May 16th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
Cutting-edge style can cover a range of looks, from the glamour of polished alabaster to the grittiness of a graffiti-covered urban street. Whether inspired by the mainstreaming of subculture via films like Exit Through the Gift Shop, the popularity of converted lofts, the popularity of Tony Duquette causing cravings for malachite, or the '70s-luxe styles brought about by Kelly Wearstler's odes to bravura modern, the tile industry is watching and responding. Here's a sampling of some of the most cutting-edge looks from around the world that are trending in tile for 2013, on display at the Coverings show in Atlanta in spring 2013.
Trend: Avant-Garde
Technology has played a big role
Posted in: Wall
May 16th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
Red represents love, life, power and passion in many cultures. A stimulating color that can raise one's blood pressure and increase one's appetite, red is a great choice for an accent color in the kitchen. For those who want to go big and bold, it can be used in larger amounts to call attention to cabinetry, walls or appliances. As this is an attention-getting hue, it's important to think strategically about how you use it and how it will work with other colors and materials in your kitchen.
by Jennifer Ott
Red Paint Picks
Finding the right kind of red can be tough. Some are warmer, with more orange; others are cooler, with more blue. And how blue or orange they look is affected
Posted in: Kitchen
May 16th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
When I was growing up, the TV game show The Price Is Right made me think that dining rooms were a real snore. The new dining room sets of the "showcase showdown" usually included a matchy-matchy dining table and chairs, a buffet and a cumbersome cabinet, all lined up parallel to one another atop some thick wall-to-wall carpet. One way to avoid TPIR dining room set ennui is to distract with "Barker's beauties" (the show's models). The other is to place your furniture off that grid and cleverly angle some furniture and accessories into the corners.
by Glenn Gissler Design
Angle in the extra chairs. We've all seen the extras pushed up against a wall; try filling an extra corner with o
Posted in: Dining Room
May 16th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
If you haven’t heard, the 1920s are here all over again. The young women in Downton Abbey are wearing drop waists and beads. Boardwalk Empire's set designers have been quietly stocking up at art deco antiques shops. And another big one, The Great Gatsby hit theaters May 10, 2013.
by Warner Brothers
Leonard DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Carrie Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan in director Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.
For many the '20s were a time of liberation and optimism — the birth of jazz, the radio and the flapper. The curvy lines of art nouveau unfurled slightly to bring a new style, art deco (and eventually straightened to bring midcentury modern). After seeing The Great Gat
Posted in: Architecture
May 16th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
Bedside alarm clocks have been a standard feature of bedrooms for decades. They tell you the time when you're anywhere in the bedroom. They wake you up on time. And the well-designed ones can be a nice addition to the look of your bedroom. They also let you listen to news or music while you're getting dressed in the morning.
As with so many other things, the use of alarm clocks is on the wane, as they're being replaced by the ubiquitous, all-purpose mobile phone. But it doesn't have to be so. And it shouldn't be. Good alarm clocks can do things your phone can't.
For starters, both the displays and speakers tend to be bigger, so telling the time and listening to music and news can be do
Posted in: Architecture
May 16th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
Wireless technologies have been transforming domestic life since the availability of home radios in the 1920s. Since then every new kind of wireless technology and every new application has brought more transformative changes to the home.
Television, for example, used to receive its signal wirelessly, which enabled its fast adoption in the 1950s. As the use of cable TV spread, transforming a wireless signal into a nonwireless one, wireless remote controls added another convenience.
Cordless phones changed when and where you could make and receive calls. Wireless garage door openers and other special-purpose wireless devices subtly improved people's lives in small ways. You probably hav
Posted in: Architecture
May 16th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
The smart phone has become the mother of all electronic devices for one very simple reason: You always have it with you. And that's why a phone is a great place to put all the stuff related to your door. For example, you can virtualize the key, the peephole, the doorbell and other elements of the door, and put everything on your phone to be used from anywhere over the Internet.
There are major advantages for doing this (besides laziness). For example, you can send a key via email to unlock your door. You can hear knocks on the door or the ringing of the doorbell even when you're not at home. And you can see who's there even when you're not.
Three new products take electronic door stuff
Posted in: Architecture
May 15th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
First things first: The notion of masculine and feminine in decorating has less to do with gender roles than with form, placement, color and other pieces of the visual package. Feminine rooms tend to convey a sense of softness and nuance; they're more mysterious and less direct than masculine spaces. They emphasize curves over rigid lines, randomness over symmetry, small scale over large and airy hues over rich jewel tones or dark neutrals. And the bedroom, such an intensely personal space to begin with, is an ideal spot for letting this approach blossom.
by Cindy Rinfret
From the whispers of shell pink and the flashes of lilac to the layers of sheen and sparkle (even on the canopy
Posted in: Bedroom
May 15th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
I have been seriously thinking about turning one half of my living room into an area that is specifically devoted to exercise. I would keep my yoga mat set up here and do both yoga and mat-based pilates. I would also be able to use workout DVDs here by watching them on my laptop in this space.
Of course, I wish that I was able to set aside an entire room in my home for a home gym. I'm sure I'd be a lot more likely to really exercise if I had a huge room filled with the right equipment. But I don't have that and I don't think that's a good excuse not to work out at home at all.
I have been looking at the features of a good exercise room to figure out what my room needs to be right for e
Posted in: House, Ideas
May 15th, 2013 / No Comments » / by andyou
It's easy to pine for a larger space when you are living in a teensy one, but big rooms present some of their own challenges, and that is what we will be tackling today. Whether you live in a loft, have a living room with extremely high ceilings or simply have a lot of space to fill, these 13 ideas can help you make your room feel balanced and comfortable.
by Kristina Wolf Design
1. Strategically place tall potted plants. Fill vertical height in rooms with tall ceilings or fill bare, lonely corners with potted trees. As long as your space gets enough light to support the plant's needs (check with your garden store for instructions and recommendations), you really can't go wro
Posted in: House
