London Design Festival 2016: the kitchen of Sir John Soane’s Museum in London has opened to the public for the first time, filled with contemporary homeware by designers including Barber and Osgerby and Jasper Morrison (+ slideshow). (more…)
From the architect. Chalet 4.0 is a part of the hotel complex Relax Park Verholy. New apartments are fully integrated in a pine forest. Instead of the usual solid base the building stands on the so-called screw base. This construction helped to settle chalet just in the forest without harming trees or damaging their root system.
The building consists of two separate rooms with a common guest hall. There is an additional house for the guests in the territory.
The interior is eco-friendly and restrained. Forest theme and connection to nature are emphasized by the selection of principal materials, such as stone and wood. Rhythmic veneer lines on the walls symbolize rows of pine trees outside the window, and cow skin looks like animals that lives in the forest.
ZN House is a private home located in Toronto, Canada. It was designed by +Tongtong. ZN House by +Tongtong: “Multidisciplinary design studio +tongtong recently completed a renovation and addition to a traditional Victorian house in Toronto. The house was transformed into an open and bright modern home through a series of strategic moves and incisions. The specifications were to build a modern family home that expands the area of livable..
The building is hidden by the silver-grass forest. The whistle of the wind from the sliver-grass leads the way. At the end of a leafy and curved pathway, you can meet a heavy wooden door. The black bamboo welcomes you through the spaced wooden fence, and natural sunlight filtering through the louver, enveloping the dark entry space. Walking through this entry space, you can see the peaceful front courtyard, covered with Korean fine soil. Experience of dark and light: this is what triggers your emotional experiences in this space. When you enter the front courtyard, you can see the forest valley through the wide open Farm café. The sense of nature from the valley stays in the farm a while, and passes through the wooden fence.
This is the place for processing Korean dandelion, primarily used for medicinal purposes. Many guests visiting this place are weary in both body and mind because of their long struggle against illness. So we wanted to provide a place where it can re-energize their listless and depressed state, and can help remind memories by evoking their senses. This will help achieving some opportunities to look back on their lives and create positive energy through motivation from nature.
Another important consideration of this project is its sensitivity to its placement and orientation in relation to the site’s topography. We do not want to disconnect the flow of nature from the forest valley behind the site due to our new building. Therefore the center space of this building is lifted up, so that the air of nature can come into the front courtyard. A 2.1meter wide wooden canopy and deck are installed both at the front and rear of the Farm café and it ensures that guests are provided with a gathering space which is enveloped by the surroundings.
The folding doors allow for a full opening of the spaces to the outside deck area, offering a more engaging natural experience. It is the same as ’twat-ma-ru‘ and ‘deul-a-yeol-gae-chang‘ at Sa-rang-bang, which are Korean traditional architecture elements. This space was designed to provide a peaceful, wondrous and natural setting where people can rest and relax.
The wooden fence around the building is installed with a 3cm gap between each piece. These gaps allow the nature to come in and out, blurring the boundaries of the building.
The nature itself makes this space change in every moment.
The sunlight shining through the water’s glittering on the water garden.
The shadow of wooden fence shows the time and seasons.
The sound of water drops falling through the water garden on a rainy day.
The little tremulous leaves of the wind.
The pleasant memory is recognized and embedded in people’s experience and the memory will make people to come back to this place. Memory of senses is the fundamental essence for people to remember the place. With use of the ‘sense of nature’, it becomes a healing environment where people can enjoy this place.
Shingles inscribed with personal messages cover this squat hilltop pavilion, created by British designer Giles Miller as a rest stop for ramblers (+ slideshow). (more…)
You’re reading 3 Easy Ways to Start a Stress-Free Life Today, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Are you overwhelmed with stress daily? Change may be easier than you think. Here are 3 easy ways to redefine your crazy weeks.
The biggest contributor to a stress-free lifestyle is routine. Without it, life is chaos. It provides the foundation for all of your behaviors and gives you the consistency to reach a goal. Whether it’s related to eating, sleeping or exercising, be sure to determine your needs accurately and lay out the groundwork for successful completion.
It’s a shame we need to remind ourselves to enjoy each day. Over the last ten years, I’ve learned from my personal training clients that people are generally unhappy. I don’t blame them. With the overwhelming stresses of work, family, and Chicago sports, it’s easy to be distracted from the fruits of life.
Although I wouldn’t expect you to dismiss these stresses, I certainly encourage to change your perspective on them. Life will throw challenges at you each day. It’s time to embrace them as learning experiences for growth and wisdom. By doing this, you may look at these challenges in a more positive light and begin to enjoy the process of living—not just the achievement of results.
Since there are many obstacles that you face daily, simplify your approach and environment as much as possible. Life is stressful when submerged under a disorganized mess. Make the following changes today:
How else can you start a new life today?
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Looking for other ways to redefine your life? Check out my recent articles 50 Ways to Change Your Life Today or 9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life too.
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Michael Moody is the author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and the former fitness expert on NBC’s The Biggest Loser/MSN Chicago tour. The owner of the successful Chicago personal training business Michael Moody Fitness, his fitness and life-structure programs have helped his personal training clients lose more than 2,500 pounds since 2005. Michael has been featured in Muscle & Fitness and Today’s Chicago Woman magazines, among others. During his time as the official trainer for PBS’s The Whitney Reynolds Show, he also produced an inspirational segment about his travels in Guatemala.
Having researched emotion and coping behaviors in university-level studies, Michael has presented various fitness, motivation, body image, and stress-management programs at Illinois State University, DePaul University, corporations, high schools, and workshops.
You’ve read 3 Easy Ways to Start a Stress-Free Life Today, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Sig Nordal 