May is the best time to prepare your property, inside and out, for warmer times and much more time spent outside. Whether it’s cleaning the grill, maintaining air conditioners, coordinating the door or touching up paint, every item on our checklist this month will allow you to get your house ready so that you can sit back and enjoy the fantastic stuff — barbecues with family and friends, a gentle breeze flowing through the screen door or the simple pleasure of sitting on your porch and watching the world go by.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Touch up paint. Try out a fresh new interior color, give the trim a glossy new coat or simply fill holes and touch up unsightly stains.

Service air conditioners. Replace filters on window units, and in case you have central air conditioning, make it professionally cleaned.

Barn Light Electric Company

Clean things on open shelves. Things not often used can collect a crazy quantity of dust and dirt if they are saved in the kitchen on open shelves. Give every piece a fast wash in a tub of warm, soapy water. Rinse and let it all to dry before replacement.

Clean or replace entry mats. A new doormat out and a fresh, colorful rug within the door will make for a cheery entrance. If your mats continue to be in good shape, shake them out nicely outdoors and spot clean.

Check security devices. Check batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and check expiration dates on fire extinguishers. Replace as needed.

Melissa Lenox Design

Clean the washer and dryer. If your washing machine has you, run the cleaning cycle on it if not operate the washer with a few cups of white vinegar on the latest setting to wash it. Scrub within the lid of the washer and remove lint from the dryer hose.

Rethink Design Studio

Launder curtains and slipcovers. Toss machine-washable things in the washer and choose the remainder to the dry cleaner, or hand wash and air dry them. If you do not want to iron drapes, consider hanging up them while they are still slightly damp — their particular weight ought to help the wrinkles fall out over a day or two.

austin outdoor design

Stain decks and fencing. Shield your wood and prepare for a period of outdoor lounging by washing decks and wood fences thoroughly and providing them a fresh coat of stain.

Clean the grill. Uncover your grill and give the grates a fantastic scrubbing to get ready for barbecue period.

Katia Goffin Gardens

Maintain and repair lawn paths. Create neat edges, fill in gravel paths with fresh gravel and replace or reposition broken stepping stone.

Check irrigation systems and hoses. Turn on the irrigation system and take a walk through your yard to make certain everything is functioning correctly. Make adjustments and repairs as needed.

Siemasko + Verbridge

Clean out the garage and shed. That is a biggie! Split the job over several weekends and organize a yard sale in the end to eliminate unneeded stuff.

See Methods to make more money and have fun at a lawn sale

Susan Wallace

Place in display doors. Get ready for warmer days by hanging display doors at each entrance. If you currently have display doors, now is a fantastic time to check for holes and tears. Learn more about the maker of the screen door.

Enhance curb appeal. Small changes like swapping out house numbers and refreshing window box plantings may create a big impact.

Tell us What jobs are you tackling around the house this month?

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Do not waste another minute in your palms and knees in your kitchen, looking for this missing cutting board or rolling pin. Built-ins and storage additions can give you an ideal place for every cooking must-have. When done correctly, storage won’t only keep your kitchen tidy, it’ll make it more functional.

Tired of spending half of your time in the kitchen only trying to find exactly what you need? These eight time-tested comforts can allow you to cook clean and stay organized with hardly any effort.

Venegas and Company

A drawer for your own food wrap. Most kitchen owners are familiar with the irritating, cluttered drawer of plastic bags, foil and plastic wrap. It appears impossible to keep neat, and everything always seems to get stuck in the drawer.

A food-wrap divider can only slip inside an present kitchen stall. If you’re designing a new area, consider working with your own cabinetry to get a custom version for one of your drawers.

Urban Homes – Design for Kitchen & Bath

A place for the rolling pins. Avid bakers will love having all their rolling pins within achieve. These horizontal slots occupy no longer than 6 inches of thickness, which makes them simple to add to the end of any cupboard run. But most do have to be custom designed, which adds to the price.

Conard Romano Architects

Pedals to turn the water off and on. Turning on the faucet with messy hands can make an even bigger mess. Pipes pedals, like the ones in this kitchen, can help limit the mess. Just like in the physician’s office, you can use your foot to turn the sink on — warm water, cold water or both.

Contact a local plumber to ask for an estimate — pedals could be added to existing sinks or new kitchen layouts.

Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B

An undercounter composting unit similar to this one way you can just wipe all your food waste off the counters and in to your bin before it goes out into the garden. Place one in your countertop in which you do the majority of your prep work to make composting simple to remember and perform.

ROM architecture studio

A mixer garage. This sudden twist on the ordinary mixer shelf helps to keep this appliance from the way but easy to access. A tambour-style door lifts up, while the whole shelf pulls forward.

More: Baking Stations Make Cooking More Enjoyable

Mascheroni Construction

A mobile butcher block island. A built-in butcher block makes homework simple — but many cooks prefer it from sight when it is not in use. A mobile prep cupboard similar to this can be pulled out when needed and pushed off when not.

Greenleaf Construction

A handy step stool. It’s always great to have a leg up for extra-high upper chimney, but where on earth should you store the step stool? An ultrathin model can slip right inside a discreet drawer. This homeowner managed to sneak one inside a toe kick.

A specialized step stool drawer similar to this is supplied by many cabinetry manufacturers — if you’re designing a new kitchen, don’t neglect to inquire about this attribute.

Artisan Kitchens Inc..

A protected pet station. The kitchen tends to be the ideal place for feeding pets, but those metal bowls full of kibble and water consistently appear to get underfoot. An integrated feeding station keeps things tidy and out of the way. This pet food station has a drawer over each bowl for treats, medication or leashes.

More: A Place For Your Pets’ Materials

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There are purists when it comes to wood cabinetry — people who believe that it ought never to be painted , and stained just in woodsy shades of brown — and you’ll find individuals who enjoy seeing how wood can be dramatically changed. Maybe most of us fall somewhere in the center.

I admire the inherent beauty of wood made unadorned, but I am also digging the numerous uniquely hued stained kitchen cabinets I have been spotting on . Staining your cabinets an unexpected color is a great way to place a customized touch on your kitchen chimney. It’s also a excellent option for people who would like to have the ability to see and love the grain and texture of wood, but want to have a little fun with all the color. If custom-built and -stained chimney is out of your budget, and you’ve got any expertise staining wood, this could be a fantastic DIY job. You can buy unfinished cabinets and stain them yourself or strip and refinish existing wood cabinetry. But if you have any questions about your discoloration and stripping abilities, it is definitely worth hiring an expert.

Listed below are eight fantastic kitchens with interesting stained cabinetry, and three eye-popping palettes including exotic stain colors to think about for your kitchen.

Jetton Construction, Inc..

1. Soft green. This beautiful light and spacious space gets a customized touch with green-washed kitchen cabinets. Because the color is tender, it looks very natural. The result is refreshing, unique and fun.

T2THES DESIGN + BUILD

2. Warm dark grey. This is a gorgeous deep and rich hue, cooler and much more grey than typical cabinet stain colours. It matches well with the modern stainless steel accents and the gorgeous marble backsplash displayed here; everything comes together brilliantly in this elegant kitchen.

Shelter Interiors LLC

3. Silvery gray. A light grey stain will give your cabinets character, is unexpected and permits you to retain a gentle, light, neutral look that readily works with many design styles, finishes, fabrics and colours. This kitchen has a great deal of wood in it, but because the cabinetry color isn’t a typical wood tone, there is enough variation to keep it from appearing too woodsy.

Linda McDougald Design | Postcard from Paris Home

4. Grayish green. Another beautiful and one of a kind kitchen comprising dark grayish-green wall cabinets. This stain color is a wonderful neutral that permits you to easily operate in other colours, or you can keep the palette earth tone and neutral — as was done here — for a comfy and inviting texture.

Classic Log Homes Ltd

5. Deep red. Red stained cabinets create a bold statement and operate best at a kitchen using minimal adornment, especially if the space does not get a great deal of natural light.

Mindful Designs, Inc..

6. Greenish black. A greenish-black stain on wood that’s powerful aerodynamic graining is a bold choice and works well with the glowing aqua island in this modern kitchen.

Whitten Architects

7. White. White stained, or whitewashed, cabinetry has existed a long time, but it has got a new look in decidedly more modern spaces, such as in this rustic modern beauty.

Based on the species, white stained wood tends to look somewhat pink, however, and if you pair it with yellowish greens, then the pinkness will be pronounced. This is only because pink and yellow-green are opposite each other on the color wheel — they offer the maximum contrast to each other. Inject reddish-orange hues or blue-greens instead, as was done here. The pink won’t be as pronounced.

Jordan Lotoski

8. Ebony. We have seen many gorgeous black painted and stained kitchen cabinets onto recently; this one is a handsome and elegant feast for the eyes.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Watery blue wood stain

Soft blue stains, such as this case from Sherwin-Williams, create a trendy pairing with stainless steel accents and dark charcoal-gray floors, such as this sheet floors from Marmoleum from Forbo.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Yellow-orange wood stain

Take the yellow-orange colour inherent to many wood species up into another level by staining the wood that a vibrant mustard color, such as this one from Minwax. The quartz countertop Blanco Maple from Silestone, has a subtle amber-colored aggregate in it that picks upon the luminous wood stain color. Cool down it with a gentle grey floor tile, for example StonePeak Ceramics’ Parkland in Artic.

Jennifer Ott Design

Writer palette: Fresh green wood stain

Cabinets stained a walnut deep green from Sherwin-Williams would look amazing atop a wealthy black walnut hardwood flooring. Keep the countertops easy using a medium-gray quartz material such as Caesarstone’s Concrete.

Inform us Are you really a lover of colorful stained cabinetry? Or do you think wood should be left in its natural state whenever possible?

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In this increasingly urban and suburban world, among the greatest design challenges homeowners and designers face is figuring out how to live comfortably and stylishly in smaller spaces. (Microunits, anyone?) So it is not surprising that the popularity of renovating the 200-square-foot interiors of Airstream trailers has revved up in recent decades.

Interest at the traditional egg-shaped metal trailers has spurred a dedicated fraternity of followerscomplete with its own language. Bambis, by way of instance, are people who own or are on the hunt for a’60s-era Airstream Bambi model. And because so much love and care is paid to simply obtaining an Airstream, trailer owners are dedicated to designing the interiors, tricking out them with modern materials and stylish creature comforts.

Even in the event that you don’t own an Airstream — also do not fancy yourself getting a Bambi — think of these spaces as test-bunny techniques you may use on your home’s bigger spaces. After all, a little goes a long-haul way.

Paul Welschmeyer ARCHITECTS & energy consultants

Jules Verne Meets Camping

Architect Paul Welschmeyer took a whimsical turn and went out with this vintage Airstream Traveler, completely gutting and redesigning the interior into something which can”camp the pants off anything else,” he states. The space currently sleeps four, also has a toilet and shower and sufficient storage and stowage for the most hardcore shop. “If REI sold a camper trailer, they’d sell this,” he states.

Paul Welschmeyer ARCHITECTS & energy consultants

“From the design aspect, we wanted to make a camping experience really unique and filled with fantasy, something like a Jules Verne experience,” he states. A solar system offers electricity to all the appliances, with sufficient juice accessible to charge batteries.

Good Cottage / Courntey Trent Design

A Trailer for the Stars

Courtney Trent of Good Cottage has been decking out Airstreams for years for New York actors and directors to use as cellular green rooms and on-set overnight lodging. They are remarkable examples of significant design art in microcosmic spaces.

While she made some of the interior aluminum skin intact for this particular trailer, she included custom rubbed-wood veneer cabinets and hand-finished wood planks. The toilet is teak paneling.

The Formica-covered storage device doors have been removed and replaced with glass slides. An integrated bench with a comfy pillow and a wood-topped stool flank a custom-designed narrow mahogany dining table with hidden eaves that extend to make more eating surface. On the bottoms of the desk legs are nailhead-like caps that allow the table to slide on the Flor wool rug panels to make a workstation by the sofa.

Good Cottage / Courntey Trent Design

Trent eliminated the old sofa in the lounge area and had it remade to the width of one mattress and 8 ft long, making plush seating which also becomes the mattress for the trailer — that the former bedroom was converted into an office area. A succulent backyard is simply beyond the window; it covers a bulky electronic box. All the taps and fixtures in the kitchen and toilet are Hansgrohe.

Good Cottage / Courntey Trent Design

The mattress and among the wardrobes were eliminated to make an office area. The striking combination of aluminum, hand-rubbed wood veneer and wool rug set the stage for comfortable modern furniture. A single club seat provides a quiet respite. A custom parson’s desk was made to match over the trailer’s wheel well, then coated in burlap and painted. The stool is out of Ikea.

Trailer Beauties From Mod to Traditional

Quaint, comfortable and vibrant, this renovated’71 Airstream Caravel features a pinch of orange, a wrought iron, bamboo-accented cabinets and a walnut butcher’s block.

A mod chandelier, stylish curtains and elegant bedding create another Caravel feel right at home.

It’s not often you find homelike decoration like this at a tin-can Airstream. But one reason people love these trailers so much is they’re so flexible. Here, stylish wood floors, furniture and ceiling accentuate the vibe, even though a tile backsplash, marble-inspired countertops and a chandelier create any notion of this being something you pull behind a car or truck melt off.

It is possible to work any decoration style into an Airstream. This sleekly designed corporate trailer from American Retro Caravans has a private meeting area, flat-screen TVs, a wine cooler, a coffee machine and complex furnishings.

Cali Bamboo

Crisp and modern, this spacious stark-white interior gets a touch of warmth with bamboo plywood and flooring accents.

Cali Bamboo

Artwork in tiny spaces can help make a feeling, as may comfortable materials and neutral colors.

Don’t judge the caliber of a space by its own shell. These simple and small egg-shaped trailers — and tiny houses — are open streets of chance.

Measure inside this tiki-inspired Airstream

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Concrete, the humble material behind most a building foundation, makes for almost indestructible kitchen counters and provides artisan-crafted customization in the colour and layout. With these bragging rights, concrete rises above much of the counter contest. Learn more below and determine if concrete counters are right for your kitchen.

The fundamentals: Concrete is composed of water, a noun plus a filler.
The binder, cement, is often Portland cement, however slag cement and fly ash — both industrial waste by-products — have become common additions.The filler, an aggregate, is anything from sand, gravel and stone to smashed glass and beads.Concrete counters are either precast or cast onsite (also known as cast in place).
Precast concrete counters have been throw off by a local artisan, who pours the counter according to a template of this design. Cast-in-place (or site-cast) concrete counters have been poured directly on top of the cabinets and finished set up. Cost: $100 to $150 per square foot installed.

Camber Construction

Benefits: Concrete’s durability is unquestionable. And choices beyond the industrial aesthetic are simple with additives and shapes such as stains, pigments, aggregates and coatings. Architects and designers prefer this material’s ability to unite with other concrete components in the home, such as flooring. And as the counters are handmade by artisans, you may easily have details such as integral drainboards.

Disadvantages: It’s not unusual for concrete, particularly when cast in place, to create tiny hairline fractures because of curing and settling. The cracks are typically not structural.

Divine Design+Build

Special factors: Colored concrete can be made by one of three processes:
Integral pigment is a coloured powder that is blended into the wet concrete, leading to a color that penetrates the complete thickness of the slab. This is a permanent and predictable method to colour your slab, along with the colour options are almost limitless. Acid staining is less predictable than an integral pigment but provides a little magic to the procedure courtesy of metallic salts which react with the concrete. Acid staining is done on hardened slabs and ends in a permanent color change, but provides a reduced variety of colour choices. Dye, a liquid available in a vast range of colors, is applied to cured slabs and penetrates just the upper layer of the concrete. Some dyes are not UV stable.Your installer will help determine which, if any, colour procedure is right for you.

Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects

Care: as with the majority of countertops, a mild soap and a fabric are all that need to be utilized for routine cleanup. Make sure you avoid harsh cleansers.

The long-term pleasure of your concrete counter depends on finding the right sealer. Sealers are available in either entering or topical:
Penetrating sealers soak in the concrete and therefore are barely detectable once dry. They do not protect the concrete from contact with clogs but do inhibit clogs from penetrating. Unfortunately, this means that clogs could leave a lasting stain or mark more easily than on concrete sealed using a topical ointment. Topical sealers, such as wax, urethane, acrylic and epoxy, coat the surface of the concrete and vary in their look and performance. Epoxy and urethane sealers are thick, glossy and often obvious. Wax, while handsome and simple for the DIYer, performs poorly as a sealer. Acrylic coatings look and function quite well but scrape easily.While that the Concrete Countertop Institute acknowledges that there is not any ideal sealer, it has a handy chart that will help you find the sealer that will best meet your expectations.

It’s worth understanding that although concrete is almost indestructible, the sealer isn’t. The sealer may be compromised by routine cuttingedge, harsh cleansers, hot pans,\ and acidic foods. With caution and the use of cutting edge boards and trivets, you may keep your sealer in good shape, thereby reducing the potential for staining and harboring germs.

Steve Hamm

Sustainability: The cement in concrete is derived from heating limestone, which is a carbon-intensive procedure which makes gas emissions. However, slag cement, fly ash and silica fume — all industrial waste by-products which are carbon neutral — may replace more than 50 percent of the cement, reducing emissions and improving the concrete’s ecofriendliness.

More: Compare kitchen counter stuff

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Sometimes the simplest DIYs would be the most gratifying. Recently I have been feeling tired with the current look of my desk and decided my mousepad could use a makeover. After collecting some basic supplies I set to work, and 10 minutes after my project was complete. If you’re craving a simple DIY to kick off the weekend, then this may be the one for you.

Begin by collecting some basic supplies:
Old mousepadFabricHeat ‘n Bond (located at fabric stores or here)ScissorsIron and ironing boardFray Assess (optional)

Cut your fabric in the overall shape of your mousepad, leaving about an inch around each facet.

Unroll the Heat ‘n Bond.

Cut a piece of Heat ‘n Bond in the roster that fits just within your fabric.

Set your iron to warm and switch off the steam.

With the paper of the Heat ‘n Bond facing up, adhere the Heat N’ Bond into the incorrect side of your fabric. (The wrong side of the fabric is the side which doesn’t have the routine.)

Iron within the newspaper for 45 seconds or so.

Once it has cooled, gradually remove the paper in the fabric. The adhesive should now be in your own fabric.

Place the fabric with the adhesive side down over your mousepad and iron for one minute.

After it has cooled, use your scissors and cut around your mousepad to remove the excess fabric.

If you’re concerned about the fabric fraying, utilize Fray Check round the perimeter.

Enjoy your mousepad!

More:
See guides to better living with your home technician

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2012 promises to be a major year for Great Britain, together with the Summer Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee happening place. No doubt designers will indicate these events with British-inspired products. As a British expat currently living in California, I still like to keep an eye on UK trends and continue to be a fan of British gifts to design history. Here is how you can take a few of the classics and upgrade them with a modern twist to add a bit of Brit Chic into almost any home.
— Lucy from Four Walls and a Roof

Selfridges

Tower Bridge at Night Cushion – GBP 135

Rather than the ubiquitous Union Jack pillow, I’d choose one of these graphic layouts featuring the London skyline. My favourite is this one of Tower Bridge.

Modern Rugs

When I asked you to think of a renowned British designer, Vivienne Westwood is very likely to spring to mind. Her set of carpets for The Rug Company has the same edgy take on heritage as her catwalk looks. My favourite is that this tartan rug, which can be unexpectedly cut on the diagonal.

The Conran Shop

Matador Chair – $1,850

Perhaps the biggest name in British interior design is Terence Conran. Along with being the founder of design emporiums Habitat and Heal’s, he created numerous pieces which have become modern classics in their own right. I adore the mid-century lines and pillar box red of this aptly called Matador Chair.

Walnut wallpaper

Cow Parsley Wallpaper – $178

Wallpaper maker Cole & Son uses conventional hand-printing techniques and has a huge range of quintessentially British layouts. This Cow Parsley pattern reminds me of an English hedgerow, but the red and gold palette lifts it from the normal.

Walnut wallpaper

Dalston Rose Wallpaper – $125

I love this black and white floral pattern, Dalston Rose, which comes as background, furniture or fabric. I’d use this background in a contemporary black and white plot.

Traditional Cake Stand – GBP 120

The black and white floral theme goes to the china. I can only imagine this cake stand stacked high with red velvet cupcakes — very punk glam. Vivienne Westwood would be proud.

Horchow

Old Hickory Tannery “Ellsworth” Tufted Sofa – $2,299

And here’s the perfect pairing for my black pillow: a white Chesterfield couch. Chesterfields are heavy, tufted sofas with arms and back of the same height. This is in fact an Old Hickory couch and not exactly a Chesterfield, but it’s a similar effect and could bring some country estate elegance to a contemporary room.

Selfridges

London Eye Cushion – GBP 135

Or you might reverse the colors and choose this white pillow together with the famous London Eye to proceed with a black couch.

Modern Sofas – GBP 995

This black velvet Chesterfield would be perfect. I like the sloping arms and ball feet which give it an updated, whimsical appearance.

Jonathan Adler

Jonathan Adler Chippendale Arm Chair – $645

Another classic from British furniture design is the Chinese Chippendale seat. Named after the 18th Century British cabinet maker who pioneered the design, these chairs feature lacquer and latticework. A favorite of mine is Jonathan Adler’s variant, that comes in dozens of colors. I’d love to use this black lacquer and gray test variant in an darkened dining area or using a white desk in an elegant office.

The Conran Shop

Antelope Chair – $975

A more modern classic British seat is the Antelope Chair made by Ernest Race from the 1950s. The splayed steel design is supposed to be reflective of their discoveries in molecular physics in the moment. I really don’t know about that, but I do know I like its slender, unassuming kind and want one in my dining room!

Ashley Hicks Furniture

Ashley Hicks Sabre 76 Side Table

I adore this Sabre table by Ashley Hicks, the daughter of revered interior designer David Hicks. I couldn’t have this table kids in the home, but for an extremely grownup living space, this would be a real conversation piece.

Liberty

Hera Liberty Print Miniature Suitcase – GBP 65

Who does not adore Liberty of London prints? This mini suitcase in Liberty’s Hera Tana Lawn printing would make a cute option storage solution. I would stack three of these to act as a casual accent table in a hallway.

Lumens

Splash Coat Rack by Blu Dot, Gray – $299

Of course, we English adore our hats, so no hallway would be complete without a hat rack. I’m a fan of this modern, grey”dipped” variation by Blu Dot.

Doily Rug – $348

English Victorian homes used a great deal of lace accents, also this Doily Rug from Anthropologie is a tongue-in-cheek mention to that era. I’d upgrade the appearance by using it in an all-white bedroom with a gorgeous chandelier.

Zinc Door

Arteriors Jada Wire Wrapped Chandelier – $1,668

This Oly Studio chandelier would be the perfect light fixture. It’s made of wire that has been wrapped to look like crystals, so it’s a more industrial take on conventional English stately home design.

Cath Kidston USA

Rose Cushion Cover – $26

I’m not a major fan of floral chintz, but I appreciate it in tiny doses. Nobody does English florals greater compared to Cath Kidston, and such cushions would look good on a bench or window seat in a kitchen.

The Conran Shop

Sophie Conran Large Pitcher, White – GBP 28

No English country kitchen is complete without a large jug filled with overblown roses. I would select this large Sophie Conran pitcher because of its simple shape and handmade appeal. I’d pair it together with a lot of foliage to get a more contemporary effect.

T.G. Green

Mortar & Pestle – GBP 30

Cornishware, one of those icons of English pottery, really had nothing to do with Cornwall. It was created in Derbyshire in North England, and it had been called after the waves off the Cornish shore because of its original blue and white palette. The mill shut down in 2007 after nearly 90 years but was revived recently by enthusiasts. And just as well, since these bold stripes can grace any kitchen.

Jo Malone

English Pear & Freesia Home Candle – $65

The finishing touch to an English-inspired home would need to be a set of these Jo Malone candles. I never tire of their packaging that is understated, and I like that they deliver a bit of London townhouse elegance to any space.

Next: I Spy Union Jacks

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When a devoted muskie fisherman needed a place for his decorations, photos and gear, his adoring wife suggested he make a log cabin into their own basement. With pine half logs, aluminum rust slate, comfy furnishings and ample light, interior designer Melissa Bovee transformed a dingy, unfinished underground lair into an inviting escape. Have a tour and you’ll find out why it has come to be a favourite getaway for your family members and their friends.

Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two teenaged boys. An abysmal daughter utilizes the lower degree as a private flat when she visits.
Location: Waukesha, Wisconsin
Size: 1,000 square feet

Brillo Home Improvements

Pine logs have been cut in half and affixed to the walls, giving the space its own rustic cabin look. Copper Rust stacked stone along with a slate flooring provide a rich, rugged contrast.

“While the remainder of their home is much more conventional, our inspiration down was an ‘up North’ cabin,” Bovee says. “He’s a big-time fisherman and desired it to feel rustic and outdoorsy.”

The light wood walls contrast with the dark slate fireplace at the end of the room, drawing the attention to the latter. There are just two separate seating areas defined by the furniture one together with the fireplace and one for watching TV and playing video games. The leather armchairs are arranged around a lively coffee table featuring a recumbent black keep topped with a sheet of glass. It’s a great illustration of the relaxed layout of the basement.

Brillo Home Improvements

Cleverly tucked beneath the stairs, this moist bar ensures that one seldom has to leave the basement. The habit built-ins incorporate a wine rack, beverage sink and refrigerator. Puck lights underneath the staircase draw the eye on the stacked-stone wall above the countertop.

The strong diagonal line of the staircase divides logs and stone, railings and wine rack. The hickory cabinets have a simple, rustic style, with unfussy doors and doors. The countertop is granite.

The plan shows the way the spaces relate to one another. Closets include storage for fishing gear, a sump pump and also a spot in which to tuck away a treadmill. A special closet (observable in the lower-right corner of the design) is outfitted with French doors and custom light, providing extensive storage to your husband’s collection of handmade muskie fishing lures. (See a photo in the first Comment box below.)

Custom French doors also lead to an office. The proprietor is a catch-and-release fisherman; the decorations are replicas made to remind him of his triumphs.

Brillo Home Improvements

The bathroom is a great place to heat up and clean up after a long day of fishing, and functions guests that are staying on the lower level. Knotty pine overhead and on the walls, and coppery slate tile and from the shower, make a rustic jewel box of a bathroom.

The frameless glass shower stall allows a clear view of all the slate tile in the shower, which includes both a rain showerhead and a handheld showerhead.

Brillo Home Improvements

The colour variations in the tile add scrumptious earth tones and vitality.

Now that the basement is done, it has become a favourite family room, especially for the teens playing video games and hosting sleepovers. Dad might have his guy cave, but he’s seldom alone.

More: Watch more great spaces designed for guys

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Along with Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius (1883–1969) is considered one of the masters of modern architecture. His buildings aren’t as widely known as among the other three architects, however his role as a teacher at the Bauhaus School in Germany, also at Harvard University after immigrating to the United States in 1937, cemented this status.

Gropius founded the Bauhaus School in Weimar in 1914, at the start of World War I, penning a manifesto five decades after when the school began in earnest. In it he called for people to “desire, conceive, and create the new structure of their near future, which will embrace architecture and sculpture and painting in 1 unity.”

These words indicate the contemporaneous De Stijl manifesto, but the conclusion of the Bauhaus’ new dwelling in 1926 in Dessau is a different direction than buildings such as the Rietveld-Schröder House. Considered Gropius’ masterpiece, the Bauhaus is an asymmetrical complex with all-glass exterior walls that he described as “accommodated into our universe of machines, radios and fast cars” and aligned “with all the new audacity of engineering.”

But seven decades after the Bauhaus closed under pressure from the Nazi regime, and Gropius, working on his own at the moment, fled to England. Four years later that he put out for the United States (as did Mies van der Rohe, to Chicago) at the invitation of the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design to direct the Department of Architecture, shifting it from a Beaux-Arts college to a concentrated on the “new architecture.” Close to Cambridge, Massachusetts, Gropius constructed a house for himself, an expression of his ideals in a foreign land. As we’ll see, the house shows how modern architecture, often seen as universalizing, actually responds to particulars of location.

Gropius House at a Glance
Year constructed: 1938
Architect: Walter Gropius
Location: Lincoln, Massachusetts
Visiting information: Self-guided tours accessible
Size: 2,300 square feet

More: 10 Must-Know Modern Homes

Gropius managed to create the home for his family through the generosity of Helen Storrow, a wealthy Boston matron, who provided him the land and a loan. Gropius worked on the house using Marcel Breuer, a colleague from the Bauhaus; the two would work together before the early 1940s.

Here we view the north elevation, with the front door beneath the canopy and supporting the glass block wall. A spiral stair leads to a second-floor terrace.

The land that Gropius was provided is near Walden Pond — Historic New England, which currently administers the house, gives this direction to it : “Route 126 South past Walden Pond.” The immigrant architect supposedly discussed Thoreau in writing concerning the house when it comes beyond physical closeness to the pond.

The house is surrounded by an apple orchard and other trees. It takes advantage of the circumstance through large windows and terraces, possibly a modern interpretation of Thoreau’s communing with nature.

Architectural historian Kenneth Frampton explains the house in his analysis: It is “more sculptural than most photos suggest. … [It] is a dynamic spatial article.” We’ve seen the primarily closed north (entry) side of this house; here we see that the south side, which invites the sun in through bigger windows and can be carved for the second-floor terrace.

The west side is anchored by a brick wall that contains the fireplace for the first-floor living room. The home’s sculptural attributes are most conspicuous in this view, where we view that the roof overhang propped upon slim pilotis as well as the trellised patio and a screened porch on the back of the house.

The solution to the house is via a driveway that comes in the northeast. This angle presents an extremely International-style appearance of the home’s planar white walls, ribbon windows and asymmetry. Yet some vertical lines can be felt when looking carefully at the bright east facade. Rather than whitewashed concrete block partitions — as was the norm with many modern buildings in Europe — Gropius utilized white vertically lapped siding on a wood balloon framework. (The steel columns in the previous photograph reveal that the structure is a hybrid vehicle in components.) Gropius found inspiration with the standard building methods and materials of the region, all of the while creating something different from the norm.

A canopy reaches out in the north facade at an angle, as if to catch people from the driveway. About halfway up the road to the front door is a glass block, a primitive separation from the vernacular substances that Gropius utilized. A glance round the wall shows the spiral stair leading to an opening in the exterior wall, what’s one of the most intriguing aspects of the design. (A spiral stair around the front of a house? Where does it lead?)

The glass block wall straddles inside and outside, making some refuge on the exterior and bringing a few indirect natural lighting to the interior.

A few steps inside the entryway and one is faced with a spiraling stair leading to the second floor. Again, there is something of a balance between new and old happening. Architect Alexander Gorlin explains how “the plan can be interpreted as a modern variant of the typical Colonial, using a central stair hall and also the living area to a side, the kitchen on the other, and the bedrooms over.” From that view toward the front door, the living room is about the left and the kitchen is behind us to the right.

Off the entry hall is Gropius’ study, which appears north through a large window. A doorway from the analysis into the front door also leads to the spiral stair outside; this doorway and the stair are due to how the second-floor access to the patio is through the children’s room. (See the floor plan below.)

Opposite the plate glass wall is just another glass block wall, separating the study from the dining room and living area.

Here is a view of the dining area from the living room; the two are basically an L-shaped open space wrapping around the analysis through the glass block wall. The furniture pieces in the dining room are Bauhaus originals made by Marcel Breuer that Gropius attracted from Germany.

Access to the bedroom in the master suite is by way of the dressing room of Gropius’ spouse, Ise. (The cupboard and toilet are on the left.) This special and possibly inconvenient situation is remedied by a transparent glass wall having a mirror mirror separating the two spaces.

Our final view of the house is of this second-floor terrace, looking west; the opening out of the spiral stair is just out of frame to the right. Here we can find a better glimpse of this timber siding that covers the house. We can also see a house that Gropius and Breuer made for Breuer on precisely the same land from Helen Storrow.

Gropius expired in 1969, and his wife decided 10 decades after to donate the house to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, currently Historic New England. The Gropius House opened as a museum in 1985, two years following Ise’s passing. In 2002 the house was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Forty-five decades of attention by the Gropiuses and regular restorations by Historic New England mean the house and its original furnishings are in fantastic shape and worth seeing in person.

References
Conrads, Ulrich, ed. Programs and Manifestoes on 20th-Century Architecture. MIT Press, 1994 (first published in 1964).Curtis, William J.R. Modern Architecture Since 1900. Prentice-Hall, third edition, 1996 (first published in 1982).Frampton, Kenneth and Larkin, David. American Masterworks: The Twentieth Century House. Rizzoli, 1995. Gorlin, Alexander. Tomorrow’s Houses: New England Modernism. Rizzoli, 2011.
Historic New EnglandMore: 10 Must-Know Modern Homes

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British Columbia is one. So it makes great sense that just a short ferry ride from Vancouver, a coastal house will wrap its arms around its own environment. “The owners wanted some wood frame and natural components to tie it in with the site and felt it should be a low-profile structure from the street,” says architect Kevin Simoes of Streamline Design. “They desired a beautiful house on the inside but did not feel the need to showcase that from the road”

They moved with an easy A-frame and incorporated timbers for most of the structural components. Simoes’ layout was limited by the bunch, which has setbacks on three sides, for example, sea side. “The site really ordered what we can do in regard to the footprint and layout of the house,” he says.

Working with designer Jonalyn Siemens, he made a minimalist yet charming getaway that’s beautiful inside and outside.

at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a weekend retreat for a designer and her husband.
Location: Sechelt, on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia
Size: 3,400 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms
That’s interesting: The house was constructed with a sustainably harvested Douglas fir wood frame and has a metal roof and a rainwater collection system.

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

An open living room, dining area and kitchen features a big portion of the most important level. “It is very popular with us to design such a manner and join all these open spaces,” says Simoes. “In this specific house, it allowed the great room and dining area to be slightly smaller than we would normally make them still feel as though they have more volume than they really do.”

Dining table: Restoration Hardware; chairs: Another Room; chandelier: Halo, Roost; sleeper couch: Willow Studio; mermaid sculpture: Alisa Shebib; fireplace: handmade Updated tile, Solus Vancouver

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

Seven doors open the space to the outside up . The floors throughout are engineered walnut from Lauzon.

Bar stools: Pier 1 imports, draped with sheepskin; pendant: Hudson Valley lighting, Luminosa Light Design; windows, doors: Dynamic Windows

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

An aggregate concrete route leads to the entry. There is into the mudroom A doorway off to the best.

The exterior is Douglas fir wood frame made without the wood’s heart. Simoes explains that because timber shrinks and expands, you don’t wish to work with the heart, or centre pith, of the timber. Nonheart timber is not as likely to expand, contract or spin over time.

Timber frame: West Coast Log Homes

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

The beams and posts are Douglas fir timbers. A floating staircase is Douglas fir and has a steel and cable railing. A similar railing leads to the reduced level, which contains two bedrooms, a rec room, a wine room and a media room.

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

Moveable portholes are fun features that help provide venting, since there aren’t many operable windows on the front part of the house.

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

The kitchen includes high-gloss white Euro cabinetry with Merit Kitchens, a stainless steel square tile backsplash from Custom Flooring and KitchenAid appliances (with the exception of a Miele dishwasher).

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

The homeowners plan to make use of the upstairs attic as a sitting area and library. Another area of the room contains a wall of bookshelves.

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

“Normally we wouldn’t place this kind of beam construction at a space where only the vertical post is required,” says Simoes. “But we wanted to add additional visual interest, as well as the beamwork helps to specify the kitchen space, not only when you’re down below looking up, but also when you’re up in the attic looking down”

He integrated the structural post which supports the ridge beam into the kitchen island. “Rather than have a stand-alone post, we wanted to integrate it in the island to give it a tiny bit more mass and to floor it.”

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

The master bedroom is on the main level, and you can see through the two-way fireplace into the excellent room.

Custom bed: Vincent Lang Furnishings; bedding, cushions, carpet: Designers Guild; pendant lamps: Luminosa Light Design; standing lamp: Adesso; couch, ottoman, draperies: custom by Jonalyn Siemens

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

We desired the master bath tub to be the focal point of the space,” says Simoes. “The owners love to sit here and feel as though they’re about the sea.”

Bathtub, sink: Ravello, Victoria and Albert; tub fixtures: Axor Massaud, Hansgrohe

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

The simple yet lavish finishes at the master bathroom comprise polished travertine tiles atop the vanity.

Mirrors: Restoration Hardware; sconces: Hudson Valley lighting, Luminosa Light Design; faucet fixtures: Axor Massaud, Hansgrohe

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

The homeowners wanted to maintain the master bathroom as spacious as possible. Sliding doors open into the bedroom, and picture windows provide a view of the sea from the shower.

Shower walls: limestone; flooring: pebble tiles, Ecolfor; fixtures: Axor, Hansgrohe

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

Practical and visually attractive, the mudroom with laundry has a countertop and loads of storage.

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

This is only one of two guest bathrooms on the lower level.

Shower tile: polished ceramic, Olympia Tile; sinks, sink fixtures: Ronbow; mirrors: Home Depot; sconces: Hudson Valley lighting, Luminosa Light Design; shower fixtures: Hansgrohe

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

The cedar rear deck runs the entire 45-foot span of the house.

Deck furniture: Costco; fire pit: Solus Vancouver

Streamline Design Ltd. – Kevin Simoes

A log staircase from the main floor deck brings down into a gazebo and a route into the sea.

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