Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Recently Tudor Mechanical team installed a new TOSOT 36K BTU Hyper Heat Central Ducted System for a new customer in Massapequa Nyc. If you want to get this unit installed with professional and specialized technicians then you are one call away. Our specialized and professional technicians will install this unit and other units whenever you want with best price on market. Our technicians have PHD on HVAC and are insured. TOSOT 36K BTU Hyper Heat Central Ducted System, Model # TU36-24ADU has multi-position air handlers which is perfect for different types of buildings. Outdoor unit efficiency is up to 20 SEER & 10.5 HSPF. This unit Adopts the two-stage compression EVI technology, small performance decline at extremely hot or cold area. Tosot central ducted system has integrated D.C Inverter technology, quieter, more comfortable which is best for your energy bills. Your comfort is our pleasure! Tudor Mechanical Your Climate Partner!

Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Beez Kneez Pleez is an ceramic sculpture approximately 8 to 10-feet high by 3-feet in diameter. The piece has grown into a concrete art concept after I participated as part of an unplanned group, called "The Bee Swarm" in the Marche du Nain Rouge parade in Detroit. Visually noticing the decline of the honey bee in addition to being fascinated with the structure of the bee itself, I've begun a love for all the bee represents: hard work, happiness, warm sun, clover, industriousness and flowers. The use of carved and stacked honeycomb cells, fun, furry colors, and whimsical characterizations present the underlying seriousness and interconnectivity of this environmental issue, with a more lighthearted approach. This sculpture is a nod to the bee and the imperative role they play in the delicate balance of survival. The bee reminds us to leave that dandelion, violet, reduce pesticide use and preserve habitat. A totem of ceramic bees, leaves, flowers, corn, butterflies, frogs, rabbits, extruded hexagons, and perhaps a few other surprises arranged along an 10-foot steel pole. The pole will thread into a sturdy base via a threaded rod. Weight should not exceed 250 hundred pounds. The use of celadon glazes will highlight the intricate carving on the bees, honeycomb and other items which are nestled, hung with manilla rope or stick mounted along the length of the totem. The stabile and it's stoneware components is suited to indoor or outdoor areas. Created for ArtPrize 10 in 2018: Venue: Grand Rapids Public Museum. Permanently installed at Central Insurance Company Headquarters, Van Wert, Ohio

Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Photo by Bill Timmerman

Gorgeous master bath finished with Dal-Tile's Fabrique porcelain tile in the color Noir Linen polished. Tile size is 12"x24" installed in a brick joint pattern. The floor boasts underfloor heating on a timed thermostat.

Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Sometimes things just happen organically. This client reached out to me in a professional capacity to see if I wanted to advertise in his new magazine. I declined at that time because as team we have chosen to be referral based, not advertising based. Even with turning him down, he and his wife decided to sign on with us for their basement... which then upon completion rolled into their main floor (part 2). They wanted a very distinct style and already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. We just helped bring it all to life. They wanted a kid friendly space that still had an adult vibe that no longer was based off of furniture from college hand-me-down years. Since they loved modern farmhouse style we had to make sure there was shiplap and also some stained wood elements to warm up the space. This space is a great example of a very nice finished basement done cost-effectively without sacrificing some comforts or features.

Design by Blue Heron in Partnership with Cantoni. Photos By: Stephen Morgan For many, Las Vegas is a destination that transports you away from reality. The same can be said of the thirty-nine modern homes built in The Bluffs Community by luxury design/build firm, Blue Heron. Perched on a hillside in Southern Highlands, The Bluffs is a private gated community overlooking the Las Vegas Valley with unparalleled views of the mountains and the Las Vegas Strip. Indoor-outdoor living concepts, sustainable designs and distinctive floorplans create a modern lifestyle that makes coming home feel like a getaway. To give potential residents a sense for what their custom home could look like at The Bluffs, Blue Heron partnered with Cantoni to furnish a model home and create interiors that would complement the Vegas Modern™ architectural style. “We were really trying to introduce something that hadn’t been seen before in our area. Our homes are so innovative, so personal and unique that it takes truly spectacular furnishings to complete their stories as well as speak to the emotions of everyone who visits our homes,” shares Kathy May, director of interior design at Blue Heron. “Cantoni has been the perfect partner in this endeavor in that, like Blue Heron, Cantoni is innovative and pushes boundaries.” Utilizing Cantoni’s extensive portfolio, the Blue Heron Interior Design team was able to customize nearly every piece in the home to create a thoughtful and curated look for each space. “Having access to so many high-quality and diverse furnishing lines enables us to think outside the box and create unique turnkey designs for our clients with confidence,” says Kathy May, adding that the quality and one-of-a-kind feel of the pieces are unmatched. rom the perfectly situated sectional in the downstairs family room to the unique blue velvet dining chairs, the home breathes modern elegance. “I particularly love the master bed,” says Kathy. “We had created a concept design of what we wanted it to be and worked with one of Cantoni’s longtime partners, to bring it to life. It turned out amazing and really speaks to the character of the room.” The combination of Cantoni’s soft contemporary touch and Blue Heron’s distinctive designs are what made this project a unified experience. “The partnership really showcases Cantoni’s capabilities to manage projects like this from presentation to execution,” shares Luca Mazzolani, vice president of sales at Cantoni. “We work directly with the client to produce custom pieces like you see in this home and ensure a seamless and successful result.” And what a stunning result it is. There was no Las Vegas luck involved in this project, just a sureness of style and service that brought together Blue Heron and Cantoni to create one well-designed home. To learn more about Blue Heron Design Build, visit www.blueheron.com.

Great spacious bathroom with lot of amenities. Photographer: Jon Upson
Large elegant master beige tile and porcelain tile drop-in bathtub photo in San Diego with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, granite countertops, beige walls and a two-piece toilet

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours The second-largest and most developed of Georgia's barrier islands, St. Simons is approximately twelve miles long and nearly three miles wide at its widest stretch (roughly the size of Manhattan Island in New York). The island is located in Glynn County on Georgia's coast and lies east of Brunswick (the seat of Glynn County), south of Little St. Simons Island and the Hampton River, and north of Jekyll Island. The resort community of Sea Island is separated from St. Simons on the east by the Black Banks River. Known for its oak tree canopies and historic landmarks, St. Simons is both a tourist destination and, according to the 2010 U.S. census, home to 12,743 residents. Early History The earliest St. Simons Island Village record of human habitation on the island dates to the Late Archaic Period, about 5,000 to 3,000 years ago. Remnants of shell rings left behind by Native Americans from this era survive on many of the barrier islands, including St. Simons. Centuries later, during the period known by historians as the chiefdom era, the Guale Indians established a chiefdom centered on St. Catherines Island and used St. Simons as their hunting and fishing grounds. By 1500 the Guale had established a permanent village of about 200 people on St. Simons, which they called Guadalquini. Beginning in 1568, the Spanish attempted to create missions along the Georgia coast. Catholic missions were the primary means by which Georgia's indigenous Native American chiefdoms were assimilated into the Spanish colonial system along the northern frontier of greater Spanish Florida. In the 1600s St. Simons became home to two Spanish missions: San Buenaventura de Guadalquini, on the southern tip of the island, and Santo Domingo de Asao (or Asajo), on the northern tip. Located on the inland side of the island were the pagan refugee villages of San Simón, the island's namesake, and Ocotonico. In 1684 pirate raids left the missions and villages largely abandoned. Colonial History As Fort Frederica early as 1670, with Great Britain's establishment of the colony of Carolina and its expansion into Georgia territory, Spanish rule was threatened by the English. The Georgia coast was considered "debatable land" by England and Spain, even though Spain had fully retreated from St. Simons by 1702. Thirty-one years later General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the English settlement of Savannah. In 1736 he established Fort Frederica, named after the heir to the British throne, Frederick Louis, prince of Wales, on the west side of St. Simons Island to protect Savannah and the Carolinas from the Spanish threat. Between 1736 and 1749 Fort Frederica was the hub of British military operations along the Georgia frontier. A town of the same name grew up around the fort and was of great importance to the new colony. By 1740 Frederica's population was 1,000. In 1736 the congregation of what would become Christ Church was organized within Fort Frederica as a mission of the Church of England. Charles Wesley led the first services. In 1742 Britain's decisive victory over Spain in the Battle of Bloody Marsh, during the War of Jenkins' Ear, ended the Spanish threat to the Georgia coast. When the British regimen disbanded in 1749, most of the townspeople relocated to the mainland. Fort Frederica went into decline and, except for a short time of prosperity during the 1760s and 1770s under the leadership of merchant James Spalding, never fully recovered. Today the historic citadel's tabby ruins are maintained by the National Park Service. Plantation Era By the start of the American Revolution (1775-83), Fort Frederica was obsolete, and St. Simons was left largely uninhabited as most of its residents joined the patriot army. Besides hosting a small Georgia naval victory on the Fort Frederica River, providing guns from its famous fort for use at Fort Morris in Sunbury, and serving as an arena for pillaging by privateers and British soldiers, the island played almost no role in the war. Following the war, many of the townspeople, their businesses destroyed, turned to agriculture. The island was transformed into fourteen cotton plantations after acres of live oak trees were cleared for farm land and used for building American warships, including the famous USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides." Although rice was the predominant crop along the neighboring Altamaha River, St. Simons was known for its production of long-staple cotton, which soon came to be known as Sea Island cotton. Between Ebos Landing the 1780s and the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65), St. Simons's plantation culture flourished. The saline atmosphere and the availability of cheap slave labor proved an ideal combination for the cultivation of Sea Island cotton. In 1803 a group of Ebo slaves who survived the Middle Passage and arrived on the west side of St. Simons staged a rebellion and drowned themselves. The sacred site is known today as Ebos Landing. One of the largest owners of land and slaves on St. Simons was Pierce Butler, master of Hampton Point Plantation, located on the northern end of the island. By 1793 Butler owned more than 500 slaves, who cultivated 800 acres of cotton on St. Simons and 300 acres of rice on Butler's Island in the Altamaha River delta. Butler's grandson, Pierce Mease Butler, who at the age of sixteen inherited a share of his grandfather's estate in 1826, was responsible for the largest sale of human beings in the history of the United States: in 1859, to restore his squandered fortune, he sold 429 slaves in Savannah for more than $300,000. The British actress and writer Fanny Kemble, whose tumultuous marriage to Pierce ended in divorce in 1849, published an eyewitness account of the evils of slavery on St. Simons in her book Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 (1863). Another Retreat Plantation large owner of land and slaves on St. Simons was Major William Page, a friend and employee of Pierce Butler Sr. Before purchasing Retreat Plantation on the southwestern tip of the island in 1804, Page managed the Hampton plantation and Butler's Island. Upon Page's death in 1827, Thomas Butler King inherited the land together with his wife, Page's daughter, Anna Matilda Page King. King expanded his father-in-law's planting empire on St. Simons as well as on the mainland, and by 1835 Retreat Plantation alone was home to as many as 355 slaves. The center of life during the island's plantation era was Christ Church, Frederica. Organized in 1807 by a group of island planters, the Episcopal church is the second oldest in the Diocese of Georgia. Embargoes imposed by the War of 1812 (1812-15) prevented the parishioners from building a church structure, so they worshiped in the home of John Beck, which stood on the site of Oglethorpe's only St. Simons residence, Orange Hall. The first Christ Church building, finished on the present site in 1820, was ruined by occupying Union troops during the Civil War. In 1884 the Reverend Anson Dodge Jr. rebuilt the church as a memorial to his first wife, Ellen. The cruciform building with a trussed gothic roof and stained-glass windows remains active today as Christ Church. Civil War and Beyond The St. Simons Island Lighthouse outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 put a sudden end to St. Simons's lucrative plantation era. In January of that year, Confederate troops were stationed at the south end of the island to guard the entrance to Brunswick Harbor. Slaves from Retreat Plantation, owned by Thomas Butler King, built earthworks and batteries. Plantation residents were scattered—the men joined the Confederate army and their families moved to the mainland. Cannon fire was heard on the island in December 1861, and Confederate troops retreated in February 1862, after dynamiting the lighthouse to keep its beacon from aiding Union troops. Soon thereafter, Union troops occupied the island, which was used as a camp for freed slaves. By August 1862 more than 500 former slaves lived on St. Simons, including Susie King Taylor, who organized a school for freed slave children. But in November the ex-slaves were taken to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Fernandina, Florida, leaving the island abandoned. After the Civil War the island never returned to its status as an agricultural community. The plantations lay dormant because there were no slaves to work the fields. After Union general William T. Sherman's January 1865 Special Field Order No. 15 —a demand that former plantations be divided and distributed to former slaves—was overturned by U.S. president Andrew Johnson less than a year later, freedmen and women were forced to work as sharecroppers on the small farms that dotted the land previously occupied by the sprawling plantations. By St. Simons Lumber Mills 1870 real economic recovery began with the reestablishment of the timber industry. Norman Dodge and Titus G. Meigs of New York set up lumber mill operations at Gascoigne Bluff, formerly Hamilton Plantation. The lumber mills provided welcome employment for both blacks and whites and also provided mail and passenger boats to the mainland. Such water traffic, together with the construction of a new lighthouse in 1872, designed by architect Charles B. Cluskey, marked the beginning of St. Simons's tourism industry. The keeper of the lighthouse created a small amusement park, which drew many visitors, as did the seemingly miraculous light that traveled from the top of the lighthouse tower to the bottom. The island became a summer retreat for families from the mainland, particularly from Baxley, Brunswick, and Waycross. The island's resort industry was thriving by the 1880s. Beachfront structures, such as a new pier and grand hotel, were built on the southeastern end of the island and could be accessed by ferry. Around this time wealthy northerners began vacationing on the island. Twentieth Century The St. Simons Island Pier and Village opening in 1924 of the Brunswick–St. Simons Highway, today known as the Torras Causeway, was a milestone in the development of resorts in the area. St. Simons's beaches were now easily accessible to locals and tourists alike. More than 5,000 automobiles took the short drive from Brunswick to St. Simons via the causeway on its opening day, paving the way for convenient residential and resort development. In 1926 automotive pioneer Howard Coffin of Detroit, Michigan, bought large tracts of land on St. Simons, including the former Retreat Plantation, and constructed a golf course, yacht club, paved roads, and a residential subdivision. Although the causeway had brought large numbers of summer people to the island, St. Simons remained a small community with only a few hundred permanent residents until the 1940s. The St. Simons Island outbreak of World War II (1941-45) brought more visitors and residents to St. Simons. Troops stationed at Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah; and nearby Camp Stewart took weekend vacations on the island, and a new naval air base and radar school became home to even more officers and soldiers. The increased wartime population brought the island its first public school. With a major shipyard for the production of Liberty ships in nearby Brunswick, the waters of St. Simons became active with German U-boats. In April 1942, just off the coast, the Texas Company oil tanker S. S. Oklahoma and the S. S. Esso Baton Rouge were torpedoed by the Germans, bringing the war very close to home for island residents. Due in large part to the military's improvement of the island's infrastructure during the war, development on the island boomed in the 1950s and 1960s. More permanent homes and subdivisions were built, and the island was no longer just a summer resort but also a thriving community. In 1950 the Methodist conference and retreat center Epworth by the Sea opened on Gascoigne Bluff. In 1961 novelist Eugenia Price visited St. Simons and began work on her first works of fiction, known as the St. Simons Trilogy. Inspired by real events on the island, Price's trilogy renewed interest in the history of Georgia's coast, and the novelist herself relocated to the island in 1965 and lived there for thirty-one years. St. Simons is also home to contemporary Georgia writer Tina McElroy Ansa. Since Epworth by the Sea 1980 St. Simons's population has doubled. The island's continued status as a vacation destination and its ongoing development boom have put historic landmarks and natural areas at risk. While such landmarks as the Fort Frederica ruins and the Battle of Bloody Marsh site are preserved and maintained by the National Park Service, and while the historic lighthouse is maintained by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, historic Ebos Landing has been taken over by a sewage treatment plant. Several coastal organizations have formed in recent years to save natural areas on the island. The St. Simons Land Trust, for example, has received donations of large tracts of land and plans to protect property in the island's three traditional African American neighborhoods. Despite its rapid growth and development, St. Simons remains one of the most beautiful and important islands on the Georgia coast.

ARCHITECTURE: Honor Award PROJECT: Uptown Lofts on Fifth CLIENT: ACTION-Housing, Inc. ARCHITECTURE FIRM: FortyEighty Architecture ENGINEERS: Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc.; Keystone Structural Solutions; Iams Consulting, LLC CONTRACTORS: Mosites Construction Company PHOTOGRAPHER: FortyEighty Architecture DESCRIPTION: The Uptown Lofts on Fifth are two new multi-unit apartment buildings constructed on opposite sides of Fifth Avenue in Uptown, a neighborhood of Pittsburgh that suffers from steady population decline due to a lack of adequate housing. The developer for the project, ACTION-Housing, Inc., serves a mission to empower people to build secure and self-sufficient lives through decent, affordable housing, and has worked to demonstrate the importance of energy efficiency through various projects. This project was designed to allow for a comparison of the operational performance of the two buildings – one designed to meet Passive House standards and the other designed to meet the requirements of the current energy code. JURY COMMENTS: This is the project the jury discussed the most. Perhaps not best in any one category, this project achieved so much in so many categories. Architecture is about richness, layers of meanings, and social responsibility. This project surpassed others by doing so much in terms of being solidly designed in the context of its neighborhood, with aggressive sustainable goals, and all on a very tight budget. It is serving as a demonstration to the greater sustainable community with two test buildings from which to compare the ROI on a project designed to meet passive house standards versus a building meeting the current energy codes. Most importantly, this building brings a high level of dignity to an all too often overlooked user in a neglected part of town.

Tucked away in the backwoods of Torch Lake, this home marries “rustic” with the sleek elegance of modern. The combination of wood, stone and metal textures embrace the charm of a classic farmhouse. Although this is not your average farmhouse. The home is outfitted with a high performing system that seamlessly works with the design and architecture. The tall ceilings and windows allow ample natural light into the main room. Spire Integrated Systems installed Lutron QS Wireless motorized shades paired with Hartmann & Forbes windowcovers to offer privacy and block harsh light. The custom 18′ windowcover’s woven natural fabric complements the organic esthetics of the room. The shades are artfully concealed in the millwork when not in use. Spire installed B&W in-ceiling speakers and Sonance invisible in-wall speakers to deliver ambient music that emanates throughout the space with no visual footprint. Spire also installed a Sonance Landscape Audio System so the homeowner can enjoy music outside. Each system is easily controlled using Savant. Spire personalized the settings to the homeowner’s preference making controlling the home efficient and convenient.