Archives for June 2014

Planning Your Perfect Fence

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10 Creative Ideas for Eye-Catching Walls

Screen Shot 2014-06-04 at 12.35.36 PMTransform an empty wall into an artful display with unexpected additions and personal collections

Looking to freshen up your walls? Why not try something new, like swapping out plain artwork mats for colorful ones or hanging floor tiles or a giant knot as art? Here you’ll find 10 creative ways to wake up your walls.

Seventh Heaven In The Playoffs

20 years of game 7s in the post-season.game-7

Cost Of Owning A Home Over The Decades

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Floating Homes Deliver The Best Water Views

Willamette_River_House_portlandgreen_roof_top_Schwimmhausboot_floating_house Marina_Housing_with_solar_panels_pori_finland
Amazing_Floating_House Bay_Side Beauty_floating_house_washington Bercy_Chen_Boathouse_texas Kenjo_Floating_Cabin_for_Sandell_brothers_sweden MOS Architects_Prefab_Pontoons_floating_house Muskoka_Floating_House_ontario_canada NorfolkBoatyard_floating_house_england Steeltec37 _on_the_Lake_floating_house_germany Yellowknife_Floating_Home_canada

7 Magnificent Oversize Backsplashes

Screen Shot 2014-06-02 at 7.56.30 AMThey go up to the ceiling and don’t fall short on making a major impact. Are you ready to hop on the big-backsplash bandwagon?

As far as kitchen trends go, few are as currently as pervasive as the oversize backsplash.

Designers are using materials such as glass mosaic tile and marble in backslashes that stretch from ceiling to countertop or wrap around entire prep areas. The result is an oxymoron: a subtle design feature that can add that wow factor to even the simplest kitchen update.

Here are seven magnificent oversize backslashes to inspire you.

Advanced Stats in the Post-Season

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Beachy Tranquility and Togetherness on Puget Sound

Screen Shot 2014-06-02 at 7.58.20 AMEasygoing style and a peaceful palette create a welcoming waterfront home for a family

Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful thing. Michele Thornquist, development director at a Seattle-area private school, and her husband, John, a business owner in aeronautical engineering, fell in love with a Kitsap Peninsula beach, put an offer on a midcentury modern home there and hoped for the best. But when that home proved to have many unexpected issues, they rescinded their offer. This turned out to be a blessing, as a better house two doors away came up for sale a short time later.

“We heard the owners were considering selling this house,” says Michele. “It took some negotiating, but here we are, on the beach that we liked so much.”

Small but amazing changes when redecorating

Website pic 1Do you ever get the feeling that your home is just a bit outdated when it comes to design? Maybe you’ve lived somewhere for many years and are just ready for a change. Or maybe you’ve just moved in and really want to create an amazing feeling to your new home. Whatever the case may be you deserve to live in a space that feels uniquely yours and is designed according to your preferences. Many people think that great design has to come at a large cost, so they find it easier to avoid this altogether. But this is simply not true. You can redecorate your home, on your own, for a very low budget and end up with great results. Here are some ideas on how to do it.

Swap out pillows

It’s a small change, but swapping out your old throw pillows for some new and fresh ones can really brighten up your living room. The same goes for your bedroom as well! Toss out old pillows in monotonous colors, they are doing nothing for your room! Instead, bring in some bright colored pillows to add a punch to your space. Add some pillows with fun patterns as well, and don’t be afraid to mix and match! Old traditional design rules might frown upon mixing colors and patterns that don’t match, but you can create a fun and funky feel this way.

Window treatments

If you think about how many windows you have in your house, you’ll see what an impact the window treatments can have on your overall interior design feel. If you have old curtains that aren’t doing anything to add ambiance to the room, swap them out! You can get some more brightly colored curtains or even remove them altogether. Curtains add a more traditional feel to a room; if you’re looking for something more modern, consider polyvinyl shutters or something similar. Shutters create a crisp and clean look in your room.

Fresh paint

There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint to add new zip and pizzazz to your room. It can be so much fun trying out different paint colors to see what really resonates. Don’t be afraid to use a punchy, bold color you might not normally try. It’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone in a way that’s totally reversible if you really don’t like it. Try painting just one wall a different color for a fun, modern feel.

Lighting

By changing up the lighting style in your room, you can completely change the feeling. So rather than investing a lot of money in new furniture and remodeling just try this quick fix first! Add some soft hanging lamps or lanterns in your kitchen and dining room area to create a great ambiance for meals. Add reading lights to your living room, and fun colored string lights on your porch outside for a festive atmosphere. If you add a dimmer switch to your overhead lights, you’ll be able to adjust the mood of the room. This is a great option for the dining room, bedroom, or anywhere you might want to take the lighting from high to low.