Hudson Cottage Interior Animation

Simply Elegant Home Designs has added an Interior Animation of their Hudson Cottage house plan.  The home includes an open family and friend gathering room accomodating cooking, eating and sitting areas.  The space features a vaulted wood ceiling with exposed truss framing.

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Ottawa house tour: Kristen's classy two-bedroom Glebe apartment

I've taken a long break from blogging, so figured I'd come back with a major punch! Introducing my dear friend Kristen's fabulous Ottawa apartment (located in the Glebe) - the first of what will hopefully be many Ottawa house tours. Kristen has very elegant and classy personal style and that definitely comes across in her apartment. I'm very excited to feature her home on decorate it darling.

I asked Kristen to tell us a bit about her space, so without further ado, here you have her words and her beautiful photos:

Since my roommate and I moved in on Canada Day last year, I have been in love with this apartment. It has so much space and character, and it’s fantastic for hosting and having people over! According to my landlord, the building was constructed in the 1920’s or 1930’s, and since then it has aged with grace. I love how it feels so completely homey and cozy, but has an extra kick of elegance or something that more modern spaces, as beautiful and spacious as they may be, can’t capture in the same way.

I think my favorite thing about it is the choice of paint throughout the apartment -- it so completely finishes off the space, and as I'm no painter, is something I would never have gotten around to myself!


What I’ve done with it: To be honest, we’ve done very little to the bones of the space – our decorating has been all about careful furniture placement and attention to colour and detail. My roommate and I were lucky – we have very similar taste in furniture and style, so all of our separate pieces merged beautifully when we moved in. Every room has a mix of her pieces and mine, but they blend pretty seamlessly, which made setting the apartment up infinitely easier!

Each room seems to have one detail that really stands out and defines it – tall glass-paned windows in the kitchen, the mantle in the living room, the tiling in the bathroom – and we tried to place our furniture and accessories in a way that highlighted those details.


One DIY I’m pretty proud of are the sconces on either side of the mantle. When we arrived, they were painted a garish bronze. One was missing the shade, which was probably just as well, because the remaining shade was a really awful tannish-orange frosted glass monstrosity. A couple of coats of white paint and some vellum from the paper store for the shades have made all the difference in the world!


What I’d like to do with it: I’m always looking for new storage options. Old spaces are wonderful, but don’t have a lot of built-in closet space, so storage seems to be an ongoing project. I would like to see my bedroom painted (I really don’t like the yellow), as well as the TV cabinet, which really doesn’t match the rest of the room. But I actually hate painting so I have a feeling both will stay as they are! The other thing I really would like to do is introduce some green plants. Having never tended plants myself, the thought of figuring out which plants would be the best is a little daunting. Maybe this spring will be different…

If I were Kristen, I would start filling up her personal fire escape landing (accessible from her bedroom!) with potted plants. There's something about fire escape gardens that I just adore.

Thanks for the tour Kristen! To see more photos of Kristen's space, check out her flickr album.

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New House Plan Offering

Simply Elegant Home Designs is offering a new house plan called the "Hudson Cottage". This home design is their first plan that offers a main floor master suite and the opportunity for one level living. The Hudson Cottage offers an open floor plan with connected spaces that are perfect for cocktail parties, family gatherings or just hanging out with your friends. The images below depict the new design.

You can obtain more information on this plan and others at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

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Bookcase Interior IdeaS

DIY: Raised Bed with Expedit Bookshelves


Make your own Raised Bed with Expedit Bookshelves for Storage. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing bed however it is functional! Parts needed: * 3 X Ikea Expedit Bookshelves ($90 each) * 2 X Ikea Observator Cross Braces 393 Version ($5 ea ...

Also Chair


Those who have space issues will certainly appreciate the ‘Also Chair’ by designer Akin Bacioglu. This chair is all about multi-tasking as in few easy moves one can transform it into a table. It also features a bookcase so to make sure your f ...

IKEA STOCKHOLM


The IKEA STOCKHOLM is a new add-on unit H that is selling for $200.00. It comes equipped with adjustable shelves that can be spaced according to one’s need and goes perfectly with the IKEA STOCKHOLM bookcase that measures 28 3/8×87 3/8R ...

Bookcase with Integrated Giant LED Clock


We are all for multi-tasking and hence could not resist the Bookcase with Integrated Giant LED Clock by Hong Kong manufacturers Anka. This bookcase measures 28 (w) x 14 (h) x 5 and also moonlights as a LED clock as the oversize clock conceals red 7 ...

Flexform Oltre sofa - Bookcase Sofa!


Here’s a great practical sofa for impratical people. Wow, take a look at this beautiful multi-functional Bookcase Sofa, Flexform Oltre sofa! If you are multi-tasking like me, watching TV, reading books, and using the laptop on the sofa, it’ ...

Bed With Bookcase by Point Architects


Point Architects from Tokyo have successfully managed to combine a bed with a bookcase. The whole process looks really interesting and you should check out the step-by-step construction on flickr. Let us know what you think and would you ever dare t ...

The Black Sonoma Captain’s Platform Bedroom Set



The Black Sonoma Captain’s Platform Bedroom Set can be purchased directly from here. The Sonoma Collection has the look and feel of much more expensive millwork and includes Platform Captain’s Bed, the Bookcase Headboard and the 2 drawer ...

Ron Arad ’s New Bookshelf


Trust Design Guru Ron Arad to come up with always something unique. His new bookshelf has been inspired by the map of the United States and we must say, it looks absolutely gorgeous. You can catch it at the Timothy Taylor Gallery in London between ...

Dolce Dark Walnut Folding Bookcase

Not necessarily for the bookworms, people will always come to a point where they need proper storage spaces for books, magazines and journals. Maybe toss in some small pieces of furniture and you will find this Dolce Dark Walnut Folding Bookcase qu ...

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Outdoors is Calling !

When you live in a small space, chances are your outdoor space is small too. But that does not mean you can't have a stylish place to go, even if its as simple as two chairs and a small table. Look at your space and carve out any niche you can. A small balcony, a spot in the corner of the yard. Anything is possible if you look and think outside the box!

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A Super Luxury home design

This Super Luxury Home Design not in Kerala. I Do not know whose house is this, but a worth viewing

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Mother In Law Banished to Garage!

Fine Homebuilding is looking for good examples of "mother in law" units that they can publish in an upcoming book (click here).  

This reminded me of a project I designed a few years ago at Ron Brenner Architects.  The project was actually for grandpa.  A couple we were working with wanted their single 80 year young grandfather nearby, but Grandpa still wanted to live independently.  The solution was to utilize an attic space that already existed above their detached 3 car garage.  With a little planning we were able to create a plan which accommodated a kitchenette, media / sitting space, bill paying / desk space, bedroom zone, dining and a bathroom.  See photos below.

It turned out to be the perfect space for a single guy, but by the time the project was completed, Grandpa..... well.....he found other accommodations with his new tootsie!  That's alright though because the space is perfect for a college student, a young person starting their career, or even for a long weekend visit from Grandpa AND his new gal-pal!!!

Simple,Unique, Creative and Green House Plans

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Unique Beautiful Home Exterior Design

Amaze Home Design Unique Home Exterior Design

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Creating a Niche through smart design

Recently I have been trying to emphasize that builders can create a "niche" for themselves through good design.  The following interview which was posted in Realty Times reinforces this concept. 

All Marketing, All the Time: What's New in Smart Design

by Peter L. Mosca

[Note: To follow is an excerpt of an interview with Lori Snider of Creativity for Rent, a professional speaker, author and marketing strategist. To listen to, or download the show archive MP3, go to www.IncomePropertyInvestmentTalk.com/102208.]

Mosca: Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist, philosopher, poet, and leader of the transcendentalist movement in the early 19th Century once said, "build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door." How can a property owner differentiate visually from the competition through creative marketing strategies enhanced by smart design?

Snider: Over the last 30 years, we have seen design explode in this country. Smart design has become an affordable commodity. Take a look at Target for example. Target sells smart design at a cheap cost and that's been one of the greatest measures of their success over the years. The consumer today expects you to be different and to be smart in your design. They do value smart design and they will pay more for a well-designed and well thought out product.

continue:

Simple,Unique, Creative and Green House Plans

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Cookie Cutter House Plans

I live in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis / St.Paul, where we have one of the largest Parade of Home tours in the country.  Every year I look through all of the Parade offerings to see if I can identify any new trends.

A couple of things have struck me;  1) how very similar many of these houses are and 2) this economy can not be a great environment for many home builders.   The question begs to be asked;  if you are by-and-large building the same house as your competition, how is your much sought after customer going to decide which house to purchase?    Right, pretty much on price alone.    This doesn't seem like a good business formula to me.

As an architect  I have worked with a number of builders that understand the benefits of  a creative and well thought out home design.   Builders such as this  are not afraid to separate themselves from the pack.  Now more than ever architects and builders need to examine whether their current business practices are serving them well.  Perhaps this is the time to consider doing something completely different,  because quite honestly the consumer has become much more savvy and selective!  They are going to demand smaller, efficient, better designed, and more economical homes.  Cookie cutter homes, clone homes, and yes even McMansion homes may always have a share of the market, but I believe if we don't as an industry, embrace and adapt to the ever changing building market, we will continue to see one business after another close their doors for good.  Now how sad is that?

Unique Cottage House Plans 

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Trend to Smaller House Plans

I ran across this article the other day -  "trend toward smaller homes for thriftier seniors"

The article sites the following housing trends for the 50 and over market:

• New house plans are getting a bit smaller - down to about 2300 sf average
• People are looking for affordability
• Folks are doing a lot of in home entertaining,  so open floor plans and kitchens with island seating are important.  Didn't I see this on a golden girls episode?
• People are seeking smaller house plans that still feel large - quote "more space-efficient design concepts include using less space for hallways, fewer walls to give a more open feel, and more storage under stairways and above kitchen cabinets"  Are you kidding me?  These are cited as revolutionary concepts?
• Seniors are open to smaller lots and higher densities
• Clients are making less expensive choices - eschewing granite counters for other alternatives
• 

Well I say it's a great feeling to be in style again!  These are exactly the kinds of homes we have been designing for years at Ron Brenner Architects, and exactly the kinds of house plans I offer at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

And I have news.  The trends cited are not exclusive to the 50's and over crowd.  These are the kinds of homes that our clients have been seeking for quite some time.  And most of our clients have been 30 and 40 somethings.  They are looking for a smaller yet highly functional and livable floor plan.  A house plan that is smarter and nicer.  Around here we call that "just plain good design".

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