Home and House Design

Luxury Courtyard Paradise Home Design in Costa Rica

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 04:55 PM PDT

Located in in Costa Rica, this luxury house is built over 4,000 square feet of living space inside and 2,000 square feet of outdoor entertaining areas. The modern house takes advantage of environment, located on the crest of a coastal canyon with the Pacific Ocean crashing below and the Costa Rican jungle all around. The house [...]

Ceramic House Minimalist White Interior Design by Héctor Ruiz-Velázquez

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 07:05 PM PDT

Designer Héctor Ruiz-Velázquez has convert an attic rooms of a house in Madrid, Spain into a new living space with a variety of spaces. Dubbed Ceramic House, all parts of the interior are covered by ceramic, making sense to its name. The design is perceived as a three-dimensional object, thus allows every one of the rooms [...]

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The Contemporary Black and White House by AGi Architects
Homes with Rustic Country Theme and a Cottage Style
Majorca Marvel Bejewels the Spanish Coast
Picking Out a Carpet for Your Home
Modern Urban Lamp designs by Jacco Maris
What You Should Know When Decorating the Space of Your Child
Oversized Glass Floor Lamps by Pentalight
Highland Park House by Bernbaum Magadini Architects
How Do I Avoid Foreclosure?

The Contemporary Black and White House by AGi Architects

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 06:31 AM PDT

The black and white houses form a little neighborhood which can not stay unnoticed because of its interesting colors. These homes are located in Kuwait near to the main highway and was designed by AGi Architects. Each house has different façade design and this make them so special and interesting. The villas in the front are classic courtyard houses with large windows. The villas on the back are different – they have a garden which faces the highway. Anyway, what make these houses so special are their colors – black and white – the two classic and most commonly used colors. Maybe this is the reason why the list of buyers was so big. If you are a person who loves the classic house design and your favorite colors are black and white then this is the neighborhood of your dreams.{ via archdaily}

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Homes with Rustic Country Theme and a Cottage Style

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 06:27 AM PDT

Many Americans love homes that have a rustic country theme and cottage style. This type of home was patterned from the houses in France, England and Sweden. When you say rustic country, it means that your home is equipped with things that are "raw" and simple, which includes fire woods and unpolished furniture. You will usually find a cottage style home simple, comfy, old-fashioned yet very attractive.

Homes like these have floors that are made of wood or stones. Many decades ago, the floors that were made of wood were cut creating boards that were then waxed, sometimes painted, and manually polished. If you are attracted with wooden floors, it would be nice to top it with rugs made in Asian countries as their designs are more ethnic and nature-inspired. Decorations used in a rustic country are usually handmade, but absolutely exudes simplicity and elegance.

Most of us are aware that the furniture in cottages usually is made of pine trees. They even have paintings on their surfaces bearing different nature-inspired designs like birds, trees, flowers or animals. If you want your home to have a rustic country theme, here's a simple step for you to do. Get a piece of wooden furniture, coat it with paint, wipe off some of the paint, and let it dry. When it's dry, get a wood stain and spread it imperfectly creating an antique and rustic look.

For the other accessories, you may use woven baskets to hold fire woods, fresh flowers and plants. Choose a brass to hold candle sticks, use kerosene or hurricane lamps, storm lanterns or a century old-looking chandelier. Brown, blue, off white and green are the colors that are usually seen in a cottage style home.

To create a rustic look in your kitchen, leave your shelves open, hang your pans, and store food items in a cupboard. You may want you get larger cookware sets and make use of pots that are made of steel, cast iron or copper.

Bathrooms of a cottage style houses are painted with neutral colors. The lighting system has a dimming effect making the space look so old-fashioned. The cabinets are all made of wood, which also have old and rough-looking surfaces. This area spells relaxation, elegance and tranquillity resembling the qualities of nature.

When wanting to embrace a rustic country theme, do not forget to include your bedroom. Use quilted bed covers and blankets, wooden side tables and dressers, and install wallpapers with images of nature.

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Majorca Marvel Bejewels the Spanish Coast

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 06:18 AM PDT

First of all you should know that if you want to know what the price of certain estate in Majorca is, then you do not have a place there. This is an island where only rich people live and they can afford the standard of life there. This oval house costs 28 million dollars. The villa goes by the name Villa Colani and it is designed by Luigi Colani. It is situated on 10 700 square feet and most of the furniture is from Italy. According to some information more than 1230 square feet of 24 carat-gold was used in the building of this luxury house – even the doors are covered with Swarovski. This is not an ordinary home – everything is controlled with one remote control. This is definitely the home that has everything a millionaire needs.

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Picking Out a Carpet for Your Home

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 05:28 AM PDT

Stepping on a carpet feels so warm and comfortable and this is the reason why a lot of people love to have carpets in almost all parts of their homes. It is not enough that you choose any carpet that you see in the market just because you love the color or design. You also have to make sure that it will last long. There are certain factors that you should consider when choosing a carpet, and they are pile and composition.

Pile and composition of a carpet can tell whether you have a durable, attractive and high-quality carpet. However, you must, likewise, have to consider more things like the parts of your house where you intend to place carpets as well as the traffic in those particular areas.

There are such a wide variety of carpets in the market and it's very difficult to choose. Carpets have different composition. Some are made of wool, others from polyester, but most are made of nylon, which is known to be the most durable and the easiest to clean.

There are carpets that easily wear out and deteriorate. This can be pointed to the type of pile used on the carpet, and in this case, a cut-pile was used. Since this type of carpet doesn't last long, it is expected to have a cheaper price. But if you prefer getting a durable carpet, the price will definitely be higher.

You can tell that a carpet will stay with you for a longer period of time if the pile is thick. When purchasing a carpet, make sure that you inspect it thoroughly. Do a simple test. Try pressing down the carpet with your fingers and do it with great pressure. If you had a hard time pushing it, then the pile is good and you are sure that it is durable.

When buying a carpet, you should also accompany it with padding. Many people make a mistake when it comes to this matter by buying an expensive carpet and a cheap padding, which should be the other way around. It is better to spend more on the padding than on the carpet since the padding is responsible for keeping the carpet soft. But you must also remember that a very thick padding is not also good as it may damage your carpet. Just choose those that deliver enough softness.

If you plan to place a carpet on your living room where your family usually stays for long hours of every day, try not to get a dark colored carpet because it emphasizes dirt. It is not also advisable that you get a Berber carpet if you have pets for they might just play with it and eventually ruining it.

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Modern Urban Lamp designs by Jacco Maris

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 05:25 AM PDT

The Dutch designer Jacco Maris has created a new type of lamps which can be used in our everyday life. Practically they look like something that has been for long years on some old desk – the difference is that the lamp is a few times bigger than normal. It is made of aluminum and large glass and this allows the light to be bright enough to let you work read or do your usual activities. There are two ways to use the lamp – hang in on the ceiling or purchase it with a stand. These industrial lamps are a good way to change your interior and modernize it a little bit. Not only they look great but their light is very bright.

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What You Should Know When Decorating the Space of Your Child

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 04:52 AM PDT

Decorating a child's room can be very exciting and fun. You do not have to be an interior designer just for you to come up with a fun-loving design. The most important thing that you have to remember is that your child must love your design and that he or she appreciates it so much.

Before your start decorating the room of your precious one, you might want to consider the following:

- The age of your child will help you determine what design is best for your child's space. It is easier to decorate little children's room for they are so easy to please. There are decorations that are readily available in the market and you can just hang them in the right places of your child's room. If little kids can easily appreciate designs, teens are the opposite. Try to think like them for you to determine what they want. For instance, if your 15-year old daughter loves music so much, you can place several items that characterize his or her favorite singers or genre maybe.

- There are a lot of themes to choose from. Your child's favorite cartoon character can be used as a theme. For babies, you may buy bed covers and blankets with prints of his or her favorite character. For kiddos, you can purchase DVD's, books, lamp shade, alarm clock, and a lot more.

Teens think differently and they like more complicated themes. Some like a space theme, while others like music, gadget or car themes.

- Decorate the Room with Your Child. Try to seek your child's cooperation when you're trying to decorate his or her room. Ask some suggestions and let him/her decide on some areas. Listen to what your child wants – this is the most important thing in the process.

If you involve your kids in decorating their space, you are teaching them how to make use their imagination and, thus, you are helping them enhance their creativity.

Decorating your child's space need not be expensive as there are a lot of ways to do it without spending a lot of money. Just make use of your imagination and creativity and, of course, your child's, too. You may find better price deals on the Internet. Items that you need can also be purchased in garage sales or vintage stores at a very affordable price.

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Oversized Glass Floor Lamps by Pentalight

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 04:35 AM PDT

The new model lamps form the Italian company Pentalight are a true piece of art. There is hardly a person on the world who will not like them. The forms are very unordinary and this makes the lamp a perfect add for your bedroom or library. The designer Gaia Bellavia says that these products can be used as desk lamps as well – it is up to you. The glass is transparent while the lamp is made of PVC material – these features allow the light to be bright enough for writing or reading. If you are searching for both good and attractive lamp then this is your decision. All you have to do is to visit the official site of Pentalight and choose your model.

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Highland Park House by Bernbaum Magadini Architects

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 04:22 AM PDT

This beautiful estate can be found in Highland Park in Texas. It is situated on 730 square feet and the style used in the design is very attractive. The main task of the Cabana project was expanding the old house by adding new shower and toilet room and big bedroom for guests. At first it was hard to find enough space but after some time the architects solved this problem. Looking at the Cabana from the outside you will find it pretty hard to recognize that this is actually a house. But once you've got inside it everything is different. There is even a spiral stair made of stainless steel that will lead you to the second floor. This is one amazing house and a proof that you can have a modern estate within a big city.{ Bernbaum Magadini Architects }

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How Do I Avoid Foreclosure?

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 01:13 AM PDT

First, let's define what foreclosure is. Foreclosure in simple terms is an order issued by a court to gain possession over a property or an asset. The action is caused by the non-payment of debt of a borrower to his or her creditor. The foreclosed property is the collateral that the debtor has presented in exchange for a loan.

Foreclosure is an option that lending institutions or creditors don't like doing. This is actually their last option and they like to be paid with money rather than a property because it is much less complicated, but this can still be avoided. Here are the ways:

1. Pay your long overdue loan with another loan. The loan should, as much as possible, be obtained from your family or friends, which does not have an interest. This is one way to help you settle your outstanding account and avoid foreclosure.

2. Communicate with your creditor. A lot of people avoid talking to their creditors simply because they are ashamed or they think that their creditors cannot help them, which actually is so untrue. When you communicate with your creditor, you will have a chance to modify your loan, meaning, your loan may be reduced or you may have lower monthly repayment scheme.

3. Hand the deed of your property to your creditor. This should be done before your property will be foreclosed. However, you have to let your creditor know of your plan beforehand and put it into writing. After your have handed over the deed of your property, there will be no more court proceedings and foreclosure order, which will not affect your credit rating that much.

4. The forbearance option. With this option, your creditor will allow you to delay your loan payments or pay for your unpaid overdue account within a specific period of time. This is good option if you are expecting a bigger income in the future.

5. The bankruptcy option. This is probably the most avoided option of all. When you file for bankruptcy, it will not help you get rid of foreclosure. In mortgage agreements, it is stated there that in case of failure to pay, the mortgage company can repossess the property by way of foreclosure even if you have declared yourself bankrupt. In addition, bankruptcy will reflect a negative credit rating for so many years. Before you decide to file for bankruptcy, it would be a good idea if you first ask for an advice from a credit counsellor.

6. The foreclosure option. This is also one option that you shouldn't allow yourself to get into for it will also pull down your credit rating in a major way wherein you will not be allowed to purchase a home in the next 2 years.

House Design News

Thursday, September 30, 2010

[OntarioCaliforniaFreecycle] WANTED: My chair returned to my porch (ONTARIO 91762)

[OntarioCaliforniaFreecycle] WANTED: clothes rack or closet pull and brackets (claremont)

Architectural Media | Home Decor Ideas | Design Inspiration

Architectural Media | Home Decor Ideas | Design Inspiration