Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Inspiration Newsletter

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• 5 Simple Ways to Modernize and Restore Your Home
• Incredible Fab Lab House Generates Three Times More Energy Than It Consumes
• Freshome Reader Needs Help: Planning His New Apartment

5 Simple Ways to Modernize and Restore Your Home Posted: 23 Jul 2010 08:25 AM PDT Whether your home is 10 years old, or 110 years old, modernizing your home can be a challenging feat. Depending on your extent of renovating, modernizing can be a simple or intricate task.  Your home can be modernized for cosmetic or aesthetic touches.  These touches can be ones in which only what you see and feel will be considered in updating.  Some will choose to modernize down to the structure of the home, and this type of modernizing can turn into a full home renovation.  Here's some simple ways to bring your home up to date, without breaking the bank! CURRENT CONDITIONS: Analyze your home and observe what areas of your home need modernizing.  Often times the current condition of furniture and appliances makes us think that the home needs more work than really necessary.  Look at the conditions of the walls of your home. If made with gypsum board and studs – light patching of holes and updating paint color may do the trick. Concentrate on the house itself, not your belongings in the house. MODERN DETAILS: Flip through your favorite home magazine, or visit home websites that give you inspiration to find modern home detailing.  Simple details like yellow light switch plates can date your home.  Changing them to white or a matching décor color will instantly bring your room into the modern day. LIGHTING: Home light fixtures usually are made for the current times.  Updating ceiling, sconces, and bathroom fixtures will modernize your space and possibly bring better and more efficient light to the space.  Lighting fixtures may be able to be reduced or removed with the introduction of more natural light into a space.  Consider adding skylights, and solar tubes into areas that once were dark. MATERIALS: Flooring, wall paper, kitchen/bath counters, and sinks/bathtubs are an instant attraction of age.  Since these items are usually chosen by the current colors and patterns of the times, your home could be looking much older than you desire. Replace carpet if it is worn, discolored, or is in an outdated color.  Remove dated wallpaper and replace with modern styled wallpaper or paint the walls instead.  Often times an old brick wall can become a new accent wall with cleaning and restoring its original beauty.  For kitchen and bathroom fixtures with outdated colors consider replacing with neutral colors that will not show time as quickly.  Consider refacing counters and cabinetry to save on the expense of a major overhaul of your kitchen or bath. MODERNIZE FOR YOU AND THEM: If you are tired of looking at the same outdated home, then modernizing can be for you and your family to enjoy a familiar home and uplift in its character.  On the other hand, home sellers may be updating their home to be able to put their home on the market, and boost up their appeal.  Whichever your personal reason for modernizing, it's a great idea to make your home safe, look better, and to bring the inhabitants of your home pleasure when enjoying your home. What recent home renovation projects have you done on your home? Have any simple tip suggestions for other Freshome reader's on modernizing their homes? We'd love to hear from you! Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

Incredible Fab Lab House Generates Three Times More Energy Than It Consumes Posted: 23 Jul 2010 04:00 AM PDT Sustainability and green technologies have taken over the world of design lately as more and more projects develop with these new concepts in mind. The Fab Lab House comes from Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and is a great example of eco-living. This Madrid-based project generates three times the energy it consumes and also houses an orchard in order to produce food. The shape of this house was dictated by its purpose: a sustainable, self-sufficient construction whose “form follows energy”. All the characteristics of its environment were carefully studied and taken advantage of, such as the wind or the solar rays. This house is currently available for sale, with prices starting from 45.000 € for the smallest model. Here are some inspiring words from Vicente Guallart, Director of the IAAC:  “Buildings must be like trees, which are self sufficient, and must follow natural principles. Rather than built, the project was manufactured, as digital manufacturing machine tools (known as 3D printers) were used in the construction process. This process partakes on the humanistic idea, advocated by Guallart, that things must be again produced in cities. Says Guallart "We produced our solar house with researchers, in accordance with medieval principles: the designer and the builder are the same person."- via Arch Tracker Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

Freshome Reader Needs Help: Planning His New Apartment Posted: 23 Jul 2010 12:59 AM PDT ALON: Help me design my living room, kitchen and parents bedroom. My design dilemmas: 1. where to put the TV – LCD. 2. What kind of sofa I can use? 3. lighting? 4. do I need separator for the kitchen to the living room? 5. what about the dining table? 6. how to decorate the living room, the kitchen and the bedroom. 7. I need general guiding how to design my new apartment. EDITOR: Freshome Reader’s, share some advice on how he can design these three rooms of his apartment. If you would like to enter Help My Space Freshome! Click here for all the details. Freshome reader’s will comment on your space and help you solve your design dilemma. Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

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