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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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