Less is the New More: Making the Most of Small Spaces Good Design For Living in Small ApartmentsAs people migrate to smaller spaces, good design helps a lot. This is something they figured out in Europe long ago, that if you don't have a lot of horizontal room you can go vertical. Tumidei in Italy makes some of the nicest stuff, like this unit with lots of storage under the bed. This unit just raises the floor high enough for beds to slide under. This one looks a bit clinical, but has two single beds plus a pull-out double bed in between. When you read in the New York Times that professional couples with children are moving into small one-bedroom apartments in Manhattan and sleeping in closets, perhaps this stuff could be useful. None of this stuff is cheap, nor, as far as I can tell is it available in North America, but there are ideas here that demonstrate how people can share a space and still get a little privacy, a good place to work and a lot of storage in a very small envelope. Like this?
If Your House Was Burning, What Would You Take With You? May 17, 2011 / Category : Misc / 0 Comments This is the exact premise of Robert Holden's intriguing project, titled The Burning House. It's a philosophical conflict between what's practical, valuable and sentimental. You're forced to prioritize and boil down a life of accrued possessions into what you can carry out with you. What you would bring reflects your interests, background and priorities. People's stage in life also dictates their selection. Hannah Queen, 20, Blue Ridge, Georgia, Photographer Chris Adamiak, 30, Milton, Ontario Canada, Maintenance Worker David Coggins, New York, Writer Frances Shelley, 25, Austin, TX, Project Assistant James Oliver Lamont Fox, 40, Somerville, MA, IT, and Library School Student Jeff Staple, 36, An Airport Lounge Near You, Self-Employed Jennifer Maree Rouse, 23, Melbourne, Australia, Undiscovered Laura Pritchett, 24, Southern Delaware, Artist Louie McPherson, Haderslev, Denmark, Graphic Design Student Michael Mundy, Manhattan, New York, Photographer
The bedbug cure THEY don't want you to know about It’s hard to convey the paranoia we flea-marketing, curb-side-spotting, Craigslisting folk feel about bedbugs—with good reason. Now is prime paranoia time: we’re having too many guests over (at various stages of cleanliness), cranking up our heaters and (if we’re lucky) signing January 1st leases. Not only are the bugs a major itch in the butt, but they can end up costing a butt-load too. Most exterminators will try to charge between $50 and $200 to inspect your place (or they’ll do it free and work their up-sell). So, whether you’re looking at new places to live or suspicious of your unwashed neighbors, it’s definitely worth $15 to try out the latest DIY detection system (courtesy of Wired Magazine), before calling in the pricey pros. The little blood suckers are attracted to higher temperatures, which usually moves them toward a 98.6 degree feast (heat sources are a great place to check for the first sign of infestation, as are sofas, beds, and electrical outlets).
before & after: trolley depot renovation It’s always been my dream to live in a home with airy, open rooms and lots of exposed bricks, so when this renovation project from Amy came across my desk, I was instantly smitten. Located in Atlanta, this building is about 100 years old and originally served as a trolley depot. Thankfully, Amy and her husband did a wonderful job preserving many of the original details while adding some modern touches that complement the overall aesthetic beautifully. Wonderful job, Amy! — Kate Have a Before & After you’d like to share? Read more about Amy’s renovation after the jump! Time: 1 year Cost: $500k Basic Steps: The basic steps we took to achieve the look were to preserve the original space as much as possible and use the existing lines (like the arched windows) in other elements, like the niche, and the arched doorway — even the arch of the armoire.
C&designs Interior designer Craig Kettles of C designs can take a really crummy house and turn it into a comfortable and timeless space - there are before and afters on his website that are quite impressive. And his kitchens, with a bit of country charm, are fantastic (LOVE the industrial lighting he seems to use quite often). Walk through "Your Rainbow Panorama" in Denmark - StumbleUpon EmailEmail Now reaching the rainbow became possible with the new installation named “Your rainbow panorama” of the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. The new project was opened on the 28th of May 2011 on the top of the ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum in Århus, Denmark. Permanent circular vivid walkway of a 150 meters long, 3 meters wide by 3 meters high, gives a 360° colorful view of the city. The glass forming the rainbow has all the colors of the spectrum giving visitors a different feeling to their familiar city, bringing brightness to the regular landscape, reminding us of some childhood dreams of walking through the rainbow. Olafur Eliasson describes his design concept: “Your rainbow panorama enters into a dialogue with the existing architecture and reinforces what is assured beforehand, that is to say the view of the city. [Sources: Olafur Eliasson, ARoS]
Gamification: what are the rules? As multichannel commerce becomes commonplace, it’s more important than ever to focus on long-term engagement and coherence, creating a uniform, satisfying customer experience across every platform. Recently, Gamification has become an increasingly important part of this mix, using game mechanics to enhance UX and guide user behaviour. When it’s done well, the rewards can be impressive; boosting engagement and brand awareness as well as vastly increasing direct conversion, shareability and repeat business. But what exactly do we mean when we use the term? It’s important to remember that gamification is a blanket phrase which can relate to multiple levels of deployment. Here’s a quick roundup of some points you should be aware of if you are considering gaming as a marketing tool. Gamification vs pointsification First of all, let’s define our terms. Unless you happen to be Blizzard, you probably won’t have millions in resources and a crack team of designers, artists and coders to hand.
Miss Design 6 Summer Bunk Bed Rooms Whether you have a large family or a busy summer house, a bunk room is an ideal solution for accommodating lots of guests. Here are some of our favorites. This nautical-inspired bunk room in a Hamptons home by Steven Gambrel features lots of room for storage with built-ins and under-bed drawers. Custom netting provides safety for the top bunks. An absolutely gorgeous bunk room from the Lerer House in Park City, Utah. This bunk room in an Alys Beach, Florida vacation rental home features a unique L-shaped layout for the beds. Coastal Living's 2009 Seawatch Idea House at Sunset Harbor, North Carolina featured this amazing bunk room for children.
15 Beautiful Libraries Around the World Trinity College Library – University of Dublin | Photograph via Skylark Studio Following up from last year’s highly popular post ‘15 Incredible Libraries Around the World‘, the Sifter has compiled another collection of beautiful libraries from your comments and suggestions. Ultimately, it is the books within these buildings that make it special, but many of these pillars of learning stand as landmarks in the cities and universities they reside. 2. Photograph by LAFAYETTE COLLEGE Photograph by LAFAYETTE COLLEGE 3. Photograph by CAROL MCKINNEY HIGHSMITH The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States (1800). 4. Photograph by ALAN DOYLE Photograph by TERRETTA Photograph by GIANCARLO RUSSO The National Library of Belarus, founded on 15 September 1922, is a copyright library of the Republic of Belarus. 5. Photograph by PATRICK HAURI 6. Photograph by DR. 7.
With a Little Help From His Friends In early 2001 he tried to launch his own Internet company, and to redeem himself. “It had to have the potential to be as big as Napster,” he says. “Otherwise it wasn’t interesting to me.” He realized his electronic address book was getting out of date. Maybe everyone could use help keeping theirs current. Eventually, Parker and some partners managed to land some seed money from Sequoia, the prestigious Silicon Valley venture-capital firm. He began to hang around with some of his newfound San Francisco friends, including night owl Jonathan Abrams, a programmer who had launched Friendster in 2002, in part to help people hook up. One day—in a scene fictionalized in The Social Network—Parker saw Thefacebook, as it was then known, on the computer of his roommate’s girlfriend, a student at Stanford. Matt Cohler, who joined Thefacebook shortly after Parker, is awed when he thinks about that pivotal e-mail. Yet again, Parker’s undisciplined ways would prove his undoing.
One of a Kind Designs Bare stone walls in the bathroom What do you think of some rustic harshness in your bathroom? Bare stone walls work just fine with sleek concrete surfaces, creating a space that radiates an organic uniqueness I simply can't say no. Actually, it is the use of both antiquated and modern techniques that makes this style so appealing, and, taking it from photo no 3, adding a vintage piece like the large gilded mirror, a log and a few wicker baskets, or, like photo no 4, a stark, frameless mirror and inox fixtures, you can fine tune the atmosphere from total country chic to contemporary elegance. So, is bare stone something you'd opt for?
Top 25 Cities in the World with the Most High-Rise Buildings A high-rise is defined as a structure at least 35 meters (115 feet) or 12 stories tall. Below is a list of the 25 cities with the most high-rise buildings in the world. The complete list of cities around the world with at least one hundred high-rise buildings can be found here. Enjoy! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. If you enjoyed this post, the Sifter highly recommends: