Suddenly, the ceiling fan goes from afterthought to first thought.
“We’ll work directly with you to build and ship your individual fan. Fill out the information online and one of our experts will contact you, or give us a call at 1-855-MY-HAIKU.”
Haiku Fans HQ
2425 Merchant Street
Lexington, KY 40511 USA
Phone: 1-855-MY-HAIKU
TIP Paint chips can be very deceiving. Always test paint colors in a large swath, at lease 2x3 feet, on opposing walls and under different light conditions to make sure you like it, before all the walls are painted that color.
Rent a quart
Many paint stores have small tester colors that you can buy to paint an area of the wall, which can be very helpful in testing a color, on opposing wall, or in different lights.
Some stores will have a small paint rental program with 50-100 available colors. Debsan in Natick created a one-of-a-kind system where a homeowner can come to his store and rent a quart of any Benjamin Moore Color for just $4.
How it works: Take a quart home and test it on the wall or on our poster board. Return the quart in one week. If they don’t already have a quart of the color you want, they will mix it up and add it to their shelves.
Debsan 25 Main Street Natick MA, 01760 508-653-1360
from dornob.com
“So you like sliding doors but are not sure about managing an antique industrial monstrosity with the associated rollers, bar and latch system? This marvelously simple sliding door solution turns the wall into the framework and turns a complex mechanical system into a modern minimalist interior design solution”
Vitruvius proportion in architectural order
doric order, ancient rules restricted general proportions only, allowed individual flexibilty
On the origins of the architectural orders, which started with the Doric order: “if the Doric order could be attributed to an inventor, that inventor was a people among whom similar wants existed for a long period, and among whom a style of building was retained suitable to the climate and the habits of their life, and one which time slowly and gradually modified and brought to perfection, on principles rendered sacred by custom.”
The system of imitation in the Doric order was guided…“by the same principles which Nature herself adopts in her works, without the aid of which no bounds could have been set to the imagination and caprice of its improvers. In the copy no part can be said to be precisely similar to the model; the former displays sentiment, not calculation.
Proportions, and the rules necessary to be observed for the purpose of giving them elegance and effect, are only necessary to preserve uniformity in the principles on which we proceed, and for preventing too great a latitude of imagination in the productions of art.
We may be assured that whenever these become so fixed in any country, that its artists feel fettered by the restrictions which too rigid an adherence to ancient rules imposes, invention and taste are extinguished. The extraordinary difference which we find in the proportions and parts of the same order, plainly shews that the artists of Greece considered themselves only restricted in the general proportions.
from: A treatise on the decorative part of civil architecture, Volume 1 (Vitrivius) by Sir William Chambers, Joseph Gwilt, Thomas Hardwick
“Man stands in his own shadow and wonders why it’s dark.” ~Zen Proverb
There is a mystery woven into the very fabric of modern life that is rarely given more than momentary pause. Captured in a homebuyer’s casual question, the enigma is basically this: “What makes the older homes we see consistently more appealing than the newer ones?”
It is generally agreed that the quality of our homes, neighborhoods and towns has diminished significantly since World War II, yet the cause of this decline mystifies even the professionals. Surprisingly, this frustration over creeping mediocrity is not new. From the earliest days of modernism, in articles dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, architects lamented a decline in aesthetic appreciation and building quality. Each generation believed the previous one had built with more care and forethought, and that older homes were intrinsically more beautiful than their newer counterparts.
Traditionally, the genius loci, or spirit of place was linked to man’s awe of an omnipotent power—whether God, nature or inner essence. Industry however, with its grand marvels of energized iron, seized that elusive power and made it material. And expediency—the Achilles’ heel of the machine age—eventually dethroned Mother Nature altogether.
The techno-industrial machine driving our current economy may be the leading culprit in the character loss of the built environment, but still deeper causes remain. The progress paradigm of modernism inadvertently created this colorless environment, yet it also sits on the necessary tonic.
Western society has come to believe that progress moves always forward along a linear path, but frequently it follows the cyclical pattern of the East, which views extremes not as ends but as mere shades of a single attribute or concept. Light and dark are only relative to their opposites—as are good and bad, poor and rich. Thus it is in ancient wisdom, the polar extreme of modernism, that we find a golden key, with the potential to lay bare some of the mystery surrounding character of place.
Historic documents based almost exclusively on mysterious arcana of design knowledge and lost building traditions, pointed overwhelming to one conclusion; that eloquent designs, natural or manmade, originated from and were regulated by a very small number of creative principles.
Even a partial understanding of the significance of the architectural orders can help shape future environmental policy; make stronger neighborhoods; reduce construction waste; and add a new level of beauty and harmony to our living places. Enhancing the meaning of place could be as simple as overlaying currently uninspired suburbs with ancient ordering systems, and harnessing rich traditions of the past to energize current building practices.
A collective knowledge, gained from a global survey of sacred canons and key architectural models, when made accessible to the public holds the potential to impact not only how we build today, but how we inhabit our homes in the future—how we relax, eat, bathe, play, entertain—and how we start and end each and every day of our lives.
folding exterior doors offer many options for creating connections between inside and outside spaces, family room to sunporch or screened porch, kitchen to deck, master bedroom to private terrace…
several readily available options are now on the market, the first company to provide residential folding doors was Nanawall:
nanawall was one of the first companies to offer folding partition doors, and still has one of the finer products…
other readily available options:
Jeld-Wen Custom Fiberglass Folding Patio Door
IWP Exterior Folding Door System by Jeld-Wen
Andersen also has a folding door
I love plants and architecture…
here is a product that is versatile and inexpensive (site claims average $12 to $20 ft installed)
Recommended Design Strategies: Green Facade system
• Locate the green facade on the elevations exposed to the highest daily temperatures.
• Design for maximum leaf area and shade to the building wall.
• Select the optimal plant palette for maximum coverage and density in your microclimate.
• Provide for the maximum depth of soil beds or containers to ensure good coverage.
• Structure the facade system around air intake grilles.
•Consider using free-standing screens with deciduous vines to shade glazed areas in the
summer and allow solar warming in the cooler months.
Recommended Design Strategies: Living Wall system
• Locate the living wall on the elevations exposed to the highest daily temperatures.
• Provide waterproof membrane to protect the building skin if not built into LW system.
• Provide adequate load-bearing structure to support mass of soil, system, plants and
moisture.
• Select plant species for maximum coverage and density with maintenance costs in mind.
• Design adequate irrigation supply and drainage according to species and orientation.
A newsletter I recieved today from ‘This Old House’ expert Bruce Irving Renovation Consulting had this little gem of a solution:
green glue noiseproofing compound
“Noise is the bane of city and even suburban life. One of the first questions my clients ask when looking at properties is “How loud is it? Can you hear the upstairs/downstairs/next door neighbors?” Memories of life in my first condo are darkened by the footsteps and conversations that intruded from the unit above.
If only I’d gotten ahold of some of this stuff—Green Glue is a ‘viscoelastic’ compound that, when applied between two or more layers of drywall or plywood, dampens noise by converting sound vibrations into tiny amounts of heat. It can reduce room-to-room and floor-to-floor transmission by as much as 90% and is good for both new construction and dealing with existing structures. About $30 a tube.
The manufacturer has one of the most informative, geeky-yet-understandable websites I’ve ever seen, complete with construction details and explaining everything from ‘dealing with impact noise’ to ‘upgrading existing floors’ And they’re not afraid to compare their stuff to other strategies, as in ‘Green Glue vs. Extra Dry Wall’ and ‘Green Glue vs Resilient Channel.’”
role of the arts
There is a vital knowledge available to us—wisdom that illustrated for the ancients the inner workings of the universe—that can be utilized as a source or guide to rebuilding the negative aspects of our environment. But, for a culture focused on surface features, mechanics and instant gratification, its application will only happen as part of a broader paradigm shift.
In our contemporary progressive world, the intuitional abstract forms of art have become separated from their concrete functions. Over the generations, the creative occupations came to be viewed as essentially ‘unproductive.’ The work of musicians, painters, designers, choreographers, and even craftsmen were seen as a luxury, or a pastime, rather than a practical necessity.
This attitude has pushed creative thinking to the periphery of both our economical and educational systems. As mass production stripped ornament and minimized the detail on their products in order to streamline factory operations, education boards across the country were stripping elementary education of the arts.
Art is almost always the first line item to be cut from the school budget—as a society we came to believe that art was the least essential course in education. Music—another area of learning allegedly with limited practical benefit—was cut second, and when further pressed for funding, gym went next.
Plato held a contrary opinion about the significance of the arts. He and the great administrators of ancient Greece—a land where beauty and formal precision were highly esteemed in all things—understood the true function of the arts.
Creative activities—sculpture, painting, singing or playing an instrument—exercise the right side of the brain, which is the realm where all new ideas originate. Plato even proposed that the arts, with few exceptions, were the most essential area of study.
“… the principle of every polity [is] the education of youth. For vines will never bear useful fruit, unless they are well cultivated…
The first legislators, however, as they could not render the middle class of mankind stable, adjoined [in their education] dancing and rhythm, which participate of motion alone and order; and besides these they added sports, some of which exhorted them to fellowship, but others to truth and mental acuteness.”
Gymnastics—organized physical activities designed to improve grace, physique and health of the body—along with art and music, were esteemed for their high educational merit. Subsequent and subordinate to these were the academic courses we consider to be primary—arithmetic, rhetoric, geometry and astronomy.
A paradigm shift will be essential, if we want to restore the organizing principles—the traditions and tools, and the wisdom that accompanies them—that once gave buildings their strong sense of character, even soul.
To repair the broken links connecting the cosmos—components, symbols and patterns expressed in natural forms, cycles and timings—with modern daily life, it is vital that fundamental ancient beliefs are secured solidly to a rational scientific foundation. The ancient texts only become meaningful when the information is relevant and can be applied to a modern situation or condition.
Surviving wisdom texts contain knowledge that was always concealed from the masses in obscure wordings, sequences and symbols. From what we can begin to gather a great deal of information, while seemingly esoteric, in fact belongs soundly in the real world of human intellect and emotion.
Elegant and symbol-rich buildings from distant cultures still stand, but we can only speculate as to their full meaning and function. We stand in wonder at the extent of universal wisdom once shared among builders, how they once harnessed it and put it into operation, and how it ultimately augmented their works.
What is a rain garden?
A rain garden is a shallow depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses. The garden should be positioned near a runoff source like a downspout, driveway or sump pump to capture rainwater runoff and stop the water from reaching the sewer system.
Why plant a rain garden?
But why plant a rain garden? What is the point? Will it do any good? How do I plant a garden? What do I need to do? What do I do in the winter time? And then next spring?
Rain gardens are a beautiful and colorful way for homeowners, businesses and municipalities to help ease stormwater problems. There is a growing trend by municipalities and homeowners to incorporate natural processes to help relieve flooding and pollution.
By capturing clean rainwater from your roof, driveway and sidewalks and diverting it into a great looking rain garden where it can slowly soak into the ground, filter contaminants and keep quantities of clean water from going down the sewer system you’ll have a great looking garden that puts water in its place.
A Rain Garden will:
see the rain garden network for more information
according to Pantone, the foremost experts in color trends, say to look for “bold color hidden in nature” as the colors of summer 2012
More than ever, our homes are critically important to our sense of comfort and well being where we build our own personal nests. The act of decorating our homes is the catalyst that sparks our creativity, providing that special environment that helps us and those who live with us thrive. Color is one of the most important elements in feathering our nests.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, painting the walls pure white is anything but neutral. Pure whites are dazzling and appear brilliant to the human eye. The only place where pure whites can be used effectively is as background where there are strong visual distractions, such as large pieces of art that capture the eye quickly. And these pieces should be either vibrant primary colors or classic black and white. This makes for a super-dramatic setting where pure white becomes a part of the drama. And there are some people who are devout minimalists who want nothing more than the starkness (and visual glare) of black and pure white.
But in actual life settings, most people do not crave that kind of starkness. For decorating purposes it is best to add a touch of another shade or tint to pure white to create an off-white, such as turning a Snow White into a Whisper White. Off-whites are much more effective as neutral backgrounds.
Because it is so highly reflective, especially on fabrics with a sheen, Pristine White acts as a mirror as it reflects the color used immediately next to it. For example, if you use a repeating orange pattern on a white background, the white will warm up slightly, because the orange is so very warm (it is actually perceived as the hottest of all hues). Bright colors generally appear slightly dulled next to pure white.
Mixing whites doesn’t work. Off-whites will look dull and dingy next to pure white. Antique lace curtains will look yellowed and faded next to a pure white shade. Super-sheer white fabrics disclose the color behind them, so they appear less white than a heavier texture. There are also bluish whites and cool greenish whites, but they have to be handled with care as they can get too sterile and glare just as pure white does. Then there are the rosy whites, peachy whites and creamy whites that are friendlier because of their inherent warmth. Any shade of white reflects into adjacent areas, which makes it excellent to use near darkened spaces.
Color usage should always be thought of in context of the area you are using it in and, most importantly, the mood you want to create. Some helpful tips for the usage of certain whites are;
If you want your bedroom to be a quiet and restful sanctuary, try a slightly tinged bluish white, like Bit of Blue or Barely Blue. As their names suggest, there is a mere touch of blue as an undertone as you don’t want the atmosphere to get too cold or sterile.
In the bathroom, the off whites with a hint of rose, such as Shell, or a dollop of peach, as in Ecru, are very flattering to skin tones.
To make an entry way more inviting and welcoming, try a warm of- white like Dawn.
If you love the thought of being surrounded by sunlight, yet do not want to be overwhelmed by yellow, experience the softest rays of sunshine as in Alabaster Sheen.
For a subtle bit of deliciousness in the kitchen that will literally tempt everyone’s taste buds, try a very creamy Crème Brulee.
Painting a ceiling white or off white will always give the illusion of more height to a space.
White trim in a room always adds clean, enhancing and defining touches.
Should you want another option to replace the usual grays, taupes or beiges, try one of mother nature’s favorite neutrals: Whisper Green.
Portions reproduced from “COLORS FOR YOUR EVERY MOOD” with the permission of Leatrice Eiseman.
additional color tips from pantone
