Renovation

Renovation

Valckensteyn, the first mass timber residential building in Rotterdam, has been officially delivered. Designed by Powerhouse Company and commissioned by housing corporation Woonstad Rotterdam, the project merges innovative timber construction with a strong social mission: providing 82 affordable rental homes in an iconic post-war district.

Some people have a negative perception of prefabricated homes because they think that implies a cheap mobile home. But it's actually possible to do very high-quality work in the controlled environment of a factory. And it's far faster and more reliable than doing the work on site.

I just couldn't live in one of those bland houses, but I didn't have a plan for the interior design here. I simply love colour and I wanted to make the house feel warm and vibrant. The trend for grey and black, or beige and white interiors, has led to a plethora of samey-themed rooms that can look dreary, lack personality, and are unlikely to age well.

Indian Hills Ridge is a development of CoastFed Properties, formerly the Mayer Group. Construction has begun on four models at Indian Hills Ridge, a 66-acre project east of Yosemite Avenue and north of Flannagan Drive in northeast Simi Valley.

Emerging in large numbers during Vietnam's construction boom of the 1990s, tube houses are defined by their narrow plots and deep plans, often resulting in dim and stuffy interiors. Exutoire reorganizes the core of the building and relocates the staircase, previously positioned at the center and acting as a spatial barrier, to the back of the plot and removes transverse partitions to open up each level, allowing light and air to travel freely through the depth of the house.

The design by Studio Bark is composed of two near cubic volumes set apart and connected by a pitched-roof timber bridge. The architects orient each cube to frame distinct views, one facing east across open fields, the other turning southwest toward woodland. Between them, a double height link forms a quiet internal 'street' lined with bookshelves and rooflights.

After spending $500,000 to renovate an Orlando mansion for the DIY Network show "Hit Properties With Nathan Morris," the Boyz II Men singer has listed the property for sale at $4.9 million. The four-episode arc documenting the makeover finds the R&B artist adding square footage and updating style, mixing in dark hardwood floors and turning a former kitchen into an office space and man cave.

A range hood is a mechanical ventilation system installed above a cooktop or range. Its primary job is to remove cooking byproducts, moisture, and odors. Some models vent air outside through ductwork. Others recirculate air through filters and send it back into the kitchen. While both options may look similar, their performance is not the same.

tqtq studio + 46 More SpecsLess Specs tqtq studio Text description provided by the architects. UNI-CENTER project renovates Hanyang University's existing Student Union, located along the main pedestrian axis connecting the subway station, the main building, and the welfare center, into a welfare-centered, multi-functional community hub for students. The design goes beyond simple functional enhancementit restores the building's sense of place and redefines it as a central node within the campus circulation network.

Maxime Verret + 25 Office Lead Architects: Arthur Boustouller (CALQ Architecture), Axel Cornu, Gabriel Verret (COVE Architectes) Design Team: COVE Architectes, CALQ Architecture Architecture Offices: CALQ Architecture Interior Design: Ramy Fischler Studio Engineering & Consulting > Other: Mazet & Associes, Ceef BET Engineering & Consulting > Structural: Egitura Engineering & Consulting > Electrical: Pollen Engineering & Consulting > Environmental Sustainability: Citae

"Other than central air being added at some point along the way, this room appears to have not been touched for quite some time," Brielle says. But, of course, old homes come with their quirks. "It has slanted ceilings, uneven floors, picture rail crown molding, attic door access, holes in the walls, and peeling windows," she says. Still, Brielle "immediately fell in love with all of its character and could not wait to transform it into [her] sanctuary."

I have two kids under 4, so you can imagine what a chaotic place our playroom turns into when I set them free in there.

After years of modern, ultra-polished aesthetics dominating the design industry, people are yearning for character. Young renters and homebuyers are indicating that new-builds and gut-renovated spaces, despite clean lines and amenities, simply pale in comparison to the aesthetic charm of an older home. And designers agree: There's something undeniably more interesting about a touch of patina or an imperfect silhouette. The romantic, old-world sensibility of vintage design is hard to beat.

Because it's so important to the function of my home, it's become an afterthought when it comes to making it beautiful. All I need is a functional, clean space - it doesn't need to feel as relaxing as my bedroom or living room. Plus, it's not like I have the time (or money!) to invest in transforming the bathroom space by hiring a stager or designer. But I'm interested in making each space feel a little more beautiful these days.

Raising the roof is a major structural change, but for some homeowners, it can be a practical way to gain space and modernize a home without relocating. Whether the goal is higher ceilings, an added level, or turning unused attic space into livable square footage, the idea to raise a roof on a house often comes up when a home no longer fits everyday needs.

I enjoy cooking, but often feel overwhelmed by cleaning and organizing my kitchen - especially the cabinets and counter. They are usually a jumble of tableware, serveware, napkins, and random knickknacks. So I'm constantly on the hunt for budget-friendly kitchen storage organizers. Recently I saw an incredible storage hack to help organize kitchen items, and it utilizes products found at Dollar Tree. It's exactly what I've been looking for!

Ba-rro: "Our starting point is always the context and what already exists." We are interested in recognizing the value of things simply because they are there, without assuming that everything must be preserved as a matter of principle. The question isn't what can be kept, but what deserves to be kept in each specific project. The decision to preserve, reveal, or remove doesn't stem from universal values or a nostalgic impulse, but from a situated interpretation:

The renovation project for this apartment aimed to enhance the spaciousness of the original 1970s floor plan, overcoming certain shortcomings through minor interventions. The scarcity of natural light and the need to expand the living areas prompted a rearrangement of the kitchen, laundry, and living room programs, as well as the connections between them. In this shift, the laundry room was relocated to the apartment's private wing.

You could commit to a full-blown home renovation - but let's be real: That's incredibly pricey and time-consuming. Luckily, there's an alternative. These super-cheap upgrades (all of which come straight to your door thanks to Amazon) can make your home's aesthetic so much prettier, from the yard to the bedroom and everywhere in between.

Architect-turned-interior designer Anh Ly, founder and CEO of Mim Concept, explains why the color surged in the first place: "Butter yellow had a magic moment because it felt optimistic and comforting, especially during a time when people were craving warmth at home." Now, that emotional pull is also what's working against it. "It fell short on resale since it's a very emotion-specific color. Buyers tend to see it as personal rather than neutral, which makes it harder for them to imagine themselves in the space," Ly adds.

Fiona Twycross, the heritage minister, is to be congratulated for finally giving London's Southbank Centre Grade II listing (Campaigners welcome long overdue' listing of brutalist Southbank Centre, 10 February). I remember being shocked when I first saw it in the 1960s, but it has become a remarkable symbol of the zeitgeist. Its grey concrete and its childlike composition together express the fatalism and despair of a nation in economic and political decline.

Schacht, originally born in Germany and educated in Europe, moved to Portland in 1883 after the German government claimed his Hamburg home via eminent domain, and he decided to move as far away as possible. While his work over his four-decade career spanned a variety of architectural styles, it has been noted that after 1900, he was "among the first Arts and Crafts-influenced architects to practice west of the Rocky Mountains."

But this week I spotted an ingenious use for the extras, courtesy of NY-based company Proche Studio. Here's their proposal: Mail in a wool blanket, and they'll give it new life in the form of a great-looking-and uber snug-chore coat, vest, or scarf. I'm particularly smitten by the chore coat, a fresh version of the quilt coats that became popular a couple of years ago, and much, much warmer.