My Houzz: A Light Touch for a San Antonio Renovation (21 photos)

AFTER: The kitchen design mixes traditional style with modern touches, topped off with finishes like Carrara marble countertops and a white subway tile backsplash that wraps around the space from the countertops to the ceiling. It also includes stools made of metal and acrylic, and recessed and sculptural wood pendant lighting.

As in most homes, the kitchen is the room where the couple spend most of their time, especially when entertaining.

“Even when we’re having a barbecue or a dinner party in the dining room, we are always in the kitchen,” Nicola says.

Cooktop: Bertazzoni; backsplash tile: Ann Sacks; stools: CB2

from Houzz http://ift.tt/2dxV0mO

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

Design Debate: Should You Ever Paint a Wood Ceiling White? (15 photos)

The Case Against Painting Wood Ceilings White

Arguing against: Ken Best of Synthesis Design

Expertise: “Designer, perpetual renovator, man in possession of random orbital sander — and, yes, I know how to use it,” says Ken Best. “I’m also a director with Synthesis Design, based in North Vancouver, Canada, where we design new houses for clients, encouraging those clients to “listen” to the site, and renovate existing homes, for which we “listen” to what the existing house has to say prior to making changes. Over the years, I have had the privilege of responding to numerous heritage and midcentury modern houses, all of which have asked me to advocate to keep their unpainted ceilings honest and exposed. If we won’t speak for them, who will?”

Why he’s against it: “When I purchased my own Fred Hollingsworth midcentury modern post-and-beam rancher, the feedback from friends (and many fellow designers) regarding the heavily shellacked ceiling boards and wall paneling was, ‘You should paint it all white!’ Seeing it through their eyes, I can see why this seemed like the solution to the problem of yellowing wood stain, subtle signs of water damage, and the open knots and cracks that had begun to appear over time,” he says.

from Houzz http://ift.tt/2djQHI8

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

The Science of Color: New Purple, Orange and Green Pigments Discovered (5 photos)

At center is YInMn Blue, the pigment discovered in 2009. Around it are other YInMn pigments that have since been developed. Images courtesy of Oregon State University

In 2009, the lab led by chemistry professor Mas Subramanian accidentally discovered a new pigment. In an attempt to create a material that could be useful in computers, a student mixed manganese oxide with other chemicals, heated the blend to about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,093 degrees Celsius) and showed Subramanian the resulting bright blue compound. “I was really shocked,” recalls Subramanian, who had been expecting the mixture to turn black. At first, Subramanian thought the blue had resulted from an error in mixing the compound. But when he had the student repeat the experiment and the same blue substance emerged, Subramanian realized he was looking at what could be a new blue pigment.

That new inorganic compound — dubbed YInMn Blue for the yttrium, indium and manganese it contains — was in many ways superior to existing blue pigments. It had cooling properties and could deflect the sun’s heat. It was nontoxic and more stable than organic blues found in nature, such as indigo, used to dye jeans. YInMn Blue won’t fade or change color, is impervious to heat and water, and isn’t affected by acid or oil.

All this makes the pigment ideal for coloring paint, especially for exteriors. YInMn blue has since been adopted by artists for use in their works, and Subramanian says that even the Vatican looked into it as a potential pigment for restoring the Sistine Chapel.

from Houzz http://ift.tt/2ddHrWC

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

A Texas-Sized Antiques Fair in Round Top (22 photos)

Shoppers travel from other states to experience Round Top. Amy Cole (center) came from Charlotte, North Carolina, with some of her friends. It’s her second time at Round Top. “The first time I came, I left here like the Clampetts going to Beverly Hills,” she says. “My car was stuffed to the gills.” Pictured from left are Nancy Jones (visiting from Austin), Kathleen Hinrichs, Cole, Davonne Short and Courtney Hallock.

Cole shops primarily for herself and will ship if she buys more than she can take home. She says she started going to antiques shows with her mom and began “wheeling and dealing at 10 and 11.” She plans to come again next year for a longer trip.

from Houzz http://ift.tt/2dtzQAS

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

Here's what you need to know about tonight's black moon

You’ve heard of a blood moon or a harvest moon, maybe even a supermoon. But what about a black moon? Tonight, people living in the Western Hemisphere has the chance to experience a black moon…but they won’t be able to see much.

As explained by Space.com and NASA, a black moon is the second new moon in one month. It’s kind of like the opposite of a blue moon, which is when there’s a second full moon in a month. Typically there is a single new moon and a single full moon in a month, so when a second comes along, some take notice.

Unfortunately the black moon isn’t as exciting as an eclipse or meteor shower. Humans gazing at the night sky won’t be able to see much of the black moon. The side of the moon that will be facing Earth will be dark, so the black moon will be “more or less invisible,” according to Space.com.

Related: Everything we thought we knew about the moon’s origins is probably wrong

What’s the fuss? A British tabloid and some Twitter users suggested the black moon could signal the end of the world. However, it’s not even a particularly rare phenomenon; the last black moon occurred in March 2014, and there will be another in 2019. NASA says there is “nothing mysterious” and “nothing supernatural” about the black moon.

Only those in the Western Hemisphere will experience the black moon tonight at 8:11 PM Eastern Time or 5:11 PM Pacific Time. As it will happen after midnight in the Eastern Hemisphere, it won’t count as a black moon for those in Africa, Asia, Europe, or Australia – it will simply be their first new moon. Eastern Hemisphere dwellers will get a black moon, though, on October 30 for most and October 31 for Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and eastern Asia.

Via Space.com

Images via Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green BuildingInhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building http://ift.tt/2dssygD

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

Charred timber pavilion slides back and forth to expose rooms to the outdoors

Have you ever wished you could work outdoors on days with beautiful weather? Stal Collectief's designed a studio that offers just that thanks to movable walls that expose the indoor workspace to the elements. Named the Hofer Pavilion, the charred timber structure is an extra studio space for Stal Collectief and mimics the rural vernacular in northeast Belgium.

Created as an “experimental shelter” to complement the firm’s existing workshop in nearby Heppeneert, the Hofer pavilion takes on the archetypical shape of a rural gabled home. The self-designed and self-built structure is elevated atop ten pillars and mounted on heavy-duty wheels and a rail. Three of building’s four walls are attached to the roof and can slide back and forth on the rail to open the studio up to the outdoors in summer, or enclose it during winter.

Related: Carbon House’s burnt wood facade is a playful reference to the clients’ love of cooking

Charred timber crafted using the Shou Sugi Ban technique clad the exterior walls, while the fixed gable wall and floor are fashioned out of sheet metal. The interior is minimally furnished with a long table, stools, hanging lights, as well as shelving and a wood-burning stove built into the fixed gable wall. Large windows let occupants enjoy views of the outdoors and access to natural light even when four walls enclose the interior. The temporary dwelling can be used in all seasons.

+ Stal Collectief

Via Dezeen

Images via Stal Collectief

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green BuildingInhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building http://ift.tt/2dJrEAM

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

Kitchen of the Week: From Dated and Isolated to Open and User-Friendly (9 photos)

AFTER: Looking at the rooms now from pretty much the same angle, you’re probably having trouble believing that it’s the same space. Silberman turned the previous pantry, bathroom and laundry area into the extended kitchen space you see here — everything from the refrigerator to the left. (See floor plans at the end of this article for more detail.)

The window around the corner from the fridge to the right was where the previous corner sink sat. Silberman relocated the pantry to another spot in the kitchen, and she moved the laundry and bathroom to other spaces in the house.

The kitchen now enjoys designated zones for prepping, cooking and serving meals. A new five-burner gas cooktop from Wolf, with a stainless steel hood and drawer storage below for pots and pans, sits next to double wall ovens and a warming drawer. Both the cooking zone and the sink area enjoy lots of natural light, thanks to an expanded back window over the cooktop, and a new window created above the kitchen’s main sink. “I wanted to have the kitchen more exposed to the outdoors, to views and the greenery in the backyard,” Bray-Hanin says.

A flat-screen TV above the new stainless steel refrigerator allows the family to catch up with the news or a big sports game. A microwave and coffee center with drawers below for mugs and coffee essentials to the left of the fridge form a breakfast center. Silberman kept upper cabinets to a minimum for a more open and spacious feel.

Refrigerator: Samsung; vent hood: Zephyr; sink: Schock; sink faucet: Grohe; wall ovens, microwave and warming drawer: Bosch Home Appliances; coffee center: Miele; windows: Integrity, Marvin Windows & Doors

from Houzz http://ift.tt/2dsVKUQ

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

Here's what you need to know about tonight's black moon

You’ve heard of a blood moon or a harvest moon, maybe even a supermoon. But what about a black moon? Tonight, people living in the Western Hemisphere has the chance to experience a black moon…but they won’t be able to see much.

As explained by Space.com and NASA, a black moon is the second new moon in one month. It’s kind of like the opposite of a blue moon, which is when there’s a second full moon in a month. Typically there is a single new moon and a single full moon in a month, so when a second comes along, some take notice.

Unfortunately the black moon isn’t as exciting as an eclipse or meteor shower. Humans gazing at the night sky won’t be able to see much of the black moon. The side of the moon that will be facing Earth will be dark, so the black moon will be “more or less invisible,” according to Space.com.

Related: Everything we thought we knew about the moon’s origins is probably wrong

What’s the fuss? A British tabloid and some Twitter users suggested the black moon could signal the end of the world. However, it’s not even a particularly rare phenomenon; the last black moon occurred in March 2014, and there will be another in 2019. NASA says there is “nothing mysterious” and “nothing supernatural” about the black moon.

Only those in the Western Hemisphere will experience the black moon tonight at 8:11 PM Eastern Time or 5:11 PM Pacific Time. As it will happen after midnight in the Eastern Hemisphere, it won’t count as a black moon for those in Africa, Asia, Europe, or Australia – it will simply be their first new moon. Eastern Hemisphere dwellers will get a black moon, though, on October 30 for most and October 31 for Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and eastern Asia.

Via Space.com

Images via Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green BuildingInhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building http://ift.tt/2dssygD

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

Earth's oxygen levels are declining - and scientists aren't sure why

Scientists led by Daniel Stolper at Princeton University studied samples of ancient air trapped in ice in Antarctica and Greenland and made a startling discovery – for the past 800,000 years, the Earth’s oxygen levels have steadily decreased. So far no one knows exactly why oxygen levels are declining, but there are a few prominent hypotheses.

The ancient ice-trapped air reveals oxygen levels in Earth’s atmosphere have gone down by 0.7 percent over 800,000 years, which fortunately isn’t dire. That decrease is about the amount of decrease experienced when someone moves from sea level up to 100 meters, or around 328 feet, higher than sea level. But oxygen levels are still going down – and scientists aren’t sure why.

Related: The world will run out of breathable air unless carbon emissions are cut

One hypothesis is that erosion rates have increased globally, and rocks that are being weathered pull oxygen out of the atmosphere, much like iron binds to oxygen as it rusts. Carbon and pyrite are two substances that may be behind oxygen levels declining. Scientists think that fluctuations in the Earth’s temperature could lead to retreating and growing ice, spurring increased rates of global erosion.

A second hypothesis is that over the last 56 million years, Earth has generally experienced global cooling, which has cooled the oceans. Colder oceans can hold more dissolved gases, including dissolved oxygen. Writing for Forbes, geologist Trevor Nace compared the phenomenon to the amount of carbonation in a soda. When soda goes flat it gets warmer, as dissolved carbon dioxide escapes. Colder soda contains that carbon dioxide, and perhaps the cool oceans are now holding more dissolved oxygen in a similar manner.

It’s difficult for scientists to know just which hypothesis is correct, since oxygen levels are connected to other processes such as volcanic activity and even the biodiversity present on Earth. The study was published this month in the journal Science.

+ Science

Via Forbes

Images via Wikimedia Commons (1,2)

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green BuildingInhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building http://ift.tt/2dwmKnn

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

Charred timber pavilion slides back and forth to expose rooms to the outdoors

Have you ever wished you could work outdoors on days with beautiful weather? Stal Collectief's designed a studio that offers just that thanks to movable walls that expose the indoor workspace to the elements. Named the Hofer Pavilion, the charred timber structure is an extra studio space for Stal Collectief and mimics the rural vernacular in northeast Belgium.

Created as an “experimental shelter” to complement the firm’s existing workshop in nearby Heppeneert, the Hofer pavilion takes on the archetypical shape of a rural gabled home. The self-designed and self-built structure is elevated atop ten pillars and mounted on heavy-duty wheels and a rail. Three of building’s four walls are attached to the roof and can slide back and forth on the rail to open the studio up to the outdoors in summer, or enclose it during winter.

Related: Carbon House’s burnt wood facade is a playful reference to the clients’ love of cooking

Charred timber crafted using the Shou Sugi Ban technique clad the exterior walls, while the fixed gable wall and floor are fashioned out of sheet metal. The interior is minimally furnished with a long table, stools, hanging lights, as well as shelving and a wood-burning stove built into the fixed gable wall. Large windows let occupants enjoy views of the outdoors and access to natural light even when four walls enclose the interior. The temporary dwelling can be used in all seasons.

+ Stal Collectief

Via Dezeen

Images via Stal Collectief

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green BuildingInhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building http://ift.tt/2dJrEAM

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More

Sustainable eyeglass hut demonstrates closed loop recycling in Australia

Alex Symes of Alexander Symes Architect created an educational center on wheels in the form of Dresden Mobile, a portable structure helping to spread the word about closed loop recycling systems and eye health. Dresden Mobile features glasses made from sea waste, milk bottle tops, and discarded land mines, demonstrating how one man’s trash can easily become another’s treasure. The structure itself features recycled building materials, including gold polycarbonate cladding and cardboard pop-outs. Both long sides of the wheel-mounted shop open completely, exposing the interior to the outside while providing shade for visitors to relax in while learning about the benefits of closed loop recycling.

The Australian architect describes the project as a demonstration of efficient resource use. In a statement on the project’s website, he explains that “sustainable materials in architecture is about thinking how we can most efficiently use the world’s resources in a respectful manner, I believe we need to create closed loop manufacturing systems where no material goes to landfill or pollutes our natural ecosystems, but is rather up-cycled to minimize resource depletion and environmental degradation.”

Related: Tiny new flat-packed off-grid homes offer affordable housing breakthrough

In the portable shop, Dresden cuts precision prescription lenses right on site. All components of the eyeglasses are interchangeable for eco-friendly repairs, and everything is recyclable as well. Inspired by the tiny house movement, Symes designed the portable workshop to be a sustainable example of portable architecture, while housing a sustainable business. Lens edging equipment is powered by a generator due to its high voltage needs, but most other electrical equipment, including lighting and the point of sale system, are powered by built-in photovoltaics and the accompanying battery storage system.

To create a portable workshop that would also be lightweight, Symes called for a polycarbonate facade, which blocks out 70 percent of solar radiation and insulates better than double-glazed materials. Dresden Mobile’s awnings open to allow cross ventilation, so that climate control systems are not necessary. When closed, the polycarbonate sides allow daylight to filter through to the interior, further reducing the need for additional artificial lighting.

+ Alexander Symes Architect

Images via Brett Boardman Photography

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green BuildingInhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building http://ift.tt/2dpf5dj

Advertisement

Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

Read More