Major Points of the Latest Bedroom Designs

Major Points of the Latest Bedroom Designs – Designing a bedroom is not difficult if you know what you want. Sometimes you are confused to choose which design will be best suited to your bedroom because there are too many designs to emulate. If you find a problem like this, it would be better if you follow the latest bedroom designs. Popular designs tend to be different every year. Last year’s bedroom designs will be much different than what is currently popular.

Last Year Vs The Latest Bedroom Designs

All tips we’ll share today is for you who want to do total remodeling to the bedroom. Previously we’ve posted the latest bedroom trends, and there we’ve said a lot about what styles are gaining popularity this year. More and more homeowners use an open space concept for their homes. Not just for the bedroom, but also for other rooms. The benefits of the large rooms is clear, you can walk around and feel more relieved. One way to create a spacious bedroom is by presenting cathedral ceiling. The ceiling is marked with a conical shape. Ceilings are usually closed to hide the house frame. In the latest bedroom designs, such a structuring is often imitated.

Each part of the bedroom can be widened in various ways, such as reducing the amount of furniture, expanding the bathroom, raising the ceiling, or others. To fit up a master bedroom, large furniture is really needed. You can put a king size bed or buy a wardrobe that’s double the normal size. People want easier access to all things in their room. That’s why they design their bedroom as minimalist as possible. Another thing to take note from the latest bedroom designs is how to make the bedroom much like a living room. A living room still holds an important role as they used to be, but more and more people want to have another living room in their bedrooms. For this reason, many of them include TV, sofa, fridge, DVD, and other devices that are usually found in the living room.

the latest bedroom designs: more space is better

There’s nothing wrong with entering all the devices you like into the bedroom as this is one way to implement the latest bedroom trends. However, not all homeowners have the opportunity to have large bedrooms. If this arrangement is applied to a small bedroom, the bedroom will feel crowded. If you have a small bedroom, you don’t need to enter all your favorite things into the bedroom. You can do a series of tricks to expand the space. Light is one way to create the illusion of larger space. Dark colors on the contrary would make a bedroom look cramped. If you let the sunlight into the room and illuminate everything, you don’t need to do anything to make it appear larger.

Favorite color tone for bedroom is gray. It seems like the color is always embraced by any bedroom design. Gray is always perfect for bedroom decorating as the color is neutral, so it can be combined with strong or soft colors. If you want to embellish the bedroom with other accents, you can try green and red. These colors can enrich the color composition of the bedroom and ride in on a wave of opulence.

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Bedroom Vanity

Buying a new bedroom vanity set need not be so unmanageable and costly if you only consider purchasing second hand items. Naturally, new vanity sets probably cost astatine least over $100 or maybe even more. If you choose to buy from online furniture retailers, then you should also take into account the cost of shipping and taxes. Obviously, this option may be too expensive for you especially if you are residing far from the retailers area.

However, there are also furniture stores which you should personally visit to see the actual cost of new vanity sets. Their prices may be substantially higher compared to online retailers but the good thing is that you need non pay for shipping charges. Once again, it is still a wise option to but a second hand vanity set when your main concern is the price.

Retailers of used vanity sets can be found in any city. Another commodious way to locate a particular furniture store is to use the Yellow Pages. You also make use of the Internet by typing ‘second hand furniture shops’, followed by your location, into major search engines like Google and Yahoo.

But on the other hand, buying from an individual seller can be a lot easier and more convenient. You can do some research first like looking astatine website such as craigslist. This way, you can instantly get several options. It is possible that some of the vanity sets may have a great deal of abrasions or maybe some are not in perfect condition anymore. But there ar also vanity items which ar sold in almost perfect condition. If you think the product needs a new coat of polish or varnish, then you may do so.

After you have elect your desired vanity set, set an appointment and check out the item before purchasing. This is very important because you can no yearner return or demand for a refund after buying a second hand item. See to it that you make a personal visit and make sure that you have taken a good look. It pays to be careful when buying these bedroom items, especially it is made from wood. You should check if there ar obvious damages caused by water or termites. These kinds of damages ar severe and irreversible.

You should also negotiate the price with the seller and try to get a discount. Some sellers may not grant your wish but there ar also many individual sellers who have been waiting for concerned buyers for quite some time. You can also get a discounted price from sellers who want to sell their items immediately.

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Cheap Bedroom Designs

Want to get a new look in the bedroom that doesn’t cost a bundle and reflects your style? Try these nifty thrifty interior designs to transform the look of your bedroom floor.

Uncover the Floor
In these allergy conscience times, carpet is one of the biggest known causes of house hold allergens. Pull it up and get it out of the room. Sometimes what you will find beneath is a hidden treasure. Some older homes that have beautiful terrazzo and wood floors were covered up in the 1970′s and 80′s with carpet because it was the bedroom or living room design trend astatine the time. If the floor is concrete underneath do non despair, there are several ways of making plain concrete fashionable for less.

Painting the Floor
Remove all furnishings from the room. Tape off any trim and molding you don’t want to get paint on. Vacuum the concrete first, then mop with a clean mop head, using a solution of half vinegar and half water. Allow the floor to dry-using a couple of large high powered fans can speed this along. Choose a latex satin paint or semi-gloss enamel type paint. Apply concrete paint with a nap roller and long handle to save your back. Work from the back of the room towards the door. Cut in around kitchen and bathroom designs with a small angled paintbrush. Allow to dry thoroughly about 24 hours.

The Feel of Carpet
If you have wood floors or tile and you like the feel of carpet under your feet, try some area rugs. You may also want to try remnant carpeting pieces to make an area rug if you want to cover a large area in your bedroom design. To make an area carpet out of remnant carpet you will want to create a trim around the edges to keep it from unraveling and snagging. With the use of a hot glue gun and some heavy upholstery fabric like denim, gunny or tweed, you can create a custom area rug to match the décor of the bedroom. Remnant carpeting is well cut with a utility stab to make it a custom fit.
Self-Adhesive Floor Tiles

The option of self-adhesive floor tiles is affordable as well as easy to install-some floor tiles can even be purchased at the local dollar store. To install these tiles in your kitchen or bathroom design, you will need to clean the surface as declared above for picture the floor. If you are pulling up old laminate floor you will need to scrape off all the old glue first. Follow installation directions on the product package and measure the area to know how much tile you will need, leaving some left over-about 10 to 15 tiles-if you need to replace any or make a mistake. Find and share decorating ideas and bedroom design inspirations from around the world on Design Shuffle!

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Theme Ideas For Decorating Your Kids’ Rooms

The use of pictures in a kids room enhances its appearance and gives it a casual look. Kids adore fairy-tales, different stories about pirates and cowboys and surely cartoons. They often imagine themselves heroes of them. All children have their own identity, personality and lifestyle, so it’s certainly not a given that interior design which works for one will automatically be pleasing and functional to another. You could make your child very happy by creating a bedroom which take ideas from his or her favorite character. Nowadays it is not very difficult and usually only depends on your imagination.

There are available a lot of different themed furniture and accessories in the shops. One of cool and easy solutions to create a right atmosphere are various wall stickers, which also have great advantage – they are not very expensive. Although you could be more creative and try to find some unusual bed which will add more originality to you kids bedroom design. Below on photos you could find many interesting ideas and probably choose something what might be liked by your child.

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New concepts in bathtub design by Hoesch

The bathtub is a place to relax. I like the look of clean, Glass/acrylic facing is available for all the models as design accessories in black, white and silver. Be it in the oval, rectangular, square or corner version, the new bath tub family design by Hoesch is impressive as a standard, and also makes special concessions to individuality.

This is because each tub can be equipped with an LED lighting pack comprising up to 4 tub spots and a light strip which is integrated in the overflow groove. The various color changes of the light cater to your need for relaxing sensuality with seven moods. We’re bringing you some new designs and new approaches to this staple of modern life. An ergonomic aspect that can be perceived as a shining example.

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Design Bathroom Furniture

Ka presents it’s new collection with a whole new set of modular design bathroom furniture and independent pieces together collection offers several choices. There are several high, width and depth sets to a dynamic effect and aesthetic value to the bathroom space to obtain, through design and quality. The special feature of this collection is that the possibility of different combinations in line with the rest of the furniture that makes this space.

Combinations made from the choice of colors and finishes, invites you to a personalized environment, where items such as furniture, bath, mirrors, etc. come together in an area of ??undulating lines and square shapes to create re-create a harmonious and elegant.

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Armchair design innovation-Ribbon Chaise Lounge Chair

Innovative vision in the form famous bands lazy chair is one of the most beautiful statue of a beautiful example of applied art. This is one of the important classics in modern furniture history. Ribbon chair, designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort in the Netherlands in 1966. Metal frame with a horizontal spring, covered with foam and stretch fabrics. Pita recliner chair that is clean, simple form sculpted ergonomic space age to fit the body. Pierre Paulin’s Ribbon chair made from a metal frame with a horizontal spring, covered with foam and fabric stretch and pressing lacquered wooden base. Ribbon optional Ottoman sold separately.

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Contemporary Bedroom Suite

Contemporary stylish furniture makes adequate provision for open spaces, as it consists of small sizing comfy with classic furnishings. Modern furniture lends a feeling of snugness and the whole atmosphere remains peaceful. Modern bedroom furniture adds a beautiful look to bedrooms. It makes the room look bigger, clean and uncluttered. Many bedroom furniture galleries offer variety of home trappings styles including contemporary and traditional with a huge selection of platform beds and mattress sets astatine very reasonable and affordable rates.Choosing furniture for bedroom requires careful and perfect provision and many factors need to be borne in mind like bedroom interiors, expenditure, personal taste etc. The tips that require for purchasing furniture is one should ne’er compromise on quality even if there is any need to pay an extra price for it. It is highly advisable to do a close supervision, while selecting the bedroom furniture.

And it is due to the fact that there is a likeliness that one should find both, the good quality as well as bad quality furniture being sold under the same roof. Now, it becomes of prime importance to ensure that the furniture that is planned to buy is made using quality material.One should give high importance to fine craftsmanship, as it will also ensure the durability and save repair expenses. Other important step is while shopping for bedroom furniture; place a higher grandness to comfort than anything else. Select bedroom furniture that can accommodate a moderate sizing lamp, which can provide a person with adequate light to read during the night time.

Many bedroom furniture sets are designed to assist people in effortlessly creating a complete matching bedroom. Every piece is manufactured to compliment and match every other piece both in look and color and every set incorporates a queen or king bed, matching night standards and variety of dressers.
Contemporary bedroom furniture pieces ar very warm and livable, which allows them to fit into any number of interior living environments. Only high quality European ironware and Baltic Birch hardwood drawers ar used in making modern bedroom furniture. Most of the contemporary furniture’s are extremely well made and built to last. High quality lines of contemporary home furniture and neo classical home furnishings ar extremely manufactured for the convenience of people. Apart from bedroom furniture, many design tables, dining sets, pedastools and desks are available in new models and styles.

Get the contemporary bedroom furniture suite from many modern galleries to select affordable modern bedroom furniture sets and suites, unique retroactive bedroom furniture set, and bedroom chaise lounge. Choose a modern bed, contemporary bedroom suite or bedroom armoire and dresser from exclusive European designer collections. Contemporary bedroom furniture sets and suites ar unique in designs.
High headboards are upholstered and can now be made to order in colours of ones own choice.

Contemporary bedroom furniture sets and suites from modern galleries ar elegant, stylish, and yet very well fulfills every single need of the modern, contemporary bedroom furniture where one can select and make orders online.

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Inspecting your Swimming Pool

With the varied availability of swimming pool equipment and designs, you have a lot to think about when it comes to safety. Whether you use different types of swimming pool liners, or think about purchasing a new swimming pool toy, there are a lot of pool inspection tips you should consider. It may also help to ask questions at your local swimming pool supply shop, because talking to experts face to face about your swimming pool safety needs can help you in the long run.

Your swimming pool design and capacity: A lot of things depend on your pool's design and capacity. Some of these things include the amount of water treatment chemicals you'll need, the type of liner you should have, as well as the aesthetics of your swimming pool. It's important to calculate the average depth of your pool using this equation: Deep End (feet) + Shallow End (feet) ÷ 2 = Average Depth. It will help you determine your swimming pool capacity. The swimming pool design you choose will also aid you in buying the proper swimming pool covers that you will need during different seasons. Leaf-catcher covers are effective during summer, fall and spring, while a different swimming pool cover is available for winter. These allow you to keep your pools in top shape despite the seasonal and climatic changes. Almost any swimming pool supply shop has a good stock of covers for your swimming pool. Keep in mind that a well-covered swimming pool is a safe pool.

Getting the ideal swimming pool liner: The quality of your swimming pool liner is essential to your pool's water quality. This is because it prevents the water from being contaminated. It also maintains your water's pH, and helps keep algae and mildew from growing. Also consider the type of material used for your liner. Swimming pool liners are usually made with vinyl or plastic, and can be quite decorative.

Inground Swimming Pool Safety: The elegance of inground swimming pools attracts a lot of buyers. However, it is important to keep in mind that inground pools have their own safety risks. It is important to always have someone watch the pool such as a "lifeguard" or simply an adult who can swim. This is because children (and unmindful adults) have a higher tendency to fall into an inground swimming pool as opposed to an above ground swimming pool. It will help to keep your inground swimming pool covered when not in use, or fenced off in certain areas.

Safe swimming pool toys for added fun: While purchasing fun and colorful swimming pool toys can be exciting, there are some accessories that can be considered as a "must-have". Goggles are important, especially for children. There are also special swimming pool toys and floats available for toddlers. Swim aids such as swimming pool floats, swim belts, and water wings, are also considered as safe swimming pool toys. Your local swimming pool supply shops probably have a good toys department - take a look around in order to get the best prices.

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Modern living room design ideas

Living room serves a lot of purposes at home, may be it watching television, listening to music or welcoming guests. The living room should be designed in such a way that it is spacious, attractive and most important - it should be comfortable. Whatever theme you use in designing the living room, it should be easy to maintain.

The living room design should be appealing to everyone who visits your house. Hence you need to give special attention while designing the living room. There are plenty of living room interior design ideas and you need to choose one that will fit in your budget and one that can be implemented well in the living room space available. Modern, Rustic and Eclectic living rooms are some of the popular living room decorating ideas implemented by many home owners. Let us have a look at each of these living room designs ideas below.Modern Living Room Modernizing the living room is the latest trend for improving the home decor.

A modern living room is functional and uses the living room space very efficiently. These living rooms are spacious and uncluttered. Almost every modern furniture is simple, functional and mainly serves the purpose of storage. Many of the furnitures used are geometric in shape. The cabinets used are closed types that store things and at the same time give uncluttered look to the room. Modern living rooms make use of very bright colors.

The furniture color and the color of the walls should contrast each other to give an ultra modern look to the living room. The colors used should be bold, yet pleasant. See that you do not modernize the living room to a great extent. Add some antique frames or art pieces to improve the room décor.Rustic Living Room Rustic living room is the best way to give your living room a natural feel. Rustic decor has always been a favorite choice of homeowners when it comes to giving a unique look to the living room. A rustic living room is very comfortable and the best place to relax. There are number of ways to give rustic feel to the living room.

The colors used for rustic living room should be ones that are more prominent in nature. Red, wood tones, brown are the colors that are widely used for such type of living room design. Cover the flooring with area rugs. Wall hangings like antlers, animal heads, old lamps and old rifles have a special place in rustic living room design ideas. Use quilts to cover your sofa and other furniture of the living room. Rustic living room is the best way to reflect your personal interests.Eclectic Living Room Designing an eclectic living room is nothing but mix and match of various themes that includes traditional and modern designs. Eclectic design is basically a combination of art forms of all the eras. The combination should be done in such a way that the accessories used blend well with each other without ruining the beauty of the living room.

The furniture and the accessories should be placed such that the combination does not look random. There should be a proper planning to pose them at the right place.Living room design ideas are endless. Living room should be designed properly, it being the place where maximum time is spent by the family. While designing the living room the factors that should be considered are space and comfort. In addition to that, you can use your own creativity that will reflect your interests and style to give it a more personalized look. Happy "Living"

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Pink and Green Bedroom Designs

Spring is fully in blossom and, with solid consistency, the cherry trees around our district ar covered with beautiful, fluffy, pink blossoms. The grass is a fresh, young green and tiny spring green leaves perk up the trees and bushes. Pink and purple tulips from Holland ar crowded into buckets in front of the local florist, looking lavishly generous and full of that vibrant energy so typical for spring. Although this scene repeats itself every year, it always seems so refreshfully new. Perhaps because it only lasts for such a short time. Fortunately, astatine least the color scheme, can be unbroken spirited for a yearner period. These ar excellent colors for using to add a joyful lightness to a small bedroom.

Pink and spring green will transform a small, boring room into a bright space full of joy and fun. They emanate sheer optimism. Especially the stronger sunglasses of purple pink will give an extravagant authenticity to a room and make it somewhat charmingly naive. They are naturally excellent colours for a young girl´s room.

As an adult theme, there ar lots of modern designs in this color scheme. Splashes of bright pink together with spring green can look extremely expressive and dynamic. Care has to be taken, non to overpower the small room. This can be achieved by just adding a few accents of the strong pink in compounding with the fresh green, and additionally using lots of off-white.

Using the softer sunglasses of pink in compounding with a muted, light green will create an entirely dissimilar energy. Like the exquisite cherry blossoms, the room will look dainty and demure. By using modern, sporty textiles, this will help this picturesque color scheme non to be too sweet. If care is taken to use a balance of green and pink in the textiles and accessories, a small room can look exceptionally elegant, somewhat reminiscent of times gone by, bringing old values back to life. Too much sweetness can be counteracted by using coarse linen, clear lines and limiting the small space to basic needs, avoiding clutter and too many ornamental items. It is always interesting to experience how even small suite can be transformed into exceptional spaces when applying colors. Because purples and greens ar so vast in the shades that they offer, it is possible to create a great many imaginative and expressive variations of this color theme, that will certainly add vigor or charm to even the smallest bedroom.

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Design Girls Bedroom

Whenever you make the decision to redecorate a room, it can take days and weeks before you actually decide on the color and a design you’re happy with. Decorating a girl’s bedroom, however, opens up even more problems, especially if the girl in question is a teenager. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways that you can make the often-thankless task of girls bedroom design easier.

If you’re the parent of a young girl, then the first thing you should do is discuss her ideas. Although it’s your house, it is her bedroom after all, and she still needs to feel comfortable in what is essentially her haven. So if she likes a lot of cuddly toys, incorporate soft cushions into the final bedroom design. Work the color scheme around her favorite posters, whether it’s of bands or celebrities, so that you have an all-encompassing mix of your choice and hers.

It’s also a great idea to work with what she already has in her bedroom. Remember, this room is the equivalent of a comfort room for the girl, so any new bedroom design should try having a happy mix of the old and the new. Simply spruce up existing furniture with little touches here and there. If she has a favorite dresser or desk, for instance, use of stencils to transfer various shapes onto the frame can make a huge difference in appearance. A little board for writing notes or simply doodling on can be a good personalized addition.

ONe thing you need to be careful about with girls bedroom design is when the girl is slightly older. Like anyone, a girl will change her mind as to what she likes one moment to the next, especially if she’s approaching her teenage years. That fairy-themed design that you initially helped her make may not seem as cute and adorable now that she’s turning into a young woman, so make sure that any design you settle on for a girl’s bedroom is reasonably future-proof.

A good approach is to make the room fairly neutral, and then changes can be made along the way. Making any design temporary or easily changeable is relatively easy, yet can still add a touch of style to the overall feel. Rugs are a good way of filling a room yet are also easy to remove should they need to be. Drapes and furniture throws are another excellent method of changing the look of a girl’s bedroom, but their very design also means they can be changed quickly and effortlessly for a different look altogether. At the end of the day, as with any room, redecorating a girl’s bedroom can be a strenuous and time-consuming project. However, with just a little forward planning and discussion of ideas, girls bedroom design can be a pleasant task for both parent and daughter.

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Fitted Bedroom Wardrobes

Going for a fitted bedroom is a wise decision. Not only does it provide you with ultimate utility in terms of space and clearance it can also provide you with the ultimate style. With the kind of variety of styles and designs available out there people are increasingly going for fitted bedroom furniture. You can employ fitted bedroom furniture whether you require a single bed and closet space or a room for two.

Fitted bedroom furniture has many benefits. It keeps everything in order and you don’t have to worry about planning where to keep the closet and how to set the bed. Everything is carefully planned out once and then the furniture is fitted and remains that way relieving you of the trouble for good. It is much easier to keep your bedroom neat and tidy with fitted bedroom furniture. The other, perhaps the biggest benefit of fitted bedroom furniture is the utility and space efficiency.

Fitted wardrobe designs

The wardrobe is the main feature of fitted bedroom furniture. There are three different types of fitted wardrobes that you can go for depending upon your requirement and taste. The three styles are the full carcase built in wardrobe, frame construction built in wardrobe and sliding door built in wardrobe. Each one of these designs has its own benefits in terms of utility and design Carcase built in wardrobes are perhaps the easiest to incorporate into your bedroom. They are generally simpler in terms of looks design and utility as compared to the other two and can be dismantled easily in case you need to shift.

Whether you can make use of this kind of a built in wardrobe depends on the kind of room you have. They will not work with sloped ceilings plus it is difficult to find carcase wardrobes that are built around obstructions such as a chimney breast etc.

Frame construction wardrobes on the other hand give you maximum storage space and are highly versatile, meaning they can be used in a room with sloping ceilings as well. You can set the depth of this closet to your liking and the kind of designs available in the market cover for obstructions. But since these kinds of wardrobes don’t incorporate a backing panel you will first need to prepare your room wall. Frame construction wardrobes are generally difficult to install and can give you trouble when it comes to over the bed layouts.

The sliding door design gives you maximum ease and space utility. They are easy to manage and easy to install and come in handy in bedrooms that are cramped for space. Another advantage of having a sliding door design fitted bedroom wardrobe is the fact that you can install a huge mirror on it which makes the whole room look bigger. Sliding door designs are also likely to be slightly cheaper than the other hinged door design wardrobes.

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Perfect Lights for Living Rooms

The lights in living room should be both decorative and functional. The required lights must be selected with an aim to complement the room’s Decor too. It might be a tricky situation, but its important as living rooms reflects the lifestyle of the family, personality of the homeowner and also plays a key role to make guest feel warm and comfortable while making a style statement.

Nowadays Classic and contemporary ceiling lights are quite popular these days, blending in the traditional trends of the room, with elite decorations the room gives a rich feel. In a competitive world, astute developers will always look for a point of difference. Customized layouts, energy efficiency and other expected client advantages now have another winning attribute ranking alongside them – comprehensive home automation built into the bones of the residence.

The common traditional yellow bulbs are popular, and inexpensive, while the halogen bulbs are much brighter and almost seem to give natural light. The best ones are the Fluorescent bulbs, which are bright, requiring very low wattage being energy-efficient and also have a long life. The lamps for the room must be carefully chosen, as to combine the theme, suit the design and setting of the living rooms.

A contemporary life room can use steel lamps, while the classic living rooms can use lamps with bronze of wood body. The best choice would be the lamps with rotating shades that would allow you to direct the light and change the look and the feel of your living room on very instant basis.

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Study finds Solar Panels increase Home Values

All those homeowners who have been installing residential solar panels over the last decade may find it was a more practical decision than they thought. The electricity generated may have cost more than that coming from the local power company (half of which, nationwide, comes from burning coal), but if they choose to sell their homes, the price premium they will get for the solar system should let them recoup much of their original capital investment.

That is the conclusion of three researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who looked at home sales — both homes with photovoltaic systems and homes without — in California over an eight-and-a-half-year period ending in mid-2009. The abstract of their study states, “the analysis finds strong evidence that California homes with PV systems have sold for a premium over comparable homes without PV systems.

The premium ranged from $3.90 to $6.40 per watt of capacity, but tended most often to be about $5.50 per watt. This, the study said, “corresponds to a home sales price premium of approximately $17,000 for a relatively new 3,100-watt PV system (the average size of PV systems in the study).”

And the bottom line: “These average sales price premiums appear to be comparable to the investment that homeowners have made to install PV systems in California, which from 2001 through 2009 averaged approximately $5/watt.”

If the California findings can be extrapolated nationally, it would mean that the owners of 139,000 homes can collect a premium at resale time. For those who promote photovoltaic systems, it is a second line of defense against the argument (and reality) that the initial cost of installing the solar means using it for many years before the savings on electricity are enough to pay back the investment.

But there is a caveat. Homeowners who install solar on existing houses get nearly three times the premium of homeowners whose house came with solar panels. The study speculates about the reasons, suggesting that “new home builders may also gain value from PV as a market differentiator, and have therefore often tended to sell PV as a standard (as opposed to an optional) product on their homes and perhaps been willing to accept a lower premium in return for faster sales velocity.”

Residential solar installations have been growing at an average 51 percent rate annually for the last five years, according to Larry Sherwood, a consultant to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, a nonprofit group that works on helping interested parties navigate various legal, technical and economic aspects of renewable energy. As of 2010, the total capacity of these systems was 677 megawatts, he said. (His most recent report can be found here.)

And Jared Blanton, a spokesman for the Solar Energy Industries Association, reports that in 2010, the residential market was 30 percent of the national solar PV market, above the utility market (28 percent) but behind commercial installations (42 percent).

A news release on Thursday from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory said that over all, approximately 2,100 megawatts of grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems (residential and nonresidential) have been installed across the country, almost half of this total in California.

The growth in residential solar systems, of course, is taking place on a tiny base. About a tenth of a percent of all households have photovoltaic systems, and all solar systems combined — industrial and residential and everything else, as well as concentrated-solar plants in the California deserts — amount to about two-tenths of 1 percent of all renewable electricity in the country, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. Renewable electricity, in turn, makes up about 8 percent of the electricity used in this country. But the backers of solar power might talk about thousand-mile journeys beginning with a single step.

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Martin Davidson, Sandy Davidson hope to sell home in West Hollywood Hills

Director-writer Martin Davidson and his wife, residential and restaurant designer Sandy Davidson, have put their West Hollywood Hills home on the market at $1,995,000.

The 1940 house was designed for a sculptor, and the two-story living room served as a studio. The open-plan residence, with 1,864 square feet of living space, has a sky-lit dining room, a loft/bedroom, two offices with built-in furniture, a master bedroom suite and two bathrooms. A rounded deck with a mature tree in the middle leads to a lawn and swimming pool. There are panoramic views of the city and ocean.

This is the only house that the New York couple looked at when they arrived in L.A. They bought the property in 1975 for $120,000, according to public records. Their attraction to Art Deco and Midcentury modern inspired a remodel and renovations, including the streamline/modern built-in furniture.

Director Paul Mazursky shot the romantic comedy "Blume in Love" (1973) at the house. Davidson, 71, co-wrote and directed "Lords of Flatbush" (1974) and "Eddie and the Cruisers" (1983). Shirley Sherman and Lloyd Sherman of Westside Estate Agency, Malibu, are the listing agents.

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In South Delhi, a Home for Three Generations

From the moment they decided to build a house on a wide dusty street lined with eucalyptus trees in this teeming city of about 17 million people, Manit and Sonali Rastogi knew it would have to meet the needs of not only six different people, but three different generations.

Multi-generational households were once quite common in India, but the tradition has faded somewhat among the upper class as the country has modernized, especially in families concerned about the messy squabbles that might arise over varying lifestyles.

But the Rastogis, the co-founders of the architectural firm Morphogenesis, wanted to mix the best of both worlds — maintaining their independence and a degree of privacy while having their children, ages 12 and 15, grow up around their grandparents.

The three generations of Rastogis — the couple, their children and Mr. Rastogi’s parents — now live in a 15,594-square-foot house on three levels in Panchsheel Park, a well-heeled neighborhood of South Delhi. The building, which has a facade of limestone and Ipe wood, cost about $620,000 to build and was completed in December 2006.

The Rastogis say the living arrangement satisfies their needs. “Everybody really does need to have a space of their own and needs to interact at leisure and not just be in each other’s face the whole time,” said Ms. Rastogi, 43.

The couple designed the house to accommodate the three generations. As the grandparents, ages 72 and 68, become unable to climb the stairs, the house design will adapt to those needs. And while their young children enjoy having a small terrace next to their adjoining bedrooms — so they can spy on each other — they will likely demand more privacy in a few years. “This is our laboratory,” said Mr. Rastogi, 41. “And we’re living in our experiment.”

The Rastogis set out to design a home that would have shared intergenerational spaces like the family room, kitchen and dining areas, but also places to retreat when family members needed privacy. Then there are the shortcuts for the children — the wood-and-steel spiral staircase that quickly brings them down to their grandparents’ quarters on the lower level.

“The children form the link between the two generations most efficiently,” Ms. Rastogi said. “We realize that over a period of time, generations will age, so we have ensured that there is a direct quick shortcut method for the parents also to come up whenever they want.”

The house is entered through a huge black wrought iron gate, which is manned around the clock by a security guard. The house opens up into a foyer, which, in turn, leads to the kitchen and the rest of the house, including an indoor garden. The house, which they have fondly named N85 after its address, took 18 months to build.

The couple also designed the building to house their architectural firm, which is attached to the home but reached through a separate entrance. Mr. Rastogi said the couple is always is design mode and multitasking, and it was important for their house to reflect that concept.

“We were just not able to do all the multiplicity of things from where we were before,” he said. There are a couple of private pathways from their home to their busy ground-floor office, which is visited by as many as 100 people each day.

The house gets ample sunlight from its many large windows. But the ceiling is also dotted with circular skylights, which track the sun’s movement at different times of the day and focus the beam on an internal garden so that it gets sun naturally. And if they are in the mood for wide open sky, there is always the rooftop swimming pool, which attracts a wide range of wildlife — parrots, peacocks, monkeys and bats. “The bats play a game on the pool at twilight, coming and just touching the water and swooping off back into the air,” Ms. Rastogi said. “My son loves it.”

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Illumination paves the way for a funky living room

These days, if you want to keep up with the Joneses or even outdo them, then you must have some sort of hard hitting financial firepower – or plenty of creativity, of course. When it comes to taste in home furniture, that is a very subjective topic, but Hammacher might let you have a winner on your hands with the aptly named Illuminottoman. Gotta love the creative slant to its name, that’s for sure.

This weatherproof ottoman will be at home (no pun intended) indoors as well as outdoors, illuminating with a color-changing soft glow or a vibrant luminescence. With a grand total of 58 LEDs within the leg rest to produce green, white, red, blue, yellow, purple, or light blue hues, you can always make full use of the included remote control to adjust the brightness to three different levels.

The more settled among you might want the ottoman to cast a constant glow in one color, while others might opt for transitioning seamlessly through the hues, or have it flash quickly in each shade if you’re throwing a party. With a 3-hour timer and a rechargeable battery that delivers up to eight hours of light after a six-hour charge, your party will be the most colorful on the block. The Illuminottoman can be yours for $149.95, so getting a bunch of these ain’t gonna come cheap, either.

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Tiny classroom furniture in primary schools is a health hazard for teachers

A survey has shown that two-thirds of workers in primary school and early years have received treatment for back and joint problems as a result of working in child-sized environments. More than two-thirds of those taking part in the survey had taken time off because of work related joint or back pain.

The study of more than 700 teachers found that lifting children, working at child-height computers and desks as well as standing all day was contributing to their ills. One teacher said she had to lie down on the floor at break time and others had left to teach older, taller pupils.

The research, whose findings were revealed in the Times Educational Supplement, was carried out by Lorna Taylor, a physiotherapist, and the Voice union for education. They believe a teacher will spend an average of 20,000 hours sitting on furniture designed for children over a 30-year career.

Ms Taylor said: "There's an attitude that it's part of the job – they accept back pain and take painkillers to keep going. "It's taboo to complain. People don't want to be seen as whingeing or letting their team down. I don't know who's been planning these classrooms, but no one's thought about this issue properly."Philip Parkin, general secretary of Voice, said: "Primary and early-years settings are naturally designed for children, but more thought needs to go into the needs of the adults who there, too."

He said that every workplace was legally obliged to have a reporting system for injuries and that teachers should let someone know about any aches and pains. "If these were people working in county hall or any office, these issues would be taken seriously or not happen in the first place."

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Furniture and electrical sales slide

People also drank less in bars last month with bar sales down 2.6% in February compared with the previous month. Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) called on the Government to speedily implement a series of reform measures to allow Irish retailers to adjust their cost base. REI chief executive, David Fitzsimons, said Ireland’s retail industry is in the 38th consecutive month of decline.

"February saw the rate of retail sales decline increase again. One of the leading reasons for this trend is the introduction of the Universal Social Charge. "Reforms, such as banning upwards-only rent reviews and modernising the industry wage-setting mechanisms, will be crucial if large sections of Ireland’s retail industry is to survive.

"With retail sales continuing to fall, retailers must be facilitated in adjusting their cost base to the hugely changed trading environment," said Mr Fitzsimons. Chambers Ireland said that the decrease in the volume of retail sales in February once again highlights the pressures retailers face at this time. Chambers Ireland deputy chief executive Seán Murphy said retailers need costs, such as local government rates and charges, reduced further. "Any cost savings local authorities achieve must be passed back on to hard-pressed retailers in the form of rate reductions now," he said.

Overall the volume of Irish retail sales rose 3.2% in February from the previous month and fell 0.7% from a year earlier. However, excluding car sales, which have been boosted by an extended scrappage scheme, retail sales fell 0.3% on the month and dropped 3.2% compared with a year ago. Last year retail sales rose 1% and economists expect retail sales to grow 1.8% this year, according to the latest Reuters poll.

Chief bond economist with AIB Global Treasury, Oliver Mangan, said the strong February figure reflects good car sales on the month and "... when you strip that out, core retail sales are sluggish enough and have been flat to declining in recent months," he said. Davy economist, Conall Mac Coille, said the outlook for consumer spending remains weak.

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