Archives for 2012

Wee Washrooms: Stylish Subcompact Apartment Bathrooms

toto-sprino-small-bathroom-2Small-space living often necessitates compromising on style, functionality, or both. The Subaco line of tiny bathrooms from Japanese company Spiritual Mode is rich in style but doesn’t skimp on function – and manages to cram it all into an impressively tiny footprint.

The sub-compact bathrooms can include tubs, toilets, sinks, and perhaps even laundry and/or kitchen facilities in an area no bigger than 2 square meters. Although definitely not large enough to be considered luxurious, the bathrooms offer just enough room to take care of necessary hygiene tasks.

The designers user vertical space in their designs as well. The bathrooms can be lofted to allow for a second level, giving a bit more space (and a fair dose of minimalist design cred) for those essential functions without taking up more precious floor real estate.

Paradigm shift for handicapped-accessible housing

game_changerCasey Nolan’s goal is to transform handicapped-accessible housing for wounded warriors and their families. He is the project director for Wounded Warrior houses, a public-private partnership between the Army and Clark Realty Capital to upgrade 40,000 family units on bases across the U.S. When Nolan toured Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, he recognized that the units needed more than a makeover.

Taking feedback from returning soldiers, their spouses, caregivers, and doctors, Nolan and his team set out to create both suitable and comfortable homes. Currently, Patriot Homes are constructed for qualified soldiers, but Nolan believes that the project brings a paradigm shift to housing. Rather than perceive the housing needs of the disabled and elderly as unique, Americans will see them as part and parcel of the mainstream market.

12 Ways to Cool Your Home Without Air Conditioning

cool-homeIf your summer energy bill is leaving you hot under the collar, consider these savvy alternate strategies for cooling down

Summer heat waves have everyone looking for ways to cool down at home. Blasting the air conditioner isn’t always an option, and it certainly uses a lot of energy. Instead of shelling out the big bucks to keep cool, consider several alternatives that can make a big difference.

Builder Brings Starter Homes to Gen Y Buyers

generation-yAs a real estate broker who works with Generation Y buyers, this is a very smart move!

A national homebuilder is wooing Generation Y renters with back-to-basics homes that offer all of the advantages of home ownership on a comfortable budget.

Chicago, San Antonio, and St. Louis are the test markets that Centex Homes is using to convert younger tenants to owners. Fred Ehle, vice president of marketing for PulteGroup, Centex’s parent company, told writer Mary Umberger that the huge demographic was poised for the transition.

"We’re marketing these homes, not with an advertised sales price of $130,000, but with the monthly cost of that home," Ehle said. "Our goal in designing these houses was to make sure we could compete with local rents.

"We can tell this buyer, for what you’re paying in rent, you could be in a new home — this is a revelation for them, because many people in this demographic don’t think they could afford it or they don’t think they could qualify for a loan. For this reason, we offer to connect each buyer to a mortgage adviser before they sign up to buy," Ehle added.

Source: "Builder Woos Gen Y Renters," Chicago Tribune

CASA OLIVI | BY WESPI DE MEURON ARCHITECTS

house-renovation-italy-wespi-de-meuronCasa Olivi is a beautiful renovation by Wespi de Meuron Architects, the 300 year old farm is located in Treia, in the heart of the Marches, the New Tuscany. The Farmhouse renovation took 4 years, the outside style was preserved, but the inside was entirely re-organized according to a luxurious, high comfortable and minimalist style. The 5 bedroom house is on a hill top and features a stunning infinity pool with a 360 degrees view of the beautiful, olive tree landscape. This stylish piece of Italy is available for rent, more details here.

CASA OLIVI | BY WESPI DE MEURON ARCHITECTS | Image

house-renovation-italy-wespi-de-meuron-2.jpg

house-renovation-italy-wespi-de-meuron-3.jpg

house-renovation-italy-wespi-de-meuron-4.jpg

house-renovation-italy-wespi-de-meuron-5.jpg

How to Replace Window Trim

WindowTrimFor finishing new windows or freshening the old, window trim gives a polished look with less effort than you may think

Whether I’m flipping through a magazine or watching the latest home show on TV, I’m always drawn to a house’s trim. I love how the use of different architectural trim elements can completely change the feel of the entire house. Sometimes that can be good, and sometimes it can be utterly awful.

When we replaced our outdated and wallet-busting single-pane aluminum windows with energy-efficient double-pane vinyl windows in our kitchen nook, I began dreaming of adorning the windows with beautiful trim. I was excited for the end result, but since I’m always so focused on trim in other people’s homes, I was completely terrified about actually choosing the trim and putting it in place in my own home.

Music Review: Dig That Crazy Christmas: The Brian Setzer Orchestra

dig-that-crazy-christmasChristmas music in August?! I know it is summer, but I’ve been listening to Christmas music since April, in preparation for this year’s Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree. “Dig That Crazy Christmas” by The Brian Setzer Orchestra, was one of the many albums (why do we still call them that?) that I listened to in selecting music for this year’s show. Setzer and his ruckus band, roar and swing through 11 holiday classics, along with two originals; the horn-driven stomper "Hey Santa!", spiced with some sizzling vocal and instrumental interchange, and a roaring blues mélange: "Santa’s Got a Hot Rod", complete with blaring horns and a fine, growling vocal from Setzer, describing the wonders of Santa’s new souped-up ride, which has replaced a "rusty old sleigh."

"White Christmas" gets a gently rocking arrangement, graced by honking sax and robust guitar punctuations, while a mid-tempo instrumental version of "My Favorite Things" provides Setzer with a showcase for his serious guitar chops. There are plenty of jazz-tinged solos, ahead of fanciful flights of brass and woodwinds. For comic relief, Setzer brings his mock spooked-out vocal on "’Zat You Santa?", and his generous serving of ham on "You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," to which he adds a reverberant top-strings solo that pays homage to "The Munsters" theme song.

“Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!” drives just like you may expect a big band ought to do. Towards the end, it takes a turn with a short bass trombone solo catching you off guard. One of the most ambitious charts is, "Angels We Have Heard On High”. Setzer puts everyone out there at breakneck speed. Starting with the orchestra, trumpets at terminal velocity, then and a full-bodied church choir, with enough room for a burst of blaring horns and trebly rock guitar solos. Setzer ties up this holiday gift with a lush, dreamy rendition of "What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve”, which, like the rest of the disc, rings true both in content and spirit.

Though it was released several years ago, the music is anything but dated. Each tune is sure to put a smile on your face. If you’re up for a holiday sound amidst the sun, pop this in a let the grinning begin.

Speaking of “Crazy Santa Claus”, take a look at this promo video for the Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree

skydiving_santas

The Current State Of Social Networks 2012 [INFOGRAPHIC]

social-media-planet-2012

Did you know that Twitter is the social network with the strongest growth rate in 2012, ahead of LinkedIn, Pinterest and Reddit?

Facebook? That didn’t even make the cut. Still, when you’re closing in fast on one billion users, your annual growth rate does tend to slow down a smidgen. Still, don’t shed a tear for Mark Zuckerberg – save those for the owners of Digg, Bebo, Friendster and, of course, MySpace, who are the four social networks most in decline, reminding us that success in this space can be both dramatic and fleeting.

This data comes courtesy of Ignite Social Media, who have compiled the infographic of infographics about the state of social media, worldwide, in 2012. Ignite’s research revealed that while social media as a whole continues to plateau – we haven’t seen any real growth, planet-wide, since 2009 – there are many success stories to be found. Pinterest has quickly established itself as the de facto social network for women, and Plaxo (who knew that was still going?) is incredibly popular with senior citizens.

Check out all this, and more, in the visualization below.

state-social-networks-2012

[VIA]

8 Quotes We Owe to William Shakespeare [infographic]

william-shakespeareWilliam Shakespeare. Just seeing that name takes me to a place where coffee flows, procrastination runs rampant, and book reports come back marked down for tardiness. Unless you reside under a rock or still working your way through high-school, you’ve heard of Mr. Shakespeare. Today’s infographic speaks on Shakespeare’s significance in regards to the English language, but not in the typical way.

Down below are eight quotes, phrases, and saying that can be credited to William Shakespeare. I’m sure you’ve heard at least one of them used in your lifetime. My intrigue with this infographic lies in the notion that Shakespeare has so many quotes and writings that are held in high regard by scholars worldwide, yet these get left out. I’m not saying that quotes such as “Et tu, Brute?” and “the world is my oyster” should be studied interchangeably. I’m just taking note of the vast influence Shakespeare had over language.

Share your favorite Shakespeare quotes in the comment box and have an awesome day!eightphrasesweowetowilliamshakespeare