home DREAMS | Lehigh Valley, PA
making home inspirations achievable
For the Design Inspired
If you find fascination, beauty, or enjoyment in the creative experiences of design, especially as it relates to things, people, and places found in the greater Lehigh Valley region, then check out exploreDesign on Facebook. Hosted by the Lehigh Valley DESIGN guide, this unique site highlights design-inspired wonders that will catch your attention and provide added enjoyment to living in the Valley.
Take a look and be inspired today!
facebook.com/exploreDesign
LV Designer | National Award
Lehigh Valley designer Jill Jarrett, of Jarret Designs LLC, was announced the winner of the Inspire My Kitchen Design Contest, professional category, sponsored by innovative range hood manufacturer Zephyr. Helping beautifully transform an eclectic farm home outside Quakertown, Jill’s project beat out several other stunning nationwide entries incorporating Zephyr’s design forward kitchen products. Here’s a link to project highlights and photographs. PHOTOGRAPHS
Jarret Designs
www.JarrettDesignLLC.com
Peek Inside!
Ever wonder what the Spring Home Show at Stabler is like? Beginning Friday evening, videos highlighting some of the exhibits from the show floor will be available for viewing online. Just a sprinkling of videos on Friday, with a full selection on Saturday.
Take a peek, and then consider attending for the complete experience.
Here’s the link: Spring Home Show at Stabler
Fireside Envy
If over the years you’ve outgrown your initial Chiminea and the little outdoor space that you called home every evening during the summer, then maybe you’re ready for an upgrade. Here’s an option that is sure to enhance your fireside chats as well as draw in a few added guests. Longer burns, more leg room, and you’ll be the envy of your chiminea neighbors.
And hey, you can pass along all those little twigs for them to burn.
Home Professional:
Merkle’s Landscape
Allentown, PA
610.360-5968
Alternative Beauty
While some might not find the dreamy aesthetics of this project coming from the heart, the owners of this home certainly find it in their wallets and in their monthly energy bills. With energy costs on a seemly upward climb, it’s alternative energy projects like these that are gaining added attention and interest.
Home Professional:
Renu Building & Energy Solutions
Orefield, PA
610.391.0100
EVENT | Designer Showhouse & Gardens
Mark your Calendar!
The 2012 SOTA Designer Showhouse & Gardens will be held April 28-May 20, at a beautiful Victorian farmhouse on picturesque Three Chimneys Farm near Coopersburg, PA. Refurbished by 22 local interior designers and landscapers, you can tour the house and gardens, shop in the boutique, and enjoy lunch catered by Sagra Catering in the café. Don’t miss it!
For information call 610-432-4333, ext. 145, or visit our Facebook page.
Hmm…
Okay, we could say a lot here, pointing out the glass doors across the front that slide completely open, or how relaxing you could be with some Bailey’s Irish Cream in hand, but not today. Let’s just sit back and quietly take it all in.
Sitting back…
Home Professional:
Silver Creek Construction
Center Valley, PA
610.838.1170
Just the Right Size
Home updates and improvements don’t have to be big and splashy. Simple, well designed executions can turn everyday spaces into the place to be.
Here, a fresh two-level counter with oven and modern range hood brings new life to this small kitchen.
Now imagine how crowed this “smallest room” in the house will be during the next friend gathering. We can….PACKED!
Home Professional:
Morris Black Designs
Allentown & Bartonsville, PA
610.264.2700
EVENT | Spring Home Show at Stabler
Show Hours
Friday, 6pm – 10pm
Saturday, 10am – 9pm
Sunday, 11am – 5pm
Admission:
$6.00 per person Children under 12 are free.
Learn & see more HERE.
Decorative Zone Heating
With energy costs and efficiency a top-of-mind priority on many peoples minds, one avenue of consideration is zone heating. While typically this involves electronic control of thermostats and dampers, there are creative alternatives.
Here, a stone fireplace with gas insert provides not only direct heat to the most active space in a home [the kitchen], but also adds a visually distinctive interior design element. Other decorative heating options include utilizing free standing fireplaces and stoves, placed strategically within a home to maximize efficiency. This route also offers options on fuel choices and refueling requirements.
Serving both function and form, decorative zone heating can be your answer to both efficiency and beauty. Talk with your building or fireplace professional to learn more.
Home Professional:
Curtis E. Schneck, Inc.
Schnecksville, PA
610.767.5018
Bending the Design Rules
Traditional shapes and materials often dictate the outcome of design in many homes. But that does not have to be the case for you and your home. Consider the kitchen island as a prime example. Often rectangle in design, faced with a cabinetry style and material, and topped with the popular counter top of the moment, it’s a standout home feature that can readily accept creative new directions in design and materials.
Interested? Talk with your builder or remodeler, and they should send you to talk with their cabinetry shop. If you’re just thinking kitchen update, visit a kitchen showroom and talk with one of their designers. And if you feel your not finding the creative result that you’re looking for, feel free to discuss your vision with another designer, as some are more comfortable with outside-the-box thinking.
Bending the design rules in many other parts of the home, both inside and out, can provide the personal distinction that makes your home yours. It’s just takes that first step to explore something new.
Tell us your insights and experiences where have you bent the design rules in your home. Did it work? Would you do it yourself? Would you do it again?
[photograph provided by studio 26 homes | Orefield, PA]
Bending the Design Rules is one of the design points featured in Design Expressions, a collection of ideas and insights on home design from theDESIGNguide, a Lehigh Valley resource to local champions of home design.
Sunrooms | Inside Out
No matter what the season, a sunroom allows you to bring in the feeling of the outdoors from the comfort of your favorite chair. Whether as an addition, renovation of existing space, or as part of a new construction floor plan, the openness, brilliance, and stress free nature of a year-round sunroom offers an exceptional space for quality living.
Home Professional:
Blair Custom Homes, Inc.
Route 378
Bethlehem, PA
610.865.4200
www.BlairCustomHomesInc.com
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