Small, luxurious & detail-rich living room project of the month
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Mindful Living & Green Design -- Small is Beautiful
I have found that clients are ready and eager to embrace a smaller scale with attention focusing on details rather than size. The media is also reporting this trend.
The economy may be driving the current shift in mindset, but the idea of small has been around for a while. Sarah Susanka, architect and cultural visionary, published her first book, The Not So Big House, in 1998. That book describes how to build a new house that avoids wasteful square footage and focuses on the details that give smaller spaces human scale and warmth. Since then she has been at the forefront of a "build better, not bigger" movement to redefine the American home and lifestyle. Last year Not So Big Remodeling debunked the myth that a large addition is required to dramatically improve a home and shared ways to make any remodeling project more eco-friendly. Remodeling a home's layout and flow can make an existing home more comfortable and functional without the need for an addition. The Not So Big philosophy is a big step toward sustainability, both for our own well being and for the well being of the planet as a whole.
Do you have a formal living room or dining room that only gets used a couple of times per year? Why allocate so much square footage to unused space? Talk to me about how to re-purpose your rooms to reflect how you actually live!
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Inspiration
Olana is the Persian style home of Frederic Church, the Hudson River Valley landscape artist. Church built the home in Hudson, NY in the late 1860s after being inspired by an extended trip to Europe and the Middle East. The exquisite tile work and stenciling are truly stunning and the furnishings from his travels abroad round out the exotic vibe.
The website has a cool application for a 360 virtual tour inside some of the rooms (scroll to the bottom of the page at http://www.olana.org/learn_the_house.php), but it is so much better up close and personal. It's a great day trip!
Call ahead (518-828-0135) for hours and to reserve your spot for a tour which is the only way to see the inside of the house. Don't just show up as tour time slots sometimes sell out and they close fairly early. Speaking from personal experience...
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