This story Home Sweet, Cozy Home ran on July 2 in the Seattle Times real estate section. The sensibilities of living in small homes are coming back into vogue again. Happiness!
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environment + design + symbiosis In the 60s Walter Lindal was granted a patent for the A-frame. Lindal Cedar Homes introduced this design, bold for its time, that’s likely influenced the design of vacation homes worldwide. Lindal Cedar Homes celebrates their 65th anniversary this year. They have over 14 new modern A-frame designs using predesigned blocks in three different sizes that are worked together in various ways. Some of these homes have a mid-century modern look but they’re all a contemporary spin on the traditional A-frame. Lindal homes can be finished with whatever energy and water conserving appliances and green and sustainable materials that you’d like.
And there’s always their traditional A-frame designs which can be functional and wonderful small urban homes that don’t need to be reserved for a country, wood, or lakeside vacation setting.
From the Dashboard in the July issue of Wired Magazine here’s what cars were doing when they were involved in a fatal crash:
Going straight 68.8% (date source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
“Color is one of the most pervasive qualities around us. Artists and interior designers have long understood how color can dramatically affect mood, feelings, and emotions.” -Kendra Van Wagner What about a deeper significance of the effect of color (or lack of color) on the physical human condition? Now we’re talking about Chromatherapy: using color to heal. It’s a holistic practice dating back to the civilizations of Atlantis and Mu. Were you to ask the ancient mystics from China, India or Egypt about the healing power of color they’d tell you there’s something to it. Pointing to the seven chakras in the human body, deficiencies were identified and therapeutic colors engaged to bring the whole being into balance. As a colorist, sensitive to the nuances and combinations of colors this is something of an innate sensibility. Obvious to you and me that the following category generalizations would ring true: Red, Orange, Yellow: Energizing, warm But there’s much more to it. Holistic beliefs, past and present, run much deeper and investigate the influence of color on the healing of mind, body and spirit. For example: Red is thought to stimulate and boost physical energy, strengthen willpower, increase circulation and clear congestion. Orange is thought to encourage joy, socializing and optimism, which is why it’s considered useful for depression or sadness. Yellow is associated with the intellect and mental processes and is uplifting, stimulating the nerves and purifying the body. Green is a color that’s thought to encourage emotional stability, purity and calmness. Blue is thought to enhance verbal expression and communication, artistic expression and willpower. Indigo is said to encourage greater intuition and strengthen the lymph system, immune system and help purify and cleanse the body. Purple is thought to encourage spirituality, intuition, wisdom, mental strength and focus. As with all things, TOO much of a good thing can have detrimental effects. For example: Too much red may over stimulate and possibly promote anger or aggressiveness. Where is my belief system in all this? From what I’ve studied, practiced, and witnessed the effect of hue, tone, and intensity of color can indeed adjust mood, attitude, perception and behavior. These adjustments, in turn, factor into and tip the scales when it comes to our comfort, energy levels, and general well-being. Written by: Kelle Boyd | Landsview Interior Design | Seattle, WA | (206) 938-4796 Thought I posted this earlier but just can’t find it :-\ The City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development has posted this 3-page client assistance memo (CAM) titled Businesses in Your Home: Home Occupations Allowed in Residential Zones explaining the conditions in which a home business is allowed in residential zones. If you need further information the department is located at 700 5th Avenue #2000, Seattle WA 98124 (206) 684-8600. GE just introduced their new 2-way Talking Touch Screen Security Panel which easily and effectively controls and manages your home’s security systems including lighting, HVAC units, and it even provides a 4-day weather forecast. Via functionality through Alarm.com homeowners can control and manage their home systems from their smart phone. The design is wireless so it installs quick and easy. The site is useful and provides pertinent information on all the panel features (home status, emergency, window/door sensor, alarm status, keypad, thermostat, lighting, weather). If you need a GE dealer around Seattle I recommend Tim Burdick at Burdick’s Security. If you’re looking for an earth-friendly and thoughtful gift to give someone consider having a tree planted in their honor by the US Forest Service. At http://www.treesforachange.com you can affordably gift trees for all sorts of occasions (graduations, memorials to people and animals, marriages, divorces, birthdays, retirements, congratulations, housewarmings, etc.) Check out the ideas and options at their website. Mother Nature and Mother Earth will love you. I love ingenuity and exercising the creative spirit yet at the same time I’m perplexed about how much money people will send on, well, sorta weird stuff. Example. A piece of furniture designed by Marijn van der Poll. It’s a substantial stainless steel cube. http://www.droog.com/products/studio-work/do-hit-chair It’s very shiny and blingy. It comes packaged with a large hammer mallet thingy. And it’ll cost you nearly $10,000. When you receive your shiny cube, you use the hammer to smash the hell out of it. Hopefully your smashing has some strategy behind it because you’re going to be sitting in whatever you end up with and it’s not like you can undo any of it. The idea is you co-create your swank new chair. Ok, seriously, who the heck is spending 10 grand on this? King County responsible consumers unite and let’s recycle our plastic bags! This site http://www.bagyourbags.com makes it easy to do it. Find participating drop-offs by city and even watch a video about the benefits of recycling plastic. |
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