Final Kitchen Island Plans

Best sangria recipe

<p>Welcome to Friday, whoot! Hope your week was great and you have an even better weekend planned! </p>  <p>First up, I’m over at <a href="http://www.sasinteriors.net/2013/06/creating-a-meaningful-home-thrifty-decor-chick/">SAS Interiors</a> today sharing how I strive to create a meaningful home:</p>  <p><a href="http://www.sasinteriors.net/2013/06/creating-a-meaningful-home-thrifty-decor-chick/"><img alt="CreatingaMeaningfulHome_BlogButton" border="0" height="254" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6aylTSADX14/Uc2xNikIiBI/AAAAAAAAeWQ/uYipiYYR3Nk/CreatingaMeaningfulHome_BlogButton%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="CreatingaMeaningfulHome_BlogButton" width="254" /></a></p>  <p>It’s a great series with some fabulous bloggers contributing – check it out! Thanks for having me Jenna!</p>  <p>So today I’m sharing one of my very favorite recipes…of the liquid kind. :) I figured I’d post it today so maybe you can make it yourselves and toast to the weekend, yes?</p>  <p><em>Aw yeah.</em> </p>  <p>So a lovely reader shared this sangria with me years ago – I needed a good one for an event coming up and sent out the call on Twitter. I’ve tried a lot of sangria in my day (well not a LOT, but a few…you know. Whatever.) and it’s hard to find one that has the right amount of sweet and fruitiness. </p>  <p>Here’s the thing – the initial cost of the ingredients is a little expensive. The liquor needed is about 20 bucks and then you’ll need to buy a few things to make it each time (most of which we already have). But the expensive stuff will last you a really really long time – so over time it’s not too crazy bad. </p>  <p>Here’s what you’ll need: </p>  <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-VYiQLi15rBA/Uc2wvhE9VBI/AAAAAAAAeVA/LQrh8wUDcaA/s1600-h/Yum%252520folder%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="classic sangria recipe" border="0" height="636" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-K-GT54L13YU/Uc2xOMlgGzI/AAAAAAAAeVY/hMWMZVCyrYo/Yum%252520folder_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="classic sangria recipe" width="500" /></a></p>  <p>1 1/2 cup orange juice    <br />2 tbsp triple sec     <br />1/2 cup brandy     <br />1 bottle (750 ml) fruity red wine (the cheaper, the sweeter, the better) :)     <br />3 tbsp sugar     <br />2-3 cinnamon sticks     <br />lemon/orange/lime or even strawberry, pineapple, whatever!     <br />1 1/2 cup chilled lemon/lime sparkling water</p>  <p>You’ll want to mix the first six ingredients (hold off on the lemon/lime water) and stir. Next up, cut the fruit into slices: </p>  <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TT1WLOhul5w/Uc2xO3oREdI/AAAAAAAAeVg/oxSybxz3g-U/s1600-h/IMG_5883%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="classic sangria recipe" border="0" height="751" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LR2Fuoqjwdg/Uc2xPYV7teI/AAAAAAAAeVo/DKYTvxc_6qM/IMG_5883_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="classic sangria recipe" width="500" /></a></p>  <p>One of the reasons I love this drink is because it’s such a pretty one to serve. :) </p>  <p>Just make sure to clean the fruit well before slicing since you will be adding it to the drink: </p>  <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0ZetJZWe1zM/Uc2xP-vrTMI/AAAAAAAAeVw/JN5uEM4nvh4/s1600-h/IMG_5889%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="classic sangria recipe" border="0" height="676" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-t0ahnZae4qM/Uc2xQQfX3zI/AAAAAAAAeV4/Y5tfs2T--5s/IMG_5889_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="classic sangria recipe" width="450" /></a></p>  <p>Side note – we like our orange juice with pulp. Usually I make this with OJ without it (it’s clearer) but I was using what we had this time. </p>  <p>This is where I like to let it steep in the fridge for a while – preferably over night. But it is still super delicious right away too. My sister-in-law had some right after I mixed it last night and it was yummy, but letting it sit really deepens the flavor. </p>  <p>Right before you serve it (after letting it steep for awhile or right after mixing everything), add the lemon lime sparkling water – this is what gives it a slight fizz. <em>So</em> good! </p>  <p>I make this for every party or girl’s night and it’s always a hit. My SIL and I were reminiscing tonight how my father-in-law loved sangria and would always order it when we went out to new restaurants. Thing is he would always turn up his nose after trying it and it made us laugh every time – he could never find one that was <em>just right</em>. </p>  <p>But I’m proud to say he LOVED my sangria. ;) </p>  <p>Hope you’ll try it and love it too!: <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gAzP-pju_ZY/Uc2xQ2GK8tI/AAAAAAAAeWA/MYtNq_bHUJk/s1600-h/sangria%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="best sangria recipe" border="0" height="701" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6VqQgYgLagQ/Uc2xRsiwqQI/AAAAAAAAeWI/r3DUG6MaVfw/sangria_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="best sangria recipe" width="500" /></a></p>  <p>Have a great weekend, cheers!    </p>  <p>**Go <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/search/label/I%20am%20cooking%3F" target="_blank">here</a> to see all of my easy recipes! </p>

Best sangria recipe

Welcome to Friday, whoot! Hope your week was great and you have an even better weekend planned! First up, I’m over at SAS Interiors today...

8:52 AM

Too many spoons in the kitchen

<p>Heyyyy all! How is your week going? </p>  <p>So you get that play on words? Cooks in the kitchen? Spoons? Well…maybe by the end of this post it will be clever. </p>  <p>I’m SO happy to be done with the <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2013/06/powder-room-redo-complete.html">powder room</a> – have I mentioned that?? There’s a million reasons (hello…functioning bathroom) but one of the big ones is that I can finally start addressing some of the other little projects around the house. I told myself I would hold off until I got the bathroom done. </p>  <p>I told you a few months ago that I’m slowly but surely attacking the clutter hot spots around our house. At this rate I’ll be done next year in time to start it all over again, but whatever. </p>  <p>I’m on a mission in our kitchen to declutter the countertops. Mostly – not completely clear them off, but be smarter about the things we have out. I know it’s probably silly but lately all the utensils next to the stove were driving me crazy: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-tYVITnzDVvl-w8s39XGp7rcybPC3D05fGGi9WK9aGkDZ3Agb2lyPVKIW6ACZWr_9_HvWyBE9B3XMjEOaRcgl6k7Ms8MwnyOjzOnQFk0xrKsiz5Dq3y3KdpfHkYHdQrrO-L4Sso1u68/s1600-h/IMG_5858%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Mw5MzAskZcjPmIBWcL6hrXwUvh1fcWCI6pvISq8K-d-oihVnw6BN94ERptxbQ94vS7SRMeKSfduWK2ruw0gLsamU0Fauyqm2tPEG9EckZUPNF9xp_vZR5oFDFJF3Ywv-Y5kRqmDjTO8/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="450" /></a></p>  <p>Especially considering we have a drawer right there that I use for the rest of the utensils: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8riOj0BIZQY9Ygcdadz6fDzSmNH5o7OfiAOWD7EGCCRvUBIXB5y46LpmX8kavtol2mnkvl1On1VxAGF2aujfxVsjUpBKhJB0qfbhSGsXCQ2fdsYI-StEYqnM3Rq_cyzpslCV-rfkjZgQ/s1600-h/IMG_5859%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="utensil drawer organization" border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjv3qeSZl80jfKBhuH3QgbDAGZ_wyeGrXLq0g8p_F7QhyRD1SjlFOWL27y6a_iphLfA7OjRx1UABVrngevwIQBQHX46iQCjgKj-AENnANgAP9vNuTBKq21BONcANIp5M_99i3Uae8Xk8E/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="utensil drawer organization" width="550" /></a></p>  <p>Problem was, as you can see – it was a hot mess. Every time I’d put something away I would have to try to close the drawer about five times before I finally got it shut. ;)</p>  <p>I realized it was getting a little ridiculous – who needs all those spoons? Really? Especially for someone who <strike>rarely</strike> <strike>hardly ever</strike> occasionally cooks? So I took about 15 minutes to declutter the situation. </p>  <p>You’ll notice the wonky drawer organizers in that pic above – that was a little DIY project I did years ago. (I saw the idea at Stephanie’s site <a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2010/09/do-it-yourself-drawer-organizers-diy-kitchen-organization.html#comments">here</a>.) At the time I didn’t secure them well enough so they weren’t working so great. </p>  <p>All I did was take scrap wood from the garage and cut it to the width of the drawer and then nail it in. Stephanie just used glue for hers but that didn’t hold well enough for me. So I needed to add one more nail to each side to make them more secure and I used the little trick I used years ago: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IfzACgb6zfabgr3WinBDa-yHLaORnmHwZRNHA7JEhNINkLf7pL70dw6sgFNb6lJhSg6jY3sZhWmokxDnou8tF28hJu90X_oR2vxghhzwwZLMTD4zM4JdijvBYlEmPlVPERUfn50UPsc/s1600-h/IMG_5862%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="utensil drawer organization" border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2UDQ7jLxAD17Nf0mgKIbutbNYQkwFGa1pIYDFaxcvujug_MgLHpE4esCxLw4Xx2FHKgixXgRbPstentWqP7E0zE6hGwEYxjefuN1Sgq6jkFFi-uhtCgSsIcUc4Irur1WcoY9Tyf3p7E/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="utensil drawer organization" width="550" /></a></p>  <p>I used my Frogtape to mark off where the wood was so I could nail into it without missing. Does that make sense? Cause otherwise this happens: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Pg2DPdIzaw86jahyphenhyphenxBj_YebBszbXJnx-fy5LBNqXCkH8PFU-2fzryCMJOZ2LIbUaDEUJJROX9knn0WHxWT5WsU1EpEBMnZBn3EWZbLlR4cklEMVOYCJdqrsI6lIQuP5zh2zFJWdLFm8/s1600-h/IMG_5861%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEOyREWYxlhNuEeXZGHwCYbc3p3uKXFffrzn94MspEnDQrJc4l-q2NYAX13gZd8wrxeDUeJxDEiX636-q3nZoPxVWAA6tLk5aftIbk41-YqeLz7vmfkNetgf3qDkGNu1HE7PocLCxaag/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="450" /></a></p>  <p>(The nail didn’t hit the wood and came out the side.) </p>  <p>Obviously you still need to have good aim. Gah! </p>  <p>In hindsight I wish I would have installed the wood slats the long way instead of across, but if I remember right I was trying to work with scraps of wood I already had. </p>  <p>So once the organizers were secure again I started the purging and reorganizing. The bigger items went into a cabinet in the kitchen with like items and all the grilling stuff went outside underneath the grill: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVUN2ckYFpdpttUdFsHVr0ld92rHV0mVkIPi1yGxTCBwwVNfoMTHmCBNGuiPOdl2mdAiQGJ-VOX7zKbB3ClhnLYDHOm6DIPZJ0Vpd27fw2OUbLP19R-IXg93kMP1tkcCqjmVVKPejC00/s1600-h/IMG_5864%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXb4w3g9WFxGo0nD_Of863y8T3-VFXNkz213V4FoEaA3wm7OvfKRQFyfr6QiCmFb7yNNelLaTNMO63RKmvWFFUBJkcuoE47zy-HY-vM7LmKJfscv6b7SluLaf1Ssx3HWc6Ov1_VYznxM/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="550" /></a></p>  <p>By the way, those little marshmallow sticks telescope out and are perfect for making smores! :) I got them at the Target dollar spot last summer, not sure if they still have them. </p>  <p>We had doubles and triples of plenty, which I pared down. And then I found things that I have NO idea why we had: </p>  <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvleB6EES3zObIwyyXHg2FmsObg9M-WzUwUt5CdOVPlbVW3hfSdXuAFGAcK3pzEXonEQrjgrAJkw5d68CTL7Nxid3GyCYnNKbyN1eH13YwEm2FRWACme9yOZ3mkWZNnBitwSwIDkCAX0/s1600-h/IMG_5871%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZhU2_wSd8TAa5mJk7fYSZbSOo7WcX8pxVst0lMsLNgH4yVuXkmKfASrr7ZQCeOpgERhlXD-flBfdGfGPRKNlCG65AaXjlqYCSLsyNlG7Por0zSoltVBDtgVTt-urpR9N8vX-GF2-Rns/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="" width="290" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfH0XY7PZbk_yeF0WXRnl8qn6RI_HfXGyG9C1SQXwwJFMvpHfthzdim2FElqRpPZJl0WvFS40_z8QuBOD_HaWyR3INnhjOi_DdKDta30gDmlsoKN0A5Jw7zZdDbDjobtnc491-KXKYDWw/s1600-h/IMG_5872%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMWPuvzBAnPANxYj_lObLDjChm5qgFBFVcNN11GlkmHoikIPlBi7ajCEfHGM1oZJy6ixUtaQ84ULLu5CVABLrm_V3KDFHPnjfE_zaQZyWiguqTZD0bXTf7qTsQa6QWhc9N9DNvXeBB64/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="" width="290" /></a></p>  <p>Uhhhh…what are those? </p>  <p>I was able to purge plenty so now I don’t even need the holder next to the stove anymore, which was my goal: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWl4a342zVO9dZhnq_yONGtOj3IrzYyOV_WNlw1tyRhyHoF9pLn129T6Zx8jBmZ2bWXeJNMbA6DOWNuA5AZthLoRRXwTj28HeEBIaRxDrY0-BQx_AkSm2ti3bIf0tQQNLqPtuXektoV8/s1600-h/IMG_5866%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="gumball fish bowl" border="0" height="751" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiTALqCbqU96MTjq465331iBsSiHB5m-zSPnfftkacZMQcknAekVsbp-ss7cxPSg8Iei-m4f6c5NHh0P7EUMG0zQZZNs56n4Lc7aIBJV4_oZ9RgzRKD3Oxta4ey5P5hn6m_U7I0iQsps/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="gumball fish bowl" width="500" /></a></p>  <p>On a side note, Squish the Fish is doing AWESOME! We’ve had this Squish for three years now and he’s the most spoiled fish I’ve ever known. My husband <em>loves</em> him. You can see more about the gumball fish tank <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-shall-call-him-squishy.html">here</a>. </p>  <p>But let’s marvel at the lovely utensil drawer, with a (little) room to spare:</p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF7JnYO9T4gGA5ksVR1BeCAiNo9ApxkIg3BpE-OILbTmHmehw3H3933jW8cpAqiBjxXfnIBPhaP8R3-jqoLy5Da2UpDupHhzSeEGbLa1iid51tzbgl5Jg2PgyEVg61iXI3f5snNpSZak/s1600-h/IMG_58742%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="utensil drawer organization" border="0" height="731" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3KlJczRVifZFK1fk8E9Xb4G2WFg1sLUvOMHQLmCM9_FxUuIICsbeL9PTZvNIFt1Q7EIHlvggFvXutyyXH_UtrECeG71KSj79WZRSqoqFWTK1IveTzsaTArGbKUJ_zB7VO0bF8O8LUIM/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="utensil drawer organization" width="513" /></a> One drawer done, eleventy billion to go. </p>  <p>And one thing you don’t ever think you’ll do until you blog – take a picture of your utensil drawer and share it with the world. </p>  <p>This little spot makes me feel like I did a lot – I find decrapifying is a lot more manageable when I tackle little bits at a time. </p>  <p>So do you have too many spoons in your kitchen? Can you close your utensil drawer?? </p>

Too many spoons in the kitchen

Heyyyy all! How is your week going? So you get that play on words? Cooks in the kitchen? Spoons? Well…maybe by the end of this post it wil...

9:22 AM

First Light by Victoria University of Wellington

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://goathouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/first-light-by-victoria-university-of-Wellington.html" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Minimalist-Wood-House-Fresh-Holiday-Home-First-Light" border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yCDKA2YE7trEEUwDTyNYqHn7qz1s07614VS2mOBSijqWLcbGTrrxRsem1vTw3hau97YCfFIVX8zKyBVa2n4gN34YvEkrzMcbFP4eWIxp_XHS8BEWcceuvd4vHwA_1dYSlib2mXKE-no/s640/Minimalist-Wood-House-Fresh-Holiday-Home-First-Light.jpg" title="Minimalist-Wood-House-Fresh-Holiday-Home-First-Light" width="640"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN;"></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN;"></span><span lang="IN"><a href="http://firstlighthouse.ac.nz/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN;"></span></a></span><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN;"></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In 2011, US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon has held the contest of home design with energy as the main category. </span><span lang="IN">Victoria University of Wellington</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> has participated home design, called <a href="http://goathouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/first-light-by-victoria-university-of-Wellington.html" rel="" target="_blank">First Light</a> for the entrance. Efficient in energy is a goal to this home design beside façade and other aspects as its consideration.</span><br></div><a href="http://goathouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/first-light-by-victoria-university-of-Wellington.html#more">... Read More ...</a>

First Light by Victoria University of Wellington

In 2011, US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon has held the contest of home design with energy as the main category. Victoria University o...

10:54 AM

High Performance & Energy Efficient Home, ENJOY HOUSE by Team New Jersey

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://goathouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/high-performance-energy-efficient-home.html" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Home-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1dJUiYR3wpGyf3ScEMrgvKCW2bV6vaG6g3gXsXt3hi70J45DTPzc6xW0OiH-QdRASwBKnhtbrJMX_G8imEyWDmGZtKUBuVWLn72EIiG-xOiRbqG65ZJCCzhXgOoqZACDf8mrTDupO-Y/s640/Home-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" title="Home-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://goathouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/high-performance-energy-efficient-home.html" target="_blank">ENJOY HOUSE</a>has been completed by Team New Jersey for participating US Department of energy solar decathlon in 2011. A main concept of this home design is to build a home with high performance and using energy efficiently so that its design applies some technologies.</span></div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="IN">This home’s design features many special part for </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">an affordable, functional, energy-efficient house suited to the climate of New Jersey </span><span lang="IN">such as, concrete panel in all roof, wall, and floor, perforation, and a rainwater collector called inverter-hip roof. And the technologies in this house such as, an evacuated solar thermal tubes (able to heat domestic hot water and preheating for the hydronic radiant floor), Fiberglass-framed windows, a 9-kW photovoltaic system with target output of 36 kWh, energy recovery ventilators and dehumidifiers. Photo by <a href="http://jimtetro.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JimTetro.com</a></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmHM7xOy5NCtV7DQNID7Qy5wn7n1e2cVZ7slo4Hcsdn4s0jvGV9eBlPWmbC66-f1Dq-NJLgQDNVthian8yoZMrfXukbdcZiAebtYWqLKMcj1uCxCCrN7TYDxgqdUzUhjzoNAmxPV8Cpg/s1600/Home-Energy-Efficient-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Home-Energy-Efficient-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmHM7xOy5NCtV7DQNID7Qy5wn7n1e2cVZ7slo4Hcsdn4s0jvGV9eBlPWmbC66-f1Dq-NJLgQDNVthian8yoZMrfXukbdcZiAebtYWqLKMcj1uCxCCrN7TYDxgqdUzUhjzoNAmxPV8Cpg/s640/Home-Energy-Efficient-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" title="Home-Energy-Efficient-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyn9fKCwijyC_daBwoIquCVJb14bs2eyyU0mDFNOXi35Hf5Kpk5XtXsdBmWRY4c1DthPCd8JNzi77eW25KKPNeYCURHwwYFH0RYnACZnWHgaFg7kFPfri-6FOtExmRkPWK3bMO90NKn4/s1600/Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Living-Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyn9fKCwijyC_daBwoIquCVJb14bs2eyyU0mDFNOXi35Hf5Kpk5XtXsdBmWRY4c1DthPCd8JNzi77eW25KKPNeYCURHwwYFH0RYnACZnWHgaFg7kFPfri-6FOtExmRkPWK3bMO90NKn4/s640/Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" title="Living-Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_H7nPGAvc2dTmTyW9IDkx5hVoBt5-DM3VaDPjnK8AVPkrJbWnaO6vq7h2BIPrNvfa34jQ3UqJh4-HUrpr9LnDaeUsvGv_O6uJ3FXn4NbamyHcgm4zmE2gD4Scx-GUWhNxHseL54nc5Dw/s1600/Kitchen-Home-Design-Interior-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Living-Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_H7nPGAvc2dTmTyW9IDkx5hVoBt5-DM3VaDPjnK8AVPkrJbWnaO6vq7h2BIPrNvfa34jQ3UqJh4-HUrpr9LnDaeUsvGv_O6uJ3FXn4NbamyHcgm4zmE2gD4Scx-GUWhNxHseL54nc5Dw/s640/Kitchen-Home-Design-Interior-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" title="Living-Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Nby8gvc0DbTKs6JeMTj_qhvmp-5O53xUk3_IMJ3mVR48DHhbApKY1nEhIl4xuIRI8d1kekTVcgZWHYPoSuQU_YbbLNfhnBZGMOJy4kwjUIl9Q4NOJ9AhZGLURW7NC0Vr6ZAalFVF108/s1600/Living-Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Living-Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Nby8gvc0DbTKs6JeMTj_qhvmp-5O53xUk3_IMJ3mVR48DHhbApKY1nEhIl4xuIRI8d1kekTVcgZWHYPoSuQU_YbbLNfhnBZGMOJy4kwjUIl9Q4NOJ9AhZGLURW7NC0Vr6ZAalFVF108/s640/Living-Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" title="Living-Kitchen-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdgrgz4r64ZvuLV3MZUNYGTbTjas0mu2XcinP5mDicIIl8hCOooxDe6m0U8JAIzIEz9QL7k2HDBxHBC_cmS7uKjEztlKnerB-vngGEPIzXMOZLqojxv9oLRH7SI6qBSiGZJklq-XGak0/s1600/Badroom-Design-Interior-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Badroom-Design-Interior-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdgrgz4r64ZvuLV3MZUNYGTbTjas0mu2XcinP5mDicIIl8hCOooxDe6m0U8JAIzIEz9QL7k2HDBxHBC_cmS7uKjEztlKnerB-vngGEPIzXMOZLqojxv9oLRH7SI6qBSiGZJklq-XGak0/s640/Badroom-Design-Interior-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" title="Badroom-Design-Interior-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" width="640" /></a></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMNjsObEea7NK5md4LKR6x2IlsswE7LcSQsTYOSGjih_XhUwnN-C60Xkr0jemfd90rKn66fXbIJW5VxWn3MWgc0QXLb20wSVNsUltLU01-V6cX-df-yTl4MkjQ5vQ3Nf0H5A9qfxQSvo/s1600/Clean-Bathroom-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Clean-Bathroom-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMNjsObEea7NK5md4LKR6x2IlsswE7LcSQsTYOSGjih_XhUwnN-C60Xkr0jemfd90rKn66fXbIJW5VxWn3MWgc0QXLb20wSVNsUltLU01-V6cX-df-yTl4MkjQ5vQ3Nf0H5A9qfxQSvo/s640/Clean-Bathroom-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" title="Clean-Bathroom-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9N21xm_Yq-_n3Hljj8pxVXcOz2ZGIFitDsGLV0BSXeDmgWUq5QjgiOJPYxNiVrGh8ME4OlI47TIhjg8uB5krPtlmjBbQ0NYSlXHTcxqSi6dXmDL__NHTnMSTKslr9KxhjGWWdvxDJNeA/s1600/High-Performance-Wall-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="High-Performance-Wall-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9N21xm_Yq-_n3Hljj8pxVXcOz2ZGIFitDsGLV0BSXeDmgWUq5QjgiOJPYxNiVrGh8ME4OlI47TIhjg8uB5krPtlmjBbQ0NYSlXHTcxqSi6dXmDL__NHTnMSTKslr9KxhjGWWdvxDJNeA/s640/High-Performance-Wall-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey.jpg" title="High-Performance-Wall-Design-ENJOY-HOUSE-Team-New-Jersey" width="426" /></a></b></div><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN;">ENJOY House</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN;"> by <a href="http://www.solarteamnewjersey.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Team New Jersey</a>:</span></b></h2><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN;"></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>“<span lang="IN">Team New Jersey's entry for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, ENJOY</span></i><i><span lang="IN"> </span><span lang="IN">House, suggests a new way of approaching high</span></i><i><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Cambria Math","serif";"></span><span lang="IN">-performance, energy-</span></i><i><span lang="IN">efficient residential</span></i><i><span lang="IN"> </span><span lang="IN">design. Cutting</span></i><i>-<span lang="IN">edge fabrication techniques meet the age</span></i><i>-<span lang="IN">old technology of concrete in its</span></i><i><span lang="IN"> </span><span lang="IN">intelligent design. The roof's inverted</span></i><i><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Cambria Math","serif";"></span><span lang="IN">hip shape is calibrated for optimal solar energy and</span></i><i><span lang="IN"> </span><span lang="IN">rainwater collection, contributing to an architecture informed by performance criteria. </span></i></span></div><br /><h2 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Design Philosophy</span></i></h2><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">The ENJOY House integrates passive strategies, new solar technologies, and contemporary</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><span lang="IN">architectural ideas. Built of pre-</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Cambria Math","serif";"></span><span lang="IN">cast concrete insulated panels, the house requires little</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><span lang="IN">upkeep compared with traditional stick-</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Cambria Math","serif";"></span><span lang="IN">frame materials. The highly insulated building</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><span lang="IN">envelope and passive solar strategies significantly reduce heating and cooling loads. </span></i></div><h2 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Features</span></i></h2><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Team New Jersey aims to create an affordable, functional, energy-efficient house suited to</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><span lang="IN">the climate of New Jersey. To accomplish these goals, the ENJOY House features:</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Concrete panels in all roof, wall, and floor assemblies that use varied casting processes</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Perforations that allow for daylighting and dramatically improve thermal performance</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">An inverted-</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Cambria Math","serif";"></span><span lang="IN">hip roof that allows for rainwater collection. </span></i></div><h2 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Technologies</span></i></h2><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">ENJOY House incorporates strategic technologies, including:</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Evacuated solar thermal tubes that heat domestic hot water and provide preheating for the hydronic radiant floor</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Fiberglass-framed windows that are high-performing, energy-efficient, and durable</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">A 9-kW photovoltaic system with a target daily electric output of 36 kWh</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Energy recovery ventilators and dehumidifiers that keep cool air inside the house while providing fresh air from outside. </span></i></div><h2 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Market Strategy</span></i></h2><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">The ENJOY House is intended for a couple that retires to the Jersey shore. With a retiree's needs in mind, the team has designed a 960-ft<sup>2</sup> (89-m<sup>2</sup>) house that is ADA-accessible. Team New Jersey has integrated universal design principles into its architecture to create a house that is accessible to people of all ages and levels of mobility. </span></i></div><h2 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What's Next</span></i></h2><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Nonprofit organizations in New Jersey as well as private homebuilders have expressed interest in taking possession of the ENJOY House after the competition. Team New Jersey hopes to determine the house's final destination before the start of Solar Decathlon 2011.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">”</span></i></div></div></div>

High Performance & Energy Efficient Home, ENJOY HOUSE by Team New Jersey

ENJOY HOUSE has been completed by Team New Jersey for participating US Department of energy solar decathlon in 2011. A main concept of this ...

10:24 AM

Solar Homestead by APPState University

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://goathouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/solar-homestead-by-appstate-university.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Modern-Home-Design-Solar-Homestead" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-f87r5D-ysiARuh6aW3-PtfgqkgO4oqoNhdprvUb4nT-2z6s-D9ZP0nyChwUWvA-gvfAn9JYPk87N9d8VVStgAl3bjZZCFzNt9vjWpKB6aZjZ1gjOsz3SLR8zBBAIIkNG3woPC5Sd7z8/s640/Modern-Home-Design-Solar-Homestead.jpg" title="Modern-Home-Design-Solar-Homestead" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://goathouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/solar-homestead-by-appstate-university.html" target="_blank">This modern home design</a>, called Solar Homestead has fully designed by <a href="http://www.appstate.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Appalachian State University</a> for participating US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in 2011. The features of this home design are the high technologies that applied for its energy supply.</span></div><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfv5K0dhKmA0Vg4d9egb3cbrvhTrn8pVF_OvQwpG_x1PJijddijwk8dNO1jD-d175OJ0hKbjCpkAHwVFOE5ybQ5vbWNrR45wNx1nGfNeF0WHY2tGXKEvOlXhodoc1HAVjIN53QGTMcStU/s1600/Family-Room-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Family-Room-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfv5K0dhKmA0Vg4d9egb3cbrvhTrn8pVF_OvQwpG_x1PJijddijwk8dNO1jD-d175OJ0hKbjCpkAHwVFOE5ybQ5vbWNrR45wNx1nGfNeF0WHY2tGXKEvOlXhodoc1HAVjIN53QGTMcStU/s640/Family-Room-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead.jpg" title="Family-Room-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Inspired by traditional Appalachian settlements is called <a href="http://www.thesolarhomestead.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Solar Homestead</a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a <i>traditional</i> settlement lifestyle that is <i>combined</i> with <i>modern clean-energy technology</i>. There are six outbuilding modules connect to form the Great Porch. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">House features</span>two bedrooms, a <i>day-lit</i> bathroom, <i>energy-efficient appliances</i>, and a versatile living and dining area, also includes an independent flex space that can be used as a home office, art studio, or guest quarters and <i>8.2-kW trellis of bifacial solar cells</i> on outdoor living space. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Solar Homestead</span> house has forty-two <i>bifacial photovoltaic panels</i> to provide solar energy, on-demand solar thermal domestic <i>hot water system</i> provide constant water temperature, and a <i>trombe</i> wall that can store heat and release it at night. This house was designed for <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">residents of Asheville</span>, North Carolina by </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Appalachian State University</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">and participated in <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011</span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7ETOjmrRRbN22EyBVGCZTsLzpCKeaF-e30HW-wnh5CUzuJujtNP_XkuqxYYa4w602qH4U9Le4YuFV8VU4PH8Ddayu3QwQ8inBNw-WFKLVSD2_eR2P3nPB6SHMqt-3n7ydbF6_yAN7WY/s1600/Lounge-Family-Room-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lounge-Family-Room-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7ETOjmrRRbN22EyBVGCZTsLzpCKeaF-e30HW-wnh5CUzuJujtNP_XkuqxYYa4w602qH4U9Le4YuFV8VU4PH8Ddayu3QwQ8inBNw-WFKLVSD2_eR2P3nPB6SHMqt-3n7ydbF6_yAN7WY/s640/Lounge-Family-Room-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead.jpg" title="Lounge-Family-Room-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9m6nApwkU-WvjTS_rrauFUdGgVp1EBR63pS83tV5jYiAlvHSEDXVmewL3hvsXEiETqQ_Td0-BAGNMRPNIHmVIgKgtdaUavursfBtNXbVURcqoAb3IGxW39-jxBnAgQZf4dXDxz3NY7gw/s1600/Bedroom-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bedroom-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9m6nApwkU-WvjTS_rrauFUdGgVp1EBR63pS83tV5jYiAlvHSEDXVmewL3hvsXEiETqQ_Td0-BAGNMRPNIHmVIgKgtdaUavursfBtNXbVURcqoAb3IGxW39-jxBnAgQZf4dXDxz3NY7gw/s640/Bedroom-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead.jpg" title="Bedroom-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead" width="640" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: IN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QWnPc3Nmeov9N52ponavlXO3w7U9hLJkZyT60Y10Xa8ds9jBHC6pGgn1RzicS_SgJkYG4biHQJqUeu90OP2OALa_aRSoIuU1zARZp1sDxV36x_X2aUpROt3Tb5CTPYOY-vxyQvJAVjY/s1600/Wood-Alley-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wood-Alley-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QWnPc3Nmeov9N52ponavlXO3w7U9hLJkZyT60Y10Xa8ds9jBHC6pGgn1RzicS_SgJkYG4biHQJqUeu90OP2OALa_aRSoIuU1zARZp1sDxV36x_X2aUpROt3Tb5CTPYOY-vxyQvJAVjY/s320/Wood-Alley-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead.jpg" title="Wood-Alley-Design-Interior-Solar-Homestead" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtWzaz3ySTNbVnwfeKz0lFGVrjUO7lprdAYsreICpUdBGHel5bXbqtbxb2gnkA1eahgLoM-yUlMCCkAuODtcMDMUvUFaRuTB3MHvMAWb0osFB3qdFClGuFPproqglM_vvrPoU8lFD7G8/s1600/Wood-BathRoom-Design-Solar-Homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wood-BathRoom-Design-Solar-Homestead" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtWzaz3ySTNbVnwfeKz0lFGVrjUO7lprdAYsreICpUdBGHel5bXbqtbxb2gnkA1eahgLoM-yUlMCCkAuODtcMDMUvUFaRuTB3MHvMAWb0osFB3qdFClGuFPproqglM_vvrPoU8lFD7G8/s320/Wood-BathRoom-Design-Solar-Homestead.jpg" title="Wood-BathRoom-Design-Solar-Homestead" width="266" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eL1FQYdYNbVjV481RNUhrwXIB9bF47pXT0o9v_fRfVmRDEHwx8cj5TyvoRo2YFGR2UdykiHlRrqfk0eBbTBIoucElgT9saDDmW8Dqwj7IqERp816VKJ0bKNdnGFSeyVNUZemUowhals/s1600/PV-Solar-Roofing-Design-Solar-Homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="PV-Solar-Roofing-Design-Solar-Homestead" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eL1FQYdYNbVjV481RNUhrwXIB9bF47pXT0o9v_fRfVmRDEHwx8cj5TyvoRo2YFGR2UdykiHlRrqfk0eBbTBIoucElgT9saDDmW8Dqwj7IqERp816VKJ0bKNdnGFSeyVNUZemUowhals/s640/PV-Solar-Roofing-Design-Solar-Homestead.jpg" title="PV-Solar-Roofing-Design-Solar-Homestead" width="426" /></a></div></div>

Solar Homestead by APPState University

This modern home design , called Solar Homestead has fully designed by Appalachian State University for participating US Department of Ener...

9:49 AM

Passive Home Design, PerFORM[D]ance House by Florida International University

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://goathouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/Passive-Home-Design-PerFORMDance-House-Florida-International-University.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Home-design-energy-efficient-PerFORM[D]ance-House" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrg_WsZvC__AGZEl0JxVeKlyWel8_o_yE6QKf3y1vAl5yTn8FeILRfO063zo1BReiBTiS8b7EbtZ2-0VVBRwF4OjqpXQZOrk0cvm2ppLvAI42WGcAeYuezPRgvJUTqjND8ECFPMOnmKMY/s640/Home-design-energy-efficient-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" title="Home-design-energy-efficient-PerFORM[D]ance-House" width="640" /></a></div><div style="mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Passive design strategy increases this home value, this home design applies some home technologies and features make it more efficient in energy using. Its Interior design mostly combines in white and widely constructed that provides more space and remembers to the suitable with exterior.</span></span></div><a name='more'></a><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br /><div style="mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></span></div><div style="mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Inspired of Paul Rudolph’s Cocoon House, it incorporates lightness and open spatial. It also incorporates tropical design including louvers, flat roof and expansive horizontally. The unique house features such as operable louvers that protect against hurricane-force winds, a fully retractable glazing system and an exterior deck, and Bio-remediating beds. And some technologies and strategies include cross ventilation, shading canopy, a ductless air conditioning system, system automation (sensors, timers, and remote controls), monitoring capabilities, a reflective white exterior. This house’s design was created by team of Florida International University </span><span lang="IN"><a href="http://solardecathlon.fiu.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">solardecathlon.fiu.edu</span></a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> as an entry of U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011.</span></span></div><div style="mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><br /><div style="mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span lang="IN">perFORM[D]ance House by Florida International University:</span></b></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="IN">Team website: </span><a href="http://solardecathlon.fiu.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span lang="IN" style="color: blue;">solardecathlon.fiu.edu</span></a><span lang="IN"></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">"Florida International University's U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 entry, the perFORM[D]ance House, responds to its environment, its inhabitants, and its use. Its open pavilion design links the interior with the exterior through a layered façade and integrated landscape, and operable louver panels open to extend the interior space and expand the livable space to the exterior. The ever-changing configuration is driven by environmental conditions, resulting in an interactive performance that showcases sustainable strategies and technologies.</span></i><br /><h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Design Philosophy</span></i></h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">The design of the perFORM[D]ance House incorporates lightness and open spatial continuity reminiscent of Paul Rudolph's Cocoon House. The house incorporates key elements of tropical design, including louvers, a continuous flat roof, and an expansive horizontality. </span></i><br /><h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Features</span></i></h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">The perFORM[D]ance House features:</span></i><br /><div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">         </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Operable louvers that raise and lower as needed for privacy, shading, and protection against hurricane-force winds </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">         </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">A fully retractable glazing system on the windows that provides relief from the heat and humidity of South Florida </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">         </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">An exterior deck with a garden and biofiltration pond </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">         </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Bio-remediating beds that treat storm-water runoff collected from the roof using native landscaping that filters sediment, reduces runoff, and oxygenates water.</span></i></div><h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Technologies</span></i></h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Florida International University's house is an elegant hybrid of technology and design that achieves livability and sustainability using: </span></i><br /><div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">         </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Passive design strategies such as natural cross-ventilation, canopy shade devices, and daylighting to reduce demand on mechanical systems </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">         </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">A ductless air conditioning system that uses micro-climate zoning to increase comfort while decreasing load </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">         </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">Sensors, timers, and remote controls to provide system automation that increases efficiency and reduces operation and maintenance costs </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">         </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">A weather station with monitoring capabilities that allows homeowners to monitor energy production and use, solar panel performance, and water consumption </span></i></div><div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span lang="IN" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">         </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">A reflective white exterior to reduce cooling demand. </span></i></div><h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Market Strategy</span></i></h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">The perFORM[D]ance House was designed for a Hispanic-American couple whose children are off in college. Juan Gonzalez is a self-employed contractor and green building advocate. Alice Gonzalez is a former art history professor who has an illness that requires her to use a wheelchair. These empty-nesters have always wanted to retire to the sunny, subtropical climate of Miami, Florida. </span></i><br /><h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What's Next</span></i></h2><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="IN">After the house returns from Solar Decathlon 2011, it will be installed on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus of Florida International University in Miami. The perFORM[D]ance House will support the university's Office of Sustainability by serving as a visitor center pavilion and promoting the university's mission for sustainability."</span></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uNoKIbKtuiZekIcddX0n5ws71CHoaNKzS8bgZaAtyBIiA2TGgd0_TZRv2rfBHCmpT9zactDZsKX5NHnAxMSZoA7K4zCTP1wNhpmqWnmPCX9_dYKXUKGKx-CqTiyxNu6-l33lNRlpORM/s1600/Interior-Design-Bedroom-Kitchen-Diningroom-Livingroom-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Interior-Design-Bedroom-Kitchen-Diningroom-Livingroom-PerFORM[D]ance-House" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uNoKIbKtuiZekIcddX0n5ws71CHoaNKzS8bgZaAtyBIiA2TGgd0_TZRv2rfBHCmpT9zactDZsKX5NHnAxMSZoA7K4zCTP1wNhpmqWnmPCX9_dYKXUKGKx-CqTiyxNu6-l33lNRlpORM/s640/Interior-Design-Bedroom-Kitchen-Diningroom-Livingroom-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" title="Interior-Design-Bedroom-Kitchen-Diningroom-Livingroom-PerFORM[D]ance-House" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0ywjD7cbYhVWUPhM0nVKgV1aWtcSFPFqKAhErwW3qvIxpCM9Mb0hykI-lwqxkjMUrmH4ZBa6cN9I1gipq8s2tyWHBr4uc4H3LwQMM614Oz4KjNgOP8TymivXtp0RbnLbz0E2cnTm7ao/s1600/Modern-Kitchen-and-diningroom-Design-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Modern-Kitchen-and-diningroom-Design-PerFORM[D]ance-House" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0ywjD7cbYhVWUPhM0nVKgV1aWtcSFPFqKAhErwW3qvIxpCM9Mb0hykI-lwqxkjMUrmH4ZBa6cN9I1gipq8s2tyWHBr4uc4H3LwQMM614Oz4KjNgOP8TymivXtp0RbnLbz0E2cnTm7ao/s640/Modern-Kitchen-and-diningroom-Design-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" title="Modern-Kitchen-and-diningroom-Design-PerFORM[D]ance-House" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOWvFtoin0QKUDOouRhHaA4KHSa5zyh134nwVCQLxOdJlIrxHB5uFwCw1cqGqixVyxsPm8mqV_bnUIU2hsi6gws0XyI-Tna79q4aCdJPmpFsUbWIKfiQfMS1kKS9F4jg7ehUDMMGh6UE/s1600/Interior-home-office-Table-Mounted-The-Wall-Flip-Bed-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Interior-home-office-Table-Mounted-The-Wall-Flip-Bed-PerFORM[D]ance-House" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOWvFtoin0QKUDOouRhHaA4KHSa5zyh134nwVCQLxOdJlIrxHB5uFwCw1cqGqixVyxsPm8mqV_bnUIU2hsi6gws0XyI-Tna79q4aCdJPmpFsUbWIKfiQfMS1kKS9F4jg7ehUDMMGh6UE/s400/Interior-home-office-Table-Mounted-The-Wall-Flip-Bed-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" title="Interior-home-office-Table-Mounted-The-Wall-Flip-Bed-PerFORM[D]ance-House" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Id2ePAfIootqWZyTXnmohQrGeFtKJuzFq5g1dlWR0aD8QWvG_Hy-dQtHDsNZTSfZ7HNfUk59PVz-5pjXFNizc2_XZrELJe73m1q_Dnw70AOyum6V_jQhpQXYI_3r0BhYaCCWk6X2Ajs/s1600/White-Interior-Design-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="White-Interior-Design-PerFORM[D]ance-House" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Id2ePAfIootqWZyTXnmohQrGeFtKJuzFq5g1dlWR0aD8QWvG_Hy-dQtHDsNZTSfZ7HNfUk59PVz-5pjXFNizc2_XZrELJe73m1q_Dnw70AOyum6V_jQhpQXYI_3r0BhYaCCWk6X2Ajs/s400/White-Interior-Design-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" title="White-Interior-Design-PerFORM[D]ance-House" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsTvaghauXJIgRMzBu-3YjAcTt8fv9s996osa1CR-WtgKQ1ahXThU0p_iQnHFUmUpoZ2BTIMZHqW6YYycc5D8hrU7XqLWq-Q4COhC9dC-S0MhgSR0i_cRtsivLV4-1fFjAJlW_QJy7Q8/s1600/White-Design-Bathroom-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="White-Design-Bathroom-PerFORM[D]ance-House" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsTvaghauXJIgRMzBu-3YjAcTt8fv9s996osa1CR-WtgKQ1ahXThU0p_iQnHFUmUpoZ2BTIMZHqW6YYycc5D8hrU7XqLWq-Q4COhC9dC-S0MhgSR0i_cRtsivLV4-1fFjAJlW_QJy7Q8/s400/White-Design-Bathroom-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" title="White-Design-Bathroom-PerFORM[D]ance-House" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDpn0fmDLUvboqiwF-Mg4T3g_J8Kp43JPZHBIiKnY9Oi0ZD2ifeCSwEiQ4siYDh-AyE6JIjrdQQTLQ5gZOhtuC7USU6prL7vADdhw90IBT0H9b5BD3-FsIE57VYW5NVjHXU6SU1qU0aY/s1600/Home-Ceiling-Design-Lounge-With-Glass-Windows-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Home-Ceiling-Design-Lounge-With-Glass-Windows-PerFORM[D]ance-House" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDpn0fmDLUvboqiwF-Mg4T3g_J8Kp43JPZHBIiKnY9Oi0ZD2ifeCSwEiQ4siYDh-AyE6JIjrdQQTLQ5gZOhtuC7USU6prL7vADdhw90IBT0H9b5BD3-FsIE57VYW5NVjHXU6SU1qU0aY/s400/Home-Ceiling-Design-Lounge-With-Glass-Windows-PerFORM%5BD%5Dance-House.jpg" title="Home-Ceiling-Design-Lounge-With-Glass-Windows-PerFORM[D]ance-House" width="266" /></a></div></div>

Passive Home Design, PerFORM[D]ance House by Florida International University

Passive design strategy increases this home value, this home design applies some home technologies and features make it more efficient in en...

2:52 AM

Dark or light side?

<p>Hello all! Hope you had a great weekend! We took a little road trip to the Chicago area for a couple drum corp shows (for hubby), Legoland (for the kiddo) and IKEA (for me). It was a fun, quick trip! </p>  <p>So now that the powder room is done I’m moving on to a room I’ve been itching to change up for a while – our master bedroom. I made some changes <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2013/02/changes-in-master.html">earlier this year</a> using things I already had, and the room got a <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2011/06/master-bedroom-redo-part-two.html">few other changes</a> a couple years ago. </p>  <p>We have a new addition coming to the room that kind of spurred a new redo on but I’ve been wanting to change some things up for a while – No. 1 on my list is getting rid of the striped wall behind our bed. It’s given me the itches for a few years now. </p>  <p>But my biggest dilemma before I can really get moving is the wall color – I’m torn between the allure of a deep, dark wall color and the light and bright look. I STILL can’t decide. Every time I think I have I see a new picture and it takes me back to the dark side. Or light. Or dark. </p>  <p>You get the idea. </p>  <p>I’m drawn to the moody, comfy feeling of a dark room:</p>  <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LEStIICV4_s/Uchv83toMbI/AAAAAAAAeOM/VLQkFTfToxQ/s1600-h/259660734735117199oMN8gHy5c%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="dark walls bedroom" border="0" height="607" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GvrE2b4cLgE/Uchv9QZwoRI/AAAAAAAAeOU/ZLqNzdYV86s/259660734735117199oMN8gHy5c_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="dark walls bedroom" width="500" /></a></p>  <p align="center">(<a href="http://greigedesign.blogspot.com">source</a>)</p>  <p>Did you notice the trim is painted the same color as the walls? What do you think of that? </p>  <p>Although if I went dark I would keep the headboard light like <a href="http://dearlillieblog.blogspot.com">Dear Lillie’s room</a>: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtjhG-E8IzH-WTRwuzsX0LHZd1ppFD_CABVsnBTN-kX1bEyzCvl-1J76fcMLFoi7iT7KmbHQ-M4gm58yY925Qs3HnHI_yxOZOgUddZVt4wDmUt4E38ZP1CNvUlHzy0YN08nutjvAiGS4/s1600-h/qDSC_0653%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="dark brown walls white bedding" border="0" height="735" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnJSbIEkylhvrF0Pi1Y21b6E47vWEMHwIZKD60GQzY__Ss5N4BLSonC0xnR1eOrfel6Be2lG8oGqyrerMz2UCmFVhmqGuvoGg8dUKQZT17k8yyeVbJXf1mHurf8W3D8tw7y1nNCcu8WI/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="dark brown walls white bedding" width="500" /></a></p>  <p>The light bedding brightens up the room and gives great contrast – I’m a lover of contrast you know. </p>  <p>I actually have a sample of a deep navy color like <a href="http://www.ourfifthhouse.com">Carmel’s room</a>: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ddmqf8INA5Zd3qlil_KEjenuKmIchNCDVgGYQKVNOTbBjxRmsOLl3K16zoFAmIAUI9StAOGHQylajkOxDlXnhz8uGgLm8qYF6I4JJDVadGzgYYILbUgyJF99d9-Id7lMlSsZeaFHAzk/s1600-h/deskasanightstand%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="dark walls dark wood bed" border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpc0GgGLw0RLBPWCeYmAKCvqTuCHHy84rThzNAW4qoayCyXi688BtD9-Qfg-LRG18IjL4PrKkpsvu3VbxIFdAUCXx-7azj69JRQgE-NL32DkX1RqEJEJfVQnPpeQGeCuXphhVFo10WaY/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="dark walls dark wood bed" width="500" /></a></p>  <p>Mine has a little more of an aqua tint to it, if that makes any sense – like a peacock blue. Can I just say how much I LOVE that mirror above her bed too??</p>  <p>In general I think it’s easier to pull in colors with a lighter room, but I love how color was used in this room, even with the dark walls: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwK1_eYh1K0ikf9ZSwc3ogQ-u9O22NcTTJ1QivZ4xTUjh1quLOtZsOLtPOGAnUGRDhGC8PxMXfIc6YTnqy_YGq8qJGjYkoq3h-xtULbRF47g-Wn1NZyh3DcgMxb3uwZnxJWqsQAOKHmA8/s1600-h/ca2157b5db9799f020eccab2253319cd%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="dark walls with aqua and blue" border="0" height="665" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyedNi2mpDCT2w_BfR2EnJcMAmmpzyqjR9kqVk9kkR6WpesL0Byk4y8lMmUiXdYiuu39eLEv8lIWsMe6-nJs36H6UxCmjYl-Is2bNN5AYFIKhEh1YLKyFtcbmjwotQsJU3ynbaf-Z37Zg/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="dark walls with aqua and blue" width="500" /></a></p>  <p align="center"><a title="http://www.brianwatford.com/#/portfolio/" href="http://www.brianwatford.com/#/portfolio/">(source)</a></p>  <p>I do love the pop of pink with the dark chocolate walls in this bedroom: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuyrizkDAR6b_z6Cx-cjbeiGtRJm6nAkFHkGUMIEckMU1aUmA2Z4rxevLY3kKyklH5Fyd9wTlwgJBp3HJo1bGTbUv86ij2xaafYmz6M6GjCwL303DH7PqIX4syBqeETpio_fAfHNCrms/s1600-h/7ff6dbf41e20bd04cbc12345fe033253%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="brown walls white bedding" border="0" height="690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Am_3BiIjp5TnekwDb7G56T0U8mGpQjOe0cWc0RGoujaq4pg6nFeHQU2IVtPfmeF7V37d7yflWX867DRYDnrp6xqOZjYcv_cvt0IinN1H2VVgiU2Q0Uqwi-DN8w5vkjz6MkhhN62x-X0/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="brown walls white bedding" width="500" /></a></p>  <p align="center"><a title="http://www.abchao.com" href="http://www.abchao.com">(source)</a></p>  <p>Just not sure the hubby would go for that. ;) </p>  <p>Here’s a great example of how a darker color completely changes the look of a room: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGtcDJj4XPn850ndwo-HESpA_zMPibVf8VHyvUGetWIWj8t2h7Dvk9t0iTD1YVNDItmnWvdY9xAabg3eT_xwuNZk4CCB0qACQU2IAGqUI2iO9qHoykFyTx7NvcLK51LaiDFp8GP5qM_fs/s1600-h/9e8e974c893dea385039007778d619eb%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="light room redo to dark walls" border="0" height="665" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCTdTH5C6d5sfIR7MOqJenR__gVXmIbj9XLT_jFZ_mnfx02H49fXhSsxv_oWR9Oy6gs1b-bQxTefRE9BzdtIcsqk_XO0o3koVKFJdun10Xeyuy_ZVDtFvPMaQ0hPuZx3PYd9YW5GTdQw/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="light room redo to dark walls" width="500" /></a></p>  <p align="center"><a title="http://www.abchao.com" href="http://www.abchao.com">(source)</a></p>  <p>There’s plenty of other changes too, but isn’t funny how much bigger it looks in a dark color? You always think it will be the opposite but that’s not always the case. </p>  <p>But here’s the thing – I’m finding I’m loving the power of a neutral wall color. It’s soothing, yes, but it also allows you more options when it comes to decorating with color: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqJtkkgogNOdzRIFyMjqUggdt2z4dMwlsuuehGuvrX9CpDK5p6sUOaE2-4rKDnmbUBkRqgQFfQzQkEVapCpqoim505FHtTFYR1HQoktJNmptL-sFvAhvG5DFtmdB_IZ2CJZZrAkm4OR8/s1600-h/portfolio16%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="decorating with color lighter walls " border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVX5huJGmzEAd9mlD766jajejngDK2NcLXmlz74CmQvTZHoYVNKyexabYbMqrf2WGc6nlvxPWr0za0zTvcIHD2Fmbfa9a1cQEz2TydduROcjZ1loPjSnXzXausiiLKbKVp2unStiYZqY/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="decorating with color lighter walls " width="550" /></a></p>  <p>My friend Layla’s <a href="http://theletteredcottage.net/the-bedroom/">old master bedroom</a> is one of my favorites: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Q3k87avO_wiYBALfTwpG0zOc_aAilWnRlGVBY-wah6dbTNmLIJAFjzobq6SngH8xB7ztCVTiMqmeSagVzXz9kQIXJzO6rR5OKQ9i9p5Jhd4_r8KmCmrtZVoaj1om7LFuuuGZGNI9C-c/s1600-h/The_Bedroom%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="cottage style bedroom " border="0" height="704" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_eqwBgorHXlqnSj-HW787Fu6RdnWs3RwTSc5XtJc9MvKsMjW-o3a_aNZ_-64nTvVt1CaiN08kVEMP1xbTblqStKp7BZdELaEZqdWy1FOnrliH7UvEwUj_nX-yjy86_2JYSt7PDrjBGs/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="cottage style bedroom " width="500" /></a> I love that the walls and bedding are light but the room is still so warm and colorful. </p>  <p>I think it’s evident by my photos (and recent projects) that I’m loving the wall planks: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtylfqxc5dbRvAKPn6uRwCDD84V8FQBrAcPOSl6ivfkSKaDZZo_P9WDMQ3sdlwcP8uNLf6X9fsN66JRdPsgnloC6b7CpL6eRd3IEclYOtfqFGqT15xFLccBMOkQfP5CuN6rQzSRiuJzV0/s1600-h/f53096c70027ba28cd9b7da94f2c483b%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="white walls, black and green accents" border="0" height="687" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj635rF30u_M4kHqwNf7FQDMxxi214S78XOGNqm-G_U0Kg858E92w7GHcRLdwR4sodfJlJoXfReza8lIJLaEavcfwIWblsN4dQrUfuHkZdIm1VAQI8XqJQHhrY-TLW3iNsgOcylXsLkm88/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="white walls, black and green accents" width="500" /></a></p>  <p align="center"><a title="http://tomstringer.com" href="http://tomstringer.com">(source)</a></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p>I just adore that room – I think every room can take some black pieces and this looks amazing with the white walls and green accents. Love! </p>  <p>And no, I’m not planking our bedroom walls – I need a break from the painting for awhile. ;)</p>  <p>Of course it doesn’t have to be white on the walls – I don’t think I could do an all white room anyway. This greige-ish space is just beautiful: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTEL3suUQiffhdd15Nr_D3JZ69MBNwb_zn3NFK2Uyp_QFdXYNddqZID2HxbVCu-m-Jjfu5oVg40FEyX5-HnHxmGLkDX9HRWPSu2QI0A-IUXSU9Q8mEjnyw3LiP57s26SVt6DOA_XJpfA/s1600-h/d03cc8b4b2f694f4b767be02a8ecd81a%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="light room with blue and green" border="0" height="765" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPaHuvsI2aWCb9a300TAweVRJ6ZRbi_V_LQpsjCBhO0T87Yte8qbaKGp5DYCYpbTmeaGucX8leCOtNSglnWKE08QxoSOQcQyNmR3cwiyuXER9ThIzhaKDWLZHsdq_LASrjOki9lqmqmo/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="light room with blue and green" width="500" /></a>I love that you could pull in pretty much any accent color and it would work. It’s that a gorgeous room? </p>  <p>I love this blue color too – and it proves that a lighter color can still offer plenty of contrast against white trim: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY_wg_yD_bKz8ucJ0wwBbPqQei3Osjppq3e1gylooNTd7ncl6CdMFo3Km6Vmtyj5XEnDaSbjFW7algxVGblELuz-Jt1iHa518PnLdg8rkoa52dTb43Q8oDmr44rrcc7vJReKciE_bARY/s1600-h/e33c8e58940d414fc398bc4e219a22cf%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="two story bedroom" border="0" height="668" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFUWmpuQ6o1JwHTkMPcJ9KdLfaGlcK0J2rWORfMUROBA77CK7ob-3LEFq3E4VL2MKPtwp-Pz2ViqZb_c8aWboY6WrY1TTrzs8-XGFU_F1hdFLZCeJsQm8O1bKh39p10yHdSGUcTafx0A/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="two story bedroom" width="500" /></a></p>  <p align="center"><a title="http://oharainteriors.com" href="http://oharainteriors.com">(source)</a></p>  <p align="left">I also love that there are plenty of darker accents in there (rug, chairs, ottomans) that offer some depth without making the room really heavy. </p>  <p align="left">Overall I just love the idea of a calming, serene space: </p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7DubUeUivJoddfX4PIZK-6OwNDKDNRdwJx66WPXD8_aH-NOZg-kj-ZkYyd538g6FHrLOqtk8GGcrVkP7PGi3XS6JWKj8CYAHtpXrzsYV8LuyEx-HRdKauoh-99HoilOdkLPDthQ5mr0/s1600-h/TVep151%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="molding same color as walls" border="0" height="463" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AVcsRsqDoFMzt7LuTwGvCTSEhlvnPfAAXgaD4mi3ruJL04hMeZbWYo-hbvb4NvMT3jlHyiHN-CCErDOZm-sQNdHwgS2Nmm7RCYxlkoINhl5VbFuTZSN51wtF3MqjJ25bhg_c8eBmJUk/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="molding same color as walls" width="550" /></a></p>  <p align="center"><a title="http://houseandhome.com/design/calming-bedroom" href="http://houseandhome.com/design/calming-bedroom">(source)</a></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p></p>  <p>But the thing is, our current wall color is darker (Tornado Watch at Lowe’s) and it feels super cozy too:</p>  <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUex3YvBbILLfBkNcrqKdtPANeJoF98JcWw-xVegHit0XuEtk_jMF0Y7JGlO_BjOUC3KaF2_y1oJ3tTEIPmzt7M5Bqu9LnY2FtiYG1onDzd1yhU9DGaxzNmmRyOcm6s-qCnmQt1-R-rsQ/s1600-h/IMG_4801_thumb%25255B5%25255D%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="dark walls bedroom " border="0" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLii44h1W94PIoCWWu94YunXC54Y1qZJ5Kt9oj_YLu1YVsxEd8qii3fBJeYjCySdMebP45OvdYFVlKuBSRmJMo1u_GpEwaSLwmycF09yQXikcYh_fVSag83oU9RV57gEMce85DodH7Eo/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="dark walls bedroom " width="400" /></a></p>  <p>A dark room feels like a hug to me, a lighter one feels like a big breath of fresh air.</p>  <p>Decisions, decisions.</p>  <p>A few months ago I was getting ready to slap a deep color on the walls, now I’m leaning big time toward a light color. I think I’m ready for a change! </p>  <p>What is your favorite for a bedroom – dark or light? Do/did you struggle with your wall color like me or did you know exactly what you wanted? Do tell! </p>  <p>P.S. I also painted the Bub’s room a dark blue but kept it light with lots of white trim – you can see it <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/search/label/big%20boy%20room">here</a>. </p>

Dark or light side?

Hello all! Hope you had a great weekend! We took a little road trip to the Chicago area for a couple drum corp shows (for hubby), Legoland (...

9:13 AM