Reader’s Apartment with a “Cozy Boutique Feel” in Singapore

We received another apartment from one of our readers which we would like to share. This home and its interior ideas belongs to Hong Li, a graphic designer from Singapore. Here is the description we received: this crib is “a small, limited space two bedroom duplex apartment of 861sqft. 430sqft upstairs where I have 2 bedrooms and 430sqft downstairs where i have living room, store room and kitchen. In order to have a bigger living room, kitchen cabinet separating the living room and kitchen was demolished to create an open concept kitchen like we see in the photos. A drop leaf dining table is mounted on the side of the oven and induction cooker cabinet. Space under the staircase was converted into study area. A semi circle desk was created for this purpose, including drawers and movable cabinet for printer & fax machine storage.

Lots of black is used for my apartment, hoping to give it a cozy boutique hotel feel. A living room wall is decorated with picture frames (gold, black and white color). They are hanged by nails and the layout of picture frames is changeable. I love chandeliers, and they were extensively used in this small house, even wall stickers for bedroom’s doors are chandeliers too. Ceiling roses ~ which was normally used in palaces, is also being adopted in my house design. I sew all the drapes and curtains in the house.” Even though these are not professional photos, we appreciate our reader’s ability to capture significant details. Check out the state of the crib before Hong Li redecorated in the last four photos. Freshome readers, what do you have to say about this duplex?

 

source : freshome

Intelligent and Hi-Tech Small Apartment With Mind-blowing Features

Get ready for a crib that will blow your mind ! Closet House was designed by Portuguese company Consexto and is an intelligent and sophisticated solution for living large in a 44 square meter (474 square foot) apartment. At a first glance, one might think this is just a tasteful contemporary small home with a few unusual decorating ideas. In fact, this unique crib is composed out of five different living areas, two of which can transform at a touch of a button. Because everything in this hi-tech apartment is automated, it is easy to move walls around and change the overall look of a room in no time. How else would a home cinema, a mini bar, a large wardrobe, a fully-equipped kitchen and a comfy dining table fit in such a small place? Check out the video at the end of the post and allow yourselves to be amazed! (Photos: Amândio Neto)

source : freshome

How to Prepare your Home for the Spring Season

Spring is right around the corner, and for most home owners it’s an exciting time to get your home ready. In the winter time, many portions of your home are neglected or aren’t used as often because of home owners staying inside their homes. From the interiors of your home to the exterior, getting your home ready for spring will ensure you’ll be ready to enjoy the warmer weather once it hits. Space out your maintenance tips and by time spring is here, you will be able to enjoy the season!

• Start on your exterior: The outside of your home has taken more wear and tear from the harsh winter, than the interior so start here. Walk around your home and examine caulking around windows and doors, as well as open windows and doors and look at weather stripping. Replace old or cracking caulk and replace weather stripping. Inspect the roof for broken or missing shingles, or tiles, and clean out gutters and downspouts at the same time.
• Landscaping tips: While it may not be time for you to start planting flowers and watering your lawn, it isn’t too early to ensure you will have ready your garden hoses, walkways, and adjacent areas to your landscaping. Replace cracked or old garden hoses, and rake away leaves, tree limbs and debris from sidewalks, plant beds and surrounding areas. If you no longer have snow in your area, now is a good time to start planning out your spring landscaping ideas and lawn care maintenance regimen. Pressure wash concrete and paver areas that have become dirty and power wash vinyl siding, brick walls and vertical surfaces on your home if need be.

Check your interior systems: The fall and spring are the two most important times to review your home’s major HVAC – heating, ventilation, air conditioning systems. Right before the harsh climatic changes are going to occur. Ensure air filters have been replaced or cleaned and stock up on new air filters if you use disposable one. Check your air conditioner before the summer to ensure it is in good working order. If you need to have a service person look at it now, it will be a lot less expensive than 3 months from now.

Interior spring cleaning: By now your windows – inside and out could use a cleaning. You will be surprised how much you can see out your windows, once they are cleaned. Clean off ceiling fans, and clean out fireplaces from use over the winter. Test your emergency systems in your home: home alarm, smoke fire alarm, fire extinguisher, and carbon monoxide alarms to ensure they are working properly. Most home owners forget to test these regularly; fall and spring maintenance time is a perfect opportunity to ensure they’re in good working order.

Preparing your home for the spring is rewarding now, and 3 months from now! Your home goes through changes as it ages, and climatic conditions change. Spring maintenance is a good idea for everyone, and even more important if you’re considering putting your home on the market soon. Home buyers want to ensure that all systems have been well attended and taken care of before buying a home. If you’re concerned you will miss something, hire a professional home inspector – they will cover the entire home from top to bottom. What are you waiting for? Get started, the warm weather is on its way!

source : freshome

Drilling Thousands of Screws for Unusual 3D Mural Portraits

With the help of thousands of screws, Andrew Myres, a 31-year-old artist from Orange County, California, manages to mind-blowing portraits. According to Etsicommunication, the idea struck Andrew while working in a church a few years back: “I was doing bronze reliefs depicting the life of Saint Catherine and thought how cool would it be to create something entirely out of screws. I’d always wanted to work with screws, I got the idea and that was it. Six months later I completed my first piece.” The portraits are made by drilling screws into wood and some of them are are 1.2m (4ft). Even though the artist managed to sell five works for for £5,500, he says what he does is not measurable in material rewards: “Household screws are cheap if you need to hang a few pictures but when you need to buy tens of thousands of them the price soon adds up. This kind of art is unique enough that I have to keep going with it, but it costs so much to create each piece it’s not as financially rewarding as you may think. They are more a labour of love.”

source : freshome