Make a TV Star With Your Video Phone Calls

The future sure is not what it used to be. By the year 2000, according to futurists of the first half of the 20th century, everyone was supposed to be driving a nuclear-powered flying car, eating food in pill form and running errands around the city using a personal jet pack.

What happened to the future?

The majority of the predicted technologies never occurred because they proven to be undesirable, dangerous or far too expensive. However, a number of them really came true. One uncontroversial prediction was the video phone, which revealed as a standard element of daily life in matters such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, popular science magazines and The Jetsons.

Futurists predicted that in their future — our present — telephone calls would involve a TV display, and we’d have natural, face-to-face conversations instead of holding a gadget up to our faces for audio-only communication. Along with the futurists got it right — sort of. In fact, millions of video calls now happen daily. And the surprising fact is that the caliber and experience of these video calls can be massively better than futurists ever imagined.

Much more surprising is that we frequently don’t make the most of what is possible. The very best video phone experience is given through a big-screen TV, for an obvious reason: The display is quite big and probably faces some comfy sofas or chairs. TV-based video calls most closely simulate the experience of getting the caller seeing in your property.

Below are some methods to bring video calling to your TV.

Warpia ConnectHD Video Conferencing System – $139.99

There are three fundamental strategies to achieve TV-based video call nirvana. One is via a pc attached to your TV, another is via a smart TV and the third uses a special-purpose gadget attached to your TV.

The easiest is the first: linking a laptop or PC to a TV using a cable, like HDMI, then clicking over to that as your video source. From that point it is possible to use your computer’s camera and video conferencing software, and display it all over the TV.

That is an inelegant solution, but one you can probably implement now without extra purchases. One small improvement to this general approach can be made using a product known as the Warpia ConnectHD. It utilizes video conferencing software running on your PC or laptop. But instead of using your PC’s camera, it comes with its own, which you may place on top of the TV. And instead of working with a big, sloppy HDMI cable, then it utilizes wireless using a USB device that plugs into the pc.

Using the camera on top of or just below the TV is important with video calls, because it creates the illusion of eye contact.

Samsung 51-Inch Plasma 8000 Series Smart TV – $1,697.99

Samsung’s 51-inch plasma TV is a terrific all-around smart TV, with 3-D, apps, innovative motion gestures, voice command and face recognition. Additionally, it has something I think many TVs are going to have in the future: a built-in camera. Along with the TV comes with Skype built in too, so you may readily make living space video phone calls.

Future smart TVs from Samsung and other major TV giants will increasingly come with Google TV layouts, that will enable Google+ Hangouts as the video-conferencing system, and also other apps for doing video phone calls in fresh ways.

Logitech TV Cam HD – $199.99

Logitech and Skype offer a product called the Logitech TV Cam HD. The camera connects to the Internet within either Wi-Fi or ethernet, and links to TVs using HDMI. Logitech claims that any TV that supports HDMI will work with the item.

The camera itself is high definition and wide angle, so it will demonstrate the whole living space. However, you can zoom in if you desire using the included remote control unit. Four noise-canceling microphones cut down to any echo from a large room.

And you’re going to hear the phone ring if the TV is off.

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Conventional Meets Airy in a Luxurious Coastal Home

Interior designer Diane Bergeron had some convincing to do with this project, a weekend home for a large family who uses the home year-round. The project architect had suggested a death by a comfy coastal home: a slick inside with a glass staircase and modern furnishings. “However, I told him ‘The conventional bones are. Why tear down them?'” She says. “It only made sense to work together with all the architectural bones of the home and move from there.”

Bergeron applied her layout knowledge of conventional American coastal homes throughout the project. “They enjoyed images of summer homes in the Hamptons and the warmth and airy feel of California coastal homes,” she says. “We opted for a soft, neutral base and layered on patterns and color.”

The clients turned off from what a lot of folks in those pieces are doing: “Lots of ultracontemporary houses with a glass-box structure that would have certainly carried into the interiors and furnishings,” Bergeron says. And did they enjoy the last outcome? “My clients are utilized to fine surroundings,” says the designer, “and they have a fantastic city home. But there were tears during the show. They’re only in love with this home.”

at a Glance
Who lives here: That really is a weekend home for Jack and Diane Gringlass and their 4 grown kids.
Location: Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne, Australia
Size: 5,488 square-foot
Design challenge: Changing a darkened, lodge-like country house in an airy and bright coastal home

Diane Bergeron Interiors

A photograph shot at sunset lets us see into the front-facing inside rooms of this home: three bedrooms, the analysis, a card room and a billiards room. Motorized Roman shades can be controlled with simplicity for privacy.

Diane Bergeron Interiors

John Himmel’s woven rope furniture adds warmth, warmth and texture into the living room. A vintage Lucite coffee table does not take attention away from the rich patterns of this window shades, carpeting and upholstery. Bergeron paired couture Quadrille China Seas cloth in the rope seats with a striped cotton dhurrie, which ties the distance together.

Flooring: stained European walnut; empire stools: Jonathan Adler; sofa: custom in camel linen, Diane Bergeron Interiors

Diane Bergeron Interiors

The designer loves the all-white walls and trusses. “The house used to be somewhat dim and cabin like, and you feel like the whole area is breathing, which is a quality I associate with California coastal homes or summer homes in the Hamptons,” she says. “I’m happy this comfy coastal style has found its way to Melbourne,” says Bergeron.

Sofa: custom in cotton twill, Diane Bergeron Interiors; facet table: vintage French; Roman blinds: custom, Diane Bergeron Interiors; pendant lighting: Ralph Lauren

Diane Bergeron Interiors

Windsor chairs create a surprise pairing with a Lucite table at the game room. Lulu DK wallpaper swathes the walls and continues into the backs of custom shelving units, giving the room a compatible flow.

Diane Bergeron Interiors

A rustic farmer’s table from Boyd Blue surrounded by Windsor seats adds warmth and contrasts with the all-white kitchen along with metallic sheen of those fittings and Ralph Lauren pendants.

Diane Bergeron Interiors

Bergeron turned into a mostly white and metallic powder room into a stone box with art deco Scalamandre wallpaper in Zanzibar Gold.

“If done correctly, layering on color and pattern may add a lot of verve to your home without being garish or too over the top,” says Bergeron.

Mirror: custom, Diane Bergeron Interiors

Diane Bergeron Interiors

Bergeron created a cozy space by mixing vintage fabrics and furnishings with new decor.

Diane Bergeron Interiors

Custom piled curtains and orange Roman shades dress up the most built-in bunk beds. An alpaca wool rug softens the sharp whites and stripes of their bunks’ window treatments. Underbed drawers maintain guests’ items tucked away.

Diane Bergeron Interiors

A home theatre hosts the entire family on film night, with custom reclining seats and both luxury chocolate brown picture walls. “A French artisan came and stitched all of the linen together by hand,” Bergeron says. “This was an amazing process to watch and actually adds this stunning, touchable caliber to the walls”

Diane Bergeron Interiors

Grass fabric wallpaper in sage covers the study walls and pays tribute to the customer’s love of green. A dark Roman color adds a masculine touch. “He loves this room,” she says. “It’s his little sanctuary within what is a relaxing weekend home.”

Background: Diane Bergeron Interiors; executive chair: vintage Eames; sofa: custom, Alan Campbell

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Trend Alert: Oxblood Red Enriches Autumn Style

This week I finally had time to catch up on all my September and October fashion glossies, and two things struck me. To begin with, a great deal of this September 2012 dilemma of Vogue is styled just like”1990s club kids meet people from the Capitol at The Hunger Games,” and it’s odd. Secondly, and far better news, is that oxblood red is back, and it appears rich, tasty and more current than ever.

Since fashion and decor tend to take turns following each other, these fashion pages sent me searching out the hue here at . I found designers employing this deep red tone in spaces from conventional dining rooms to contemporary powder rooms. I know the name”oxblood” is a little off-putting, but these rooms are anything but. Take a look.

Soorikian Architecture

Use oxblood red as an exterior accent. Doors like this are welcoming and draw the attention.

Susan Jay Design

Oxblood is a warm way to welcome visitors once they are inside the doorway as well.

Brenda Olde

The richness of this color combined with leather is a stunner. Use oxblood leather onto a Chesterfield sofa, wooden dining chair seat cushion or tufted corner chair, as you see here.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Give this deep red a neutral background with tans, lighter and lighter hints of crimson.

Andrea Schumacher Interiors

Glenn Gissler Design

Give natural wood tones oomph with an oxblood blot.

1800Lighting

Use oxblood walls in conjunction with a contrasting trim, for example wainscoting.

Karlene Hunter Baum

Use it as a backsplash in a warm, traditional kitchen.

Celia James

Try it as a dramatic accent in the most minimalist of kitchens, whether on a valance a single cabinet or table linens.

Macy’s

Just Designz Serveware – $24.99

Speaking of table linens, if you want to give oxblood an evaluation run, try it with serving pieces, china, blossom or floral structures.

Stig Carlson Architecture

Oxblood is a great selection for style that is Asian.

W. Gibson & Co..

When this red goes iridescent, it transforms into a glamorous appearance.

Beth Dotolo, ASID, RID, NCIDQ

Blend touches of oxblood with eggplant. Split it up with creams, woods, tans and browns.

Rachel Reider Interiors

Oxblood Red Sculpted Vase Porcelain Table Lamp – $149.99

Accessories like lamps are a fantastic way to present the color to a room.

More:
Browse more color ideabooks

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Southwestern-Style Florida Mansion

When architect Roger Gritton’s customers approached him in a custom house, he knew that his business’s biggest challenge will be their preferred Southwestern style. “We’d never previously created a layout from the client’s selected style. Fortunately for us, the [customers] could see that although this style was new to us, we’d shown the capability to learn and adapt. I think we were able to make their dream home,” states Gritton.

The final result? A home that’s symbiotic with its surroundings, symbolizing the homeowners’ love of horses and deep respect for nature and the outdoors.

at a Glance
Who lives here: An equine-loving couple and their kids
Location: Florida’s northern peninsula
Size: 7,950 square feet
That’s intriguing: All doors and beams were made of laminated barn wood and timbers.

Gritton & Associates Architects

The kitchen materials and color palette embody Southwestern style. Ceramic tiles, a mantel-style variety hood, rough-sawn timber beams and ceiling, rusticated brick floors and stucco walls evoke the feel of Arizona, where the owners previously had a home.

Gritton & Associates Architects

The tall cabinets near the skillet have metal rails installed at the top, and a ladder slides for simple access to items in the bigger cabinets (much like the way libraries use ladders for books). The ladder tucks neatly across the side of the cabinetry when not being used. Gritton states, “The ultimate aim for the kitchen was to be hot, inviting, functional and a bit unexpected.”

Gritton & Associates Architects

The home’s architectural massing divides its profile to avert a boxy look and feel like a hacienda. “We tried to make the house feel like it was added onto many occasions and built organically by using different roofing materials in different pavilions: horizontal roofs with parapet walls or sloped roofs with Spanish clay tile,” states Gritton.

Gritton & Associates Architects

A number of the exterior spaces on the back elevation are coated, due to Florida’s torrential summer rains (as opposed to the uncovered patios of this arid Southwest). The living room windows function as focal point with a number of large, stepped, fixed panes of glass. Wings open at obtuse angles to reach out and embrace the horse pasture and surrounding environment.

Gritton & Associates Architects

The stairway’s natural shape makes it feel like it is carved from a mud wall. A beautiful chandelier in the round tower component generates comparison with the milky, light-washed ceiling. A dried chili pepper garland wraps round the railing, adding a personal touch.

Gritton & Associates Architects

From the covered porch, you may see the pool, horse paddock and side yard. A corner fireplace anchors the porch, and the visible flue accents the ceiling elevation. Splashy colors on the fireplace complement the most vibrant Adirondack chairs.

Gritton & Associates Architects

The living room serves as a gathering space and provides optimum views of the pool and horse paddock. Gritton states, “The substances remain consistent in this room: clay tile floors, stucco troweled walls, wood-beam ceilings. All the accessories are the homeowners’ touch and create a personal feel in this space.”

Gritton & Associates Architects

The foyer hall sets the tone of the home. Openings leading to the wings flank each side. These openings are stabilized by timber beams and shaped to resemble “donkey” door openings — a unique touch.

Gritton & Associates Architects

“Notice the way the clay tile flooring changes pattern into some 45-degree [angle] which helps you to define the distance and anchor the dining table,” states Gritton. Rough- sawn wood timbers framework the tall coffer from the ceiling, and green paint accents the arched market, which uses another beam as a display shelf for more accessories.

Gritton & Associates Architects

The back porch is one of many that include heavy timber columns and beams, coupled with rough-sawn wood mounts. The majority of the porches serve a dual purpose as flow corridors. Lantern-style wall sconces line the porches to provide light as well as Western detailing.

Gritton & Associates Architects

River stones add an outdoor texture to the shower, which has been designed to feel spacious, “almost as though you were taking a shower out in a horse stable,” states Gritton.

Gritton & Associates Architects

The homeowners wanted the tub to create the space feel as rustic as you possibly can. “We did this by putting it on a platform and employing a traditional stand-alone tub with a foundation,” states Gritton. “The tub is lit with a rustic wrought-iron chandelier. Decorative heavy timber beams and the same heavy-duty iron plates continue to give the illusion which the timbers, posts and beams are actually structural.”

Authenticity has been of extreme importance to Gritton’s customers, who wanted both the exterior and interior to stay true to Southwestern style. Gritton says that the residence is “a beautiful, approachable home that doesn’t feel quite as large as it actually is. Kudos to the homeowners for the personalized layout details; they are what attract the home to life.”

More:
Historic Home in Austin, Texas
Tahoe Ridge House
Pattern Play: Subtle Southwest Style
Southwestern Chic
Home Design Suggestions for the Cowgirl at Heart

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White Vases Hold Secret Twist

You only finished arranging all the new furniture and placing the rug in your newly painted room, and yet it seems unfinished and empty. My go-to remedy for adding that well-styled designer touch is to display a cool assortment of white vases and dishware. They’re easy to findeasy to fit to any present décor and simple to integrate into any kind of room.

Leclair Decor

A group of otherwise shaped tall and brief vases that are kept cohesive by using their minimalist white porcelain bodies is the objective.

Atmosphere Interior Design Inc..

Upgrade a so-so room to some showcaseworthy sample with a wonderful arrangement of snowy ceramic vases onto a games console. I love how they match the monochromatic tones of the sitting room.

FrontPorch

You don’t need to invest in many vases. You can test out the look first by clustering two or even three on a games console tablethen grow from there.

Horst Architects

Finding an arrangement of light ceramic vases onto a dining table isn’t what I would expect here, so it seems fresh.

Crestview Floors

I’m actually smitten with a single row of identical white vases, each having a spring of greenery, across the dining table. This type of very simple arrangement really brightens up the space.

Alabama Sawyer

The kitchen is a natural home for your empty vases maintained handy close to the sink to fill with water for fresh flowers. Housed one of other white dishware, especially in open shelving, they look just right.

Ilija Mirceski

White with organic timber is among my favorite end mixes. The combination of pearly vases on white floating shelves against a darker timber panel is stunning in any room.

Anthony Baratta LLC

Alabaster vases need not be simplistic. In this dining room setting, they’re downright exotic and kooky. Think beyond the box when incorporating this idea in your décor.

Dawna Jones Design

And don’t forget the bathrooms. They can use a decorator’s closing touch as well.

IKEA

PERSIKA Vase – $3.99

IKEA is a superb source for a supercheap vase to start your own arrangement. You simply won’t find much variation in size and shape.

West Elm

Pure White Ceramic Vase Collection – $10

West Elm offers an whole lineup of differently sized, somewhat glossy white ceramic vases at moderate rates.

2Modern

Shine Labs – Avalon Vase – $158

2 Modern also has a fine offering.

Etsy

The Bloom Collection Vase by Aedriel Originals – $15.99

I love the cheekiness of concealed colour inside these vases out of Etsy.

More:
Developing a Tablescape

More Than Flowerpots: Amazing Vases

9 Ways to Decorate with White

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Get It Done: Whip That Junk Drawer Into Form

I know the purpose of the catch-all drawer should be you could throw whatever you want in there and not worry a lot about business. The problem is, it tends to reach a point when you can’t find anything, and you realize there’s significant stuff inside. This is when it has demoted from “catch-all drawer” to “junk drawer.”

The catch-all drawer is usually near your front or side door or at the kitchen; it usually has in it the stuff that you need as you depart or enter the home: keys, checks, stamps, rubber bands, paper clips, sunglasses, camera, chargers, pens, measuring tape and Post-Its. The catch-all drawer is really a highly individualized space — everybody might have entirely different things in it. You simply need to be certain the catch-all is not behaving as a Venus flytrap, grabbing and devouring all of your things. Let us get started.

How to Organize Your Catch-all Drawer

spare time: 1 hour plus possible shopping period

Installation: Possessing a wastepaper basket along with a recycling bin near, and another box for stuff that you are going to be discovering new homes for.

More: Take a before picture for Additional satisfaction when you’re done.

Before Photo

1. Open the drawer. Take a good look at all of the stuff in there and be thankful you’re doing this. Within an hour or less, your drawer will proceed from crap standing to organized-necessities status.

2. Empty and assess. I am really doing this job as I write this ideabook. I will discuss some silly items in the drawer that aren’t helpful to me at all :
Eyeglasses with hideous frames from about 20 prescriptions agoHardened Liquid Paper (I don’t have some use for Liquid Paper anymore)5 collections of Delta Airlines headsets6 inches of carpet tape, that is perhaps enough to use a dollhouse area rug.Packaging and cans for each iPhone and iPod I’ve ever owned, including a few who are no longer in my possession. I don’t really require a shrine to Steve Jobs taking up space in here.By the way, this is among my 2 catch-all drawers.

3. Pause and ponder. Out of all of the items in this drawer, what can you really use, and what’s handy to have in this spot? What goes in a different place?

Determine: Would it be handier to have your own stamps and checkbooks in your office? Would you want to spread a few of the 10 Post-It pad around the home where you might need them? Is this the place in which you would like to keep every pencil you own, or do you want them in other places in the home? Shouldn’t that raffia be hanging out with the other wrap supplies?

Bottom line: This is prime property. Only items that you use regularly and in the close vicinity of the drawer should find a spot in this drawer.

Shannon Ggem ASID

4. Sort everything.
Give your drawer a good wipe-down. Put aside the items that belong on your catch-all drawer.Throw old newspaper (coupons that died four decades ago, luggage claim checks, ticket stubs) from the recycling bin.Toss the material that is as worthless as hardened. Liquid Paper belongs in the trash. Place the items that are going to be put away in new houses in the other box. Carry said box around and place everything in its designated space.

Lonny at K and B

5. Determine whether you want to go shopping. Take a look at what’s left and what type of organizers you’ll need to keep it all in place. A silverware or makeup drawer organizer may suffice; even if your drawer is heavy, you might choose to utilize shoeboxes. Cardboard jewelry boxes might be built to maintain your goodies too.

Organize

Mesh Drawer Organizer – $4.79

Luckily for me, I did this job about five decades ago and bought a lot of these mesh drawer organizers at The Container Store. Obviously, this cleanout is a job that needs to happen more frequently than each five decades.

Hammocks & High Tea

Grey Chevron Drawer Liners – $25

6. Shop

If you would like to add some flair to your drawer, buy some stylin’ contact paper and line it.

The Container Store

Lucite Drawer Organizer – $19.99

By now you may tell what type of configuration you’ll need for your organizers — it is time to pick out them. If you have invested in the above contact newspaper, Lucite organizers will let it show through.

The Container Store

Bisley Five-Drawer Cabinet – $99.99

You might decide you want more than just one catch-all drawer, or you may need for your items to be placed somewhere that does not have a drawer. If this is so, invest in a tabletop cabinet and be sure to label each drawer so.

EliteWatchWinders

Heiden Deluxe Charging Station Valet – $139.95

7. Reward Your Efforts

If your cords and personal electronics are giving you fits, treat yourself to a charging station. It will continue to keep all of these important elements in one place and keep your cords from becoming tangled and knotted.

Jennifer Weiss Architecture

This is the greatest catch-all spot. It’s built in chargers (something to think about) along with a minimalist, modern appearance. Most of our catch-all drawers won’t ever look this great, but we could try.

Inform me : What are a few of the crazy things you discovered on your junk drawer?

Browse more weekend projects

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Patterns at Play at a Scotts Valley Home

When Stacey Costello and her husband, Brian, made a decision to update from their little bungalow, they found a easy tract home that has been an ideal canvas for adapting to their lifestyle. “It was size at first sight,” says Stacey. “The inside was like a mansion for us. It was a simple tract home, but we knew we can do everything to make it our own.”

They worked together to redesign and personalize almost every aspect of their house since then — such as all the surfaces, the light, the flooring and the facade. Now their house is a unique and gorgeous addition to their neighborhood and a real manifestation of the loved ones.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Stacey and Brian Costello, son Patrick and dogs Ruby and Coco
Location: Scotts Valley, California
Size: 2,400 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, office

Shannon Malone

“I stuck to three to four colors to keep it calm and easy,” Stacey says. “I mainly use greens, whites, creams and chocolates.” She loves how the neutral tones and white walls set the scene due to her decor, furniture and art.

Nearly all paint throughout the house is custom-mixed Benjamin Moore.

Leather seat: Crate & Barrel

Shannon Malone

Stacey is a interior designer, so her home frequently ends up being a style lab to test potential ideas for her customers — she consistently has more custom throw pillows than necessary. She rearranges them frequently and plays different color combinations, designs and fabrics.

The coffee table is a family heirloom dining room table that has been cut with her grandfather.

Sofas: Restoration Hardware; ceiling light: classic mercury glass

Shannon Malone

The kitchen “was such a labour of love. I simply love being in here,” she says. The couple changed every detail in this area: flooring, cabinets, lighting, appliances and window treatments. The color of the backsplash tile has been custom created by Sonoma Tilemakers.

Shannon Malone

This is where her family gathers and hangs out often. “I am big on eating every meal along with a family,” she says.

Though she loves her cabinets, Stacey plans to eventually repaint them white.

Light fixture: Urban Electric

Shannon Malone

A daring purple wall color and an artful display of styled Manolo Blahnik shoe prints make for a stunning statement from the downstairs powder room. Stacey also made the shower curtains with two picture materials.

Paint color: Bonne Nuit, Benjamin Moore

Shannon Malone

The formal living area doubles as a dining room and entertaining area, and will be home to Stacey’s selection of serving pieces and collectibles. She had this hutch custom built for the distance.

Stacey refinished and handpainted the dining table, including custom slip covers for the seats. For a better transition to the living room seating area, she uses a backless seat as seating.

Shannon Malone

Stacey instantly fell in love with this collection of classic French patio seats in a store in Mill Valley, California. After arriving home, she could not quit considering the set, so she called the store in hopes of purchasing it, only to find out it was marketed.

As luck would have it, it was her husband who purchased the seats and was planning to give them as a present. “Brian knew I’d call the store asking for them, and made sure that the employee didn’t inform me he’d bought them,” Stacey says.

Floor light: Saffron and Genevieve

Shannon Malone

Stacey loves the accumulated, layered look. She is inspired by a Really feminine and somewhat French aesthetic, and by designers like Mary McDonald, Jan Showers, Charlotte Moss and Susan Kasler.

This faux fireplace in the living area was passed to Stacey from her grandma. It was added here specifically to exhibit the mirror.

Coffee table: Craigslist

Shannon Malone

The living room sofa is a custom upholstered piece by Lee Industries, decorated with throw pillows designed by Stacey.

In the formal living area and the family area, classic shutters found at a store in Los Gatos, California, add architectural interest.

Shannon Malone

Custom rug lining on the staircase gives the household dogs more grip on the flooring.

This seat on the staircase is a reupholstered family heirloom. Stacey’s father built the shelving unit, and it is currently home to a selection of antiques.

Art: Cary Nowell

Shannon Malone

Stacey altered the upstairs landing to a workspace for her style company. The office area is covered with personal sources of inspiration and unique artwork.

Shannon Malone

This dresser on the staircase landing was Stacey’s first classic purchase. She purchased it for $99 when she was 16, and it’s moved with her to each new home.

Shannon Malone

Stacey’s workspace leads to one of the bedrooms, which functions as an additional work area for the arts and crafts.

Shannon Malone

“My son, Patrick, wanted his room for a ‘gentleman’s room,” Stacey says. Keeping this in mind, she made with darker brown and grey colors, aiming for a more complicated but still young aesthetic.

Shannon Malone

Stacey picked a dark blue hue for Patrick’s upstairs bath, giving the space a more masculine feel. She made custom-made curtains, additional accumulated decor and changed out the mirror.

Paint: Newburyport Blue, Benjamin Moore

Shannon Malone

Stacey chose neutral colors and a unisex decor for the master bedroom. The mattress is made of walnut with a custom made and a custom-designed canopy. She had the small tufted seat made for their dogs to enjoy.

Shannon Malone

The couple gutted the master bath, raising the bathtub size and the shower area. They installed custom cabinets and tile, and also an integrated medication cupboard disguised as a wall mounted mirror.

Tile: Sonoma Tilemakers; stool: Wisteria

Shannon Malone

Stacey brought her decorating technique for her garden, too. “I layered all the plants and decor to provide it more privacy,” she says.

Shannon Malone

Brian wanted the outside of their house to have an appearance that was similar to that which he watched growing up on the East Coast. The couple additional shingled siding, larger columns, a custom made door and an overhang above the door.

Shannon Malone

The Costellos’ two dogs, Ruby and Coco (here with Stacey) are a big part of the family members and provide a warm welcome to all their visitors.

Do you reside in a gathered, personalized home? Share it with us!

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8 Natural Home Materials That Can Not Be Performed

Listen, I understand we architects can be difficult. More often than not, we don’t listen and we don’t respect the owner’s budget. Or at least these are of. However, there are many wonderful possibilities and opportunities. It is just that we view every how each job has a really fascinating story to tell, and we want to use the complete selection of our language when telling that story.

A large portion of the language is the materials we choose. My preference, as with all these architects and other designers, would be to utilize natural substances. While human-made substances are good, and oftentimes the best thing to do, natural substances have a luminosity and depth of color that can’t be beat. Along with the uniqueness of every piece of quarried stone, batch of hand-mixed stucco and sawn wood board contributes to the narrative about you and only you.

Some preferred natural substances that just don’t have an artificial equal are under. Which would you prefer to their synthetic counterparts?

AIA, Tom Meaney Architect

Natural stucco. Although it costs a little more and requires a little more upkeep, there are many reasons to utilize natural stucco over synthetic stucco — the best of which is that natural stucco will take on a patina as it ages a synthetic stucco just won’t. So rather than all uniform and monolithic, I’ll choose irregular and full of character.

Mason Miller Architect

Quarried stone. Not one of those laminates or the quartz substances can have the variety and character of quarried rock. So to get a counter my preference is granite, marble, granite, marble or soapstone. The veining and color is exceptional for every single piece, and the visual thickness is unsurpassed.

Carson Poetzl, Inc..

Clay tile. Like the stucco walls which encourage them, clay tile roofs are all made by mixing natural substances and forming the mix into a distinctive form. As every tile weathers and ages otherwise, the whole roof takes on the impression it has been there forever and will continue to be there for some time.

2fORM Architecture

Wood siding. Many will tell you to stay away from wood siding. They will say you’ll spend your evenings refinishing the outside of your house rather than appreciating life.

Not Correct. A well-installed and well-finished wood siding may last a lifetime or more without a longer maintenance demands than any other substance. As an instance, on this home the beautiful cedar shingles protected by the broad roof overhang will age beautifully and gracefully and be present for several years to come.

Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

Wood decking. Along with also a wood deck is far more inviting than one made from a composite substance. Each plank will weather in its own pace and choose on such a patina that states, “Come, sit and enjoy the view.”

PMWArchitects

Copper. Stainless Steel will constantly seem shiny and new; aluminum has to be painted, anodized or completed; but copper, like a favorite grandparent, just gets better with age. Even inside, where it will age more slowly, copper offers character to this modern and spartan setting.

Stonewood, LLC

Natural stone. Newer quarrying and production techniques enable us to utilize natural rock on walls where previously only artificial rock was accessible.

And while the producers of artificial rock do an excellent job creating some really nice items, nothing beats a natural rock for color and texture.

While we might someday have the ability to immediately manufacture substances which have taken eons to create, we just aren’t there yet.

Bruce Wright

Sunlight. Last, natural daylight beats generated light any day of the week. Does natural daylight make you feel better, but it conserves energy so is more sustainable. Maybe in your new house or another renovation project, you’re search for ways to bring more natural daylight inside.

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