Visual Representation of Wealth to Scale
pricklypearcactus
last year
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (17)
3katz4me
last yearRelated Discussions
Principles of Design
Comments (38)Timbu: I know and admire the mans work he was a pioneer of ornamental grass usage and also leaving seed heads on plants such as Rudbeckia. Both of these extend the interest of a perennial garden and are so lush that a bare period in the spring when the grasses are cut down is acceptable in my opinion but is still radical to the mainstream. Andrew has brought some very valuable if advanced ideas to this thread, there is a tendency to approach design principles as though they necessarily carry equal weight and are dealt with in order so that simplicity is accomplished and confused when we get to variety. Unity is definitely the biggy but what does it mean exactly? Mike gives us a clue when he says "With so many different plants I have to pay attention to scale to make it work. Work, in this case, means you have to feel comfortable in it because everything looks like it belongs." so, in this case I think the unity is achieved by making "everything look(s) like it belongs", I think a statement like this (yours may be different) should be the reference point that provides the unity and a guide as to how to apply the principles....See MoreGlobal Warming, Dimming, Destruction and Change
Comments (31)"Gewiss! Seguro! Oui!" or as Curly of the Three Stooges would say "Why Soitenly!" You don't need blame to face a problem. You just say "Hey, that's a problem. Let's see now ... how can we fix that?" Let me throw a big word out there that I learned a long time ago ... Tautology This word has a lot to do with repetition and the dictionary will tell you that the nature of the repetition is needless or useless. How does it apply to this discussion? Well on the face of it, I would have you know that once you have encountered a problem, it is indeed useless to go and repeat the same encounter with the problem. In my own mind, I relate it to the more auto-actualization or reactive nature of rational beings like humans. We learn to drive a car and it comes naturally. After we master it, we no longer devote any mental energy to it. If there is a problem with the way we drive an automobile, we no longer think about it or devote any rational mental resources to it. We just go about it by rote. But in fact, there were problems with driving automobiles all through its history. And to get us all to change, we had to be hit in the face with a shovel, changing laws, taxes on fuels and finally, hybrids and alternative fuels. But before we are forced to change, we cling to the tautological repetition of the problem. In immediate terms, it is a less expensive solution in terms of brain power; We refuse to expend any energy on the problem, unless forced to. So, the long term problem escapes solution, if left to ourselves as individuals. Thankfully, there are enough of us that some of us see the train coming, step off the tracks and start yelling at everyone else on that tracks that the train is coming. Some folks have described this tautological nature of mankind as 'The Frog in The Frying Pan'. The frog is at first comfortable sitting in the frying pan. As the heat is turned up ever so slowly, the frog doesn't budge. It doesn't want to make the effort to analyze the problem and eventually, we have a frog that 1) leaps out of the frying pan with a burned underside and feet or 2) a fried frog. Our nature then can be very reactive and much less disciplined, especially if we feel that the change threatens us - greater expenses or some associated cost, having to learn something new, etc.. We react first and learn later ( if at all ). Many people in fact, fear change for reasons such as these. Fewer thrive on it. So, the tautological nature of humanity, based on the way the human brain operates by rote as a means of keeping rational energy expenses low, combined with fear of change ... makes people behave in cyclic or repetitive ways which most of the time is not a problem, even if the repetition is useless. But sometimes, it traps us into a cycle that is self destructive. A person who understands what I have just said then, will realize that the human mind can both, fall into the trap of potentially destructive tautological functioning, but also, that the human mind can be trained. They then set about disciplining themselves, so that when they face a problem, they avoid defensiveness and the tendency to avoid expending rational energy and acceptance of rote repetition. They train themselves instead to react by recognizing that the problem may possibly be real and further, to trigger the expediture in rational energy to analyze it. By doing so, they evolve solutions and either adapt to change by changing their ways or auto-effect change, something most folks are not often capable of. They are the first to step off the tracks in the face of an approaching train and warn the others. 'Thinking outside the box' is therefore a bit different than what you may have always accepted it to mean. Many people don't even conceptualize that the box has an inside and an outside. I prefer not to be a frog in a frying pan. But in reality, sometimes even I do not avoid it. And I have for a long time now, practiced disciplining my mind to react by expending the rational energy, hopefully, not needlessly. BTW: Crisis management is well, tautology in action, after the shovel hits someone in the face. :) Hmmm. I suppose I can be long-winded and wordy at times. People have told me that. Luckily, flapping ones lips doesn't prevent ones feet from letting them step off the railroad tracks....See Moreremodel: enlarging house on a small lot
Comments (19)Greetings all, Thank you all for the input and ideas. Some notes and answers to questions: * The bonus room is actually 11 x 8 feet , not 11 x 7. This makes it moderately more useful, but still an awkward space. * The black box between the dining area and kitchen is the fireplace. It oozes craftsman charm and we are hesitant to remove it. * Laundry in the garage is certainly a possibility, though we tend to do laundry at night. The idea of walking back and forth from the garage in the dark, especially with the exterior doors that we have, is not particularly appealing. A lighted breezeway is a possibility. * Enclosing the rear porch is a possibility, though the space is only 5.5 feet wide and there are a pair of steps from the bonus room to the porch floor. It would take quite a bit of work to enclose that area and incorporate it with the interior of the house, and I'm not sure how we could make that a useful space once enclosed. * Due to the odd roof configuration for the addition, all walls in the rear are loadbearing except the wall that separates the laundry with the bedroom, and the wall that separates the bedroom with the bonus room. I believe the wall between the bedroom and the living room is also loadbearing, because of the shape of the roof. I've attached a diagram of the latest iteration of our potential remodeling plan. The way it changes our current floorplan: * The hall between the laundry and kitchen is closed off. * The resulting closet in the kitchen becomes a pantry. * The old laundry room becomes a bathroom. The exterior laundry room door is enclosed. * The bedroom connects to the bathroom via a pocket door. * The bonus room is divided into two rooms, a walk-in closet on the right and a laundry space on the left. * The walk-in closet addresses our current problem of having very little functional closet space. The laundry room in this plan is intended to serve multiple roles. The floor would have some kind of resilient material: we have marmoleum in the kitchen and we think it's fantastic. The resilient floor allows this back room to be a nice transition room to and from the backyard. The laundry wall, which is 8 feet wide, has enough room for a linen closet, and a long counter with a sink over a compact washer + dryer. This layout gives us a linen closet, a place to fold clothes (the countertop), and a clothes bar to hang clothes to dry. These are all features we miss having in our current laundry room. For entertaining, we can use the countertop and sink as a buffet area or bar. We do a lot of entertaining in the summer, particularly backyard barbecues, and having the sink and counterspace in the backroom might minimize the amount of foot traffic between the kitchen and the backyard. Right now, most of that foot traffic goes through the laundry room which is, as you might imagine, quite uncomfortable. This plan is more in the direction of making the back of the house functional and comfortable, as opposed to trying to make the space work for a family with kids. We aren't sure a 2 bedroom house will ever appeal to a family with kids. The laundry + closet idea for the bonus room may not be the best solution, but I honestly can't think of a good use for that space. The 8 foot dimension makes it narrow, and the sheer number of windows and doorways is overwhelming. There's almost no empty wall space to work with. I don't know why the addition designer did not simply skip the rear porch and extend the house out the extra 5.5 feet. We really wish that we had a better way to get from the kitchen to the backyard. The ~3 foot wall between the kitchen and laundry has a considerable amount of electricity and plumbing in it; removing that small section of wall would be quite expensive. When we were designing the kitchen for the remodel we tried to include a direct door to the backyard, but we couldn't come up with a plan that didn't otherwise kill the efficiency of the space. We love to cook, so reducing the effectiveness of the kitchen to gain access to the backyard wasn't a compromise we were willing to make....See MoreI'm curious to know why do you need a 3D visualization?
Comments (7)I'm not a pro, and I definitely don't do photorealistic, but I started doing mock-up elevations for our old "Design Around This" threads and started using them when responding to posts. For materials and colors, it is enormously helpful to see everything at scale and in the proportions they will exist in the finished space. When it comes to architecture, I know my visualization skills fall apart when it comes to ceiling elevations, especially where there is a change in ceiling elevations. A 2D floorplan doesn't convey that....See More
pricklypearcactus thanked deanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
pricklypearcactus
last year
Related Stories
DECORATING GUIDES5 Decorating Tips for Getting Scale Right
Know how to work art, sectionals, coffee tables, lamps and headboards for a positively perfect interior
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESHouzz Tour: A Wealth of Style in 800 Square Feet
After a fire, a designer starts from scratch in another apartment. Check out her tricks for making a compact live-work space feel just right
Full Story
SMALL SPACES10 Tips for Chic Little Bathrooms
Get more visual appeal and storage in less space, following the lead of these stylish compact bathrooms
Full Story
SMALL HOMESHouzz Tour: A Family of 4 Unwinds in 540 Square Feet
An extraordinarily scaled-down home and garden for a couple and their 2 kids fosters sustainability and togetherness
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESThe Beauty of Contrast: Modern Art in Traditional Rooms
Spark interest in a sedate space by offering an unexpected visual counterpoint
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESGet the Look: 'Scandal' Style for a Sensationally Chic Home
Model a room after the compelling TV show for all the visual drama with none of the conflicts
Full Story
DECORATING GUIDESFloral Decor: It’s All in the Mix
Find out how to use color, pattern and scale to make your room design come together
Full Story
ENTRYWAYSGrand Entry Elements: Newel Posts Past and Present
They once spoke to wealth and class, but newel posts today say more about individual style
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESSee What You Can Learn From a Floor Plan
Floor plans are invaluable in designing a home, but they can leave regular homeowners flummoxed. Here's help
Full Story
COMMUNITYGet a Bird's-Eye View of America's Housing Patterns
See the big picture of how suburban developments are changing the country's landscape, with aerial photos and ideas for the future
Full Story
jane__ny