Design Archives - Page 17 of 17

Mini Dream Home: Plywood Chateau

October 8, 2007 RH 3 Comments

In the past, we’ve written up some fun dream homes, including castles and islands. Perhaps you can’t actually live in one of James Westwater’s Plywood Chateaux, but let’s file this one under dream “retreat”. You can buy one of these babies for around $15k and keep it in your rent stabilized 300 sq foot Manhattan studio and PRETEND you live in a mansion.

THE best place for a tea party. As you can see, two can comfortably fit in there. These are functional pieces of art. Best of all, the plywood is FSC certified birch. James is a fellow crunchy tree hugger.

Treehugger
Shedworking
Natva Schulz Gallery

Recycled Home: Shipping Container

October 3, 2007 RH 2 Comments

With shipping containers piling up because we import more than we export, some architects have come up wonderful uses for them.

Adam Kalkin, who admits he has a “fascination with junk” is one artist/architect who specializes in shipping container chic. His homes start at $99,000 and are not only beautiful, but can provide extraordinary shelter for disaster relief.

Architecture and Hygiene
CNN Interview: Adam Kalkin

DIY: Repainting Cabinets

October 2, 2007 RH 6 Comments

Home Depot Special

New Life: Faux Antiqued Look

No, No, No, You don’t need to pay $20,000 for new cabinets! Not even $2000. Do you have real wood cabinets? Or even cool metal one? If not, you can probably pick up someone’s throwaways on Craigs.

Tools:

Palm Sander
Paint Brushes
Small Rollers (foam is good)
Paint Sprayer: cool, but not necessary
Drill
Sawhorse

Materials:

Lots of Sandpaper 120-180 grit
Bin Shellac Based Primer or Other Zinsser Primer
Gloss Paint (easier to clean than Semi or Eggshell)
Wood putty

Continue reading DIY: Repainting Cabinets

Thomas Crapper & Co

October 2, 2007 RH

Yo, that dude’s name is Crapper!

Actually, Thomas Crapper, a London plumber, set up shop in 1861. He promoted sanitary fittings and a water waste preventing cistern syphon. The company is still around today and offers some gorgeous reproduction bathroom fittings. They are not inexpensive and with shipping….yikes! But I’m thinking it might be worth trying to make my own version of “The Throne“, pictured below.

Recycled Glass Countertops

October 1, 2007 RH 2 Comments

Icestone

Of the three larger companies fabricating recycled glass composite countertops, Icestone, the best known, is also the only local one. The product, made from 100% recycled glass mixed with concrete, is manufactured in a day lit factory in Brooklyn. The chemical composition is benign and 99.5% inorganic. Icestone comes in a variety of 23 colors. Local showrooms include Chelsea Arts Tile and AK Tile Studio.

Vetrazzo

Vetrazzo is composed of 85% recycled glass with a binder of cement, additives, pigments and other recycled materials such as fly ash – a waste by-product of coal burning power plants. They do not utilize synthetic, petroleum-based resin binders. The product comes in 16 colors and is manufactured in California.

EnviroGlas

EnviroGlas Slabs are made of 75% post-consumer and post-industrial recycled glass and 25% binder by volume. They do use resin in the process. There are 22 standard resin colors or you can formulate your own design. The company is based in Texas.

Recycled Metal Countertops

September 26, 2007 RH 3 Comments

Alkemi is actually recycled composite material as it’s composed of 60% post industrial scrap aluminum and polymeric resins. Internet photos do not do it justice. You have to see it in person to appreciate it. Best way to find a dealer is to contact the company directly.

Eleek manufacturers tons of cools home fixtures, but we’re focusing on countertops today, so let’s not jump ahead of ourselves. Their recycled aluminum countertops, backsplashes and tiles are made up of at least 70% post consumer product. The entire company is run with sustainability in mind. The website lists Virtue Tile in Summit, NJ as the closest distributor.

Vintage Fridges

September 26, 2007 RH 2 Comments

1926 GE

Last week we explored retro fridges. The prices were better than new run of the mill high end appliances, but still too high for the budget conscious (and poor). We thought we might do better with actual antique appliances, but alas, we were wrong. Shipping costs alone could total nearly as much as that little baby on sale at Sears.

Fully restored models range from $3000-15,000. Ouch! The restoration process means they are as good as new, both internally and externally. Insulation and parts are replaced, making them energy efficient. Best of all, they are being saved from the landfill.

You can always find inexpensive vintage appliances locally on Craigs, but we wonder how much it would cost to restore them properly?

Antique Appliances
Antique Vintage Appliances
Unlimited Appliances

Salvaged Bath

September 24, 2007 RH 7 Comments

Design by Craig and Ebay

After restoring 3 floors of our house, there was no money left for the 4th level. The bathroom had to be put in from scratch and we didn’t have time to DIY it. Not that we would’ve spent a cent more on materials if we had it, but we were REALLY on the lookout for bargains this time.

How do you think we did? Is this high or low compared to others? Our big ticket item was the shower enclosure.

Clawfoot Tub: Free. Craigslist
Sink Vanity: $ 40. Craigslist
Glass Counter/Backsplash: $ 50. Craigslist
Sconces: $ 220. Ebay
Stained Glass: $ 250. Ebay
Copper Sink: $ 110. Ebay (Mexicopper)
Vessel Faucet: $ 92. Ebay
Medicine Cabinet: $ 50. Water St Market, New Paltz
Octagon Floor Tiles: $ 250. Bergen Tile
Mariner Toilet: $ 180. Lowes
Shower Enclosure $ 660. Clawfoot Supply
Hunter Exhaust Fan: $ 98. Lowes
Towel/Toilet Holders: $ 16. Ikea
Door: $ 20. Eddie’s Salvage (Greene and Grand, Brooklyn)
Doorknob: Free Came with house

TOTAL: $ 2036

PS:We still need molding, but we can probably come up with enough scrap from our basement.

Cement Based Recycled Countertop

September 21, 2007 RH 3 Comments

Ameé Quiriconi founded Squak Mountain Stone in 2003 after preparing an assignment for her Master’s Degree. The assignment: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age.

What is Squak Mountain Stone? From the website: “A Fibrous-cement material comprised of recycled paper, recycled glass, coal fly-ash and Portland cement. Material is hand-cast into “slabs” as an alternative to natural or quarried stone. Resembles soapstone or limestones. ”

Be sure to check out the “Oops” factory seconds link on the product page!

Local retailer: Bettencourt Green Building Supply

Green Brooklyn, 07

September 20, 2007 RH

We’re giving you a day’s notice! From Green Brooklyn’s website:

“The 3rd Annual Green Brooklyn Conference, coordinated by Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment, is Brooklyn’s largest showcase of green and sustainability issues, programs, and products. A full day fair and symposium, Green Brooklyn brings together the community, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to share ideas with the public about how to live greener in our everyday lives.”

Friday, September 21, 2007, 11 am- 4pm
Brooklyn Borough Hall, Brooklyn, NY
Free and open to the public

Exhibitors include Bettencourt Green Building Supplies, Council on the Environment of NYC and Go Green, Inc., among many others.

50’s Retro Fridges

September 20, 2007 RH 3 Comments

$ 2000: SMEG

Smeg is Italy’s largest manufacturer of domestic kitchen appliances. They are well known for their 1950s-style “retro” refrigerators that come in a variety of non-traditional colors, such as pastel blue, lime green and pink.

Smeg is available through AJ Madison in Brooklyn and online.

$ 2700 Big Chill

Founded in Boulder, CO in 2001 and built in America, the Big Chill is 20.9 cubic feet and comes with a stamped metal body, chrome trim, 3 easy-clean spill-proof glass shelves, a temperature management system, 2 half-width clear crisper pans, and other amenities. Water dispenser and ice maker are optional.

Big Chill can be purchased at Krup’s Kitchen and Bath, 11 W 18th Street, NYC. 212-243-5787

$ 3695: Elmira Northstar

Northstar refrigerators, by Elmira, come with all the bells and whistles, including 19 cu. ft. of storage, Visi-shelving, adjustable door bins and optional ice maker.

Drimmer’s on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn carries the Northstar line.

All of these fridges are energy star rated.

Recycled Paper Countertops

September 18, 2007 RH 4 Comments

The look: A cross between soapstone and formica, if that makes any sense.

We’re aware of 3 companies that manufacture recycled paper countertops.

Shetka: Shredded Counterfit $

ShetkaStone has a 100% sustainable life cycle. Products are manufactured from pre and post consumer waste paper and all by-products can be recycled back into the manufacturing process. ShetkaStone is made from all types of paper, including magazines and telephone books. The color selection is limited, but this seems to be the “greenest” of the paper based countertops.

PaperStone

*Note: At the time of this writing, Paperstone’s website was hit or miss.

Paperstone Certified, by Kliptech, uses 100% post consumer waste paper. The resin is water-based and petroleum-free. PaperStone Organic contains 100% bamboo fiber and a 90% organic resin made from cashew-nut shell oil. Paperstone has a wider color selection than Shetka.

Richlite

Richlite is primarily paper treated with phenolic resin and baked to create a solid sheet. The paper comes from pulp that is derived from trees, which are harvested from certified managed forests in North America. Richlite is less expensive than PaperStone and has the sleekest look of all three, but it’s the least enviro friendly. Go figure.

Lighting by Ikea

September 18, 2007 RH 1 Comment

I can’t understand why I see so many of those cheesy nipple lights when MU-HU-UCH better options exist.

Is it some big secret that Ikea has cool lighting at great prices? I got sconces for my hallway for five bucks a pop and flush bathroom lights for $12.00.

Check it out…..

Fugly Nip Light from Home Depot: $49.00

$ 9.99 “Pult

$ 39.99 “Tostarp”

$ 39.99 “Horby”

reclaimedhome.com

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