Paint

Though it seems rather common sense, the most dramatic way to alter the look of a room for the least amount of money is by changing colors in the space. Walls cover an incredibly large area, and will benefit immensely from a fresh coat of paint — even if it the color is only slightly different from the existing color. Walls are not the only surfaces where paint can awaken the room. Try painting cabinets — the exterior, or the interior when you have glass-paned cabinetry. Re-staining or painting kitchen furniture may be a fun (albeit long and arduous) DIY project, but will certainly be more affordable than replacing your kitchen dining set or buffet seating.

Rethink Textiles

Replacing textiles in your kitchen is a simple and inexpensive way to alter the color and feel of a room. Kitchen towels, curtains, table runners for seating areas, pillows in a breakfast nook, or cushions on chairs can all be switched out. Something as simple as getting new pot holders can spruce up a room. There are tons of inexpensive textile options out there — including scouring thrift or consignment shops for curtains, or even sewing them yourself (curtains are a great beginner’s sewing project for anyone wanting to attempt the craft). Even kitchen chairs with built in fabric covered cushions can easily be reupholstered using basic tools, new fabric, and a heavy duty staple gun. Experiment with different textures and fabrics to give the space a bit more depth.

Add Natural Elements

Embracing nature in your decor does two things: it livens a space, and it makes a room seasonally relevant. The kitchen is likely the most appropriate venue for natural decorative elements because it already houses so many fruits of nature. Putting produce on display can serve as functional storage while being playful if supplemented with some other bits of nature. Summertime flowers in a glass vase look fresh and cooling if filled first with bright lemons and limes. An earthy basket of gourds and various types of squash will look perfect for fall if sprinkled with fall-colored leaves and acorns. There are so many ways to incorporate these natural elements, and the best part is that most of them are free! Get creative and embrace the season rather than fighting one you don’t care much for.

Play with Light

Lighting in an area has a profound effect on how we experience that space. Beyond the basic switching out the curtains, playing with different types of window dressings is a cost effective way of making a big impact. If your kitchen has standard blinds, something as simple as taking them down and giving them a thorough cleaning can do wonders. Installing different types of blinds that allow different amounts of lighting, or filter light differently can adjust the mood and the feel of your kitchen as well. Try standard wooden or even colored venetian blinds, or rip the blinds out altogether and instead hang flowy curtains with a bit more movement. Let your preferences for how the space should feel dictate your lighting choices — the same goes for lighting fixtures. Pulling down glass globes and either cleaning them or replacing them will have a profound difference.

Examine Functional Elements

Understand how you use space in your kitchen. The way things are positioned not only alters the functionality of a room, but how it is perceived as well. Moving around wall hangings and decorative or functional elements so that they are more readily seen is one way to impact the look of a space. Rearranging the items on your counter to those you use the most, and displaying them attractively can be inexpensive and practical. Finding unique containers to house silverware, for example, puts these tools at arms’ length and provides a reorganization that doesn’t sacrifice storage space. Hardware can be removed from cabinetry, your sink, and either painted (in the case of hardware) or replaced to cause a dramatic change in the look of the space without spending colossal amounts of money remodeling your kitchen.

While the economy may (still) be getting you down, don’t use it as an excuse for not improving your space. There are so many great DIY projects out there to help you design your kitchen on a budget — no matter how tight.

1. Replace the Hardware

   Because bathrooms tend to be smaller places, making even tiny changes can make a dramatic difference. Though it may be somewhat expensive to replace your bath-tub or fit a new sink, switching out some basic hardware is fairly effortless — even for the not so DIY-savvy. A modern faucet, or a funky towel rack can enhance and update your space. Taking handles and knobs from cabinet doors and either painting or replacing them can give them a new look, and this can be incredibly inexpensive. Installing low-flow faucets can also reduce your water usage, which is not only great for the environment but can also cut down on your utility bills.

2. Bust out the Paint

   It’s no secret that painting is one of the most economical ways to drastically change the look of a room — so hop on the wagon. Choose colors that will enhance the feel of a space. If you want your bathroom to feel like a serene getaway, opt for a cool green or soft blue. If you’d like to feel a bit more energetic during your morning routine, try a more vibrant orange or mustard. If you’d like to update your cabinetry without having to completely replace it, a coat of paint or re-staining can work wonders.

3. Get Creative with your Textiles

   Your shower curtain covers a rather large area of your bathroom space, and can often act as the centerpiece of the room. Changing it out for a new one will certainly alter the look of your room. Try mixing different textures in the space to add depth and versatility. You don’t have to have matching rugs, shower curtains, toilet seat covers, and towels. Finding fabrics and materials that are diverse but work together well is a great way to make the space feel fresh and break up a bit of the monotony.

4. Examine your Lighting

   Whether your bathroom has windows or not, there are different ways to play with the lighting in your space to better suit the way you utilize it. Experiment with different kinds of lighting. If you have a window, change out the blinds or put up curtains of a different opacity. If your bathroom happens to be lacking in natural light, experiment with different lighting fixtures to change the mood and the tone of the room. These little tweaks can greatly effect how you experience the space and can make your bubble baths dreamier or shower-time concerts more glamorous.

5. Get on the Ground

   The great thing about bathrooms being small is that replacing the flooring can be a rather inexpensive task, especially for those that like a project with just a bit of a challenge. Replace old, worn flooring with fresh tile – ranging from smaller, well-organized squares to larger marble or travertine pieces. There is enormous versatility in tile, and something as simple as regrouting can make a huge difference in the look of your space. You could even learn something new in the process!

There are obviously countless ways you could repurpose, re-imagine, or replace the decorative elements in your bathroom for a very low cost. Don’t forget to scour thrift stores, consignments shops, and flea markets for unique pieces at great prices — and the most important tip of all: have fun! Oh, and don’t forget to let your personality shine through the process.

Last fall, the City of Palm Springs procured the 119 acre site and transferred it to the Desert Community College District. Describing the new West Valley Campus as a tabular rasa, or “clean slate,” the College of the Desert hopes to incorporate sustainability not only at the building level, but at the scale of land use and community integration. Cutting edge economic and business models are also being implemented.

“The opportunities are endless with this empty piece of land,” says James Matson, VP and Director of the L.A. office of HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA), and “the college administrators have been very progressive in their thinking.”

HGA will be directing master planning, programming, design and sustainability of the campus, which will completed in seven phases. Construction on the first phase is expected to begin in 2012, and will consist of 50,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory and office space organized around a central shaded courtyard. The campus plans to open its doors after Phase I is completed, in the fall of 2014. Later phases of campus development will push westward on the site and wrap around the existing James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, helping to tie the college into the existing community.

Integrating into the Business World

The sustainability goals set for the campus continue to push the conceptual envelope of what is possible. Going beyond net zero energy usage, the campus is implementing a Zero Plus plan. The College has partnered with Southern California Edison (SCE) to construct and operate GreenPark, a 60-acre solar farm that will be adjacent to the 59-acre campus proper. The GreenPark lease will not only provide for the college’s energy needs, but will create a revenue stream that assists in the development of college programs and services. SCE will benefit from using the site for controlled research and development, as well as for alternative energy training programs.

Other types of public/private ventures (PPVs) will also be utilized in the operation of the West Valley Campus. In addition to its 420,000 square feet of academic space, the campus will have 230,000 square feet of leasable area, including incubator space for small business startups. Community colleges increasingly find themselves playing host to small businesses in order to boost local economic development; an article by the American Association of Community Colleges states that close to 35 business incubators are operated by two-year colleges nationwide. For a college, the benefits of PPVs include not only revenues but job training for the student population. At the Palm Springs West Valley Campus, business development will center around four ‘pillars’: hospitality and tourism; media and the arts; allied health; and sustainability technology.

Designing for PPVs added a new ingredient into the overall planning of the campus, especially since the types of services to be provided are diverse. “There is a possibility, even, of a small hotel or an eco-resort,” says Matson, so, during design, “we needed to be sure to create spaces that were suitable for tenants, and provide things like separate energy meters,” says Matson.

Integrating into the Natural World

To optimize the campus’ environmental performance, HGA drew inspiration from the growing field of biomimicry. Matson explains that architectural elements are used across the campus to create microclimates, mimicking, for example, the way rows of trees offer wind protection. “We were able to slow the wind with perforated barriers — fences, trees, and such. Wind and blowing sand were big drivers of the design. We oriented the buildings perpendicular to the wind direction.” Perforated metal panels are another architectural feature which offer shade and allow the permeation of gentle breezes while blocking high winds. These panels fit well aesthetically with the mid-century modern building style that is characteristic of Palm Springs, too — a fitting gesture, since the completed campus will act as a gateway to the city.

Further inspiration was taken from the way “leaves on a tree collect and store energy. Our PV panels mimic this. And like leaves, the panels act as shading devices for the courtyard,” says Matson.

A desert landscape feature that will serve as an organizing device for the campus is a manmade arroyo, or dry river bed. “We created this to pay homage to the arroyo,” says Matson, “It will collect water and direct it to a retention pond, where it can percolate back into the ground.” Some of the water will be captured and stored for irrigation, a meaningful form of reuse since access to water is one of the biggest challenges for a desert location.

Making the most use of indoor and outdoor spaces is how Matson describes the overall goal of HGA’s design. And whether one considers the environmental model or the economic model that the campus will implement, the College of The Desert is proving its ability to find creative ways of optimizing space.

Last fall, the City of Palm Springs procured the 119 acre site and transferred it to the Desert Community College District. Describing the new West Valley Campus as a tablular rasa, or “clean slate,” the College of the Desert hopes to incorporate sustainability not only at the building level, but at the scale of land use and community integration. Cutting edge economic and business models are also being implemented.

“The opportunities are endless with this empty piece of land,” says James Matson, VP and Director of the L.A. office of HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA), and “the college administrators have been very progressive in their thinking.”

HGA will be directing master planning, programming, design and sustainability of the campus, which will completed in seven phases. Construction on the first phase is expected to begin in 2012, and will consist of 50,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory and office space organized around a central shaded courtyard. The campus plans to open its doors after Phase I is completed, in the fall of 2014. Later phases of campus development will push westward on the site and wrap around the existing James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, helping to tie the college into the existing community.

Integrating into the Business World

The sustainability goals set for the campus continue to push the conceptual envelope of what is possible. Going beyond net zero energy usage, the campus is implementing a Zero Plus plan. The College has partnered with Southern California Edison (SCE) to construct and operate GreenPark, a 60-acre solar farm that will be adjacent to the 59-acre campus proper. The GreenPark lease will not only provide for the college’s energy needs, but will create a revenue stream that assists in the development of college programs and services. SCE will benefit from using the site for controlled research and development, as well as for alternative energy training programs.

Other types of public/private ventures (PPVs) will also be utilized in the operation of the West Valley Campus. In addition to its 420,000 square feet of academic space, the campus will have 230,000 square feet of leasable area, including incubator space for small business startups. Community colleges increasingly find themselves playing host to small businesses in order to boost local economic development; an article by the American Association of Community Colleges states that close to 35 business incubators are operated by two-year colleges nationwide. For a college, the benefits of PPVs include not only revenues but job training for the student population. At the Palm Springs West Valley Campus, business development will center around four ‘pillars’: hospitality and tourism; media and the arts; allied health; and sustainability technology.

Designing for PPVs added a new ingredient into the overall planning of the campus, especially since the types of services to be provided are diverse. “There is a possibility, even, of a small hotel or an eco-resort,” says Matson, so, during design, “we needed to be sure to create spaces that were suitable for tenants, and provide things like separate energy meters,” says Matson.

Integrating into the Natural World

To optimize the campus’ environmental performance, HGA drew inspiration from the growing field of biomimicry. Matson explains that architectural elements are used across the campus to create microclimates, mimicking, for example, the way rows of trees offer wind protection. “We were able to slow the wind with perforated barriers — fences, trees, and such. Wind and blowing sand were big drivers of the design. We oriented the buildings perpendicular to the wind direction.” Perforated metal panels are another architectural feature which offer shade and allow the permeation of gentle breezes while blocking high winds. These panels fit well aesthetically with the mid-century modern building style that is characteristic of Palm Springs, too — a fitting gesture, since the completed campus will act as a gateway to the city.

Further inspiration was taken from the way “leaves on a tree collect and store energy. Our PV panels mimic this. And like leaves, the panels act as shading devices for the courtyard,” says Matson.

A desert landscape feature that will serve as an organizing device for the campus is a manmade arroyo, or dry river bed. “We created this to pay homage to the arroyo,” says Matson, “It will collect water and direct it to a retention pond, where it can percolate back into the ground.” Some of the water will be captured and stored for irrigation, a meaningful form of reuse since access to water is one of the biggest challenges for a desert location.

Making the most use of indoor and outdoor spaces is how Matson describes the overall goal of HGA’s design. And whether one considers the environmental model or the economic model that the campus will implement, the College of The Desert is proving its ability to find creative ways of optimizing space.

The New World Symphony is not home to a professional orchestra, but rather it is an educational facility that prepares talented young musicians for leadership positions within orchestras. It is directed by Michael Tilson Thomas, whom Gehry actually babysat many years ago while growing up in Los Angeles. The two connected again with the aim of bringing classical music to a younger audience, blurring boundaries between performer and the public. Near the entry, an 80-foot high curtain wall allows a glimpse into the lobby of the building and the artistic life within. The six story atrium is with filled with Gehry’s signature stacked and crumpled forms, which house rehearsal rooms, classrooms and offices and are linked by a stair. The atrium is capped by a blue titanium canopy covering the concessions bar, as well as a roof garden shaded by green canopies, designed by landscape architect Raymond Jungles. This outdoor space serves as the backdrop for performances and educational events.

The centerpiece of the building is a 756-seat hall, which Gehry designed with the audience’s experience in mind. The space showcases five acoustical “sails,” billowing forms made of acoustical plaster that serve the dual function of reflecting and absorbing sound as well as providing screens to display video art pieces as a visual accompaniment the orchestra’s performances. Gehry’s commitment to state-of the-art technology is also evident in the sophisticated control booth located at the back of the hall. Despite these high-tech gestures, the hall is actually an intimate performance space: ocean-blue seats snugly wrap the stage, and no audience member sits more than 13 rows away from the musicians.

Anchoring the west side of site is a 550-car garage also designed by Gehry Partners, comprised of a concrete structure enclosed by a metal screen and connected to the Symphony via pedestrian bridge. However, the true urban gesture of the project is found in the undulating topography of the Miami Beach Soundscape, the park onto which the building faces that was designed by Netherlands-based West 8 architects. Cloud-like painted aluminum pergolas embrace the edges, and are planted with bougainvillea to create shade and add an enticing pop of color.. Pathways weave through in a mosaic pattern and incorporate seating.

A 7,000 square foot portion of Gehry’s stucco facade was intentionally left blank — the “WallCast’ is a projection surface that is activated at night with images from films and live feeds of concerts, and viewers gather with lawn-chairs and blankets in the park. The designers faced the challenge of how to discretely house the projection equipment within the park, including four synchronized units mounted 20 feet above grade level. West 8’s solution was to conceal the projectors within more groupings of the pergola structures, so that they become just another sculptural element within the park.

In choosing vegetation for the site, the designers worked with the city manager and the director of Fairchild Gardens to chose trees that could withstand hurricane force winds, but still feel natural for the environment. They also wanted to stick with species that did not obscure the view of Gehry’s building, but rather create a veil of landscaping. West 8 selected three different types of veitchia palms at varying heights, and they located each and every tree by hand, creating “an undulating ground-pattern with a mosaic overlap that is reflective of the shapes of interior of Gehry’s crumbled objects inside the atrium,” explains William Cary, Assistant Director, Miami Beach Planning Department. He adds, “I think the whole thing pulled together brilliantly — it’s one of the most exciting parks I’ve been in.”

While the design of the New World Symphony might underwhelm, at least you can pull up a plastic chair and enjoy the view.

Much of the progress at the World Trade Center has, in fact, taken place at or beneath the surface, and the first portion – a Memorial Plaza – is scheduled to open later this year. We created a guide to the nine programmatic elements under construction:

Office Towers

The construction of five new towers will drastically alter Lower Manhattan’s skyline, adding over 10 million square feet of office space.

Transportation Hub

The World Trade Center Transportation Hub designed by Santiago Calatrava will rival Grand Central Station in size, serving over 200,000 commuters daily. Calatrava compared the form to a bird being released from a child’s hand. Originally, the roof was designed to retract for added light and ventilation, but this feature was eliminated due to budget restraints. Construction crews have begun installing a Vierendeel Truss that will support the roof, and they have excavated and poured slabs at many levels below grade. The Transportation Hub is scheduled to open mid-2014.

Performing Arts Center

A new performing arts center designed by Frank Gehry will bring culture into the mix of Lower Manhattan. It will become the permanent home for the Joyce Theater, a modern dance company, and will also host the Tribeca Film Festival. The project is still in the planning stages but is said to include a 1,000-seat performing arts center and a second stage, rehearsal space, classrooms, and a cafe. Construction has been delayed due to lack of funding, but in October 2010, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation board voted to allocate $100 million to develop the performing arts center.

Memorial Plaza

At the center of the site, an 8-acre park has been designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker. Two reflection pools with cascading waterfalls have been sunk within the original footprints of the two former World Trade Center towers. Bronze parapets will be inscribed with the names of victims of the attacks. Over 150 of 400 Swamp White Oak trees have already been planted along the plaza, which will also feature grasses and mosses, flowering ground covers, and cobblestone pavers. The plaza will open on September 11, 2011 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

9/11 Memorial Museum

A metal and glass-clad entry pavilion on the plaza designed by Snøhetta will lead visitors to the 9/11 Memorial Museum below grade, and the pavilion will also showcase the “tridents,” two large steel columns salvaged from the original World Trade Center towers. Steel installation for the pavilion is complete and cladding is in progress. The 9/11 Memorial Museum itself is situated among the former foundations of the twin towers, and visitors will make the descent from plaza level all the way down to bedrock. Steven Davis, FAIA, Partner, Davis Brody Bond Aedas – the firm that designed the 9/11 Memorial Museum – explains the sequence and design process:

People will engage the site from different perspectives, both emotionally and physically. Some will come for a pilgrimage; others will come for a brief lunch break from work. The sloping procession begins at the plaza, and visitors arrive in Memorial Hall, which is essentially an information and orientation space. At this point, you haven’t yet engaged with the enormous scale of the Museum, which is then revealed at the West Overlook and the first siting of the slurry wall. You see the slurry wall from a distance, and you’re not really sure what it is, and then it strikes you that this is where it all took place. [Also located in this space is the “Last Column" from the twin towers, which was covered in tributes from workers, rescuers, and family members of victims.]

Next, you proceed along from the West Chamber down the ramp to the East Overlook, at which point you are suspended 25 feet in the air between where the two towers stood. Then you descend by stair or escalator down to bedrock. The major exhibits will be located within the towers’ footprints. Experiencing this whole sequence could take 15 minutes or less, but more likely, an in-depth visit could take a couple of hours. When it’s time to leave, you ascend to Memorial Hall on an escalator. We’ve consciously separated visitors who have experienced the Museum from those who have not yet experienced it.

The concept for the spatial consequence of the Museum is based on the fact that we have not intervened in terms of the scale or the authenticity of the spaces. We inherited a series of program elements for this project: bedrock serves as the floor, the slurry wall defines the west enclosure, the Memorial Plaza is the roof, and the PATH station forms the east enclosure. We’ve done nothing to reduce the impact of the rawness of these spaces; in fact, we’ve tried to optimize the impression of scale. We don’t want to bias any of the events, and we don’t want to be overly influential in terms of emotion and context — we’re allowing it to reveal itself.

A traditional museum is an icon which houses exhibits, but this museum is the inverse — it is, in fact, an exhibit, which the icon. We learned a new way of thinking about museums and how to communicate and provide information. Interestingly, we are at the site of the atrocity, which is, of course, the most significant thing about the Memorial Museum; it is unlike the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, which are removed.

The construction of the below-grade Museum is quickly progressing, and it will open on the 11th anniversary of the attacks, September 11, 2012.

About the Author:

Brittany Mauriss
Brittany Mauriss is the Creative Content Editor for CalFinder. When she isn’t busy scouring the web for insanely cool content to bring you, she can usually be found biking around Berkeley or fantasizing about the day she’ll own a solar-powered houseboat with a live-in organic foods chef. She is most proud of her diverse and talented freelance writers, all of whom bring a unique voice to the world of architecture and home remodeling. Brittany received her B.A. from UCLA in English & Creative Writing. Before CalFinder, she worked as a grant writer and director of grassroots marketing for the academic community. She likes long walks and sci-fi movies.

When last we visited with the Solar Homestead team, designs were being finalized and prototypes of the OMs (Outbuilding Modules) were being constructed and analyzed. Six months later, we stopped by to find the busy student-lead team working around the clock to complete the construction of their net-zero home. With just under four weeks until the competition begins in Washington, D.C., work on the Solar Homestead is literally ongoing 24 hours a day. The passion is evident as students work in shifts and around class schedules (and naps in the office or under a desk) to complete construction and get prepared to transport the house, and team, to the National Mall.

Following many months of design refinement and systems engineering, the Solar Homestead has taken shape on ten trailers that form the foundation for the house and define the expansive outdoor living space of the Great Porch. On the home’s exterior, simple materials — cedar siding, corrugated metal, and pine decking — are evocative of the region’s vernacular style. Lusciously tactile bark siding clads the largest outbuilding, the FlexOM that anchors the opposite end of the Great Porch. The roof of the Great Porch doubles as the home’s photovoltaic collection system, and the bifacial solar panels integrate with the roof construction to create a coffered ceiling effect.

Inside the main house, the public living/dining/kitchen area is separated from the private bedrooms at the rear of the structure by the bathroom and mechanical spaces that constitute the core of the Solar Homestead. Interior finishes have also been chosen to fit with the regional vernacular. Reclaimed hardwood from fallen trees was used for the flooring and as a clever baseboard detail. Amid the many energy-efficient features of the home’s systems, is LED cove lighting, at the floor and ceiling, and inside the bedroom divider wall, providing accent lighting on little power consumption.

The finish line is in sight — the Solar Homestead leaves this week for Washington D.C. All teams will begin arriving on the National Mall at midnight on September 13, 2011 to begin final assembly of the homes. The Appalachian State team believes the Solar Homestead will compete at a high level with the other sustainable, net-zero homes. With collaboration among many of the university’s departments, the Solar Homestead represents the spirit, energy, and ingenuity of the entire university. And coupled with strong showings in the EPA’s past P3 competitions, Appalachian State University is fast becoming known as a leader in the research and education of sustainable design technologies. A win in the Solar Decathlon 2011 would cement that status, an institution-defining event even bigger than a football victory over Michigan.