Marvin is known for its custom work, which came in very handy on an extremely old house.

Constructed in 1769, this colonial home in Severna Park, MD was originally a comfortable farm house, but after 200 years, most of the original windows had rotted, warped and loosened. Like most windows of the colonial period, the windows lacked weather stripping and were made with standard float glass, wavy with imperfections.

The plans called for replacement of all the windows with new windows that replicated the original style and delivered maximum energy efficiency.

Marvin was the only manufacturer that could meet all the architect’s requirements and also provide Authentic Divided Lites and jamb liners to fit the restoration and maintain the colonial character of the home.  The project called for 30 custom-size wood windows, including Double Hung and Casemaster windows, and a Bow and a Bay window. Each window was produced to precise specifications to ensure a great fit and maximum energy efficiency.

This beauty of a home still looks great after two centuries. With its new improvements, it continues to be livable and cofortable for many years to come.

16 Tips from a Design Pro
My Home Ideas
Take note of these portable decorating ideas from designer and style expert Charles Birdsong, including using antiques and old books as a design element, balancing lights and darks, and following the shape of a room or an object within.

Plan Your Dream Space Virtually
Charles and Hudson
FloorPlanner, a free service with a meatier Pro version, lets you lay out a room in a simple two-dimensional setup but view the designs in all their 3D glory. It’s as simple and pointing and clicking, dragging and dropping. Don’t try it if don’t have a good half an hour to burn.

5 Books On Self-Sufficiency In The Home
Re-Nest
Sarah Rae Trover writes: “For the last few weeks, with temperatures finally (though just slightly) above freezing, we’ve had some serious spring fever. Our thoughts have turned away from our indoor chores and all we can think about is digging in the dirt and taking on new outdoor projects to make us more self-sufficient in our living space — anything but the remains of dirty piles of snow. Here’s a few books to tide you over until Spring is in full swing!”

Navigating Today’s Real Estate Market
HomeIntel Blog
If you’re trying to sell your house, this collection of tips should be helpful. There’s plenty of substance in the article, but this quick summary seems to cover the basics: “Think positive, but be realistic. And clean your house!”

Our bathroom and kitchen sinks are workhorses designed to serve us well. They have many tasks, including dish washing, hand washing, and various other washings. They are scrubbed down with sometimes-harsh chemicals and provide soothing hot and deliciously cold water on demand. Here are two fabulous sinks that we think go the extra mile and deserve a little extra recognition.

Maybe the iPhone’s touchscreen craze has spilled over into other products, but we think that Delta’s Touch2O Technology is very innovative. The idea is simple: touch the faucet to turn it on and touch it again to turn it off. Simple. And ingenious.

In the bathroom, we love this two layer bathroom sink from Mal Corboy that we found on DigsDigs. It is a fresh and unusual fixture in the bathroom. The dual layers bring to mind an infinity pool: as a sink, it is calming, crisp and clean.

While they say you can’t judge a book by its cover, a house could be a totally different story.

The exterior of your home is an investment. Whether you are a new buyer, seller or holding on to your home, your home’s exterior greatly affects first impressions as well as market value. By building an exterior that you could be proud of and is beautiful to look at, you are maximizing that investment.

As a builder, many of my homebuyers make their decisions within seconds of arriving at the new home.  Believe it or not, even before people take that first knock on that beautiful oak or mahogany front door, the decision has been made.

Tackling the Exterior Color:

Both the condition and color of a home’s exterior affect buyers’ impressions. Choosing the exterior colors of your home may sound limiting and a bit overwhelming, but today there are so many choices that your exterior colors can be.  And, with a little imagination and some terrific accent colors, you can make your home stand out from the rest of the neighborhood and make Ms. Johnson down the street even more envious than she already is.

How to Choose that Exterior Color:

Many of you may be familiar with the term “Painted Lady, ” which refers to older Victorian homes that can have as many as 25 different colors on the exterior. While most homeowners do not live in a home that may require this type of painting style, it’s very easy to get a beautiful looking home with minimal maintenance requirements as long as you consider the following tips:

• What’s your style? Figure out what you like. The right color choice can make all the difference in the look and feel of your home. Keep in mind that light colors make a house look larger, while dark colors tend to make the house look smaller. Also consider the color of houses nearby and avoid copycat or clashing colors.

• Consider the color combination. We’re not all Vincent Van Gogh when it comes to choosing the most complimentary color combinations, but I recommend applying a clay color to the exterior siding and, instead of using the normal white trim, apply a cameo color to the trim.  This is a softer white with a little cream in it.  Then, on the sashes of the windows (the part that goes up and down), paint these two shades darker than the siding.  This effect gives your home some depth and can be done with almost any color combination.

• Think small accents. They can go a long way in making your home pop out from the rest and make you feel great every time you pull up in front.

• Give it a test drive. Don’t be afraid to test out an area first before you paint the whole home. Spend a little time and money on test cans to make sure you are making the right choice. Also, leave the sample up for a couple of days and view the choices under different lighting conditions, like in the morning, afternoon or evening.

• Consider the grounds. Another thing you should also consider are the materials for your sidewalk, driveway and patio. Whether it is brick, concrete, tar or pebbles, you want the accents colors in your grounds to complement the final color of the home.

• Remember, this isn’t just a beautiful exterior – it’s an investment. Always go with the highest quality paint that you can afford. Avoid “bargain” or discount paints. For a bargain price without compromising quality, price-shop name brand paints at sale time, usually around midsummer, with major paint sales coming just after the 4th of July and again in the fall.

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The high-end Rock Island Lofts in downtown Minneapolis combine a hot new urban neighborhood with luxury and amazing views of the Mississippi River. And Marvin was the window brand chosen to best accentuate that beautiful view.

Although the original spec called for all-aluminum windows, the developer chose Marvin Windows and Doors with a wood interior and clad exterior to get a more upscale style along with a low-maintenance exterior.

The abundant windows had to be beautiful and strong—and because the brick openings and steel substructure were already in place, they had to fit perfectly.

Marvin crafted units to precisely fit the brick openings and steel sub-structure that was already in place.

Oversized window assemblies (12′ 8″ x 11′ 4″) on the seventh floor met the wind loading requirements and were installed around a steel sub-structure from the building’s interior. The mulls were sealed from the exterior and covered using Marvin Windows’ standard extruded-aluminum mull covers.

Marvin products used included Round Tops, Clad Ultimate Inswing French Doors, Simulated Divided Lites and Ebony Cladding.

At this year’s International Builders Show, a major trade show for the construction, design and remodeling industries, Marvin and Integrity Windows and Doors showed off several new and improved products for 2010: the Ultimate Lift and Slide Door, interior doors, a retractable screen for our Ultimate Casement and Awning windows, the Ultimate Push Out French Casement and the Integrity All Ultrex Casement and Awning windows.

Home improvement expert and Today Show contributor (and MLuxe contributor!) Lou Manfredini was on hand to check out these and other products from Marvin, and he shot this video tour of our 8,800-square-foot booth. The video gives you a chance to see these products in action, taking a close-up look at their exceptional form and function.

And if you want a closer look, you can always visit your local dealer.

You’ll find the rest of Marvin’s IBS 2010 coverage here — it features interviews with show organizers, highlights of innovative products on display at the show, and details on Marvin’s own new products.

Moths: the bane of our bedrooms, the scourge of our sweaters. What can be more annoying than taking a sweater out of a drawer to discover the tell-tale hole of the moth? If you have a cedar chest or cedar closet, your battle against moths has gained a formidable weapon. For those who aren’t blessed with a cedar closet and don’t want to invest in a cedar chest, there are some good options. Re-nest gives a run-down of moth prevention without resorting to toxic chemicals and foul-smelling mothballs.

The first thing you should do is wash your clothes thoroughly. Moths are attracted to the skin cells, oils, etc. that we leave behind. It’s best to wash clothes in hot water to kill moth eggs and larvae. Please remember that wool should be washed in cold water only to keep it from shrinking. The Laundress has a tutorial on how to properly hand-wash wool sweaters.

After your clothes are clean, prepare their resting place: vacuum and air out the closet and consider wiping out drawers. The best way to store clothing though, is in airtight containers. If you have the space, try freezing clothing!

Incorporate the old standby of cedar. You don’t need a whole closet; look for cedar balls or planks to keep the moths away.

As we head towards spring, hopefully these tips will help keep your seasonal clothing safely stored and moth-free!

Image courtesy of ehoyer on Flickr

When Americans think about adding a splash of color to their garden they frequently reach for that old fashioned favorite the geranium. There’s good reason this plant consistently ranks among the top ten annuals chosen for summer plantings. Long blooming and easy to grow, geraniums are a reliable classic for adorning porches, containers, window boxes or even using in the flower garden.

While geraniums have been red traditionally, plant breeders have done a lot of work in recent years to improve the color, size and shape of the blooms. You can now find geranium varieties in white, pink, salmon and purple.

You may have noticed a band, or zone, of color on the leaves of some geraniums. Plant breeders have also expanded the size and pattern of that zone in lots of interesting ways.

Even if you thought geraniums were a bit old-fashioned for your garden, I recommend that you take a second look at this summer beauty. You’ll find lots of exciting new varieties available in garden centers.

Over the years I’ve discovered certain methods of caring for geraniums that improve their performance. When it comes to feeding, particularly in containers, I use a liquid fertilizer that’s high in phosphorous, such as 15-30-15, to help promote blooming. (Phosphorous is the middle number on the fertilizer label.) Since constant watering leaches nutrients out of the soil, I feed my geraniums regularly, at least every 2 weeks or so during the growing season. This encourages them to set plenty of flower buds.

I’ve also found that geraniums prefer cooler temperatures, so I give mine only morning light and protection from the hot afternoon sun. Too much heat robs them of vigor and keeps them from flowering. You’ll also want to remember to remove all of the faded flowers so that your plants will continue producing a lot of showy color.

Creative minds put to the use of good design can make a big difference in the world! Look at the simple act of washing clothes. Clean clothes can be important for health and dignity. But what do you do if you don’t have a washing machine (through choice or economic circumstance) and don’t want to flash back to pioneer days and wash your clothes with large metal tubs and washing boards?

Enter the Swirl — used for clothes-washing AND fun! Calfinder points out that this product probably has the best use in developing countries. Nonetheless, its principles could make it work anywhere.

It’s simple and ingenious. According to its maker, designaffairs STUDIO, it works this way:

Swirl is a human focused design that simplifies washing in developing countries. The overall design resembles a ball containing a swirled sphere shaped basket and lid, connected to a steel tube handle. Washing is accomplished through the rotation of the “washing ball” – using long distance travelling to and from water supply to wash the clothes. The user can also wash by just rolling it back and forth in slow rotation cycles. At home, after the basket is filled with clothes, the lid should be screwed and the handle locked in. Transportation can easily be done by pulling or pushing the handle. At the water source, the basket should be filled with water and the product is ready to wash.

Simple, useful and fun! Swirl’s use of good, creative, flexible design does a world of good.

Photos courtesy of designaffairs STUDIO.

 
Links We Love: Inspiring Kitchen/Bath Makeovers & Projects
DIY Life
Is it wrong to link to a round-up post in our round-up post? I hope not because these kitchen and bath makeover projects make for some nice eye candy — and they might give you some ideas for freshening up your space.

One of the most beautiful homes…ever
Curbly
Speaking of eye candy, Curbly.com’s DIY Maven calls this house one of the most beautiful she’s ever seen. Great use of windows to really bring the outside in.

Awesome Custom-Printed Window Treatments
CalFinder Blog
Speaking of windows, we’re obvious fans. We’re also kind of fond of these unique window treatments (one of which is shown in the photo at right). A neat way to turn some windows that might otherwise be a bit plain into true works of art — and nice conversation starters.

Here’s a Building That Makes Money Selling Electricity
Home Design Find
Speaking of conversation starters, how about selling electricity back to the grid to make an extra few bucks? This house in France is so green, its owners actually create more energy than they consume, without sacrificing a nice modern aesthetic.

Aren’t you pleased we made the “speaking of” gimmick work for the entire post?

Photo courtesy of the CalFinder blog