Functional Attractive Fences

Privacy and light all in one linear design ~ clean, contemporary & efficient.
Fences have always served as a barrier to either keep people & animals in or out. With the constant and ever present focus on transparency in our private and business lives we as homeowners welcome the combination of architectural creativity in the garden with the need for privacy. Landscape designers are lending their talent to redefining fences by utilizing products that have previously not been explored in perimeter and decorative fencing. Visual fluidity, light, continuity, functional design all come together in these examples of Fencing Circa 2014.
Gateless privacy ~ allows easy access while still blocking the street view.
Protective and transparent ~ this pool fencing provides safety and a fluid visual aesthetic.

Windy city breezes vs Million $$ views ~ Everybody wins with this roof top patio fence.

 

 

Smart Quartz Countertops!

Activated by light and air movement, this super smart floor apparently can convert the toxins normally found in your home into harmless water and carbon dioxide. – See more at: https://furstmanproperties.com/?p=591#sthash.di4QWUKb.dpuf

A few weeks ago I wrote about a hardwood flooring that is reinventing the control of air quality in your home.  Activated by light and air movement, this super smart floor apparently can convert the toxins normally found in your home into harmless water vapor and cardon dioxide. Well I just found their counter part for the kitchen!

reinventing the control of air quality in your home.  Activated by light and air movement, this super smart floor apparently can convert the toxins normally found in your home into harmless water and carbon dioxide. – See more at: https://furstmanproperties.com/?p=591#sthash.JV8KikoA.dpuf

While I originally chose this kitchen to highlight because of the mixture of style and components, primarily the old reclaimed wood ceiling with the modern glass tiles and stainless appliances, once I began to read about the designer Sheryl Schey, a principal at White Picket Fence in Santa Monica, and her philosophies I became interested in her selection of the Silestone natural quartz counter-top she used on the island.

Silestone is composed of 94% natural quartz and is the only quartz product that provides Bacteriostatic protection. Developed by Cosentino, this protective formula incorporated into the quartz, uses the latest generation silver ions to prevent the propagation of bacteria on your counter-tops in the kitchen and bathroom. What a great idea! The product comes in a variety of colors as well as textures, polished, suede and volcano. Guaranteed, the quartz is stain, scratch, acid and impact resistant. Seems to cover all the concerns home owners have when considering what product to feature on their cabinetry in their kitchen and bathrooms.  With the cost of counter-tops being one of high ticket items in a kitchen or bath, to have the comfort of knowing your product is resistant to everyday use and doesn’t requiring regular sealing is a plus.
http://colors.cosentino.com/media/showroom/hd/kitchen/silestone-kitchen-cocina-silestone-quartz-cuarzo-tao-03.jpg

Photo courtesy of Silestone

 

In the Spirit of Mother’s Day!

How do you thank a woman for being your friend, protector, supervisor, guidance counselor, stylist, and above all overseer, aka, Mom….you make her a strawberry tart with a marzipan cake and a sugar cookie pastry….of course flowers are always welcome!

Strawberry Marzipan Tart

Ingredients

1/3 recipe sugar dough, recipe follow
1/2 pound unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon Cassis
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups ground almonds
1/4 cup currant jelly, melted
2 baskets strawberries, green tops cut off flat

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.On a floured surface, roll the pastry 3/8-inch thick and line a 10-inch flan ring with it. Place the ring on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and chill it until needed.Cream the butter and sugar lightly in an electric mixer; don’t let the butter get too soft. Add the eggs and mix lightly. Stir in the liqueur, and almond extract, then mix in the ground almonds. Pour into the chilled pastry shell and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Brush the top of the tart with the currant jelly. Arrange the strawberries cut side down on the tart. Remove the flan ring and transfer the tart to a flat serving platter. Cut into wedges.

Sugar Cookie Dough:

2 sticks butter, slightly softened
3 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 – 2 tablespoon heavy cream

Cut the butter into large pieces and place in the food processor with the flour, salt, and sugar. Mix until just incorporated.  Add the egg yolk and cream, continue to mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough, flatten, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

 

 

 

 

Window Pane Replacement Costs

Before any Home purchase buyers review and digest the copious amount of paperwork generated by the seller to try to fully explain what is currently known about the home they are selling. When going over Home Inspections there are invariably issues that are highlighted in the reports. Regularly I am asked what the costs for repair and replacement of some of these items are. As anyone who has purchased a home knows, the costs for fixing “what’s wrong with the house” does not come in the disclosure packet, only what needs fixing! Here I have consulted an article written by Chris Deziel explaining the approximate costs for repairing double paned windows.  Either due to age or seal failure glass can become cloudy or show condensation.

“After years of exposure to rain, sun and condensation, and if you want more sunlight in the house, it may be worth the expense of replacing it. You’ll probably want to know what that expense is before you go ahead with the project, however, and that depends on several factors. They include the size of the pane, the kind of glass you want to use and the style of your window.

The base price for float glass, which is clear window glass, is about $12 per square foot in 2013, and the price increases with every feature you add. Tinting adds from $5 to $7 per square foot, tempering adds about $2. Double pane glass is priced separately. If you add the cost of the glazing compound and caulk, the cost to replace a 2-by-2-foot pane of glass would range from about $60 for a clear pane to about $100 for a tinted pane of tempered glass. Don’t forget to allow money for paint if you have to make repairs to the frame. Labor costs vary, so get several quotes before you hire a contractor. In all, you should probably expect to pay between $300 to $700 if you choose not to do the job yourself.”

Now if you would like to replace the windows yourself. He provides a step by step process in his article published in SF Gate.

Photo by Susan Gilmore.

 

Marriage of Architecture through Landscaping

In today’s marketplace new home owners are routinely faced with the multiple challenges of uniting past owners design choices with their own.  Whether the home is the result of  multiple remodels – tastefully done or not, a shortage of parking space or mixed architectural styles buyers will need to aesthtically assess what works best for them practically and visually. “Eclecticism in design is trickier than it seems. Combine several styles or elements together, and the risk of nothing standing out is great — as is the risk for, well, a cacophonous mess.” June Scott, Landscape Designer. She feels that uniting contrasting architectural styles and landscaping can be done through the basic principals of design; graphic mix, texture, mass planting, proportion and historical relevance.
Creative and balanced the design of the front yard pictured above offers a modern perspective to the property while providing additional parking space. The lawn and raised wooden deck compliment the traditional architecture. Symmetry defined through the collaboration of modern and traditional. Austin Outdoor.
Two styles of architecture in a small space can be united through complimentary landscaping creating a unique design. Yellow Kangaroo Paws and Coleonema “Sunset Gold” frame this outdoor dining area and highlight the sand textured deep green flat stucco exterior of this modern as well as traditional home. Bilden Architects.
Landscape designer June Scott emphasizes, “simple planes or masses of plants can help bring balance and unity to homes with more than one architectural style.” The simplicity of the planting in this front yard minimizes the multiple styles of the home’s facade. Shades of Green Landscape Architecture.
The proportions of this homes exterior were used to design the complimentary landscaping. The tall linear lines of the windows and doorway create a visual that is carried through the walkway into the backyard of this San Francisco Victorian.  Feldman Architecture.