Beautiful bedroom pictu...
Thursday, June 25, 2009
It's Time to Build!
I attended an online seminar ("Stimulus and the Housing Market") yesterday put on by Professional Builder Publications. Here are a few interesting tidbits.First time home buyers can still get an $8,000.00 tax credit if you purchase the home by December 1 of 2009. There is speculation that this credit may be extended or even expanded to non-first time buyers. Let's hope.For those thinking of remodeling tax credits are available for window and...
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Cool Product of the Week
Each Wednesday I will be featuring a "cool product of the week". Our first feature is from West Elm. The headboard and attached bed frame are sleek enough but you can also attach two nightstands! The bed and other pieces also come in a deep chocolate brown. Click on the above title to take you directly to the west Elm websi...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Small but Unique, Cheap but Nice House Plans
I was discussing home design trends with a builder friend of mine the other day. He said to me that "small is the new big". This is true because people are demanding much more value in their purchases now. But they also still want quality. So how can designers and builders deliver on this? Here are a few of my thoughts:Build it small - but liveable. A floor plan needs to be smart in order to be functional while remaining compact. Every space...
SEHD and Southern Living House Plans
Simply Elegant Home Designs is announcing a new relationship with Southern Living House Plans. Southern Living will be marketing two plans as seen below.The "Marine Farmhouse"The "Stillwater Craftsman"Ron Brenner, President of Simply Elegant Home Designs had this to say - " We are so excited about the opportunity to work with Southern Living House Plans. What we are trying to do here at Simply Elegant is to make truly good home design more economically...
Paper Architecture
"Paper Architecture" is a term in our industry that has traditionally referred to buildings that we design that never get built. It seems in this current economic situation there is an awful lot of paper architecture going on.Over the weekend I ran across this more literal example of "Paper Architecture" - that being the art of creating an object out of a single piece of paper. A single sheet of paper is cut and folded into an intricate miniature...
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
New Modern Cottage House Plan
Simply Elegant Home Designs is offering a new house plan called the "Scandia Modern Cottage". The Scandia Modern Cottage was inspired by a recent visit to an infamous Scandinavean furniture store. On that visit this designer was struck by how small spaces could be made to be very efficient and liveable and in fact feel spacious. So I decided to set out to create a design with those same qualities.The resulting design exhibits it's Scandinavean...
Friday, June 12, 2009
Using Every Bit of Space
In small spaces, it's easy to think you are just plain out of room for anything else. If there is a spot in your house that does not serve much purpose, rethink it! Space above the bed, that blank wall when you first walk in the door. Rethink every spot in your home. Also don't feel like you have to have certain things in certain rooms. A home office can be in your bedroom if it works there for you. Decide how your life flows and design your home...
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
New Tube House Lands from Outer Space!
I ran across this posting the other day at the following link:http://www.greenbuildingsnyc.com/2009/06/02/konyk-hydra-house/The home was designed by Craig Konyk of Brooklyn-based Konyk Architecture. Konyk’s submission contemplates a single-room structure with bold red neoprene rubber walls that would serve as a retirement home for the senior citizen that frequents Atlantic City’s casinos and other attractions.exterior axonometric viewyou have to...
Saturday, June 6, 2009
New House Plan from Simply Elegant Home Designs
Simply Elegant Home Designs is offering a new house plan called the "Hudson Farmhouse". The Hudson Cottage offers an open main level floor plan with connected spaces that are perfect family gatherings. The master suite and a home office sit "around the corner" from the main floor public spaces. Two additional bedrooms and a shared bath occupy the second floor. At almost 2700 square feet this is the largest plan that Simply Elegant now offers,...
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
One Table Two Uses
You have to love any furniture that can work for you double duty. Here this table is a office by day and dinner table by night. Extra bonus for the cleaver slots in the sides for extra storage. I will be posting soon about kids rooms and more double duty furnitu...
Making quick work of a reroofing project
I just ran across this interesting You Tube video. This illustrates a nifty new way of removing shingles from a roof. Aside from this being absolutely crazy, one has to marvel at the skill of the bucket operator.PS - don't try this at ho...
