Author: Michelle from Modern Architecture Concept

Choosing the Perfect Front Door

Michelle from Modern Architecture Concept

It may be tricky to choose the perfect front door for your home, so we’ve put together an informative infographic to help you make the right choice!

Your front door should promise your family a place of security and comfort. It should welcome guests and present a pleasant face to friends and strangers alike as they approach. While firmly denying access to those who are unauthorized to enter, the front door should also provides smooth entry into the home when appropriate. If your front door fails to do any of these things, it may be time to replace it. Take a look at the infographic below to learn more about how to match a door to the style and architecture on your property. There’s a beautiful door out there to complete the welcoming atmosphere of your home.

The Perfect Front Door For Your Home

Make Sure it Matches Your Home

Depending on the style of your home, your front door should always match your existing exterior decor colors, style, and also complement your landscaping. Don’t rush trying to choose the right front door since this is an element of your home that will stay, at least for a while. There are many homeowners that have opted to make statements with their front doors using bright hues such as China red, bubblegum pink and bright turquoise. This may not be your style, but whatever you choose make sure it is safe, sturdy, and well insulated!

Copy Your Neighbours

Take a look around your neighbourhood and see what others have done with their front doors. Have you ever taken a stroll around the neighbourhood and noticed one house’s exterior decor stands out and looks like it came from out of space compared to the rest of the homes? You don’t want to be this homeowner, so make sure your home’s decor matches with the rest of the neighbourhood. You can’t mimic a tuscan style while you live in northern Canada or you can’t mimic a log home style while living at the beach. Take a walk, take some photos, and get ideas for your new front door!

Get Ideas Online

Websites such as Pinterest, Instagram, Houzz, and also various interior decor blogs, are full of exciting and creative ideas for home decor and architecture. Spend a few days getting inspiration and saving photos of you like and what you think will look great on your home. Houzz features a smart new feature where there is a price tag on everything in the photo which makes it easy to see where something was purchased and how you can get your hands on it. You can also always leave comments in the comment section and the person that designed the home is always willing to answer and help!

 

7 Glamorous Ideas to Decorate Your Bedroom This Holiday Season

Michelle from Modern Architecture Concept

The holidays are quickly approaching making this the perfect time to spruce up your bedroom in style! Follow our easy ideas to glam up this special room!


Photo: Michelle Wenitsky Interior Design

Is your bedroom looking a little dull, boring, or are is your decorating way too démodé? The new year marks a special year full of a ton of exciting decorating trends that designers can’t stop talking about. From mirrored vanities, to bohemian headboards and luscious trendy colors, there is definitely something for everyone in 2018! Let’s get started with some of my favorite trends that I am dying to share with you guys…

Go Bold with Colors

Give your bedroom a sophisticated, glammed up look this holiday season by going bold when it comes to wall colors and accent pieces. This beautiful sea blue wall color adds an unexpected flair to this room and really makes a magical design moment. If you are a little shy on going so bold, start off with one wall as an accent wall. For example, make the wall behind your bed and headboard an accent and centerpiece by painting it a strong color that really stands out. Then, to add some serious panache to you room and top off your look add a fun accent chair!

Think About Nailhead Studs

Nailhead studs continue to be one designers favorite details when it comes to furniture pieces, and it’s so easy to get this look yourself at home! You can easily buy nailhead strips that hammer onto furniture, headboard, your walls, and decorative accessories. This is one way to get that designer look for less, without having to break the bank. Take a look at the bedroom below, the matching headboard and dresser all feature nailhead detailing, but along with a heavy price tag!


Photo: Boca Do Lobo

Go Wild with Animal Hides

This trend may not be for everyone, but animal skin hides continue to be one of designer’s favorite tricks when it comes to adding some chic-ness to a space. There is something about animal skin hides that really bring a room together and add a cozy well put-together look. Thanks to new methods of dying and printing, cow skin hides have been made to look like zebra skin, leopard, tiger, and even versions with glittery gold specks on them. What a way to glam-up a look this holiday season!

Opt for a More Comfortable Mattress

First things first, think about your comfort before you go jumping into new decorating trends that may not feel so great after all. Don’t splurge on the latest trends until you’ve settled that your mattress is comfortable and you can get a good nights rest. First, test out your mattress to see if you even need to purchase a brand new one. If you can feel the springs, dents, hollow areas, or if you mattress is stained beyond washable, it may be time to purchase a new one. Find a reliable mattress dealer in your area, or consider purchasing one online to save time as well as shipping costs. Buy mattresses from Fantastic furniture or other online stores that are reliable and have a large selection. If necessary, go to the location and test them out to find out what mattress would be best for you.

Think About Lighting

Is your space looking like there is definitely something missing or something you should be hanging above your head? Chandeliers are my favorite way to finish off a space since they bring in some serious designer worthiness in a pinch! Scourge flea markets for unique vintage chandeliers if you really want to get an artfully tailored look. Then, hang up a pretty mirror that faces the chandelier to further promote your new lighting bouncing throughout the room. I love chandeliers with crystals and reflective pieces just because of this!


Photo: KB Home

Dress up Your Curtains

Instead of opting for neutral solid curtains, dress up your bedroom for 2018 by hanging up ikat printed curtains to really elevate your bedroom for the new year! If you are not familiar with ikat, it’s a fabric that is made using a dyeing technique to pattern textiles similar to tie-dye. There are tons of motifs available that have ethnic, ritual or symbolic meanings and they are a great way to dress up a room and add a little bohemian flair.  You can purchase these fabrics or imitation ikat fabrics at just about any home fabric store to give your room a beautifully designed look for less!

Add A Tropical Flair

Even though the cold seasons have long ago started, it’s always a great idea to create a at-home oasis right in your bedroom! Tropical colors such as watermelon pink, green, as well as bamboo furniture and banana leaf fabrics are always an easy way to have California at your fingertips. Interior decor is all about having fun and experimenting so why not bring the sunshine straight to your bedroom!


Photo: Dimples and Tangles

Why Cities Are Switching To LED Streetlights

Michelle from Modern Architecture Concept

Over the last several years, more and more cities all across the USA have opted to exchange their traditional incandescent streetlights for much more efficient and durable LEDs. Not only small towns and communities but also giants like Los Angeles and New York.


Photo: Ilandscapin

When you take into account the millions in potential savings, it is no wonder they decided to undertake the massive changes. However, the process can be taken even further into the ‘green’ and eco-friendly direction. Solar streetlights like these https://www.streetlights-solar.com/solar-street-lighting.html not only benefit from the durability and effectiveness of LED light fixtures but also use solar energy to power those LEDs, further saving both money and electricity. But, what are the advantages of the LED light fixtures over the regular ones?

LEDs Reduce the Light Pollution

The exact feature which was often taken against LED light fixtures for the indoors now seems to help them be the better option for the outdoors. Namely, the directional nature of these light fixtures means that the light emitted is pointed to where it can be used by the people – down.

On the other hand, another lighting idea is that incandescent lights disperse the light in all directions, meaning that they add to the light pollution. If you have never heard of light pollution, look up at the sky at night. Can you see the stars? How many? What about the Milky Way? If you can’t see hundreds of stars, the main reason is the light we are surrounded by – the light pollution. The biggest offender are the regular street lights.

However, with LEDs, this problem is significantly reduced, as the light is only directed to the useful areas, deliberately avoiding pointing it upwards. The LED technology has evolved, so it can be omnidirectional, just like other light sources, but the experts make a conscious effort to avoid light pollution.

Energy Savings

The most important reason to make the transition into the LED light fixtures for a local government is most certainly the cost savings. If you use incandescent lights to transform your space at your house, you most likely use the 75-100W ones. However, an equivalent LED bulb will only consume somewhere between 14 and 20W. That is a five-fold reduction per light bulb. If you calculate that for the whole house with at least 20 light bulbs and for the duration of a year, it comes down to some significant savings.

No matter how much home use of LEDs is important and how much it saves money and energy, it cannot be compared to the massive savings big cities can expect. Los Angeles’ roughly 150,000 light fixtures have been exchanged to the tune of $7 million of savings, whereas an even more ambitious New York’s program exchanged 250,000 for a staggering $14 million savings in maintenance and energy consumption.

However, as mentioned before, the savings could have been even higher if they had had enough vision and forward thinking to implement solar streetlight solutions. However, it is at least a step in the right direction.

Durability

A lot of people who have been trying to save electricity will gladly point to CFL bulbs as an equivalent to LEDs in terms of savings. While it is true that they are comparable to LEDs in terms of energy consumption, they are nowhere near when it comes do durability.

The standard incandescent light bulb has a life expectancy of around 1200 hours, which can last for about a year. CFL lights greatly improve that with around 8000 hours, which is about 7 years. However, an LED has an impressive 25,000 hour lifespan – enough to last for 20 years without changing. When applied to the scale of the big cities like LA and NY, the savings are more than obvious.

How to Insulate Your Windows on a Budget

Michelle from Modern Architecture Concept

Insulate your windows this winter with some of our easy tricks that can make you save cash and stay cozy!

Photo: Via Pinterest

Winter is already in full swing and many homeowners have already powered up their furnaces. If that’s the case in your home as well, did you notice an increase in your heating bill? There are many reasons for that and it usually amounts to a furnace in dire need of a repair.

However, there’s one more common reason people tend to forget about or not know about at all. You would be baffled to learn how much energy you waste on heating with improper insulation. Leaks that let the warm air out can result in an increased heating bill and the feeling that no matter how high you crank the thermostat, your home is never warm enough.

Windows can let a lot of hot air out, especially if they are old, thin or single-pane. However, the good news is that replacing them will significantly cut down the money you spend on heating. Even though the initial cost of upgrading your windows might seem too high, in the long run, it will more than pay off.

But if you cannot budget a full-on window replacement, there are some cheaper and almost equally effective alternatives. In this article, we’ll give you a couple of ideas on how you can prevent losing heat to your old windows on a budget.

Add Storm Windows

Installing new windows that are energy-efficient can be an expensive endeavor. Fortunately, storm windows provide a cheaper and an equally effective alternative. These windows are installed on top of your old window exteriors. They help minimize draft and create an extra layer of insulation.

[su_note note_color=”#c9b35c” text_color=”#ffffff” radius=”0″]These windows are available in various sizes. However, if the windows in your home are custom made, chances are you are going to need custom made storm windows as well. Installing them can also be tricky if you live in a two-level house. Due to all the safety concerns of this type of project, it’s best that you leave the installation to the professionals.[/su_note]

Another downside of storm windows is that you are going to have to replace them after a few years. Unlike them, new energy efficient windows can last for decades. That’s why it’s a good idea to have these windows installed temporarily to give you a chance to save up for the real deal.

Fill in the Gaps

There is a chance the issue could be resolved simply by filling in the leaks on your existing windows. The gaps could have developed spontaneously over the years or might have been a result of improper installation. To maximize your homes heating and cooling you’ll need to fill in the leaks with spray foam insulation. You can even do this on your own as it’s fairly easy.

You need to take the window frame off, seal any leaks and then return the frame once you’re done. You might have to repaint the area around the windows after you’re done.

Upgrade Your Windows

The most affordable solution to your insulation problem is to reinforce the windows from the inside. You can use a weather strip or an insulation kit. These are fairly inexpensive and can save you a lot in new windows. However, they may not be as pretty to look at.

If none of these work, then perhaps the problem is not in your windows, but in your heating system. To schedule a furnace maintenance appointment contact Action Air Conditioning & Heating of San Diego at 4455 Murphy Canyon Rd Suite 100–5, San Diego, CA 92123, USA; 800-400-4152

Can Your Pool Stay Open Year Round?

Michelle from Modern Architecture Concept

If you are fortunate enough to have a pool in your back yard, you know how much time and effort goes into maintaining it during the swimming season. But at the same time, you know how much it helps you relax and cool down during the hot summers.


Photo: Via Pinterest

But now that the summer is over, most people are looking on how to get their pool ready for winter. However, is it possible to keep your pool open for the whole year and not deal with the long and tedious process of closing the pool?

As it turns out, you can have your pool all year round, provided that you live in the right part of the country. If the area where you live doesn’t freeze over, you have a good chance to realize this dream.

Have Pool Heaters Installed

Your main goal is to keep your water warm enough not to freeze over and to have it comfortable enough to be able to swim in it. So, the most obvious solution are pool heaters. If you are designing and building your own custom pool, you can instruct your designer to install them right from the start. Companies like http://www.socalcustompoolsandspas.com/ will be more than glad to make all your pool requests a reality.

If you already have a pool without these water heaters, you can still have them put in retroactively. They may not be able to be hidden and subtle as they would be in the first case, but you will achieve the goal – your pool water will be warm enough.


Photo: Landscape Genius

Thermal Blankets Can Help Too

The problem with pool heaters is that they are quite costly to run all day every day. In the end, they may cost you so much that you will be forced to look for an alternative. Fortunately, thermal blankets are what you are looking for. These films are able to harness the heat of the sun to warm the water. They are not as effective as the water heaters and they only work for the daytime, but they are significantly cheaper.

The best option is probably to use the combination of these two methods. You can use the thermal blankets at times you don’t want to use your pool for swimming, and only turn on the pool heaters when you decide to swim.

Keep Your Pool Equally Clean

Cleaning the pool is a tedious job with no end, but if you want it to be clean and enjoyable, you have to do it or pay someone else to do it. The same goes for the winter. If you wish to have your pool open even during the cold part of the year, you have to extend your maintenance to these months as well. You need to keep your pool clean even when you’re not using it to manage bacteria growth that can be harmful in the long run.

The fall is probably the critical time, when a lot of fallen leaves can find their way into your pool, and the wind isn’t helping either. However, if you don’t clean them regularly, they will clog your pipes and cause you a lot of headaches.


Photo: My Pool Guide

Turn On Your Pump

The water pump should be turned on from time to time in order to prevent the freezing of the water. Water is far less likely to freeze when it is moving. Just make sure that you don’t forget to do this since frozen water can cause a lot of damage to the pool.

If you are unsure that you will remember to do this in a timely manner, you can always install an automatic system which will do that for you.

Keeping a pool running throughout the winter is not impossible, but it does require a lot of attention. However, the prestige which comes with having a pool open in the winter cannot be topped.