There are many worries when it comes to finished basements, from water and moisture to mold and mildew, but the basement is also the perfect place for the man-cave or mom’s little hideaway. Here are some of my best ideas of what you can do with a finished basement.

1. The Bar: Every man dreams of having his own mahogany bar, complete with beer taps and those Tom Cruise “Cocktail” moves. You name it something cool like the Vegas Hideaway or The Gilded Hare and have your friends come over for drinks. People start expecting more drinks, so you end up buying books on mixology and become an expert on everything from exotic beers to using egg whites.

2. Craft/Tool Area: If you have children, then you know it can be difficult to have any kind of hobby in the main area of the house, because they will inevitably get into it. If you are into woodcarving, beading or other crafts, then a finished basement is perfect. You can keep the door locked so the children can’t get it and then enjoy an hour or two to go down and enjoy your hobby while your significant other takes care of the children.

3. Play Area: Many basements are basically one large room, and these can be perfect for play areas for your older children. You can put large items in there, such as a makeshift stage for plays or bins of costumes for dress-up. This keeps toys from getting spread about the house, but I would recommend that there be an adult to supervise whenever the children are down there. If you have limited space in your home, then a basement play area can save you a lot of cleaning effort, and you don’t have an main floor toy room.

4. Home Theater Arena: The worst part about having the main living room as the home theater area is that there is always so much going on. People come over, and the living room is where they go. The kids want to play X-box. The wife wants to watch “Steel Magnolias” … again. Or worse, you start to watch, and they ask you to turn it down. With its concrete walls, the basement is great for acoustics, and you can sit in relative peace and quiet as the rest of the world goes on above you.

5. The Game Room: We have all seen the basements with the pool tables, poker tables and other gaming implements in television, movies and even some relatives’ houses, and there is a reason for that. With such a large area, you can place many large gaming items, like tables and pinball machines, without having it look cluttered. It can be an area for kids or adults and provides the privacy to really concentrate on killing the bad guy.

Basements can be anything you want, from an extra bedroom to a home gym, and should be utilized in some way, especially if it is finished. Too many people forget about the basement and focus on decorating and renovating their main floors, but there is a whole area of the home not being considered.

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When Feng Shui burst onto the scene several years ago, I chalked it up to that “weird L.A. pish posh” and passed on Fenging and Shuiing my furniture.

The essence of this mystical far eastern concept is that placement of furniture and the design of buildings can have an effect on the universal qi, pronounced chee, which flows through your home.

Anyone that has grown up studying martial arts or just watched a bunch of old kung fu movies will immediately notice that qi is often talked about and can be channeled to do all kinds of cool stuff like flying, breaking bricks with your head and shooting fireballs. Ok, I got that last one from the video game Street Fighter.

It is also a key concept of acupuncture. If qi is blocked or slowed in the body, your back can hurt, your immune system can be weakened and your liver may explode. I totally made that last one up, btw.

Qi is apparently everywhere and in everything including my coffee table and yard sale wingback chair. In China, Feng Shui isn’t so much as aspect of interior design as a spiritual art form that is used out of respect to their religion and to bring good fortune. In the U.S., Kim Kardashian uses to decide which way to point her Prada shoe closet.|

I am not sure if there is any qi in my home or if my current furniture and decoration arrangement is an affront to the gods, but so far my house hasn’t burned down and a samurai ghost hasn’t ran down the stairs to take me out with his spectral katana.

The jury is still out on whether I personally think Feng Shui is real and worth my time to implement. I have no idea if my qi is blocked or my ying is tugging on my yang. If I did do it, I wouldn’t want it to mean something trivial because this is far more than an aspect of interior design. It’s something spiritual and that’s a fact that many Americans forget about.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/pildorito/4406856177

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It was a little creepy and yet cool at the same time. I mean who wouldn’t be excited at the thought of a million clones of me. When it comes to decorating your home, mirrors are a simple and fun way to create new perspectives in a room and provide focus on specific objects.

Adding space: Mirrors are famous for their ability to create faux space in small rooms by reflecting the interior. If you have a small bathroom, a few well placed mirrors can create the feeling of open and airiness without the expense of remodeling. If you have a long thin corridor, small mirrors placed on the walls can create the same openness. For long thin rooms or corridors, it is better to use several small mirrors rather than one large mirror as that can may actually bring focus to the smallness of the corridor.

Spotlighting: While a large mirror isn’t suited for a small corridor, it is excellent for bringing focus on specific furniture or decorative pieces in the home. If you have an amazing wingback chair or lamp from your great aunt Tilly that you want everyone to comment on, then place a mirror above it so that it is reflected in the mirror. You are basically getting double exposure and more of a chance of it sparking a conversation. This is also perfect for city skylines. If you have a large window that overlooks the skyline, put a mirror on the opposite wall so the view is reflected. It’s sure to get noticed by people passing by.

Reflection: There is nothing more romantic than the soft glow of a candle reflected in a mirror. This is not only romantic, but also energy efficient as the reflected light from the candle will create additional light for the room. My only caveat to this is watch out for the wax, it’s is a pain to clean.

Types of Mirrors: There are many types of mirrors in every shape and size. There are framed mirrors, beveled mirrors, laser etched mirrors and more. The key for you is that it doesn’t matter what kind of mirror, only that it suits your décor and you like it. Remember, you’re the one looking at it most of the day.

I love mirrors, but I do have to warn you that there is a fine line between creative genius and the fun-house effect. That’s when you have to many mirrors you’re house looks like a fun-house. If you are walking through your house and are constantly seeing movement in the corner of your eye, it’s not a ghost, but your own reflection in the two thousand mirrors you put up.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/frenchfinds/3798078732

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An earth sheltered home is built so three of the sides and the roof are built into a hill and is covered by Earth and the front is left open. This provides amazing benefits for heating and cooling as well as security against weather-related phenomenon. It stays cool during the summer and keeps heat in during the winter.

One company insists their earth sheltered homes never fall below 55 degrees even in the dead of winter. That’s all great and all, but they never mention being visited by dwarves and wizards. What about Hobbits also known as Halflings in J.R.R. Tolkien’s’ world of Middle Earth?

Bilbo and Frodo Baggins are Hobbits that live in homes built into the hills of the Shire, a wooded paradise where nothing exciting happens and that’s how they want it. That is until meddling wizard with a group of dwarves shatters Bilbo’s peace and quiet and leads him on an adventure that includes Orcs, giant spiders and a massive dragon complete with treasure. I like treasure. Me wants treasure…my precious. Sorry, I had momentary Gollum moment, I am a nerd remember.

For people of the pocket protector persuasion, such as I, when we see an earth sheltered home, the first thing we think of it “The One Ring” and those filthy Hobbitses’. Sure, Hobbit houses didn’t have cool things like in-door plumbing and LCD televisions, but what they lacked in amenities they made up for in… uh…well… did I mention there was a wizard?

Let’s face it, I’m already short with hairy feet, so I am sure mean spirited neighbors would make the Hobbit reference anyway especially when I put that big “Welcome to the Shire” sign on the front lawn. Sure, my wife would probably leave me and my children would never want to be with me in public again, but… Ok, so maybe that’s not the greatest idea.

What have we learned folks? Earth sheltered homes are great during the winter, keep you safe from storms and wizards will randomly drop by for tea. Alright, so maybe not that last one.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/3288477463

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In a world of squares and rectangles, an eight-sided house with a flat roof tends to catch my notice. There was a busted window and the paint had peeled down to almost nothing. It was obviously old, and I vowed to learn more.

Apparently, one of the nation’s most respected phrenologists; yes, someone that figures out a person by reading the shape of their head; Orson Squire Fowler was the creator of the octagon phenomenon. When Fowler wasn’t massaging the personality out of someone’s head, he was studying architecture and came up with the idea that an eight-sided home would be cheaper to build, easier to heat and stay cool and let in more natural light. He enlightened the world to his discovery in The Octagon House: A Home For All, or A New, Cheap, Convenient, and Superior Mode of Building. Subtlety, not his strong point. Throughout the mid- to late- 19th century, a few thousand of these homes were built including the one that I passed that spring afternoon.

As the weeks and months flew by, I would occasionally pass the peculiar home and noticed someone painted the outside and was putting in a little TLC. I spied a woman coming out one day and stopped to ask her about its history. She was an older women, but not elderly. There was a spring in her step, but a weariness in her eyes. Her husband was the local dentist or optometrist, the exact profession escapes me now after all theses years, and had fallen in love with the building years ago.

He spent nights and weekends fixing up the decrepit house trying to bring it back to its original grandeur. But like many homes that sit vacant, when one thing is fixed, something else breaks. The couple spent years working on the home. It was a money pit, but an eight-sided labor of love for the old doctor.

She had a way of telling a story that kept you rapt in attention and I could feel how much the doctor loved the place. Her eyes welled up with tears as she told me of his death several years ago and how much she missed him.

After he died, everyone told her to sell the place. She was on a fixed income and would have a difficult time keeping up with the taxes let as well repairing the home, but she couldn’t sell it.

When she walked in that odd house, she felt him. He poured himself into it and his essence could be found in every square inch. When she was there, the woman got her husband back for a little while.

The home was a burden for sure, and I could tell a part of her hated it. A pipe had burst over the winter and it had cost her significantly to fix it. Things were going wrong all the time and she was doing her best to keep it from falling apart, but her heart didn’t sing for it like her husband’s did. Her husband loved the house. She loved her husband.

I walked back to my car and looked at the weary old woman. She embraced the burden of the home to hold on to her husband, but her vigil was taking its toll. It has been several year since I’ve seen the woman and the house. I often wonder if she still toils to keep his spirit alive, gave up and sold it or spent her last breath holding on to her husband’s dream.

I have often wanted to find out what happened to her and the old home, but have always hesitated. Like most good stories, the ending isn’t as important as the journey to get there. I would much rather remember the story of a man and woman’s enduring love that transcended death and an eight-sided phrenologist’s folly.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/michiganmoves/3024913625

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If you’re worried about making a room look tacky, drop  your guard, and stress a little less. Bright colors are anything-but-tacky. They illuminate a space’s personality and radiate charm.

Yes, it’s true that bright colors, when used in abundance can clash and cause chaos. For this reason, some amateur decorators shy away from color altogether. Why open doors for problems when you can avoid it altogether? Well, this mindset may result in a room that’s a little boring.

With color, you can achieve enough without going overboard. Consider a colored accent wall that contrasts with your room’s trim. Add a splash of color that you wouldn’t otherwise touch for a space that is elegant and uniquely you.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/waikikiweekly/3472046133

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The landscape is really gorgeous out there, and the modern architecture is similarly stunning. Back in the day, wealthy Los Angeles businessmen would build houses in the desert, hiring many famous architects to build their homes. Today, I want to give you a few ideas on how you can incorporate this style into your home.

Palm Springs style is all about casual elegance. Like other iterations of modern design, it is all about clean lines, natural light, and beautiful forms. To recreate the same sort of vibe in your home requires a bit of effort. First, you have to be rather militantabout the amount of clutter you have around the house. This doesn’t just  mean the books, cds, and magazines and other things that can make your house physically dirty, but the things that you make it visually distracting. That means that you don’t have five different colors of lamps in the living room. It is all about clean colors. It also means that you don’t have a grandfather clock or empire chair.

What is the upside to all of this difficulty?  Simple, vibrant colors and clean-lined furniture, with little to no adornments, can bring a lot of attention to the elements of the room that you do want to emphasize.

Something that I think is always OK with a modern style: some indoor shrubbery. (Insert Monty Python reference here). Lots of indoor plants go well the typical color palette of desert modernism – Earth tones and clean, bright colors, especially shades of white. An indoor palm or large cactus would take you a long way to referencing Palm Springs, but any number of indoor plants will do. Boxed grasses used to be all the rage for interior designers. There is a reason for this – they are simple but still dramatic. While it is not Palm Springs at all, consider getting a plant in this style for your room.

I hope you enjoyed this post on Palm Springs style.  If you have any knowledge about modernism, thoughts about Palm Springs design, or any questions about what I’ve said, please post them below!  Until next time!

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The finalists’ entries were all very strong.  Note that what Wilsonart was looking for in their competition (primarily inventive use of their product) is different from what I will be critiquing – use in a home setting. This is not to suggest that this is what the contestants had in mind – some of them definitely didn’t have home use in mind- but this is a homes and gardens blog, afterall.

The first up is Esin Arsan’s One-For-Two chair. It’s actually a loveseat, and if you look carefully at the image, you can see that it has two “arms” that seem to be reaching towards you. The loveseat is supposed to actually hug the people who are sitting on it. This is a gorgeously designed piece, with the vibrant optimism of a Jeff Koons sculpture.  The takeaway lesson here is that a centerpiece for your living room – or really any room – doesn’t have to be elaborate or ornate. A dash of bright color or an unusual form – or both, in this case – can make a piece a show stopper.

The next up is the Nabolis chair by Mike Jozewicz.  This chair is even simpler and more sculptural than Esin Arsan’s piece. I think it is actually way prettier. It looks like something I would like to sit on. The actual pattern is overcomplicated: on a chair sculpted this well, it is gilding the lilly – the visual busyness detracts from the elegantly simple sculpture. The impact of the chair would be greatly improved if Jozewicz stuck to simpler colors or effects. The takeaway – don’t try to make something amazing too complicated.  Simplicity is better.

Next we have the Lunch Bag Chair by Alexandra Pulver. Her chair was not intended for the home – it was imagined as part of her popuplunch.com series on urban street design. Still, her devotion to simplicity, clean lines, and bold color are great confines for anyone designing a modern living space.

Anyway, I hope you liked talking about some more strictly design stuff than we normally do.  Let me know what you thought!  Until next time!

–

Image Source: Clint Blowers

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(Hint: the answer is yes.) This post will be about how to maximize the natural lighting in your home. The great thing: none of these tips cost much money.

So pick a room to work on. What kind of feeling are you trying to go for? Will it change based on the time of day? During the day, you are going to want to maximize the amount of light in your room, probably. (A lot of people don’t consider managing daylight when they plan out their room’s lighting, but they totally should!).

Wherever the natural light is coming from in your room, you want to maximize the mileage you are getting out of it. Try not to put furniture too close to the windows, and certainly don’t have furniture cover up the windows, because that does two things: first, it makes your room feel smaller than it actually is, and second, big heavy furniture in front of the windows makes your room much darker.

Mirrors can add a lot of light to a room. Depending on where you position your mirrors in the room and where the light comes into your room, you can strategically place the mirrors so that you are actually bending the light in the room and reflecting it somewhere else. The Ancient Egyptians used to reflect a bunch of mirrors in lines so that the lights would be able to penetrate deep into the pyramids. You can employ the same technique to make your room feel bright and airy.

My last recommendation is actually pretty simple – make sure you’ve got the right kind of blinds, curtains, drapes, or whatever is on your window. A lot of curtains actually diminish the amount of light you can get into a particular room. If your drapes are always covering part of your window, even when they are open, you probably want to choose a different kind. Trust me on that one.

I hope you’ve found these tips on how to improve natural lighting in your home helpful. Tune in next Tuesday for more tips on how to improve lighting in your house! If you have any tips, post them below. Happy designing!

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/casadeyork/500342221

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The first one is simple – are you getting out of bed in the morning on time?  How about you get a new alarm clock?  I personally prefer the iHome iH5, which is a combination alarm clock / radio / iPod docking station. You can program it to wake you up to songs from your iTunes library. It’s a lot nicer waking up to the sounds of a favorite band than waking up to the sqauking of an alarm clock. The iH5 also does a nice job of integrating decent, simple design into a good product–it is not a clock you will feel emberassed about having on your nightstand.

How fast are you at getting out of the house in the morning?  If you take your coffee on the road, try paring a Keurig Coffee Maker with a reusable plastic mug.  While you do need to buy those refill packets occasionally, you are still going to reduce your environmental footprint by not buying disposable coffee cups, and you’ll also be saving yourself money.  And at the end of the day, you’ll have a pretty decent coffee always at your disposal.  This is what we call a win-win-win.

Another way to make sure you are on schedule and alert at work is making sure you are getting enough sleep at home.  I have written about this in a previous post, but the crux of it is that you want to make sure that you have a good mattress, a dark room, and either complete silence or white noise to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

My last tip is to consider having stress relieving things around the house so that you can recharge at home and be your best at work.  Light up some aromatherapy candles to relax, give yourself a foot spa, or bake some delicious cookies. Relaxing is part of getting your work done – when you are calm, you are efficient.

If you have any tips on this subject, please post them!  Have a stress-free and productive week!

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/toprural/2367679355

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