Daily Archives: December 3, 2014

Symmetry Can Rescue Your Room | Armonk Real Estate

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Human faces, snowflakes, violins, the Eiffel Tower — so much of our world is symmetrical, it’s no wonder the eye is drawn to things with a mirror-image quality, including interiors. No matter your decor style, embracing symmetry can help your space look its best. Whether you’re bringing grandeur to a small space or doing more with your art collection, here are 10 reasons to work symmetry into your rooms.

Traditional Dining Room by F. D. Hodge Interiors
F. D. Hodge Interiors
1. Symmetry can make your dining room feel fancier. Formal symmetry (where two sides of a room are close to mirror images of each other) dresses up a space. In the dining room, try hanging framed artworks on either side of a large mirror for a classic, elegant look. Or place matching lamps, sculptures or vases at either end of a buffet table — the more objects repeated on each side of the room, the more formal the space will feel.
Traditional Dining Room by Candace Cavanaugh Interiors
Candace Cavanaugh Interiors
2. Symmetry makes mixing up the dining set easier. Mixing and matching dining chairs is simple when you stick with a symmetrical arrangement — a pair of slipcovered armchairs at the ends and wood chairs along the sides, for instance. Even though the chairs at the heads of table are completely different from the others, the look feels well balanced.
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http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/34253957?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u845&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery11

Make Your Stone House Feel at Home in the Landscape | Chappaqua Real Estate

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Stone is one of the predominant materials used for house exteriors today. Whether your home’s style is colonial, traditional or contemporary,stone lends a timelessness and an organic connection to the earth. But stone homes in the U.S. have historically had an austere look, sitting atop the landscape with little or no connection to their foundation plantings, let alone their gardens.Let’s look at ways to make your stone home feel at home in your landscape.

Eclectic Landscape by Jay Sifford Garden Design
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Consider how to design a purposeful landscape. While foundation plantings of green boxwood and hollies may be the norm in suburbia, Houzzers want and deserve something more. What works for your neighbor’s home may not work for yours. To make your home feel truly at home in your landscape, begin by taking an objective look at its style, siding, coloration and textures.

This house, covered in gray stone and brick in tones of pink and orange, appears to be happily nestled on its lot because careful attention was paid to color and texture. The blue and purple tones of the lyme grass, Russian sage and purple salvia pull from the stone; their verticality speaks to the height of the home. The pink coneflowers pull from and brighten the tones in the brick, while the texture introduced by the blue atlas cedar visually reinforces the texture of the stone.

Rustic Landscape by Carney Logan Burke Architects
Carney Logan Burke Architects
Add boulders. It may at first seem counterintuitive to add more stone to a landscape that surrounds a house of stone, but doing so can ground the home in a meaningful way by visually pulling it forward into the space. Make sure to match the scale of the boulders to the scale of the house. Undersize boulders can look like an afterthought, or worse yet, a weekend DIY project gone awry.

The many boulders in the landscape shown here accentuate the concept of juxtaposition by giving the appearance of deconstruction. Additionally, the water softens the vignette by adding a sense of flow and continuity.

Contemporary Landscape by Avant Garden
Avant Garden
Consider an entry gate or fence. What better place to set the tone for your home than at its entrance? By doing so thoughtfully, you can pull your home’s color, texture and style forward in smaller doses to encourage curiosity, exploration and the sense that your home is a special place. I realize that not all of us have the space or homeowner’s association approval to do such things, but if possible, make that connection by adding an appropriate gate or fence using the same stone.
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http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/34334328?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u845&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery5

December Home Checklist | Mount Kisco Real Estate

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From prepping for winter storms to gift-wrapping (or cookie-baking) marathons, December is a busy, holiday-focused month. Make the most of it by planning ahead, setting intentions and focusing on meaningful events rather than trying to do it all. The weather outside may be getting frightful, but that just means it’s the perfect time to get cozy indoors with a mug of hot cocoa. Check off these 12 tasks for an easier, safer and cozier month.

Traditional Exterior by Awad + Koontz Architects Builders
Awad + Koontz Architects Builders
1. Get ready for winter storms. Keep snow shovels, gloves, ice melt and window scrapers near the door. Mark the sides of your driveway and other key places with reflective poles, to help the snowplows see where to go. Even if it doesn’t snow where you live, it’s smart to keep the pantry stocked with food, bottled water, candles and flashlights in case of power outages.

Simple Pleasures: Stocking Up for Winter

Eclectic Entry by Jeni Lee
Jeni Lee
2. Disconnect hoses. If you haven’t done so yet, shut off the water supply to your outdoor faucets. After shutting off the water, turn on the faucets outside to allow any water left to drain out. Then disconnect garden hoses, drain the water and roll up the hoses to store them inside.

3. Decorate for the holidays — and sort holiday decor for the future. When you pull out the holiday gear this year, pay attention to what you are passing over. If you didn’t use a decor item last year and don’t feel like putting it up again, do your storage space a favor and donate it to charity.

Farmhouse Entry by Illuminations
Illuminations
5. Make space for mucky boots, coats and scarves. If you have a coat closet by the door, clean it out to make way for bulky winter coats and boots. If you don’t have a hall closet, set up your own systems to handle mucky items. A boot tray on the floor, a bench for sitting on, wall hooks for coats and a basket for hats and mittens should do the trick.

6. Update emergency supplies. Put your mind at ease that you are prepared for emergencies by making sure you have a well-stocked emergency kit in the house and in the trunk of your car. At the very least, include bottled water, a hand-cranked radio, a flashlight and extra batteries, a cell phone charger, food, blankets and a first-aid kit. At home also keep your most essential documents in one easily accessible place.

Get Organized: First Aid, Emergency and Medical Supply Checklist

Transitional Living Room by Sasha Meredith Designs
Sasha Meredith Designs
7. Boost home security. If you will be traveling over the holidays, use light timers for interior lights and ask a friend or neighbor to take in mail. If it’s going to snow while you are away, hire a service to plow or shovel your walkways. It will give the impression that your house is being lived in and make coming home much more pleasant. Even if you are staying at home, consider adding motion-sensor exterior lights to make it less inviting to potential burglars.
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http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/32472967?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u845&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery1

Walking and Biking More Common in New Homes | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Residents of newly built homes are more likely to bike or walk, according to 2013 American Housing Survey (AHS) data recently released by HUD and the Census Bureau.  The data show that nearly 44 percent of households in new construction either bike or walk, compared to about 40 percent of households overall (see the graph immediately below).

Bike-Walk

In general, walking is more common than biking.  A little under a quarter of households walk but don’t bike, while fewer than 4 percent bike but don’t walk.  The new-overall difference shows up most strongly in the households that both bike and walk: over 16 percent of households in new construction both bike and walk, compared to just under 12 percent of households overall.  This occurs even though, as the next graph shows, many trip  destinations are less often accessible by biking/walking to households in new homes.

Destinations

For example, a grocery store (the most commonly accessible destination in the chart) is accessible by biking or walking to about one-fifth of households in new construction, compared to more than one-fourth of households overall.  A similar new-overall difference is apparent for every destination down in the graph─down to the least often accessible school or work, accessible to 11.4 percent of households in new construction, and 13.4 percent of households overall.  It’s possible that, in some cases, homes may go up in a new subdivision before stores, banks, etc. in the surrounding area are completely built out.

On the other hand, new homes are more likely to be built in neighborhoods with amenities designed to facilitate walking and biking.  Over 61 percent of households in new homes report that their neighborhoods have sidewalks, compared to 55.7 percent of households overall.  New homes are also more likely to be located in neighborhoods that have well-lit sidewalks and bike lanes (see chart below).

Neighborhood

The implication is that, for the sheer number of households walking & biking, neighborhood features like sidewalks and bike lanes are more important than nearness of particular destinations, and these features are somewhat more common in new subdivisions.

 

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http://eyeonhousing.org/2014/12/walking-and-biking-more-common-in-new-homes/

 

Buying in December | Bedford Corners Real Estate

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In the market for a new home? Here are four reasons to add real estate shopping to your December to-do list.

Bargain prices

Did you know that, historically, home prices are lower in December than in any other month?

As for the overall housing picture, if you’re not yet in the market, you’ll like this news: While home prices are continuing to rise, it’s happening at a much slower pace.

According to a recent report from Zillow, U.S. home values are currently up 6.4 percent year-over-year and have been slowing for nearly two years. Next year home values are expected to grow at 3 percent — roughly half their current pace.  These changing dynamics, and a shift toward healthy stabilization, put more power in the hands of buyers.

Low mortgage rates    

What’s driving affordability? Low mortgage rates. Currently hovering in the 4 percent range, rates are projected to edge up to 5 percent by the end of 2015, according to Zillow Chief Economist, Stan Humphries.

To put this in perspective, did you know that if rates go up by just one percentage point, your purchasing power is reduced by a whopping 11 percent? Find out how much waiting to buy could cost you.

Motivated sellers

If sellers are listing their home for sale this time of year, this likely means they’re serious about shedding the weight of their residences.

Regardless of why that is – perhaps they’ve recently gotten divorced, have to relocate for a new job opportunity, or are under some other personal pressure – this puts you, the buyer, in a much better position to negotiate and ultimately cut a deal, particularly since competition is minimal this time of year.

Tax savings

At the end of the year, everyone is looking for ways to lower their tax bill. And closing on your new home before Dec. 31st is one way to get some breaks.

After all, you can deduct home purchase costs, including mortgage interest, property taxes and points — while you build equity and save yourself a significant amount of money.

 

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http://www.zillow.com/blog/buy-a-home-during-the-holidays-164715/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ZillowBlog+%28Zillow+Blog%29