home exterior: July 2009

Best Interior Painting Ideas for House Remodeling

Your home is the place you go to get away from the stress of work and traffic, and it gives you a sense of security and comfort. So why not use one of the best and least expensive home interior decorating techniques to help create the sanctuary you want.

Best Interior Painting Ideas for House Remodeling

The proper application of paint on walls, floors, or furniture can change the look of a room at very little cost. Using the right paint, selecting the proper product, and using professional-style techniques will give you the results worthy of your home. Get all the information you'll need on interior paint types, products, materials and application. Also, color selection and tips from the pros, faux painting techniques, and paint estimator tools. Plus detailed how-tos on painting interior rooms!

Picture courtesy by ymrenovation

How to Makeover your House Interior with Green Color

Green color scheme is one of best color in creating a convenience interior, these post is talking about how to makeover your house interior in green color scheme. The most important thing before 'makeover' is choosing the right color combination and consider it with the function of the room, lighting system, size of the room and another related thing. Here are several steps in makeover your interior:

color combination is everything, choose just a similar or two another smooth color such as pink or sky blue.
maximize your wall decoration, this can make the room alive, caused by the naturally of the green color
use just a little dark color as a strip or another small decoration,
lighting is all. Lighting is the most important aspect, so use a health, cheap and convenience lighting system.

Energy Efficient Homes & Appliances

According to the U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Department of Energy recently announced the availability of nearly $300 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for rebate programs and consumer purchases of new ENERGY STAR qualified energy efficient appliances.

The new program underscores the Obama Administration's commitment to make American homes more energy efficient, while helping to support the nation's economic recovery.

"Appliances consume a huge amount of our electricity, so there's enormous potential to both save energy and save families money every month," said US Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "These rebates will help families make the transition to more efficient appliances, making purchases that will directly stimulate the economy and create jobs."

The new funding will be awarded to states and territories, through their energy offices, using a formula set forth in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Each state or territory is required to submit a plan that specifies which ENERGY STAR appliance categories will be included in their rebate program, the rebate level for each product type, how the rebates will be processed, and their plan for recycling old appliances. States and territories must first file an initial application expressing their intent to participate by August 15, 2009, followed by a full application by October 15, 2009. Approximately 10-25% of each award will be spent on administrative costs.

ENERGY STAR qualified appliance categories eligible for rebates include: central air conditioners, heat pumps (air source and geothermal), boilers, furnaces (oil and gas), room air conditioners, clothes washers, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators, and water heaters.

The Recovery Act appropriated funds for the program to help achieve the national goals of spurring economic growth, creating jobs, saving energy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. States and territories can use these funds to leverage the utility companies and energy efficiency program sponsors in their area.

If you are building an energy efficient home, work with a green architect who can help you choose energy efficient appliances, building materials, and systems that match your goals - and budget.

For more information on these and other Recovery Act related funding opportunities, visit the U.S. Department of Energy's Recovery and Reinvestment Web site.

Green Home Ideas, Bring the Nature to Your House

A green house is a trend of home design today, the concept of green house is using more of natural material and maximize the function of nature to make the room convenience. We can also use a natural green color to decorate our room and interior, so, by bring the nature into our house, the house looks matched with it's outdoor natural environment.

The overall design was meant to harken to the classic interiors found in the English country house of a century ago--rooms filled with antiques, sculptural furniture pieces, and botanical patterns and prints on the walls.

The trick to combining many patterns in a room is to choose a common color scheme, A variety of bold patterns won't clash when linked by a limited palette, To avoid overwhelming the space, its better to using no more than two large-scale prints and keeping other patterns geometric

To keep a room visually exciting, its recommends to combining furniture of various sizes and heights so the eye is drawn to different points. By putting a few pieces of large furniture in a small space, a room feels bigger, It's a trick of the eye and a fact about decorating that surprises.

Tips to Decorate a Small Space Bedroom

Many bedrooms have limited space, which makes decorating easy in some ways and difficult in others. Taking a fresh design approach can transform a crowded bedroom. Such as decorate a small space on bathroom, here are several tips on decorating a small space bedroom for your family and especially for your kids.

Look under furniture for extra storage space; a good under-bed organizer can help keep toys, shoes and other goods hidden from view and better-organized.
Go vertical; when floor space is limited, one of the easiest ways to maximize space utilization is to use every inch of vertical space.
Create an illusion of more space by painting stripes on the walls; vertical stripes give the room a sense of greater height while horizontal stripes will make the room seem wider.

Don’t place tall furniture near windows; this only blocks the natural light. Do place a low bookcase or, better yet, a chair or bench near the window.
A corner bookcase or display shelf unit can be a great way to utilize diagonal nooks and crannies in your smaller-sized kids’ bedroom.

Look for “combo” furniture pieces such as an armoire with drawers and space for hanging clothes to free up closet space.
A well-lit bedroom will seem more open and spacious than a dark room; augment the ceiling light fixture with a bedside table lamp, desk lamp, etc. to provide plenty of ambient and task lighting in your child’s bedroom.
Keep it simple; more than anything a small kids’ bedroom will suffer greatly if you try to overdo a theme, use too many colors and cram in just plain too much stuff. --raftertales--

Kenyon Square Interior Design by Hickokcole

Here are several beautiful interior design of Kenyon Square. Beautifully design by combining red color with another color make this room looks elegant, designed by Hickokcole, an Architects is a youthful, high-energy firm, they work collaboratively, closely with their project teams, with the principals, and directly with the client. Ideas and expertise are sought from all levels. On above picture, there is a main upstairs from first floor to second floor, completed with red carpet, this is a convenience upstairs with ideal size and shape.

Description:
Kenyon Square
Washington, DC

Client: Columbia Heights Ventures Parcel 15, LLC
Project Size: 4,000 sf
Project Type: Common area build-out of multi-family residential development
Completion Date: 2007

Award
2008 AIA|DC Award of Merit, Interior Architecture

A living room with a fireplace to make the room more warm, still completed with red wall and minimalist lighting to make this is one of a romantic room.

Here is another living room with a similar color composition but with different sense.

Interior Design Project of Vagg Residence

Matt Gibson has a creative hand to create a beautiful interior project, such as his project on this project, an interior design project of Vagg Residence. This project involved the sub-division and renovation of a semi-detached Victorian bluestone cottage with an individual heritage listing. The client purchased this property with pre-existing Planning & Building permits to sub-divide the site and construct two 2 storey precast- concrete dwellings over 2 property Titles.

The existing site contained a 19th century derelict bluestone fronted Victorian Cottage residence that was severely run down. A Special Heritage Overlay was placed over the front bluestone bedroom that fronts Highett Street. The brief meant dealing with from one end - the notion of a 2-storey utilitarian pre-cast concrete box normally common place in multi-res / high rise construction, versus at the other end a now Heritage Listed single storey bluestone cottage front. A decision was made to restore the interior of the existing construct in a clean but typically Victorian detailing, whilst the interior of the new pre-cast construct contains a newly inscribed contemporary architecture - open, light filled, flexible. Source: http://www.mattgibson.com.au/

Small Space on living room solutions

Small space in our living room is a serious problem that we should handle it as we like to get more efficient space used. Here are several photos of small space of living room and several tips on decorating a small space living room.

1. Use lighter shades of green, blue and yellow for your walls. These lighter colors or pastels help open up the room and give it a more airy feel. If you want a cozier feel to your living room, use darker shades of red, blue and brown.

2. To help further open up the room, use mirrors and glass table tops. Mirrors reflect light and give the illusion of a larger room. Make sure that the mirror reflects a view or an ornamental item to enhance the room. Use glass table tops to give your small living room an open feel, rather than using hard wood table that further shrinks the room.

3. Avoid using heavily printed upholstery for your seating and sofa. Use light, monochromatic colors that match. Avoid mix and match of colors as well, as it makes the room look smaller and tight.

4. Use light gauzy and filmy fabrics for your window treatments. These fabrics let natural light pass through and adds more personality to your living room. Do not overdo and avoid using heavily printed fabrics in a small living room design. --exteriorshutters--

Light and Soft Hues A room looking hip is typically a matter of the walls. In a small living room you can try painting it with 'cool' colors like blue or green. Make sure the shades in the room are of darker color, to compliment the entire room. If you follow those rules, you can actually give the appearance of a higher ceiling.

Lighting Ideas for Your Interior

A different room need a different lighting too, a living room with brightness color need more attractive and bright lighting too, such as on above picture, this is a lighting idea to maximize and make the room more live!

Look at this above picture!, a romantic dinning room with minimalist lighting design, and see these below beautiful kitchen lighting, the kitchen was completed with full lighting on every space. All of these picture may be your ideas on house remodeling, or just kitchen remodeling.

House Remodeling of a Georgian Revival Home

In the living room, softness and tactility reign. An iconic Vladimir Kagan Serpentine sofa (through Ralph Pucci) faces the fireplace across a vintage coffee table. Two armchairs are family pieces; the mantel sculpture is from Tanzania.

A third-floor bath with blue glass tile, like two others in the house—one yellow, one celadon—is about “being in a field of color. Photographer: Annie Schlechter, taken from: pointclickhome

House Remodeling of a Georgian Revival Home

The dining room wears the only strong color in the house (Pratt & Lambert’s Velvet Red). The 1950s Italian chairs and Pallucco’s aluminum Glow pendant add contemporary sensibility to neoclassical surroundings.

Now a single, open room with some breathing space and improved circulation, thanks to designer Robert Kaner, the kitchen was once a suite of rooms that included an eating nook, powder room, mudroom and foyer.

Designer Robert Kaner replaced an elaborate faux Chippendale mantel in the living room with sleeker honed limestone.

Brick-size tiles echo the facade, but the grid design feels cleaner and more modern

The youngest residents, four-and-a-half-year-old twins Ellis (left) and Jordan, share secrets in a classic foyer with restored period architectural detail and dashes of modern flair:

Kaner collapsed a hall bath and closet into a new master bath. Treating the custom rosewood vanity, tub and shower like “objects in a room,

The relaxed master bedroom features an area rug from ABC Carpet & Home and a custom dresser that seems to float above the floor.

Best Country Home Interior Design Collection, an Alternative for Your House Remodeling

Here are the best collection of country style interior home design, traditionally designed to describing the natural of country environments. Dominated with wooden material with warm color paint, the room looks convenience and matched with all 4 seasons. Suitable used for ideas for your house remodeling.

Here are another ideas of modern country home design, the rooms are designed with new edge style, much of the room used modern-minimalist design and used more brightness paint color. Pictures are taken from mimocode.