Walls of wood are one of the ways of resolving the problem with focal walls. Even in the bathroom, when relaxing in the tub, why not rest your eyes on something precious and rich like wood? Focal walls in bathrooms are an interesting idea as long as the walls covered in wood slats or panels enhance the space and bring out the best in the bathroom’s design. Flawless modern design using walls of wood can accentuate the warm atmosphere of a house, be it minimalist, traditional or eclectic. Wooden walls can lead to debates about deforestation and reforestation. Walls of natural wood connect the interiors to the peace-giving outdoors by reminding you to surround yourself with simple, natural materials.

If you can’t decide which portion of your home needs a makeover, look at the detailed walls of wood in the photos below and you will surely find at least 5 favorite looks – my top favorite is the first photo, where curved glass collides with walls of wood and guides natural light inside. Walls of wood can add spiritual simplicity to that space behind the bed, the one we see every night right before we go to sleep. Wouldn’t you like to see a natural colored wall of wood as a comforting, warm image before you rest? Or would you rather spend some vacations enjoying the forests?

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With so many of you in love with The Hobbit Movie and with the characters depicted by J.R.R. Tolkien, we decided to put together a special post. And because design and architecture is our thing, we made a list with some of the most striking architecture projects that resemble or are derived from the famous fantasy novels. Enjoy!

#1.Sustainable Woodland Home in West Wales

Simon Dale of Wales envisioned a sustainable woodland home in a hill on the countryside, which may be considered “cartoony” enough to match the small hobbit homes from the Lord of the Rings. The project is daring, highly practical and it only cost its owner £3,000 to build. A nice way to escape the hassle of monthly energy bills, wouldn’t you agree?

#2. Lord of the Rings Residence in Barbados

If it wouldn’t have been built in 1975 (long before the movie itself), some would probably argue that this 3,500-square-foot multilevel home by Ian Morrison on top of a hill in Barbados, is definitely inspired by the Lord of the Rings movie. Built in a stunning setting with soothing interiors that seem to be brimming with green life, the house brings a relaxing atmosphere that you can “almost” feel.

#3. Cute Lord of the Rings Hobbit Houses in New Zealand

The Hobbit scenes from Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy were filmed on a hillside lot in Matamata, New Zealand. Now the little Hobbit Homes have become a tourist attraction, but also they became homes for some of the sheep from a nearby farm. The interiors of these white structures were never finished because the scenes shot inside were actually filmed on a studio set. Although the place where these Hobbit houses rest under the sun are not an intimidating fun Disneyland-like  amusement park, one can visit the countryside and get a chance to learn more about the sheep raised here and even pet the lambs.

#4. The Dune House

Even though architect William Morgan did not intend for the Dune House in Atlantic Beach, USA to resemble any fantasy dwelling, the project may strike some interesting correlations with Tolkien readers. Initially built in 1975, this original looking residence consists of two almost identical 750-Square-foot, each having a bedroom and a bathroom.

 #5. Shire-Inspiring Underground Residence in Switzerland

The unusual architecture display for this home was envisioned by SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects. This particular “hobbit home” includes all the facilities a common house has, such as a guest room, an entertainment area, but also “specialized” interiors like an underground pathway. The entrance is a wide oval opening that you are driven to by some traditional stairs made in stone. Large windows make it noticeable and draw attention to the inside decors.

#6. The Hobbit House of Peter Archer

Architect Peter Archer designed a perfect little retreat in rural Chester County, about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia, USA. “We wanted a single structure, a relaxing place that was diminutive in scale, for the owner to come and hang out and just be in solitude with his collection,” explained the architect. The fantastic abode inspired by the two famous novels- “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings”- was built in collaboration with a team of craftsmen and it is not meant to be a Hollywood interpretation, but a timeless dwelling.

#7.  The Water Wheel House by Chris Whited

Displaying a charming undulating shingle roof, asymmetrical walls and even a water wheel, the home built by Chris Whited in Bainbridge Island, Washington meets our idea of a fairytale dwelling. The project has a total surface 1,200-square feet, is perfectly fit for human life and was built out of sheer passion, without the intension of making the headlines.

#8. Hobbit House in Montana, USA

The Hobbit Villageis a real-life “Shire”-inspired place dedicated to Tolkien characters. During the spring and summer months, visiting hobbit enthusiasts can inhabit the village for prices beginning at $195 per night. It is here that we came across this charming hobbit house with an interior that does not lack the comfort of modern living.

#9. Standard Abode in the Hobbit Village

Round windows and front door, earth walls and grass covering- now this is how a real hobbit home should look like! Admit it- you would love to inhabit a small home like this, even if it does require a little sacrifice. At least for a little while.

#10. Bilbo Baggins House

Last, but not least, check out Bilbo Baggins House at the Hobbit Village in Montana, USA. Particularly inviting, this picture perfect dwelling will probably not be as appealing to adults, as they can only take a peek inside and not actually…live inside it. Find it as pretty as the “real fantasy” version?

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There is no doubt that your home’s interior takes all the fanfare when it comes to your decorating and home improvements, although there is no doubt that your exterior home is what makes the first impression. One area of your outdoor home that is almost always forgotten is your garage door. It’s almost the “step-child” of the home improvement world! Well no longer, if you are in the process of choosing a new garage door, here are tips to choose the right style for your home.

1. Choose a material that works for your climate
It’s easy to think of your garage door as only a functional, utilitarian door that offers shelter and security for your vehicles and storage, but it also needs to work well with your climate. Depending on your geographic location choose from metal,  fiberglass, or wood/timber for your home. Metal and fiberglass tend to be more durable and will last over time, although wood is natural and creates a beautiful aesthetic to your outdoor home. If you have salt in the air – ask your local garage door retailer what material works best to resist corrosion.

2. Wood garage doors are gorgeous but are an investment
Everyone loves wood! Whether you are choosing furniture or siding, the natural inherent of wood can be matched by no other material. If you have a rustic exterior home, or like the sleek and modern contemporary lines of wood garage doors – look to Cedar, Hemlock, and Larch as wood varieties to consider. Remember, wood is more costly than its metal counterparts but can give you a look that you love. Contact a custom wood door garage door manufacturer to see design options for your home.

3. Metal garage doors can be strong or lightweight in construction
Depending on your home’s location, a steel or aluminum garage door could be ideal. For home’s that are in hurricane or typhoon prone locations with high winds – steel is ideal for resistance to damage as well as burglary. For home’s that are older, steel is a good option as it has longevity and can be painted in a variety of colors. Aluminum doors are durable and lightweight and are ideal for homes that don’t want to use a higher-powered motorized garage door opener.

4. Consider fiberglass doors for extreme temperature changes:
If you live in a climate that experiences high heat or low colder temperatures a fiberglass door is ideal. Fiberglass is durable and it also is a great insulator and will keep your heating and cooling bills from skyrocketing during the season temperature changes. Fiberglass is also more resistant to splitting and cracking unlike wood doors garage doors.

5. Choose a style that matches the architecture of your home:
After you have chosen a material it’s time to consider what aesthetics you’d like your garage to have. Garage doors have come a long way from just being a solid field of color! Today you can get doors that have lites or windows in them and you can get doors that mimic the architectural details of your main home. From traditional carriage doors for individual doors to double sided contemporary varieties, there is no limit to your creativity! Many homeowners are seeking out garage door manufacturers that custom build garage doors.

6. Ensure your garage door has the safety requirements you need
Just like the exterior doors of your main house your garage door needs to have the functionality to access your home and belongings but also the safety requirements to ensure it is safe from harming anyone. Based on the garage door opener and/or how the opening devices for the garage door operate will be based primarily on the space in your garage as well as what type of door you choose. Ask your garage door professional about a roller, canopy, side hinged or sectional style opening garage doors. They will be able to assess your garage for the right mechanism style.

7. Teach your family how to be safe around the garage door
While the safety mechanisms such as a motion controlled sensors for operating the door without accidentally coming down on a person or object is important. Another safety tip to consider is to teach family members and children not to play in or around garage doors. Ensure you point out the sensor area of the garage door and talk about being safe and to stand back when the garage door is being operated.

8. Before selecting a garage – understand the maintenance required for upkeep
While you may think you can purchase a garage door and never have to repair or maintain it again, think again. Like any other mechanical feature your garage door should be serviced by a garage door professional every few years to ensure the springs, mechanical parts, garage door opener and integrity of the door is still sound. Look for garage doors that won’t require a lot of maintenance. Many homeowners prefer not to use a garage door opener and to open it manually. The choice is always up to you.

9.  Adding unexpected curb appeal with your garage door façade
Another way to find the right garage door is by standing back at the street and reviewing your home as a whole.  Similarly to determining the right color for your exterior home, standing back will help you assess your entire exterior. What is it lacking? Is your garage in plain site on the front face or is it hidden behind trees? Does your garage need to coordinate with the surrounding house or can it have a design aesthetic of its own because it’s positioned facing another street? Once you answer these questions you may find by paying more attention to your garage detailing will spruce up your curb appeal.

10. Choose a garage door that works well with your family lifestyle
Once you have taken the other 9 tips into consideration, don’t forget one of the most important factors – your lifestyle. If you love the look of the glass front garage doors but have active children that play in the driveway with balls, skateboards, and neighborhood friends – you may need to reconsider one without glazing (glass). Remember your garage door should reflect your lifestyle just like your home – enjoy choosing one that makes your house and you feel great!
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Photographer by ZeroOne 

In this fantastic capture by ZeroOne, we see a pigeon atop the Empire State Building, overlooking New York City below. Perhaps the pigeon is on the lookout for its next meal, or simply contemplating who will feel his wrath as he relieves himself mid-flight. Most likely, he’s just enjoying the beautiful view of one of the world’s great cities.

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In our ever-changing world of high innovation and demand for homes that reflect gorgeous detailing and quality, your kitchen is the number one room where you love to see gorgeous technology. Your kitchen appliances are lifetime investments for many homeowners and Sub-Zero Wolf, the leader in food preservation & innovative cooking products since 1943 have proven how a new generation of innovation is awaiting your kitchen. From seamless aesthetic details that blend into your cabinetry to delivering your guests culinary expert cooking experiences from the cookware. You won’t be able to help but brag with these 10 innovative and contemporary ideas for your kitchen that you can’t wait to have.

1. A New Generation: Classic kitchens with modern appeal:
There is some things that homeowners don’t like to mess around with and that is their kitchen appliances. Similarly to your car, your refrigerator, stove and ovens are all a major investment and the third-generation family-owned company; Sub-Zero and Wolf realize this. Your classic kitchen still wants the reliability of well-made design, trusted manufacturing and gorgeous detailing but now with seamless ways to fit amongst your kitchen cabinetry with integrated design that oozes sophistication.



2. Making your refrigerator disappear has never looked so good
Whether you are a design fanatic or you just enjoy fine appointed details, there is nothing like integrated refrigeration that blends seamlessly with your cabinetry. The New Generation of products feature more than 60 new appliances of which many disappear into your interiors. Get the look in your home by choosing one of 3 new design styles: Professional, Transitional or Contemporary to incorporate your modern kitchen with gorgeous appliances. New handles, minimal lines on refrigerator facades and controls that disappear are just a few amenities that you will love.

3. Add or detract colorful kitchen details for a modern touch
For many years kitchens were dull and strictly utilitarian. There has been a renewed sense of pride and love for modern kitchens that show off color or the absence of color in kitchen cabinetry, finishes, countertops and even in tile backsplashes. Look to your own personal design style to see how you can add or detract these from your kitchen. Details such as the designer styled iconic red control knobs for your Wolf cooking range, black or professional stainless steel all reflects your culinary design style.



4. Beautiful lighting is now a design feature, more than just a function
Similarly to kitchens as a whole, lighting has taken on a new sense of form in modern kitchens. Whether your style is traditional with an ornate chandelier gracing your kitchen island or if you prefer a minimal set of pendants lamps – embrace lighting in your kitchen. Look to the New Generation of Wolf ovens and Sub Zero refrigerators to offer better lighting inside them for better visibility for you to see your food and to create a gorgeous experience preparing your meals.

5. Blur the lines between cooking and your family lifestyle
For many homeowners the way your family lives and uses your kitchen is reflected in the appliances that outfit your home.  Refrigerator drawers are ideal for busy families with children or entertaining homes that need extra refrigeration for easy accessibility. While busy professionals may opt for sleek appliances that heat up quickly to cook a quick culinary creation on their induction stove cooktop. With the new line of Wolf cooking products you don’t have to choose between cooking and your personal design and lifestyle. Blur the lines and combine the way you live into the innovative kitchen amenities you opt for.

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A BUILDING WITH A VIEW

Somewhere in the Chilean Patagonia of Torres del Paine National Park, is this building (perhaps a cabin or refuge?) with a view that needs no description. If anyone knows more about the exact location and purpose of the building, please do share!
The Torres del Paine are the peaks of the mountain range, Cerro Paine. They extend 3,050 meters above sea level, and are joined by the Cuernos del Paine. The area also boasts valleys, rivers such as the Paine, lakes, and glaciers. The well-known lakes include Grey, Pehoé, Nordenskjold, and Sarmiento. [Source]
The national park measured approximately 242,242 hectares in 2006 and is one of the largest and most visited parks in Chile. It is a popular hiking destination with clearly marked paths and many refugios that provide shelter and basic services. Hikers can opt for a day trip to see the towers, walk the popular “W” route in about five days, or trek the full circle in 8 to 9 days. [Source]
Visiting the park is recommended between late December and late February, during the southern summer. Not only is the weather more hospitable, but daylight hours are very long given the extreme southern latitude.

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In this modern day of living there is no doubt that the contemporary movement has affected every aspects of our daily lives. From our cars, fashion and technology to the world of design in architecture and interiors. Many use the term contemporary or modern interchangeably to mean a more relaxed break of traditional norms and new concepts of richness of design and modern age thinking. Modern can also refer to a time period of design style from the 1920’s -1950’s. From bringing in light to dark spaces to opening up floor plans and introducing clean-lined furnishings, here are 10 ways to bring contemporary flair into your interiors.

1. Bring light into interiors effortlessly:

When the Modern and Post Modern design periods began to emerge in the 1920’s-1960’s there was a break from the traditional dark interiors with closed –off rooms and small windows. Light and airy rooms replaced the small and dark ones and these details you can adopt in your own home. Opt for choosing the right floor plan that let in natural light through floor to glass windows, skylights, solar tubes and use translucent glass for privacy areas.

2. Opt for subtle colors with accents of more vibrant color you really love.
Using neutral tones of gray, brown, and blacks and whites for flooring, furnishings, lighting fixtures and textiles.  Contemporary colors leave the details of your furniture metal details to shine through or leave the ability for your imagination to get creative with textures and patterns. Just because you use neutral color shouldn’t mean your interiors turn boring! Textural seagrass furniture for example is beautiful to the touch and the eye.

3. Use of natural materials can create a beautifully interior & exterior

Instead of natural materials being reserved to just wood furniture your contemporary home can make use of natural and organic materials in decking outside, leather furniture for your interiors and simple decorative elements displayed throughout your home. The contemporary period of living brought about a new sense of using organic materials such as wood, rock, slate, teak, cotton, wool, and other gorgeous textiles in modern furnishings and not just reserved to traditional home uses.

4. Airiness brings a more relaxed interior to your contemporary home 

Furniture designers started to create sofas, tables, and home furnishings that reflected a more relaxed approach to living. Stuffy and heavy ornamentation was replaced with clean rectilinear lines and this gave way to contemporary homes feeling lighter in weight and more casual in livability. Furniture was raised off the floor to give a weightlessness appeal and your home can adopt these same qualities.

5. Bare floors in gorgeous finishes

The contemporary age of living has made way to new materials, but also a relaxed feeling to interiors with minimal lines, and less “stuff”. Bare floors in gorgeous finishes such as hardwoods, ceramic and porcelain tiles, travertine stone and marble have made way to contemporary living. Area rugs to keep underfoot walking comfortable and to break up the space visually is ideal, especially in living room and dining room areas. Consider bringing resilient flooring into your home for a crisp and modern touch.

6.  Opening up your interiors with an open floor plan

Contemporary homes have a sense of uniting all of the interior spaces into one grand experience. The term “great room” has been used to signify a blurring of the distinct walls and boundaries of living spaces with the kitchen, family room, etc… An open floor plan is ideal and is iconic in contemporary homes and creates a unified design aesthetic throughout your home.

7. Stream-lined contemporary architectural exterior details

While the focus on interiors is often thought of when considering contemporary influences, don’t forget the architectural exterior details that are just as important. Most exterior detailing is free from heavy ornamentation of historic classical buildings and is replaced with simple rectilinear or curvilinear forms. Rooflines are distinct – cantilever or large overhangs, and unique features such as seemingly flat rooflines as well as materials of the exterior usually blend harmoniously with nature around your home in contemporary styles.

8. Attention to contemporary details in your home

Similarly to design periods of the past, detailing is essential in a contemporary home. Fine elements such as lighting fixtures that are distinct and look like works of fine art are kept simple and distinct. Hand railings and banisters that were once large handcrafted pieces of wood in past design decades are replaced with innovative tension cables, glass, or industrial materials. Look to adding contemporary details that get noticed, yet don’t distract your minimal interiors.

9. Technology becomes hidden behind your gorgeous interiors

One of the areas of contemporary design that everyone loves are the “hidden details”. You see the innovative technology in our smart worlds of technology for phones, computers, and also in our homes. Contemporary details of wireless and remote access controls for controlling electronics, heating/cooling systems, lighting, security and more are all hidden behind the beautiful details. Try bringing innovative controls into your home lifestyle and see how much your contemporary home will feel.

10. Release your ‘old world’ thinking in our contemporary age

There is no doubt that every design age borrows and influences elements from each other. The contemporary era of design is more about letting go of strict and formal design rules and becoming more open and minimalistic in approach. Whether you decide to have a more eclectic home and mix and match past eras or you’d prefer to become ultra-modern in nature, your home should reflect your lifestyle. Release your old world thinking that every piece in your home has to have a label and enjoy contemporary living that is reflected throughout your gorgeous home.

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The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials. It was generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC. Since then, the Great Wall has been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; with the majority of the existing wall reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).

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The Dancing House or Fred and Ginger is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building in Prague, Czech Republic. It was designed by the Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in co-operation with the renowned Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The building was designed in 1992 and completed in 1996.
The very non-traditional design was controversial at the time because the house stands out among the Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous. Gehry originally named the house Fred and Ginger (after the famous dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – the house resembles a pair of dancers) but this nickname is now rarely used; moreover, Gehry himself was later “afraid to import American Hollywood kitsch to Prague”, so refuted his own idea.
The “Dancing House” is set on a property of great historical significance. Its site was the location of a house destroyed by the U.S. bombing of Prague in 1945. The plot and structure lay decrepit until 1960 when the area was cleared.
The style is known as deconstructivist (“new-baroque” to the designers) architecture due to its unusual shape. The “dancing” shape is supported by 99 concrete panels, each a different shape and dimension. On the top of the building is a large twisted structure of metal nicknamed Medusa.

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