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For many people, a shed — if it’s just big enough to get inside and has a little window — can be a place of refuge, a place to indulge in a hobby or just somewhere quiet to get away from the hustle and bustle with a cup of tea and a book. If yours is currently the noncool color it was when you bought it, and has cascading cobwebs and a damp smell inside, consider how you might use it better if you spruced it up. To make yours look inviting, paint it a soothing color (you can get paints for such a job that require no boring wood prep), then drape it with plants and pile pots bursting with blooms around it. The “veranda” of your shed can be an equally restful spot. You can also find compact, assemble-yourself outbuildings that might suit your purposes even better, if potting or tool storage isn’t among your needs. Just squeeze in a comfy chair, a camping lantern, a blanket and somewhere to perch your drink.
Even if you don’t have the capacity for a working door like this in your space, consider a purely decorative one — it’s just as evocative and makes an interesting feature. Look at salvage yards and secondhand websites for something that captures your imagination. Train ivy to grow around it. Now, once upon a time …
What happens when designers start using LEDs in chandeliers? Design becomes fragile and poetic. Mesh, designed by Francisco Gomez Paz for Luceplan, is a light structure composed of a network of metal cables, with LEDs positioned at the intersections. It’s available with 96 light points or as a smaller suspension lamp with 48 LEDs.
Pure lines, signs hanging from the ceiling, tiny waves on the wall — designers are transforming classic lamps into minimalist sculptures. Thanks to LED technology, lamps can now have a light source anywhere, even bent around a curve. For example, U-Light by Finnish designer Timo Ripatti incorporates an LED into a series of circular aluminium frames.
The difference between “stripes” and “bands” is a little subjective. Stripes are usually long and thin, while bands are wide and short, and they have different effects. This bathroom space is already wide and thin, but having the tiles laid in different bands — playing against the length and enhancing the width instead — helps it appear a little less tunnel-shaped and a little more balanced. It also adds some drama to the floor, without being as busy as a thinner stripe, which is perfect for a small space where too much pattern could be overload.
Just like in fashion, thin stripes in interiors can be used to create long lines, which creates an optical illusion of extra length. In the case of a striped floor, the result is a space that looks extra large, especially if you have the stripes run along the longest axis of the room. This room is ample already, but with this classic black and white tile pattern it looks positively vast.
Feeling creative? Make a flower chandelier. Repurpose a metal wreath frame into a hanging flower centerpiece. Use flexible wire (available from craft stores) to attach glass vases, jars or metal cans wrapped with paper to a metal wreath frame. Attach the vases or jars at different levels to accommodate flower stems of various lengths. Wire the wreath frame to a metal S-hook and hang it above the kitchen table.
Dracena (Dracena marginata and D. deremensis) Dracenas are tough, wiry plants with palm-like fronds in colors ranging from variegated silver to dark green streaked with red. Dragon tree (D. marginata) and smaller dracenas (D. deremensis) are most commonly grown as houseplants. Popular in the 1960s and 1970s, dracenas have a retro vibe and complement midcentury modern decor. Care tips: Grow in moderate, indirect light, water weekly during the growing season and allow the soil to dry out between waterings in winter. Caution: Dracena can be toxic to pets and children if ingested.
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria spp.) LOVE THE LONG NARROW PLANTER THESE ARE IN ! If you’ve seen plants thriving in neglected areas — mall or airport planters, office parks and the like —they’re most likely mother-in-law’s tongue. All species of Sansevieria, also called snake plant, are about as bulletproof as a plant can get. If you have a dark corner where nothing else will grow or a track record of forgetting to water for a couple of weeks, choose a Sansevieria — it won’t fail you. Care tips: Plant in areas with indirect to moderate light (will also tolerate low light). Allow the top 3 inches of soil to dry out between waterings, particularly during the winter.
Air Plants (Tillandsia spp.) A few years ago, we hardly ever saw these funky epiphytes outside of orchid shows, but now they seem to be every decorator’s darling. Get in on the trend by placing a few of these soil-free plants in a shallow bowl for a tabletop display, tuck them into hanging glass orbs in a window or arrange a vignette of wall-mounted growing nooks.
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) Pothos is about as easygoing and versatile as a houseplant gets. With glossy oval leaves and a quick growing habit, pothos exudes health and vigor even if you neglect it. Grow potted pothos to trail down a bookshelf, ramble over a desk or climb up your bathroom window for a jungle screen. Care tips: Plant in a spot with bright to moderate indirect sunlight and water weekly. The plant can also tolerate little water for two-week stretches. Caution: Pothos can be toxic to pets and children if ingested.
Split-Leaf Philodendron (Monstera deliciosa) Also known as the Swiss cheese plant, this decorative vine has dinner-plate-sized glossy leaves riddled with splits and holes. Use this large-scale beauty to add tropical drama to any room with moderate to bright light. Split-leaf philodendrons thrive in moist environments such as steamy bathrooms. Care tips: Grow in moderate to bright light, water weekly to keep the soil moist and give it plenty of room to sprawl. Caution: Philodendron is toxic if ingested by pets or young children.
Staghorn Fern (Platycerium bifurcatum) Think of staghorn ferns, also called elkhorn ferns, as the antlers of the plant kingdom. These epiphytes, also known as air plants, need no soil to grow and will thrive mounted to a wood block with some sphagnum moss. They’re great for filling blank spaces on walls or bookshelves where they receive bright, filtered light. Grow a single fern or mount a trio side by side for more impact. Care tips: Mount the fern to a wood block on a wall with bright, indirect light. Submerge it (wood block and all) for a few minutes weekly in water, and mist every few days.
Tip: Select an extended hook with a wall bracket that hangs plants. The extra length of the arm will stand far enough away from the wall to allow for vertical hanging objects, such as the fruit basket pictured here.
Cute !
Install one of these in the pantry. Perfect for J's oranges !
LOVE those branches !!!
A cool gray slab sink brings a modern edge to this clean white space. Orange pipes and fixtures heat up the cool vibe.
This elegant floating washplane sink creates an almost magical feeling in this contemporary bathroom. The sink drains into the wall, eliminating the need for a visible drainpipe.
SERIOUS curb appeal here !
The stunning gold starburst ceiling fixture in this elegant living room is a showstopper in its own right, but the custom silk wallpaper behind it makes it nearly impossible to keep your eyes from drifting up.
Aside from adding retro style and texture, tin tiles on a ceiling have a shimmer that creates a mirror effect, helping to open up a space.
This is PAINTED & I should try to make this out of my nesting tables !
A vine-covered trellis is as delightful indoors as out. Some vines can thrive in any light and with minimal watering, making them a great option for indoor use. Find a place to secure a potted vine to a wall or suspend the plant in a hanging basket with a trellis to cling to, and once you’ve trained and pruned it into position, it’ll only need minimal care to fill out the space.
In a white room with warm wood, a few strategically placed plants provide all the personality and color that’s needed. The way the hanging plant and the outstretched branch extend into the blank wall space precludes the need for any extra art or adornment on the wall. Indeed, plants offer an easy design solution that also promotes interaction with natural life via watering and plant tending.
All the necessary electronics of our working lives can make for a dismal office space. One solution is to fill the room with plants. Hanging them means you can retain more of your desk space for productivity.
Love this !!
Ironically, the large industrial vent hood spanning the alcove in this kitchen makes the space feel less like a kitchen than it might otherwise — a desirable goal if you have an open floor plan. If a chimney hood had been placed over just the range, it would have chopped up the design. Instead, there’s an elegant uninterrupted backsplash topped by a streamlined vent hood.
Here’s what chefs know about stainless surfaces: They don’t stain, you can plop hot pans right on them, and they are hygienic. Bacteria can seep into porous surfaces but not stainless steel.
Vinyl tiles applied in alternate grain directions create a cool effect.
This textural vinyl kitchen floor looks a bit like charcoal-stained exotic wood, or an architectural concrete, but it isn’t trying to look exactly like either. Ultimately it has its own interesting look that works wonders for a contemporary kitchen with some personality.
While it can simulate the look of other materials, vinyl is perhaps even better when creating a statement all its own. For example, this vinyl flooring is somewhat inspired by a carpeting weave, but ultimately it creates its own contemporary effect with its intricate patterning. It’s durable enough to survive on a staircase, but beautiful enough to be used anywhere.
Vinyl mimics other materials at a fraction of the cost Like laminate tile, vinyl can be created in any sort of colorway or print, meaning it can be printed to appear like exotic wood or stone tiles that might be too expensive for your project — and it requires much less maintenance.
Looking to bring nature into your kitchen, add some drama through lighting or honor the handmade? Here are the 10 most popular kitchens, as measured by the number of people who’ve saved photos of them to their idea books. - A contemporary kitchen with a polished concrete floor, white oak on the kitchen island & accent wall, and as slats over the clerestory windows, to add warmth.
Change the water every three days, clean out your vase with bleach and put a small drop of bleach in the water to kill any bacteria.
This thick wall provides a good balance of separation and connection between the kitchen and family room. To the left, the wall contains the media equipment and TV for the family room. On the opposite side, it accommodates additional kitchen cabinets and a broom closet. It also hides plumbing and electric infrastructure as well as a beam. The special seating niche is the funky quirk in this space. It is outlined in walnut wood and serves both rooms.
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