Monthly Archives: February 2014

The Most Common Home Decor Mistake You’re Probably Making | Waccabuc NY Real Estate

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1. IF YOU’RE A QUIET TYPE

A quiet retreat

 

Bracketed by a dining-height banquette and a comfy seat, a 3′ oval pedestal table creates an eating spot for four-or five when the stool is pulled alongside. Across the room, a narrow 4 1/2′ library table flanked by armchairs is a serene reading area that can be used for dining when friends stop by.

If you find yourself not using your dining room that often, try rethinking its function. This scheme is great for casual dinners and lazy weekends over coffee and the paper.

 

A room for the quiet typeA room for the quiet type

 

2. IF YOU’RE A PARTY THROWER

A room fit for endless parties The pair of 42″ round drop-leaf tables allows two small groups to sit facing each other. A mirrored chest and a large buffet store linens and tableware; during meals, they hold food and drink, or can be laid with platters so guests can self-serve. When you’re not entertaining, fold one table in half and move it against the wall, to avoid the feel of an underpopulated restaurant.

Round tables facilitate conversation-and lively dinner parties. (Plus, they make it easy to squeeze in extra guests)

 

Optimized for endless parties

 

3. IF YOU’RE A SERIOUS COOK

Maximize for entertaining spaceMaximize for entertaining space

A wide 3′ x 7′ table means there’s room for two generous wing chairs to anchor each end; a set of six side chairs fits neatly along the length. A pair of demi-lune accent tables topped with mirrors provides depth and a calming symmetry that’s pleasingly offset by a potted topiary tree in the corner.

This formal yet comfortable arrangement practically demands long, leisurely meals that linger well past dessert.

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/most-common-home-decor-mistake-39-probably-making-141300635.html

 

How to Get French Style at Home | North Salem NY Real Estate

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“French style is all about being creative and incorporating some surprise into a room,” says Erin Swift. For instance, you could bring an armoire-like this Napoleon III bibliothèque from 1860-into the bathroom, where it can serve as a linen closet to hold toiletries and extra towels.

Box Yourself In

“A plain room can really benefit from decorative molding,” says Swift. If crown molding along the ceiling gets pricey, add molding to the walls. “Measure out squares or rectangles on your walls and have a home-improvement store cut thin molding to your specifications,” she says. “Some people choose to paint theirs white, and the wall a darker color, but I like everything the same. It’s easier to execute-and visually interesting without being distracting.”

Related: How to De-Clutter Your Home-for Good

Go a Little Wild

In France, taxidermy is considered an art form, and some of the finest examples come from Deyrolle, a famous Parisian taxidermy shop that’s been in business since 1831. If exotic mounts aren’t exactly your thing, Swift suggests other wildlife inspirations, such as plaster casts, stone sculptures or, in this case, 19th-century Japanese metal cranes.

Find Your Balance

Swift says the way the French collect and arrange objects comes down to one fundamental principle: Balance. As she notes, it’s related to symmetry but isn’t quite the same thing. Start with objects of similar visual “weight.” In this case, that’s a lamp opposite a marble bust, with the remaining objects (books, plants, architectural fragments) arranged in between.

 

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/french-style-home-175400160.html

This Nazi resort never opened, but it will be a luxury vacation spot | Mt Kisco NY Real Estate

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On the picturesque beaches of the northern German island of Rügen, along the Baltic Sea, sits an empty 20,000-person resort. The buildings stretch nearly three miles down the coast, with all 10,000 rooms facing the beautiful bay just 500 feet from the water’s edge. Yet, no one ever used the rooms, movie theater or planned swimming pools.

Prora, known by locals as The Colossus, was built from 1936-1939 as part of the Nazi program of “Strength Through Joy.” The plan was to house workers in eight identical six-story buildings, feed them catered meals in scheduled seatings, and prepare them through propaganda and social activities to do their part in Hitler’s plan for Germany. It was also one of the largest architectural projects of the time, with 9,000 workers. The design, done in a Bauhaus style, won a Grand Prix award at the 1937 Paris World Exposition.

But the Nazi resort plans never came to fruition. The outbreak of World War II meant the project was never finished as construction workers headed to the weapons factories instead.

But finally, some plans are moving forward to turn some of the buildings into luxury apartments and vacation rentals.

 

http://travel.yahoo.com/blogs/compass/nazi-resort-never-opened-luxury-vacation-spot-224346831.html

2014 Housing Comebacks | Armonk NY Real Estate

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Home prices aren’t the only thing making a comeback. Take a look at some other trends gaining ground in housing:

McMansions

In 2007, the median size of a new home built for sale peaked at 2,295 square feet. It then fell to 2,159 square feet two years later, after the crash. As Americans downsized, many experts incorrectly predicted that smaller homes were here to stay. However, as our economy recovers and our collective equity continues to rise (up $1.9 trillion last year), our love affair with over-sized homes has been reignited. According to the National Association of Home Builders, in 2012, new homes grew again, with a median size of 2,384 square feet. Also in 2012, 41 percent of new homes had four or more bedrooms, up from 34 percent three years earlier.

Luxury buyers

While the lower-end of the market may be stalling as first-time buyers struggle to come up with down payments and meet strict loan qualifications, luxury buyers — with secure jobs, steady income and money to burn — are back, and they’re flocking to real estate. In fact, applications for home loans of $625,000 to $729,000 were up a whopping 57 percent from August 2012 to August 2013; applications for more than $729,000 were up 41 percent.

 

http://homes.yahoo.com/news/2014-housing-comebacks-174555776.html

 

Report: East End real estate market ‘booming’ | Chappaqua NY Homes

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Home sales on the East End have skyrocketed last year compared to 2012 and 2011, according to a report released Monday by Suffolk Research Service Inc.

The research service’s president, George Simpson, described the East End market as “booming.”

 

His numbers show Suffolk County’s five eastern towns have seen a 61 percent increase in sales since 2011, with the median price for single family houses on the East End rising by 4 percent from 2012 to 2013.

Looking at 2013’s fourth quarter numbers, which the service just released, 116 housing units were sold in Riverhead Town, compared with 74 in the fourth quarter of 2012 and 60 during the same period in 2011.

Southold Town saw 159 houses sold in the fourth quarter of 2013, compared with 86 during that same three-month stretch of 2012.

Marie Beninati, owner of Beninati Associates in Southold, said the trend of a dwindling housing stock and rising home prices has been going on for about “six months or so,” from her experience — and has been about a year and a half in the making.

“I haven’t really done the numbers, but if you sell two houses, maybe one comes on the market,” she said, adding that rising prices isn’t ideal, but it is a natural thing to see a pendulum swing toward more of a seller’s market.

According to a Long Island Decade Survey of Residential Sales report for 2013 compiled by The Douglas Elliman Report series, there were 12,801 homes for sale on Long Island in 2013 as opposed to 14,574 in 2012 — a decrease of 12.2 percent.

 

 

http://riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com/2014/02/51132/report-east-end-real-estate-market-booming/