Home Interior and Insurance: Oktober 2009

Jumat, 30 Oktober 2009

Happy Halloween!

Hope you and all the little ones have a fun Halloween!
Before I sign off, I wanted to share this great idea from a client's house. She purchased a cool, vintage "Skeletal System" poster from Etsy. We then installed it in her entry as a spooky welcome for all those trick-or-treaters. I also couldn't resist posting this little cutie in such an adorable dress:)

Sabtu, 24 Oktober 2009

A Must-See Open House

You're probably thinking I'm going to say this is some far off tropical island or something, right? Actually, this home is right in the middle of good ole' Houston. I had to do a double take and make sure that was right. Its so serene looking, who knew? If you are here in H-town, you can go see this beautiful place tomorrow (Sunday).

All the wonderful white is so alluring. Oh, I only need a little more than 1 mill and it can be all mine:)

Jumat, 23 Oktober 2009

Garden Ideas : Make a Tree Look Like a Giant Plant with the Tree Pot

If you are looking for some ideas for your garden, then this might be something interesting. Have you ever tought at a pot for a tree ? Just take a look at these images to see how a tree would look like in a pot. The Treepot can create the illusion that there is actually a pot, but the pot is made out of 2 identical parts. It can be placed around trees which are already there, so no cutting, chopping otherwise digging is necessary, simply click the 2 parts of the Treepot around it also top up with gravel. The pot also provides a perfect seating place also can be filled with water to weigh it down. The Tree Pot has 120 cm diameter, and 50 cm high, and if you want to order more than 6 pieces they ( PID ) can make it any colour you want.

Friday Favorite: Mary Kate McDevitt

Its Friday, so lets remind ourselves to think positively. Personally, I am always working on that. As we all know, some days its a lot easier to get negative and gloomy. That's why I love Mary Kay McDevitt's uplifting illustrations. There great little reminders to keep your chin up:)

(Some of you may remember when I featured her former home here. Take a peek, its a fun place)

Hope all of you have a cheery weekend!

Rabu, 21 Oktober 2009

The Color Of Portugal

Oh how I love finding something new! Although I have often read Interiors Magazine, I had never seen their website. Its amazing! You can scroll through the periodical online and see their amazing photos. See it here. The current issue features this Technicolor house in Portugal.

I think I will literally dream about this kitchen and these cabinets for weeks! Wow!!

I love that the interior of the home, although with very bright accents; is grounded with subdued neutral tones. (Unlike the exterior that is) I wish in America we could be much more bold with our color, like so many other parts of the world.

Senin, 19 Oktober 2009

Green Goes Gorgeous

Thankfully the mention of a green building no longer conjures up images of crunchy granola concrete boxes covered with photovoltaics. Think of all the stunning spaces you’ve seen recently that – oh, by the way – happen to be green: hotels, restaurants, offices, schools, houses of worship. Examples abound.

Green gorgeousness has ratcheted up another notch with the opening of CharityWorks GreenHouse, a designer show house in McLean Virginia. A developer and a contractor conceived the idea to create a space they would want to live in. They didn’t pursue any specific green technologies but used the use best and brightest technologies out there that are cost effective, made sense and are beautiful.

This carbon neutral, Craftsman-style home is, at its best, a show house for energy efficiency. The recycled content Energy Star rated metal roof reduces heat load by 22 percent. Structural insulated panel (SIPs) construction is 15 times tighter than a traditionally built home. Its narrow footprint lets in a lot of light and facilitates air flow.

The house is heated and cooled by geothermal, radiant tubing and ducts; it is 70 percent more efficient than a standard system. An energy management “smart home” system monitors all lighting and mechanical systems and can be controlled from an iPhone app. All this adds up to energy consumption projected to be 70 – 80 percent less per square foot than a comparable new home. Based on the Energy Star Yardstick, this house is more energy efficient than 99.9 percent of the homes built since 2000.

Low-flow fixtures, recirculating water features, rainwater capture and recycling systems reduce water use to 30-40 percent less than a traditional home. There are also two green roofs and a vertical herb garden. A passive wine cellar uses the earth’s temperature and concrete to maintain the correct temperature with no refrigeration. Wood floors throughout are reclaimed heart pine from old Virginia factory.

The interior designers responsible for the 18 spaces in this 4,000 square foot house made good use of the ever-increasing market of green finishes and furnishings. My favorites: bath and kitchen countertops made from recycled glass, mirrors, porcelain and industrial furnace residuals; custom designed furniture by Ernesto Santalla made from compressed particle wood, recycled paper and corrugated cardboard; all of the repurposed artifacts such as the 1900s cremorne bolts (originally used as French door hardware) that Susan Gulick hung as wall art.

This house is gorgeous, inside and out. Not all of the spaces are as deeply green as others, but they all have plenty to teach the many visitors who will tour the home before it closes at the end of October. Kudos to Cunningham/Quill Architects, West Group developers and GreenSpur builders.

Sabtu, 17 Oktober 2009

Did You Start The Rumpus?

I know, I know...one more blogger writing about this movie! I'm just really excited about it too:) I remember so clearly the first time I was introduced to this book. It was via a cool 80's show called Reading Rainbow. Anyone remember that? Anyway, the book captured my imagination instantly. I can't wait to see it. Hopefully, I can take Liam, but I'm debating it. He's only 4 and I'm never quite sure what will scare him and what won't. I've read the book to him a couple of times only because he said it was scary. Maybe I was a little too animated in my story telling...oops. If any of you have already seen it, I would like to get some feedback.

Two of my favorite articles about Where the Wild Things Are, can be found via Mocking Bird
and a blog I just found today called "We Love You So". I am very smitten with both of these sites. I found this adorable video there. These kids are having so much fun and I love their modern furniture too;)

Jumat, 16 Oktober 2009

Luxurious Private Residence in The Pacific Palisades

This house is a private residence up for sale here for the sum of $3,499,000. The project belongs to Gallagher Design and it is a display of opulence and style. The whole property is situated on a surface of 9191.0 sq. feet and the surroundings are magnificent. The building houses an impressive number of rooms: seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a home theater, an impressive kitchen, a wine cellar, a spacious garage and not to mention an unbelievable yard and a special rooftop observatory where you can enjoy the ocean view. All these are complemented by a tasteful interior design with many modern elements.

Kamis, 15 Oktober 2009

Happy, Happy Birthday!

(lamps via: Decor 8 and chandelier via 1st dibs)

To me!! Yay!
I am one of those obnoxious persons who likes to tell everyone about my birthday! You know I want to wear a big button on my shirt that talks about it, or a birthday tiara. When I was a kid I never understood why I didn't get an automatic day off from school on my special day!
So, I am going to tell all of you about it today. Ha, ha! I am turning the big 34! It freaks me out a bit, because I've always imagined the threshold for being a "mature adult" as turning 35. Now I only have one year to really get my act together. Aahhh, I don't know if I'm ready!
To celebrate, I put together a wish list of gifts, for myself. I thought some of you might enjoy it also:)

(Top left: Billy Reid Bottom left: Nivaldo de Lima Right:Shrimpton Couture )

Terry Graziano

I would take anything and everything from this shop. It was a struggle to keep it down to only three!
Funny enough, this month also marks the second anniversary of my blog. I am reminded how much I have loved getting to know so many wonderful people via this site. I appreciate all of you who stop in to check on me everyday:) I hope to keep writing this for a long time and I hope to get to know all of you more and more.
So thanks everyone!