Harvard University Graduate Housing by Kyu Sung Woo Architect

This new graduate housing complex for Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by Kyu Sung Woo Architect, this 115,000 SF project is a part of University’s ongoing effort to house 50 percent of its graduate, professional and doctoral students, further supporting a strong residential campus community and helping to alleviate pressure on the local housing market.

The scheme houses 215 beds in over 30 different suite types, and includes a faculty director’s suite, a fitness room, study lounge spaces, a multipurpose room, and a garage that extends under the building, its courtyard, and a new public open space along Memorial Drive.

The Harvard University Graduate residence project was designed to achieve a high level LEED certification. Green-minded finishes include regionally-sourced siding with recycled content; renewable bamboo flooring and wall paneling, and low-VOC finishes; building systems are designed and engineered to minimize energy usage.

Landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates designed a graceful seasonal garden with groupings of trees and clumped plantings native to New England, connecting the courtyard to the riverfront terrace. In the courtyard, serrated and diagonally laid paving edged with large river smoothed rocks recall peaceful stone gardens.

Fire Features Design Inspirations for Meditation Space

Every home should provides a space for quiet meditation. Meditation is not a state of mind, it’s a state of mind, body and soul in perfect harmony. This breathtaking Fire Features design inspirations by Elena Colombo create an atmosphere to completely unwind in. All fire features are designed by landscape artist and sculptor Elena Colombo (of the Brooklyn based Colombo Construction Corp.); who states that the pieces are in answer to the primal need for warmth. Pictured here are four of Elena’s vivid, uplifting designs.

Fire Spill has a cantilevered copper or corten steel channel with a stunning waterfall and gas-fed firewall. The pyramid-like Charles Doig Memorial is in the Earth collection. The extensive Fire collection brings us the memorable Tree Wall which is an in-ground corten steel fire arc with acid etched tree, along with the in-ground Branch Wall. Find your perfect meditation muse amongst Colombo Construction Corp.’s extensive collection which range in price from USD $4,000 to $95,000.

Modern Yellow Kitchens design decorating ideas

The kitchen is a friendly place of taste testing, gathering, talking, and enjoying the company of friends and family. The kitchen is a family room. It is also a creative paradise, where you will design elaborate dishes and taste delights. You could have modern kitchen design themes or futuristic kitchen design or even using a circle kitchen furniture for small kitchen space in your house. The color most often associated with food and ingestion is orange or yellow. This color tends to illicit hunger, and could be a great color to use strategically in the kitchen. Yellow is also a color that tends to lift peoples emotions.

Yellow color instills optimism, enlightenment and happiness. It carries with it a feeling of something positive, something promising. Strategic yellow decorative patterns, or a slight orange tint to the walls, may be a positive idea to reinforce elated emotions in the kitchen. Yellow is a great choice for kitchen cabinets to brighten things up and add a glow of warmth. To give you clear description and imagination on creating kitchen decorating ideas using yellow as its main color, Check out this beautiful modern yellow kitchen design by Nobilia , Piramide , Ikea, Leandreko, Rossana, Diego Reales and Rempp.

Putney Mountain House America by KYU Sung Woo Architects

This Multi-generation family retreat residential development of Putney Mountain House, Putney, Vermont United States was designed by Kyu Sung Woo Architects. This house engages the landscape and reinterprets the simple volumes of Vermont rural architecture. This mountain retreat house design use dimensional lumber, prefabricated wood truss, concrete foundation as its main structure.

Each volume has a distinct programmatic function: one volume serves as private family living space and the other serves as a public studio and meditation space. The house provides a weekend gathering place for three generations of family from around the region. Three main bedrooms are arranged to provide privacy while children’s rooms with play lofts are integrated with the public areas.

The house is designed for maximum contact with the exterior while protecting the occupants from the harsh winters and hot summer days of southern Vermont. Three outdoor spaces, each with a unique exposure, allow connection to the environment throughout the day. A south facing sliding glass wall extends the kitchen / dining space outdoors with an eighteen foot clear opening. The studio space extends west through a sliding glass door to a wood-lined screen porch and a view of the mountain forests beyond. A shaded stepped central gravel courtyard provides relief from the sun on summer days. Narrow window openings on the north walls protect the house from winter winds while promoting cross ventilation in the summer months.

The exterior reinterprets local building materials with stained Western Red Cedar siding and corrugated steel. On the interior, the studio space is minimally detailed with white plaster walls and an acoustic fabric ceiling for piano recitals while the living quarters are selectively clad in local granite, maple and mahogany woods to impart a feeling of warmth. The building is framed entirely in dimensional lumber with a prefabricated wood truss providing a large span opening at the kitchen / dining area.

In keeping with the sensitive and isolated site, the house is off the grid with roof-mounted photovoltaic panels providing electricity. Thick walls are encapsulated by high performance insulation and staggered wood stud construction minimizes thermal bridging to the interior in the winter months. Large aluminum windows admit abundant natural light to counteract Vermont’s short winter days while overhangs provide summer shading. Wood stoves fueled with felled trees from the site are supplemented by radiant heat floors.

Halloween interior decorating ideas

Halloween can be a fun holiday for the whole family. Getting the house ready for the occasion, however, is half the fun. Whether you live in an adult-only household or children are around, there are lots of little things you can do to make the place ready for trick-or-treating season.

This year’s Saturday night Halloween provides the perfect excuse for a decadently gothic and glamorous dinner party. Accessorise an all-black scheme with candelabras and glasses of blood red wine.

With just a few clever decorating tricks and some easy tips, you can transform your home for a special celebration. Opt for an autumnal garland to run down the centre of your dining table. Make your own placemate from card and provide markers so your younger guests have something to keep them occupied while the adults are chatting.

To create a spooky mood, you can try replacing some of the light bulbs in the house with non-traditional colors. If you’re having a Halloween party, black bulbs are perfect, especially if the guests are dressing up (as the light will enhance some of the clothing details). For an overall spooky look, red bulbs work well, too, and they provide better lighting so even the little ones in the family can still find their way around. In rooms where lighting is essential, try Christmas lights (white is better) or use candles, rather than keeping the ceiling lights on.