UNCONVENTIONAL architect Jean mic Perrine has come up with an audacious new idea – ready made, stackable, expandable pod homes.
The sign in the lobby says Perrine Architecture, Level 1. Step out of the lift and it’s not clear where to go next. Directly opposite is a trendy office furniture showroom and to the left, down the corridor is a simple, frosted glass door devoid of any clue as to what is behind it. Try the door and you find a typically stylish, minimalistic architects’ studio. The lack of signage is not a yet to be done job. (more…)
M ost of us have had the experience of visiting a home that exudes so much warmth and coziness that we curl up on the sofa and find ourselves falling asleep.
But what is it that makes guests feel comfortable and want to linger? Is it the inviting colors, the clutter-free surfaces or the lively conversations around the kitchen table?
And how can you get that feeling in your home? You’ve painted the walls, purchased some decent furniture and hung some art on the walls and bought accents from Ikea and Pier 1 Imports, but you silently wonder, “Why doesn’t my place feel like that?”
Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, author of “Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure” (Bantam Dell, $14), says making your apartment or house feel more homey doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. The solution could be as simple as re-arranging your furniture for better air flow, deep cleaning, cooking more often and adding small touches such as displaying fresh-cut flowers and burning candles. (more…)
Over the last decades, designers in India have shown themselves to be a confused lot, if only because they haven’t been to handle international and Indian influences simultaneously.
Where traditional havelis have replaced the low-seating in the baithak with incongruous imported sofas, apartments in cities have attempted to play the ethnic card with ludicrous results.
India’s great tradition in crafts was never intended for urban homes, and though a few designers have been able to carry it off with panache – Romi Chopra, for instance – most times the interface between cultures simply ended up in a mess. (more…)
The human home is now just as much the dog’s. Homeowners who are building or remodeling have taken to considering their pets’ needs as much as they do those of their bi-ped family members, turning “pet-friendly decorating” into industry buzzwords.
This is about more than stylish dog beds that cost upward of $350; this is about stain-resistant fabrics, scratch- resistant flooring, colors that match a pooch’s coat, or out-and-out design and architectural elements.
In Chris Rudolph’s case, the Chicago architect put in “dog overlooks” and a “Doggy Detox,” a large porcelain-tiled shower with hand-held showerhead, when building his country home in Three Oaks. (more…)
The human home is now just as much the dog’s. Homeowners who are building or remodeling have taken to considering their pets’ needs as much as they do those of their biped family members, turning “pet-friendly decorating” into industry buzzwords.
This is about more than stylish dog beds that cost upward of $350; this is about stain-resistant fabrics, scratch-resistant flooring, colors that match a pooch’s coat, or out-and-out design and architectural elements.
In Chris Rudolph’s case, the Chicago architect put in “dog overlooks” and a “Doggy Detox,” a large porcelain-tiled shower with hand-held showerhead, when building his Michigan home. (more…)
