Bartice

We just spotted this infographic on GlassTileStore.com that helps new home owners pick out a layout for their kitchen and instantly thought of sharing it further. Created in collaboration with Kitchen Cabinet Kings, the drawings below describe the different layout options available, considering the effective work triangle. This basically consists of three key appliances: the fridge, oven, and sink/dishwasher.

According to the developers, each of the floor plans gives useful advice on the positions for the work triangle in order to have an efficient and harmonious layout. We find some information in the infographic really valuable, especially in the apartment planning phase. We found out for example that an U-shaped kitchen is ideal for two cooks and should be implemented in a floor area of at least 8X8 feet. Or that gallery layouts are great space savers. Have a look and select the idea that best suits your new kitchen!

You're reading How to Choose a Kitchen Layout Based on the Fridge-Oven-Sink Work Triangle [Infographic] originally posted on Freshome.

The post How to Choose a Kitchen Layout Based on the Fridge-Oven-Sink Work Triangle [Infographic] appeared first on Freshome.com.

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Amazing retro industrial residence recently designed by Emerick Architects situated on the SE Division Street, in Portland, Oregon.

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By Vik Sohonie

In 2010, Isaac Luna, a longtime East Harlem resident, stretched his income to move into a small $1200-a-month studio with his brother on East 101^st Street.  With their rent increasing annually by $100, the apartment quickly became unaffordable.

Luna, 31, who now has a wife and year-old son, moved to the Bronx, where he pays $1,250 for a three-bedroom and commutes to his job as a waiter and bartender at El Paso Restaurante Mexicano.

Despite being forced to pack up and leave, Luna remains pragmatic. “You take it if you can; if you can’t, you move,” he says.

The city touts its success in producing its goal of an ample amount of affordable housing units and is on track to fulfill a promise Bloomberg made in 2010 — of 165,000 new units — but in East Harlem, affordable housing remains in short supply and is priced steeply for its intended market, surpassing its residents ability to pay.

Across much of East Harlem, luxury developments have risen rapidly. “There’s a glut of properties being bought,” says Holley Drakeford, 64, an associate broker for the Giscombe Realty Group and a member of Community Board 11.

The Tapestry complex at 245 East 124^th Street, for example, rents one-bedroom apartments for about $2,475 per month and offers amenities like cold storage for grocery deliveries. According to Citi Habitats, a real estate brokerage, monthly rents for two-bedroom units in East Harlem range from $2,500 to nearly $4,000.

“High end luxury development has been an economic development strategy of the Bloomberg administration,” says Barika Williams, policy director of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development.

But such properties, and the prices they command, are inconsistent with the grim economic reality. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s online calculator determines the income necessary to pay rent in a given state. Assuming that tenants pay no more than the widely accepted ceiling of 30 percent of their paychecks, someone would have to earn $48 an hour, or $100,000 a year, to live in a one-bedroom apartment at the Tapestry.

And in East Harlem, where the poverty rate stands at almost 30 percent, according to the association’s latest report compiled from a multitude of government and academic sources, median household income is less than $31,000.

As developers attempt to blur the line between the Upper East Side, home to the largest concentration of wealthy residents in New York, and El Barrio, as East Harlem has been colloquially known, the area is gentrifying quickly, leaving displacement in its wake.

“If there’s a housing crisis in West Harlem, there’s a 10 times greater housing crisis in East Harlem,” says Malcolm Punter, executive vice president of the Harlem Congregation for Community Improvement, a non-profit organization that has preserved 5,000 affordable housing units across Harlem. “There’s been aggressive development in East Harlem; families of 30 years can’t meet market demands.”

Jeff Foreman, policy director of Care for the Homeless, a health care provider for New Yorkers without housing, agrees that “there’s a great degree of displacement” in East Harlem, and throughout Harlem.

The latest development to promise affordable housing, the Harlem River Point complex, occupying a whole block of Park Avenue and East 131^st Street, will offer about 172 units, 35 of them designated as affordable housing, plus retail space. It’s part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan, the city-wide initiative to build and preserve 165,000 affordable  units.

Bartender Isaac Luna moved to the Bronx because of rising rents in East Harlem. (Photo by Max Saffer)

As of this year, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development says it has met 95 percent of its target – about 157,000 total units, including 47,553 in Manhattan.

“The city and the mayor’s administration will definitely meet their target of 165,000 units,” says Williams. In East Harlem, according to data collected by the association and New York University’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, the city built or preserved 2,135 affordable housing units in 86 buildings since 2010, “but only eight percent would be affordable to your average local household,” Williams said.

And, since 2000, according to  a 2012 report entitled “The State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods” by the Furman Center, buildings housing families of five or more appreciated in value at the second fastest rate of the city’s five community districts.

So while the city has made good on its promise, whether affordable housing is economically within reach remains a key issue. “It all depends on who’s giving you the data,” says George Gallego, chairman of Community Board 11’s housing committee.

The federal definition of “affordable housing” uses the area median income, a calculation that incorporates the greater New York area, including wealthy suburban counties like Westchester. As a result, the 2013 median income for a New York family of four stands at $85,900 and $60,200 for an individual. “Localities have to follow the dictates of the federal government,” says Punter.

Harlem River Point’s affordable housing scheme, for example, allocates units to those earning 40 percent of the median – about $35,000 a year. But the association places median household income for East Harlem at $30,900, a drop from the Furman Center’s 2012 estimate of $31,500.

“They are building affordable housing that’s anchored in the federal definition and there’s a difference on the ground,” says Williams. “Middle income in East Harlem is vastly different from the $92,000 income in the Upper East Side, which is just a neighborhood away.”

According to the association’s evaluation of the Bloomberg housing program, roughly 80 percent of the so-called affordable housing units in East Harlem remain unaffordable to the average household.

Moreover, points out Foreman of Care for the Homeless, “every year, we fall farther and farther behind” in demand for affordable housing. “The supply and demand doesn’t match.”

Developers have little incentive to build housing that’s truly affordable, however. “Real estate is an absurd money maker,” says Williams. “It isn’t financially sound to build an entire building for 30 percent of the AMI.”

Consequently, local groups are looking for new ways to providing affordable housing to long-term residents. Community Board 11 last month decided to explore a community land trust, modeled after the successful trust in lower Manhattan’s Cooper Square.

But some in the community, like Drakeford, don’t see the gentrification of East Harlem as “necessarily a bad thing,” because the economics of change can work in the residents favor. “Changes in jobs in the area mean better salaries, better benefits, more entrepreneurs, better schools, and less crime,” he says.

Meanwhile, community leaders hope the next mayor will continue the city’s commitment to affordable housing, but redefine the term to reflect economic reality. “The city drives the hard bargain that should be helpful, constructive on what’s needed and wanted, getting the best deal they can,” says Williams. “The next mayor should drive that hard bargain.”

As for Luna, East Harlem will always create a sense of belonging. “You miss it a little bit, because my family is here,” he says. “But otherwise, you’re only working for the rent.”

(Featured photo of Harlem River Point by Vik Sohonie)

By Ademola Bello

Peartree, a new preschool in an office building at 132 W. 112^th St., has five sun-drenched classrooms, an indoor play area and backyard. With 6,500 square feet of space, Peartree classrooms are bright, expansive and air-conditioned.

The school opened in August, after founder Denise Adusei, 34, a Columbia Business School graduate, had struggled to find a preschool for her own daughter. When she was six months pregnant, Adusei applied to one of the preschools in Harlem, where she lives. After her daughter was born, she was put on the wait-list.

In her neighborhood, her options are very limited. The U.S. Census American Community Survey reports that Harlem has 23,000 children under the age of 5 and only 130 licensed preschool and child care facilities with a total capacity of fewer than 5,500 children.

So Adusei decided to start her own preschool.

Peartree now has 55 students, all paying $10,000 to $18,000 a year in tuition, depending on how many days they attend. There are no scholarships.  Adusei’s daughter, now 4, is in Peartree’s pre-K class.

“It took about two and half years to put it together,” Adusei said.

First she made a business plan and in 2010 she won the Columbia Business School’s Eugene Land competition, worth $25,000. Sabine Streeter, a board member of the Land competition, worked with Adusei to help her raise an additional $100,000 from two other investors involved in the competition and the business school.

“We are very impressed with her presentation and business plan, her energy as an entrepreneur,” Streeter said. “She had knowledge of child care, she has negotiation skill and she is very capable of hiring teachers to be an effective team.”

Jalia Ventures, which focuses on minority-owned enterprises in education, health and the environment, provided seed money.

Adusei and her husband also put their savings into the school and took out loans from Columbia Business School’s Eugene Lang Fund for Entrepreneurship, Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and an SBA loan from the New York Business Development Corporation (SBA loan). She also won $15,000 in a New York Public Library business competition. The total capital to start Peartree came to $600,000, Adusei said.

“The hardest part about starting a business in New York City is navigating real estate; a commercial lease or rent is really high. We have a long-term lease with our landlord,” Adusei said.

Peartree’s school children have a music lesson. (Photo by Peartree School)

The school occupies what used to be a non-profit office. Adusei and her architect reconfigured every door, every window. “We were very resourceful,” she said. “Instead of throwing away, we repurposed everything and that saved us money. We reduced construction waste.”

Peartree has 12 teachers, an education director and a “floater,” who moves in and out of classrooms as needed. The school plans to hire two more floaters by December, for a total staff of 16.

Adusei said she is very particular about her staff and the quality of the products and materials her school provides.  “All our lead teachers have master’s degrees in early childhood education, and our assistant teachers have associates or bachelor’s degree as well,” said Adusei.

She also said Peartree supports local businesses. “For our food, we use My Red Rabbit; they are located on 121^st and Park Avenue and they provide our school lunches.”

Adusei said her school can accommodate 75 children, but with 55 enrolled she has only opened four classrooms and hopes to open the last classroom in December.  She marketed Peartree through the Big Apple Parent magazine and the list servs Harlem4Kids and Hamilton Heights Parents. She also invited families to open houses and tours, and relied on word of mouth.

Both children and staff at Peartree offer an ethnic diversity. One teacher in each class is fluent in Spanish; the staff also speaks Japanese and Portuguese. And most parents whose children attend Peartree are professionals, Adusei said — lawyers, engineers, doctors. “We just run the gamut,” she said. “They are very engaged in their children’s education.”

Nusrat Mahmood, the school’s education director, touts its creative curriculum. The school incorporates art and music.  “We have a Reggio Emilia approach to get to know the children and we built our curriculum around the needs of the children,” she said. The Reggio Emilia is an educational philosophy that believes children form who they are as individuals in the early years of development.

Peartree also offers a hands-on experience in learning. “If we are going to do a lesson on pine cones, we go outside to find the pine cones,” Adusei said. Mahmood added that the children look at the shape of the pine cone, the smell, the texture.

Julie  Balmir, whose 2-year-old son attends Peartree, said he had made great progress in a short time.  “His vocabulary has grown tremendously; he is comfortable being away from family and close friends; his social skills are improving and he is having fun. So much so, that he looks forward to going to school everyday and so do I,” she said in an email to The Uptowner.

“Our child comes home with new ideas and stories,” said Kelly Garnes, whose 2-year-old daughter attends Peartree. “She comes home singing new songs and asks us about things that we haven’t shown or taught her yet.”

Adusei said she wants to expand elsewhere, but her immediate focus is to create a quality program for the families Peartree currently serves. “We want to get this right. We have a lot of little ones counting on us,” she said.

(Featured photo courtesy Peartree School)

This sensational fifth floor Prince Street loft is located in the SoHo district of New York City, New York.

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"I told him he was too young to watch Breaking Bad."
Submitted By: Corinne A.
Location: Montana, United States

Thanks DSaniel S

If you are a wine fanatic then this Spiral Wine Cellar is the ultimate thing to have for your home. No need to store wine in a cabinet or on a wine rack to take up space in your home.
The Spiral Wine Cellar is pretty much hidden from sight since it’s underground, so you can also use it to hide your wine from your friends or to amaze them with it.
It can be installed in your house by The Spiral Wine Cellars, all you need to do is find a place where you can dig to install the cellar.
Due to it’s cylindrical shape the cellar is watertight. The trapdoor is easily operated and you can store up to 1870 bottles with ease in The Spiral Wine Cellar.

For more images visit FunOfArt.

Developed by Aydeniz Group, Ayada Maldives Resort is an amazing 112 villa resort located in the island of Maguhdhuvaa in Gaafy Dhaalu Atoll.

See more at Wave Avenue.

While many are worried about choosing this year’s perfect Halloween costume, Sofía Vergara is more focused on memories of the spooky holiday as a young mom in Colombia.

On Tuesday, the “Modern Family” actress posted an adorable picture of herself celebrating her son Manolo’s first Halloween. Surrounded by young trick-or-treaters, the 19-year-old Sofía is pictured with her nearly newborn baby boy on her lap.

“This was 22 years ago in Barranquilla! Manolo’s first Halloween! He was only one month old!” the Colombian-born star said in the photo caption.

Thanks Mike (from Spain)

Creative merchandise display is a great way to showcase one’s wares and when done well, could attract potential customers who would otherwise not be interested in the product.

In Japan, some bookstores have taken to stacking their goods into intricate and elaborate piles that sometimes tower over the heads of the shoppers—according to Kotaku, the trend apparently started after a Haruku Murakami book launch a few years ago.

While some of these “book towers” have the books stacked up in neat, straight columns, others feature carefully constructed spiral patterns where the books seem to be perched precariously one on top of another.

These amazing book sculptures have received mixed reviews from bookstore browsers—although some customers feel that these displays are silly and gimmicky, others found them to be pretty amazing feats

You can view more images of such book towers over here.

Gross. RT @jyarow: New public golf course in the Bronx has city views from every hole. It opens in 2015. pic.twitter.com/ayPGsPEIyZ

— Kofi Appiah Biney (@kofiabiney) October 16, 2013

The Bronx is back! Under the roar of the 678 going across the Whitestone bridge, and at a cost to the city of $97 million, Trump Golf Links is nearly here. Yes, after the city's hundred-million investment, they handed it over in a 20-year deal to Trump, who'll dump some borrowed money into it to build a clubhouse. The city will allegedly make $10 million on the investment over the next two decades. Now I will be marching to City Hall to burn my city tax bill on the front steps BRB.

The post Bronx Fixed appeared first on The Awl.

Diamonds have been mined for millennia, representing beauty and prestige for ancient Indian dynasties, European royal families, and modern-day collectors. Most of the world’s premier diamonds were discovered in mines in South Africa and India. However, recently in countries like Canada, Brazil and Australia natural resources were uncovered as well.

Diamonds represent one of nature’s rawest resources and its beauty is breathless. Used especially as an adornment nowadays, thesegemstones are the most valuable in the world. If you are a luxury lifestyle appreciator you will undoubtedly enjoy our list of the world’s most expensive diamonds:

The Archduke Joseph, $21.4 Million

The Perfect Pink $23.2 Million

The Wittlsbach-Graff, $24.3 Million

The Princie, $39.3 Million

The Graff Pink, $46 Million

The De Beers Centenary Diamond, $100 Million

The Hope Diamond, $350 Million

The Cullinan, $400 Million

Upstate New York weekend home. Jamesthomas.

Dresser Homes, Atlanta. 

Italianate townhouse in Greenwich Village. Fairfax & Sammons.

myampgoesto11:

Glass and stone sculptures by Ramon Todo

In a strange yet exciting development for medical science, a 42 year old British man who goes by the name Ian Tibbetts got his vision back using a procedure called Osteo Odonto Kerato Prosthetsis (OOKP) that was developed in Italy in 1960s, where his own tooth got removed and then a small lens is fitted inside the tooth with a hole drilled in the enamel.

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This bridge in Purmerend, the Netherlands, has a steeply arching upper level for pedestrians and a zig-zagging lower level for cyclists and wheelchairs. Designed by Dutch studios NEXT Architects and Rietveld Landscape, the Melkwegbridge crosses the Noordhollandsch Kanaal to connect the historic city centre with the growing Weidevenne district in the south-west and is the first stage in a masterplan for the canal and its periphery.

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Vaughan residence, Toronto. Toronto Interior Design Group | Yanic Simard.

Russian hair and makeup artist Vadim Andreev is such a master of his craft that he doesn’t need digital wizardry, like airbrushing, to enhance the look of his models. His huge online portfolio of unretouched before and after photos, which includes men, are proof of his impressive makeover skills (whether you think the models are better with or without makeup is another story).

via Bored Panda, My Modern Metropolis

Interior designer Gaile Guevara recently finished this amazing modern residence situated in Coal Harbour, Vancouver, Canada.

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