Author: Atrace

A Single Painting Births a Home's Whole Palette

Atrace

Netherlands interior designer Sonia van der Zwaan-Barrigas along with her husband adored a painting by Portuguese artist Mario Rita so much, they chose their color palette and furnishings to complement this one beloved piece.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Sonia van der Zwaan-Barrigas, her husband and 2 kids
Location: Eemnes, Netherlands, 15 miles from Amsterdam.
Size: 140 square meters (1,500 square feet); 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom

Gosto lifestyle & design

Such as the cherished painting, shown here from the dining room, the property’s color palette revolves around colors of white and gray with bright accessories. The accessories change by season.

Table: Kubus, Het Kabinet; tablecloth: plastic from local shop; lighting: Muuto; gold sequined pillow: H&M

Gosto lifestyle & design

The kitchen, living room and dining room make up the fantastic room on the primary floor, one of three degrees from the house. Van der Zwaan-Barrigas enjoys opening up the doors to the garden and enjoying the fresh air.

Backsplash: glass mosaic tiles, Trend Vitreo; range/hood: Bosch; stool: Ikea

Gosto design & lifestyle

The couple replaced an outside wall on the main floor with glass doors and windows, resulting in an open design which allows for constant natural light. “I wanted a bright Scandinavian look, but I wanted it to be stylish and cozy,” says van der Zwaan-Barrigas.

Countertops: Silestone; Granite: Eggerman

Gosto design & lifestyle

The house has an eclectic mix of classic and playful pieces. Big standout pieces — such as the Eames chairs and red lamps — blend with much more textural furniture. A rusted locker cupboard, cushions made from recycled blankets and other knickknacks add patina to the room. “Mix and match is my motto,” says van der Zwaan-Barrigas.

Metal lockers: Het Kabinet

Gosto design & lifestyle

True to her roots, she plays Scandinavian design components, mixing in various colors and styles. Lots of her accessories come out of her shop, Gosto Design & Lifestyle, but she preferred for more timeless furniture throughout the house.

Coffee table: Het Kabinet; sofas: Crack by Machalke (discontinued); cushions: H&M and Fine Little Day; console: Ikea; poster: Studio Velvet; candelabra: Muuto; storage house: Ferm Living

Gosto design & lifestyle

Van der Zwaan-Barrigas painted one of those partitions in the the living room and the bedroom to add visual depth. Employing the identical color helps tie the house together. “It’s a simple trick with a fantastic impact,” she states.

Wall color: Klei, Histor; bed frame, side table: Ikea; pillow: Donna Wilson; lamp: Muuto

Gosto lifestyle & design

The renovated attic is presently a joint guest room and home office. Van der Zwaan-Barrigas coated the walls at the same Cole & Sons wallpaper that’s from the entrance.

Gosto lifestyle & design

Van der Zwaan-Barrigas and her husband made this children’s stand from metal pipes, clamping fixtures along with a simple pine countertop.

Gosto lifestyle & design

She and her husband built and designed this boyish children’s wardrobe.

Gosto lifestyle & design

The couple decided durable porcelain tile floors in this traffic-heavy part of the house. A glossy taupe paint onto the staircase is in accord with the neutral color palette.

Pendant mild: Norm 03, Normann Copenhagen

Gosto lifestyle & design

The kitchen and the bathroom were both tiled at precisely the same glass tile — in different colors — to link the spaces.

Tile: Glass mosaic, Trend Vitreo collection; floors: porcelain, Cotto d’Este

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Large-Scale Pieces Give Small Cabinets Huge Style

Atrace

If you’re furnishing a tiny room, chances are your instinct is to maintain the furniture small also. But that strategy can translate into a space which feels cluttered and precious, as though it belongs in a dollhouse. It might sound counterintuitive, but try the other tack: Overscale furnishings, art or fixtures can actually make a room feel bigger instead of smaller, and they evoke an air of warmth and relaxation. Use these approaches to pull the look off.

Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab

Utilize the mirror effect. If there’s a trustworthy suggestion for opening up a tiny room, it’s adding a massive mirror. This one is massive, but the manifestation makes it feel transparent, therefore it does not seem like it hulks within the space. In fact, it provides enough visual expansion to permit for an overscale table as well.

Bosworth Hoedemaker

Keep the footprint small. This is one of the great secrets of supplying a pint-size space: Bring in large-scale pieces which have a shallow footprint. This way, you are going to find the presence and gravitas of overscale furniture without consuming too much floor area.

Juxtapose bigger furnishings with spacious vistas. Were this tall secretary tucked from two solid walls, it may have loomed too large for the space. Nevertheless, the adjoining window allows the eye to travel to the exterior perspective, which helps to make the impression of more space and to produce the secretary feel suitable in scale.

Andre Rothblatt Architecture

Proceed vertical. Small rooms often have more space on the walls than on the floors. In this Lilliputian kitchen, an oversized range hood, a full wall of shelving and hanging pot racks free up sufficient room underfoot to put in a good-size butcher block island.

Jennifer – Rambling Renovators

Pick curved bits. Rounded tables, corners and other components occupy less visual space than furnishings with sharp corners. This dining room would feel a whole lot more cramped with a rectangular dining table.

Lauren Gries

Be creative with placement. In a perfect world, you would not be required to block a window or obstruct a pathway with all furniture. But in tiny rooms, sometimes you want to break the rules. These homeowners managed to squeeze a full size bed into this narrow bedroom by backing it against the window. By keeping the headboard light and open, they have allowed as much sunlight to penetrate as you can.

Garret Cord Werner Architects & Interior Designers

Channel your inner minimalist. This built in credenza dominates the small bedroom, but it works because its size removes the need for additional case merchandise.

usona

Keep the palette . What makes this towering headboard, oversize folding display and grand bed work? A coordinated color scheme of grey, white and black, which prevents any single component from quitting the eye. High-contrast colours would have created more visual separation and made the room feel fuller.

More:
8 Great Neutral Color Palettes for the Bedroom
Remake a Room With One Big Piece

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8 Ecofriendly Roof Options for Low Budgets and Upward

Atrace

My home will be needing a new roof in the not too distant future, and I have a record of features for this big-ticket item I expect to be able to tick off. I am seeking a roofing material that is long lasting, energy efficientand environmentally friendly and comparatively affordable.

Does such a roof exist? I put out to learn all I could about the present alternatives for eco friendly roofs came off with the five top contenders and three discretionary add-ons you will find here.

Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of every green choice, to allow you to discover the right ecofriendly roof for your home and budget.

Advanced Metal Roofing

White Roof, aka”Cool Roof”

Pros: A light-colored or white roof of any material can also be known as a”cool roof” because of this — it may significantly cool the roof’s temperature by reflecting the sun’s rays away from the home, keeping the interior of the house cooler as well. This reduces summertime bills and helps deter the”heat island” effect in cities. White asphalt shingles (such as the Energy Star–ranked GAF 25-Year Royal Sovereign White Shingles available at Home Depot) are similar in cost to normal, darker shingles, which makes this one of the least expensive eco friendly roofing choices.

Cons: Just because it’s a cool roof does not indicate it’s completely ecofriendly. When it’s made from asphalt shingles, then those are still oil based and are almost impossible to recycle. A metal roof in white can be a better choice.

See more about Energy Star ratings for roof materials

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

Standing-Seam Metal Roof

Pros: incredibly durable, long lasting, light reflective and completely recyclable, metal roofs are a great investment for anybody — not only green homeowners. You are able to ramp up the green factor by selecting a metal roof made out of recycled content and at a lighter color.

Cons: More expensive than asphalt shingles (though less than copper and slate), a standing-seam metal roof is a bigger investment up front. Also, homeowners in areas with heavy snowfall should include a plan for dealing with snow it slips right off metal roofs, possibly creating substantial drifts around the outside of the home.

The Benefits of a Metal Roof

Jeffrey Dungan Architects

Sustainable Wood Shake or Shingle Roof

Pros: Natural and biodegradablewood shingles from sustainably managed forests are a good option if you’ve got your heart set on the timeless look of wood shingles. The Green Depot carries FSC-certified cedar shingles.

Cons: Wood shingles are flammable, so that they may be controlled in some areas where fire danger is high. They’re also fairly expensive (the price is on par with metal roofing), and continue only 15 to 25 years, whereas metal roofs may last 40 to 50 years.

Noel Cross+Architects

Reclaimed Clay or Slate Tile Roof

Pros: Durable and natural, clay and slate tiles have a lengthy history in roof and are still highly coveted today. Nothing complements a Spanish-style house better than the traditional curve of reddish clay tiles, and slate does wonders to enhance the look of elegant historic homes. Even longer-lasting than metal, clay and slate tiles may last up to 100 years. Clay tile may also be utilized in lighter colours, which supply cool-roof benefits. Salvaged tile is the greenest option, keeping usable tile out of landfills.

Cons: Clay and slate tiles are extremely expensive, typically twice as much per square foot as metal roof. Tile is also very heavy, which means some reinforcement of the roof is usually required, adding to the price. You can also anticipate regular maintenance costs to replace chipped and broken tiles.

Jeffrey Dungan Architects

Recycled-Content Shingle Roof

Pros: A growing number of shingles in the marketplace these days have recycled content, from those that mimic the look of cedar shakes (like those from EcoStar) to recycled slate-look shingles (like these available at Green Depot). These choices give an appealing lower-cost option to expensive slate and sustainable timber, while offering green benefits like a manufacturer recycling program along with a 50-year product life span.

Cons: From what I have observed, none of those recycled-content shingles available on the market today are available in white, so cooling benefits may not be optimal (though this may vary, as new products are always being developed).

Birdseye Design

Add-On Number 1: Solar Panels

Pros: Today’s solar panels are less expensive than they once were, may be fitted onto several styles of existing roofs (that portion of your roof facing south is important) and has the potential to save you a major chunk of change on your electricity bills in the long run.

Cons: The first installation costs are still fairly high, and you won’t recover your investment with electricity savings for several years. So if you’re planning to move anytime soon, it might be wiser to wait to set up solar panels on your next house.

Feldman Architecture, Inc..

Add-On Number 2: Green Roof

Pros: Adding insulation, cooling your house, cleaning the atmosphere and decreasing the amount of storm-water runoff are only a few of the benefits of incorporating a green roof to your house. Planting green roofs in urban areas may also help enhance the heat-island effect and add natural beauty to what’s usually a neglected space.

Cons: apart from the initial installation (which can be expensive depending on how big your roof and also the type of garden), a green roof may also need some structural reinforcement to encourage the burden of these plants and dirt.

Upkeep also may be an issue — even automatic irrigation systems and native plant gardens need maintenance from time to time, along with other roof repairs may be more difficult when workers will need to get areas under the layers.

See more cooling rooftop gardens

CG&S Design-Build

Add-On Number 3: Roof Overhangs

Pros: Roof overhangs are great ways to cool your house. When properly positioned, a deep roof overhang can shade your house from sunlight, reducing electricity and electricity expenses.

Cons: The price of adding a roof overhang may be high, but if you’re already planning modifications to your house’s structure or are building from scratch, then it may be well worth it to look into adding a deep overhang.

Feldman Architecture, Inc..

The bottom line: There is not any one-size-fits-all solution, but I was pleasantly surprised at the resource-saving choices in the marketplace today. From recycled products to only picking a lighter colour in a conventional roof material, there is a green choice to fit pretty much every budget.

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'Houses + Origins' Shows an Architect's Procedure

Atrace

Houses + Origins, published in July 2012 by Images Publishing, is the first monograph in the work of WA Design, David Stark Wilson’s firm in Berkeley, California, but it’s not Wilson’s very first publication. That honour goes to the 2003 name Structures of Utility, a collection of black and white photographs which Wilson shot in California and other parts of the West, documenting the region’s natural beauty and rural architecture. Not surprisingly, but hardly intentionally, those photos and the trips that allowed them influenced his residential layouts.

This new monograph’s name spells out the continuing impact of natural features on Wilson’s architecture. Houses + Origins collects 10 jobs — nine homes and a single office building — three of which I have written about earlier: the Berkeley Courtyard House, the Tahoe Ridge House along with the Willits Compound. This ideabook appears within the pages of this book’s very first chapter, which documents that the Berkeley Courtyard House, talking it specifically and in the larger context of this monograph.

WA Design Architects

The cover features the Berkeley Courtyard House, its own central space with pools against a narrow canyon with its bed of plain water. The publication “shows the impact of seeing things in a wider context,” says architecture author Stephen Crafti about the rear cover. “The homes featured in the publication, designed by Wilson in conjunction with architect Chris Parlette, show the significance of understanding that the word ‘context.'”

However, since the cover illustrates, inspiration can be remote, removed from a job’s immediate context.

WA Design Architects

Each project is recorded in a similar vein, starting with an outside photo on a two-page disperse.

WA Design Architects

The large photo is followed by a two-page spread with the project description and an altitude or construction section. This one–just two punch links the photo (final product) with the drawing (process). In the instance of this Berkeley Courtyard House, the construction section is most important, because it shows the space between the 2 regions of the house and how the angled roofs correspond with one another.

WA Design Architects

Spreads split between photos of the house and the natural inspiration are interspersed among other photos and drawings. Here, a photo of the entrance sits across in the photo of fall leaves on the ground. The dappled impact of this multihued leaves is linked to the perforated wall next to the front door and the light routine it casts throughout it.

WA Design Architects

One of the most refreshing parts of the novel are where Wilson documents the siting of the homes. Small photos of the property as faced by the architect and the client sit atop a site program. The photos illustrate the effort and consideration in determining where the homes were found, decisions which impacted the shape, orientation, openings and other aspects of the websites.

The land for the Berkeley Courtyard House needed a house on it until fire destroyed it in 1991. The tiered hillside and remote perspectives toward San Francisco Bay made several things clear, especially orientation.

WA Design Architects

Each project includes floor plans attracted continuously and clearly labeled and keyed. Photographs can also be numbered and described in captions, although regrettably the locations of these photos are not included on the programs. This could have helped orient men and women that are not well versed in reading floor plans. Yes, most people who buy architectural monographs are architects, however, ones on residential buildings have a crossover appeal to a wider audience that’s undeniable. Extra effort, like keying photos to programs, would have aided in that regard.

WA Design Architects

People acquainted with WA Design’s homes will observe much of the same in these pages. But the novel shows multiple images together, as seen here, to enable comparisons and allow readers to draw them. Small photos on the left (click photo to view whole view) show the dining room and the kitchen (top) and a couple of the home’s stairs (underside), while a large, full-bleed photo on the right page extends to the leftside, making the movement throughout the courtyard to the north wing.

WA Design Architects

Another disperse makes clear the connection between the entrance (left) and the living room (right). Again, this can be an advantage of novels: You can see views of multiple graphics relative to one another.

WA Design Architects

This disperse puts photos of this Berkeley Courtyard House’s exterior spaces along the top. The bottom row comprises close-ups of landscape features. These details show that Wilson’s thinking about landscape is not solely concerning inspiration for architectural form; it extends to the implanted landscape around the house. Colors and textures are juxtaposed against the various substances that form the walls, the pools and other capabilities.

WA Design Architects

Last is just another spread showing a design and its own inspiration. Wilson’s captions read: “Zinc shingles and the autumn foliage of ginkgo trees” (left) and “A epidermis of glacial gloss on Sierra granite, Tuolumne Meadows, California” (right).

The factor flat/glossy and rough/muted nature of this granite contrasts with the regular routine of these zinc panels. And the juxtaposition of trees from the zinc is similar to the 2 variants in granite. Whether the granite was an inspiration for Wilson with this house or not, these spreads highlight the presence of nature in the imagination, which can be equally as important as its presence on earth.

Book: Houses + Origins (Graphics Publishing, 2012)

Tour WA Design jobs:
Berkeley Courtyard House
Tahoe Ridge House
Willits Compound

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Contractor Tips: Tune into Some Top-Notch TV Room

Atrace

Most households have a room where the most important activity is watching TV. We’re well past the age when all you needed was an outlet and a pair of rabbit ears — now, DVD players, game consoles, cable and satellites, computer networks and stereo systems can all communicate with your television. It makes sense to attempt to be ready for new apparatus and methods of communicating that will become commonplace in the future.

Whether you’ll be gutting your TV room, building it new or doing a remodel, the tips below can help you take advantage of it.

D’apostrophe design, inc..

Know the way the TV is going to be utilized. Unlike the kitchen, where there could be only one cook, the TV room generally gets used by everybody in the family room. Odds are, not everybody is going to be up to speed on what devices the other people in the household use, the way they use them and how they need to be wired.

Before planning the installation, bring everybody together and discuss which devices will be plugged into the TV, the dimensions of the plugs (important if you need to drill holes in furniture), the way they are controlled (by remote, wired joystick, wireless joystick, etc.) and how often they will be used.

You will also need this info to plan your own electrical power and storage requirements.

Consider glare. Consider the placement of the television relative to the windows in the room. You can always pull the drapes, however a small amount of light leaking around the sides of a window treatment may create a glare on the TV screen.

BW Interiors

Place the screen at eye level. If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace in your TV room, you’ve got two focal points at the space. Many people solve this problem by mounting the television over the fireplace. Many times, the viewing angle is too steep when a TV is put this large, and it is much better to put in it adjacent to the fireplace so that it could be lower.

A good rule of thumb is to mount it about eye level for all those seated. Sit on your couch (or one of equal elevation) at the distance it will be put out of your TV and see if it feels comfortable for viewing.

Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects

Plan for your speakers. If you would like surround sound, then buy the speaker system you need and then run the cables, rather than the other way around. This way you’ll know just how many speaker cables to operate and whether any areas of the system, like a subwoofer, will need a dedicated socket.

If you aren’t intending to start up walls, think about mounting the speakers high on the wall and installing crown molding to conceal the wires. They should still be run in wiremold to safeguard them but you won’t possess that unsightly station running around the room.

Attach the bracket to blocking. If you plan on mounting the TV into the wall, you will need to open up at least that part of the wall and put in solid wood blocking so you may attach it. Any heavy thing attached to the wall ought to have wood blocking installed, but especially something as expensive as the current TVs.

Scot Meacham Wood Design

Plan storage to your components. So you’ve had the conversation about what apparatus need to be hooked up to the television — but where are you really going to put them? If you don’t need them from the open, the two most common solutions would be to place them in a nearby cupboard or inside a piece of furniture.

Furniture is convenient as you can set it close to the TV as you need, but remember you will need to drill holes at the back, top or bottom to accommodate multiple wires. If you want to keep the doors shut and still utilize remote controls, you will need to purchase a signal repeater. And these devices generate a lot of heat, which means you’ll need to supply enough room for airflow.

In the event that you set everything in a cupboard, venting isn’t quite as much of an issue, but you will need to find a way to route the cables there, and you will also need a signal repeater.

FORMA Design

Build in flexibility. Technologies alter, and we often update one part of a system while retaining the remainder. Try to build some flexibility into your installation so you may conduct new or additional wires if they are needed in the future.

It’s standard to put in an access panel supporting bathtub plumbing. If you can, do this to your TV installation too. If you need to run cables into a wall in the future and also the wall is open now, set a PVC pipe at the wall so it’s easier to drop those cables into the cellar or your entrance panel.

Christopher Hoover – Environmental Design Services

TV sizes change, and they don’t generally get smaller. If you are going to construct a shelving unit around the TV, look at leaving additional space around the television for future upgrades.

Habitat Studio

Consider screens. If you want to hide the television out of view, you are able to mount screens like these. Pocket door hardware, available at most hardware stores, allows the screens to slip back and forth. Install cut which hangs down far enough across the front face to conceal the track.

Mahoney Architects & Interiors

If you’d like doors to start and then slip back, you’ll need a flipper door slip, which isn’t available at most hardware stores. Instead, you ought to purchase these from a woodworking site such as Rockler.

Another option is a lift, which permits you to conceal the television at a cabinet and raise it when you wish to watch.

TVs are not only seen in TV rooms. Even in the event that you don’t need a TV in the kitchen, then think beforehand. If you are planning a renovation, it’s easy to run a cable to this (or a different) room in the event you reconsider — or if you want to sell the home for a TV lover’s paradise.

More:
The Way Smart TV Will Change Your Living Room
Where to Put the TV Whenever the Wall Will Not Work
More Suggestions for Your Media Room

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Trapdoor

Atrace

A trapdoor’s attractiveness is its footprint. When open, a trapdoor provides access to spaces below or over in an almost covert method. When closed, the trapdoor is a flush surface, either a load-bearing floor or a hatchway to an attic. No square footage is lost in spaces with a trapdoor.

David Edrington, Architect

Most people consider tree houses or attics when they envision a trapdoor. Dormers add enough headroom to produce this loft a bedroom, and also the trapdoor succeeds in making it a cool one with lots of floor space.

A wine cellar is found in the cool depths beneath this kitchen’s trapdoor.

LU Décor

A clear acrylic trapdoor provides access to a open-tread spriral staircase. Plexiglas sheets are strong and have clear clarity.

Adding a trapdoor is a unique way to raise storage space below a staircase.

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Bohemian Elegance in a Space

Atrace

Vintage light, custom made upholstery and artful vignettes turned this 800-square-foot house into a vibrant and diverse Los Angeles escape. “I am a sucker for this Palm Springs vibe,” says operator Angel Quintana. “I think having colour in every room keeps it exciting and shows a sense of humor. A self-described “flea market junkie,” Quintana has a penchant for unique vintage finds and vibrant fabrics that has imbued her space using the energy and a style all her own.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Angel Quintana, her husband and their dog, Bobo
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 800 square feet; two bedrooms (1 utilized as a workplace), 1 bath
That’s interesting: Quintana once functioned for interior designer Ruthie Sommers.

Madison Modern Home

Quintana and Bobo perch on a custom sofa from Monarch. “Start purchasing some crucial pieces prior to buying a house,” Quintana advises. “I think people buy a house and then do not have sufficient furniture to fill it up. I discover that classic pieces can always be worked into a new area, and other pieces could be offered on Craigslist in case you simply can’t find a spot for them.”

Madison Modern Home

A Lucite cocktail table almost disappears, leaving behind just its tasteful reflective borders. Favourite coffee table publications elevate a thrift shop skull and vintage binoculars. Above the sofa, a flea market–sourced jackalope decoration adds a notice of cheekiness.

Instead of follow the doctrine “There is a place for all,” Quintana prefers to think, “Where should I move this bit into next?”

Madison Modern Home

From the living room, Quintana remade a midcentury modern chair with a stylish Greek key cloth. She re-covered the vintage ottoman in dark green velvet.

Madison Modern Home

Quintana managed to carve a glamorous dining room out of a diminutive space by employing high-backed retro chairs and an Ikea table. A timeless chandelier awakens soft light from above. Quintanta recommends replacing all the light fixtures at a house. “This makes a place feel so unique, and everyone will notice!” She says.

The dining seats will eventually be reupholstered in gold velvet with a pink and white pattern on the back. She is also hoping to substitute the Ikea table using a vintage marble table.

Madison Modern Home

This set of eight six-piece vintage gold flatware place settings and two serving spoons from the Rose Bowl Flea Market is Quintana’s newest $25 steal.

Madison Modern Home

A DIY chalkboard provides an area for everything from everyday inspiration for Quintana’s holistic lifestyle business to shopping lists.

Madison Modern Home

Custom shades and a classic sign from her husband’s college days accessorize the kitchen. Vintage kitchenware brings color to a butcher block countertop.

When asked what she would change about her home, Quintana says, “Don’t get me started about the kitchen! I fantasize about cooking in a lush kitchen for friends and a killer pub for my husband to make me yummy cocktails along with his home made bitters.”

Madison Modern Home

The tufted headboard’s tasteful lines counter a casual striped coverlet from Anthropologie. Overhead, a vintage lighting find adds warmth.

Madison Modern Home

DIY song-lyric artwork rests on a Crate & Barrel console beside the bed, surrounded by curated curiosities.

Madison Modern Home

A ’60s pendant inspired a yellow color palette in this house office. Mirrored closet doors reflect a vintage dresser that Quintana updated with paint.

Madison Modern Home

Bohemian art and a funky lamp located at Home Goods sit on the dresser. A reupholstered chair invites an afternoon read.

“I am a real fan of change, and that includes even the huge pieces of furniture in our house,” says Quintana. “I made a decision to move the whole bedroom to the second bedroom just because I needed to experimentation. I wanted to know how it felt to sleep”

Madison Modern Home

Quintana’s jewelry and accessories reside alongside books arranged by colour, creating visual impact in a snowy bookcase. “I am obsessed with the colour white,” she says. “I feel this room reflects me and my talents. It’s also the room that houses my clothes and sneakers, which are extremely dear to me,” says Quintana.

Madison Modern Home

White is replicated in the elaborate DIY pin board, the faux bamboo Chippendale chair, the lacquer World Market desk and the cream-colored flokati rug. Favourite pictures, photographs and customer ideas are front and centre. A gooseneck desk lamp and typewriter add a vintage touch to the glistening white desk surface. Quintana loves sitting in her desk at the workplace. “I spent time designing it since I wanted to operate in an area that inspired me,” she says.

Madison Modern Home

A scalloped 1950s shelf exhibits a framed photo booth image and bathroom essentials.

telephone: have you got an eclectic, creative home? Show us your house and it may be featured on .

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Artist Sketch: Michelle Armas

Atrace

Michelle Armas has come a long way from selling paintings for her parents. The Atlanta artist first official sale was to her mother –“I made her purchase a painting off my Etsy website so it would look like a real customer bought it,” Armas states. Now, however, Armas’ cheerful oil paintings and prints are found in online shops, nice art galleries and in Anthropologie.

Armas’ self-described”happy and picture design” is a natural match for contemporary, modern and transitional houses. We caught up with the busy artist to talk about her inspiration, her favorite musicians along with her fear of a monochromatic world.

Armas has started transferring her amazing pieces into less expensive prints, available for sale online. Below are some of her recent developments, available as picture posters or canvas posters.

Michelle Armas

Fly By

Q. Which professionals within your business do you respect most?

A. Stefan Sagmeister. To my mind he’s someone who lives his entire life searching, studying and empathizing — that is precisely why his ideas are so inspiring. I want to emulate him. He has a youthful energy and perspective, but also a confidence that comes from achievement and out of believing in yourself. His TED talks are killer.

Q. What are you working on now?

A. that I feel that half of my energy lately is moving toward business growth and development. I am creating a line of prints and studying how to create more products for my clients in each budget. Another half is painting away like a madwoman.

Michelle Armas

Laura – $35

Q. When did you decide you wanted to become an artist?

A. I always wanted to be an artist. However, I guess I put my money where it counts just one year after I graduated college, and I chose to pay for a postgraduate degree in layout. Although I was in college I knew that I couldn’t be a graphic designer, but my gut said stay, learn and adapt. So I did.

Q. The most important thing on your work desk is…

A. My camera. My wonderful father bought me a Nikon D80 in 2006, and that I used it to take pictures for my own blog. Now it is used to take fantastic photographs of painting and print. A high-quality camera is indeed essential to creating a clean, aesthetically pleasing fresh existence.

Michelle Armas

Q. Which famous artist would you like to utilize?

A. that I like the manner Gustav Klimt’s mind worked. I know everyone says that they love”The Kiss,” but I would love to return in time and see him mix paint, prepare his canvases, and see him sketch and paint. Oh, to reside in Vienna at the time and realize the art — I perish!

Q. Where on earth do you wish to visit next?

A. I would like to spend a couple of decades very painting, and exploring the outer reaches of imagination. I see myself traveling to various cities and living in them for a month or two while I create a ton of new work, and market it there while my Atlanta studio operates along for a little without me.

Michelle Armas

Halycon – $35

Q. Where would you go for inspiration?

A. Inspiration is a tricky one. Since I am one of those people who is constantly thinking, I am better when I have rest. By way of instance, right now I am going through a stage of endless paperwork, meetings, painful expenses and technical drudgery… so I am not painting as much.

I’m taking a trip to NYC, and once I get back I will be exploding with ideas. It could be someone I see on the road wearing something proportionally magnificent, or taking an introspective walk on a rainy day and keeping my eyes on the sidewalk that gives me a flicker of an idea. It could also be a fantasy. I basically only trust that my mind will provide for me, so long as I keep it wholesome, allow it to rest and breathe.

Michelle Armas

Q. If you could pick 1 color on the planet to reside, which would you pick?

A. Green — lake green. It makes me happy. Thankfully I do not have to do that because only imagining just 1 shade forever makes me not be able to breathe!

View more of Michelle Armas’ perform on her online shop and website.

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Pony Wall

Atrace

A pony wall is a half-wall or short wall that does not bear the load of any overlying structures. It functions as partition or a room divider.

This pony wall provides just a little bit of solitude.

Blue Sky Building Company

A pony wall used to separate regions of the bedroom may also function as a backrest for the headboard.

ARCHIA HOMES

A tongue-and-groove paneled pony wall using a wood cap helps delineate different spaces in this room.

Ownby Design

Here, a pony wall anchors a recessed living room.

Charlie & Co.. Design, Ltd

A pony wall separates this dining room from the living room with no cutting off the chef’s perspective.

Rossington Architecture

This board and batten pony wall enables everyone to view the TV.

RW Anderson Homes

A pony wall opens up the stairs and supplies a long hallway natural light. The cap helps conceal the inevitable fingerprints.

Read more pony wall photographs

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Eclectic East London Victorian

Atrace

A stunning garden, a rustic spa, a colorful master bath and a handcrafted interior have made this Victorian terrace home an urban oasis for both Tracey Bendrien and Lawrence Friesen. Although the Canadian couple initially moved to London for its urban lifestyle, they found themselves wanting the ability to escape from the bustle and hustle.

Friesen, an architect, set to work straight away. The couple wanted to modernize the space but nevertheless retain the home’s unique structure and features. The end result is a colorful, eclectic and modern take on a gorgeous Victorian home.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Tracey Bendrien and Lawrence Friesen
Location: Hackney, East London, United Kingdom
Size: 1,400 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

Beccy Smart Photography

The garden is the initial part of the house the couple designed. They awakened the pond, and Friesen made this concrete bridge to span across the water region and lead to the rest of the garden, where there is seating for two.

Beccy Smart Photography

Friesen and Bendrien knew they would put in a spa as soon as they bought the home. The garden is seen by them among the spaces in their property. It took them several years to find a tub that has been only right for these, this one from a homeowner in London. The tub replaced an existing shed, and they implanted overhanging foliage for solitude.

Beccy Smart Photography

The couple combined the master bathroom with the cupboard and a dressing area to save space. They fell in love with this cheeky candy-apple-red tub, made from recycled vinyl by Swedish manufacturer Durat.

Painting: Will Alsop

Beccy Smart Photography

Friesen constructed a glistening red cupboard to match the bathtub. “Having the dressing area in which you get ready for your day and end your day only made sense to us,” he states. He left off the doors the cabinet to get an open texture.

Beccy Smart Photography

Skylights in the cupboard region of the toilet keep the space naturally well lit and uplifting. Friesen constructed the floating toilet countertop from leftover American black walnut floorboards. The rest of the timber is constructed from the exact floorboards to maintain the substance palette consistent and use what was available.

Beccy Smart Photography

A wet-room-style shower using a waterfall showerhead sits at 1 corner of the bathroom. The gray tiles are Portland blue limestone. A sturdy shelf runs the length of the space, providing convenient seating and a place for toiletries.

Beccy Smart Photography

Friesen installed and designed these stairs, hand-crafted by their beloved Suffolk expert, Bob Pendred. When the couple opened up the kitchen and hall space, they retained front rooms but removed the hall door and installed this stairs. “The attention is really on a central organization, structured from the stairs as it goes throughout the home — the thought being to ascend to the peak of the home and reach the sky,” Friesen says. “As you move vertically, the concept is that you become both more expressive and private.”

Beccy Smart Photography

The open dining area and kitchen area is flooded with natural lighting. The couple opened up the two spaces to each other and built a bespoke large door to the garden.

Hanging on the dining table is a shell pendant lighting by Scabetti. “We love things that are crafted, and we hope that people who design them can make viable livelihoods from the craft,” Friesen says. “Lights in our sitting rooms and kitchen are goods of this ethos.”

Beccy Smart Photography

The kitchen floor tiles are just like those used on the floors and backsplashes throughout the whole house. The kitchen cabinetry has been designed and constructed by Friesen.

Beccy Smart Photography

Friesen and craftsman Bob Pendred installed and designed this huge window door. This second departure creates a simple flow into the garden from the kitchen. “If the door is left open, it feels as a wall was taken away,” Bendrien states.

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A wood-burning stove and open shelves with trinkets provide a homey touch. Friesen installed and designed this custom made sideboard, such as a stand to store up to 96 wine bottles. Since it is a Victorian home, meaning restricted storage, that was a fantastic addition.

Beccy Smart Photography

The master bedroom is painted a gorgeous deep plum. The black cupboard was found at Broadway market in the favorite bohemian area of Hackney.

Beccy Smart Photography

Bendrien made the guest bedroom with a female look, using vibrant magenta accents and girly accessories. An ornate fireplace matches the vibrant wallpaper layout.

Beccy Smart Photography

Boldly painted walls match the wallpaper, the reduced trim and the pink accents of the bedding and pendant lampshade.

Beccy Smart Photography

Calming colors, such as this guacamole hue, in the primary living spaces offer a backdrop to dramatic furniture pieces. The stylish hanging lighting is a distinctive Mark Bickers design.

Beccy Smart Photography

The homeowners like to support British designers and bought these couches by Naughtone from 100% Design. The artwork trio is by artist and architect Will Alsop.

Beccy Smart Photography

The couple designed a comfy workspace at the front reception area. A customized glass door leads out into the garden. The ornate office desk is a replica Criterion the couple bought from an auction house. It was initially supposed to go from the bedroom upstairs, however they couldn’t get it to fit through.

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