How'sHouse » News

Electrolux and Park Associati Pop Up Dining

Adrian How — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:50:03 +0000

Electrolux and Park Associati have teamed up to deliver a portable restaurant that will enable diners to have gastronomic experiences at famous landmarks around the world. This idea of pop-up dining is not new but ‘The Cube’ sure is a futuristic and extremely lightweight restaurant made for the purpose of portability.

The 140 square metre Cube will be placed in the Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels, and will be moved to a different European city every four to twelve weeks. Lunches start from EUR150 and dinners from EUR200. Steep, but is there really a price you can pay for such an experience? A local chef from the city in which the restaurant resides in will be picked to be the resident chef throughout the restaurant’s stay at the city. The chef will be working from a kitchen fully fitted with Electrolux products on show – a clever piece of marketing savviness from the Electrolux folks.

The tables are retracted to the ceiling once the guests have completed their meals to enable more space for mingling and networking. Very clever indeed

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Climate Change leading to record insurance payouts

iain ramsey — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:23:04 +0000

In 2010, it is thought that nine-tenths of the 950 natural disasters recorded were weather-related events such as storms and floods. The earthquake that decimated Haiti caused the death of 222,570 people. Russia experienced a record heat wave resulting in huge forest fires killing 50,000 people and in Pakistan, floods caused the death of over 1,760 people.

At the end of 2010, severe winter weather gripped the UK and brought the country to a standstill. In what was the coldest and longest winter ever recorded, the insurance industry recorded a massive increase in claims for both car and house insurance payouts.

Now in 2011, climate change is continuing to have a massive impact around the world. In Australia and Brazil, more floods have killed many and now it is Britain’s turn. Wales, the south-west, the midlands and the north east have all been issued flood warnings with half of January’s predicted rainfall predicted to fall over the next few days. With insurance companies still recovering from the winter weather payouts, they are now bracing themselves for even larger payouts due to flood damage.

Home Insurance

German insurers Munich Re, issued a report showing that major global catastrophes in 2010 resulted in losses of $130 billion. Of these losses only $37 billion were insured. This is the same for the average family’s home insurance policy. It is estimated that on average home-owners are underinsured by £4,650, so in the event of a disaster, they will be literally “hung out to dry”.

“At a time when people are feeling the pinch, it is easy to assume a standard home insurance policy will be enough for you – however this could be a mistake. Knowing the difference between ‘frills’ and ‘no frills’ policies is crucial; many standard policies will provide a basic level of cover, which in many cases might not safeguard your home and possessions to the necessary extent.” said Julie Owens, head of the moneysupermarket home insurance team.

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), insurers have paid out £4.5 billion to customers who have had their homes or businesses ruined by floods since 2000. This has led to an increase in premiums and a change in attitude to insurance. Housing Charity, Shelter reported that 42 per cent of home owners could not afford home insurance whilst 22 per cent said they did not think it was important.

It can only get worse

With Governments around the world refusing to live up to the fact that climate change is the direct cause of extreme weather conditions, things can only get worse. According to the ABI, nearly 500,000 people are at risk of flooding and this is thought to rise to 840,000 by 2035. All we can do is to be prepared and adequately covered in the event that we lose our home and its possessions in the event of a disaster. Here are some tips to help you to be prepared for the worst.

Stay Informed – Keep up to date with the news and weather forecasts and for more up-to-date information, check the MET Office website for information on your local area.

Pack an Emergency Kit – If a flood was to hit your town, you may only have minutes to evacuate. Your emergency kit should include, ID, money, a change of clothing and any medication that is required.

Stock up on sandbags – Purchase as many sandbags as required to limit the amount of water that can enter you home in the event of a flood.

Move your possessions upstairs – All electrical items, rugs, important documents and anything of sentimental value should be moved upstairs out of harms way.

Contact Numbers – Keep all emergency contact numbers written down and in a safe place. This should also include the number for your home insurance provider and your policy number.

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Should You Hire an Interior Designer?

guestcontributor — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:21:40 +0000

Most people face this dilemma when they’ve just purchased a home or when they want to renovate or redecorate their home – they’re unsure of whether they should hire an interior decorator or do the job themselves. The answer to the above question depends on a host of factors, the most important of which are money, time and skill. In general, it pays to hire an interior designer if:

You can afford it – designers don’t come cheap, and the changes they recommend could also be costly and the contractors they use could end up draining your bank balance, so even if you do have money, fix a budget if you don’t want your designer to assume carte blanche and go the whole hog in redecorating your home.
You want a professional look – your home is bound to look more appealing and stylish when trusted to the hands of a professional designer. So if money is no constraint and you want your home to look the best, by all means, go ahead and hire a designer who has a good reputation and is able to understand what you want for your house and translate it into reality.
You don’t have the time – some folks may prefer DIY projects, but if they don’t have the time, they know that going with the services of a professional designer is the best thing to do. However, if you do know what you want and are able to manage with just the help of a few workmen and a contractor, then you could reduce your overall cost and get a great looking home.
DIY would end up costing more – I know a couple who had to shell out tons of money on undoing the damage that the husband had wrought because of his DIY passion. DIY only if you know what you’re doing, if you have the time and inclination to learn all you can about the task you’re supposed to do and if you know how to handle the tools of the trade without inflicting harm on yourself or damaging objects around the home. It’s not much of an option if you’re going to have to hire a contractor and/or a designer to undo the damage that you’ve done and redo your home all over again.
You have absolutely zero design skills – this is actually not a problem if you don’t mind living in a practical, no-frills home with just the basic furniture and furnishings. But if you find yourself giving the homes of your friends admiring looks for a minute too long and wondering why your home looks drab in comparison, then it’s time to bring in a designer, if only to get their opinion on what you need to do to spice things up. You could choose to pay just for a consultation or go all the way and get them to take care of the job as well.

Remember, interior designers come in all kinds, so do your homework and find the one who’s just right for your budget, your home, and your temperament.

This guest post is contributed by Sharon Harlan, she writes on the topic of interior design degree online . She welcomes your comments at her email id: sharon.harlan83<@>gmail<.>com.Similar Posts:

Graduates of Top Photography Schools Find Inspiration in India

marion cooper — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 02:29:34 +0000

India is a country with the potential to inspire anyone who has even the slightest artistic streak. Architecture Schools frequently offer entire courses on India; the country’s rich cultural and historical heritage is reflected in its buildings, providing ample classic examples for study. From the world famous Taj Mahal to more recent colonial-inspired urban buildings, India’s architecture reflects many influences over hundreds of years.

When considering urban populations, India is frequently a topic of hot discussion, especially among marketing types. Nearly one-sixth of the entire world’s population (that’s over 1.1 Billion people) lives in India, with a growing percentage of these people moving to a number of large urban centers. Mumbai, for example, has nearly 14 million residents and there are over forty other cities in India boasting populations in excess of one million. The US, in comparison, has nine cities with a population of over one million. This huge market is a subject of interest in leading Advertising Schools.

While the cities and buildings of India provide an almost endless supply of scenery for paintings and drawings, as seen in Fine Art Schools around the world, the natural vistas of this country offer unmatched opportunities for photographers. The peaks of the Himilayas dominate Northern India, while the Ganges River runs for over 1,500 miles. Wildlife abounds, including rare and exotic animals like the elusive Snow Leopard, Indian Tigers and Indian Elephants. India is one of the most popular destinations for graduates of Top Photography Schools because of the endless abundance of challenging subjects, many of which can’t be found anywhere else.

If you decide to travel to India to take in the sense of history, architectural wonders and natural vistas of this huge country, there’s little doubt that you’ll find yourself inspired. You may not be in a position to interrupt your trek to search out an art school, no matter how motivated the scenery makes you, but you could always consider artistic training that’s available wherever you might find yourself. Online Interior Design Schools give you the ability to pursue a career in the arts without having to commit to settling down in a specific location. Pack your laptop and follow your muse wherever you can get an Internet connection; even in the Himalayas.Similar Posts:

My Interview on BFM – The Property Show

Adrian How — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:31:45 +0000

For those of you who missed the Property Show where I was interviewed by Tiffany Chew, along with another guest, Vanessa, a full time Interior Design professional from Desigva Design, FEAR NOT for BFM podcasts all its shows.

Listen to it below or download the podcast (16min, 2.8mb) directly

Key items covered in the interview

current trends
is going green in?
issues homeowners face with interior design
cost, practicality, aesthetics?
practical home design tips

Now that I’ve heard the recording, it feels somewhat surreal to know that I’ve been presented with the honour of being a guest on BFM! In my opinion, the show went pretty well and I now finally know how I sound like on the radio. Tiffany was great at getting us to feel comfortable especially since both guests were first timers on air. What stood out was her incredible hospitality which I really appreciate and her really cool name card which read ‘Bungalows For Me (BFM)’ on the reverse.

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HowsHouse on The Property Show – BFM

Adrian How — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:45:45 +0000

I’ve had the good fortune of being invited to be a guest on The Property Show with Tiffany Chew on BFM (Business FM). It’s going to be my first time on the radio and I’ve got to say that I’m pretty excited.

I hope you guys will tune in this Saturday at 11am – FM frequency 89.9 and listen in on the show as the topic for the week is Interior Design. Joining Tiffany and I would be Vanessa from Desigva Design – a professional Interior Designer who plies her trade in Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai. Yikes, how will I fare against a full time professional?

For months now this has been the only radio station I tune in to daily because their concept of business talk shows coupled with ever improving music (Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, The Verve etc) is a great departure from the likes of Hitz, Fly and other more mainstream stations.

Do make sure you tune in to The Property Show this coming weekend!Similar Posts:

Interviewed on Homepride.com.my

Adrian How — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:33:16 +0000

Homepride.com.my approached me to do an interview which I gladly obliged. Being part of the Catcha Group, Homepride is both a print magazine as well as an online portal on all things home & living for urban dwellers. The interview mainly focuses on my thoughts and experiences with home design and living. The last question was a nice touch.

Read the full interview after the jump

How’sHouse is in the house

What does the man of How’s House himself has to say?

By Sher Yen on 16th June 2010.

Knowing that firsthand experience is more important than any other hokus-pokus, we got Malaysia’s interior designer blogger, Adrian How to share with us a few stories of his own.

HP – HomePride
How – Adrian How

HP: How do you relate yourself to the rest of home buyers?

How: I’m just like any other home buyer – wanting to get the most bang for the buck when it comes to furnishing the home whilst staying within the allocated budget. I enjoy the thrill of a challenge in matching one’s aesthetic and functional ambitions for their homes by getting the most value for the budget that they have in mind.

HP: Do you target readers of the higher end or just any other average people like you and me?

How: The site caters for a wide variety of readers. Most of the content is targeted for the average to upper middle income earners. Occasionally, I’ll feature something opulent and extravagant but it’s really more to provide my readers with the knowledge and images of a great product design to fire up like ideas within them in implementing something similar for the home, more than to target the wealthy into a purchase. After all, i don’t sell the items, i merely write about them if I find it interesting enough to be worth a mention.

HP: As a home owner, what kind of difficulties do you face when designing your home?

How: Often times, the real headache comes when you have an overflow of ideas for a particular space. You get crippled in the decision making process because there’s an opportunity cost tied to any decision made. In designing my home, I was focused on what it was I ‘needed’ for the each part of the home. I then moved on what it was I ‘wanted’. One of my guiding principles is ‘form over substance’ and therefore I always ensure that a space is functional before I even go into the aesthetics of it. Going back to my home, I was then able to formulate a wishlist of items for the home from my needa and wants, which then transcended into design. After several design iterations and a lot of imagination, I had the blueprint to how my home would look.

HP: When renovating and decorating houses, what are the main priorities to focus on?

How: Many people often miss the mark by focusing too much on aesthetics. Unless it’s a home for which you intend only to get gasping wows from your guests, it better be livable than just merely being pretty. As i mentioned earlier, ‘form over substance’ as the guiding principle. It’s much easier to do the ‘how’ when you have a compelling ‘why’. Know what you want in your own home and work towards achieving that. With a splash of creativity and imagination, you can convert any functional space to being that and aesthetically pleasing.

HP: On a lighter end, what was the most expensive and cheapest thing you have spent on your home renovation/decoration?

How: I like this question best.

The most expensive item – relative to the type of item itself, not just from a pure monetary perspective – is a little period Chinese porcelain vase that is now valued just under RM10k.

The cheapest decorative item in the house is incidentally one of my favourites. It’s a modern art wood sculpture of a man with his leg crossed and his head leaned sideways against his hand – a pose which portrays a daydreamer – but without a torso. I got it for a steal of RM15 in Bali and recently saw the exact same item on sale for RM129.

About the man
Adrian How is like any other wage-earner who has a family of his own and has a place he calls home. But for the betterment of the rest he leaped out and came up with How’sHouse to help house owners beautify their homes.
www.howshouse.com
The original source of the article can be found hereSimilar Posts:

Comfortworks.com.au – Quality Fabric at Affordable Prices

Adrian How — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:20:51 +0000

In June last year, a chap by the name of Henry approached me seeking opinions about setting up an online business selling quality fabrics to the Australian market. The key things I spoke about then were about a user-friendly site display, clear furnishing options, strong delivery capabilities, and above all, easy payment options.

The site, comfortworks.com.au was officially launched on 7 April 2010 and features interactive products and fabric customization options to allow customers to be ale to view their finished product online before making the purchase.

Here’s the story of how ComfortWorks originated:

Rachel Yeng, an architect graduate was on her way to her local curtain store for a quote on a few windows. Her jaw dropped when she was quoted with more than AUD$4,000 for 6 window coverings. She visited a few other stores only to learn that custom made curtains are indeed very expensive in Australia.

Through her research, she realised that the high costs of these curtains are prompted by the ‘customer service’ factor, the free measure and quote, free installation and worst of all, sales commissions. These elements unreasonably multiply the costs of the utmost essential; fabric and sewing.

“It is really easy to install your own curtains, simply screw the tracks in and hook them up”, she says. ComfortWorks.com.au was born 3 months later on the idea that if she could provide the curtains, the DIY-friendly Australians should have no problem hanging them.

She has since also identified another problem with IKEA sofa owners who are stuck with their torn, stained or even frayed sofa covers but cannot replace the slipcovers, as the furniture giant had stopped producing them years ago. “I had an old sofa from IKEA, bought some years ago when I was still a student, for less than half the cost of the sofa, it felt like I’ve just got myself a new sofa!” replies Rachel enthusiastically.

The E-store currently offers more than 150 different fabrics selections with fabric samples ready to be mailed on request. Subject to durability test (Martindale), most of the upholstery ready fabrics easily satisfy 20,000 rub cycles and some exceeding 30,000.

When asked what ‘affordable’ means to Comfort Works, she replies, “Let’s just say it will take the phrase ‘priced competitively’ to a whole different level”.

Ordering custom made items from the website is surprisingly very easy. By using intuitive links and simple navigations the site is very user-friendly. Throw in the exceptional value for money and great craftsmanship, Comfort Works is quite happy to be able to help Australians to achieve tailored looks on their home without breaking the piggy bank

***

I must admit to being impressed with the final site design and layout which renders it totally easy to use. The usability of the site speaks volumes for the fact that these folks understand not just the fabric industry but the internet as well. By bringing the prices down on fabrics through the eradication of sales commissions and the addition of the DIY element, it looks as though Rachel and co will reach out to the many Aussies who do not mind getting their hands dirty in a little DIY. I wish the folks at ComfortWorks great success!Similar Posts:

Environmentally-Friendly San Francisco Bay Area Communities

richard hubbard — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 02:07:33 +0000

San Francisco has long had a history of caring about its community. For decades, the country has looked to San Francisco for guidance on how to take care of one’s fellow man and of the planet. So it’s no surprise that San Francisco is one of the leaders in environmentally friendly communities. From the Green Building Program of Marin County to the Mountain View apartments of Silicon Valley, San Francisco is again leading the way, showing some great new methods for building green communities to the world.

Marin County – Green Building Program

The Green Building Program is a Marin Country project run by Omar Pena, Marin County’s Green Building Coordinator. He is available to offer any technical assistance needed in order to build green in Marin County. The Green Building Program is part of Marin County’s Sustainability Initiative, designed to save energy and protect the environment in various ways, from promoting alternative energy use, to green building to tips on green living. The Green Building Program includes residential green building guidelines and a rating system, incentives for green building initiatives and green building technical help.

Silicon Valley – Mountain View Apartments

Many Silicon Valley homes and Mountain View apartments are built with the environment and green building in mind. What does green building mean? It can mean a variety of things, from energy efficiency, for example, solar panels, daylighting apparatuses and other construction methods designed to maximize the use of renewable resources for lighting, heating, cooling and power, rather than relying on fossil fuels that are costly and generate pollution, to water efficiency, providing systems for purifying and recycling water whenever possible. It can mean systems designed to improve indoor air quality or using bio-degradable products in construction to reduce waste.

More on Environmentally-Friendly Building

Not all apartments you will rent or houses you will buy will have every green building feature, even in a place like San Francisco. However, when an entire community bands together to protect the environment, the effect is exponential. Clusters of green buildings can mean communities with less air pollution, lower ambient temperatures and a generally cleaner and healthier environment.

Moving to a Green Community

If you’re looking to move to a new community, consider moving to an environmentally friendly one like the ones you might find in San Francisco. Whether making the move to Mountain View apartments, Marin county homes, or communities like them elsewhere in Northern California, you’ll be doing yourself a service. And it’s not only yourself to consider. Don’t you want your children growing up in a pollution-free environment? Don’t you want friends that can share in the joy of protecting and healing the planet, for you and the generations that follow you? It starts with the little things. The builders have done the hard work for you. To do your part, all you have to do is move in and live. That seems like a small sacrifice for a healthier planet. In fact some might say it’s no sacrifice at all.Similar Posts:

Siller Stairs – Interview with Benjamin Friedl

Adrian How — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:35:31 +0000

Siller Stairs is one of Italy’s foremost stairs designers. My previous post showcased Siller’s impressive work done around the world. Here’s an interview I did with the guy behind Siller Stairs himself – Benjamin Friedl.

***

Me: Tell us about the origins of Siller Stairs/Treppen

Benjamin: The company was founded in 1958 and by a traditional carpenter. Mr. Siller Senior only manufactured custom made staircases primarily using wood during the winter time. In 1990, Christian Siller (Junior) decided it was time to expand the business and concentrate on professional stairs. His aim was to create light and floating stairs to be viewed as accompaniments to living spaces, just like any other furniture. Today, the main materials used are wood, stainless steel and glass. Since 2000, Siller Stairs has gone international and the are now sold in Germany, Austria, Spain, UK, USA and Canada.

Me: In your opinion, what differentiates Siller from its competitors? and how does Siller plan to continue to maintain the edge in an ever competitive industry?

Benjamin: Christian Siller has always been able to create new and trend setting designs. Usually we start selling a particular product 1 to 2 years before other competitors see the trend. With a very slim company structure we are able to move quick and adjust to new trends in the market. Even more, we are always trying to suggest unique designs to the customers to give them the possibility have the only stairs of its kind. Using noble materials and exclusive designs give us the possibility to concentrate on the high end market segment, where we do see a huge demand in future. Service, punctuality and high quality products are what we have and always will deliver and this sets us apart from our competitors

Me: You operate in several regions around the world. do you have any plans for expanding into asia?

Benjamin: Yes, we are indeed planning to expand to Asia. Currently we do already have 3 distributors in India which will start this year. Also we do have companies interested in our products in Singapore and we are just about to start a cooperation with a large group of companies in the middle east. Definitely we are also looking for business partners in Malaysia where we do see a huge demand in futuristic designs

Me: Which is your most popular product and what do you think are its strengths?

Benjamin: Currently the most popular product for the international market is the Mistral Glass Stair Design. There are not a lot of companies worldwide capable of producing this design. The strength of the product is to use the glass as a supporting structure (means you need do not require a supporting wall, as with many other designs) and with this we can achieve the look of a very light and floating staircase. In general we are trying to achieve to become the leader of glass stair products worldwide. Please find attached additional pictures of glass stairs. There will be more cutting edge designs to come as we are currently in the midst of building several new prototypes.

Me: What are your predictions for this industry in the next 5 years and where do you see Siller then?

Benjamin: We see demand an increasing demand in this sector as there are more and more people who are affluent and have unique tastes for custom and designer stairs. Siller Stairs is aiming to serve this market. Currently are working on a licence system with the aim to make it possible for retailers worldwide to sell our products for reasonable prices in the domestic market.Similar Posts:

How'sHouse » News

Electrolux and Park Associati Pop Up Dining

Related posts

Climate Change leading to record insurance payouts

Related posts

Should You Hire an Interior Designer?

Related posts

Graduates of Top Photography Schools Find Inspiration in India

Related posts

My Interview on BFM – The Property Show

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HowsHouse on The Property Show – BFM

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Interviewed on Homepride.com.my

How’sHouse is in the house

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Comfortworks.com.au – Quality Fabric at Affordable Prices

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Environmentally-Friendly San Francisco Bay Area Communities

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Siller Stairs – Interview with Benjamin Friedl

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