Emmanuel Fonte | Music | Art | Leadership
If music be the food of love, play on. Emmanuel Fonte website is about music, art, real estate, architecture, design and decor. Occasionally, I talk about my other passion, hockey.
Much angst, and ink, has been spilled in recent years over fighting in hockey. Progressives say ban fighting. Traditionalists say ‘over our dead bodies.’ A moral debate rages. Yet what seldom gets asked is: How does fighting affect a team’s performance?
Does toughness win games? Is meting out an ugly black eye as valuable as scoring a pretty goal?
Let’s drop the gloves, shall we, and look at the numbers. [via]
The buzz in the real estate market is recovery. Is it real? Bloomberg TV talks with Jed Kolko, chief economist of Trulia, about why housing is bouncing back in many regions where household job growth is strong, driving demand and boosting home prices.
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A private oasis of a top-floor bedroom and a master bathroom with a glass wall facing the swimming pool are the two main contrasting features of Wonderwall House, a split-level residence in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Designed by local architecture firm Situation-based Operation, the home is designed as a series of both indoor and outdoor rooms that flow into each other in a meandering path from the front door to the sleeping quarters.
The bathroom off the pool is a potentially controversial element, with its entirely transparent wall of windows removing the expectation of privacy while bathing or using the toilet. The glass doors can be folded back to make the bathroom part of the top-floor pool deck. Architect Narang Othavorn didn’t necessarily have exhibitionism in mind with this feature; he told Dezeen “I just wanted the owner to be able to shower right after swimming.”
Similar folding glass doors open to the bedroom, which is directly off the swimming pool and can only be reached by moving through the entire home, including several outdoor spaces. The swimming pool area is kept private from other rooms with louvered screens.
Wonderwall House features an indoor kitchen and dining room as well as a sheltered outdoor kitchen and open-air living space. Large expanses of exterior brick walls make the home feel maze-like, while a lack of distinct doors and walls between interior rooms blur the distinctions between them.
Each spring, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, invite everyone to celebrate National Park Week. This year, from April 20 – 28, YOU are invited to get to know your national parks. Check out the site: http://www.nationalparks.org/national-park-week there’s lots to discover.
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Did you know…that with 401 parks coast-to-coast, every American is less than 100 miles from a national park experience? National Park Week is the perfect opportunity to explore and enjoy these amazing places — so check the calendar of events, lace up your boots, pack your bag and set out on a national park adventure uniquely your own!
A suburban neighborhood is urban sprawl’s biggest weapon. A large subdivision built a few miles out of town so that residence can be “safe” from the hustle and bustle of the city seems harmless and like a great way to make some money for developers. Years go by, and commercial developers figure out that these residents are living far away from the services they need. These developers build new Wal-Marts, Targets and other big box stores in order to connect the residents of the subdivision with town, and before ya know it, BAM, your little home town is a commercialized, traffic filled suburban city.
It has been commonly believed for years that the wealthy move out of the city and live in the ‘burbs, but according to this infographic, this trend is changing. People are getting smart and realizing that having to drive into town every day is not a fun chore; it would be easier to live in town. This is a great thing. We should be trying to live as close to our goods and services as possible, instead of having the big boxes move to us.
[Via]
