Refined Scandinavian Apartment Inspiring Joyful Home Decorating Ideas

Refined Scandinavian Apartment Inspiring Joyful Home Decorating Ideas
Modern Villa Design in Sweden Balancing Social Fun and Privacy
Colorful Penthouse Bursting with Personality in the Heart of Istanbul, Turkey
Why Everyone Needs to Make Their Home Green

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 07:21 AM PDT

Welcome to a refined Scandinavian apartment in Vasastan, Stockholm preserving quite a few charming turn-of-the-century details. The feeling that greets you when you enter the hall is striking. This is due to the three windows allowing natural light inside and a generous ceiling height. From the very beginning it is clear that this is a home inviting you to see more! The wooden parquet flooring runs through the hall, lounge and kitchen, creating a unified feel throughout the loft. According to the designers, it is also sanded and varnished so that it will last many, many years.

Discovered by Freshome on Alvhem, the crib has a total of three rooms, but the inhabitants can think of at least one other alternative house plan, as featured in the last image of this post. Walk straight ahead and you will enter a beautifully designed living room, acting as an open invite to socializing. Three large windows looking onto Victoria Street provide contact with the city life below. A large dining table with seating for up to twelve people adds a sense of familiarity to the space. Adjoining the living room, there is a modern looking kitchen, with black cabinets powerfully contrasting the white walls. Enjoy the virtual gallery and let us know what Scandinavian home tricks you discover!

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Modern Villa Design in Sweden Balancing Social Fun and Privacy

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 03:59 AM PDT

Impressive interior design lines each space in this Sweden villa, inspiring us to choose the best color palette for a bright, relaxed atmosphere. Large open spaces guide daily routines on an intuitive path, helping you create habits that boost energy and provide relaxation. Enjoying the outdoors is a big part of this home – this is a residence elegantly designed for a collection of memorable pool parties.

The first floor plan opens both the social areas and the masted bedroom to the backyard. Here, the well-maintained swimming pool surrounded by a deck shapes a big part of the social outdoors. Windows create this fabulous invitation to both experience the aesthetic vibes of the indoors and to unwind outdoors.

Smooth transitioning from one space to another adds to the feeling of depth and open space. Inviting through design, color choices and brightness, this modern villa design creates a vibrant environment for a dynamic social life. It seems to have been made for entertaining, especially the outdoor dining area and wide poolside deck. Imagine groups of stylish people socializing around the pool, some having conversations on the long bench shaped out of the wall, some enjoying a buffet in the covered outdoor dining area. This last feature – the covered outdoor dining area – will definitely add more value to a home.

Then again, the villa also boasts an outdoor hammock and Jacuzzi deepening the feeling that is was designed for relaxation. However the new owner might use it, we can dream many scenarios happening in these welcoming spaces. This modern villa design provokes owners to live a chic and stylish life, enjoying both their outdoor presence under Sweden’s sun and the elegant cluster of interiors.

Priced at $1.7 million on Svenskfast, the modern villa in Särö provokes owners and guests to deeply enjoy their presence here. Sound to me like someone’s dream home. Is it yours?

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Colorful Penthouse Bursting with Personality in the Heart of Istanbul, Turkey

Posted: 22 Oct 2014 01:57 PM PDT

Have a look at this colorful penthouse envisioned by Yasemin Arpac & Sabahattin Emir of Ofsit Studio and situated in the heart of Istanbul! The location of Karakoy Loft, as well as the personality, way of living and needs of the client (a 45-year-old bachelor) were the main parameters in the design of this project.

The structural approach of the house was to open up to get more light and view. The previous small window openings on the front façade were enlarged and the new folding window frames slide the width of the building to transform the living room into a balcony, since the apartment is missing one. And a large rectangular skylight was inserted just below the peak of the pitch to provide light and view to the mezzanine.
One of the longitudinal walls was resolved as storage. A very simple system was designed with iron rods climbing two floors and running the length of the house, without categorizing it as living room, kitchen, library or bedroom. 12mm iron rods coming out of the wall and 16mm rods connected to them create a 60x60cm grid over the wall surface. Various shelving units and accessories were designed to fit this system, such as a single shelf, double or triple story shelves, vertical separators or hanging units. The user may arrange and utilize this storing system however he likes; as a library, a woodshed, kitchen storage, or a wardrobe.

The cast-concrete block surface which was created to form the kitchen counter framed in an iron structure, steps down into a cantilevering dining table and ends up as a short plinth as the hearth, which allows extra seating around the table.[Photos and information provided via e-mail by Ofsit]

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Why Everyone Needs to Make Their Home Green

Posted: 22 Oct 2014 09:18 AM PDT

It’s time to get back to nature and try living a greener, more sustainable lifestyle. Here is how you can make your home green. Image Source: Yellowstone Traditions

It’s time to get back to nature. Can’t you sense that the world is craving it? When we look around it certainly seems that we hunger for a more natural way of living. Take for example the natural goods that are showing up everywhere in our lives, from the whole foods that line the shelves of grocery stores, to the recycling programs that local cities pump loads of money and effort into.

Going green is not only trendy, but we dare to guess that it is the new way of life— a way of life that is here to stay. If you have not already hopped onto the green bandwagon, then it is time to learn a few things about living a sustainable life. Here we discuss the key reasons that EVERYONE needs to make their home a bit more green.

Whether you are already living in a LEED certified home, or you are still struggling to change your bulbs to LED ones, you will surely find some great tips here. Let’s discuss the many ways that green is gorgeous!

open modern kitchen Why Everyone Needs to Make Their Home Green

Green homes have it all : Beauty, Character and Cost Efficiency. Image Source: Urban Pioneering

Cost Savings

Always after your own heart, we will first get down to the nitty gritty of money. It’s a fact: selfishly, you should go green if for no other reason than to save some green, cash that is.

While there are a lot of money-saving claims, with some being disappointing to say the least, there truly are some green measures that can save you hundreds of dollars per year. For example, if you live in a “normal” home that was not built with high-effieciency green technologies/materials, then you can save up to $570 per year by performing a simple energy audit. Now that is big savings!

Here are the steps that you can take to perform your own energy audit to start saving money now:

Seal and caulk all your doors and windows
Install a programmable thermostat (saving you beaucoup bucks on your electricity bill)
Add insulation to walls, ceilings and attics (saving you lots on your home heating bill)
Install a water barrel to collect and reuse rain water

marble and wood bathrrom Why Everyone Needs to Make Their Home Green

Performing a home energy audit can save will you a lot on your water and electricity bill. Image Source: Grady O Grady

Green Homes Have Character

Aesthetically, green homes are chock-full of character. Between the reclaimed wood floors, the hand-hewn wooden beams, and all those reclaimed architectural windows/doors/trims— a green home simply oozes charm and character that one cannot attain through normal building standards.

What could be better than attaining the character and charm of an older home, without all the hassle of owning an old home. Even if a rustic-style kitchen doesn’t suit your modern flair, you can still enjoy added character in a minimalist home by simply adding those modern architectural elements that suit your style.

A modern home can easily go green (and have plenty of character) via concrete floors (which are very green, by the way), or by using reclaimed wood kitchen cabinets that have been polished and stained to a shine, or by using reclaimed light fixtures that have a steam punk style (as featured in the image below). Regardless of style, green homes have added character and charm that is unbeatable and certain to increase your homes value.

modern kitchen wood beams Why Everyone Needs to Make Their Home Green

Regardless of your style, green homes have character and charm that is unbeatable. Image Source: High Craft

Recycle, Reuse, Reduce

Good Housekeeping magazine cited a study that showed the average homeowner buys a power tool and uses it for only half an hour in its lifetime. Wouldn’t it be better to simply borrow your neighbors power tool or reuse an old one? This is one simple example of how reusing and recycling can save a homeowner cold hard cash.

By reusing an item, we save money and save natures precious resources. Imagine how many trees could be saved by reclaiming old barn boards and using them in your homes flooring. Or how landfills could be reduced by purchasing modern plastic chairs that were derived from recycled bottles.

There are so many ways that you can live a greener, more sustainable life—saving you money and saving the worlds resources simultaneously.

wood headboard Why Everyone Needs to Make Their Home Green

This recycled wood headboard is very stylish and sustainable. Image Source: Grounds Well Design Grp.

Improve Your Quality of Life

Did you know that a typical home produces twice the amount of pollution that a car produces in a year? It’s a simple fact—Green homes are better for you (and for the environment).

Have you ever heard of sick building syndrome? It is a real thing—a homes poor air-quality can actually make you sick. Here are some of the key reasons/ways that a green home can increase your health and safety:

Better ventilation and air recycling
Significantly less mold
More air-tight and sturdier building
Ample natural lighting (reducing depression)
Significantly less toxins, glues and harmful fumes

red craftsman home Why Everyone Needs to Make Their Home Green

This lovely craftsman home has the National Green Building Program Gold Certification. Image Source: Studio 26 Homes

As you can see, there are many reasons to go green. Why wouldn’t you want to try for a greener home when you can save money, improve your quality of life, help the environment, and add value to your home?

Follow these helpful hints to see how much money you can save by year-end. If you already consider yourself quite green, then what else can you do within your home to become even more sustainable? Or maybe you can reach out and help your neighbors go green.

Do you live a green life? What do you do within your four walls to keep it green?

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