Archives for January 2013

Dramatic, Angular Modern Office in Luxury Lake House

Lake-House-Modern-Office-1An angular wood-paneled office with built-in work surfaces and dramatic red lighting is just one standout element of this luxury lake house on Lake Austin

by Bercy Chen Studio. The dark and insular qualities of the office make it feel like a womb-like space for daydreaming and concentration, in stark contrast to the bright openness of the rest of the home.

Like much of the home, the office is lined in Massaranduba Brazilian hardwood. Its most intriguing feature is a niche that seems to extend out into the yard; it holds a mattress and is topped by a skylight with a sliding cover.

Situated on a peninsula within the lake, this tranquil contemporary home boasts a wrap-around reflecting pool and adjacent swimming pool that come right up to the glass walls of the living space, making it seem as if you could step right out into the water. In fact, you can – stepping stones lead from a clear acrylic exterior door to the lawn.

With the wall of glass on the bottom level, a terrace on the second floor, and an angled solarium with a louvered screen that lets in daylight, water and sky are undoubtedly the focus of the home.

Census: Americans Are Moving More

moving-boxesAmericans are on the move again—at the highest level since before the recession. About 3.9 percent—or 11.8 million—of Americans moved to a different county in 2011, according to newly released Census data.

While the number is improving, the percentage is still low by historical standards, but it is inching off record lows seen in 2009 and 2010. In 2010 and 2009, moves to different counties were about 3.5 percent—the lowest level since the government started tracking such data in 1948.

When people move between counties, they’re usually relocating due to jobs, according to Census demographers.

The 2011 increase is “one of the many indicators showing that the worst of the recession is probably over and we’re starting to inch back,” William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, told The Wall Street Journal.

The populations moving the most are 25-to-29 year olds—who have been “stymied by the weak labor market” in recent years, Frey says. “They’re the ones who’ve been stuck at home because of the economic downturn,” Frey said. “The so-called lost generation seems to have stirred a little bit.”

Also, another demographer notes, that retirees began to move more in 2011.

The states that gained the most in population in 2011 due to domestic moves were Florida and Nevada, according to the Census data.

Source: “Americans Get Moving Amid Torpid Recovery,” The Wall Street Journal 

Tomorrow’s World

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Who Wants to Own a Home?

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via: KCM

Crisp, Clean Lines Define a Sophisticated Bathroom Suite

origami-storage-bathtubItalian company Stocco takes bathroom fixtures to a whole new level of style and sophistication with their Origami suite. The unusual suite of bathtubs and

sinks uses modern shapes and clean lines to create beautiful fixtures that will truly set a bathroom apart from any other.

While some of the objects in the Origami line are more decorative than others, all add a little something special to the bathroom landscape. Unexpected shelves, uplighted cutouts, or an elegant tub-side table space are surprisingly at home in these pieces, giving each its own unique personality.

The sinks of the Origami collection are nearly as original as the tubs. Freestanding, countertop or integrated designs are available, giving plenty of options for creating a totally unique bathroom interior.

Obama: Housing “Clearly Turning a Corner”

home_prices_rebound_thumb.jpgThe housing market has shown signs of “bottoming out nationally and clearly turning a corner,” according to the Obama Administration’s December Housing Scorecard.

Home values are inching up while home sales remain strong. Some home price indexes are showing values up 5.6 percent and 4.3 percent from year ago levels, according to the Scorecard.

“As the December housing scorecard indicates, our housing market is continuing to show important signs of recovery,” says Michael Berman, a HUD senior adviser.

Home inventories are falling, reaching a 4.8-month supply in December compared to November’s 5.3-month supply.

Americans are continuing to see the amount of equity in their homes increase. American home equity grew to $8 trillion in December but is still below the nearly $14 trillion in equity reached prior to the recession.

More than 6 million mortgage modifications and other kinds of housing assistance have taken place between April 2009 and November 2012, helping more home owners stay in their homes, according to the administration.

The housing scorecard is a comprehensive report on the national housing market, released every month by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Treasury.

To view the complete Housing Scorecard, visit www.hud.gov/scorecard.

Source: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and “December Housing Scorecard Points to Improving Home Equity and Prices,” Mortgage News Daily

The ABC of Architects [video]

housing-shortage_thumb.jpgThis work is an alphabetical list of the most important architects with their best known building.

Some have been left out because we only need one for each letter, and we made an effort to have different nationalities represented.

For Anyone Working At Home: You Need This ‘Shoffice’ In Your Life

shofficeDesigned by Platform 5 Architects, the shoffice (shed + office) is a garden pavilion containing a small office alongside garden storage space located to the rear of a 1950′s terraced house in St John’s Wood with the brief requiring the shoffice to be conceived of as a sculptural object that flowed into the garden space.shoffice

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The interior is oak lined and fitted out with a cantilevered desk and storage. Two rooflights – one glazed above the desk with another open to the sky outside the office bring light into the work space.

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The glazed office space nestles into an extruded timber elliptical shell, reminiscent of a wood shaving, and forms a small terrace in the lawn.

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How to Furnish Your Home on a Budget

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