Have a fantastic and creative weekend everyone! I'm off to spend a tech-free couple of days in a cabin in the snowy woods. Leaving you with an image from ffffound, my new favorite inspiration haunt.Friday, January 30, 2009
happy friday!
Have a fantastic and creative weekend everyone! I'm off to spend a tech-free couple of days in a cabin in the snowy woods. Leaving you with an image from ffffound, my new favorite inspiration haunt.creative headboards
My friend Melody sent me a message this week telling me how stoked she was about her new self-created headboard for her bed. She was shopping at a department store and found this 4-panelled image in the clearance section. She liked the look of it and the price of it and figured it looked about as wide as her queen sized bed, so she bought it, took it home and voila! I don't have a 'before' photo, but it's not hard to imagine how much oomph has been added to her room by this framed image of trees. Sleeping beneath a forest - love it! Nice work Melody! To see more photos of her wall art turned headboard, check out her flickr stream.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Architects Have Great Tools!
Architects have many great tools that they can work with. And under skilled hands they can be a great benefit to their clients. One such tool is a software program called Google Sketchup. Sketchup is a 3d modeling program that is surprisingly easy to use. The images you see below are of a house designed by Ron Brenner Architects in Stillwater, Minnesota. The images represent a series of color studies that were performed with Sketchup. The basic design had already been completed and we were now at the stage of finalizing materials and colors for the roofing, walls, windows. The top image is pretty much where we ended up and the images below represent the various intermittent studies.
Pretty cool huh? It is a great way to visualize your end product. For more sketchup examples you can see the plans at
Pretty cool huh? It is a great way to visualize your end product. For more sketchup examples you can see the plans at
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Architects are Sexy!
I ran across this totally factual article the other day. Could not resist posting the link.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
pretty much perfect
I love this image. I don't remember where I found it - probably on flickr somewhere. I tucked it away on my computer and just found it now. It's pretty much perfect to me. The feelings it conveys - romance, drama, stillness, emotion, closeness - and that sexiness that a cigarette always adds - no matter how 'bad for you' it is. I just really love this right now.
Top 10 Green Things to Do! When building your new home.
In my real job (non-blogging) I am finding that more and more people are interested in building a more environmentally responsible and healthy home. Leaving political discussions and arguments about “climate change” behind (I don’t like being preached to and I don’t like preaching), I believe there are many common sense reasons to build a “Green” home. Here are two pretty good ones:
- Save you money $$$ in the long run
- Reduce your stress level – improve your quality of life
If you want to build a Green Home there is an abundant amount of information available to you. But start investigating Green and you begin to realize there can be a daunting number of decisions to make – and they all impact your construction budget in some way. Building Green can start to look incredibly complicated and expensive - and neither of these notions is inherently “Green”. Well it does not have to work that way.
So what I want to do, starting with this posting is to help you simplify things. I am starting out with a top 10 list of green things to do. This will give us some focus for more detailed discussions to follow. Those discussions will provide more detail on my top 10 list. So here goes.
Top 10 Green Things to do! – When building your new home.
- Hire an Architect or a very competent designer that understands “Green” (and is not a jerk) – They will be able to assist you with all the following items and help you in sorting out priorities.
- Hire a Builder who is committed to your Green house (and isn’t a jerk). In the end you will be much more successful if your entire team is on the same page.
- Build close to your work and / or close to community services. A short commute means less stress, less gas money and more time for your fam. That’s good isn’t it?
- Build a “just the right size” house – The classic “Goldilocks”. Size and surface area significantly impact heating, cooling and maintenance costs – not to mention construction cost. So don’t build too big. But don’t build it too small either or it might not be functional and that’s not green.
- Build a home with quality. Remember the 3 little pigs? A quality home lasts longer, costs less to maintain and definitely holds up better when the big bad wolf is blowing. Ok, that’s enough of the kid stories.
- Build a thermally efficient home. Warm is good. Believe me, I am writing this on a 20 degree below zero day in
- Use an energy efficient Heating, Ventilation and Cooling (HVAC) system. You don’t have to spend many dollars here to reap some good $$$ savings.
- Develop a landscape plan that reduces erosion and water use. Who wants to spend the entire weekend mowing and watering? I’d rather be playing Guitar Hero, or Twittering or something.
- Consider your homes building product and material choices.If it smells bad don’t use it. You are going to be married to that floor for a long time.
- Install energy efficient appliances and electrical (lighting) systems. Once again small investment for good gains.
So that’s my Top 10 Green Things to Do list. You may notice that I don’t specifically mention solar panels, photo-voltaics or geo-thermal systems. Well those items might be a great addition to an overall sustainable building plan, but the initial costs are high and the payback is longer. I’ll discuss more in future postings.
By the way, if you want to buy a “green” house plan that you can build. You might start at Simply Elegant Home Designs. All of the plans in their portfolio have been designed keeping many of the green principals listed above in mind.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
thrifting
"I have a path of vintage shops in the East Village that I walk around to. The dress is from one them — Atomic Passion, I think. It was really long, like most Edwardian and Victorian dresses, and I cut off one of the tiers. The cardigan is part of my fall collection for Opening Ceremony. It has wool elbow patches and nice, big pockets to shove your hands into when you’re feeling awkward or insecure. My Chanel purse was a Christmas present to myself. It’s like playing Tetris trying to fit all my stuff in it. The boots are an old pair of Prada’s, and the tights are from the Sock Man. I love that place, but the guy’s the grumpiest man on earth. He’s like the Soup Nazi, but he sells socks."Saw this photo and Chloe's interview about she's wearing in today's New York Times and it reminded me that 1) sometimes this girl can create the most perfect ensembles, and 2) I need to start hitting up thrift stores again. I used to be a thrift store regular and while I was, I took a lot of fashion risks and really embraced my own style. Since moving to Ottawa and taking on a job that requires office/ professional attire, my style has gotten really conservative (I said my style, not my political leanings!). I love how Chloe chopped her vintage dress up to turn it into a short, pixie-ish look. That's the great thing about thrift store shopping (or having TONS of money - her idea of vintage is probably way different than my idea of vintage :) - you can chop and adjust and manipulate to your heart's content because your clothes didn't cost half a paycheque. Thrift store shopping inspires creativity and demands vision. So, another one of my 'living lightly and saving money' practices this year will be thrift stores over glitz stores. I just wish that Ottawa had more in the downtown area - a bit tough to get around to them when you're car-less and there's a bus strike. Oh yeah...what was that I said about winter biking? Right.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Small Bath Do's
Chances are if you have a small house you probably have a small bathroom. There are things you can do to make your bathroom feel larger. Use lots of white. Dark sinks can look great in a large bathroom, but if space is limited, go with white. Use lots of reflective and clear things. Glass shelves, large mirrors, all let light bounce around. If you have a window, let as much light in as possible. Lots of light always helps!
time for another step?
For all my 'green' talk about living lightly, setting up my own compost (indoors because I don't have another option) is something I haven't gotten around to doing yet. Shameful, I know! Part of it grosses me out - decomposing food in my tiny living space. But I think I need to give it a go - especially since I'll have a garden plot to dump it on in a few months. this easy start-up guide on planet green is going to walk me through it. I'll keep you posted!living small
I love this AT post about learning to live with less! It's so refreshing and inspiring. Last year I downsized from a two level luxury loft to my current small, but character-filled studio and it's been great. Sure, sometimes I miss the luxury of the last place, but my studio has charm and warmth and I'm happy in it (I'll be even happier when my landlord gets around to replacing my disgusting bathroom floor! but I digress...). The rent is HALF the price which makes a big difference while I'm paying off school debt and the move forced me to downsize my wardrobe and my belongings which I'm always open to. I always feel lighter with less. Life feels less cluttered and complicated when you get rid of the unneccessary stuff. Just learning how to discern between what is really special to you and what is just 'stuff' taking up space and money and energy in your life is a really great feeling.This year is about learing to live even 'smaller' so that I can actually live a 'bigger and better' life (the kind of life that includes attaining my dreams, being able to travel more, etc). I've finally started budgeting and keeping track of money stuff (to the joyous delight of my mother I'm sure). It's amazing how much less you spend, how much more you save, and how much faster you pay off debt when you get organized. I can't believe how many personal financial accomplishments I've made in three weeks already! GREAT feeling. I have a lot of dreams and lot of desires of how I want my next 5 years to look and my 'learning to live with less' plan is going to get me there. (Hint: I'm reading this book - sounds cheesy, but it's SO good and has been SO helpful at getting me started).
I'll also be living with less once the snow melts and I can finally get at my new community garden plot - yipeee! The plan is to grow my own produce in such a way that I'll be able to live without purchasing much produce for a year at a grocery store - living locally! This will be the summer that I learn how to preserve food :)
Anyway, all that to say that you should read this AT post. It's encouraging to see so many people taking the step to live on less and hearing about how much happier the change makes them.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
it's a new day!
I am SO excited about today's inauguration and and SO hopeful about Obama's presidency! To all my American friends, congratulations and well done! Enjoy celebrating this day!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Inspired Dining
Try and make your surroundings as pleasing to the eye as you can when it comes to dining. Take advantage of a great view or fun seating. Sometimes a simple space that's easy on they eye is all you'll need !
Thursday, January 15, 2009
morning dreaming
It's 6:44am and as soon as I finish posting this I have to get ready for work which involves leaving my cold apartment for the even colder world outside my apartment. Ottawa is cold right now. Really cold. And so this post is dedicated to all those early morning, cold country people who wish they were somewhere warmer. Somewhere like this year-round outdoor dining room in Buenos Aires. Really - what needs to be said other than, "Who wants to pack up and move south with me to make really pretty things in a really inspiring (and warm!) space?!" I'm totally serious.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
cycle chic
I LOVE that you can find any kind of blog you can imagine online. Like the Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog - fashionistas on bicycles! According to the Guardian (apparently), the blog is "The Sartorialist on two wheels." Yip-ee! Seriously loving this. And maybe it will inspire me to keep riding through the snow and -36 degree Ottawa weather (haven't been brave enough to pull the bike out in '09 yet...). Must do this. And must do it while making fashion statements. Enough of this winter slush and salt beating me to an old jeans/ ugly boots/ could-care-less-about-fashion pulp!
Bayport Bungalow Animation
Another new animation has been added to the Simply Elegant Home Designs website and to You Tube. You can get more information on the "Bayport Bungalow" as seen below by following the link.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
New Animation Added
Simply Elegant Home Designs has added another Animation to their website. The animation is of the "Bayport Bungalow" in their design collection. The company plans on providing animations of their entire house plan design collection.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Exterior Animations of New House Plans
Simply Elegant Home Designs is now providing a new and better way to visualize new house plan designs. They are creating 3d animations of their designs. The animations will be posted on the Simply Elegant Home Designs website and on You Tube. The first animation to be published is this Modern Farmhouse plan design.
Simply Elegant Home Designs will eventually be able to provide animations of their entire house plan inventory.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Adapting architectural house plans to your needs
Hiring an Architect to design a one of a kind home for you can be a time consuming and expensive endeavor. The design process will take at least several months - maybe up to a year. And the fee can run from 8% to 12% of the construction cost or even higher. That being said I believe it is well worth it - but not everyone has that luxury of time and money. So what I want to do here is present you with an alternative approach that can work for many people.
The client loved the design inside and out. But the plan would not fit on their own lot configuration, the room arrangement did not satisfy 100% of their needs and their aesthetic tastes tended more towards the contemporary. So Ron Brenner Architects sold the plan to them for a flat fee, and then worked on an hourly rate basis to modify the plan to reflect their needs. The images below reflect the modified design.
The basic concept is to purchase a set of plans "off the shelf" directly from an Architect, and then work with them to customize that plan to your specific needs and tastes. The two images below depict a house designed by Ron Brenner Architects in Stillwater, Minnesota.
It is a beautiful Cape Cod design.
The client loved the design inside and out. But the plan would not fit on their own lot configuration, the room arrangement did not satisfy 100% of their needs and their aesthetic tastes tended more towards the contemporary. So Ron Brenner Architects sold the plan to them for a flat fee, and then worked on an hourly rate basis to modify the plan to reflect their needs. The images below reflect the modified design.
The client loves the new design and they were able to reduce the design schedule and design costs significantly. The house is now under construction - I'll update this post with photos of the project when available.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Top 10 house plan websites
There are probably a million house plan companies selling zillions of plans through the internet. Most are terrible. In my business I create one of a kind custom homes. I can't tell you how many clients of mine have come to me after being frustrated looking through one plan book (or plan website) after another. After exhaustive searching they will eventually break down and hire a competent house designer or an Architect.
I definitely believe that if your needs are truly unique then you should hire a residential architect. But if your needs and tastes are less specific you might be able to save yourself some time and money by going the pre-designed plan route. So I decided to publish a list of the top 10 house plan websites that I have run across. Here goes.
8. Southern Living House plans - Large collection of traditionally styled house plans. All shapes, sizes and configurations.
7. John Tee Architect - Architect designed homes in predominantly southern american styles. Plans in this fairly extensive collection are well executed.
6. Rick Thompson Architect - Collection of traditionally styled house plans. Most of the collection is under 2000 square feet.
5. Coastal Living House Plans - A large collection of plans, many of which designed with a lake or coastal property in mind. The architectural styles again are mostly traditional. There are a good number of more "quirky" plans however, which makes for more interesting surfing.
4. LaMiDesign Modern House Plans - If you are looking for a truly modern home online, your choices are limited. LaMiDesign is the best that I have run across.
3. Good Fit plans by Ross Chapin Architects - Modest collection of very well designed smaller homes. Modernized cottage aesthetic. Simple, clean and well done.
2. Architectural House Plans - This site specializes in unique Architect designed homes. They started out being very selective and only published great plans. The quality seems to be starting to go downhill a bit as the collection increases - but it is still a great source for architect designed house plans.
1. Simply Elegant Home Designs - Ok, I know this is shameless. It's my own site after all. This site does not yet have very many plans - but we are definitely going for quality. We are going for a more edgy and more modern look.
I'll bet you are wondering where number 9 and 10 are. Well it really is just that hard to find quality plans online. After you spend a few hours browsing you realize that almost all the plans start looking alike. In fact quite literally many of the plans are identical. So I decided to spare the list down to 8.
Final note. If you run across any other great house plan web sites please let me know. I'll update my top 10 list.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Happy New Year!
Well happy new year everybody! I apologise for my lack of posts. Between Christmas I had both my daughters birthdays to celebrate (one being a sweet 16) a wedding anniversary and so on. ANYWAYS...I hope a bit of Pottery Barn eye candy helps. I want to thank all of you for leaving me such nice comments. I read everything and appreciate it very much. I hope everyone has a great 2009!!
