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Creating More Space in a Child's Bedroom
Creating More Space in a Child's Bedroom

The interior of this home, like most of the homes built in the 1920s, had very little storage space. Chloe Durant of California Closets reviews some of the changes made to the house to improve the storage space. Before the renovation, the boys' room featured lots of little containers for toys which made the room feel cluttered. In an effort to expand toy storage space and add space for work, a two-section desk was installed. Bookshelves and drawer space were included with the desk. Some bookshelves include baskets for toy storage. A door was removed from a pre-existing closet, the interior was painted, and display shelves were installed. A bunk bed from Levitz.com was put in the children's room, which helped open up more space. The master bedroom was also furnished with products bought online.

Wireless Home Networking
Wireless Home Networking

Wireless networks allow you to roam freely--and stay connected. No longer tethered to the desktop (or your desk!), work and Web surfing happen when and where you choose.

A Complete Basement Remodel
A Complete Basement Remodel

The new family room is all done and furnished and looks terrrific. Bob talks with Sarah Monzon, the homeowner who also acted as the general contractor on the project, about the remodeling work done on the room. The room was a "cave" according to Monzon before the project was started. A pitted soapstone sink was previously used as a laundry and had become an eyesore. The room was also cluttered with accumulated junk. Because of the shortage of space in the house, the family decided to finish the basement to add to the living space of the home. Monzon acted as the general contractor for the project because there wasn't money budgeted for the expense, which was not necessarily an experience she would choose to repeat. The local inspectional services department provided a large amount of information for the novice general contractor. It is imperative before homeowners do any work on their home that they obtain the necessary permits and find out what is safe and what is not. If homeowners do work on their homes without a permit and anything goes wrong, insurance will not cover the damage. Before any work was done on the house, the basement floors were concrete and heating ducts crisscrossed the ceiling. There was flooding damage in the basement during the past fall which needed to be corrected and prevented in the future. Basement Systems was called in to install a perimeter drain and drainage system. A lot of existing plumbing was then moved from the ceiling to make more headspace and a new HVAC system was installed to move the heating ducts. The new central air system complete with an air filter made the house much more livable. In one of the smaller spaces in the basement, a new bathroom was installed with the help of technology from Saniflo. Owens Corning Basement Finishing Systems was then called in to install new finished walls. Many of the mechanical devices in the basement are now hidden behind the walls but are still accessible as the walls can be easily removed. A new entertainment center was then installed in the finished basement featuring a S1 Digital Media Center. The media center allows the homeowner to browse digital pictures taken using the family's digital camera or to set the image as wallpaper for the screen. Television shows can be watched or recorded using a schedule guide. The media center also can store home videos, movies, and music. New reclining chairs from Bell'O were put in the entertainment room. When laying protection from flood damage in a basement, it is important to elevate wood from the concrete floor. Instead of using a plywood underlayment, a plastic tile system was used which interlocks and can be screwed down onto the concrete. Plastic webbing underneath the tiles diverts any water which may come up through the concrete or spill in the basement to the perimeter drain. Slide-Lok cabinets were put in the basement to increase storage space. The Slide-Lok wall system was put in place to hang tools in the workspace. The husband of the family is a musician and uses much of the storage space to hold his instruments. Because the room can double as rehearsal space, two and a half inches of fiberglass are in the walls to reduce sound transmission to the outside. The basement has a small office space for the husband as well. Accents throughout the space correlate with other things in the room. The lampshades on the desk have a design which relates to the flooring product. The floor does not have a wall-to-wall carpet although it looks as if it does. The floor is from Binvetec and features tiles of carpet which stick to the floor. The product has interlocking patterns which can easily be layed down. Bean bags from Sumo were put in the room for lounging in and the kids love to play on them. A stairwell fishtank from AquaVista is only four inches deep.

Brownstone Kitchen and Butler's Pantry
Brownstone Kitchen and Butler's Pantry

The huge space that is the kitchen of the Manhattan Brownstone has received its finishing details. Basaltina stone covers the counters, island, desk area, and built-in bar. There is a large double-door utility closet that houses the washer and dryer, as well as brooms and cleaning supplies. The custom cabinetry has a classic wainscoting profile and an off-white catalyzed finish. There is floor-to-ceiling storage that will need to be accessed, perhaps with a library ladder to traverse the space. Project manager Chris Vila shows Bob the built-in bar space that is designed to look like a butler's pantry, complete with glass-front cupboards and restoration-glass inserts from Bendheim. The Sub Zero 42-bottle capacity wine fridge is compatible with the home's security system to safeguard precious wine collections and block access.

Jonathan Adler Shop Tour
Jonathan Adler Shop Tour

In this segment Bob meets with Jonathan Adler at one of his retail locations in New York City's SoHo shopping district to discuss the furniture and accessory pieces that will be incorporated into the penthouse layout. Adler is part of an organization called Aid to Artisans or ATA, that brings together US artists, designers and business consultants together with craftspeople in developing nations.

Jonathan Adler Discusses Interior Design Ideas
Jonathan Adler Discusses Interior Design Ideas

Bob meets with Jonathan Adler and Darren Brown to discuss the penthouse apartment's main living spaces. The two-bedroom apartment is almost a loft with its wide-open floor plan. Unlike most older New York apartments this one has great natural light. The designers are choosing deep earthy tones in the fabrics that will complement the natural brick wall and rustic structural beam. In the second bedroom/office, a skylight helps lighten the room so that crisp colors as well as dark browns can be used to make the space inviting and casually livable. Adler is using David Hicks for inspiration on the office layout colors and lines. The late David Hicks (1929-98) came to prominence in the 1960s with his eclectic style, bold use of color and his mantra, 'Interior Decoration is the art of achieving the maximum with the minimum'

Tour of the Julia Wood House in Falmouth, Massachusetts
Tour of the Julia Wood House in Falmouth, Massachusetts

Bob visits the Julia Wood House, home of the Falmouth, Massachusetts Historical Society, and takes a tour with Carolyn Power, the society's executive director. The home was built in 1790 for Dr. Francis Wicks. It has an impressive double front porch rooted in Palladian architecture and one of the few authentic widow's walks remaining on Cape Cod. The wallpaper in the center entry hall, while not original to this location, was made in Paris in the late 18th century and brought back to Cape Cod by a sea captain for his young bride. It was later moved to the Julia Wood House when its original home was threatened. The interior walls are just board partitions with profiles of no more than 2 to 2 1/2 inches. The floors throughout the home are spatter-painted boards, a popular decorative technique that proved very serviceable.

Jonathan Adler Reviews Interior Design Finishes
Jonathan Adler Reviews Interior Design Finishes

Bob joins the project's interior designer, Jonathan Adler, in the guest bedroom to discuss the decor. Adler used a Lucite shelf to add storage space without making the small room appear smaller. The rug is goatskin and the bed is from the West Elm Catalog, a local Brooklyn retailer that specializes in "urban living". The room is painted in Wheatland Beige from Bob's Signature line of paints. In the second bedroom Adler borrowed ideas from David Hicks to design a sumptuous office. He uses bold patterns, colors and materials to mix pop art with luxury. Bob points out a 1970 reproduction Thonet rocking chair made with chrome instead of the typical bentwood.

Elm Court's Guest Suites
Elm Court's Guest Suites

The Berles give Bob Vila a tour of the guest suites at the Elm Court mansion in Lenox, Massachusetts. Starting with the Emily Vanderbilt Suite, railroad inspired colors and historic period furniture pieces add to the room�s austere elegance. The room began as heiress Emily Vanderbilt Sloane�s private bedroom, and now has a large dressing room with a coffered wood ceiling, and a state-of-the-art high-tech media room, and a large bathroom. The room also features a large open balcony overlooking the waters of the Stockbridge Bowl. The second room on the tour sustained heavy damage from vandals, but has been elaborately restored down to the finest details. The last suite combines Art Deco- and Empire-style furniture to create a �city-sleek� d�cor.

Acoustical Ceiling for Noise Attenuation
Acoustical Ceiling for Noise Attenuation

Mike Kintzing from Owens Corning introduces Bob to a new to residential acoustical ceiling product. QuietZone's Solserene attaches directly to hard surfaces to absorb reverberations. Solserene is a unique product in that has no visible seams in rooms less than 16 feet wide. During the installation, an acoustical high-density fiberglass panel is screwed to the ceiling. Then the installer mounts a retention track around the room. The fabric is then stretched flat and flush to the ceiling. Solserene fabric is a flame-retardant, locking-knit woven polyester that does not fray when cut. From underneath, it looks like a standard drywall or plaster ceiling.

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