Small Space Living

Just because you have a tiny apartment or dorm room doesn’t mean you can’t give your space a big personality. A few nice wall hangings, a couple of well-placed mirrors, and space-saving furniture and storage units along with a some decorating ideas that make spaces look larger can help you to create a cozy, welcoming atmosphere.

Everyone has wall art on their walls but did you know that the more small pieces you have hanging the more crowded your room may look? Using one large piece of art will make your room feel more open and reduce the cluttered feeling. Also try placing curtains in the interior doorways instead of actual doors. Curtains come in many different unique colors and designs so you can personalize each one. You can also save room by reducing the size of your refrigerator if you live alone. Purchasing a small under the counter refrigerator will save you money on your electric bill and give you a ton of space.

Track lighting can do amazing things to a room. It can be mounted on the walls or even the ceiling saving your floor space. You can also adjust the lighting in order to aim it in the direction you want to highlight the most. You can use track lighting in closets, anywhere in a dorm room, or even a studio apartment. Light can make any room seem brighter and larger. When possible let the sunshine in.

In today’s world everything is electronic. What do you do with it all? Try coming up with a storage unit that is beautifully designed. You can store your electronic gear and keep your room looking clean and tidy. If you have tons of CD’s you may want to purchase an MP3 player and transfer all your songs over to the MP3. It will hold tons of songs and you can make some money selling your CD collection.

When thinking about furniture try exploring the world of fold up. You can purchase fold up chairs, fold up tables or may pull out couches or ottomans, and more. This will reduce the cluttered look because you are decorating with compact furniture. Also using large mirrors can make a small space seem larger. Finding a mirror that is mounted in a wood frame can help you decorate to match.

Area rugs are also important in home decor. An area rug can become a focal point in a room or highlight a focal point already there. If you are using an area rug for a focal point then choose a bright color. If you are using the area rug to highlight a focal point then use a neutral color such as brown or tan.

If you want the rug to blend in then try using earth tones to blend in. Remember, just because your room is small doesn’t mean you have to feel enclosed. There are several different ways to make a small space feel and look larger.

Home Design has never been this easy with these rugs. Be sure to take a look at this purple area rugs for the latest information.

eVolo is an architecture and design journal focused on technological advances, sustainability, and innovative design for the 21st Century. Our objective is to promote and discuss the most avant-garde ideas generated in schools and professional studios around the world. It is a medium to explore the reality and future of design with up-to-date news, events, and projects.

eVolo Magazine is pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 Skyscraper Competition.

Established in 2006, the annual Skyscraper Competition recognizes outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the use of new technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organization. The award seeks to discover young talents whose ideas will change the way we understand architecture and its relationship with the natural and built environments.

The Jury of the 2010 edition was formed by leaders of the architecture and design fields including: Mario Cipresso, Kyu Ho Chun, Kenta Fukunishi, Elie Gamburg, Mitchell Joachim, JaeYoung Lee, Adelaïde Marchi, Nicola Marchi and Eric Vergne. The Jury selected 3 winners and 27 special mentions among 430 entries from 42 countries.

Globalization, sustainability, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution, were some of the multi-layered elements taken into consideration.  The first place was awarded to a project for a vertical prison designed by architecture students Chow Khoon Toong, Ong Tien Yee, and Beh Ssi Cze, from Malaysia. Their project examines the possibility of creating a prison-city in the sky, where the inmates would live in a “free” and productive community with agricultural fields and factories that would support the host city below.

Vertical Prison
The first place was awarded to a project for a vertical prison designed by architecture students Chow Khoon Toong, Ong Tien Yee, and Beh Ssi Cze, from Malaysia. Their project examines the possibility of creating a prison-city in the sky, where the inmates would live in a “free” and productive community with agricultural fields and factories that would support the host city below.

Water Purification Skyscraper in Jakarta
The recipients of the second place are Rezza Rahdian, Erwin Setiawan, Ayu Diah Shanti, and Leonardus Chrisnantyo, from Indonesia, whose project ‘Ciliwung Recovery Program’ aims to purify and repair the Ciliwung River habitat. The building is designed as an ingenious habitable machine that would collect garbage, purify water, and provide housing to thousands of people that live in the slums along the river.

Nested Skyscraper in Tokyo
The third place was awarded to Ryohei Koike and Jarod Poenisch, from the United States, for their project ‘Nested Skyscraper’ that explores robotic construction techniques for a novel structure of carbon sleeves and fiber-laced concrete. The building is a system of multiple layers of composite louvers which thicken and rotate according to solar exposure, ventilation, and materials performance.

Among the special mentions there are skyscrapers used as bridges that link different territories, cities in the sky powered by renewable energies, instant deployable buildings for disaster zones, skyscrapers that purify and desalinate sea water, or high-rises that commemorate historic dates. Other proposals create new pedestrian layers for existing cities. Some use the latest building technologies and parametric design to configure environmentally conscious self-sufficient buildings, while others create city-like buildings where different programs are mixed in one structure.

Established in 2006, the annual Skyscraper Competition recognizes outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the use of new technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organization. The award seeks to discover young talents whose ideas will change the way we understand architecture and its relationship with the natural and built environments.

Find Austin apartments or fun things to do around Austin by visiting Austin.apartmenthomeliving.com for an in-depth tour of the apartments, neighborhoods and things to do, in and around your Austin apartment.

Find Minneapolis apartments or fun things to do around Minneapolis by visiting Minneapolis.apartmenthomeliving.com for an in-depth tour of the apartments, neighborhoods and things to do, in and around your Minneapolis apartment.

Learn how to make a window treatment in the living room of your loft in thisfree video clip. Expert: Denise Robinson Bio: Denise Robinson resides in Austin, Texas. She has designed sets for both TV and film for 12 years in California. Denise has used many flea market findings to cut overhead and budget cost for films. Filmmaker: Michelle Carter

Community laundry is such a joy.

Really though, having laundry centers in your apartment community is a huge, HUGE bonus over having to go to the laundromat next to the stop and go. Although some communities actually offer laundry hookups and even washers and dryers in their actual units, most other communities offer on-site laundry centers.

There are a few really great benefits to having a community laundry center. Check it out:

1) Money Saving- Running the washer and dryer at home is convenient, but it eats up electricity and if you are constantly washing loads, you will run up your bill quite quickly. Not only that, but if you have the connections, but don’t have a washer and dryer yet, they can be quite expensive and a pain to lug up to a second or third floor apartment.

2) Noise Prevention-Then there is always the unbalanced dryer that bangs around and can cause all kinds of disturbing noise through out your building. Do you really want to be the cause of all that noise?

3) Meet People- Honestly, if you are an outgoing person…its a good place to meet your neighbors and make friends in the community.

4) Time Saver- If you can get into the laundry center when noone else is in there, you can start a few loads at once and save time by washing several loads at one time!

5) Maintenance-- If a washer or dryer breaks, it’s not your responsibility to get it taken care of.

So keep things clean and don’t be afraid to use your community laundry center. Make sure to bring a book, laptop, or good conversation topic while you wait. AND REMEMBER YOUR QUARTERS!

I think it’s time for me to wash and dry!

For More info check out: ApartmentHomeLiving.com

Dee Williams earns Governor’s Sustainability Award for her “Little House” she built herself in part from salvaged materials for under $10000 (84 sq ft, solar, gas heat, composting toilet, tumbleweedhouses.com design).