Inspired design!

This place of worship is inspired and inspiring in more ways than one! In an attempt to bring all 27 Latin American Virgins together under one roof, the Fernando Romero EnterprisE (FREE) has proposed a spectacular design for a chapel in Miami, USA. It's unsurprising that they won the competition. Designed to resemble the folds of the robe of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Roman Catholic image of the Virgin Mary, the soaring structure of the chapel is awe-inspiring. 

With the 27 Virgins accommodated in the niches of the billowing concrete structure and forming a ring of sanctuary around the congregational space with one central figure in the presbytery, the idea, says FREE was to invite all the Latin American cultures to be part of the creation. A twisted tower will provide a spire over the chapel’s altar and will feature a stained-glass skylight decorated with an image of the Lady of Guadalupe which will be projected around the chapel according to the directions of the sun. The soaring form will also act as an acoustic filter. The structure is rotated towards one corner and designed to flood the interiors with natural light.
Additional rooms will be located beneath the seating areas which will feature the offices, library, sacristy, changing rooms etc. 

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Nestling in the mountains

Now, who wouldn't want to work in a place like this?

Surrounded by lush alpine greenery in the valley of Saint-Jean-de-Morains between Lyon and Grenoble, this is one corporate office unlike any other you ever saw. The newly constructed office of Rossignol, a leader in the snow sports industry, has been designed and constructed to reflect their technology, commitment to the outdoors, as well as their beautiful, mountainous surroundings. Designed by Herault Arnold Architctes, the structure has been blanketed under one continuous roof that dips, sways and peaks to reflect the mountains around it, with skylights that allow natural light to stream in to rooms.

The skeleton has been built of steel allowing for large, open interior spaces; and then clothed in natural larch wood and grass. The building maximises the use of natural energy by making good use of insulation which prevents the loss of heat. All heat that is wasted is recovered and re-injected into its heating network, and the automatic windows open whenever the conditions outside are just right. Talk about a smart building!

 Inside, the office is the one-stop point for the company, providing for the production of equipment, offices of the management, sales and marketing offices as well as an in-house restaurant very similar to ski lodges.



Now, if you had a place like that to call work, why would you ever want to call in sick?

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The Green Ec(h)o!

Eco! It’s nothing if not the new buzzword. It’s the wagon everybody seems to want to jump on to. But eco, like charity, begins at home right? So, what exactly is an eco home, then?

Now, before you picture yourself hitching a bag and heading to the woods or living in a drippy thatch hut in the middle of town with high-end cars and SUVs zipping past or a house with walls of corrugated paper – don’t. All this hue and cry about eco homes is not an underground conspiracy to get you to move into either of those. What an eco home, undoubtedly, is about is an attitude, lots of sensitivity, sprinkled generously with wisdom.

So, basically, whether or not you live in an eco home is really only a reflection of you. Yes, you want every single modern appliance known to man and then some. Yes, you want your home to light up like the Eiffel Tower at the push of a button and for it to be as plush as that of the shahs of Iran. But living luxuriously does not mean you cannot live wisely.

That button which will turn off the light is not, in fact, a mile’s trek from you; use what you need when you need it. Make use of the natural resources available to you. It is, after all, possible for you to harvest rain water and to design your home such that it makes the best of all the natural light and air coming in before you resort to artificial sources. Plant a living or green roof if you can. It'll not be an eye-catching trendsetter, it'll naturally regulate the temperature of your home, all year round! And there, the home you’ve always lived in has now metamorphosed into an eco home!

Remember, an eco consciousness lies in the mind. If you care, it shows and that’s what makes a real difference. 

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Bringing in the wild, blue yonder!

Have you ever been awestruck when you’ve walked into a home? Have you tried to pick your gaping jaw up off the floor as your mind continuously chants ‘this is where I want to live!’ or some version of it? Have you ever walked into luxury so plush that as you insidiously dig your toes into it you hope nobody notices them as they start to turn green in envy? Have you ever walked into somebody else’s home and felt like you’ve walked into your dream home? Have you ever thought about what your dream home would be like?

Now, I’m not necessarily into the Hollywood kind of living but I remember coming across popular singer, Rihanna’s number ‘California king size bed’ and feeling all of those I was just talking about. 

While I’m not an idiot and I do realize that a lot of it is thanks to miraculous photography I cannot deny that what I remember most (OK, I’ll admit it! All I remember) about the song is the gorgeous room it’s shot in. It almost looks like the room’s poised at the edge of the earth and pours right into the smear of sunlight beyond. Much like an infinity pool, if you know what I mean; or a Jacuzzi that looks over a misty, green valley. There’s just something fascinating about that extending into nothingness.

Now, if only we could all live in places that allowed us those luxuries. But, fortunately for all of us (phew!), space is such an interesting idea and can be used in so many different ways. For instance, just one French window will make such a startling difference to a small room, just as would a skylight and clean, sparse furnishings in white or walls painted in a light, cool colour. Not only will it add dimensions to your room, it’ll also soothe your mind every time you’re in there.  So if your dream home is about inviting in the wide open spaces, too, maybe you want to try some of these things? Open a window and throw out a branch to nature!

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Let there be light!

Have you ever considered the difference the right kind of lighting can make to your home? The right lighting can effortlessly set the mood apart from making a palpable difference to the way your home looks.

Nothing can, of course, beat natural lighting. A well-planned home should be built such that it gets the best light in all seasons. While you don’t want to build a house where you can’t escape the heat in the summers when you want to, you want to ensure that your house gets the most of the meagre winter sunshine. Now this might sound like it needs to be a conjurer’s trick but that’s not strictly necessary! To set off, matters are greatly helped by owning an east facing home which will ensure that you get sunlight for the maximum amount of time through the day. But since we can’t all have east-facing homes without making for a very lop-sided world the intention should be to allow as much light into the principal rooms as possible. Using light tapestries and furnishings will also go a long way towards the cause.

Natural light apart, there are three basic kinds of lighting a place needs – task lighting, accent lighting and general lighting.

Task lighting is basically functional and used in high concentration, perhaps for reading or being able to examine things clearly.

Accent lighting, like the name suggests is meant to highlight paintings, plants or other interesting things about interior design or landscaping and is basically decorative. That being said accent lighting rightly used can bring your home alive in a variety of ways. Just see the difference it makes over a painting or tucked artfully behind a plant.

General lighting or ambient lighting fills up the gap between the two and is used for the basically illuminating an area.

And playing with just these three basic kinds of lighting there are so many things you can do to revamp the feel of your home! From alcove lighting to recessed lighting or even a soffit lighting to accentuating the pattern on an interesting wall, there are innumerable options you can explore to achieve whatever effect you want!

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Lighting up the right way

Apartments can definitely take on a whole new look by effective use of lighting options, ever considered that…? Not necessary the artificial sources used for lighting but also managing the natural sources well can add new dimensions to your living spaces.

I manipulate what I can not change…

Fixed lights, which you have no way of getting away with can be managed to suit your personality with the use of different lamp shades and globes or bulbs. Chandeliers or small shades, you opt according to the look you intend to give. Try different textures and colours than sticking to the plain old glass to give a whole new look to your room.

Light up your floor

Want to add some interest to your home, do it this way. Floor lights not only come in interesting shapes and patterns but can also be placed anywhere. A floor lamp, near a floor vase, or next your favorite chair, beside a desk or near your bed side can add immense personality to the room.

Want to add charm, go for the table lamp…

Table lamps come in different styles just to fit every decorating style and do not weigh much on your purse. So if you want to go for the traditional style or modern ones, the choice is yours. You have ample to choose from. A table lamp on a bed side table with a photo frame to go along provides the simple yet classy décor for your bedroom. A table lamp of suitable shape can also go with the décor of your washroom.


Though is you want to go for the non-electric lighting option, an oil lamp or well placed candles in ethnic candle holders can just add that simple yet elegant at the same time earthy look to your apartment.


So do not ignore the aspect of lighting while doing up your dream house because this can bring out the desired effect to your living space.

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