Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Inspiration Newsletter |  |
- Ingenious Project : 100 Student Dorm Rooms Made From Shipping Containers
- Freshome Reader Help: Needs Ideas for Kitchen & Living Room
- 5 Beautiful Ways to use Water Features as Décor
- WOW Sofa Becomes a Practical Bed with Just the Push of a Button
- Luxurious Hydraulic Underground Garage Parking
- Inspiring Small Apartment with Vintage Details
| Ingenious Project : 100 Student Dorm Rooms Made From Shipping Containers Posted: 01 Oct 2010 04:39 AM PDT If you lived in a students’ dorm, you know the hassle that comes with the lack of privacy, crowdedness, noise, sometimes the lack of cooking space and so on. Here is a project that manages to overcome some of these draw backs. Cité A Docks is a creative student housing project, located in Le Havre, France from Cattani Architects. The amazing thing about it is that 100 new student dorm rooms were created by transforming old shipping containers into a four-story building. Each apartment has 24 square meters and includes a bathroom and a kitchen, which is just about everything a student could need. We have to say we were a bit skeptical at fist when seeing the exterior of this building, as it looks too “metallic” and industrial for our tastes while the overall gray certainly doesn’t go with the exuberance and energy of students. Here is what the architects had to say about this: "The metal structure allows a better identification of the different rooms, and enhances them through the external extensions that become terraces and balconies. The sequences of the transverse corridors giving access to the apartments on the façade creates a succession of full and empty spaces that gives the structure a more visual transparency." What are your personal opinions on this project?
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| Freshome Reader Help: Needs Ideas for Kitchen & Living Room Posted: 01 Oct 2010 03:54 AM PDT
MARK: I want to plan the arrangement of the apartment and ask you for advice. Specifically I am interested in arranging my living room with kitchen. Space that i want to edit is divided with the wall so i have the kitchen and the living room (see “main” picture), but i want to destroy the wall with the intent to create a bedroom and the kitchen with living room (see “new” picture). For the interior I would like to apply a modern-minimalist style. Kitchen should be with a table for 4 persons, modern living room furnished with sofa and TV, etc. the intent is to Other rooms are not that important. Help! EDITOR: Freshome reader’s help Mark with ideas for arranging his living room with kitchen area. Leave him suggestions below. 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. Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below !
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| 5 Beautiful Ways to use Water Features as Décor Posted: 01 Oct 2010 02:01 AM PDT Water is one of the most versatile elements on the Earth. In home décor it can take on many uses but can also be used to appeal to all the senses. From the exterior of your home to the interior, water is calming, organic, and demands respect when placed in the home. Here are 5 beautiful ways to bring decorative water features into your home. 1.) Exterior water features add ambiance: An outdoor water feature added in a garden, at a pool, or near the front entry of your home are welcome additions for guests and home owners. Outdoor water features are beautiful to look at, and even better to listen to. If you have a busy street that your home lies adjacent to, or you want a serene atmosphere, consider adding an exterior water feature. Water features also help keep away bugs in the summer time due to the moving water, and at night can be lit up for a display of multi-colored lights and sounds. 2.) Add water to a foyer or entryway of your home: If you'd like to add a dramatic entryway to your home, consider adding a water feature. Accent walls with river rock and water trickling over them makes a beautiful backdrop to an open entry foyer. A Koi fish pond with a fountain adjacent will be focal point of discussion and enjoyment for guests visiting your home. A landscape architect could help you design the perfect pond for your home. Do it yourself varieties can be researched at your local home improvement store. 3.) Add architectural interest with aquariums: Fish have a very calming effect on humans, especially when they are located in beautiful aquariums. Water features can include using architectural niches in your wall to add aquariums. Aquariums can be simple or elaborate and can range in prices from thirty dollars into the thousands. Aquariums can be housed in walls that separate spaces or in private bedrooms, bath rooms and hallways. If you're concerned with maintenance, aquarium services are popular and are similar in nature to hiring a pool maintenance service. 4.) Use desk sized water features to relieve stress: Water features don't have to be major installations into your home; they can also be portable for personal use. Desk sized fountains and water features can help make your home office more productive and relaxing. Some water fountains have soothing pre-recorded sounds to play to relax and create an organic atmosphere in any part of your home. 5.) Still and moving water are both therapeutic: Still water in the form of reflecting ponds indoors and outdoors are welcome additions to entertaining spaces. Evening entertaining around water features can add a beautiful backdrop for dining, mingling, or intimate guest gatherings. Moving water can include waterfalls and artisan built one-of-a kind sculptures. Artisans who specialize in water sculptures can visit your home and create a feature that includes the colors and textures of your home. Water in our homes can be soothing and invigorating. From waterfalls to soothing aquariums, your home can experience it all with the addition of water features. If you decide to have water features installed, consider using professional contractors and landscapers to plan, build and execute. Unless you are confident with what you're doing, water leaking and infiltration back in to your home can cause major problems in the future. Professionals will know how to properly build and seal the water features for home construction. Try and of these 5 ways and see how they beautifully calm your home! Freshome reader's do you have any water features installed in your home? How about the portable sized ones for your home office? Do they help calm you? Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below !
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| WOW Sofa Becomes a Practical Bed with Just the Push of a Button Posted: 01 Oct 2010 12:37 AM PDT Tired of making too much effort when extending your sofa? Well here is a couch that does all the work on its own. WOW Sofa comes from Campeggi and is an ingenious solution for all those moments when one just needs a break. A simple push of a button will determine this product to shift from a sofa to a comfortable bed with two available nightstands. It is almost like clapping hands for turning the lights on and off, only slightly better, because in this case, there is even more effort saved. With a stylish and practical design, WOW Sofa is an ingenious solution for small apartments or for rooms with need for extra space during the day. In a world of speed, where simple tasks like cleaning the apartment are sometimes ignored, this type of “push the button”-design will certainly be embraced.-via Hometone
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| Luxurious Hydraulic Underground Garage Parking Posted: 30 Sep 2010 10:01 AM PDT Underground parking just got a new meaning! UK based firm, Cardock, has come up with this great idea for a world where people are constantly searching for more space. This underground garage accomplishes two important things: you can safely park your car with the push of a button saving space at the same time. Cars can even be parked on top of each other thus offering an efficient system for urban areas too.Cardok is powered by an electronic hydraulic system that lifts and lowers a platform to show or hide your car. The system can support a weight of 3 tons per deck so a family with more than one car can use this garage without facing the problems that come with adding a new space for the second car. There already is a Cardock Mono installed in a luxury apartment cluster in Bowdon, Cheshire and another version has found a home in London, next to a luxury home. This last one features a double underground garage that can shelter two cars. Fianlly if you’d like to see this new technology in action see for yourself how this space saving safe garage works in the video below. Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below !
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| Inspiring Small Apartment with Vintage Details Posted: 30 Sep 2010 07:19 AM PDT Here is a two room apartment (60 square meters) with quite a few inspiring elements. We think some of them could really help when planning on decorating a similar crib. This two room apartment is located in Sweden and joins together modern elements with classic ones and even vintage details. The living room features a generous sofa, a TV cabinet and a reading area. With its few wooden additions, a fireplace and classic oak parquet flooring, it gives away a worm feel. Right next to it, slightly elevated, there is a beautiful all equipped kitchen. The oak worktop gives an uniform appearance and a nice contrast to the matte white tiles that line the wall up to the ceiling. The bedroom also features a vintage fireplace giving the interior a very cozy feel. What do you think? Did the designers do a good job in maximizing the space in this two room apartment?
Via - Alvhem - Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below !
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