Archives for October 2011

Concrete Wallpapers: Dull Walls or Decorative Finishes?

There is a new option for resurfacing your interiors, a growing range of … fake concrete? Whether ‘concrete wallpaper’ becomes cool or kitsch, only time (and perhaps copious graffiti) will tell.

To be fair, it looks fairly neat in pictures – weathered walls with telltale spaced-and-capped steel rod holes aligned at regular intervals, or faux-block sets that look to be covered in color by subversive street artists.

In fact, if the Concrete Wall-paper company were wise they might try to market these more as blank slates rather than finished products – surfaces you can put up and then draw on, since just about anything might make the bare concrete look less boring.

It would be overly simple to say that these come in a ‘variety of colors’ – more accurate might be: they are available in a series of shades, ranging from light to dark gray, and with different kinds of seams and rain-stained patterns.

Some look more like patio floors while other resemble non-decorative industrial countertops. As a stage prop these would make a great overlay, but whether you want them bubbling and pealing at home is another question, depending on both the design and durability of each individual wallpaper product. (Other designs via Burkedecor &Betontapete)

50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

15892 612x612 21 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs The rabbit is already out of the hat, print media  is dying. The truth hurts, but we are vastly sprinting to digital media with cloud computing. The ability to read your favorite book, paper, or magazine virtually is mind boggling. However don’t feel too sad, because great things usually get rediscovered. Take for examples retro/vintage design. It’s a very hot trend that’s widely appreciated among the design community. The same thing is bound to happen with bookcase designs.

When you think of a bookshelf the first picture your mind creates is probably a conventional rectangular shape on the wall that has books inside of it. However the designs we collected today, are completely beyond boring. The designers who created these beautiful masterpieces, had to make sure the books would have room to fit, sturdy enough to withstand weight/ware, and last but not least  be visually attractive.

Your home usually represent and expresses your personality. We all have different taste and find something more flattering than others. Make your home a better place to live, by adding a beautiful bookcase. Not only will you be doing yourself a favor, but you would also be making an industrial design statement. You have great taste/class, now it’s your turn to display it!

Without further ado we hope that the following bookcase designs will inspire you in some form of way. Most of the bookcases/bookshelf’s are available for purchase, however others are simply concept ideas that are capable or reality. All of the images are liked to their original source where we originally found them. So if you have possible interest, just click the image and you will be redirected.

1. Twig Twig Bookcase

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2. Dedalo Bookcase from Porada

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3. Konnex Slot-in Bookcase

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4. Read Your Bookcase

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5. Book/Staircase

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6. Blu Dot Shilf Bookcase

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7. Bookcase built into stairs

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8. Fitting Pyramid

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9. Piniwini

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10. Read Book shelf

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11. OFO Bookcase Chair

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12. Bookshelf by Ron Arad

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13. Booktree by Kostas Syrtariotis

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14. Dave Pickett – Nook Coffee Table

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15. Tatik / chair-bookshelf object

tatik 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

16. Robox Bookshelf

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17. Circular Walking Bookshelf by David Garcia

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18. Rope Bridge Bookshelf

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19. Sinapsi by Sebastian Errazuriz

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20. T.Shelf

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs tshelf1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

21. Equilibrium Bookcase by Malaganafrom

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22. Tectonic Bookcase

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23. Ju Hyeon Oh & Eun-Jee Kim’s Horizontal Bookcase

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24. Bookshelf by SuperLimão Studio

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25. Modernist Bookshelf

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26. Angle shelf

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27. A Moroccan Inspired Bookshelf Design

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28. Dali-Esque Bookshelf

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29. Wisdom Tree

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs wisdomtree1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

30. Toboga Bookcase

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs toboga bookcase1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

31. Book Worm

book worm bookshelf by cyrill drummerson1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

32. Vista Library

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33. The Laica Bookshelf

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs the laica bookshelf1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

34. MDAY bookcase

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs mday bookcase1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

35. Sfuggenti scaffali

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs sfuggenti scaffali1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

36. Combination Knife Block Bookshelf

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37. Read-Unread Bookshelf

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38. K Workstation

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39. Donkey Kong Wall by Igor Chak

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40. Public library

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41. Bibliotheque Tree

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okcase Designs

42. Saba Italia

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs saba italia1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

43. ”Krea” Bookcase

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs krea bookcase 21 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

44. Shelving With Convex Curve

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45. Panográfica

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46. Comfort for book

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47. Geo Book Shelf

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48. Cebunext

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs cebunext1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

49. M40 wardrobe and bookcase

unusual and desirable bookshelves designs m40 wardrobe and bookcase1 50 Unique and Unconventional Bookcase Designs

50. Cave Bookshelf

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Beautiful Houses Around The World


LARANJEIRAS HOUSE | BY FERNANDA MARQUES

LARANJEIRAS HOUSE | BY FERNANDA MARQUES | Image

Beautiful Beach Laranjeiras Residence, designed by Brazilian architect Fernanda Marques. The house is located in one of Brazil´s most gorgeous, natural beauty surroundings, Paraty, on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro. With 950 m², three suites and private access to the beach, this is definitely a dream home.

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12 Extremely Disappointing Facts About Popular Music

1. Creed has sold more records in the US than Jimi Hendrix

Creed has sold more records in the US than Jimi Hendrix

2. Led Zeppelin, REM, and Depeche Mode have never had a number one single, Rihanna has 10

Led Zeppelin, REM, and Depeche Mode have never had a number one single, Rihanna has 10

3. Ke$ha’s “Tik-Tok” sold more copies than ANY Beatles single

Ke$ha's “Tik-Tok” sold more copies than ANY Beatles single

4. Flo Rida’s “Low” has sold 8 million copies – the same as The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”

Flo Rida's “Low” has sold 8 million copies – the same as The Beatles' “Hey Jude”

5. The Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” is more popular than any Elvis or Simon & Garfunkel song

The Black Eyed Peas' “I Gotta Feeling” is more popular than any Elvis or Simon & Garfunkel song

6. Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You” sold more copies than any Queen, Nirvana, or Bruce Springsteen record

Celine Dion's “Falling Into You” sold more copies than any Queen, Nirvana, or Bruce Springsteen record

7. Same with Shania Twain’s “Come On Over”

Same with Shania Twain's “Come On Over”

8. Katy Perry holds the same record as Michael Jackson for most number one singles from an album

Katy Perry holds the same record as Michael Jackson for most number one singles from an album

9. Barbra Streisand has sold more records (140 million) than Pearl Jam, Johnny Cash, and Tom Petty combined

Barbra Streisand has sold more records (140 million) than Pearl Jam, Johnny Cash, and Tom Petty combined

10. People actually bought Billy Ray Cyrus’ album “Some Gave All…” 20 million people. More than any Bob Marley album

People actually bought Billy Ray Cyrus' album “Some Gave All...” 20 million people. More than any Bob Marley album

11. The cast of “Glee” has had more songs chart than the Beatles

The cast of “Glee” has had more songs chart than the Beatles

12. This guy exists.

This guy exists.

That is all.

Music Review: Diana Krall, Christmas Songs

frontFor most of my life, Christmas music was equated to work. As a music director, Christmas concerts were a big part of my job. I rarely listened to songs of the season for pleasure. Along with that is the issue, is that we have a couple of hundred songs getting played over and over and over again, like some demented Santa’s top 40. There are a handful of “must have” disks to tone down the chaos of family dinners, or serenade you during the opening of the presents.

Welcome Diana Krall to this mix. The smoothest voice in jazz hasn’t been a complete stranger to the holiday verse, releasing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Jingle Bells” for past compilations. These merely hinted at what was to come from this entrancing songbird. Diana Krall takes on the classics with Christmas Songs. It’s a set that dances between the joyously upbeat (“Frosty the Snowman”) and songs of quiet contemplation (“Christmas Time is Here”). It seems to capture the ebb and flow of the season, wrapped in its tempo changes.

Krall has always been known for her crystal clear pipes, and they’ve never been quite so invigorating as with this collection. It is as if that infectious spirit of the season got her drunk on egg nog and had its merry way with her. The opening track “Jingle Bells” is a perfect example. The horns bob and weave as Krall’s voice punctuates the crescendos, flowing with passion and vigor. She’s just caught up in the rhythm, adding the decorative bow on the end “I’m just crazy about horses.”

The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra accompanies her, and man… do they come to play. They add the kick and charisma to gas up these tunes. Just as importantly, they know their place — backing Diana. Other Christmas albums just completely forget to grab hold of the reins, and the big band just somersaults out of control, bleeding over everything.

Krall has selected a classic set that include all our sentimental favorites without getting a wild hair to take chances with the material. It’s Christmas. We want those familiar favorites we sang carols to as children and listened to those nights when Christmas Eve grew old. Whether it’s “The Christmas Song” or “I’ll Be There for Christmas,” Diana captures all the magic of a child breathlessly waiting for Santa and a family setting aside their differences and bridging the miles that separate them, to come together as one.

The only casualties of this collection await us in the disk’s closing moments. “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)” and “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” are fair tracks, buoyed by Diana’s effervescent vocal glow. They don’t necessarily detract from this collection, but sit as fat on the Butterball turkey that could have been trimmed. Her two shining moments are “Christmas Time is Here” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” “Christmas Time,” or the Charlie Brown Song as it tends to be informally known, is quiet and poignant. It just seems to whisper to the night’s sky to lose its grip on the powdered snow while the fire rages from the hearth. It comes draped in that blanket of warm fuzzy feelings. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” starts out so intimate, Diana tiptoeing in with the piano. Then the band nuzzles up beside her, dressing her heartfelt plea. It’s a beautiful piece.

Diana Krall fulfills her tremendous promise that jazz aficionados have sensed was simmering in her for many moons. She’s given us reason to get giddy about Christmas music again, which is a pretty tall order.

Warm Fusion: Country Home Combines Urban & Rural Style

With strong International Style elements, it could be something straight out of Mies’s or Corbu’s mind, but for one of the most prominent distinguishing features: organic local-stone cladding prominently wrapping all the exterior walls, and a likewise rough-masonry rocks forming the fireplace within.

So how did this home for a New York City couple end up stitching such different design threads together? Enrique Saulle grew up in Uruguay, where it is located, but he and Pilar Acevedo brought to this project Brooklyn design sensibilities (inspiring, for instance, the thick-metal, large-panel fenestration).

Other pieces and parts came together in various ways, including trading their professional translation skills for an antique bathtub, and bringing with them stainless steel appliances from NYC to their new remote three-bedroom home and work-space retreat.

The result is a lovely medley that somehow manages to work as a hole – an International Style home on stilts (mixed with locally-quarried stones) and large urban loft windows all over, reminding one of multiple global homes … and all working together afford amazing views of the surrounding landscapes from every room in the house. (via The New York Times with images by Cristobal Palma).

In a Pinch: ‘Shaft House’ Maximizes Little 16-Foot-Wide Lot

Building a new home in any city can be a tough proposition – new lots sometimes cost as much as ones with finished houses already on them. And then there are questions of neighborhood and context when it comes to materials and style, not to mention the livability issues of a small and thin lot with no real opportunity for creating side windows.

This skinny-home solution by Reza Aliabadi of Atelier Rzlbd makes the most of a tiny buildable footprint both inside and out. It even manages to look strangely at home despite (or because of) the way it departs from its pitched-roof adjacencies.

The rectangular outside shell of weathered dark wood does indeed look different from what is found around it, but is deferentially tucked back further into the lot and looks almost like a three-dimensional bookmark between classically Toronto-styled townhomes.

The interior is an exercise in circulation maximization – a core staircase unfolds into a series of platform-like levels spinning out from the center, facing backward of forward depending on programmatic demands and day lighting opportunities.

A simple palette of white-painted walls and richly-variegated wood floors helps keep the spaces engaging, homey but also bright and open despite the narrow configuration of the building.

A Cost Comparison of Home Ownership

To-Buy-or-Not-to-Buy-lgIn recent years, real estate has become something of a polarizing topic; there are those who argue that it’s still a worthy long-term investment with tangible benefits; and others who don’t see the value of owning a home, financial or otherwise. Regardless of which side of the argument you come out on, housing is a major part of our national economy. Furthermore, people are always going to need a place to live, so it’s a worthy discussion to be had.

There are a number of catch phrases that have become quite popular amongst real estate agents and media alike, such as “now is the time to buy” and “it’s a buyer’s market”. For some people, right now is a great time to buy a home, but for others, it’s not. The point is that buying a home is a personal decision based on each buyer’s unique circumstances. There’s no “one size fits all” model when it comes to real estate, so the best you can do is arm yourself with the right information so you can make the best decision for you.

TGChartImageWith this in mind, we thought it might be interesting to compare today’s real estate market with that of 2006 when housing was at its peak. Five years ago, home values were soaring, sales were frenzied, and home ownership was at an all-time high. Inventory levels simply could not keep up with demand, so bidding wars were commonplace and homes flew off the market in record time.

Today’s market is very different. It’s important to remember that all real estate is local, so markets can vary greatly – even within a single city – but there are some general trends that we’re seeing across the board. The first is home prices; very few areas were spared from the effects of declining prices. Inventory levels in recent years have also been higher than they were in 2006 and the average amount of time that it takes to sell a home is longer. All of this points towards this being a buyer’s market. Other buyer advantages include historically low interest rates and strong affordability. With this in mind, here are some interesting stats to consider:

  • The average interest rate on a 30-year-mortgage today is 4.13%(2) and in September 2006 it was 6.41%(2)
  • A $400,000 house today would have cost $642,650 in September 2006(1) which is a difference of $242,650. *The following scenarios assume these home prices.
  • Using the above home prices and interest rates, the monthly payment today would be $1,939.76 and in September 2006 it would have been $4,024.02 – a difference of $2,084.26 per month.
  • The $2,084.26 per month savings adds up to a total of $750,333 when multiplied over the term of a 30-year loan.
  • If today’s buyer took out a 30-year-loan at the current interest rate (4.13%), but made the same monthly payments as the buyer in 2006 ($4,024.02), the loan would be paid off in just over 10 years – the buyer in 2006 would still have almost 15 more years of payments.
1) calculated using FHFA figures for the West Coast in September 2011
2) from FHLMC website for September 2011

real-estate-mathThe math above is compelling, especially when you consider how much money is saved on compound interest over the life of a 30-year loan for the same home. But regardless of what the numbers show, buying a home is much more than a financial decision, it is one that is personal and should be reflective of each individual’s needs and circumstances. Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball and cannot predict what interest rates are going to do or how the market is going to grow and change, but we do know people will always need a place to call home – and as long as that is the case – we will be here to help them.

If you are interested in how this market affects you and your choices, please call me at 206-713-3244 or email Emmanuel@EmmanuelFonte.com