DESIGN BASICS
What's Your Cost Per Square Foot? For most home builders, asking them, “What’s your cost per square foot?” is a little like asking a mechanic what it’s going to cost to fix the engine in your car before he’s had a chance to look it over. Without knowing more, a price...
WHEN SMALLER IS SMARTER She's 59. He's 61. And their kids have finally moved out for good! Retirement's just around the corner. Their 2,700 square foot two-story served its purpose well, but it's been too big for the two of them for years. They want to build a...
Many of the best times of our lives revolve around being with family and friends. Whether it’s hosting a formal get-together, holiday dinners or your children’s birthday parties, the kitchen is the hub of activity. A little extra attention spent planning flow, layout...
Creating A Woman-Centric Home Office According to WorkAtHomeInfo.org the are are 38 million home-based businesses in the United States today, depending on who’s doing the counting . Telework Research Center estimates another 20 to 30 million Americans currently work...
As a Nation, We Can Do Better According to the U.S. EPA, the average home creates more pollution than the average automobile. It’s not surprising there is increasing interest in building environmentally responsible homes, and today it is possible to build “green”...
Would you guess that your taste in jewelry…flowers…or travel could also predict your preferences in your home’s design, style and even product choices? As the Woman-Centric Matters!® team at Design Basics has identified, women tend to exhibit one of four primary home...
How form, function, and social design elements influence our product purchase decisions. The look and feel of a product is a quality all its own. You notice something. Instinctively, you’re attracted to it. It elicits an emotional response—perhaps, “Wow!” It captures your imagination while stirring something deep inside you.
Beethoven had his piano. Picasso his brushes. Similarly, today’s homebuyers tend to initially judge builders on their“ artistic” architecture—with blueprints their sheet music and their 3-D canvas of wood, glass and stone. But beyond the visual and social appeals, it...
For many years, dishes, utensils, cookware and supplies were organized by groups. Since today’s kitchens are often arranged by zones determined by function (e.g., prep, cooking, baking, serving, clean-up zones), point-ofuse storage has become a practical way to save...
Design Elements of the Craftsman House If traced far enough, the roots of Arts and Crafts homes began with Hindi bangalas, thatched roof cottages with porches and low, heavily overhung roofs. British officers occupying India in the late 19th century brought the Indian...