Wood, stucco, brick…just some of the regular materials that regular houses are made of. Of course, shelter and home can come in any number of forms. MSN Real Estate recently listed a few. Here are our favorites; would you consider living in any of these?

Converted churches: Soaring ceilings and gorgeous light (see this church tower conversion as well).

Airplanes: According to MSN, the owner of this airplane/home bought it for $2000, moved it for $4000 and renovated it for $24,000. Not too bad!

Shipping containers: Save the “living in a box” jokes. These homes, made out of old freight boxes, are stylish and comfortable.

Photos courtesy of MSN Real Estate.

When I moved into my 1922 apartment, I noticed that outside the door was a nailed-up little door up on the wall. I assumed it was a now-closed trash chute, until my landlord explained to me that it was actually an icebox where the milkman would drop off the day’s dairy delivery.

So much for my dreams of not having to walk my trash down to the Dumpster. It’s a neat feature though, and always a good conversation piece. This Old House (via MSN Real Estate) gave a rundown of some of the cool features that you can only find in an old house:

• Deep front porches: True “outdoor rooms” with plenty of space to sit on a swing with your sweetheart, sip coffee on wicker furniture or lay in a hammock.
• Floor registers: Yes, the occasional earring might have been sacrificed, but floor registers were always the perfect place to warm your feet or see how poofy your skirt could get.
• Storm shutters: These beauties may have added the perfect Southern charm, but thanks to hurricane-resistant products, they can now just be enjoyed for their good looks.
• Dumbwaiters: The perfect way to send packages and groceries upstairs!
• Solid walls: Nothing beats lath and plaster for preventing noise from traveling between rooms.

We’ve gained a lot of great things with advancements in building. But with progress, sometimes things are left by the wayside. For instance, I can’t recall seeing the ever-handy laundry chute in a newer house. And of course other things, like a beautiful hitching post in the front yard, are no longer needed. What other interesting features do you fondly recall from old houses? Let us know in the comments!

My brother Chris and I often hike the wooded areas that surround the Garden Home Retreat. Exploring the forest is a pastime that goes back to our childhood, and it gives us a chance to go over landscape projects we are working on together on the property.

On a recent walk we talked about building a little Gothic pavilion on a spot overlooking the Arkansas River. It could be a great place to sit and watch the river go by. We found the perfect location where the ground is level and then drops to a steep incline.  A small pavilion or belvedere would be an intriguing destination that one would come to along the woodland garden path. From the best we could tell it wouldn’t take much to open up a few views to the east and west looking up and down the river.

If you have been to the Retreat or seen photographs of the house, you know that it is all in the Greek Revival style; a Gothic structure would add a touch of contrast. I see it also being very rustic hexagonal building with five windows and a door. It’d be fun to use Tulip Popular bark around the windows.

Right around the time Chris and I began discussing the pavilion, Marvin Windows and Doors approached me about designing a window for their MyMarvin project.  Seeing as rustic Gothic was on my mind, I designed a window with a pointed arch made of rough, branches with peeling bark.  It would be perfect for my pavilion in the woods.

You can see my Gothic window design here.



Perhaps you think your modern kitchen is sleek, stylish and minimalist. Well, chances are you have nothing on this kitchen when it comes to being sleek and minimal. Kitchen designer Susan Serra dissects the design of the space and offers a few thoughts on whether it would work for the typical homeowner or kitchen user.

Whether you’re looking for a bit of that modern style or just some more usable space, this ideabook from Houzz.com, also written by Serra, might be helpful. It will give you some ideas about incorporating an effective and useful islands or workstations into your kitchen, whatever your style or functional need.

If an ultra-modern kitchen isn’t your style and you’re not looking to take the big step of working an island into your kitchen, maybe these simpler kitchen remodeling ideas will give you something to work with. Relatively minor remodeling tasks like updating your lighting or refinishing your cabinetry will go a long way toward making you happier with the room in which you likely spend a good amount of your home time.

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Today’s article is a guest post from Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., project leader for the Universal Design Living Laboratory. The UDLL is a demonstration project built to illustrate the power of universal design. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project.

This article, written by Rosemarie, was previously published on the UDLL website and appears here courtesy of Action Magazine and the United Spinal Association.

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Residential Design for Aging in Place by Drue Lawlor and Michael Thomas is a comprehensive book written by two seasoned interior designers to show that universal design is good design. The book is well organized so readers can pinpoint a specific topic to learn about; however, I found myself so drawn into the information that I read the book cover to cover!

The uniqueness of this book is the thorough research that Lawlor and Thomas conducted. They focus on designing homes that people can live in safely and independently throughout their lifetimes. With extensive footnotes throughout the book, readers will be guided to other documents on the subject.

The authors looked at critically important issues of space design, product selection, and lighting design. The reader will be well informed on how to approach their next remodel or new build project. The chapters clearly describe how to create spaces including the: living area, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, laundry, home office, and outdoor patio. Throughout the book, there are natural and artificial lighting recommendations. The chapter on accessible exteriors illustrates how to make the approaches to the home more level, as well as the doors wide enough for wheelchair access.

I found the sections throughout the book, “Case in Point,” to be especially helpful. These short stories from the perspectives of interior designers and home owners’ gave real world examples and insights on why homes should be designed with aging in place features.

The authors draw upon their expertise as interior designers, certified aging in place specialists, and adult children with aging parents who acquired diseases that limited their mobility. Thomas and Lawlor have created real world solutions for their parents, as well as their numerous professional clients. In addition, they included projects from their peers to showcase in the many photos used to illustrate the concepts highlighted. The homes in these photos are exquisitely designed and detail the principles contained in the chapters.

This book is timely and will serve others for years. The book contains an extensive wealth of information in the appendices, such as names and Web sites of manufactures of specialty products. It also includes a list of professional design organizations, groups, and associations who serve as specialists in aging, interior design, and the disability community.

Thomas’s motivation to write this book was the realization that he might need to secure a place of his own, one that would provide a safe, accessible harbor during his later years. His mother’s fight with cancer and subsequent fall getting out of the shower and breaking her neck, gave him the sudden realization that age can bring on expected physical challenges. As a designer, he wanted to integrate changes to the built environment that might provide a greater sense of self-control and independence, despite a disability.

Because of their membership in the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Thomas and Lawlor became friends. They built on what they knew about interior design, but more importantly, what they wanted others in the profession to know about barrier-free living.

Thomas participated in an ASID survey about baby boomers 15 years ago. The focus was to understand what the needs might be for housing for the 76 million boomers who at the time, were just beginning to contemplate their retirement and perhaps already taking care of an aging parent, family friend or relative.

The survey clearly identified a need for much more barrier-free design in work and home environments. In an ASID white paper study that followed, the research indicated that universal design was one of the essential components to building greater independence for the “boomer” clients of ASID members.

Thomas and Lawlor asked for submissions of interior design projects to include in their book as example case studies through their ASID member network, as well as included their own projects.

Thomas commented about his book:

While there are many books on universal design, accessible interiors and barrier-free design, the book is more about realizing that independence is a part of the American culture. We are brought up in this country to believe that with the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, all Americans are guaranteed a measure of personal independence. That is, until a physical disability begins to erode our choices of freedoms and we realize that many of our ‘freedoms’ begin with having a home that can impede the independence that we all take somewhat for granted.

Today’s article is a guest post from Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., project leader for the Universal Design Living Laboratory. The UDLL is a demonstration project built to illustrate the power of universal design. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project.

This article, written by Rosemarie, was previously published on the UDLL website and appears here courtesy of Action Magazine and the United Spinal Association.

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Anyone planning to remodel or build a home should pick up a copy of Wendy Jordan’s new [new at the time this article was originally published] book, Universal Design for the Home. Whether you are old or young, single or with a family, working or retired, with or without a disability, it makes sense to borrow a few good ideas from this book.

Based on the premise that universal design is good design, Jordan put together a beautiful high-quality photo gallery of diverse homes and apartments throughout the country. She points out the space design features and products that make each room work so well for the occupants. She also highlights the universal design specifications for each project featured. As a bonus, readers will also learn about lighting a room for functionality, safety, and to create the right mood.

The interior designers, builders, remodelers, and architects who crafted each of these homes and apartments really knew how to meet the needs of the occupants. Jordan gives a short history of the family to help readers appreciate the reasoning behind the design.

Jordan includes many brilliant ideas among the pages of the book. You may find yourself saying, “I want that in my home!” The Photographer Credits and Manufacturers sections in the back of the book will help you identify many of the product manufactures. If you still have a question about a particular product shown you can contact Jordan at wendyajordan@hotmail.com.

For the next edition of this book, I suggest that the universal design products in each photo be identified by manufacturer’s name and website.

I recently spoke to Jordan to find out what motivated her to write this book. She told me that though she has known about and admired universal design for quite some time, she decided to write the book when good friends went through the process of using universal design principles in their home a few years ago.

“Designers and builders were not attuned to the idea of beautiful universal design,” Jordan said. There were no readily available examples of attractive universal design homes, and information on design features and products was hard to find. “I knew the ideas and products were out there,” she continued, “it’s just that they were, to coin a phrase, ‘inaccessible’ to the consumer.”

Jordan said she wanted to write a book that would bring together the best, state-of-the-art ideas in beautiful universal design; serve as a guide for homeowners, their designers and contractors when researching guidelines; and ease the process of locating attractive, effective universal design products.

Jordan doesn’t have a disability, but she is aware of the difficulties many building designs pose for those who do. She says that universal design makes sense for so many people, whether they have limited mobility now, want to age in place in their homes, or want to accommodate visitors young and old. Many people, such as families with young children, are attracted to universal design because these homes are open, bright, safe, and livable, she adds.

Jordan heard about universal design years ago in her work as a remodeling and home design journalist. An award-winning writer and editor, she has covered remodeling and home design for more than 25 years, both as editor-in-chief of Remodeling magazine and the author of 11 books on the subject. She also has earned a CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) designation from the National Association of Home Builders.

Jordan contacted me in September 2006 after learning about my new home, the Universal Design Living Laboratory. I gave her permission to include our house floor plan and architect’s renderings of the wardrobe and front elevation. In the book’s four-page section, “The Ultimate Livable Home,” Jordan describes the universal design features in our future home, including a few selected specifications.

I asked Jordan how she selected all the projects that are featured in her new book. She said she wanted to include projects that represent a variety of housing types, sizes, price points, and occupant needs. Above all, she was looking for projects that look great and incorporate great universal design ideas without sacrificing style or drawing attention to the accommodations made. She included many floor plans along with room photos in this book.

Jordan indicated that her book brings together the tools needed for homeowners, their designers and contractors to plan beautiful, well-equipped universal design homes. Readers will find creative and attractive designs for every part of the home including kitchens, baths, entries, and the landscape. The back of the book also contains a section on basic universal design standards.

Jordan did extensive research and studies to put together this book. She has given consumers, interior designers, remodelers, architects, and builders something to strive for in their future projects.

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Whether you’re looking for fashion or function, area rugs can do wonders for a room when used effectively. Here are some simple tips about doing just that.

If you want an area rug to serve as a stylish focal point in a room — adding a pattern, texture or color — make sure it’s up to the job. Go bold. That is, after all, the point. This can work well in an otherwise understated room, perhaps with white or otherwise mellow-colored walls and the like.

Choosing a rug to fit within a finished room is fairly straightforward: Choose a rug with colors and a style that matches the room. An oriental rug, for example, might not look appropriate in your sleek, modern living room. but think about going the other way — using a new rug to dictate the style and coloring of a room you’re looking to refresh. Find a rug with a set of colors and a style that really gets your attention, and pick out of it colors for your walls, your furniture, your accents like throw pillows and so on.

An area rug can also serve specific functional purposes, as well. Rugs can help hold together a space within a larger room, serving as a centerpiece among a set of seating and a coffee table, for example. Pay attention to the size of the rug. If you’re trying to define a particular space within a room, you probably want the rug to be completely surrounded by your furniture — not tucked under couches, for example — or to have your furniture completely within the bounds of a large rug. Something in the middle — with an area rug tucked partially under some furniture — can look awkward.

Of course, an area rug can also be used for the simple purpose of protecting the flooring underneath, saving wood from scratches, tile from chips or installed carpet from wear and stains. Still, don’t skimp on style.

Be sure to check out eHow.com and This Old House for more tips on choosing rugs for your home.

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Today’s article is a guest post from Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., project leader for the Universal Design Living Laboratory. The UDLL is a demonstration project built to illustrate the power of universal design. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project.

This article, written by Rosemarie, was previously published on the UDLL website and appears here courtesy of Action Magazine and the United Spinal Association.

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Louis Tenanbaum, certified aging-in-place specialist, recently wrote an article, “Benefits of Universal Design Model Homes.” He wrote, “If a picture speaks a thousand words, a walk-through is worth a million pictures. Universal design model home projects offer that walk-through experience. They provide shared context so the universal design discussion can be rooted in a ‘bricks and mortar’ experience.”

If you’re near Wausau, Wisconsin, you have a chance to see such a model home for yourself on the campus of Northcentral Technical College. Its purpose is to demonstrate accessible house modifications and related furniture, fixtures, appliances, equipment and technology in a true residential living environment where visitors can take home information about everything in the house.

The Wausau house and surrounding landscape demonstrate numerous state-of-the-art accessible design and adaptive technologies that can be used to build or remodel a house to make independent living possible for people who might otherwise have to move to an assisted-living facility.

Wayne Geurink, a retired insurance executive who sustained a spinal cord injury from an automobile accident, is the project leader. With the help of others, he oversaw the design and construction of the home, known as Choices for Independent Living. The vision for the project was formed during a series of spinal cord injury support group meetings. The home is operated under the charitable nonprofit corporation, the Chairs & Cares Model Accessible Home, Inc., where Geurink serves as the president.

Construction was started on August 29, 2006. This 4,600-square-foot, two-story home has a slab foundation with three bedrooms and five bathrooms. An elevator provides wheelchair access. The entry doors are step free with level thresholds. When the house was completed in October 2007, the general contractor Keller Builders, valued the home at $1.2 million. This cost was offset by an estimated $400,000 to $600,000 in donated labor, building materials, equipment, furniture, fixtures and appliances. Funding and in-kind contributions came from foundation grants, manufacturers, suppliers, a local commercial general contractor, and private individuals. The technical college provided the land.

This home never has and never will be lived in or sold. The Midstate Independent Living Consultants organization uses the house as its office and operates the house. Ongoing funding is needed for operation expenses.

This house includes many universal design features such as 36-inch wide doors; 48-inch wide hallways; lever door and faucet handles; casement windows with push-button, electronic openers; pocket interior doors; pull down cabinet shelf; roll in shower; walk-in bathtub; front loading washer and dryer; side by side refrigerator; microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator drawers.

A strong focus on assistive technology designed for independent living is showcased in the home. Among the technology products included are a ceiling lift system for use in bed transfers; a Hoyer lift; an adjustable bed; talking caller identification; motion-activated lighting; and a height-adjustable sink.

For more information about this project, visit www.choicesil.com. This website contains extensive information about the features and products used to build and furnish this home, and lists the supplier’s contact information and prices. Photos illustrate the construction process, as well as the completed home.

This house has served to educate hundreds of builders, architects, designers, consumers, and students. When people planning to build or remodel their next home see this house, they come away with new ideas they can incorporate into their design. Through demonstration homes like this one, as well as the Universal Design Living Laboratory (www.udll.com) that my husband and I will be building in Columbus, Ohio, people are noticing successful universal design projects and replicating the universal design features across the country.

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Right now the kitchen in the Garden Home Retreat cottage is my favorite place to spend time.  It is spacious and full of light. The kitchen faces east, so the windows let in the morning sun and reveal views of the pasture and Daffodil Hill.

During January and February, when I’ve grown weary of the winter view out of my windows, I create what I like to call a “botanical shadow box” by placing a single interesting plant in front of the window. The window acts like a picture frame for the plant and the light coming through the panes backlights its form.  So far, my botanical shadow boxes have included an olive tree, a lemon tree, angel wing begonias and prayer plants.

Of course, the windows also frame some pretty awesome outside views, too.  Right now the best view is from the kitchen because the windows look out over Daffodil Hill. We have planted more than 100,000 bulbs there that range from early-, mid-, to late-bloomers.  It is truly a sight to behold.  The display emerges slowly, only about 10 percent bloom in late February. By the middle of March the flowers are at their peak and then in April the Hill becomes a quite green expanse with no sign of its early spring glory.

Yesterday I picked daffodils until my bucket was brimming over. It truly looked like a pot of gold and I truly value them as much as gold.  I only wish that everyone felt the same way.

What’s all the fuss about indoor-outdoor living? It’s more than just dragging a few lawn chairs onto the deck. Indoor-outdoor living can add real value to your life.

The Census Bureau estimates that 2 million Americans will add a deck or patio to their home every year. And with more people choosing to stay at home rather than taking expensive vacations, money spent on outdoor space can be very well-used.

Additionally, there are many steps along the indoor-outdoor living spectrum. Maybe you just need to add a patio to grill out, or a deck to watch the sun set. You can also choose to completely re-landscape your yard to add beautiful gardens and comfortable seating. Or maybe you will add an outdoor kitchen for a completely new room.

Let’s talk about improving what you have. Interior Decorating Buzz suggests taking your current porch or deck and making it just a little bit nicer. Got a porch swing? Make sure it rocks easily and doesn’t creak. Consider painting it a cheerful color for a focal point. Durable wicker furniture doesn’t have to be expensive. Depending on the size of your porch or deck, you can create “conversation pits” for an intimate feeling. And don’t forget to accessorize! Adding things like large urns can add a lot of interest.

If you want to go the kitchen route, there are two options. One is the true outdoor kitchen and the other is an interior kitchen that is designed to be deeply connected to the outside. Re-Nest takes a pictorial look at the interior kitchens. (Hint: if you are considering going this route, consider a door like Marvin’s Ultimate Lift and Slide).

And Outdoor Kitchens Guide gives a review of what to think of when planning an outdoor kitchen. A couple big points are to think carefully when it comes to budget and space available, and do your homework when choosing appliances.

With a little forethought you can make a beautiful space to enjoy outdoor living.

Photo courtesy of Eberly & Collard Public Relations on Flickr.