your ideas in 3D

Autodesk Homestyler puts your ideas in 3D

Contemplating a kitchen remodel, wondering how a new sectional would fit in your living room, or simply can’t decide what color to paint the bathroom? A new Web-based program called Autodesk Homestyler might help.

“A big challenge in home remodeling is envisioning the finished product,” says Patrick Aragon, product manager of Homestyler. The free program addresses that problem by letting you drag and drop a room, adjust its dimensions, then add doors, windows, cabinets, furniture and even appliances. You can use generic furnishings or plug in specific products from Dacor, FLOR, Kohler, Corian, Merillat or Sherwin-Williams. (You can also add a pool or koi pond in the backyard using landscape features.)

Then, with one click of the mouse you can change views from a 2D plan to 3D to visualize your creation.

Homestyler was created for homeowners but also can be used by design professionals,or as a tool for a pre-design consultation, says Aragon. It “brings homeowners and professionals together instead of looking at a paper napkin."

-- Roselle Curwen, LA Times

awesome envelopes

Google map envelopes (conceptual only at this stage unfortunately) prints the address of the sender and the recipient and plots the distance between the two...

Not available yet but these are available...

Pinpoint your address (or any other... like the Eiffel Tower perhaps?) on a DIY printable envelope interior...

via searching for sporadic surprises

modern cardboard cat scratcher

Kate from Moderncat recently launched Moderncat Studio, a modern cat product design studio. The first major project to come out of Moderncat Studio is the Wave modern door-hanging cardboard cat scratcher.

In addition to being stylish, Wave is also eco-friendly and cat-friendly. It’s held together with compression, not adhesives like glue, so you can easily replace the cardboard when it gets worn. The frame is made from anodized aluminum frame and can hang from all doorknobs and has a silicone doorknob protector so your handles doesn’t get scratched up.

Want one? The Wave is available for $45 in the Moderncat Studio Etsy shop.

Via design milk

mother's day

Last Chance - Send an eCard to Your Mom Today

Celebrate your mother this mother's day by supporting women around the world. Make a gift of any size on behalf of your mother, and we will send her an e-card thanking her for not only being a great mother, but for making a difference in the lives of all mothers. Your gift will help protect the rights of women and girls.

obsessively seeking original occupant

By CHRISTOPHER GRAY, NY Times
Published: May 5, 2010

THIRTY-ODD years ago, when I was a young architectural historian moving into the Cornwall, at Broadway and 90th Street, I began wondering who had first slept in my apartment. Four years later, I had emptied my bag of tricks in researching the building.

A 1980s renovation at the Cornwall, shown in 1910, unearthed paper clues that led to a phone call that identified Dorothy Spencer, shown in a Smith College yearbook photo in 1914.

I had pretty much given up when two faded baby-blue tickets to the Smith College graduation of June 15, 1914, fluttered down from behind the old oak kitchen cabinets and landed at my feet.

Two baby-blue tickets to the Smith College graduation of June 15, 1914 were a clue to the apartment’s former occupant.

My wife, Erin, and I had been living as rental tenants in the Cornwall since 1978. As earnest young gentrifiers, we helped take the 1910 building co-op in 1981. That was also the year we moved from 3A to 11A, a four-bedroom apartment with a paneled dining room, an onyx fireplace, stained glass, a wall safe, figured tile in a bathroom — all the accouterments of top-of-the-middle-line apartment living of 1910.

The Cornwall, shown in 1910.

In the four years we lived in 3A, I had combed the earth looking for the original tenants.

Find out who lived there here.

something to do - reminder

starts tomorrow

FREE ADMISSION

Friday & Saturday
May 7 & 8, 2010
10am - 5pm

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

Pre-Register and be entered in their drawing for Green Building & Design Products and Services.

For a full listing of exhibitors, programming and special features please visit their web site

there's an app for that

20 Smartphone Apps for the Home and Garden

A simulated layout in Eden Garden Designer, which helps you plan your landscape.

A map showing frost dates in the Vegetable Gardening Guide.

With the iHandy Carpenter, you make sure surfaces are straight with the bubble level tool.

A Benjamin Moore smartphone application matches the colors in a photograph to a paint chip.

And a whole lot more here.

the sartorialist

On the street.... Tokyo, April 2010

At the flea market









All of the photographs copyrighted by The Sartorialist.

cinco de mayo

Cinco de Mayo, now with 25% less to-kill-ya, ahem, tequila

It's common knowledge that Cinco de Mayo isn't actually Mexico's independence day; but if you're not careful it could become yours. Too many shots of bad tequila might result in your independence from not only the burrito you ate earlier, but also from your friends who will likely flee in the face of your resulting belligerence and obvious divorce from reality.

So let's keep it low-key this year, friend. Two margaritas will do nicely. And please, if you don't play in a Mariachi band, leave your sombrero at home. With those kindly words of caution, here are a few key Cinco de Mayo celebrations for your moderate party-day consumption:

El Conquistador: Although I have refused to set foot in this place since it repainted its exterior in Laker purple and gold, I never stopped loving it. It has incredible carrot soup, margaritas the size of menudobowls and a festive environment filled with colorful tissue paper flags, layered tablecloths, pinatas and all manner of Mexican knick-knacks. Cinco de Mayo inevitably brings a raucous crowd that often spills out into a line on the street. So come early if you want to snag a table. 3701 W. Sunset Blvd., (323) 666-5136; www.elconquistadorrestaurant.com.

Mexico Restaurante y Barra: This Acapulco-style hang has only been open for about a year, but it has already established itself as a fun-loving, party-centric kind of place. Two patios overlooking Santa Monica Boulevard., bright pink walls and a bevy of creative cocktails make its sudsy siren song that much sweeter. On Cinco de Mayo Mexico is offering $15 pitchers of Dos Equis and Tecate; $5 tamalesand taquitos; $8 cazadores margaritas; and a live Mariachi band. 8512 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood., (310) 289-0088; www.gogomexico.com.

Kiss My Bundt: Bundt kissing may not seem like a particularly Latin-flavored thing to do, but this charming 3rd Street bakery is offering a class on how to make Mexican-style cakes and frostings. Experiment with flavors and ingredients used in Mexico including beer, tequila, orange, lemon, lime, banana, chile, cinnamon and mint. As an added bonus, the class begins with a complimentary margarita, beer or tequila popper. The cost is $50. 8104 W. 3rd St., L.A., (323) 655-0559;http://kissmybundt.typepad.com.

-- Jessica Gelt, LA Times

don't send flowers

Celebrate Mothers around the Globe

One of four e-cards to send with your own special letter: A 19-year-old Somali refugee holds her newborn infant in a health clinic at a camp in Kenya. © 2009 Reuters

Instead of sending flowers celebrate your mother this mother’s day by supporting women around the world.

Make a gift of any size on behalf of your mother, and Human Rights Watch will send her an e-card thanking her not only for being a great mother, but for making a difference in the lives of all mothers.

Your gift will help protect the rights of women and girls.

new at remodelista

Remodelista has just introduced the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory, a listing of architects and interior designers chosen for their commitment to thoughtful, forward-thinking design. Firm listings are organized by geographic region, practice areas, and project type.

They're launching with a core group of architects and designers (they'll also be including landscape architects and lighting designers) and will be adding new entries on a regular basis. Take a look, whether you're seeking an architect or designer or just interested in browsing projects. If you are a professional looking for more information, please visit the Design Professionals page.

housing awards

2010 AIA housing award winners include two L.A.-area multi-family projects

The American Institute of Architects officially announces winners of its national housing awards on Tuesday, but L.A. at Home has a sneak peek at the winners list.

The AIA received about 200 entries in four housing categories this year. From that pool, 18 winners were honored. See photos and jury comments for them all in an extended photo gallery.

Step Up on 5th facade detail

Step Up on 5th entry

Formosa 1140

postcard from provence

Peony
10cm x 11cm (4"x4½"), oil on gessoed card

Today's painting will be sold by auction - auction starts today at 8pm GMT and ends on Monday 3rd May at 8pm GMT (4pm EDT / 1pm PDT)

Starting price: $100
To register or login to the auction visit: http://auction.shiftinglight.com

may calendar

Click here to download a free printable 8.5"x11" calendar for the month of May.

stupid pet tricks

two cats and a cathouse

Old inhabitant - Mezzo.

New inhabitant - Grigio.

stamps to the rescue

Because Shelter Pets Deserve a First-Class Meal

In celebration of the new Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet stamps, the Postal Service™, together with Ellen DeGeneres and Halo: Purely for Pets, is giving shelter pets around the country a First-Class Meal.During the launch of the stamps, Halo will be donating a million meals to animal shelters around the country.

The Goal

We want more Americans to know about the millions of shelter pets that need good homes. Nearly half of the animals that enter animal shelters are euthanized. Many of these cats and dogs would have made a wonderful pet...if only given the chance.You can make a difference. Adopt a pet, volunteer at a shelter, or just get the word out by buying these stamps.
Learn more about pet adoption.

The Stamps

This campaign continues the Postal Service's 50+ year tradition of raising awareness of serious social issues with special commemorative stamps. The 44-cent stamps feature photos of five cats and five dogs who were all adopted from shelters.

Learn more about the stamps.

diy : filament lights

Tutorial here.

postcard from provence

Paysage à Crillon-le-Brave
20cm x 16cm (8"x6"), oil on gessoed card

Today's painting will be sold by auction - auction starts today and ends on Thursday 29th April at 8pm GMT (4pm EDT / 1pm PDT)

Starting price: $100
To register or login to the auction visit: http://auction.shiftinglight.com

cottage in a day

The next generation of factory-built, energy-efficient, green homes. The process incorporates exceptional design, use of sustainable materials, and a structural insulated panel (SIP) envelope for strength, sound reduction, and comfort.

The prefab modules are designed and constructed in a facility to meet or exceed Energy Star requirements, the National Home Builder's Association measure for green construction, and residential LEED standards.
Good design and a sophisticated selection of fixtures, finishes, and textures combine to make Cottage in a Day® a wise and visually pleasing choice for a vacation retreat or a year-round residence.

Material selections for long-term durability and energy efficiency enhance a philosophy for responsible living as well as a return on investment. Cottage in a Day® is the solution to construction problems.

via the Bedlam of Beefy