Strategy

A strategy is among the 3 main types of architectural drawings, in which a three-dimensional layout is described in two dimensions. The others are section and elevation. In every case the viewer’s line of sight is perpendicular to the plane where the building’s surfaces and elements are projected. In the case of a strategy, it’s a flat airplane — parallel to the floor or floor — which hypothetically cuts through a construction at approximately waist height (approximately 3 feet, 6 inches above the floor) in order to incorporate windows.

The most typical type of strategy is your floor plan. It locates walls, windows and doors while also describing flooring surfaces which could be important. A floor plan also explains the way the body goes through a construction. With this plan of the Gropius House for instance, we can monitor one’s movement in the front porch through the front doorway to the living and dining rooms and other spaces.

See What You Can Learn From a Floor Plan

Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright (his Rosenbaum House strategy is observed here) utilize the floor plan to develop an inherent logic that compels distance, construction, scale and texture. The rectangular grid is equally the joints of the cement flooring and the way of locating walls, windows and doors.

Dylan Chappell Architects

Floor plans are extremely important tools that assist architects workout alternative schemes. When the stair goes what happens? Or should the kitchen is a galley instead of an L form? Together with CAD (computer-aided drafting), it’s simpler than ever to work out a myriad of choices.

Dylan Chappell Architects

An architect’s working drawings (the place used for pricing, bidding and construction) can be confusing. In addition to the plan’s walls, windows and doors are measurements, references to other drawings, many tags and notes for forms of doors, doors and other assemblies.

Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC

Site plans follow the same orthographic principles as floor plans, but they’re typically elevated above the construction (a variation can include a floor plan within a landscape program, permitting one to observe the way the exterior and interior spaces link). Site plans similar to this one focus on plant and tree size and placement, topography (through contour lines) and website components such as walls, walks and driveways.

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How Do I Get a Fixed Rate on a House Equity Loan?

A home equity loan can provide funding for major purchases. Consumers frequently secure a home equity loan or a home equity credit line (HELOC). Home equity loans typically have a fixed rate, while a HELOC has a variable interest rate. Both programs are equity-based and subject to creditor guidelines. A homeowner who selects a home equity loan will normally receive a disbursement for the full loan amount, in addition to a fixed rate on the next mortgage.

Tabulate the amount of money you’ll need for a home equity loan. This will give you an notion of how much money to request from a home equity lender. Your estimate must allow money for closing costs. Items like lender fees, appraisal costs and lawyer fees could exceed 5% of your loan amount.

Locate the approximate value of your home using a property values site. Lenders will typically lend up to 80 percent of the value of your home for another mortgage. With 80 percent of the value of your home, subtract the remainder of your mortgage. You are able to use the remaining amount to get a fixed-rate home equity loan. By way of instance, 80 percent of a home valued at $200,000 is $160,000. Subtract the mortgage balance of $120,000 from $160,000, leaving $40,000 as your maximum loan amount. You may use a portion of your equity or borrow the maximum amount.

Inquire about consolidating home equity loans from your current lender.

Review fixed-rate offers from several home equity lenders.

Apply for a fixed-rate home equity loan. The application process is quite similar to the processes which were utilized to obtain your principal mortgage; however, in the majority of cases your fees will be lower. You will be required to complete a loan application, complete disclosures and provide evidence of your present income.

Arrange a time to meet with a settlement officer and also sign final documents for your home equity loan.

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Pick-a-Paint Help: How to Quit Procrastinating on Color Choice

If you have ever found yourself staring at a wall marked up with dozens of sample colours, however still no nearer to finding the proper shade, you have come to the ideal location. In this three-part show, we will be discussing methods to get over your paint-color paralysis, get inspired to find color around you and, eventually, pull together a whole-house match. Let’s begin.

CWB Architects

Know which hues are easier to use. If you have had butt luck picking paint colours previously, it might be that you were making things harder on yourself than was necessary. Some colors, like pink, are especially hard to get just perfect. Neutral hues like grey, beige and soft browns, as well as pale, silvery blues are quite forgiving.

This chamber: Coventry Gray

It is OK to not have colorful paint. Give yourself permission to skip the colour deliberations and just go with white. It is fresh, classic and easy, and it goes with everything. If you have been putting off picking paint colors for many years, perhaps it is time to let yourself off the hook.

Ashley Campbell Interior Design

Jump the paint-rack confusion. Those paint racks at the hardware store are not the place to start your search for the best colour!

It may be fun initially browsing thousands of colours, but it is not likely to result from the perfect hue for your living room. Do as the pros do: Start with a vision for your area instead.

Contemplate what look you’re aiming for, save room photographs you love and have a picture with one to the paint shop that will assist you narrow the options.

This chamber: Texas Leather

Tess Bethune Interiors

Pay attention to existing finishes. If you are trying to find paint colours for your kitchen, bath or another room with existing finishes to consider, begin there.

For instance, cool grey tile flooring or granite countertops beg to get a cool wall hue like blue or grey. Bring a sample or photo of those finishes in your room to the paint shop to help in matching.

This accent wall: New Aqua

Caitlin Wilson Design

Start small. If you are feeling overwhelmed by a listing of rooms to paint that is a mile long, then begin with the smallest one.

Pick your paint colour dependent on the finishes inside the room or a piece of cloth or art, and get going!

The sense of accomplishment you are going to receive from a job well done should help you face the remainder of your painting jobs with more confidence.

Caitlin Wilson Design

Don’t be reluctant to snag precise shades. See a wall colour you love in a magazine, on a site or around ? About , clicking on the photo can result in more information … and there is no reason to not use the colour yourself.

This wall: Key Largo Green | Tips for matching colours from photographs to real life

Landing Design

Consistently, consistently examine it out. And use the specific end you plan to use — high gloss will seem very different from multicolored or eggshell. If you do not need to take care of test pots, look for a paint company that offers poster-size paint chips and record them to a wall rather.

Even with large paint chips, when you feel you have a winner, it is still wise to test out the paint before purchasing each of the paint you need.

CWB Architects

Help from the pros is more accessible than you may think. Lots of photographers, decorators and colour pros do colour consultations, and the wisdom that you glean from them in your sessions can be worth its weight in gold. Don’t be afraid to reach out.

This chamber: Coral Pink

More:
guides to colour

How to work with a colour consultant

Find a local pro

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10 Midcentury Qualities to Treasure

Whoever thinks time travel is not possible if come work with me sometime. I recently had a fantastic blast from the past once I was called by new owners to look at a house they’d just bought. On the phone the house was called a “fixer,” and the owners were stumped about where to start.

It ends up the fixer was a keeper. The house was a midcentury timeless unusual for the area in which it was located. The previous owner had the property for 40 years, and several of the original details were there. This sort of thing consistently causes heart palpitations for me, so that you can imagine my delight as I thought about sharing my observations with midcentury lovers on .

It was quite interesting to see real details of the iconic design versus translated details that have been watered down. I noticed some of my favorite details as I walked through the house.

These details in different houses specify a midcentury aesthetic to your own attention.

Swatt | Miers Architects

Textured exterior wall. As I walked up the driveway, I noticed a horizontal rock accent wall just near front door, quite similar to this one. There is nothing like rock to provide a textured layer of detail.

Falling Waters Landscape

Double-wide entry doors. “This will be good,” I thought to myself as I approached the double-wide front door with an enjoyable colour painted on the exterior. It welcomes guests using a “Hey, I’m hip” attitude.

H3K Layout

Entry water feature. I looked around after I rang the doorbell and noticed that an original water feature only to the side of the front door. The water feature was geometric and low and reminded me of The Rat Pack at the ’60s.

Three Legged Pig Design

Terrazzo floors. Once I was welcomed inside, I stumbled onto the most lovely white terrazzo floors. Oh, only pinch me! The terrazzo floors ran through the large entry and the main hallways of the U-shaped residence.

Design Within Reach

Wood-panel accent wall. Just beyond the entry, there was one wall of vertical-grain timber paneling in the living area. The timber was a natural equilibrium to the tall ceilings and oversized windows that revealed an incredible hilltop view.

Vintage pendants. In the living area in a corner were those kooky pendant lighting. I imagined a game table where guys with cigars would sit and play poker while listening to Marvin Gaye.

Sixties wallpaper. On an accent wall in the living area was a kitchy background in a fun colour. The pattern was disappeared but 1960s.

JayJeffers

Oversize windows. The living area was oversized and behaved as living area and family room. The ceilings were pitched out toward the opinion. The ceiling extended beyond the sliders and continued outdoors, which made the gables look endless.

Daniel Sheehan Photography

Transom windows. The next room was a dining area. There was a wall that separated it from the kitchen. The wall had transom windows on top, which let beautiful light to the kitchen. The long and low windows added into the contemporary aesthetic.

Barker O’Donoghue Master Builders

Retro tile. Just as I was thinking about all of the fantastic midcentury details, I turned the corner of the main hall and discovered ’60s-inspired tile in a small powder room. “That’s definitely staying,” I thought. The colours were green and blue and so charming. What a blast! Turns out the little “fixer” just needed some new paint and new furniture. Wow, do I love my job!

Inform us about your midcentury home. Does it have some original specifics?

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Curves Ahead for a Modern Melbourne Addition

Abbotsford, a suburb of Melbourne, is sprinkled with Edwardian houses which reflect a more modest type of structure following the elaborate Victorian architecture of the 19th century. The Edwardian houses make for satisfying streetscapes — and those streetscapes are kept via back and discreet additions.

Architect Anthony Chan approached a growth of one Edwardian house in the inner-city suburb by selecting on formal and materials consistencies of the style, but locating a contemporary expression for them. He had to deal with a number of site limitations, but the resulting addition works remarkably well with the present home and creates an open, airy and airy interior for the household.

at a Glance
Who lives here: A youthful, energetic family
Location: Abbotsford, a suburb of Melbourne
Size: 1,925 square feet, such as the existing home

Chan Architecture Pty Ltd

When Chan and his staff at Chan Architecture took on the commission, the family room and dining room was a lean-to added on the rear of their brick home. They wanted a fresh dwelling, kitchen and dining area that could eventually become, in Chan’s words, “the nucleus of the house,” so that it was clear what needed to be carried out.

But a diagonal easement clipping across the back yard intended the new addition had to be formed to make the most square footage. Chan responded with curves which soften the diagonals that happen in floor plan (the dwelling area along with its own recycled brick walls around the left) and in roofline (the top-floor master bedroom on the right); he also found inspiration in the bullnose profiles of those roofs which cap the verandas on suburban houses.

Chan Architecture Pty Ltd

The curbside view of the home facing east shows the nature of the Edwardian original along with the invisibility of the addition, but it also shows the crowded states — the home abuts another home on the right (north) side. To the south is a right of way that enables the household to park their vehicle in the little yard shown in the previous picture.

Chan Architecture Pty Ltd

Another driving consideration for the addition was the large Red Box gum tree in the backyard. The angle of the living room along with the narrow windows of the bedroom and kitchen over look out on this impressive tree on the west. The mutlihued green panels also were motivated by the tree.

Here we are seeing it from a nearby land, where a few playful and vibrant cladding is also occurring.

Chan Architecture Pty Ltd

The L-shaped addition on the ground floor is open but broken down into smaller areas: the clean and contemporary kitchen on the left, overlooking the dining area at the corner of the L, and the living room beyond, looking at an angle to the gum tree.

Chan carefully placed windows and skylights to make as much light as you possibly can. Valuable northern light comes in through a mild court cut into the plan (at right, beside the table) and through a clerestory and skylight that run the full east-west length of the addition (observable over the mild court and over the sofa).

Chan Architecture Pty Ltd

Here we see the light court, looking from the living room to the dining area and kitchen ; through the opening will be the first residence. A couple of details are worth pointing out in regard to the mild court: tall clerestory windows help to bring in much more light to the open appearance, sliding doors provide access to this tiny outdoor space, plus a partial-height fence offers privacy from the neighboring home and its mild court.

Chan Architecture Pty Ltd

Within the present home, Chan opened up the stair and creatively designed around it to perform triple duty: vertical access, storage and study. Whether this space appears especially bright, it is because it is gaining natural light from three sources: a north-facing window on the top floor of the stair, a window on the third side of the mild court (just out of frame to the right) plus a mild tube observable in the upper-left corner of the photo.

Chan Architecture Pty Ltd

The main reason behind the mild tube ought to be clear here, as a study has been inserted beside the stair. This may seem an unlikely spot for anything, but using a little existing construction and site limitations dictating a much of the addition’s design, this alternative distinctively takes advantage of what I could see might otherwise have become a big walk-in closet.

Chan Architecture Pty Ltd

Above the kitchen is the master suite, which is made up of bedroom, a bath plus a walk-in closet that leads to a deck over the living area; the final can be seen in the wood-slat railing at the first photo. The curved profile of the roofing, also observed in the first photo, gives the bedroom a few special character and the capacity to grab some ambient lighting (behind us in the photo) through clerestory windows over the restroom and walk in closet.

Chan Architecture Pty Ltd

From the deck, our final view of the home, we view that curved profile along with the clerestory windows around the corner. Easy and utilitarian contemporary stuff cover this upper level, leaving the particular splash of color for the wall facing the backyard and the colour of the gum tree.

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Home Bars Tap Into Guy-Friendly Style

Gathering over a few drinks at a pub or bar to discuss thoughts and catch up on friends’ lives has long been an important part of community life. In Britain pubs have historically been integral as working-class social hangouts. However, Paul Jennings, author of The Neighborhood — A History of the English Pub, says that these spaces have actually been declining for more than a century. “motives include the ever widening array of alternative leisure pursuits, and the greater importance of the house as a place to spend some time in,” he told BBC History Magazine.

While I couldn’t agree more with Jennings about the importance of spending time with family, I’d venture to say that perhaps Jennings has forgotten how smart we ever-evolving humans can be. Pubs aren’t decreasing. We’re just bringing the concept home.

Current Concepts Home Automation

RMT Architects

The house bar has turned into one of the funniest bonus rooms in homes now. And while people alike are adapting and planning these spaces, it is common to find a masculine influence in their own designs. Rich wood, TVs, leather-backed seats, pool tables and cigar porches are popular features of this modern-day home bar.

Bespoke’s Art

Heather DeMoras

“It is the best man fantasy — have your bros, and some pretty girls too, sidle up and loosen up,” says Tina Skinner, a writer and writer who’s written over 100 lifestyle books, such as Entertainment Rooms: Home Theaters, Bars, and Game Rooms. “With the boom in square footage that drove the marketplace in the last 15 decades, there are a lot of homes with rooms to fill. Why not meet fantasies?”

Crisp Architects

This homeowner’s business takes him to London often. Every time he’s there, he stops off in his favorite bar. He loved the air so much that he re-created it in his New York country residence.

Crisp Architects

His wife had more control over the decoration in the main house, so he made this his personal endeavor. He reached out to architect Jimmy Crisp to help him realize his vision for developing a London-style bar in his basement.

There has been a very strong push to acquire an old feeling just right from the space. The contractor even dragged chains round the stained pine floor to add dents and marks.

Paint: Bittersweet Chocolate, Benjamin Moore

Crisp Architects

“He can have a celebration for 60 individuals and in the close of the night near to the door, and the house is still pristine,” Crisp says. “Everything is perfect except the bar.”

Crisp Architects

From the all-pine space using a custom bar top, the owner watches sports, plays pool, entertains a few buddies and has large parties.

“This is the man cave,” Crisp says. “The homeowner wouldn’t call it that, but that is exactly what it ends up being.”

Macaluso Designs

This is a legitimate man distance. The owner, a lifelong mentor in Las Vegas, had complete say in all that went to the space. Signed guitars, jerseys and other collectibles adorn the walls. There are multiple TVs for sports and even doors that lead out to a courtyard for cigar sessions.

Designer Michael Macaluso chose the deep wine-reddish wall colour to match the wood bar, which is alder with a medium stain, and the walnut flooring. He added an animal print and embossed leather too. “As a man designer, it was not difficult to come up with everything in this,” Macaluso states.

The designer claims when constructing a house bar, it is important to ascertain how much space you’ll actually need and use. “A pool table takes up a great deal of room,” he states. “So unless you’re planning to use it a lot, don’t get one. People need slot machines, baseball games, they then realize they have nowhere to sit.”

Macaluso estimates that a room in this way would cost approximately $100,000 for the makeup — furniture, custom cabinets, floors, comprehensive wood ceiling, custom cabinets, high TVs, sound system, wine rack.

Ike Kligerman Barkley

Bar stools: Mimi London

A retired professional baseball player transformed the two-bedroom casita on the land of his Arizona vacation home to this bar space for storing his sports collectibles.

The remaining portion of the house is done in a Venetian style, so he wanted something that was his speed. The African-chic aesthetic features bamboo walls and animal prints for a summery feel.

Knight Construction Design Inc..

The rest of this house is bright and white with pops of colour, so the owners of the space needed something darker and moodier. The husband revealed designer Kristen Peck a photograph of a bar and said, “I need the exact same feel.”

While the husband and wife agreed about the aesthetics, the husband’s preferences drove many of the selections, such as tin ceilings and knotty alder cabinetry. There is also a gas sink, a dishwasher, a microwave, and LED rope lighting, a TV and a pure quartzite flooring.

Bob Michels Construction, Inc..

Contractor Bob Michels turned a storage space above his house garage into a coveted pub with great views.

His wife had picked out the rugs and wall colours in the main house, but this space was his. The room has a pool table, in-floor heating and beautiful custom cabinets from Dura Supreme.

Princeton Design Collaborative

The designer of the New Jersey basement bar maximized a tight room, which makes room for essentials like a sink, a refrigerator and plenty of bottle storage. The ceiling is actually Fry Reglet acoustical wall panels (design B) that were fastened with stainless steel screws and trim washers.

Bar stools: Room & Board; wine rack: Wine Enthusiast

Build Cincinnati of Coldwell Banker

Lucy Call

After moving further away from downtown, where he couldn’t walk outside his door and into a bar, Ian Wade discovered that having a house bar space spurred social gatherings. He constructed this bar from old and plywood wood pallets.

Bob Michels Construction, Inc..

Peter Santrach and his wife collaborated on gutting their Minnesota basement and turning it in an amusement area. They wanted the darker look of Lyptus cabinets from Dura Supreme, and Santrach wished to integrate a Coke machine he’d had since college.

Santrach added a table for poker games along with a pool table, popcorn machine and oven. “It is definitely a man distance, but it is also a combination family room, too,” he states. “If it was my man space, it would be filled with a lot more beer mugs and maybe a trophy deer mind or ducks. Right now all I’ve got is a wooden duck.”

Santrach estimates that the bar area cost approximately $25,000 for parts, labor, counter, mirror, lighting, metal ceiling, installation, electrician, appliances and plumbing.

Michelle Fries, BeDe Design, LLC

This is a basement space in a lake cabin for a young family with four kids. The wife drove its own aesthetic. She wanted a more rustic vibe, with knotty barn wood provided and installed by local craftspeople. There is an electronic poker match on the bar top plus a fridge, popcorn maker, wine cellar and microwave.

Michelle Fries, BeDe Design, LLC

The baseboard is corrugated metal.

Michelle Fries, BeDe Design

A local metalworker designed the footrail.

Your turn: Display us your home bar!

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Great Native Plant: Baptisia

You would like a shrub in that dry corner, but no shrub will get the job done. You want something which looks different. You want superlow maintenance. I’ve got just the right perennial for you: Baptisia is a quick-growing, uniquely blooming wildflower native to regions from the U.S. Central Plains to the East Coast. It does the work of a shrub but requires less water.

Missouri Botanical Garden

Botanical name: Baptisia australis
Common names: Blue wild indigo, wild blue indigo
Origin: Native in regions from the central Great Plains to the southeast and northeast U.S.
USDA zones: 3 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Medium to dry clay, sand
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide
Advantages and tolerances: Easy perennial; drought tolerant; offers winter interest; attracts native bees
Seasonal interest: Good two-week blossom period in spring, followed by ornamental seed bombs that make a rattling sound
When to plant: Spring to fall

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Distinguishing attributes. Spikes of tropical blossoms in mid to late May attract beneficial native bees (that can be better pollinators than honeybees). In spring the emerging spikes seem like asparagus, and in fall the seedpods are both decorative and rattle gently for added sensory interest. Baptisia’s size makes it like a shrub, but it has the quick growth of a recurrent flower.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

The best way to use it. Use Baptisia for height and as a filler in the back or center of a dry edge, en masse, in groups of three or as single accents.

‘Carolina Moonlight’ (revealed) is a lemon-colored cultivar that performs exactly as well as the species plant. There’s also Baptisia australis var minor, which is a shorter variety that grows to about 2 feet tall and wide, and blossoms purple like the species.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Planting notes. Wherever you put Baptisia, make sure that is the final spot in which you would like it. Baptisia takes a couple of years to blossom, and it has a deep taproot (which makes it quite drought tolerant), so it reacts poorly to being transferred.

‘Twilight Prairieblues’ (revealed) is just another cultivar with dusky purple petals and a yellow base. Its leaves are inclined to be a smokier blue compared to species plant that is parasitic.

More flowers to attract birds, bees and butterflies

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Steam Showers Bring a Beloved Spa Feature Home

Incorporating steam in your toilet renovation or new-build bathroom can improve the level of your everyday life. Throughout history people have used steam to heal, to perform religious ceremonies and, naturally, to simply unwind and socialize.

Today’s steam showers are clearly much easier to work with than those of yesteryear. There are not any fire pits, no tarps, no natural underground heat nicely — only a touch of a button and you are good to go.

Naturally, you have to design a room or shower with steam in mind. Since steam becomes much warmer and permeates over water does, it requires much more planning and a much more exact shower installation.

Get some tips for your own steam heat in your home — your miniature Turkish bath — from the modern-day projects under.

Stonewood, LLC

The modern-day steam shower came in the 1960s and grew in popularity for several years before its prevalence dropped off for a spell. Now the steam shower is the latest trend I see from shower building. Over the past 20 years, better vaporproofing technology has emerged, which makes the management of moisture much easier.

Hint: The reduced the permeability score a vaporproofing material gets, the greater it’s. High-use business steam showers in Canada require a minimal permeability rating of 0.5, as analyzed by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Utilize this standard since your base requirement when purchasing a vaporproofing material and be sure you specify it when working with your own professional.

If you are planning on a steam shower for 3 or more individuals, be sure to match the ideal steam generator into the area. You do not want to oversized these showers to the point at which they do not perform well. You may need to adjust the size of your shower to accommodate the volume of steam your apparatus can create.

You are going to get a touch more heat and steam on the top layer of a two-tiered seat.

Beckwith Interiors

ThermaSol has been refining its steam systems for 50 years and now has an wonderful steam generator capable of cleaning itself.

Hint: You do not need to construct a bathtub to have a steam system. Installing the steam option is just as easy with a bathtub installation — easier, actually.

Markay Johnson Construction

A steam shower or steam tub often resembles any other tub or shower with the exception which you can fill the room with a thick fog of steam.

Here is the growth of the steam shower. Disguised as a normal shower, this space can be transformed into a relaxing escape. Ask your designer to make sure you’ve got room for two in there. A sloped ceiling, the ideal amount of lighting and also the capability to cool off beneath the showerhead can upgrade an average steam room experience to a good one.

Hint: You are going to want to be able to warm the seat ahead of time, so plan on a way to warm it to have the shower spray reach on the rear of the seat wall and seat. A handheld fixture close to the seat works perfectly with this.

Drury Design

Aside from the two reduced steam heads at the lower side of this image, all you see is a gorgeous shower. The seat and the steam heads convert this space into a private steam tub together with all the flip of a switch.

Holger hoos layout

You do not need a huge space to devote a steam shower. In fact, many are designed to stand independently, and may be purchased as a unit to be installed in your home.

This steam shower is a favorite of mine. Produced by Holger Hoos, it is a hard-working steam shower that’s part of a tub conversion.

Hint: All steam showers have to be sealed well. We use a product called Kerdi Repair in conjunction with waterproof flashing substance. Be sure to speak to your professional about vaporproofing choices to construct a shower that will last for several years.

Peter Rose Architecture + Interiors Inc..

If you want to relax and detoxify in fashion, you can integrate some nice loungers in your design. If that were my shower, then I would be spending a great deal of time here. What a room!

Hint: When you are designing seats and loungers, the surfaces have to be graded to keep water from collecting on them. Use a smaller tile to facilate these gentle curves.

Light is an ideal companion for steam. Adding a light source to your steam shower which may change color is really a no-brainer in my novel. Everyone has a favourite hue — I like these purple colors, but my wife enjoys blues.

Steam showers and chromotheraphy may even be useful in treating migraines. If you suffer from these, a steam shower could just be something.

ATM Mirror and Glass

Steam Shower Door

Ventilation is vital to a healthy steam shower construct. Incorporating airflow with bathroom exhaust fans and transoms, like in this steam shower, can decrease the time necessary to dry a steam shower after use.

Hint: Install the bathroom exhaust fan close to the shower entrance or transom beyond the steam shower. Never put in your exhaust fan inside the steam shower itself.

Bill Fry Construction – Wm. H. Fry Const. Co..

Control pads can let you place the temperature and duration of your steam session. Adjust the light turn the music on. Bring in a jug of ice water and a glass. Cool off under a cold shower spray.

A steam shower is a luxury thing; it is expensive to put in, especially when done properly. This is not something you want to skimp on — an improperly developed steam shower may self-destruct in under three months.

Hint: Maintain the control pad away from the steam head and also within easy reach of your entrance or seat for easy adjustment.

More: How to convert your tub into a shower

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Exotic Flair to Get a Luxe-Looking Montreal Loft

When first-time homeowner Elena Atsaidis was looking for the perfect place to call her very own, this airy, open-plan condo wasn’t what she had in mind. “I was initially looking for a place in the suburbs,” Atsaidis says, “but when I saw the interior of this building, I had been sold.”

It is now 13 decades after, also Atsaidis, an interior designer and project manager in Montreal, has transformed the industrial attic space to an expression of her hot and creative character, incorporating DIY jobs with artifacts from her travels and mementos from childhood.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Elena Atsaidis and poodle mix Finnigan
Location: Outremont neighborhood of Montreal
Size: 1,200 square feet, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
That’s interesting: The attic complex dates to the 1940s, when it turned into a warehouse for the electronics company Marconi.

Laura Garner

Atsaidis, shown here, appreciates different tastes and fashions however, knows that one particular decorating style does not work for everyone. “I love the notion of an amazing home, by way of example,” she says. “I toyed with the idea, but I could never do it. It just wasn’t appropriate for me. Especially having a dog.”

She says her style is transitional and that she makes a point of ridding her rooms and rotating her artwork every few months to keep things interesting.

Laura Garner

Using its 11-foot ceilings, big paneled windows and industrial cement beams, this space was Atsaidis’ dream. The entire living-dining area is flooded with light during the day, which makes the glass table in this place an ideal place for working from your home. The yellowish triptych is on loan from a buddy, Québécois artist Pascale Poulin.

Glass container, table, floor lamp: HomeSense

Laura Garner

“I change the photographs every few months or so, to update the space,” she says. These, in matching silver frames, are from a recent trip to Maine.

Flooring lamp, vases: HomeSense

Laura Garner

Contrasting materials, such as this velvet armchair near a concrete support, play the home’s architectural capabilities. An oversized mirror reflects light and interior views, which makes the space appear larger.

Mirror, armchair: HomeSense

Laura Garner

Atsaidis put her oversize sectional within an angle away from the wall to give the illusion of a larger space. After she dropped for the sofa (in the Sears socket), found it was discontinued, and finally tracked it down, it almost didn’t fit in her living area.

Bowl: HomeSense

Laura Garner

When confronted with the design challenge of working with 11-foot ceilings, Atsaidis knew a mild paint colour wasn’t the solution. “I wanted a rich, luxurious shade to generate the bedroom feel cozier, more intimate,” she says. “White would have left the space feel too big, too empty. I completely fell in love with this colour.”

She included vibrant accessories and rich textiles to match the deep chocolate-brown walls. Her entire bed was an ambitious DIY project: she created the headboard from two pieces of plywood (“I could not find one piece that was big enough,” she recalls) and covered it with fabric panels she sewed together. She left her bedspread and bed skirt by hand, “a project that was a lot more difficult than I’d imagined,” she says, laughing.

Paint: Brown Eyes, Behr; pillows, nightstands, vase: HomeSense

Laura Garner

The mirrored nightstand houses things from Atsaidis’ childhood, such as her first pair of shoes and a jewelry box made from her own uncle in Greece. The lamp was something that she grew up with, updated with a new colour.

Laura Garner

Wanting a piece of artwork that would tie the space together, Atsaidis got creative and made one herself: She made a frame from plywood and stretched the yarn to get the size she needed. “It was cheaper than purchasing a canvas this size, and I needed it to become thicker,” she says. “It is hard to find that in stores.” Using leftover paint, she improvised the abstract artwork.

Laura Garner

This chaise longue, found at a thrift shop and reupholstered, and practical vintage-style phone give the bedroom some glam. Atsaidis is frequently inspired by old Hollywood–fashion insides; Barbara Barry and Vincent Wolf are one of her layout muses.

Chaise: Village des Valeurs; pedestal: HomeSense; telephone: Crate & Barrel

Laura Garner

The kitchen was renovated prior to her moving in and is the only space that she’s not made over. “The kitchen is pretty simple, but it works,” she says. “I add character to it with images and accessories.”

Laura Garner

“Cookie cutter insides can drive me mad,” she says. “I much prefer it when things tie together without being indistinguishable.” These dining chairs were purchased as a pair, then reupholstered with mismatched fabric.

Laura Garner

Calling it her Zen den, Atsaidis fashioned a sanctuary off the dining area, where she comes to meditate and relax.

Laura Garner

The Zen den exhibits mementos collected from her life and travels. A framework from her childhood retains a cloth from India. The assortment of plates belonged to her parents, who obtained them decorations in an waltz contest from the 1940s.

Laura Garner

Atsaidis made the bathroom mirror from tin ceiling tiles salvaged from an old house in Quebec and painted. The mirror is screwed directly into the wall to support its own weight.

Laura Garner

The back balcony is a lovely place for a summer dinner or read.

Laura Garner

Finnigan the dog has a dedicated corner. “He’s a part of the household, so that he deserves his private space,” Atsaidis says.

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