Guest Post: Designing a New York Child’s Oasis

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There are some brilliant new design trends in 2012 that would be a great addition to any home. Because New York real estate is the most expensive in the nation, some of the more affordable spaces are small compared to other regions. Therefore, New York designers show homeowners how to maximize their spaces and make the most of what they can afford. Let’s take a look at one of the latest trends in home design, most particularly, how to take a swanky New York City space and build a children’s oasis.

Many families living in the city want to improve the quality of life for their children. With that said, designers are helping families build mini-playgrounds in the home to make indoor city living more fun and enjoyable for children.

The designers usually tend to try and utilize many existing elements in the home to create an urban oasis. For instance, a supporting beam can be used as the base for an abstract tree in the child’s room. Bright colors, such as baby blues, are also suggested to make the space appear more spacious and inviting.

Guest Post: Designing a New York Child's Oasis

Modular bunks are created with geometric cutouts for the stairs and the beds. Each modular space allows for enough room to install small shelving for a nightstand, light and of course a mattress. Since the unit is built into the wall, it is safer than that traditional unit. Again, whites and pastels can be used to keep the room open and spacious.

Guest Post: Designing a New York Child's Oasis

Kids growing up in city apartments may not get the same outdoor living experience as suburban or country kids, but their urban oasis is something most kids would want regardless of their location.

Designers often take a single element that the homeowner loves and incorporate it into the designs with a twist for children, or teens. Having these fun elements bring out the creative suit of your Manhattan home gives a whole new life to home.

{Alexandra is a travel enthusiast who loves to write about fashion, beaches, food, and the wonderful things in the world.  She provides her own insights on vacationing to the blogosphere.  If you would like to learn more about her, follow her @alexsjourneys or visit her blog alexsjourneys.wordpress.com}

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas

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Bedrooms are our reserved refuges where we hideaway to every night and get away with the worries of the world outside. Throughout our lives, they are the cozy and private spaces where we first experienced to sleep by ourselves, where we first learned not to sleep forlorn, where we penned our inmost thoughts and concealed them underneath the mattress, where it was acceptable to cater to ourselves flamboyantly and where we all perhaps made our first decisions on design.

Beyond bed skirts and bolsters, see how great design decisions turn into great design ideas. Some even take it to the next level and make a point that they have personalized their rooms thoroughly. Change is inevitable and with comes those people who would like to have their rooms customized similar to their friends. Others have come up with a peculiar taste.

Listed below are some of the weirdest bedroom ideas that have been prevalent these days. They have surfaced the internet and made great noises. We hope you will be amazed by the following and consequently, come out with your own exceptional bedroom concepts.

Old Wine Barrels
A hotel concept that included restored wine barrels might seem bizarre wherever in the world but not in the Netherlands. They always welcome outrageous or odd ideas. As a result, a brilliant De Vrouwe van Stavoren hotel was built from old wine barrels from Switzerland. They were brought to the Netherlands, then rinsed and transformed into hotel rooms.

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - wine barrels

Waterbed
A waterbed is not as simple as you think it is. This next idea has added a new meaning to the word. This is not recommended to anyone that sleepwalks for sure! It may appear a little icy and very hazardous if you go home drunk and if you cannot swim, than this is certainly not a great idea. However, this is perhaps the coolest bedroom we have ever witnessed!

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - waterbed

Sandwich Bed
It truly stinks to climb out of bed and walk across the cold floor just to satiate your hunger in the middle of the night. Why not save yourself and turn your room into your personal diner?  This sandwich bed will really provide you with sweet dreams.

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - sandwich bed

Nautilus Undersea Suite
It is just so magical, transcendent and inimitably fascinating to live under the sea. This might have been the motivation of the person who developed a Nautilus Undersea Suite, which is located at The Poseidon Resort in Fiji. It can be found 40 feet under water.

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - nautilis

Feel Seating System – Animi Causa
Animi Causa designed the Feel Seating System which has a cool and strange shape. It has a molecular structure which is the basic block for all things around us. It consists of 120 sofa balls enclosed in elastic fabric which enables you to feel comfortable and relaxed. Since the design allows you to make various forms, you can utilize it in a number of imaginative ways.

Guest Post: Five Weird Bedroom Ideas - feel

You might have been surprised by the five bedroom ideas we have presented here. Costs may bring you some hesitation to start now but these bedroom ideas can certainly inspire someone who has a burning passion within him. A third of our lives are being spent in bed so why not make the bedroom the most splendid place in our home? Start now and design your own extraordinary bedroom!

{Krisxi Chasanov writes for Divan Beds, one of the UK’s leading online suppliers of cheapest divan beds and mattresses. When she comes home, she’s a dedicated housewife and a mother of two. You can follow her on Twitter @bedcritter}

Inspiration Photo Friday: Hideaway

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I took this photo back in 2006 when I lived in Jersey. It’s a place in Skillman called Skillman Village, a little town filled with a school, living quarters, playgrounds and even a small hospital and fire department. Founded in 1898, it was once the State Village for Epileptics but has been abandoned since 1998. Last year, the town started its $15 million dollar demolition to turn it into the new Somerset County Park. I am happy I got to visit twice before this because it is an interesting place to explore.

There are many photos I took this day which I will eventually share in a post but I chose this one for inspiration photo friday for a reason. It is the last building I went in before I was caught and escorted out of the village. This was the first photo I took going into the basement and only two more followed.

I found the stairwell intriguing even though it looked like a scene in a horror film. It was dark, dreary and dirty and the basement was the same. From looking at this image I imagine a whole world of possibilities of where it could lead to. It really does get you thinking and that is what inspiration is all about. Although it may not be the happiest of photographs, it surely lures you in and forces your imagination to run wild. This is exactly why I captured it.

Inspiration Photo Friday: Hideaway - © Melissa O'Connor

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

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Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Terrain is one of my favorite shops, even if its to browse around their website and look at the all the goodies they sell. Being a designer and a photographer, I truly appreciate the gorgeous images they showcase and the beautifully styled still life’s. I wanted to share some images I felt were perfect for fall and true representation of autumn harvest style.

These can inspire tons of decor ideas for weddings, parties and even holiday dinners. I included some color palettes as well. Enjoy!

Fall Harvest Flavor at TerrainFall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain
Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain
Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain
Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain

Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain
Fall Harvest Flavor at Terrain