Sunny Home Raised Above The Ground Level in The Bohemian Region of Saint Marcel, France
The bohemian region of Saint Marcel, Indre, France showcases a verity of possibilities when it comes to relaxing and spending your free time in nature. Traditional, quiet and away from a crowded lifestyle, the small commune is a wonderful place to have a home (or a vacation house). Maison A+C is a project defined in 2011 by Atelier Alassouer. The residence has two different entries. The main entry is kept at the street level. Its facade looks neat and simple, but the back of the house, instead is a little raised above the ground level, offering a more interesting view over the garden, a small green oasis sprinkled with pine trees. The living area are kept at the garden level, while the bedrooms and the washrooms, at the street level.
The south orientation suffered some transformations: a wooden “cube” has been added to expand the space and make the spot more comfortable. The interior is modern and colourful, a a result of using splashes of green and red. The modern “acquisition” (the wooden structure) has wide windows and probably the most interesting view. There’s also a small terrace where can you sit and enjoy the morning coffee while enjoying sunny days.
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Picturesque Home “Lost” in The Forest by Alejandro Sánchez García
Inspiring an exotic atmosphere, Casa San Sen designed by Alejandro Sánchez García is located in a place that not only relaxes you by soaking your senses into a deep state of tranquility but it also recharges your batteries when needed. We’re talking about Valle de Bravo, México, the type of place that conquers you with its vibrant green touch and its untainted authenticity. The exquisite picturesque home was designed to enjoy both the interior and the exterior. On one side, due to the irregular terrain, the house’s structure was raised above the ground level on metallic pillars.
The view is simply impressing. A walk on the terrace, a good conversation over a refined cup of coffee and a striking beautiful view over the lush vegetation, surrounding the house – this is paradise! A paradise sprinkled with comfortable cozy spots that brings the nature closer to you. Case San Sen spreads over one level, envisioned as a pavilion house with plenty of roof cutouts. The classic walls are replaced with transparent glass for a better light penetration, in order to create a better connection with the environment. The house borrows a rustic-exotic look due to the materials used in defining it. Breezy and neat, Casa San Sen is the type of place that makes you forget that stress even exists.
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How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient Without Breaking the Bank
There are many easy, low cost and very effective ways that we can make our current homes more environmentally friendly without breaking the bank. In this article I will talk about the most basic of steps as well as some that are a bit more aggressive, many of which you can start right now. You will be amazed at how much energy you can save by taking the even simplest of steps!
Turn down the heat.
The easiest thing we can all do is monitor our thermostats. In the colder, winter months it is imperative to heat the home only when you are there. For example, if you are out of the home during the workday, then keep it to a minimal setting. Today’s homes heat fairly quickly and a few minutes of discomfort as your house warms up can greatly affect your heating bill and energy consumption. When you and your family are asleep, be sure to turn the thermostat back down. If your thermostat is not currently on a timer, you should look into having one installed.
This will help keep the house cooler when no one is around and warmer for when you are around without you having to remember to change the settings on a continual basis. Every degree of heat below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) during the winter months will save you approximately 3 – 5% in your energy bill. Nearly half of your home’s energy comes from heating and cooling. Clean your furnace’s filter once a month. If your furnace is an older model, and you plan on being in your current home for a while, you may want to invest in a newer furnace. The newer models are about 25% more efficient.
Other ways to keep your home warm during the winter months involve just a few simple and basic steps. Check your windows and doors for drafts and caulk as necessary. Make sure your attic and walls are well insulated. Schedule regular maintenance checks for your furnace to ensure optimal performance.
Keep it cool.
During the summer months it is best to keep the thermostat set to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (25.5 Celsius). Air conditioners use a ton of energy and electricity and their use should be kept to a minimum whenever possible. Standing fans, window fans and ceiling fans are all much better choices. During the day you can keep the house dramatically cooler by pulling down all shades and curtains.
Whether you are building a new home, or you’ve been in yours for a while, consider adding deciduous trees and shrubs to the outside of your house to provide more shelter from the sun’s blistering rays. If you must use air conditioning, especially if you live in areas that are tropical or where humidity is an issue, consider replacing your older models for those that are more energy efficient. If you have central air, turn it off when you are not at home and set your thermostat to a timer.
Save water.
It may seem so simple and likely you have heard it over and over again, but really you should turn the water off when you are brushing your teeth. For each time you brush and the water is off, you save 4.5 gallons of water. Likewise your morning shower can sabotage your water bill. By simply changing a shower head with a low-flow model you can save 15-25 gallons of water a day.
It would be wise to also install low-flow toilets and add aerators to all your faucets. In the kitchen add a water filtration system (such as Britta) to your faucet and refill your own plastic recyclable water bottles which will reduce your plastic water bottle consumption, hence fewer bottles floating around.
Light up your life.
Replace current incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones. Try to replace as many as possible. Just one light bulb swap will save over 400 pounds of greenhouse gasses. In some countries, incandescent light bulbs are no longer permitted. Turn off any unused lights. This may seem obvious but so many people still walk out of a room and leave the light on behind them.
If you are like me and don’t like coming home to a dark house, instead of leaving a light on all day or all night long, place a lamp or two on a timer set to the times you would like the house lit. Not only do I dislike coming home to a cold, dark house at the end of a winter’s day, but I like to keep my house lit when I am not home – I like to give the impression someone is home even if they are not. I feel safer that way. (For more on home safety read my piece here.)
In this case newer is better.
If your appliances are older you may want to consider replacing them with newer, more energy efficient models. This makes sense, not only if you plan on being in your home for a long time, but also if you plan on selling it in the near future. New appliances are very attractive to home buyers. Either way you will get your money’s worth as well as save on your electric bill.
Do look for appliances with the Energy Star logo on them. If just one in every ten homes, according to the Energy Star website, used an energy efficient appliance, the energy saved would be the equivalent of planting 1.7 million acres of trees. Do unplug any unused appliance. If you have an extra refrigerator in your basement or garage that are not being used, do unplug them. If they are being used check to see what’s inside them. Can these items be brought inside and placed in your kitchen refrigerator?
Renovations.
If you plan on doing any significant work to your home, home improvements or renovations be sure to look into all the possible environmentally friendly options out there. If you are planning on painting use a low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint. In the bathrooms opt for fixtures that save water and energy. In the kitchen choose materials for counters and floors that have been recycled or are organic and earth friendly such as cork and bamboo. Your builder or contractor will be up to date on all the latest, “green” technical advances.
How energy efficient is your home?
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Striking Modern Home With Simplistic Decorations in Melbourne, Australia
The New Old residence is a project completed in 2012 (Melbourne, Australia) by the bright architect, Jessica Liew, which tried to create a home that is both luminous and intimate. Jamie Diaz-Berrio, the photographer, was also very involved in the process, surprising some of the most gorgeous sides of the New Old. The project spreads over 360 square meters and it combines elegantly the classic brick walls and the stone pavements with modern furniture and finishings. Perceived as an open space, its living room offers a stunning view over the interior garden, a picturesque view all the way, because of the small fountain, perfectly integrated into the landscape.
Its striking simplicity gives birth to a floaty environment, that allows you to breathe. The uncluttered atmosphere is somehow the result of following the streams of a simple design line and eliminating from the very beginning all the unnecessary décor elements. In defining the house have been used plenty of natural materials such as bluestone, timber and marble. The result is an impeccable, neat and relaxing home, that is strongly connected with the environment. What do you think of it?
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5 CommentsHTC First with Facebook Home review
With a billion users, it’d be an understatement to say Facebook has done a good job conquering the desktop world. Mobile, however, is the social network’s next frontier: although it has a significant presence on every major smartphone and tablet platform, the company has a reputation for bringing its key features to the PC environment long before they arrive on mobile — if at all.
But the April 4th reveal of Facebook Home, a solidly built Android launcher, reflects a change in attitude for Mark Zuckerberg and Co. Instead of simply maintaining a smartphone presence, Facebook is ready to go to battle and is putting mobile on the top of its list of priorities. It’s even adding a proper piece of hardware to its arsenal in the form of the HTC First, a 4.3-inch device on AT&T with LTE, reasonable mid-range specs and a gorgeous display. Is it worth $99 with a two-year commitment to purchase a handset dedicated to the social cause? Should you just wait until Home is available as a free download in the Google Play Store? Or is it best to ignore it altogether? Continue reading to find out.
Gallery: HTC First review
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, AT&T, Facebook
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Gorgeous Luxury Home With Staggering View Over Aspen
Located in Aspen, Colorado, the Willoughby Way is a spacious luxury home, with gorgeous finishings. The interior is breezy and luminous, thanks to the glass walls that replace the regular ones. The house is flooded by light, offering also a beautiful view over the inspiring site. Surrounded by a staggering landscape, the Willoughby Way is a wonderful place for daydreamers: they can take long walks, admire the sunset, enjoy the fresh air and disconnect from the busy city rush. This particularly beautiful Aspen residence was defined by Charles Cuniffe Architects. “Heavy timbers and stone anchor this home into its site on Red Mountain, while large expanses of glass encompass the mountain views. Clean and contemporary materials create soft interiors.”
Timber beams embellish the interior and make it more comfortable and cozy. The stone walls reflect the rocky landscape and the sophisticated furniture adds a touch of personality to this living space. The interior is very much connected to the exterior: the materials used in defining the décor, the transparence created through the glass walls and through the irregular ceiling’s sculpture that resembles to a mountain peak. Modern and stylish, the Willoughby Way (due to its location) inspires tranquility and harmony.
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Safeguarding your Valuables: What you Need to Know About Home Safes
Do your research before you buy your safe.
Despite the fact that home burglary rates have been on the decline here in the US, many Americans – and many people world-wide – are buying home safes in increasing numbers. The main reason seems to be that people are losing faith in the banking system and that the economy is too volatile.
People are looking for alternative means to safeguard their valuables. Tyler D Nunnally, founder and CEO of Upside Risk, a company that specializes in investor psychology, told Smartmoney.com that “people dislike loss twice as much as they like gains,” adding that “they want to protect what they have.” Add this to the rising concerns about identity theft and the rising interest in home safes seems almost logical.
The folks at Consumer Digest warn about the false security in owning a home safe and suggest getting a safe deposit box at your bank for your most valued possessions. Before you purchase your safe you should speak to a professional and talk about your specific needs. Are you concerned about home theft? Fire? Perhaps both. Smaller safes can be purchased for around $50 at your local box or hardware store. It is important to note to keep them out of view.
Should a burglar enter your home and see a safe, he will assume that there’s something of value inside. Home safes are portable and can easily be poked or cut with a saw or like instrument. I would never keep personal papers such as passports, birth certificates, or social security cards in a safe. I tend to subscribe to the same school of thought as the folks at Consumer’s Digest do. My papers are stored at my bank in a small box that is safe and fire proof safe in a locked vault.
Some home safes are fireproof and others are not.
This is important to note. The documents you are trying to protect won’t do you a bit of good once they’ve turned to ash. There are codes on fireproof safes indicating how long they can withstand the heat from a fire. It is important to note these codes. Furthermore you will not want to store data or media in these fireproof safes. Paper can withstand the high temperatures and high humidity in these safes, but electronic data cannot. Items not to store in fireproof safes include, but are not limited to:
- Hard drives
- Tape backups
- Photographs
- Flash Drives/UBS drives
- CDs and DVDs
- Cassettes
Gun Safety
Gun safety is on the top everyone’s mind here in the US with the recent shooting at an Elementary School just weeks before Christmas that left 26 children and teachers dead after a brutal shooting spree by a mentally ill young man who was able to access his mother’s gun collection. All gun safes are not the same. It is crucial you speak with a specialist in this matter to discuss your particular needs.
Burglar Proof Safes
There is really no such thing as a burglar-proof safe. Almost any safe can be taken from the home and broken into. Where you keep your safe is as important, if not more so, than the actual safe itself. Bookcases, as pictured above, make for great hiding places. It is highly suggested, however, that before looking into safes, if you have valuables in your home you really should invest in a home security system. Alarm the windows and doors, and install motion detectors.
Invest in a good home security system. A good security system will tie in with the police department or the company that monitors your security system. These systems should also be tested with regularity. I would also strongly suggest getting a home security system that also ties in with your local fire department. This not only will save lives but will safeguard those valuables you are trying to protect from fire and theft. If your home is broken into, the alarm of your home security system should send your potential burglar fleeing immediately, if he doesn’t then he has just moments to assess your home. So placement of your safes is crucial.
Hidden wall Safes
A burglar’s mission is to get in and out of your home as fast as he can. He won’t want to look behind every photograph, piece of artwork or mirror hanging on your walls, especially if you have many of them.
Hidden within your wall are the most expensive contents of your home and therefore placement of these safes is crucial. These safes can be placed behind flat panel, wall mounted televisions, paintings – but preferably a wall with many pieces of art instead of one lone piece of art. Hide safes behind, pool cues, armoires and other heavy pieces of furniture; the harder to move and access, the better. Get creative with your thinking here. The longer it takes you to come up with a good place to hide your safe, the longer it will take a burglar to look for it. Therefore, it is important to note that whatever is being stored in these safes need not be constantly removed.
Hidden floor safes
What could be hiding under the couch, or the bed, or the coffee table? Floor safes are not at all fireproof but are great places to store jewelry, silver, gold, rare coins and other valuables. Conceal them with rugs and furniture so they are not easily accessible and spotted. It is crucial to bolt all your safes. The harder it is to remove the safer your safe is.
Decoy and Diversion Safes
One of the clocks above could actually be a safe… There are many decoy safes available on the market and these safes are good way of storing items that are not terribly high in value and smaller sums of money. These safes come in the form of outlet covers, rocks, clocks, cans of cola, cleaning supplies as well as other forms.
Vaults
Vaults are not just for banks anymore. The demand for these extra large safes is growing exponentially for use both in businesses (such as pawn shops) as well as homeowners. As with any safe manufacturer, vault manufacturers differ as well. There are many factors to take into consideration, including climate control. What is it you are safeguarding? Climate control is less important for hard metals but crucial for the storage of paper and valuable pieces of art.
One European safe company noted that if you do opt to purchase a safe for your home, it is imperative you not tell anyone. The word could get out which could lead to an unwanted home burglary.
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Facebook Home ‘Airplane’ ad brings one traveler’s News Feed aboard — literally
Sure, Facebook had a weird ad with Blink-182 for the HTC Status, but its sneak peek at its newest TV spot for the First and Home is on another level. Posted today on its Facebook profile, the campy piece literally brings one traveler’s feed to life inside the cabin of his flight during boarding. We won’t spoil the goods for you, but it’s interesting to see Facebook’s first thrust at marketing this skin and smartphone combo out to the masses. Catch the full clip after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Software, Mobile, HTC, Facebook
Source: Facebook
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Neat Family Home With Sprinkles of Modern Decorations in Regensburg, Germany
Zwischen-Raum, a house from the early 1900s has been recently renewed by the German design studio, Fabi Architekten. The residence is composed of two different structures sticked together through a “glass bridge”. The original house did not suffer major transformations, due to its origins (the house is perceived as a historical heritage), but the new structure is the extra-space the inhabitants needed to feel good and enjoy the benefits of an uncluttered environment. The house is located in Rogensburg and it spreads on 198 square meters.
Zwischen-Raum residence is surrounded by a beautiful garden, offering a relaxing view. The interior is nice, neat and bright, thanks to the glass transitory area, that allows light penetration from both sides and from above. The new structure is much more vibrant and luminous. The all-white interior creates the feeling of a floaty, relaxing ambience. Despite the “traditional” exterior, the original structure is very modern decorated, following the streams of minimalism. Away from the hectic city vibe, the Zwischen-Raum house is the perfect place to forget that stress exists.
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5 CommentsFive-Bedroom Home in Australia taking In Magnificent Surrounding Views
This stunning home in Brisbane, Australia has been designed to take advantage of the magnificent views from its lofty, secluded location. Open-plan living areas connect private wings whilst floor to ceiling windows and internal courtyards accentuate the views from this imposing home, designed by award winning architect Dion Seminara.
The interior feels spacious thanks to the high ceilings with a large living room on the northern side of the home combining a lounge and dining area. The home theatre – complete with fireplace – features a blacked out ceiling with retractable walls and ceiling allowing the space to open up revealing a two-level void which allows occupants to take in the not-to-be-missed views. The floors are made from 140 year old polished teak whilst the timber doors at the main entrance come from India. The home has five bedrooms with four residing in one wing along with two bathrooms and a large office area with its own separate entrance. The first level comprises of the main bedroom/retreat with its own private library, a nursery, bathroom and dressing room.
Outside the center piece is the entertainment pavilion complete with its award winning swimming pool, spa, sauna and bathroom. Tranquil gardens have been tastefully designed with stone monuments and water features, creating a romantic, relaxing environment that one needs to experience to believe. [Photos and information provided via e-mail by Dion Seminara Architecture] 
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