shinberg Levinas Architectural Layout
The same designers crafted another dwelling where the timber outside wraps a walk-in closet and bath. The designers call it a “protective casing,” but it is one which is punctured by gill-like vertical strips.
Shinberg Levinas Architectural Layout
The impact of this vertical strips is apparent inside the bathroom, where beams from the trees dancing onto the translucent glass surface.
Wheeler Kearns Architects
More strips can be found on this particular garage for Dan Wheeler, co-founder of Chicago’s Wheeler Kearns Architects, with spouse Larry Kearns, who helped build the flat veil.
Wheeler Kearns Architects
However what looks like oversized siding throughout the daytime glows like a lantern at night. Beautiful.
Wagner Hodgson
This photograph of a residence’s front lawn is intriguing not just for the pillowy picture designed by H. Keith Wagner Partnership, but also for the way the strips move through it and round the various elements. The one on the left proceeds beneath a stone before stopping at a stone wall, while the one on the right only misses a tree until it cuts through precisely the same stone wall.
Wagner Hodgson
The strip cutting the wall is actually glass with lights beneath, illuminating a path that proceeds to the building because a tall, narrow window. The stone of this partial-height wall has been echoed in the walls of the home designed by Truex Cullins & Partners Architects, with the beam of light uniting both.
Wagner Hodgson
Another interesting detail in front of the home happens at the path leading to the front entrance. Instead of routing the path across a tree or siting the home so both would not coincide, the two elements merge. Even though far from normal, it seems to work very nicely, possibly because of the slender and tall nature of the shrub.
Wintersole Architecture
I’m a fan of innovative uses of brick in modern designs, therefore I really like the way the texture of the freestanding wall — portion of a three-house project by Richard Wintersole Architect — is created through the orientation and positioning of bricks. The narrow openings which align with the heads of individuals sitting on the wood benches are a nice touch.
Wintersole Architecture
Another brick wall to the project arranges the material in a herringbone design. Even though the wall is level compared with all the ridges in the previous photos, the pattern provides the wall a clear texture, as well as rhythm accentuated from the uplights.
Dale Jones-Evans Pty Ltd Architecture
The previous project is interesting for the way Dale Jones-Evans Pty Ltd Architecture built an ancient 20th-century landmark warehouse to residences, especially in the way they worked and retained the 1980s columns to the design. These columns have what seem like orthogonal mushroom caps, so giving the interiors a solid industrial personality.
Dale Jones-Evans Pty Ltd Architecture
The oblong column is really wall-like, and the architects laid out the living room so the structure helps to specify the different regions in the double-height space.
6 Healthy Approaches to Handle Fallen Leaves
July 28, 2019
We have been enjoying fall’s foliage pageant for months — trees, shrubs and even perennials have been setting on a colorful show. But now that the leaf fall is all but complete, it’s time to create a strategy for handling leaves that will keep your landscape healthy.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
1. Discard all diseased foliage. This photo shows powdery mildew, a common fungal infection, on lilac leaves. It’s important to avoid the spread of diseases throughout your landscape and gardens — do not add these leaves into a mulch or use them for compost. Place infected leaves in plastic bags rather and send them out with all the garbage.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
2. Get leaves off the yard. Even a light layer of leaves will compact beneath sunlight, depriving yard grasses of light and air and encouraging the growth of snow mould and other turf diseases. You can use them now for compost, add them to a compost or stockpile them for potential use.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
3. Use leaves as a mulch that is temporary. Apply them now, 4 to 6 inches deep, around newly installed plants to maintain soil heat and permit better root growth. Spread leaves round bare soil areas to avoid erosion or apply them to established gardens after the ground has frozen to reduce frost heave and premature soil warming in early spring.
Notice: Keep leaf mulch 6 inches away from the bases of shrubs and trees to avoid damage from rodents.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Oak leaves are especially helpful for this program, because they feature lignin (a complex organic compound that binds wood fibers together), making them slow to decompose. Unfortunately, this characteristic also makes them hard to compost unless they’re shredded first.
Flowtron
LE-900 Leaf-Eater Mulcher/Shredder – $199.95
4. Shred leaves to be used in mulch or compost. Run over leaves several times along with your lawnmower or use a commercial chipper-shredder made especially for this undertaking. Shredded leaves break down faster and are easier to incorporate with different substances from the composting procedure. Studies indicate that this is the best way to manage leaves from many plants, such as black walnut, oleander, chamomile and poison sumac — shredding then composting leaves for four to six months breaks down the toxins.
Jocelyn H. Chilvers
5. Participate in a neighborhood “leaf drop.” Many municipalities offer you a short-term service of delivering your leaves to a specific website at no cost. The website will compost the leaves for municipal use or sale to occupants. This may be your best bet to maintain your autumn cleanup ecofriendly in the event the amount of leaves on your own house overwhelms your ability to use them on your own landscape.
6. Savor leaves in the House. Last but not least, you are able to keep fall’s beauty alive by incorporating a few long-lasting foliage — like this leaf collection — into yourhome decoration.
New Classics: Vilac's Ride On Classic Vehicle
July 25, 2019
There are not a great deal of toys out there that parents enjoy watching left out in the center of the living area. However, the Ride On Classic Car is one they will probably continue screen long after their kids have outgrown it. The car is made in France by Vilac, a business which maufactures creative and aesthetically pleasing toys. It’s so beautifully designed that it has become a popular among architects, designers and photo stylists alike … and I almost forgot: The two- to 4-year-olds who really push themselves along onto it love it as well.
Alex and Alexa
Vilac Ride On Classic Automobile, Red – $159
The tiny metallic car comes in steel grey, shiny red and yellow, with a few printed on either side.
John Lum Architecture, Inc.. AIA
While this minimalist room is beautifully designed, it is the tiny toy car that draws the eye. This picture is a great lesson in photo styling and composition. Examine the car’s placement. It’s just past the corner of this area rug, close to the middle of this composition, and it makes us appreciate the inside of the room in addition to the view through the windows.
Noha Hassan Designs
This is one of these rare items that has vintage charm but nevertheless has a contemporary sense. It fits into this contemporary urban home.
The car’s layout relies on racecars of the 1920s. The chair resembles classic caramel leather in the space, but it is made of sturdy plastic. The metal steering wheel is easy for little hands to maneuver.
Grace Home Design
More proof that photo stylists adore this car: This photograph is in the exact same home as the previous photograph.
Sarah Greenman
PURVI PADIA DESIGN
The steel version seems to be the most popular — perhaps because there’s a good possibility the color will fit into almost any area the kids park the car in.
quelobjet.com
Ride On Race Car, Yellow – $165
By the way, in all this talk of aesthetics, I forgot to say this is first and foremost a fun toy for tots to scoot about on inside and out. I cannot guarantee it won’t scuff up your walls.