German Designer Turns Housing Into Portable Cubes

Irwin Weiner ASID - I applaud all efforts by architects and designers to push the envelope on what we call "home" or "our house." In the future, we'll need homes that are more portable, smaller, and nimble to meet a more nomadic, on-the-move population. At least that's the future that German designer Werner Aisslinger envisions, and his beautiful Loftcube home is a perfect combination of portability, small square-footage, and contemporary appeal. All connections for water, electricity, and gas are in the Loftcube's anchor footings. And the interior, complete with clean Corian surfaces, is airy and light.

The designer has also modified the exterior structure of the Loftcube, taking away the yacht-material white cladding and replacing it with wood slats to create what he terms the Fincube (see below).

The following video goes more in-depth into Aisslinger's Loftcube, and shows

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Hillside House Solves Eco and Sloping Lot Challenges

 

Irwin Weiner ASID - I admire new home design that solves multiple problems. The Hillside House designed by architect and homeowner Scott Lee solves the problem of siting a house on a small lot on an impossibly steep slope. It uses energy-efficient systems throughout - from solar-heated hot water to a home systems control panel that automates light controls and motorized/concealed window shades. Innovative Kohler fixtures reduce water usage in this California home to a bare minimum. Finally, most of the building materials are locally sourced or locally recycled. This home earned its LEED-certified Platinum home status without sacrificing beautiful contemporary design. Watch the following video from Kohler to learn more and tour Hillside House.

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Filtered Tap Water - Some Like It Hot

 

Irwin Weiner ASID - I work every day with clients who are continually adding this new gadget or that to their homes, and sometimes I don't realize that, particularly for homeowners who aren't professionally decorating their homes, many people may not be aware of some nifty appliances or time-saving devices that I take for granted. So here's one that you may or may not already know: the Franke Little Butler. It's been around for awhile, and I've used it a lot. It's a triflow water system, meaning that from your kitchen sink you can run regular tap water, cold filtered tap water, and boiling hot filtered tap water. Actually, you can regulate the hot filtered water to get anything from boiling hot for instant beverages to the lukewarm water called for in many recipes. It's an under-counter filter solution with taps that are integrated so you can get all three water flow options. With so many parts of the country impacted by environmental challenges to their local water supplies, a home water filtration system makes good sense. I was also excited to find the following video from the folks at BoilingWaterTap.org and they've put together a great overview of Franke (in the top photo) and other multi-flow tap systems that are on the market (like Quooker, in the second photo), to help you make an informed purchase.

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Irwin's Kitchen Remodeling: Our Cabinets Are Coming!

 

Irwin Weiner ASID - I want to tell you that Jay and I are very excited with our kitchen remodeling project in our Bucks County farmhouse! We've been taking videos which we'll edit and post in the coming weeks, but at this point we've cleared out the kitchen and laundry room/back entrance area altogether and turned our dining room into a large storage area. We had our last breakfast in the old kitchen on Boxing Day (December 26). Shortly afterwards, our contractor Charles and his son made short work of the demolition phase with all old countertops going out to the dumpster. The cabinets will be reused and recycled.

As I write this, I'm driving to Bucks to receive the kitchen cabinet delivery from IKEA, many boxes that we'll store in our emptied-out garage until the installation around early February. The IKEA experience we had last month was fascinating, I must say! We hit the last day of a 20% off kitchen sale, and we stocked up. We selected the off-white Ädel cabinets because of their clean lines and overall simplicity (see photos above and below). IKEA kitchen departments are efficient assembly lines like in a car wash - you follow the numbered stations and make your selections.

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