In Hong Kong, because of the space, apartments are small and expensive. Gary Chang, an architect, decided to design a 344 sq. ft. apartment to be able to change into 24 different designs, all by just sliding panels and walls. He calls this the “Domestic Transformer.”
10 Coolest Shower Designs
June 4, 2011 By
Aquarium Shower
This totally baller shower enclosure called Plano Acquario by Cesena has a real aquarium built right into one of the walls. How cool would it be to be standing in the shower under a flow of water while watching fish swim around you? Very relaxing. They say you can put a TV or a bookshelf in there instead of the fish tank but what fun would that be? (Link | Via)
Deer Stag Shower
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take a shower with a deer stag head spewing water onto you? Now you can. This porcelain version was unveiled at Milan Design Week 2010. I’ve no idea what such a design would even cost, but it’s safe to assume it won’t be showing up in the fixtures aisle of your local Home Depot anytime soon. (Link | Via)
Color Phasing Shower Light
This is shower head with a temperature controlled light so you will never burn your bottom again. Temperature changes from green (when the temperature is less than 32C) to red (at more than 45C). The phasing colors in between are blue, orange, purple and pink. (Via)
The 18-head Shower
With all of the crazy inventions people come up with today, it comes as no surprise that this baby would be invented. What? You want to be freakishly clean and you enjoy a solid stream of water to caress your nether-regions? Well, look no more! As you can see in the picture, this shower does enjoy the advantage of sporting 18 different shower heads. With adjustable settings (i.e. temperature, water pressure, etc.), you really can’t go wrong with this. Oh wait, yes you can. How? Well, one only needs to look at its price tag. $100,000. Yes, that is 5 zeros you are looking at. I need to find someone who has this and see if they will give me a spin in it. (Link | Via)
Viteo Garden Shower
The Viteo Garden Shower begins a gentle, meter high shower as soon as you step on its white platform a little over four inches high. What’s interesting about it is that instead of water coming down on top of you; it springs up from below, fountain style. Honored with the iF Product Design Award 2007, the white platform is made from a stainless steel frame base, sturdy UV-resistant ABS plastic white skin and slip-resistant tread. Sandwiched in between are springs which take a light load of about 33 pounds in order to activate the valve which causes water to spray from an inner channel system to 16 fine cone shaped jets. The result is a gentle cone of water from 2 to 4 meters (6ft to 13ft). And while the gushing flow of cold water from your tap may prove rather startling, not nearly as so as the cool $930US price tag.(Link | Via)
Folding Shower
This Folding Shower, is a concept by French company Supiot and it is currently looking for a manufacturer and a distributor. It has a unique design that’s supposed to allow people living in small apartments to install a shower that doesn’t take up too much of their limited space. (Link)
Rotating Shower/Bath
The industrial designer Ron Arad came up with this rotating shower/bath with Italian manufacturers Teuco (the shower section of their website was particularly funny). You can have a bath in the lip, or rotate it around to give you a shower cabinet if you fancy that instead. Of course, you’ll need a bathroom the size of most of our entire flats to fit it in. And it also doesn’t explain why this girl is having both a shower and a bath with her clothes on. Still, it’s very cool. (Link | Via)
Pocket Shower
This is a very cool idea for campers and festival followers, the pocket shower, fill with water, hang from tree, get clean. The pocket shower comes in a fist sized bag but can hold up to 10 liters of water which is enough for a 7 minute shower. The water reservoir is made from a thin black material which absorbs sunlight and a solar system that heats the water. This is probably one of the few showers you’ll enjoy when camping. You can buy the pocket shower from I Want One of Those for $26.98 (Link | Via)
Psychedelic Shower
These awesome temperature-sensitive glass tiles will change color depending on their current temperature. You just tell the manufacturer what base temperature you want, and every 6-10 degree increment from there activates a different color phase. There are three phases in all, and once you’ve passed the third, it will return to the original color. I wouldn’t recommend installing these in a house with more than one or two people in it. You can bet that the first person in the shower is going to use up all the hot water just messing with the colors on the tiles. Of course you’ll need to rob a bank first, since a single 4” x 4” tile will run you $33, or around $300 per square foot. (Link | Via)
Shower Pod
It’s nice being clean. It’s a shame, then, that being clean is just so much damn work. Like, you get in the shower, and then you’re supposed to STAND there. Stand! And you have to be rubbing soap on your body and shampoo in your hair, and if you try and do that in opposite directions at the same time, it’ll make you fall over and you’ll crack your head open and die. And that would be bad. The automatic human washing machine takes most of the dying out of showers by not only giving you the chance to lie down while getting clean, but also by doing all of the actual cleaning for you. You stick yourself inside the washing pod and command it to go, and it will wash you with soap and water, use infrared light to steam heat you, pamper you with sound and aromatherapy, and then finish up with a seaweed wrap and some body lotion. Then you get out, and the machine sterilizes itself to get rid of all the nastiness you left behind.
I have no idea how, or how well, the automatic human washing machine (aka the “Santelubain 999″) actually performs its numerous cleaning tasks, but the website assures us that “the automatic human washing machine has been recognized by various people through coverage by different medias.” Ah, okay, very good then.
Park Avenue Penthouse in Manhattan, NYC
June 3, 2011 By
It’s been over a year since the Sifter posted an extravagant property in New York City (like these ones in TriBeCa, SoHo, and Brooklyn). And this one-floor penthouse on Park Avenue listed at a cool $25 million US is no exception. With a full wrap-around terrace, this 5-bedroom co-op is situated in one of Manhattan’s most exclusive zip codes. 
PARK AVENUE PENTHOUSE, MANHATTAN
List price: $25 million – East Side Manhattan Brokerage (Sotheby’s)
12 Rooms
5 Bedrooms
5 Bathrooms (full)
Unique Amenities:
– 2 fireplaces
– Home theatre
– Library
– Chef’s kitchen
– Wrap-around terrace
Full floor 5 bedroom penthouse in a prewar Park Avenue coop with wraparound terraces showcasing iconic views of Manhattan in every direction. Total renovation just finished, featuring a classic prewar layout, top-of-the-line finishes and technology. A dramatic marble gallery leads to a large living room with fireplace, a dining room with bar/butler’s pantry, a fully equipped media room, full bath & office/guestroom. Access the large entertaining/dining terrace from every room. Large solarium style gourmet eat-in kitchen with staffroom/bath and laundry rooms. Family room leads to a master suite with luxurious bath, fireplace, and private terrace. Bedroom wing also include 3 large bedrooms with terraces and two baths. Creston system for automated climate control, humidification, shades, lighting and audio visual equipment, three private elevator landings, custom Euro-windows/doors and skylights, wide plank white oak floors, Venetian plaster walls, large closets and 10 foot ceilings.
Unemployment down in many metro areas
June 3, 2011 By
Unemployment rates are down in many U.S. metropolitan areas, according to figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate in April was 8.7 percent, down from 9.5 percent one year ago.
Rates were lower in April than one year earlier in 297 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 54 areas, and unchanged in 21 areas. 237 metro areas indicated increases in non-farm payroll employment, 126 reported decreases, and 9 had no change.
Hard-hit states like Indiana and Michigan reported the most significant drops in unemployment. California cities continue to experience the highest unemployment rates, constituting the majority of job markets with rates higher than 16 percent.
See Inman News charts for more detailed statistics.
Harvard Study Warns of Rent Bubble
June 2, 2011 By
For renters, the national recovery could be very bad news. That warning came from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies’ latest report on America’s rental housing. Rental markets are now tightening, with vacancy rates falling and rents climbing. With little new supply of multifamily units in the pipeline, rents could rise sharply as demand increases. Regardless, affordability is likely to deteriorate further over the next few years as persistently high unemployment limits renter income gains.
When job growth regains momentum, the number of renter households could climb quickly. Given the long lead times needed to develop new multifamily housing, a sharp increase in demand could quickly reduce vacancy rates and put upward pressure on rents. While this would be good news for owners and investors in rental housing, it would also fuel the intense affordability pressures, the study warns.
A variety of rental market indicators suggest that the worst repercussions from the recession may be over. While this is good news for most of us, especially property owners, the recovery may increase the rent pressures on households still struggling in an environment of sluggish job growth. The ongoing foreclosure crisis should continue to spur growth in the number of renter households as former owners switch to renting. Single-family home foreclosures will also add a steady flow of units to the rental market. The ability of renter households to occupy these homes will be an important factor in maintaining the stability of distressed neighborhoods hard hit by the foreclosure crisis.
Although there appears to be an excess supply of rental housing at present, this could change quickly as the economy recovers and household formation among younger adults returns to a more typical pace. An upsurge in demand could outstrip the available supply and push construction activity back up, the study says.
One of the most important questions going forward is whether mortgage financing will be available to fuel rental property purchases and investments. Even before the financial crisis, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were an important source of financing for both multifamily and investor-owned single family properties. And during the crisis, the GSEs—along with FHA—accounted for the vast majority of new financing. As Congress takes up debate about what, if any, role the GSEs should play in the mortgage markets, policymakers must consider the vital importance they have as a source of capital for rental housing.
By Steve Cook
Criminal activity at your fingertips
June 2, 2011 By
Trulia makes crime information readily accessible to the public. The newly launched Crime Maps presents data on criminal activity in many metropolitan areas. Trulia utilizes information from partners (CrimeReports.com, EveryBlock.com, and SpotCrime.com) who work with police agencies, crime feeds, and news outlets.
Users can click on a major city to view hot spots of activity in or around their neighborhoods. Not all major metropolitan areas are included; Trulia’s current list includes about 50 cities. Crime Maps provides a unique visual aid to prospective home buyers who want to measure criminal injustice in areas where they’d like to live — they can view, toggle, and compare statistics of two different regions.
Information on criminal activity is like watching the 5 o’clock news. There’s value in being informed, but seeking the data on a “need to know basis” should trump obsessing over every detail. View Trulia’s introduction here.