Functionally Fragmented Spaces Within a Unified Whole: Villa L

Especially envisioned for the hectic life of an evolving family with three children, Villa L located near Utrecht in The Netherlands is an example of functionally fragmented spaces within a unified whole. The house was designed by Powerhouse Company together with RAU and is optimally set in the woods of central Netherlands, oriented towards the sun and garden views.

According to the client’s brief, the new residence had to be “simple yet surprising, open yet specific, minimal yet luxurious. Powerhouse Company, responsible for the design, resolved these contradictions with a house based on a radical differentiation of spatial experiences on three floors (of which one is subterranean). RAU embedded the sustainable strategy for the villa in the design. Three clear levels, with three very different characters and functionalities as a basis for family life to emerge“. Resembled with village cabins, the modern rooms of the unusual family home provide privacy and peaceful living. 

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How to Decorate Interiors With High Ceilings

Decorating interiors with high ceilings implies a high dose of creativity. building personality for a room with tall walls is neither difficult, nor more challenging than dealing with common-sized rooms. After all, home space is a gift no matter how you look at it and you should not be reluctant to use it. In this post we will share some tips&tricks to help you out in your upcoming projects. Master these simple guidelines and let your imagination do the rest.

Just like in art and photography, visually splitting a wall in three equal parts when decorating will guarantee balance and ultimately, success. From the bottom up, try imagining your room as having three different “design levels”. You can adorn the first with judges paneling, use the second for paintings and leave the third as it is. This is just a random example; as the photos below will show, the possibilities are endless. Furniture should also be placed within the bottom third. The idea is to create focal points and to diminish the intimidating feel of high ceilings.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on lighting fixtures to give your interiors a special vibe and this is also true when it comes to rooms with high ceilings. But lighting can make a bold statement and you should definitely pay a lot of time and attention to this subject. We noticed lighting spots are very popular these days. We are a fan of chandeliers, as we believe they are a great way to add elegance to a tall living room, kitchen or bedroom. You can also use lighting to subtly divide areas. For example, three chandeliers in the living room can visually separate the lounge area, kitchen and dining space.

When dealing with high ceilings, paintings are not just optional, they are a must. Why? Because they add life , elegance and nobility. Not all appreciate the soberness of an art gallery effect, so the best idea is to arrange your graphic art the way you want. In order to reduce the overwhelming architectural impression of tall walls, place the paintings at eye level. Otherwise, enjoy the majestic effect of highlighting space through art!

Color is always a good way to accentuate height and help bring drama to the space. By painting a single wall in a bold color, the high ceiling and other unpainted walls will automatically be connected at a different level. The space will get a fresh look and a unique personality.

Curtains can add that homey feel a tall space needs so much. You can try models that cover the entire wall, or just two thirds of it (less recommended). White curtains will ensure a breezy feel, red will bring in extra energy and darker hues will add an intriguing sense of drama. Black materials will also contribute to the idea of shrinking the room and make it more cozy, if that is what you are after. For cohesion, be sure to repeat the color of the drapes somewhere else in the space. A patterned design, although a bit more difficult to integrate, will ensure diversity and visual appeal.

We are intrigued (read that pleasantly surprised) by the growing popularity of exposed wooden beams. On a design stage where minimalism and functionality are main actors, it is nice to see elements that bring personality back into the game. But what are the effects of wooden beams in a tall interior? Mainly, they can reduce the scale, making the room feel more comfortable and friendly. Some use fake ceilings to bring the room down, we prefer this solution instead. As you can see in the photo below, the rest of the interior does not have to be decorated in a rustic style. Wooden beams can be successfully integrated in a contemporary interior as well.

Just like with an accent wall, you can make the ceiling stand out by using a special texture. In the example below, the wood adds warmth and makes the room feels smaller than it actually is. It also does a great job at contrasting the walls and floor and creating a sense of disruption.

There are a few things you should try to avoid in order to maintain balance in your high-ceiling interior. Do not clutter the room using many small items, like tiny furniture objects, small works of art or various decorating pieces. Try instead to use less larger artifacts. Paintings should always be placed at eye-level. If you want to cover the space above eye-level, bring in some abstract sculptures or a wall clock. With these being said, we wish you a fun time decorating. Please leave your comments below with more tips from you own experiences.

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Clean Lines and Maximized Views Defining Bug Bay Bach House

The creative team at COA in collaboration with Fuchs, Wacker Architekten developed Bug Bay Bach House, a modern residence in Cape Town, South Africa. Built around a central leisure space, the residence ensures a high degree of openness and diverse views from each of its rooms. Clean lines together with timber paneling and deck on the base level ensure a pleasant visual exterior of this modern project located just steps away from the beach.

According to the architects, Bug Bay Beach House was especially designed to “maximize the beach lifestyle and views, while enjoying the duality of the wind protected courtyard pool and garden. Focusing on passive design principles this house is also layered with an extensive sliding timber shutter system that allows the building to be manipulated to suit the changing sun and weather patterns”. The interiors are spacious and bright, paying tribute to minimalist arrangements.

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Bathroom Refresh with Better Homes and Gardens

Spring is in the air! The last few days have been enjoyably milder, so I hope we keep moving in the warmer-weather direction. As were making our way out of winter hibernation, Spring is the perfect time of year to give your home a fresh start. Kind of an airing-out from the winter blues.

Better Homes and Gardens recently reached to me to share the news about their fabulous line of home dcor products, available exclusively at Walmart. To share details of their collaboration, they asked me if I wanted to be apart of their Walmart Room Refresh campaign. Of course, I was thrilled and absolutely said YES! Specifically, the space that was chosen for the refresh was the bathroom. When couldnt a bathroom use a freshin up?! I was up for the challenge

Both the kids bathroom and the master bathroom have had a DIY remodel within the past two years, but theyre used everyday, so of course a freshing up is always needed. New bath towels, new hand towels, bathmats, candles, etc. Yes, Yes, Yes!

The BHG collection at Walmart has a fabulous selection of so many needs for the home. Decor includes bedding, sheets, wall decor, furniture, candles, and much more. Specifically they have a huge range of bathroom necessities including towels, rugs, shower curtains, containers, towel bars, and anything you can think of that would be needed / used in a bathroom space.

For my challenge, I focused on the kids bathroom (and a bit of the master). Dont ask me how, but the bathroom of a 3 and 6 year old is NEVER CLEAN. I hope Im not the only parent of youngsters that has this problem. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to replace all the old stuff.

As I scoured the aisles of the BHG section, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the merchandise and at the reasonable prices. It wasnt difficult at all to find towels, decor, and accessories to compliment the bathroom setting. In my local Walmart, there were a range of towel styles with price points from $5 $8. I thought that was fairly good. Other items were also a decent cost.

I went on to gather a bunch of things that I needed and that I thought would enhance the space.

The color selection of towels was vast, but I chose a turquoise, fuschia, charcoal hue, along with white (you cant go wrong with white). As for accessories, new cotton ball and Q-tip containers (non-glass which is perfect for the kids bath) and a new shower hanger were the first things that were a must for my revamp. A few last items made my makeover list complete.

Here is the room before and after with all the fresh touches

Its amazing how a few simple updates c an completely change a space. The bathroom looks freshened up and ready for Spring.

Here are a few more details

As I mentioned above, I also added a few new things to the master bathroom as well. During the master bathroom reno, I added two pretty hanging brackets near the shower for the the bath towels. Theyre still there, but I find the towels dont dry as well when hung on a hook rather than on a long towel bar.

My solution? Towel bars on the back of the door!

There were a few in the BHG collection that looked great and were very affordable. Those bad boys instantly made the cart.

And here they are in place

Dont doubt the back of the door. Its a great place for out of the way storage. When the door is open, anyone entering and/or using the room would have no idea that there are towels there. It is a solution that Im VERY happy with. And Im in love with these new crisp white towels!

My bathrooms are ready for Spring.

For less than $100, I was able to revamp my bathrooms and completely change the look of the space. Fresh towels alone are always a welcome addition in any bathroom and the Better Homes and Gardens Collection at Walmart is the perfect spot to replace the old with the new. Next time youre shopping at your local Walmart, check out the decor created by BHG. I feel that theyve created such a great following with their publications, that their collection is the perfect extension of their much-respected brand.

Do you have a dream of revamping your own home? Then head over to the Room Refresh Sweepstakes to enter click here.

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Flexible Modern Architecture: Surprising Narrow House in Japan

It is always fascinating to observe Japanese architecture in its most flexible sense. Fujiwaramuro Architects have completed the design for Narrow House, a project that seems to defy the laws of space, located in the downtown residential area of Kobe, Japan. The total area of the site of 36.95 square meters meant a good challenge for the architects, which ingeniously built living space vertically.

Despite its name, the inhabitants can enjoy their space, just like in any other horizontally-developed residence: “The slatted, drainboard-like floors on the first through third floors are connected to the slatted tables, stairwell and skylights, allowing sunlight to reach right to the bottom of the house. Three-dimensional gaps and holes in the visual field eliminate any sense of a two-dimensional spatial narrowness, or sensation of being fenced in“. Would you consider living in a home like this? Except for the lack of courtyards, we have to say we fail to see the disadvantages.

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