Daniel

Have you been thinking about a tiny home, but not sure if you’re ready to make the leap? Now you can try your hand at living in a tiny home before you commit to this lifestyle change. Escape Homes, a company based out of Wisconsin, lets you rent tiny homes for an evening, or up to several days, to see if it’s the right fit for you.

They offer their service in several locations around the United States: you can spend a few days in the relaxing wilderness of Oregon or in the bustling center of Charlotte, North Carolina. Some units offer transportation so that you can choose your temporary backyard while you test the house.

While the homes are compact, the amenities are quite comfortable: many models come with a wet bar and full bath. If you do decide to make the switch, your custom built home can be delivered to you within 90 days.

Prices vary dependent on model and location.

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This quick video demonstrates how to use a long elastic string anchored at the horizon of a canvas to sketch a drawing with two point perspective. With as many art and drawing classes I’ve taken, I’ve never seen this method used before. A more traditional and accurate method would involve a ruler and maybe a drafting table if you’re super fancy, but this seems like a great method for mocking up something quickly. The video posted on Facebook is uncredited and apparently came from Instagram. Anyone know the artist/designer? (via Reddit, The Awesomer)

A video posted by reza asgaripour (@architectdrw) on Sep 21, 2016 at 12:49pm PDT

Update: The individual demonstrating this technique is architect Reza Asgaripour.

Canadian architecture firm +tongtong completed Zinc House, which blends contemporary style and the traditional home construction of Toronto’s East End.

On the exterior, for example, the design team layered zinc panels on a traditional brick base.  They also used large windows to break up the traditional look and bring natural light into the home.

Zinc continues into the interior with gray kitchen cabinetry and countertops.  Although the material looks contemporary done in clean lines with a skylight above, zinc kitchens actually date back to the 19^th century.  According to an Architizer blog post, it is naturally antimicrobial, as well as mildew and mold resistant.

Gray furnishings in the adjacent dining space match the cooking area.  The addition of bright yellow lemons, however, echoes the gray and yellow color palette used in the home’s bathroom and bedroom.

Unlike downstairs, though, the bedroom’s yellow blanket is not the central focus of the room.  This space’s neutral colors center around a cool triangular window that +tongtong added in place of the original gable. [Photography by Lisa Petrole, and information courtesy of Design Milk and Architizer]

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The owner of this apartment in Russia commissioned Geometrium to design a cozy bachelor´s loft. The 472-square-foot crib was converted from industrial premises, without losing its vintage personality. Special materials and finishes like natural stone, brick and wood add to the originality of the living spaces.

The apartment will be used as a place to rest and sleep during the week and as a gathering venue for 5-6 friends during week-ends. One of the most important requests from the brief was a separate bedroom. The client wanted a standard comfortable bed instead of an expandable sofa.

The customer does not plan to cook a lot at home (claiming his “basic bachelor dish” is scrambled eggs and cereals in the morning), so the kitchen accommodates only the bare essentials: a refrigerator, built-in cabinets, a sink and a tiny oven. A bar in the middle of the room divides the functional spaces and can serve as coffee/dining table when guests come over.

The projector screen built into the ceiling extends with the push of a button, turning the living area into a perfect place for movie watching. Designed as a recreation area, the balcony is large enough for a sofa and some storage units. We enjoy the unconventional layout of this small crib and hope you will be inspired by it as well! [Photos and information provided by Geometrium]

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MNy Arkitekter built House Åkerudden by a lake in the rural community of Tenala.  The result emphasizes “authenticity, simplicity, locality and sustainability,” which dezeen magazine quotes the firm listing as its goals.

At a distance, the home is quietly nestled in the surrounding fields.  Moreover, its gabled roof mirrors the existing architecture in that region.

The unassuming layout brings daily activities to a single, open space made for cooking, eating, and relaxing. At the center, the dining table works to break up the room into its different functions.  Meanwhile, a freestanding fireplace at the middle seems to be included for warmth, rather than style like an overly decorative piece in front of a sofa.

The design team used seven kinds of timber in construction.  Primarily, they used locally sourced spruce, but the home also features oak, aspen, black alder, and Oregon pine, among other timbers.  Exposed wood runs throughout the home for a look that feels simple and deeply connected to its location. [Photography by Kuvio Architecture Photography and Mathias Nyström.  Information and photos courtesy of dezeen magazine]

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Olson Kundig designed Studhorse in northern Washington State for adventurous family that wanted a place to enjoy each of the four seasons.  The Methow Valey is has hot summers and snowy winters, and the design practice needed creative ways to embrace both.

With that in mind, lead designer Tom Kundig’s design eschews the usual boundaries between the indoors and nature.  Walls or sections of walls can be pulled back to open large sections of the home up in the summer.  For example, the living and dining room’s glass walls can be retracted so that whole sides of the room are open to the outdoors.

Further, the layout centers living areas around a courtyard and pool, pulling activity outdoors to enjoy swimming in the day and a firepit at night.

In the winter, the closed up glass walls provide stunning views of the mountains in the distance.  Kundig made the most of these gorgeous surroundings with windows in most rooms, including the private sauna on the side of the home.

The materials were selected to endure this variation in temperature and to blend into the landscape as they weather. (Photography and information courtesy of Olson Kundig)

The post Modern Family Retreat Built for All Four Seasons in Methow Valley appeared first on Freshome.com.

Next week, I’ll be doing Halloween comics all week, including my annual Halloween caption contest. This year, you’ll be able to win a signed copy of my new book! In the meantime, here are Halloween comics of yesteryear!

FLOAT Architectural Research and Design designed this small writing studio for a philosophy professor and nature writer. Located on a small tract of land next to the Marys River in Oregon, United states, the professor, who had a hand in the design, commissioned the shed as a writing retreat.

There were a few requirements in the design. The studio had to be completely off the grid: no water or power hookups, no sewage. There could be no major excavation to build it, in order to leave the land as untouched as possible. All aspects of the shed had to be completely recyclable when it had reached the end of its useful life. The last requirement was a roof that would allow the owner to hear the rain falling.

The front step is a water basin that draws in local wildlife, like birds and deer. The studio is uphill from protected wetlands, part of a project designed to restore function to the watershed. Many pieces of the shed were created offsite and transported by foot, to avoid creating a road in the protected area. The result is a quiet, secluded retreat.

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More narcissism.

More deadlines.

In October, Tesla announced that all of its new cars would be outfitted with equipment that would allow them to drive on their own, and released a video showing off the technology. Now, the company has released some additional footage, showing what the car itself sees as it drives without human input.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted the demonstration, which shows off a passenger sitting in the driver’s seat (who was required to be there by law) as the car navigated to its destination traffic, stop lights, and other road conditions before it parks itself. In addition to the view from the car’s interior, the video shows off what the car’s left rear, medium range, and right rear cameras are seeing.

Continue reading…

We're dealing with better tech these days—embrace it. (credit: Tony Young)

Ever since the HDTV standard emerged in the mid-'00s, screen producers have struggled to come up with new standards that feel anywhere as impressive. That's been a tough sell, as no baseline image standard has yet surpassed the quality jump from CRT sets to clearer panels with 1080p resolution support.

3D content came and went, with its unpopularity owing to a few factors (aversion to glasses, hard-to-find content). The higher-res 4K standard is holding up a little better, but its jump in quality just doesn't move the needle for average viewers—and certainly not those sticking to modestly sized screens.

But there's another standard that you may have heard about—high dynamic range, or HDR. It's a weird one. HDTV, 3D, and 4K have all been easy to quickly and accurately describe for newcomers ("more pixels," "one image per eye," etc.), but HDR's different. Ask an average TV salesperson what HDR is, and you'll usually get a vague response with adjectives like "brighter" and "more colorful." Brighter and more colorful than what, exactly?

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Ingeniously crafted by the team at Lang Architecture, this Hudson Woods retreat is part of a larger residential project located 100 miles away from New York and including 26 modern and energy efficient homes. This project seeks to open doors to rediscovering the things that matter: family, nature, freedom, and long-forgotten passions. With an emphasis on responsible land use, including active forest management and on-site agriculture, Hudson Woods aims to nurture and protect the extraordinary natural beauty of the region.
A contemporary living alternative to the bustling city, Hudson Woods is a place where one can find peace and do it elegantly. Here is an excerpt from the official description provided by the project developers: “Humble and private upon approach, the simple vernacular house form fits sensitively into the topography of each site. Once inside, expansive views to the surrounding landscape are framed through custom mahogany windows.

The interior is modern and warm, with an abundance of local white oak surfaces and details. Throughout the home, craft is on display from solid wood doors with sand cast bronze hardware to custom freestanding kitchen island and pantry units produced in collaboration with local craftsmen”. This place pretty much suits our vision of a charming nature retreat.

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Inspired by the Japanese art of origami, the Boos Beach Club Restaurant in Bridel, Luxembourg grabs attention instantly. Through the use of wood and glass, Metaform Architects integrated the new structure into its natural environment.

The dynamic design enables orienting the bar and eating areas towards the outside, guiding the views to the tall tree stalks. Thanks to its triangular form, the self-supporting rigid roof requires very few peripheral structural points. The motivation to choose this lightweight and easily removable roof system leaves room for possible future changes, if needed.

Black metal pillars and window frames give the interior a soft industrial look. We like how the venue intertwines secluded and open spaces, all taking in the views. The atmosphere becomes intense during the evening, with activated LED lighting schemes.

The lateral outdoor terrace was partly removed and replaced by a white sand beach. To preserve the “Beach club” identity of the place, the new structure consists of raw materials: burned wood, polished concrete floor, raw steel, a terrace made of wood and white sand. [Photos and information provided by Metaform Architects]

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House T is nestled in the rolling hills of southern Austria, overlooking a beautiful vineyard.  Although architect Ulrike Tinnacher built a new structure, the design kept the beautiful, vaulted wine cellar of the old vintner’s house that stood on this site.

The rectangular cube and gabled roof at one end also pay homage to the original home.  They create the most visible shape rising above rows of grapes.  The design further emphasizes the monolithic structure with uniform building materials and few windows.  Inside, it gives residents a private place for bedrooms and other living spaces.

Conversely, the other section of the home works to blend indoor and outdoor spaces.  This large, open room integrates the kitchen, dining, and living spaces.  The minimalist gray kitchen tucks its cabinets and sink behind tall doors.  In addition, its main light fixture is a simple, modern rod hanging above the island.

Glass walls run along either side of the kitchen, making it feel like a part of the landscape.  The plain interior enhances this look, pulling your attention to the outdoors. (Photography by Simon Oberhofer.  Information and photography courtesy of Ulrike Tinnacher.)

The post Add This Austrian Vineyard to Your List of Dream Homes appeared first on Freshome.com.

More statistics.

Jensen Architects built Turner Residence as a series of open spaces, such that the structure itself disappears into the landscape.  Residents can pocket the top floor’s sliding glass panel walls away to open the living and dining space.  This is a wonderful feature with northern California’s temperate climate and panoramic mountain views.

With pocketed walls, the shaded living area blends seamlessly with a pool terrace.  Jensen Architects worked with Nicole Hollis Interior Design to choose decor that mirrors the bright aesthetic of the home.  Their choice of natural colors helps pull in the outdoors underneath the top floor’s floating rooftop.

Further, you can lay out in a pre-fab Alaskan yellow cedar spa enclosure across the pool.  This sitting space makes the terrace feel even more like an extension of the living room.

The project incorporates elements of the surrounding landscape, so that the firm was much less building on the site than it was building with the site.  Constructors cut the two floors below the terrace into the sloped ridge to form a grounded plinth.  In addition, they filled the series of retainer walls built in construction with greenery that will eventually cover the man-made materials. [Photography by Mariko Reed, and information courtesy of Jensen Architects]

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Work work work.

The two spaces added to the back of this 1930s home in Phoenix seem to mirror one another on the outside.  This modern home addition by Chen + Suchart, called the Escobar Renovation, includes large open spaces, which are lacking in the original historic home.

On the left, the design team created a room that flows from a comfy sitting area to an open kitchen. From there, a sliding glass door opens up to a covered patio to enjoy dinners on nice days.

Dinner can transform into a relaxing night outdoors as the temperature cools.  The design included a boxy fire pit in the back of the property, the perfect spot to relocate to after dinner.

At the end of the night, you are steps from the master suite, which is housed in the addition’s second room.  The bedroom features glass walls on multiple sides for an open feel that makes the most of Arizona’s sunshine.  [Photography by Matt Winquist and courtesy of dezeen magazine]

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Located in the heart of the Villeray district, Montreal, the De Gaspé House project by la SHED Architecture consisted of the major renovation of an existing building that, through previous renovations, had lost most of its original character. The old duplex space, which included a garage and several annexes, was transformed into a single family home for two adults and two children. The project designers chose to create a contemporary facade that would seamlessly integrate with the surrounding housing styles.

Inside of the home, a compact block containing the service areas (closets, bathroom, and storage space) was positioned near the entrance. This was done to create an intimate separation between the vestibule and living spaces. Past it, in the kitchen, the occupant can enjoy an unobstructed view of all common areas. This design style is great for both letting in light and allowing social interactions.

The living room benefits from having twice the ceiling height, which brings light from the first floor down to the ground floor. This space is framed between two pieces of woodwork, which filter and play with the occupant’s perception of the living room’s spatial limits. On one side, an elegant bookshelf extends to the double height space and acts as a screen that hides the stairs. Thin white steel tablets are integrated into the wood lattices and create a contrast with the orange background provided by the stairs.

At the rear, the house’s original volume was preserved while removing a portion of the first floor in order to create a patio. This removal allowed for an alleviation of the building’s density in relation to the backyard, while providing the garden with further natural light and a more open line of sight.

A galvanized corrugated steel coating was applied to the first floor in order to lighten the enclosed exterior area while offering a sustained contrast between various black elements of the façade and fence separating the yard from the alleyway. [Photos and information provided via e-mail by la SHED architecture]

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Located a stone’s throw away from the state capitol of Arkansas, this 344-square-meter home has a restrained style that borders on being a minimalist interior. This serves to better highlight the true focal point of this home: the stunning panoramic views of the Arkansas forests. As the foliage changes throughout the year, the neutral tones of the house complement and enhance the changing color palette.

Architect Wesley Walls, the principal architect at Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects, created this home for this family of four.

“The design intentionally sidesteps trendy finishes in an effort to create a sophisticated, timeless residence,” Wesley Walls explained. The house is a three-story structure comprised of two bar-shaped levels, balanced over a more open space on the first story. The interior design is deliberately kept neutral with natural tones; focusing on stone, glass, and wood. The vibrancy comes from the floor to ceiling windows, overlooking a panoramic view.

Living, dining room, and kitchen all merge together on the top story, opening on to a terrace overlooking this stunning scene.

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Millions of people visiting mainstream websites over the past two months have been exposed to a novel form of malicious ads that embed attack code in individual pixels of the banners.

Researchers from antivirus provider Eset said "Stegano," as they've dubbed the campaign, dates back to 2014. Beginning in early October, its unusually stealthy operators scored a major coup by getting the ads displayed on a variety of unnamed reputable news sites, each with millions of daily visitors. Borrowing from the word steganography—the practice of concealing secret messages inside a larger document that dates back to at least 440 BC—Stegano hides parts of its malicious code in parameters controlling the transparency of pixels used to display banner ads. While the attack code alters the tone or color of the images, the changes are almost invisible to the untrained eye.

Left: Clean picture; middle: picture with malicious content; right: malicious version enhanced for illustrative purposes. (credit: Eset)

The malicious script is concealed in the alpha channel that defines the transparency of pixels, making it extremely difficult for even sharp-eyed ad networks to detect. After verifying that the targeted browser isn't running in a virtual machine or connected to other types of security software often used to detect attacks, the script redirects the browser to a site that hosts three exploits for now-patched Adobe Flash vulnerabilities.

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NEW YORK—Today, Microsoft announced the newest version of its Surface Book, the Surface Book i7. This new laptop takes some of the most crucial features of the original Surface Book and improves upon them. Most notable is the new battery life: Microsoft is promising up to 16 hours of battery life with the new Surface Book i7.

Panos Panay, Microsoft's head of Windows hardware, debuted the new laptop first by highlighting features the company knew its customers wanted: higher frame rates for gamers and better battery life for everyone. While he didn't announce specific spec information, Panay did say the i7 will have twice the graphics performance than the original hybrid laptop and 30 percent more battery life, which will allow it to last at least 16 hours on a single charge. Thanks to the name, we also know that its powered by Intel's Skylake i7 processor.

The exterior design of the Surface Book i7 looks nearly identical to the original Surface Book, but inside it has a new thermal system with a second fan. You won't be able to see those changes while you use the Surface Book i7, but Microsoft is hoping they make the experience of using the device even better. Otherwise, the laptop itself still sports the 2-in-1 design of the first Surface Book with a detachable PixelSense touchscreen, full keyboard, and compatible Surface Pen.

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Apple

Who needs rumor sites and analyst reports when Apple leaks its own hardware ahead of time in its own software? An eagle-eyed MacRumors reader went digging into the macOS 10.12.1 update that was released yesterday and found an official Apple Pay-related image that outs the new MacBook Pro and a whole bunch of its banner features.

The image, seen above, appears to show off the 13-inch MacBook Pro that Apple is expected to reveal at its hardware event on Thursday. The screen bezel is noticeably thinner than in the current design, and there's less metal surrounding the keyboard, which is in keeping with reports that the hardware would have a smaller, slimmer profile than the current model. The row of function keys (including the Escape key and the power button) has also been replaced with a long narrow black strip, which rumors have said is an OLED display panel that can display different information depending on the app you're using. The right-most section of the strip includes an embedded Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which can be used for Apple Pay and presumably to unlock your Mac.

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