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Radical Makeover Scoop — Watch New York Home's Fantastic Transformation

What happens when you have a home that’s far from your perfect style and configuration? It’s true that you love the place, but the home just is not at all what you desire. You’ve thought about moving, but you can’t seem to find exactly the same setting or neighborhood anywhere else. You’ve thought of tearing the house down and constructing a new house in its place, but the expense is just too much.

If this describes your dilemma, a radical makeover of your property just might be what’s needed. You’ll get to continue dwelling in the place you love in a house that suits your lifestyle, and also you can do it for less price than either moving or building brand new.

The entire transformation of the house featured here occurred over seven years and involved two unique owners. The constant throughout was Dave Beckwith, the architect. Beckwith worked with the first owner to begin remaking the construction to a Greek resurrection stone and then with the next owner to complete the undertaking. Seems that it was not hard to find a buyer for your house, even though the job was not complete and the property market was depressed. The charm of this Greek revival country house in the making has been attractive to most, as Beckwith proudly acknowledges.

Project at a Glance
What: A radical makeover
Who lives here: A household from New York
Location: Duchess County, New York
Price: Around $450,000

Before Photo

Beckwith Group

The owners wanted a Greek revival house, which could be more in tune with the Duchess County heritage compared to 1970s mock Tudor. While this may have been a stylish home as it was first built, it was in need of a significant makeover.

Before Photo

Beckwith Group

The trunk, south side of this home had that omnipresent 1970s glazing program of a fast food restaurant. What on earth were we thinking back then?

Plus it is apparent by the use of siding on the back and sides, and brick only in the front, that little more than keeping prices low drove the design and construction of the original house.

Beckwith Group

AFTER: The south side indicates what a radical makeover has occurred. The inclusion of porches to every side along with a porch along the trunk as well as new siding and materials has totally transformed the home to the Greek revival nation home the owners very much desired.

Beckwith Group

The residence is located in the rolling meadows of Duchess County, New York, a place in which the Greek revival style is common. Each of the signature components of the style can be seen here: fanlight window, large entablature, classical columns, large entry portico. The new house is a welcome shift from the original uninspiring construction.

Beckwith Group

A remarkable thing about this project is that, in addition to the outside being completely redone, several additions were built. Two of these were 2-foot-wide improvements across the north and south sides, done to”flush out” the first and second floors so that the outside walls aligned. (The original second floor extended 2 feet beyond the first-floor walls.) While some may think that it’s mad to develop such small additions, it really was not. Not only do these two slivers of distance help attain the exterior appearance desired, however, the first floor has been expanded just sufficient to attain the bigger living and kitchen spaces the owners desired.

Beckwith Group

A view of the west elevation using its brand new porch and fanlight window above. The new master bedroom, one of these enhancements, is tucked up in the roof…

Beckwith Group

… so it is a room with a great deal of character. And while the shed dormer at the outside may not be entirely true into some classical Greek revival house, it certainly adds a nice window seat and mild to the bedroom.

Beckwith Group

Just about the whole house was redone, including a brand new kitchen being inserted, attached to a new porch. Inset cabinetry painted white with a warm-colored wood flooring offers traditional design in the inside to complement the Greek revival exterior.

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Oculus

An oculus was initially a round opening at the center of a dome designed to attract light from over to a space. The most well-known oculus is at the Pantheon at Rome. Since then “oculus” has come to mean any round opening in a ceiling. One of the fascinating things about an oculus is the circle of light generated and how that ring goes about the inside throughout the course of a day.

BiLDEN

An oculus can be utilised within an exterior canopy as a way to brighten an entryway. The positioning of this light beam throw from the oculus will change during the day as the sun moves across the skies.

Sutton Suzuki Architects

An oculus is also a great way to bring light deep into the inside of a house, particularly when it’s situated above a vertical component, such as a stairway.

Chang + Sylligardos Architects

An oculus is a superb method of introducing a rotating shaft of light which enlivens a space.

Andrew Skurman Architects

It may also provide a glimpse of the sky above.

AIA, Mark English Architects

A round opening at a ceiling allows an abundance of light to fill a room and can become part of this layout’s motif.

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The Riverside Holiday Cabins That Friendship Built

Friends who build stay together. At least that is what four couples, who have been best friends for years, are hoping with their four personalized cottages on a combined piece of property in Llano, Texas, about an hour from Austin. The group of eight has increased their families together with one another because college and have been going on holiday each year together. They pooled their funds to buy a unique place where everyone can congregate yearly, settling on a granite-strewn 10-acre lot close to the always-flowing Llano River, where angling, canoeing, tubing, fishing and swimming are everyday pursuits.

At first they spoke about building one big house for everyone to share about the house. But everyone’s individual needs didn’t get them much. Instead, together with all the creative assistance of architect Matt Garcia, they assembled individual 350-square-foot studio cottages suited to each family, all sharing an identical layout ethos: low tech, low care and high design. Here’s a tour of a few of those cottages.

at a Glance
Who lives here: That is a holiday home to get a husband and wife. (Three other families live in similar nearby cottages)
Location: Llano, Texas
Size: 350-square-foot studio
Budget: $40,000 per cottage

Photos by Alexander Stross

The cherry roof cantilevers 6 feet outside, developing a front overhang. The corrugated metal exterior contrasts with a hot plywood layout interior.

Four-by-8 sheets of plywood were used for all the cottage interiors to save cost and include character. “Nobody wanted slick white walls,” Garcia says. “We wanted to do a modern form with rustic information.” The grain also adds a textually graphic element and a vibrant golden color.

The homeowners who discuss this cottage both work at a landscape design company — he’s the designer; she’s the office supervisor. Instead of closed cabinets, they needed everything to be on screen, with a few baskets to help arrange. Many of the cottage owners are in the paper business, and another one is a writer, so desk space was significant. Plus, all the buddies are avid readers, so lots of space for books was crucial.

The modules are 30 feet deep, with large front windows which look out toward the Llano River, about 100 metres away. The interior design components, such as the exposed rafters, were deliberately kept simple. “We needed to keep the building fair and not cover anything up,” Garcia says. “We wanted it rustic and fair, to expose everything.”

The floors are poured concrete with a semigloss sealer. Garcia didn’t desire something supershiny but did want it to reflect and bounce light, making soft reflections of the vegetation out.

Steel angled shelves bolted into the wall grip the couple’s books.

Two sets of windows are on either side of the cottage to bring in light but keep privacy. Not one of the neighbors could see into another’s cottage from their own.

The furniture is pieces that the homeowners have had in storage for years. “The couples were excited to finally be able to use furniture they hadn’t used in quite a while,” the architect says. Designer Jodi Jacobsen did all the interiors. She moved with industrial light fixtures.

There’s a mini fridge and a hot dish in a corner of the tub. The glass and metal sconces are the very same ones featured on the exterior.

Each few chose another tile colour for their cottage. Here grey is dominant, emphasized with a black stripe.

Jacobsen had initially found mirrors she enjoyed for $750 each at Restoration Hardware, but Garcia had a steel fabricator buddy bend flat bar to make this model; the cost was $200 for all four.

After moving in, the cottage owners found that they needed additional storage in the kitchen to get mugs and glasses. Garcia came up with this shelving system made from plywood with threaded bars and nuts which imitates the style used on the cantilevered section of the roof. “I needed it to speak to this detail out,” he says.

Learn how to make a similar industrial-style shelving unit

Rainwater collection tanks are attached to each cottage and help irrigate the surrounding vegetation area. Electricity, heating and air conditioning are also available in each unit.

Even though the four couples’ cottages are near together, they are still afforded lots of solitude. And despite a steep, rugged property, the landscape designer managed to discover a level place that allows the units share the exact same elevation.

A group trip to the Llano River, shown here, is exactly what spurred the idea for those buddies to build holiday cottages together.

Tell us : Have you socialized with buddies on a holiday getaway?

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Eye Candy Colors Fill an 1800s New Orleans Victorian

Color and playful personality shine during this 1800s New Orleans Victorian. Over the past five years, Kim and Ray Martin have filled their gorgeous three-story home with colorful local artwork, eclectic furniture and classic heirlooms to accommodate their family.

With assistance from architect and designer Marie Palumbo, the few renovated the kitchen repurposed some chambers and revamped their backyard into an outdoor retreat, all without losing the home’s original charm.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Ray and Kim Martin and their 3 children, dog Elvis, bird Crystal and cat Hemme
Location: Uptown New Orleans
Size: Around 6,000 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 2 half baths, plus a manicured pool home

Corynne Pless

The former owners left the spacious kitchen in great shape, but the Martins desired to add their own custom touches. A whitewash was inserted to the first brick fireplace wall to blend with fresh white cabinetry. “I just wanted something actual white and clean,” says Kim. “I thought the art would pop a bit more.”

Palumbo made a ladder rail system with this custom floor-to-ceiling storage unit. The ladder can easily move to any part of this kitchen.

Chairs, dining table: Madeleine and Pedestal, Restoration Hardware; tile: Stafford Tile and Stone; art above fireplace: Michael Banks; ladder, rail: Alaco

Corynne Pless

Kim and Ray ensure the kitchen would have sufficient room for storage, dining and entertaining.

Chairs: Series 7 Barstool, Design Within Reach; artwork on rear wall, centre: Jennifer Hankings, Midnite Pottery

Corynne Pless

For extra storage, Palumbo made a full pullout pantry with baskets — observable behind Crystal, the family’s bird.

Palumbo also designed inset custom made closets with exposed hinges and touch-close hardware. Kim rearranged a few appliances moved the sink below a window, inserted a stainless steel laminate desk at which the bar once was and moved the bar to the dining area. Milk glass tile and honed Carrara marble countertops now create a crisp, bright space.

Wall paint: Swiss Coffee OC-45, Benjamin Moore; chandelier: Ingrid Broad, Julie Neill; refrigerator, freezer: Sub-Zero and Wolf

Corynne Pless

The kitchen leads into a vibrant living room, connected to your sunroom through French doors that are original. The family considers that their sunroom a bonus space, where built-ins and a plush sofa allow for reading and relaxing. Kim commissioned the playful children’s portraits from local artist Sarah Ashley Longshore.

Corynne Pless

Colorful pillows from West Elm liven up a solid white sectional before a third custom portrait. Conventional pocket doors to the right open to the family’s formal dining area.

Corynne Pless

The dining area is included by first pocket doors and dressed in more conventional furniture and artwork. Mardi Gras beads hang loosely across a abstract painting of the French Quarter by James Michalopoulos.

Chandelier: Scarlett, Julie Neill

Corynne Pless

This second living space, between the dining room and foyer, has bold furniture and art that is mostly from local designers and artists.

The Krewe of Muses, an all-female group at the annual Mardi Gras parade, traditionally throws personalized heels into the crowds of onlookers. A few of these vibrant keepsakes jazz up the mantel on one of the home’s three fireplaces.

Artwork above mantel: David Harouni

Corynne Pless

Artwork, creative accessories and large Victorian-style windows all confront the foyer, giving the formal living room a warm and inviting texture. Re-covered pink patent leather armchairs and an oversized candy painting, both from Sarah Ashley Longshore, brighten the space.

Corynne Pless

The first-floor guest bath off the foyer shows elegant wallpaper by designer Angèle Parlange. Part of the designer’s Calling Card Collection, the wallpaper is moved from calling cards handed down through generations of her family.

Corynne Pless

Accessories by Jonathan Adler and Tori Burch — and the family’s Dalmation combination, Elvis — decorate the inviting foyer. All of the home’s walls and trims were spruced up with a fresh paint color selected by local colorist Louie Aubert.

Wall paint: Natural Wicker, Benjamin Moore; console: Jonathan Adler; Paint: Eclectic Home; lucite “M” (on console): Tory Burch; portrait: Marion and Silber

Corynne Pless

Longshore’s brilliant furniture and artwork fill lots of the rooms, including this teal patent leather loveseat in the foyer. The first staircase, accessorized with 2 conventional portraits, leads to the second-floor bedrooms.

Portraits: Marion and Silber; artwork above couch: “An Invisible Thread” and “Your Day Will Proceed,” by Sugarboo Designs

Corynne Pless

The first master bedroom and research were repurposed into two bedrooms to the children.

Wall paint: Green Wave, Benjamin Moore; desk, bedding, nightstand: PBTeen; butterfly artwork: Sugarboo Designs

Corynne Pless

Palumbo made this custom built-in closet and dresser in 1 room, drew up a toilet plan for the area where the original master closet was.

Corynne Pless

Once the analysis, this chamber now corrals cowboy-print cloths, a vintage rocking horse and timeworn furniture to the most youthful Martin.

Wall paint: Indian White, Benjamin Moore; twin beds: Red Door Antiques

Corynne Pless

Timeless heirlooms, such as Ray’s mother’s desk, add subtle charm to the kid’s room. “I’m still sentimental to quite a few things, so I keep it and freshen it up with much more modern things if it’s traditional,” states Kim. She uses a lot of bright colours and has a bit more eclectic style.

Bunk bed: Camp-Twin-Over-Full Bunk Bed, Pottery Barn Kids; wall paint: Lady Finger, Benjamin Moore

Corynne Pless

Corynne Pless

The beige penny tile in the guest toilet adds warmth to the bathroom’s clean lines. The console, originally from Mexico, has been bought in Mississippi. The vintage red seat traveled with the family from Minnesota.

Sink: Duravit; penny tile, flooring tile: Stafford Tile and Stone; lights: Chandler sconce, Restoration Hardware; medicine cabinets: framed lit directly- and left-opening, Restoration Hardware; wall paint: Lighthouse Landing, Benjamin Moore

Corynne Pless

Down the hallway from the kids’ rooms, the master bedroom showcases Kim’s eclectic style. As in other areas of the home, the white linens and calming paint color create a platform for your own artwork and bright cushions to stand out against.

Artwork at right: William Heard; mattress: Drexel Heritage; wall paint: Old Prairie, Benjamin Moore; nightstand, lamps: World’s Off; chandelier: Julie Neill; drapes: custom

Corynne Pless

Palumbo reconfigured the whole layout of this new master bathroom to make it appear to be a natural expansion of this bedroom.

Corynne Pless

Conventional art, a new layout and contemporary hardware gave the master toilet an update while preserving the traditional particulars. Vertical marble walls enclose the shower. A custom vanity has been made to seem like a piece of furniture.

Tile: Stafford Tile and Stone

Corynne Pless

A wrought iron gate, with all the look of a French balcony, protects the first bathroom windows.

Bathtub: Kohler; tile: Stafford Tile and Stone

Corynne Pless

The third story’s built in twin beds, bookshelves and completed toilet secured the deal to both Kim and Ray. They included a drum set, a little puppet stand, vibrant bedding, a television and a video game setup to create the ideal amusement area for their family members and guests.

Bedding: Orla Kiely; wall paint: Natural Wicker, Benjamin Moore

Corynne Pless

Clean lines and contemporary hardware give this little bathroom a fresh look. A narrow staircase at the rear of the home connects all 3 floors.

Corynne Pless

The guesthouse connects to the main home; it’s an outdoor living room and dining area.

Pool design and construct: Sedona Stone (now closed)

Corynne Pless

The Martins completely renovated the backyard, gutting everything but the palm tree. Palumbo rebuilt a once-outdoor kitchen into a one-bedroom suite with a bath.

Outside furniture: Restoration Hardware

Corynne Pless

A huge front porch on the primary home overlooks the area’s serene, tree-lined road.

Swing: The Mustard Seed Antique Emporium, Oxford, Mississippi

Corynne Pless

The porch has a small circular tower and wraps around the front of the home. Large floor-to-ceiling windows confront the neighborhood.

Exterior paint : Spring at Aspen; shutter paint: Brandon Beige, both by Benjamin Moore

Corynne Pless

Much like the city of New Orleans itself, this 1800s Victorian home has a historic and traditional exterior, but a vibrant charm radiates supporting the doors.

Corynne Pless

What’s next for the Martins? Kim, shown here, want to work one final time on her daughter’s room. “I will likely redo it one more time because of her [before] she puts into high school,” she states.

View more photographs of the Home | Share your vibrant home with us

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10 Pointers to Help You Put Off Procrastinating

Design projects can be challenging. And often the toughest part to overcome is the simple act of starting. So, I’ve developed these simple pointers to assist you break out of the cycle of procrastination and really start digging in.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

I should probably work on this some more. Tomorrow.

Editor’s note: It required Jody six months to complete this article.

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Want Compelling Garden Minimalism? Think 1 Plant, One Pot

It feels like choices for planter filling are very very polarized these days. Gardeners either decide on a stiff boxwood ball to impart minimalist European flair or an ever-more-complex assortment of carefully researched annuals. I’m proudly guilty of both approaches. Yet I, too, like to change the idea of one plant per pot — a lot of boxwoods could be blah.

Based on context, style and exposure, I’ll pick one particularly charismatic specimen and bring it up to eye level. Without fitting companions, without flowery trim, this lucky one then takes an entirely new dimension. Against a backdrop, it pops like never before. Let us look at seven instances of the plant favoritism.

CYAN Horticulture

Well past Quebec City in Canada, the cold maritime climate of famous backyard Les Quatre-Vents matches this old dwarf pine tree. Perched on a dry-laid stone wall full of alpine plants, a white painted concrete planter hosts a single walnut, probably put in decades ago.

Having a bit of summer watering and some thoughtful design, this pine nonchalantly eyeglasses a magistral vista of the surrounding areas. Restraint is the only thing to do here.

CYAN Horticulture

In this simplest combination of a Ghostbuster-green chair and a cabbage tree (Cussonia paniculata), nothing detracts from the gardener’s intention: plant collector’s whimsy.

This amusing-looking cabbage tree is a choice South African native generally restricted to under-glass botanical collections. Wheeled inside for the winter, it has happily adapted to the Washington state climate.

CYAN Horticulture

One plant per pot could end in the boldest vignettes. In a temporary garden installation in Montreal, a quartet of huge agaves dresses up glistening urns. Their highly charismatic silhouettes, here contrasting against pearl-colored exercise balls (of all things), are radically put on show. Less is more, they say …

BLUE Renovation & Landscape

If diversity is kept out of our cards, repetition can considerably improve our hands. Here a series of equal planters, smooth and sleek, forms a regiment along a beautiful wall. Every planter is topped with an extremely contrasting variegated yucca to make a powerful contemporary scene. By the simplicity, maintenance is kept to a bare minimum.

CYAN Horticulture

Brought out from the open and hence deprived of any smoldering competition, this cute cape rush (Chondropetalum tectorum) takes centre stage. It’s a mesmerizing native of Cape Province, South Africa, which looks like an alien cross involving an ornamental grass and a horsetail. Isolated and raised upward, this cape rush gets the enviable quality of a museum piece perched on a plinth.

CYAN Horticulture

Actual plant fans and collectors often favor, for practical reasons, to keep their specimens in individual pots. Yet a simple researched category of these collectors’ items can become a really satisfying garden makeup. In the excellent Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina, a few of named cacti achieves that.

CYAN Horticulture

Sophisticated or trivial, rare or common, most crops will grow dramatically in perceived value propped up at a wonderful pot. As a last proof, I challenge anyone to really downplay this case: a variegated sanseveria, the ultimate pedestrian indoor plant, in a simple terra-cotta pot as the centerpiece of a Chanticleer Garden installation in Pennsylvania. Yes, less is often more. And not a bore.

More: Simple Container Plantings for Intriguing Garden Design

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A New Breed of Space Heaters Helps You Stay Toasty in Style

When it’s been years since you’ve considered a space heater, it’s time to provide these little workhorses a fresh appearance. The designs on the market nowadays are sleek, stylish and efficient, enabling you to conserve energy and keep your sense of style.

Why use a space heater? Turning your thermostat and using a space heater to give additional warmth in the room you’re using can be much better way to warm your property. To get the most from your space heater, be sure to close doors to any rooms not being used.

Florent Bouhey Fayolle

Sun Container

French pupil Florent Bouhey Fayolle made this “sun container” to collect energy from sun during the day and heat the atmosphere once the temperature warms. It’s not yet available, but it’s encouraging to see elegant green innovations like this one being designed. I hope we will see more mobile solar technologies like this later on.

HORNE

Cabernet White Wine Glass – Holmegaard – $40

The Max is a cute space heater and fan combo with character to spare. Available in red, yellow or white, it’s a fun, contemporary apparatus it’s possible to use year-round.

HORNE

Stadler Form Anna Ceramic Heater – $99.99

With its slim profile and white and silver finish, this heater from Stadler Form appears like it’s a part of a fancy audio system. Past the elegant look, this heater contains a powerful ceramic heating element and contains an automatic safety shutoff feature.

Amazon

Econo-Heat E-Heater, White – $84

This sleek little wall-mountable heater could be painted to match your walls, making it virtually invisible. Additionally, it’s safe for children, and you don’t ever have to worry about it tipping over.

Amazon

Crane Space Heater, 600/1200 Watt – $34.99

I love the decorative curves and chunky flow of the miniature heater out of Crane. Some reviewers warned that the device gets fairly hot to the touch, and thus don’t use it around children or pets. It could be just the thing to receive your master bedroom or home office nice and toasty, however.

Japan Trend Shop

Plus Minus Zero Fukasawa Heater – $294

You would never guess these vibrant little pods are heaters. Produced by Naoto Fukusawa, the Plus Minus Zero heater comes in 3 colours. Be advised that it ships out of Japan, so shipping costs may be steep.

Amazon

Sunpentown Mini-Tower Ceramic Heater – $49.88

This small, slender Sunpentown tower can easily be tucked on a shelf or counter to heat the room with oscillating heat. Safety features include overheat protection, cool-to-the-touch casing along with a tip-over switch.

Dyson

Dyson AM04 Fan Heater, White/Silver – $299.99

Dyson’s futuristic-looking fan heater projects enough heat to heat a whole room in winter and can be used as a powerful fan in summer.

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How to Set Out a Master Bedroom for Serenity

It may look easy enough — what do you actually need in your bedroom besides the bed? However a master bedroom can be as complicated as a living room or living area to plan and lay out, largely due to precisely that one huge feature: the bed. Make the process easier with these tips from design pros.

Robin Pelissier Interior Design & Robin’s Nest

Placing the Bed

Deal with the bed first. “The bed is like a giant wolf that does not want to budge,” says Minneapolis designer Lucy Penfield. Nashville designer Kippie Leland suggests attempting to get the head of the bed on the wall opposite the bedroom’s entrance. Do not fret too much if that signifies your headboard will be facing windows — that the positioning is more significant. Leland also suggests avoiding having the negative of the bed create a visual barrier if you’re walking to the space (though it may be inevitable in certain spaces).

Austin, Texas, designer Allison Jaffe enjoys to place beds opposite the door but always makes sure that the bed is not right up against a wall or on the diagonal. A diagonal position takes up unnecessary space, and it is hard to tuck sheets on a bed that’s put against the wall.

Penfield suggests thinking about your bedroom priorities. Would you like to look out a window? Or do you wish to confront the TV? How do you prefer to enter the room? Private preference should, above all else, make the last call in the master bedroom. “This is your escape and your feel-good everyday space,” she states. “So often this will be the last room we have asked to design — create it the very first and spoil yourself.”

Tiffany Eastman Interiors, LLC

Buying Nightstands

What size nightstand do you need? Easy figure out what you want to keep on top of it. Would you like to have a pile of books, a bottle of water and a reading lamp at hand? Decide on with a bigger surface. But if you prefer a more minimalist path, something bigger with drawers may fit you better.

Kerrie L. Kelly

Jaffe enjoys to get nightstands that sit at the height of the mattress when the bed is completely assembled — about 27 to 28 inches high around 30 inches for extra-fluffy beds. Stylewise, both she and Leland suggest thinking creatively. A nightstand is excellent to work with as an accent of color or texture. “I feel that the room is more interesting when each nightstand has its own character,” says Jaffe. “Provided that the nightstands speak to one another or relate to one another in the plan, then you’ll be bold and select something different for each side.”

If you opt for a wall-mounted light as opposed to a conventional table lamp, Penfield recommends waiting until you understand the elevation of your mattress and headboard before hardwiring the fixture.

How to Bring Off Mismatched Nightstands

Fredman Design Group

Traffic and Chairs Areas

It’s tempting to have as big a bed as possible, but ensure that it does not feel overwhelming in your room. “Most master suites can take care of a four-poster mattress,” says Jaffe. “But if in doubt, select a queen.”

Size and place your bed so there’s space for additional furniture. “A pair of nightstands and bed crammed wall to wall gives no visual relief,” says Leland. Want an excess seating area in your bedroom? You do not need a ton of space. According to Leland, a seating area can be as little as 4 by 4 feet for one chair and a little table. In case you’ve got the space, a loveseat and two end tables can normally fit in a 10- by 5-foot location.

Jeremy Harnish Designer Finishes

Jaffe suggests ensuring you’ve got at least 2 ft of walking room around the perimeter of the bed, particularly if you’re adding a different seating area nearby. Do not cram in additional pieces if you do not have the space. Ensure that you are able to get to the bed without maneuvering about a bunch of furniture or shimmying through a narrow walkway. “Negative space is just as vital in a bedroom as it’s in a painting,” says Leland. “Your eyes will need to rest every so often.”

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10 Terrific Stocking Stuffers for Your Design Minded

A chocolate some socks and Santa just won’t do. For all those design hounds in your own life, stocking stuffers must be cute, clever, stylish or beautiful. Preferably all four at once.

Here are 10 ideas for the discerning design fan on your list.

The Urban Set, School Blue, by CircaCeramics – $65

A little bit vintage-y, a little bit colorful plus a great deal of cute.

Anthropologie

Squirrel Nutcracker – $18

Why go to your normal old soldier nutcracker when you’re able to split your nuts with a nutcracker concealed as a squirrel?

Fishs Eddy

A coaster place for architects and interior designers.

Bulbrite 134020 40-Watt Edison Quad Loop–Style Bulb – $3.99

Old-school lightbulbs for that Thomas Edison glow.

Mini Air Plant Pod, Gray, by Seaandasters – $11

This little beauty is like a room.

Design-nerd chic at its very best.

See Jane Work Basic Pencils – $7

White for the modernist, orange to the Jonathan Adler fan, blue to the girly girl, green to the midcentury enthusiast and black to the real designers.

Chevron Washi Tape by Swigshoppe – $2.99

All designers love chevrons, and most of DIYers love washi tape. All these are facts of the world.

Colombina Salt and Pepper Shakers by Alessi

Alessi salt and pepper shakers that look like white stones. For the minimalist in your lifetime.

West Elm

Swedish Dream Sea Salt Soap – $6

You might wash with this. Or you might just use the box.

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Summer Crops: How to Grow Corn

The sweetest corn is that which is chosen and instantly cooked. Therefore, if you want the best-tasting corn, consider raising it yourself.

Traditionally, corn contains demanded warmth, long summer days and a lot more space than many other vegetables, which makes it a bad selection for cooler climates or people with short growing seasons and tiny gardens. Fortunately, there are new hybrids bred for cooler summers, short summers and even tropical island living. As for the distance required, that’s still needed, however with planning you can create your own “cornfield” a highlight on your own garden. You may even find some new types that can manage being grown in a container.

As soon as you’ve decided to have a cornfield, then you get to pick on how impatient you are for the first ear. (Maturity dates are just more than 50 days to around 100 days.) You’ll also want to choose if you’re going traditional with white, yellow or bicolor kernels or branching into green, red, black or blue corn. And then there’s the question of just how much sweetness you want, since there are now quite sweet varieties available to home growers. To guarantee a long harvest or test out numerous types, plant successively or select early-, mid- and – late-season varieties.

For something different, develop your own popcorn. It’s slow to older but often boasts colorful kernels. Plus, you can enjoy your harvest well into winter.

Notice: Corn can easily cross-pollinate, so if you want a particular selection, plant it individually, at least 100 feet away and not downwind from other corn types, or select varieties that mature at various times.

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When to plant: Begin planting about two weeks after your last frost date, when soil temperatures have reached at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius); in hot desert regions, plant early enough to harvest from early summer.

Days to maturity: 53 to more than 100

moderate requirement: Full sun at least eight hours per day

Water requirement: Regular

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Planting and maintenance: Choose a well-drained website in sunlight. Mix compost or manure into the soil 2 to three weeks before planting. Set up any irrigation furrows or drip systems before planting too.

To maximize pollination, plant corn in a block containing at least four rows of corn which are 3 feet apart (the most productive method) or in a collection of hills ( less productive but easier to do). Water the soil thoroughly before planting.

If you’re planting in a block, then sow seeds 1 to 2 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. When seedlings reach 6 inches, then thin them to 2 1 1/2 feet aside.

To plant in hills, mound up the soil a few inches high and 3 feet apart. Sow five to six seeds per hill, 1 to 2 inches deep, then thin to three plants per hill.

For best container effects, plant in four or three 20-inch containers. Make three holes per container, sowing two seeds in each hole. Thin to one plant per hole once seeds have germinated and reached about 1/2 foot tall.

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Keep the soil moist but not soggy water deeply once the silks form. Feed the soil when plants reach 1 to 2 1 1/2 feet tall and if they are 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall.

Weed carefully around the roots but don’t bother pulling the suckers, as they will not impact growth.

Numerous insects may damage corn, such as aphids, flea beetles and moths. Good gardening practices can help alleviate some of these problems. Covering the ears with panty hose can protect them from some harm, and applying a few drops of mineral oil to the tip of each ear after the silks appear can stop corn earworms. Corn may also be subject to damping off.

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Harvest: around three months after the silks appear, the corn should be prepared to harvest. Once the silks are brown, sliced the outer husk in a ear or 2 and pinch a kernel; when the juice which squirts out is simmer, the corn is ripe. For the best results, crop when the water from the cooking kettle is boiling, though some newer and sweeter varieties will maintain their glucose more. If you harvest ancient, store the corn unhusked from the refrigerator.

For baby corn, crop shortly after the silks appear.

For popcorn, wait until the silks and husks are completely dry; rub or cut off the kernels and store them in a dry location.

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