Tag Archives: design

Turn Your Master Bedroom Into a Sanctuary

Since we spend about a third of our lives sleeping, we should place high importance on the look and feel of the master bedroom. Follow these tips to transform one of the most important rooms of your home into a relaxing sanctuary.

What to Bring In

Neutral Colors — Light, neutral hues like creams, taupes, grays and blues provide a tranquil atmosphere. Use soft, coordinating colors for your bedding and walls.
Soft Lighting — Overhead lighting can sometimes be harsh or too concentrated. Create a soothing mood with soft, balanced lighting throughout the room. Add lamps to brighten dark corners and illuminate each side of the bed.
Window Treatments — A sense of privacy is essential to any sanctuary. Window treatments offer coverage from the outside world and can be a beautiful design element. If outside lighting disrupts your sleep, consider blackout curtains.

What to Take Out

Outdated Bedding — A relaxing bedroom begins with a comfortable bed. Most experts recommend replacing your mattress every eight years. Pillows should be replaced every two to three years or every six months if you have asthma or allergies.
Excess Furniture — Get back to basics by paring down your bedroom to just the essentials. Most people require little more than a bed frame, a couple of matching nightstands and a dresser or chest of drawers. Anything more can quickly become clutter.
Unnecessary Electronics — From more sleep to better family relationships, there are numerous benefits of having a technology-free bedroom. Reserve your master bedroom for rest and relaxation, and keep electronics out.

Make over your master bedroom into a serene space you look forward to at the end of a long day. These tips can help you get started.

The Most Stunning Venues from Past Summer Olympics

The Games of the XXXI Olympiad (aka the 2016 Summer Olympics) are set to begin in less than two weeks on August 5th. Although this year’s host city, Rio de Janeiro, has been plagued by controversy from the get-go, there are still plenty of eager sports fanatics that couldn’t be more excited to visit Brazil at this special time for the country. Rio will actually hold the distinction of being the first South American city to host the games.There is no denying the beauty of Rio, from its rich history, to the numerous beaches, and, of course, the people! But while Rio will no doubt have some impressive structures built for the Games (if its existing landmarks are any indication), it certainly has some large shoes to fill. Host cities are known to aim high and think big when selecting or building these mammoth monuments. Over the years, some designs have definitely stuck out more than others. From the architecturally impressive to the just plain beautiful, here are our picks for the top 20 venues from past Olympic games:

1. Panathenaic Stadium (Athens, Greece; 1896 & 2004)

By Badseed (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 13 April 2009 Kallimarmaron stadium

2. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, CA; 1932 & 1984)

Olympic Torch Tower of the Los Angeles Coliseum By unknown, U.S. Air Force [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOlympic_Torch_Tower_of_the_Los_Angeles_Coliseum.jpg 28 July 1984

3. Olympiastadion (Berlin, Germany; 1936)

The Olympiastadion in 1936 Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R82532 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R82532 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons 1936

4. Melbourne Cricket Ground (Melbourne, Australia; 1956)

AFL_Grand_Final_2010_on_the_Melbourne_Cricket_Ground

5. Nippon Budokan (Tokyo, Japan; 1964)

Nippon Budokan Hall Main entrance Wiiii - Own work Nippon Budokan, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo Japan, designed by Mamoru Yamada in 1964. © 2010 By Wiiii (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANippon_Budokan_2010.jpg

6. Yoyogi National Gymnasium (Tokyo, Japan; 1964)

7. Estadio Olímpico Universitario (Mexico City, Mexico; 1968)

8. Palacio de los Deportes (Mexico City, Mexico; 1968)

9. National Auditorium (Mexico City, Mexico; 1968)

Ciudad_de_Mexico_-_1194_-_Auditorio_Nacional

10. Olympic Stadium (Montréal, Canada; 1976)

11. Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys (Barcelona, Spain; 1992)

12. Palau Sant Jordi (Barcelona, Spain; 1992)

13. Pavello Olimpic de Badalona (Barcelona, Spain; 1992)

14. Stadium Australia (Sydney, Australia; 2000)

15. Sydney Super Dome (Sydney, Australia; 2000)

16. Athens Olympic Velodrome (Athens, Greece; 2004)

17. Olympic Stadium (Athens, Greece; 2004)

18. Peace and Friendship Stadium (Athens, Greece; 2004)

19. The Bird’s Nest (Beijing, China; 2008)

20. The Water Cube (Beijing, China; 2008)

What is your favorite venue from the past Summer Olympics? Will you be watching this year’s Rio Games? Let us know in the comments!

Design Tips for Displaying a Prized Collection

Are you a collector? Whether you have a passion for art, photographs, action figures or something else entirely, here are some options for displaying your memorabilia.

Mount It on a Wall
Family photos and art pieces are commonplace, even among those who don’t consider themselves collectors. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of creative ways to display wall art.

The trick is to focus on the frames. For instance, one method is to use frames of the same color but of varying sizes and designs. This creates visual interest and unites the collection. Figurines and other small items with depth can be housed similarly using shadowboxes or a divided case.

Hang artwork at eye level for optimal visual appeal. For museum-quality results, keep the center point of your display or collection between 57 and 63 inches from the floor.

Showcase It on Shelves
Curio cabinets and other types of shelving work well for arranging collections and giving individual pieces a chance to stand out. Whether you’re into vintage dishes or figurines, consider grouping your collection according to color or pattern.

If you have glass or crystal items, sunny windows are ideal spots for your display. And avoid overloading shelves; open space can help make a visual impact.

Arrange It on Furniture
When it comes to displaying eclectic items or combining collections, look to the top of your favorite furniture pieces. On the surface of a credenza or console table, mix tall and short items as well as various shapes and textures along a horizontal line, similar to a cityscape.

How do you like to display your favorite collection items? Let us know in the comments!

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The 5 Most Unique Buildings Around the World

Ever come across dazzling architecture and think, “how?!”. Yeah, so have we.

Here we’ve gathered a list of buildings from around the world we thought were worthy to mention. Some even seem to be from the future!

1. Indira Gandhi Planetarium, India

From the exterior you can immediately tell this building portrays a planet-shaped like figure, specifically Saturn with a series of rings. The building was built in 1993, a bit before it’s time you could say. Definitely breathtaking.

2. Nautilus House, Mexico

Built 9 years ago by architect Javier Senosiain. The structure follow suit of its name, Nautilus. The buildings main purpose was to seem one with nature, which you could say was achieved. Even inside the building, you’ll find a garden.

3, Piano and Violin Building, China

This amazing building was built in 2007 and it’s located in Huainan City, China. This building required a team of people to design, and several students from the Hefey University of Technology. Truly charming, indeed.

4. PricewaterhouseCoopers Building, United Kingdom

Most green building on this list. Not literally, of course. PricewaterhouseCoopers’s building in the UK uses renewable energy sources with advanced technology. Almost a building of the future!

5. House Attack, Austria

Located in the Moderner Kunst Museum in Austria by artist Erwin Wurm. The story behind this building is simply a family hurtling themselves onto the roof, which is why building is called “House Attack”. Creative, don’t you think?!

Well dear reader this is where we end our post. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed this list and would want to share it with your friends. Maybe you’ve seen a couple of this? Send us pictures. Let us know which crazy building you’ve seen.

Find the original article here.