Interior Design Blog

http://dornob.com/see-through-concrete-5-real-life-light-transmitting-walls/

Termistop flanges and blockouts are designed to give PCO’s
a non-chemical, long-lasting termite protection at the service penetrations through the slab. Once installed, Termistop eliminates these hidden termite entry points because the mesh is too small to squeeze through and too hard to chew through. Termistop stops termites in their tracks. PERIOD!

Termistop is International Code Council approved for new construction, has completed 9 years of USDA Forestry Service Testing with no failures, and recognized by Green Building Industry professionals. Termistop is designed to eliminate the need for chemical retreatments in the interior of the home, giving homeowners a termiticide-free living area.

Termistop flanges and blockouts are designed to give PCO’s a non-chemical, long lasting termite protection at the service penetrations through the slab.
Why Do I Need It?

By nature, concrete slabs set, shrink, expand and create gaps between utility pipe penetrations and the concrete itself—gaps large enough for termite entry. Termites commonly use such piping as direct highways right into homes or structures.
And often, termites that enter homes through these areas go undetected longer which enables them to do far more damage before being discovered. This damage can lead to repair bills in the thousands!
Green Building Benefits

Termistop Flanges and Blockouts are a non-chemical solution that prevents termites from entering the home at the service penetrations through the slab. The stainless-steel mesh creates a “physical barrier” to termite entry when it “keys” into the concrete. By addressing these areas during construction with Termistop flanges and blockouts, PCO’s reduce the need to apply chemical termiticides within the living space of the building.

Many green building programs around the country emphasize the use of physical barriers and non-chemical termite solutions. Termistop qualifies as a physical barrier in many of these programs and will capture points for the builder in some of the green building rating systems.

Termistop and the full Termimesh system have been specified in many high-profile green building projects around the United States in both residential and commercial construction. Listen to what one of the premier green building architects in the nation has to say about the product. For more information visit www.termistopusa.com.

http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr.aspx?pg=20948&ca=4&from=hpfeatures

Incandescent, Halogen, Fluorescent, LED – Which is best? Wattage is not the proper indicator for the amount of light a lamp produces. Refer to lumens for that reference.
Also critical for lamping decisions is color temperature. Refer to the following chart for help in deciding which lamp to buy.

How does halogen enter into this mix? As a point of reference, a 60 watt halogen lamp produces as much light as a regular 100 watt incandescent lamp.
* Estimated annual energy use based on 5 hours per day. Estimated annual energy cost based on electric rate of $0.1099/kWh (Jan 2011 US national average)
This table provided by EFI.

http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=20946&ca=10

http://www.forresidentialpros.com/article/10346164/how-foodies-approach-kitchen-design

According to the trade magazine Tile, there are 13 tile trends for 2012.

1.  Modern, monochromatic visuals with the tile and coordinating thin grout lines as close as possible to the same color and the whole plain of tile appearing seamless.  The tile usually required for this look is called rectified tile.  This means all tile are as close to the same size as possible.

2.  Linear movement – sweeping tile patterns and grout lines draw the eye.

3.  Contemporary graphic representations – the magic of 3-D digital printing.  Many ceramic and porcelain tile faces are actually facsimiles or prints.  With 3-D printing techniques, these prints are becoming more realistic.

4.  Black, white, and gray – chic and urbane.

5.  Textures, fabric-like surfaces.  Texture adds interest to a design.  Shiny and matte also “textures” but not the only ones.

6.  Dimensionality – combining materials such as glass and stone or porcelain in one installation.  There are many mosaics available on mesh that do this.

7.   Inserts of glass and metal mosaics.  By cutting mesh of mosaics in squares, not only are they memorable focal points but they are sensible choices for budgets since mesh sheets sold by the square foot are usually more cost effective than individual dots sold by the piece.

8.  Traditional classics – timeless and elegant.  And what can be more timeless than natural stone.  Long thought of as traditional, natural stone used correctly, can also be contemporary.

9.  Large and small sizes used together.  But be sure and have a designer plan the pattern before the tile setter starts to lay tile to avoid costly errors.

10.  Faux animal skins- from luminescent fish scales to eye catching crocodile skin

11.  Metallic wall tile backsplash – polished and contemporary.  Metal tiles are very practical for backsplashes behind cooking appliances.

12.  Tile bordered window – instead of wood trim, for continuity of design.

13.  Larger size tiles, in all styles, shapes, and materials.  Glass tile is becoming readily available in larger formats.  Porcelain tile is becoming more and more available in formats other than square.  Rectangular tiles are more and more popular.  Stone tiles are also being fabricated in larger formats.  Be mindful that larger formats require less handling when setting, but are not any easier to set because they weigh more.  It is a misconception that labor will be less to set large format tile.

Tile is timeless and should last a lifetime if set properly.  But the tile used is not always timeless, case in point, 5 by 5 pink bath tile from the 1950′s.  Don’t be afraid to make a change.  Call BK Design Associates at 281-531-4242 today to discuss what we can do to update that old 1950′s bath of yours.

I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard a new client’s first question “What color should I paint the walls?”   Invariably that is always #1, or at the top of the list anyway of any interior designer’s consultation, sometimes before anything else has been purchased or selected for the space.  And the answer is… spread out the fan deck, close your eyes and pick one.  Wait!  Don’t do that!  But if you were to do that you would have just as good a chance of selecting a good paint color as your interior designer would at that point in the design process.  The point is paint color is relevant to other pieces of the design.  It certainly is not the starting place.  So what is the starting place and how does one go about selecting the perfect paint color?

When starting an interior design, your first selection should always be the floor.  And the floor includes an area rug if you plan to use one.  Why is this the first place to start? There are less choices for you to select from for the floor than the paint deck.  From a paint store, there are an infinite number of choices of color to choose.  With computer matching, the color technician can match virtually any color you present him or her.  That isn’t the case with flooring.  Now I know what you’re thinking…”But there are many choices of floors!”.  True, flooring possibilities are also endless…tile, wood, laminate, vinyl, carpet, area rugs.  But you more than likely have a budget, which limits the selection set you have to choose from.  You know you hate green, so all greenish floors are out, and so on and so forth.  I’m sure you get where I’m taking this.  Your choices are narrowed before you ever start.  Hard surface floors are pretty easy to select.  You have a preconceived notion in your head of what you want.  Area rugs on the other hand are a whole other subject that is best left for a future blog entry but suffice to say a selection is best made early in the process so your colors and patterns coordinate.  After the floor, other selections should come about fairly easily.  Don’t forget about fabrics at this point.  Even a small bath design includes some fabric, i.e. a hand towel.

So now comes the arduous task of paint color selection.  Paint should be the last thing you decide on.  It could be an easy task at this point, particularly if you want to match specifically to something.  But what if you have a fairly generic room and you want to add some character with paint color? Character is good.  Just keep in mind when you enter a room, the first thing you should notice is NOT the paint color.  The paint color should be a backdrop for your personality.  You will no doubt place furniture, pictures or photos, or ‘arts de object’ on the wall and in and around the space.  Those “things” should be the focal point.  Or maybe a beautiful view, or a fireplace, but never a colored wall.  Walls by themselves, are not particularly attractive so why call attention to them?  The only exception, as I see it, is when you have interesting architecture that you want to accentuate or feature.  Then you can play with color a bit, making the architecture stand out.

When the process gets hard is when you’ve narrowed down your paint colors to a hand full.   How do you know if that lovely beige is actually pink in disguise?  The easiest way to judge color is to compare it to a similar color.  The best example I can give is when you have your eyes checked.  The doctor asks you if “A” is better or “B” over and over again with both being similar.  Do the same with your colors.  You’ll be able to tell right away if that perfect beige, “A”, is pink or not.

And finally, and this may be the most important step of paint color selection. Do purchase a sample or quart and put a sizable paint swatch on the wall.  A one-inch by one-inch swatch on a paint fan deck is next to impossible to judge from.  Good paint companies offer their paint in small samples for $5 or $6.  Invest in the paint sample before you invest in the entire completed paint job.  It is well worth the time and money saved if your choice is way off.

Please do consider calling an interior designer in for a color consultation if you just cannot decide or maybe you can’t see the colors.  The older we get color recognition becomes distorted as the cornea ages.  A good percentage of the population is colorblind.  As interior designers, we look at paint decks each and everyday.  We know them like the backs of our hands and we are happy to help you.  And remember: IT’S ONLY PAINT.