Less is more - A reality for today

By now the quote made famous by Mies van der Rohe is familiar to virtually everyone. It also makes more sense today than ever before. With the increase in cost for materials and down sizing of homes, the name of the game is efficiency. Figuring out how to best utilize every square inch for many involves playing the real world game of Tetris. Luckily for most, they got lots and lots of practice with that game in the 90's in order to be experts today at transforming their smaller homes and condos into well run, efficient spaces to live. Just one more example on how you can make a compact space fabulous check out this article on these diminutive kitchen ideas. - Design is what you make it.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/443/13-stylish-small-kitchens/

High Design in the Salon world

Well it seems there is a new look to a high end salon on Newbury Street. G20 Spa and Salon has installed some beautiful mosaic tile designs provided by Artaic. Check out the link to see the panels and a short video, definitely worth the time.

http://www.artaic.com/CIDB/Custom_Mosaic/project/g2o-spa-and-salon/

- Design is what you make it.

Chicago Townhouse: Contemporary, elegent, but could you raise a family here?

Regarding the Chicago townhouse designed by Alexander Gorlin: http://archrecord.construction.com/residential/hotm/archives/1006HotM/default.asp

This is a beautiful elegant home with clean lines, gorgeous finishes that work together in harmony. The spacial layout is wonderful as well. As a critic I have few flaws to point out. The one question I would pose is regarding a comment in the article about this home. The article mentions that this is an ideal bachelor pad (which I agree, truly impressive), however the article goes on to say it also would work well as a family home. With this comment I will have to disagree unless the children are close to being or in high school.

The space screams adult world. Nothing about this is child friendly, from the absence of wood (a warm familiar material to the bland neutral palette. The staircase is far from child friendly as anyone with a child will agree it's an accident waiting to happen. Each of the children bedrooms have they're own bathroom...oh the fun playing in the toilet or with the toilet paper that could be had! They've also used tile throughout which presents a "cold" institutional type of environment. For those old enough to get the reference, from another famous although fictional Chicagoan Ferris Bueller famously said, "The place is like a museum. It's very beautiful and very cold, and you're not allowed to touch anything." Sound like an ideal family home to you?

- Design is what you make it.

"Cash for Caulking" - Newest stimulus legislation

Is this new stimulus legislation that is in the works a good program or a bust like the "Cash for Clunkers"?

The full story won't be told until more details come out. Currently the Associated Builders and Contractors is opposed to it being passed because in it's current state, the work must be completed by Union works. Stay tuned for more details and once the bill goes through the Senate.

http://enr.ecnext.com/coms2/article_powo100512CashforCaulk

- Design is what you make it.

Real Estate Development during trying Economic Times

Somerville, MA was presented with the All American City Award (AAC) in 2009. In 2010, the construction of the Assembly Square area will begin. This project will improve roadways, bring a new T station to Somerville, residential units, commercial office space, additional retail space, a new movie theatre, and most importantly 500 new jobs. Congratulations to the Somerville leaders for getting this task started in such difficult economic times. Perhaps Mayor Menino of Boston can follow Somerville's lead with the even more substantial project planned for the waterfront near the Boston Aquarium. To read more about both projects please go to:

http://www.thesomervillenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=3854
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/03/28/shadow_on_the_greenway/

- Design is what you make it.

Green Design: What does it mean to you?

Gone are the days where people associate green design with images of people in Birkenstocks chained to trees. Yes the movement has come a long way and I've been meeting with more and more clients that are interested in finding ways to save on their energy bills for the long-term future. Green also doesn't JUST mean energy saving. It's a lifestyle. Incorporating more and more of the surrounding environment into a design to create a work experience that is more enjoyable saves employers over the course of the year through more productivity and less sick days. Here is an article from GreenSource that incorporates a great example of making the built environment more than just a box on a site.
http://greensource.construction.com/features/solutions/2010/may/1005_faculty_of_law_building.asp

- Design is what you make it.

Reality Sets in for Homeowners

Well the reality of the housing market is impacting the reasons behind the recent escalation of home improvement projects being performed. According to the WSJ (http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109389/the-new-rules-of-remodeling) many home owners recognize the hard truth, the days of quick renovation to trade up for the bigger house next door are over. This is not necessarily a bad thing, what many homeowners are doing instead, they're building additions to accommodate the space they need and/or renovating the current space in their home to better suit their living lifestyles. This is a huge win for the design and construction world. It also acts as baby steps for the economy to recover. Once the housing market can become strong again, the economy typically gets into full swing. So keep those renovation projects going, enlarge your home with an addition, and purchase more home improvement materials so we can get back to being the prosperous nation we've so grown accustom to being.

- Design is what you make it.